A/N: Final Moana chapter and the final Disney world chapter! And wow, this chapter was longer than I thought it was gonna be! I can't believe we're at the end of this! I feel like just yesterday, I was still working on Zootopia! Time flies...man. Well, here we go! Let's see if Kairi can learn the Power of Waking!
Chapter 72: A Master Emerges
When Kairi and Moana first set sail for Te Fiti with Xion and Naminé, the level of energy and teamwork seemed to be an all-time high for them. They had a plan and it wouldn't be much longer until Moana could return home with the joyful news of the island being safe now from the dark curse. Kairi could feel it in her heart that this was the right thing to do and with her friends standing beside her, she couldn't feel more confident.
As the girls saw that Te Fiti was closer in view, the vibe in the air started to change. It was quiet and dark. Kairi saw Moana sitting at the edge of the boat. Although she was sitting, Kairi could tell she was tense. Something was on her mind.
"Moana? What is it?" Kairi asked.
"I don't know. I just have this looming fear that we'll get there and it'll be too late." Moana said softly.
"Maybe, but we won't know unless we try." Naminé encouraged her.
Kairi nodded. "Sometimes the hardest part about saving the people you care about is just gathering the courage to do so."
"But it's like Kairi already said." Xion added. "You have the courage and the heart."
"What can I do exactly? I couldn't even hold onto the heart." Moana asked with a sigh.
Kairi rested a hand on Moana's shoulder. She knew all too well that no matter how confident she was in something, there was always that little bit of doubt that liked to plague her mind and mess with her psyche. With Moana having this much pressure to save her island and people, it was no wonder she had doubts.
A bright blue light began glowing from behind the boat and Xion was the first to notice. She pointed it out to the other girls and Kairi specifically could recognize what it was. It was the stingray spirit that guided them when they first arrived at this world. She and Moana watched as it swam below the boat before emerging from the other side. As the stingray levitated in air, it began to shift its shape and transform. Now in its place was an old woman who resembled Moana in physical appearance.
"Grandma Tala?" Moana gasped.
"Wow…" Kairi beamed at her.
"You girls are a long ways past the reef." Tala chuckled.
"Grandma!" Moana ran into her arms.
"I am so proud of you." She said while holding her granddaughter.
Moana sighed after breaking the hug. "I feel like I made so many mistakes. Do you really believe we can do this?"
"Why do you hesitate?" She asked her granddaughter.
"I-I don't know…" Moana looked back at Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. "I have my friends, and I believe in them, but something is…"
Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all exchanged concerned looks with each other. Even they didn't know what they could do to try and encourage her other than what they had tried earlier. Tala sighed, feeling apologetic for putting so much pressure on Moana. She only sent her because she truly believed in her heart that the ocean chose her granddaughter to save the islands. At the end of the day, Tala couldn't be the one to tell Moana whether she could do it or not. That would be up to her, but she knew her words if wisdom aided Moana on numerous occasions and today would be no different.
"I know a girl from an island." Tala stepped forward. "She stands apart from the crowd. She loves the sea and her people. She makes her whole family proud." She said while brushing some hair behind Moana's ear. "Sometimes the world seems against you. The journey may leave a scar, but scars can heal and reveal just where you are."
Kairi breathed out softly and rested a hand against her heart. Scars can heal and reveal just where you are, she thought. There was still that scar on her back from when Xehanort took her life away for a time. Yet, it was that very scar that was the driving force behind her whole journey. In a way, it was bittersweet. It represented pain, but that pain made her stronger than ever, and she wouldn't change that for anything.
"The people you love will change you. The things you have learned will guide you and nothing can silence the quiet voice still inside you." Tala continued on while taking Moana's hands in hers. "And then that voice starts to whisper, 'Moana, you've come so far. Moana, do you know who you are?'"
Moana thought for a moment. Did she know who she was? Maybe not. There was a lot to her and it was hard to pinpoint just what defined her. As her mind wandered back to her heart's comfort place, her island and family, it all started to add up. She wasn't defined by anything, but rather, it was everything that made her the person she was.
"I am a girl who loves my island and the girl who loves the sea." Moana said as she gazed into her reflection. "It calls me. I am the daughter of the village chief. We are descended from voyagers who found their way across the world. They call me!"
Xion smiled and hopped up. "They're calling you!"
"I've delivered us to where we are. I have journeyed farther. I am everything I've learned and more, but still it calls me!" Moana continued on, her voice raising.
"Say it, Moana!" Kairi cheered her as she got up. "Say it out loud!"
"I am Moana!"
Tala smiled widely, her heart filling with pride as she watched her granddaughter proudly proclaim who she was. The ocean and spirits of their ancestors called out to Moana. They watched over her just as Tala did. It was up to her to carry on their legacy as voyagers. With her newfound confidence, Mona hugged her grandmother one last time before she shifted back to the form of a stingray and continued on her way, travelling with the ocean's currents. There was no longer an inkling of doubt and this time, they knew what they'd be getting into with Te Ka.
"Okay girls, we're gonna have to get creative with how we approach this." Kairi noted, remembering their last attempt.
"Just as long as you don't go jumping into the middle of danger again." Xion said with a smirk.
"And just as we finally let her off the leash." Naminé sighed in a teasing manner.
Kairi sighed and shook her head. "No promises there, but this time, we'll be more prepared!"
"Remember, Te Ka can't go in the water. Once we get past the barrier islands, we'll be at Te Fiti and in the clear." Moana reminded them.
"Yeah, we've got this!" Kairi nodded.
As before, Te Ka was there to 'greet' the girls once their boat proceeded to infiltrate the demon's boundaries. Unfortunately, Maui wouldn't be here this time to get ahead and distract Te Ka, but unbeknownst to them, it wouldn't do much good for them anyway. The demon was much smarter than they thought considering she had the power of a deity. As Moana's boat was within a close enough distance, Te Ka emerged and wasted no time in memorizing the girls' faces, remembering that these were the same girls that just tried to get past her earlier.
Moana kept her eyes locked on Te Ka as she turned the boat and began to sail around the barrier islands for the opening. At the same time, Kairi had her sail closer toward Te Ka. She knew that simply going around wouldn't do much good and it was only a matter of time before Te Ka would attack them and completely thwart their plan. She needed to be distracted and there was only one way to do it.
"Okay Moana, my girls and I are gonna try and fight off Te Ka and give you a chance to sail around the barrier islands. With three of us, she can't take us all!" Kairi said as she drew her Keyblade.
"I tell you, this lava monster gives Axel a run for his munny." Xion sighed.
Naminé nodded as she summoned her Keyblade. "I hope she's in the mood to chill out!"
