Chapter 11: End of the World

After leaving Hollow Bastion, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy race towards where Ansem went. While waiting, Kairi instinctively reaches for her lucky charm and then remembers that she gave it to Sora. I can do this. I am not alone.

Kairi reflects on all the wonderful friends she made on this journey. Aerith, Cid, Leon, and Yuffie. Hercules and Phil. Aladdin, Abu, Genie, and Magic Carpet. Geppetto and Pinocchio. Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Beast and all those princesses. And most all, Donald and Goofy.

Kairi looks over to Donald and Goofy and smiles. "There it is," Goofy exclaims. Kairi turns her attention over to the up ahead. The three have reached their destination. The world in front of them looks like a huge swirling mass. Even now, it continues to be collecting space debris to grow bigger.

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy are greeted by an even stranger sight when they land, a purple sea. Besides some rock, it looks so barren and desolate. "Is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless," Kairi asks as she scans her surroundings. "Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem," Donald tells Kairi.

"Yeah," Kairi exclaim. "I wonder where that Ansem feller went," Goofy asks. "Dive into the most dangerous place and we'll find him," Kairi guess. Just as they start to search around, a huge dark vortex opens above them and countless Heartless slip out.

"Looks like every area is dangerous," Donald exclaims. Kairi, Donald, and Goofy fight bravely against the Heartless hoard. Kairi slices through the Heartless. Donald fires numerous spells at them. Goofy blocks their attacks.

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy continue to fend off the Heartless as they search for Ansem. After a while, they find a haven to rest. Donald and Goofy immediately collapse on the ground from exhaustion. Kairi is about to rest too until she notices something. "What's that," Kairi asks.

Kairi discovers a plume of green smoke. "Look like some kind of strange smoke," Kairi comments. Kairi walks up and touches the green smoke. Bright light envelops Kairi. When it clears, Kairi finds herself in a completely different place.

Kairi is now in a town with brick buildings and antique lampposts. Kairi immediately understands where she is. "It's Traverse Town," Kairi exclaim. After explaining her discovery to Donald and Goofy, they investigate the plumes on other platforms.

"Here's Atlantica," Donald exclaims after checking out a different plume of green smoke. "A-hyuck, I wonder if this is how the Heartless invade other worlds," Goofy wonders. Kairi looks out at the many platforms with green smoke. Each of the platforms has spikes on the edge. They curb up like the plumes of green smoke are trapped in their sinister grip.

"It's like a prison for worlds," Kairi comments. As they continue to investigate, the group finds a white door. It looks out of place here. "What's in there," Kairi asks. Something about the door feels familiar to Kairi. As she reaches towards it, a familiar voice calls out.

Be careful... "Huh," a startled Kairi said. Kairi turns to Donald and asks, "Donald, did you say something?" "Nope," Donald answers. "Strange...that voice