Kairi hopped off the boat and landed on the barrier islands with Xion and Naminé right behind her. The ocean offered to help, but Kairi told it to stay beside Moana since she's defenseless and needs a way to speed out of the way if Te Ka tries to attack her. Just as the trio finally got their attention away from the ocean and back to the demon, they noticed that despite their presence on the island, Te Ka was giving her full attention to Moana as she started sailing around toward the opening.
Naminé immediately created an ice ramp to skate on and give her some airtime before casting a Blizzaga spell on Te Ka's hand. She roared in pain as her hand numbed to the point of being unable to move it unless she melted it with her hand that was still in commission. While she focused on that, Kairi cast a few Waterga spells on Te Ka's back and even managed to get a Waterza spell, which was enough to get her to turn around and shift her focus on the three Keyblade wielders.
"Hey! It works!" Xion laughed. "Bring it on, fireball! I live with someone who is a much bigger hothead than you!"
"Xion! Don't antagonize her!" Kairi yelled. She yelped as Te Ka attempted to slam her hand against Xion, but missed after Kairi tackled Xion out of the way. "That was too close…"
Xion sighed as the two girls sat up. "Hey, remember that promise I made on the train at the beginning of our journey?"
"Yeah? The one about keeping me safe?"
"Well, look who's protecting who now." Xion said with a smirk.
Before Kairi could respond to her, Te Ka was already charging at the two girls with a magma rock in hand. With Kairi and Xion having little time to dodge, Naminé sped over and cast Reflega over the trio, stopping the titanic monster from doing any real damage to her or her friends.
"You were saying?" Naminé asked.
"I guess Naminé's the one protecting both of us now!" Kairi laughed.
Xion gasped as she saw her Keyblade glowing. "Kairi, Naminé, look at this."
"I see it! Mine is glowing too!" Kairi said, holding her weapon up. "And Naminé, yours is glowing too!"
"This might sounds crazy, but I feel great power flowing through our Keyblades…" Naminé said softly.
Kairi's eyes darted between her Keyblade as well as Naminé and Xion. Te Ka was getting angrier, so they had to move quickly. Unsure of what would happen, but having a good feeling anyway, they tapped the ends of their Keyblades together, causing a powerful light to burst from beneath their feet. Te Ka roared and arched her body back as the light subsided and left all three girls glowing, their Keyblades created a massive heart of light that almost acted as a shield and a projectile all at the same time.
As Te Ka resumed attacking, Kairi, Naminé and Xion held onto their Keyblades and leapt around the island, firing orbs of light at her. While firing, the heart began absorbed any fire attacks Te Ka attempted to use. The heart alternated between firing light magic and absorbing Te Ka's own magic attacks until the heart was fully charged. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion could each feel their Keyblades vibrating when it was time. The three of them landed directly in front of Te Ka, ready to unleash their finisher.
"Light!" Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all shouted at once.
Not giving Te Ka any chance to retaliate, the Oathkeepers unleashed a powerful burst of light magic directly at the demon. Kairi would compare this to the time Donald used Zetaflare on Terra when he was possessed by Xehanort and wouldn't recommend trying it alone. It took all three of the girls' strength to pull it off. The burst of light was powerful enough to hit Te Ka directly and knock her out. With the lava demon now out of commission, the girls could now safely sail to Te Fiti.
"We did it!" Naminé jumped up and down.
"I can't believe it! We actually defeated Te Ka!" Kairi sighed with relief.
Xion ran to the edge of the barrier islands and pointed out Moana on her boat. "And look! Moana's making it to the other side!"
"Come on! We can make it to Te Fiti now!" Moana called out to them.
"Hey!" Kairi called back. "We're coming!"
Just as the girls were about to leap off the island and back into the boat, there was an unsettling sound behind them. It was the sound of rocks moving, except there was no way rocks could move. What else was on that island that could move?
"That...doesn't sound good." Xion said softly.
Kairi and Naminé looked back with Xion and much to their horrified suspicions, they hadn't seen the last of Te Ka. She wasn't about to let three 'pathetic mortal's get away from her that easily, regardless of whether they had Keyblades and used light magic or not. If anything, usage of light magic only made Te Ka more aggressive as she began roaring and thrashing about, pounding her fists on the island and causing even more violent tremors.
"She's alive!" Naminé cried out.
"And she's really angry!" Kairi nodded.
Xion growled and shook her head. "You mean she can't die?"
"Apparently not! Run!" Kairi yelled as she sprinted toward Moana's boat.
Moana began picking up the speed of her boat, knowing that the ocean could help Kairi, Naminé, and Xion get closer. Even with her getting a headstart and the ocean giving he trio a boostback to the boat, it was still not enough. Te Ka threw a magma rock into the ocean right beside the boat and the impact capsized the boat almost instantly. Moana frantically swam through the water and grabbed Heihei before swimming back up to meet with Kairi and the girls, who were hanging onto the boat for support.
Neither of them could really pull the boat back to its upright position, especially when Te Ka was relentlessly attacking them. All they could do was climb on top of the boat and balance themselves otherwise they'd be stuck bobbing along in the water. Upon climbing back out, all four girls instinctively turned to look back at Te Ka as she charged forward, reaching out with the intention of causing serious harm to them.
In a flash of a second and much to Te Ka's terrible luck, a giant hawk flew in and darted right for her wrist, dismembering her hand in the meantime and giving Kairi, Moana, and the girls a chance to get away to safety. They gasped as they realized it was Maui! He had flown in and transformed back into his human form before landing on the boat with them.
"Maui!" Moana gasped.
Kairi got up and ran to him. "You came back!"
"Like I said, there's only one Maui." He said with a chuckle.
Moana furrowed her eyebrows as she saw his cracked hook. "But your hook, one more hit and-"
"Hey," Maui cut her off as he helped turn the boat right side up. "Te Ka is gonna have to catch me first. Now, go save the world. I've got your back, chosen one!"
"Maui, thank you." Moana thanked him.
"You're welcome." He said sincerely.
After giving the boat a push toward Te Fiti, Maui transformed into a small beetle and flew closer to Te Ka with the logic that if he was small enough, she wouldn't be able to see him or expect him. Once he was close enough, he shapeshifted into a humpback whale, belly flopping right at the edge of the barrier islands. His massive bodyweight was enough to cause a tidal wave that not only gave Moana's boat a boost to Te Fiti, but also washed over Te Ka, weakening her briefly for a moment.
That moment wouldn't last very long as Te Ka turned her attention back to Moana and the girls. Even with her ignoring Maui, he wouldn't be ignoring her and became a giant hawk once again, taking full advantage of Moana being a distraction for Te Ka. He darted into each of her wrists and used his hook to chop off each hand, remembering how he executed that and knew it was an easy way to cancel out any attacks she may have been prepared to execute.
Although it was a strategy that worked temporarily, because of Te Ka's ability to regrow any appendages that are lost, it made Maui's plan mundane in the long run. As Maui flew back in his giant hawk form, Te Ka roared and smacked the demigod, sending him collapsing onto an islet close to the barrier islands and within perfect range to attack him with either a fire attack or with her own hands.
"Maui!" Xion cried out. "Someone's gotta go help him!"
"He won't make it by himself…" Naminé muttered softly.
What could they do? The heart had to be restored, but they couldn't just leave Maui out there alone. Demigod or not, Te Ka was a powerful force that could not be taken down just by one. She couldn't let Maui just stay out there alone and possibly be killed. Naminé suddenly thought about what Riku had said, the promise he made about protecting those that mattered most to him. It was this promise that fueled his bravery. It was dangerous, but Naminé knew that she didn't have to go to Te Fiti with the other girls. There was somebody else who needed her. She suddenly ran and dove off the boat before she started swimming in the direction of Te Ka.
"Naminé! Where are you going?" Xion called out.
"Somebody made a promise that he was going to protect what matters most!" Naminé grunted as she swam back. "That's what I'm gonna do too! And my friends matter the most!"
Xion stammered, unsure of what to make of her sudden impulse decision. "Kairi...she can't go back by herself!"
"Go with her then." Kairi encouraged her. "Moana and I will take care of Te Fiti. You two have got this!"
Xion sighed, shaking her head at the insanity of what was happening now. Kairi rested her hand on her friend's shoulder and gave her a firm look of assurance. She knew Xion and Naminé would be okay. They did have the strength to protect what matters most and even if Maui wouldn't admit it, she knew that him fighting alone was not a good idea. As Xion felt the silent assurance from Kairi, she dove off the boat and swam after Naminé before receiving a boost from the ocean, who also picked up Naminé as well.
Once they got to the islet, Naminé rushed over to Maui and used a Curaga spell to replenish Maui's energy. Although he had only been attacked once, it was enough to knock him out briefly. Xion, despite how small she was compared to Maui's hook, grabbed it and gave it back to him once he had gathered himself back up.
"Naminé? Xion? What are you two doing here? What about Te Fiti?" Maui asked.
"Nobody gets left behind!" Xion said in a firm tone.
"Moana and Kairi can take it from here." Naminé said with a smile.
With his trademark smirk, Maui nodded in approval. If this had been several days ago, he would've immediately told them to leave and get out of his way, but on numerous occasions, Naminé and Xion had proven themselves more than capable of defending themselves and knew this time would be no different. Maui transformed into a giant hawk and had Naminé and Xion climb onto his back. Thankfully the girls were light enough that he could easily carry both of them atop.
As Maui flew around, Xion shot out orbs of energy from her Keyblade while Naminé tried to cast Blizzaga spells at Te Ka. Having learned her lesson from the last time the girls attacked, Te Ka made sure to keep an extra eye on Naminé, but not without another attempt to stop Kairi and Moana from getting to Te Fiti. Aiming at the boat, Te Ka fired another magma rock at the boat. This time, there was no time to save it. Kairi and Moana's only option upon realizing it was to jump off the boat and let it be destroyed.
Xion and Naminé yelped as they watched the boat crumble beneath the explosive attack of Te Ka. Immediately out of anger and concerned for their friends' safety, Naminé immediately began shooting Blizzaga spells, not even caring where she aimed at this point. If anything happened to her friends, especially Kairi, she would never forgive this horrible monster. Te Ka didn't take Naminé's taunts and attacks too kindly and instead of charging up an attack, she whipped around, fist first. The girls were unprepared for that, but Maui had retained his demigod agility and quickly transformed back into a human, clashing his hook against the demon.
The energy burst that came from the clash sent Maui and the girls flying back to the islet. While all three of them were safe and okay, the same couldn't be said for Maui's hook. The last time he clashed with Te Ka, it only left a crack. Now, the entire hook was broken in half. With the hook being as damaged as it was, it was rendered useless. Xion and Naminé felt terrible, but Maui assured them that it was okay and that there were other ways to distract Te Ka while Moana and Kairi hightailed it to Te Fiti.
Letting the boat get destroyed was unfortunate, but their final resort. The impact of the explosion sent Kairi and Moana jetting through the water and toward Te Fiti while also getting a boost from the ocean itself. They reached the edge of the island's coast and quickly hurried over the cliffside to make their way to spiral in the center where Maui mentioned the heart's location as supposed to be.
After climbing all the way up the cliffeside, Kairi and Moana were met with an unwelcome sight that nobody wanted to see, which was nothing. In Te Fiti's place was nothing but water. Other than the cliffside that was a part of Te Fiti, the rest of the island had completely vanished. There were no trees, no plants, no wildlife, nothing.
"The island…" Kairi muttered.
"Te Fiti is...gone." Moana said in a hushed tone.
"That doesn't make any sense though. How can an island just suddenly disappear like that?"
The only thing Kairi and Moana's minds could focus on were the roars and battle cries of Te Ka and their friends respectively. Moana instinctively looked back, making sure Xion, Naminé, and Maui were safe. Instead of her friends being the first thing that caught her mind, it was Te Ka. Not only was it Te Ka, but it was something on the lava demon. She furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed a peculiar swirl on Te Ka's chest. Moana had seen it before. It was a pattern that had been engraved in her mind for several days, even before she left her island.
"Wait." Moana tapped on Kairi's shoulder. "Look, Te Ka has the same symbol as the heart of Te Fiti." She pointed out.
Kairi cocked her head in confusion. How was this possible? If the heart belonged to Te Fiti alone, then how could Te Ka have the same symbol on her chest. The only way Te Ka could is if she and Te Fiti were the same deity. She didn't know the lore of Moana's world, but she did know what happens when a person or a world loses their heart and knew a thing or two about people having similar hearts. After adding everything together: Te Fiti losing her heart, Te Ka appearing as a result, and the two of them sharing the same swirl symbol over where their heart would be, it all made sense.
"I get it now." Kairi said as she gripped her Keyblade tightly. "When Te Fiti had the heart stolen, it was swallowed by darkness, just like a person does when a Heartless steals their heart. If the islands here are alive, and they all have hearts, then that must mean the same thing happened to Te Fiti, which means that Te Ka is…" She felt a shiver shoot down her spine. "Te Fiti's Heartless."
"How can we save the island though if Te Fiti disappeared?" Moana asked.
"When a person loses their heart, a Heartless is formed, and when that Heartless is destroyed, the heart is released." Kairi explained. "Te Fiti's situation is unique because the heart was destroyed, but Sora was able to use the Power of Waking to put my heart back together after mine was destroyed. This means I have to use the Power of Waking to awaken Te Fiti's heart again." Her eyebrows furrowed as she held up her Keyblade. "I need to get her attention. Heartless fear the Keyblade, and are naturally attracted to its wielder."
"Then, how can I help?"
"Just believe in me. My light is my power, and the source of that light is all the friends I've made and the people I love." Kairi said with a smile.
Moana gasped softly. She remembered Kairi mentioning this special light a number of times and thought about her own light as Kairi asked her to believe. She remembered her grandmother's wisdom, her parents' love, and the bond she formed with Kairi, Maui, Xion, and Naminé. Suddenly, Moana felt something flare within her. It was warm, but painful. Her heart, it felt soft. She looked at herself and yelped as saw that was glowing with a bright light surrounding her entire body with Kairi's own heart reacting and causing her body to glow the same.
"Wha-what's happening?" Moana asked.
"Light...it's pure light!" Kairi gasped. "You're the seventh pure light, Moana! Our hearts are connected and so is our power!"
Kairi and Moana laughed as they looked at their glowing reflections in the ocean. Suddenly, Ocean itself shot out and nodded in approval, almost as if it were telling the girls that it believed them all along. The girls smiled and nodded to each other before their moment of connection was interrupted by the distressed roaring of Te Ka. They looked in the distance and saw that the demon was still attacking Xion, Naminé, and Maui as they continued to keep her distracted, unaware of the situation occurring at Te Fiti's would-be location.
Now that the girls had reached the end of their road, Kairi stepped to the edge of the island. She raised her Keyblade and shot a beam into the air, causing a bright ray of light to burst at the top and shining on top of her and Moana. Te Ka, sensing the presence of the Keyblade's light, turned around and instantly locked eyes with the light. She and Kairi locked eyes. Even with the distance, the two could feel the other's presence and they knew they'd have to face each other if the islands were to be saved.
"Let us meet Te Ka in the middle." Moana said to the ocean.
The area of ocean between Te Fiti and Te Ka's barrier island suddenly parted. The seafloor had now become a dry sand path for Kairi and Moana to safely travel. With it being safe for them to walk on, the lack of water made it just as safe for Te Ka. Succumbing to her demon-like instincts, Te Ka immediately rushed for Kairi and Moana. The being of darkness craved the pure light that the two princesses shared. With her power, Kairi and Moana didn't stand a chance, or so she thought.
Kairi stood atop a boulder that faced Te Ka, Moana aiding her from behind. This would place her out in the open for the lava demon to attack. Xion, Naminé, and Maui all watched from a distance with concern. Xion and Naminé's first instincts were to go after Kairi to protect her. They began running for her, but the ocean managed to hold them back. If this was going to be successful, Kairi needed complete concentration and for her friends to believe in her.
As Te Ka drew closer, Kairi's heart pounded faster against her chest. There was a good chance this could go horribly wrong, which could cost Kairi her life. No matter how much the risk was, her heart knew she had to do this and she could do it. Te Ka drew close enough that she was towering above Kairi and Moana, the smoke from her magma flooding the immediate spot all three of them occupied. Kairi's eyes shut as Te Ka studied her enemy. It was now or never. Now, it was all up to the strength in her heart and all she could do was trust in her light.
Kairi's mind flowed with everything and everyone who gave her heart strength. She thought about the times on this journey with Xion and Naminé. The memories of training with Axel in the magical forest and casting magic with Merlin gave her that nostalgic feel even if those memories were from only a year ago. There was also eating ice cream with Roxas, Axel, Xion, Saix, and their other friends Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Kairi remembered her pep talks with Aqua, Terra, and Ven while also remembering the encouragement of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.
Then, there were the Princesses of Heart. All seven of them were connected. She could feel the connected light within their circle that helped retain the balance of light in the darkness in the world. The light could only build inside of her as she finally got to the most important people in her life. There was Riku. He was the big brother of their trio, and he never stopped looking after Kairi, even when his heart fought the darkness. There was Vor, her grandma, the only one of her family she remembered and could save. She remembered her stories, her wisdom, and her maternal love.
At last, there was Sora. She could feel how close she was to finally being able to find him. There wasn't a single memory of their time together that she couldn't remember. From their first meeting at the tender age of five to the time he stabbed himself with a Keyblade to free her heart. From the time they were separated because Sora had to find Riku to their reunion after being separated for a whole year. From their sharing of the sacred paopu fruit to their final moments before he vanished. Sora was the final piece of the puzzle.
Te Ka roared as she lunged for Kairi. Xion and Naminé gasped, closing their eyes and desperately praying that Kairi would pull this off. As she heard the monster's roar, Kairi gave her heart the lead and she held her Keyblade up. This was a matter of trust. She had to feel how close Te Ka was getting.
Kairi listened with her heart and when Te Ka was just the right distance away, she shoved her Keyblade forward, the tip impaling Te Ka in the chest.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
There was a feeling of lifelessness as Kairi appeared to be transported to someplace completely. She opened her eyes to see that she was now at the bottom of the seafloor. Although she was at the bottom of the sea, it felt like she was still walking on the surface, breathing and everything. It threw her off, especially as sea turtles, stingrays, and various species of fish casually swam around her, paying her no mind. Was she invisible? Kairi would have thought that her presence would have spooked the creatures. Yet, they didn't. Her suspicions were confirmed once she saw two clownfish and a regal blue tang swim right through her body.
"Where...am I?" Kairi asked.
Chirithy popped out, taking a look around. "It looks like we're under the sea."
"Yeah. It's so...beautiful." She said as her eyes scanned around the reef. "Wait...why am I here?"
"That's a good question. Considering you're using the Power of Waking, even this confuses me"
"So...now what?" Kairi asked with a shrug.
Chirithy sighed. "Well, this is an unfortunate circumstance that I've seen before. Te Fiti's heart was shattered, which means using the Power of Waking is going to be a lot more difficult than a typical task. But I've seen this before. Lucky for you, this is not only your first time using the Power of Waking, but also, you have Moana to thank for her help."
"If you've seen this before, how can I restore the heart?"
"When Xehanort shattered your heart into pieces, Sora had to follow the connection of the Seven Guardians of Light to find those pieces, and put them back together again. Once he accomplished that, that was when you were saved. It looks very possible that you may have to do the same thing for Te Fiti's heart." Chirithy explained.
Kairi gasped, an epiphany hitting her mind. "Wait! Kaguya shattered the heart! I think...I think this might be where the pieces ended up!"
"You know, I think you're right! It's almost like the pieces of Te Fiti's heart are calling out to you!" He nodded eagerly.
"Okay! But, how can I find the pieces?" Kairi asked, psyching herself up.
"This is where Moana can come in. Much like how you were able to use your power to help Sora retain his existence when you, him, and the rest of the guardians were destroyed by the Demon Tide, Moana might be able to do the same thing with those pieces. Her heart can work to keep them from completely getting lost."
"Wait, really?" Kairi gasped.
"Would you expect anything less from a Princess of Heart?" Chirithy chuckled.
"Nope! Now, come on! We'd better hurry and reassemble Te Fiti's heart!"
Kairi through the bottom of the ocean that she had travelled for the past several days with the only thing on her mind being Te Fiti's heart. At first, there didn't seem to be any and wondered if she had either attempted the Power of Waking incorrectly or if she was looking in the wrong place. As she approached what looked to be a dropoff, Kairi could see a bright light with Moana's voice calling her name from it. Just as Chirithy had said, Moana's light was right beside her, guiding her to the place where she needed to be.
Over the drop off was a massive coral reef. It was not only home to the same sea creatures that had swam past her previously, but there were at least a hundred tiny green lights floating about. Kairi gasped, knowing exactly where she had last seen that exact green hue that sparkled in the ocean. They were the pieces of Te Fiti's heart! There were so many of them! Chirithy hopped out of Kairi's hood and split from her to help locate some pieces that may have been harder to spot. The advantages of being small, he thought.
First, Kairi hopped down and grabbed the first piece. It had seemed that once she obtained the first few pieces that the rest of them began to gravitated toward her as well as immediately attach themselves to their fellow brethren. Chirithy went into a cave that was home to some jellyfish and managed to shoe five pieces that were hiding in there. As Kairi and Chirithy continued to find the pieces of heart, the heart began to take shape in a partial sphere. It was almost too easy.
"Chirithy, if we keep this up, we'll have this done in no time!" Kairi giggled as she found another piece hidden in some anemone."
Chirithy gasped as Neoshadows materialized around them. "Uh...I wouldn't be too sure about that!" He hopped back onto her shoulder.
Kairi huffed as she summoned her Keyblade. "I knew this was too easy!"
Although the sea creatures couldn't see or feel Kairi, the Heartless were a pure manifestation of Te Fiti's anger and sadness from losing her heart. There was a bigger mess than just having the heart shattered and Kairi would have to clean up. Some of the pieces of heart retreated as a Neoshadow approached them, but a quick Thundaga spell was enough to disperse them and allow Kairi to safely grab the pieces. However, with her being the only one and with her heart being completely vulnerable during this time, the Heartless craved her light all the more.
Kairi grunted in pain as she felt a Neoshadow claw her in the back while one latched onto her leg. She kicked the latter of the two in the head to just get it off her before her Counter Impact kicked in, causing her to briefly flash some light and send the Heartless flying. A couple of Firaga spells later and the first wave of Neoshadows were cleared. This wouldn't be the first time she'd have to deal with Heartless while working on this task. The more pieces Kairi collected, the more Heartless, both Neoshadows and Dark Balls, appeared and began work on trying to feed off Kairi's light.
"Ugh! They're everywhere!" Kairi growled as she swiped another Heartless, allowing her to grab a heart piece. "Got it!"
"That's what happens when you dive into someone's heart that's full of darkness." Chirithy shook his head.
"I wish Naminé and Xion were here."
This was arguably Kairi's toughest fight against a mob of Heartless and unfortunately, it was one she had to fight on her own. One Dark Ball ate a few heart pieces only for Kairi to cast a Pearlga spell and disperse it immediately. The pieces were released immediately, but the Dark Balls were far from being done with her. One of them charged at her only for a Neoshadow to claw her immediately after.
As Te Fiti's heart started to form, Kairi could feel herself being surrounded by the Heartless. Her body began to tremble as she could feel herself wearing out. Unfortunately, Xion and Naminé couldn't help her out. She was on her own. Kairi dashed out of the way and cast Curaga on herself, giving her another wind of energy. The crowd seemed unmanageable until Kairi began to redirect her newly focused energy on multiple Heartless, causing her to shotlock and casting numerous shots of light to rain on top of them. It was powerful enough to wipe the Heartless clear and give Kairi another few pieces.
The heart was almost complete, except for one piece.
"Okay...we've only got one more piece left." Kairi said as she assembled the last piece. "And then, Te Fiti's heart will be restored!"
"Kairi, we're not out of the woods yet. Remember, the heart was stolen, and a Heartless formed."
Kairi and Chirithy hopped in place as they could feel the ocean's currents start to aggressively pick up. Although they could still breathe, now was the time when they felt like they were floating in the water. Chirithy disappeared back into Kairi's hood as she looked behind and saw a typhoon whirling toward her. She yelped as she turned and tried to swim away from it. No matter how fast she was, the typhoon was easily able to catch up with her. Now trapped in the typhoon, she washed away to wherever her heart was taking her next.
Thump! Kairi landed on dry land as if the typhoon had spit her out carelessly. She shook her head following that rough landing and got on her knees to figure out where the typhoon had taken her. The island was barren, nothing but dry rocks. Kairi had seen this island before, but this time around, the weather was beautiful. The sky was blue and the clouds were white, just as it was meant to be. Although she knew what this island was, something else caught her attention. In the center of the island was a small piece of green light, just like the others that were at the bottom of the ocean.
Instantly, Kairi knew it was the final piece of Te Fiti's heart. She got up and started to run toward it only for the earth beneath her to tremble. During the tremor, the blue sky turned gray and clouds turned black. The ocean was whipping its waves against nearby boulders as opposed to its calm currents only moments prior as a torrential thunderstorm began. Where the heart piece was, a massive explosion of smoke billowed Kairi, the impact knocking her back. She grunted as she landed on her boney bottom and coughed as she tried to get back up.
Although the smoke had cleared, in the heart piece's place, Te Ka had emerged completely. She towered over Kairi, almost giving her the impression that they were back to square one.
"There she is...Te Ka…" Kairi said, gripping her Keyblade tightly.
Chirithy tapped her shoulder and shook his head. "Wait, look what's happening."
Something was different about Te Ka. This time, she was shrouded by dark matter. Her eyes remained the same, glowing a bright gold, but something was happening to her body. Te Ka hunched on her knees as she let out an ear-screeching roar. It was higher in pitch from her aggressive roar, almost as if she were roaring in pain this time. Kairi covered her ears, shielding her hearing from the painful cry. What was happening to Te Ka? She had never seen something like this before and never thought it would happen to a powerful demon like Te Ka.
While she was hunched over, Te Ka's magma body started to fade, as did the fire that burned on top of her head. In its place, multiple tentacles started to crawl out of Te Ka's head. She stood back up with her body now completely black and the spot where she once had the swirl symbol was now hollow to further emphasize that she was in fact a pureblood Heartless.
"I knew it! This is her pure Heartless now!" Kairi said to Chirithy.
"Once that Heartless is defeated, then Te Ka should be free." He said with a nod.
Kairi sprinted forward with Keyblade in hand to face off against the now pureblood Heartless of Te Fiti. With her newly gained dark power, Te Ka swung a fist toward Kairi, only to miss, but the tremor from hitting the ground nearly knocked her off her feet. The wielder used this to her advantage and remembered her fight against Darkside in Twilight Town. It was a similar situation. Kairi ran up Te Ka's arm and tossed her Keyblade at the Heartless' head before teleporting to catch up with it.
Within close enough range to attack, Kairi began to wail Te Ka with attacks, only for her to react and begin trying to shake her off. Thanks to her stubbornness and shifting all focus to her upper body strength, Kairi was able to stay on top of Te Ka's shoulders and used her neck to hold on tight. When the Heartless could see that trying to shake Kairi wasn't working for her, she tried a different approach and used one of the tentacles to constrict her. Thrown off by the surprise attack, Kairi struggled and fought as she felt the grip around her tighten.
Unable to use her Keyblade, Kairi resorted to other methods of attack. She lost use of her hands, but not her mouth. She bit down on the tentacle, causing it to release her. Now free, Kairi went diving down, but regained use of her Keyblade. She purposefully aimed for Te Ka's hand that was absentmindedly resting on the ground. With a hard thrust, she did enough damage for Te Ka to wail in pain and retreat the injured hand. Being out of range, Kairi began casting Pearlga spells at Te Ka, which was also blinding the Heartless with the massive shots of light bursting upon impact.
Even with the Pearlga spells doing a lot of good, Te Ka wasn't going down with a fight and started to throw orbs of dark energy at her. Kairi was able to cast a shield to block them, but it didn't do much good when Te Ka shoved both hands into the ground. As the island began to shake, various tentacles that mirrored the ones on Te Ka's head burst from the ground, taking turns smacking Kairi back and forth between them. Concerned for Kairi's safety, Chirithy hopped out of her hood and (believe it or not) actually bit one of the tentacles in half.
Kairi was able to get a breather and chop the rest of the tentacles thanks to Chirithy's powerful bite, which surprised her more than anything. After casting a Curaga spell, Kairi sprinted forward and began blitzing back and forth between the two still submerged hands with her Seven Wishes ability before stunning the hands in place with a Thundaga spell. With the voltage keeping Te Ka from moving her hands, she used this opportunity to run back up and get to the head once more.
Once more in range, Kairi leapt up once she reached Te Ka's shoulder, but this time went for the weak point right on the forehead and between the eyes. Te Ka froze in place for a second before wailing in pain. Unable to hang on this time, Kairi dove back to the ground and rolled upon safe landing. The wounded Heartless violently shook her body before collapsing onto the ground.
"Okay! Got it! That wasn't too bad!" Kairi sighed.
"Kairi," Chirithy climbed out. "I wouldn't hold your breath."
Chirithy's caution wasn't for nothing. Te Ka's body suddenly rose once again, but this time, she was shrouded once again with fire and magma. Her power had evolved even more and could now turn the ground into magma upon hammering a fist into it. It didn't matter how faced off against this Heartless, she wasn't about to give up.
Kairi yelped as she dodged the fist, nearly getting her food caught in magma. "For a goddess of creation, her Heartless sure picks a fight!"
"Remember who you're dealing with." Chirithy cautioned her. "This isn't the Heartless of some kid on the street."
"Well, how is my strength supposed to match that of a god-wait a minute, that's it!" She gasped. "If you can't beat 'em! Join 'em!" She held up her watch to Chirithy.
Chirithy scratched his head. "Uh...what's your plan?"
"I'm gonna fight fire with water!" Kairi said as she tapped the serpent icon on her watch. "This is why Leviathan offered his strength! He knew I'd need it! Well Leviathan, King of the Sea, give me strength!"
Te Ka gasped and arched her body back as she watched Kairi be shrouded by a whirlpool of clear water. Out of that water, the spirit of the great serpent Leviathan was summoned by her side, just as he had promised. Kairi hopped onto the back of Leviathan's head as he began 'swim' his way toward Te Ka. Even as a Heartless, Te Ka knew it was Leviathan and put up her defenses. She threw magma covered rocks at him, only for them to disperse instantly upon impact thanks to his water-based body.
Leviathan sprayed the magma covered ground with water, clearing the path and easily making a run for Te Ka's final form. Although she was weak to water, Te Ka was stubborn enough to ignore the water and continued to throw magma rocks at Kairi. Thanks to Leviathan's side though, all it took was a spray of water and he protected her from whatever attacks she had. Finally, Leviathan unleashed his most powerful attack, a tidal wave. Te Ka roared in distress as she watched Leviathan create a wave that was big enough to even tower her. Even she knew that this was it.
"Darkness! Vanquish! Begone and release our great goddess Te Fiti!" Leviathan's voice echoed.
"This ends now!" Kairi yelled.
The tidal wave washed over Te Ka, completely washing away any fire element that protected her body. As she wailed around in pain, Kairi looked down at her chest and saw that it was so completely hollow and empty where the heart's location once was. She thought she'd try something. Following Leviathan's approval and dismissal, Kairi leapt toward Te Ka and shot a beam of light into the hollow area. The Heartless froze as light engulfed the spot and began to burst.
Kairi landed safely and watched as Te Ka cried in pain and collapsed once again, but this time, for good. The final piece of Te Fiti's heart emerged from where Kairi's light had filled her empty heart. She was greatly hurt and roared weakly as she watched the last piece of her heart float away. The one thing that connected her to her true self leaving and her brows lowered, a great sadness washing over Te Ka's face that Kairi had never seen before, nor did she expect to see from such an unstoppable force.
Te Ka gazed at Kairi and now, the spirit of Moana that was engulfed in light and standing beside Kairi. There was something about their warm expressions that calmed her down. She didn't feel the anger that bubbled inside like a volcano or the sadness that washed over her like the aggressive ocean's currents. Kairi, keeping her eyes locked with Te Ka, approached her even closer with Moana walking in sync with her. The two princesses held up the newly completed heart of Te Fiti, causing the once lava demon to soften her expression for the first time in over a thousand years.
"I have crossed the horizon to find you." Kairi and Moana said in unison. "I know your name. They have stolen the heart from inside you. But this does not define you. This is not who you are." They said while holding up the heart.
Kairi and Moana allowed Te Ka to lower her face and get closer to them. Her face was soft with a mix of sadness and relief. All this time, these two girls were trying to return the heart to her. How could she let her anger control her? Te Ka sighed as Kairi and Moana both rested their heads on her forehead and stroked their hands along her, giving her as much assurance as the apprehensive goddess needed.
"Who you truly are…" Moana and Kairi softly whispered.
With the bond forged between the cursed goddess and the two Princesses of Heart, Te Ka leaned up a bit to reveal the swirled spot had returned. In the center was the hole where the heart belonged. The Heartless had been defeated, the darkness had been extinguished. All that was left was to restore the heart. Kairi and Moana looked at each other and nodded. They had made it. They sailed across the vast ocean and made it to the island of Te Fiti and had finally found her.
Together, Kairi and Moana reached up and inserted the heart into where it rightfully belonged.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Kairi opened her eyes to find herself back where she initially began. She was back between the walls of water with Moana right behind her. Xion, Naminé, and Maui were still at the barrier islands together. At first, it seemed like nothing had changed until Kairi and Moana saw something green where the tip of Destiny's Embrace once was. Kairi gasped as she saw the glowing green stone in place. Moana shared an anxious look with her as the two of them waited to see if anything would happen. If Kairi pulled this off correctly, then Te Fiti would be restored.
The heart began to burst with green light and travel all throughout Te Ka's body. As the light travelled through various parts, the hardened magma started to crack and fall apart. Piece by piece, the rocky substance disintegrated and revealed pure greenery underneath. As the final magma pieces fell off, the figure of a beautiful island goddess replaced the lava demon that was once Te Ka. Her entire body consisted of greenery. Her soft eyes opened and gazed upon the bright sunny skies for the first time in over a thousand years before she looked adoringly down at Moana and Kairi with a smile.
"It's... Te Fiti!" Moana gasped, beaming.
"She's beautiful…" Kairi softly said.
The grateful goddess nodded in approval, nonverbally thanking the two Princesses of Heart for restoring her own heart. The ocean splashed around, celebrating the return of its goddess while grabbing Moana and Kairi. They followed Te Fiti as she returned back to her island. It had been a desolate wasteland and was due for a much needed revival. She peacefully sat on the island and rested her hand on the ground.
Kairi, unexpectant of what was to happen next, gasped as plants, trees, and flowers all suddenly grew in an instant and spread all throughout the island. She laughed as she marveled at the amazing sight as the ocean set her and Moana down on the island. Te Fiti truly was the goddess of creation, she thought. The best part was that now all of the islands that had been cursed as a result of Maui stealing the heart would be lifted and restored just like Te Fiti. She looked over at the edge of the island as she heard the splashing sound of the ocean bringing a much relieved Xion, Naminé, and Maui over to her.
"Cheeehooooo!" Maui hollered and hopped up and down.
"Kairi!" Xion ran toward her with Naminé right behind her. "You did it!"
"You used the Power of Waking and saved Te Fiti!" Naminé cheered as they both pulled her into a hug. "We knew you could do it!"
"Kairi…" Moana said, tears forming in her eyes. "I...I can't thank you enough."
Kairi giggled and held her hand out. "You can, because we did this, together."
Moana looked over at Maui as he came to join the girls "Sorry about your hook, Maui." She apologized.
"Hey, hook or no hook, I'm Maui." He said while shaking his head.
Moana shared a tender look of gratitude with Maui, having not had a chance to thank him for coming back to help her and Kairi. The ground below them started to shake as Te Fiti lifted both the demigod and her two saviors to get a better look at them. Kairi and Moana's efforts took a lot of courage and Te Fiti couldn't have been more grateful for them. However, the true person she wanted to have 'words' with was the demigod that stole her heart over a year ago. Needless to say, she was not happy he did it.
"Te Fiti! How have you been?" Maui asked in an overly-friendly tone, compensating for the crime he committed.
Te Fiti didn't fall for his attempt and simply locked his eyes with a smug and unamused look.
"Listen, what I did was wrong. I have no excuse." He repented. "I'm sorry…" He apologized sincerely while kneeling back down.
Te Fiti held a stink eye with Maui. He stole her heart. The average person wouldn't forgive him for doing something like that. Yet, the goddess of creation was not an average person. Te Fiti and her big heart took Maui's repentance to heart. He did come back to return the heart. Even if Moana and Kairi were the ones to officially restore the heart, the fact that Maui came back and seemed to learn his lesson were enough for Te Fiti to soften her expression. Maui sighed with relief as he received forgiveness from the goddess.
Xion and Naminé ran to their friends as Te Fiti set them back down on the island. Although Maui received forgiveness, that wasn't the only thing he would receive from the goddess. Te Fiti curled her hand shut only to open it and reveal a brand new hook for Maui. He gasped as he realized that it looked identical to the hook that the gods gifted to him when he was just a young demigod. Maui bounced up and down his place, having a hard time holding himself back from gidding like a schoolgirl and wondering if he was even worthy to be gifted such a thing after stealing Te Fiti's heart.
"You know, it'd be rude to refuse a gift from a goddess." Moana hinted.
"Hey, if you don't want it, I'll take it!" Xion said with a shrug.
"Nope! This is a gift only for Maui! And it's Maui time again! Cheeehooooooo!" He hollered as he held up his knew hook only for Moana to clear her throat, reminding him to thank Te Fiti. "Right, thank you! Your kind gesture is deeply appreciated."
Te Fiti smiled and nodded before she spread her hands out, causing hundreds of pine and yellow flower pedals to fly out. A gust of wind flew them past Moana and toward the beach. Kairi cocked her head out of the confusion of what the flowers were doing exactly. Right there where the sea and the land met, the flowers whirled around like a twister until a brand new boat was in its place. Moana gasped, beaming widely at the new vessel. It was almost identical to the boat she had used to travel all the way to Te Fiti, albeit a little prettier thanks to the flowers lining up along the mast and edges of the boat.
Kairi and Moana watched as Te Fiti slowly lay herself down. Now that her heart was restored and life had flourished once against on the island, it was time for the goddess to rest once again. She shut her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep, her body forming the bulk of the newly reformed island of Te Fiti. Xion and Naminé sighed at the beauty of the island, Maui was kissing his new hook, and Kairi and Moana shared a nod of approval. Te Fiti was saved and the dark curse was lifted. Soon enough, the rest of the islands would be restored.
With Te Fiti now safe and the curse lifted, it was time for everyone to move onto their next adventure. Moana was ready to sail back to Motunui and see her family, who she knew missed her a lot. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion had reached the time for them to depart. Not only was there one piece left of Kairi's lucky charm to find, but now that Kairi had successfully used the Power of Waking, she could finally save her grandmother and Sora. Maui on the other hand, he wasn't exactly sure where he was heading, but he knew that it was time to move along now that he had his hook all intact.
"Gonna miss all of you, even the drumstick." Maui said, pointing to Heihei, who was pecking at nothing on the ground.
"You know, you could come with us." Moana offered. "My people are gonna need a master wayfinder."
"They already have one." He said sincerely. "Well, four if you three are gonna go with her."
Kairi sighed and shook her head. "Well...the thing is we have to get going, but our ship emergency landed somewhere in the middle of the ocean."
"And we have no idea where it is." Xion added in.
Kairi leapt in place as she suddenly felt her gummiphone vibrating in her pouch. She took it out and saw that it wasn't a call, but it was a text message from Launchpad. She tapped on the phone screen and read the informative message to herself.
"What is it Kairi?" The girls asked.
"It's a message from Launchpad. He said that he topped the fuel in our ship, but apparently, the ocean carried off the ship…?" She answered, somewhat confused.
Moana looked further out to the ocean and could see Ocean carrying something massive. It was a large purple block-like structure. She pointed it out to Kairi, Naminé, and Xion and all three girls cheered happily as they knew exactly what this blocky structure was. Ocean carried the Falcon gracefully along its waves and grew just enough for it to push the ship onto the beach.
"Hey! That's our ship!" Kairi ran close to it.
"Wow...that is no boat." Maui said, his jaw nearly dropping
Xion sighed and gazed on their ship. "Yeah, we travel in style."
Kairi hopped into the ship to double check and make sure everything was working as it was before. Just as Launchpad stated, the ship's fuel was topped off, which meant they had more than enough for their next flight. It even looked like he tweaked with the lasers, cannons, and shields. He had replaced the previous gummis with more powerful ones. Kairi smiled with relief for the Heartless ships that they were encountering during their flights were getting stronger. These would be helpful.
"Well, guess that's my time to go." Maui said with a sigh once Kairi gave Xion and Naminé the okay that their ship was ready to go.
"You sure?" Moana asked "I mean, there's no pressure or anything, but-"
"I appreciate the offer, but...at the end of the day, I'm a demigod, a free spirit." He said looking out to the ocean. "Besides, I've got a lot of amends to make."
Kairi walked closer to him, smiling warmly. "Well, if the goddess of creation could forgive you, then so will the others."
"Yeah, even if they don't, something good came out of this journey." He said with a shrug.
Maui moved his necklace to reveal that a new tattoo had formed right over his heart. Moana gasped as she saw that the tattoo resembled her, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all on her boat. Remembering the significance of Maui's tattoos, the girls' hearts were soft. This was more than enough of a way to express how much they meant to Maui. All four of them rushed forward and embraced him. Despite how big of a guy he was, their combined weight nearly knocked him back and all he could do was laugh.
Even if it started off rough, Maui knew he couldn't forget Moana, Kairi, and their friends. Meeting them changed his life forever. He learned to finally see himself for who he was internally and not just for what kind of power he possessed. As the group broke their hug, Maui sighed with content, making sure to memorize each of the girls' faces so that he'd never forget them.
"You girls look out for each other." Maui said as he grabbed his hook. "Especially you princesses!"
"Keep us in your memory!" Naminé called out.
"Nah, even better. I'll keep you four close to my heart." He patted the left side of his chest.
Kairi laughed as she wrapped her arms around Xion and Naminé, pulling them into a hug. The trio and Moana watched as Maui hollered once more and transformed himself into a giant hawk. There was no need to practice and master with this new hook. It worked exactly the way it was meant to. Te Fiti was restored, the curse was lifted, and he had his hook At last, for the first time in over a thousand years, Maui was finally free. He joyfully laughed as he took off flying to the skies, ready to see the rest of the world and whatever worlds awaited him.
With Maui departing, it was now time for Moana to say goodbye to Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. A hint of sadness spread across her face as the idea of having to sail back home all by herself with the exception of Heihei didn't sound like a whole lot of fun, especially after all the good times they had during their voyage.
"Are you sure you have to go?" Moana asked. "You guys could sail with us back to Motunui. I'm sure my people would love to meet you."
"We'd love to meet them too, but like you, I have some people to save." Kairi said softly. "But, we'll definitely be back for a visit! And who knows, maybe I can take what I've learned here and teach Sora and Riku how to build a real vessel to sail with."
"You might even bring Sora back here for a romantic date, hm?" Xion asked with a smirk, causing the redhead to blush.
Moana joined in the laughing. "Well, have a safe voyage Kairi, Naminé, Xion, and thank you again for helping me save my island."
Kairi nodded with a smile, ready to move on, but not without giving a proper sendoff to her fellow island princess. She ran forward and tightly hugged Moana. It had seemed in that moment that their light connected with one another once more for in that moment, appearing before their eyes, the spirits of both girls' grandmothers paid them a visit. It was long enough for Tala and Vor to smile proudly at their granddaughters' achievements and bowed their heads before departing into where they were all along, within Kairi and Moana's hearts.
Xion and Naminé joined the group hug once again shortly after they had the brief moment with the grandmothers. The ocean joined in the hug and got all three of them soaked. They laughed as the ocean tickled Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. They would have to leave on a ship, so it was only fair that the ocean sent a little affection on their way with them. After the ocean was done being mischievous and Heihei was done walking absentmindedly into Kairi's legs, the girls started to board the gummi ship and boat respectively. Moana released the boat from the beach set sailing for her island as Kairi was about to hop into the ship's cockpit.
"We'll see you again, Moana!" Kairi waved. "Wherever you're at!"
"Hey! There's no telling how far I'll go!" Moana waved back.
Kairi smiled and nodded, knowing that Moana was right about that, for both of their journeys. She was on a similar journey to save the people she loved and there was no telling how far she'd go for them.
As I watched Moana sail that day, I took a moment to reflect on my whole journey so far. There really was no telling how far our destiny may take us. One thing's for sure, I knew this particular journey would come to an end soon. And if our past endeavors have taught me anything, it's that my biggest challenge still awaited me.
A/N: Yeah, I know that it had been a while since I implemented the Kairi narration into the chapters, but honestly, I kept forgetting to do it for a while. This time though, I'll be using it more throughout the last part of the fic!
Speaking of which, this is it guys! No more Disney worlds! We're done! *Collapses out of exhaustion* From now on, we're officially in ENDGAME territory! It's been quite a journey for the past two years and I'm excited to finally finish this!
Also, sorry I didn't do much with Leviathan in battle. I felt like I couldn't do much without it feeling like a rehash of the original Te Ka fight. I'll probably end up using him again in a later chapter anyway.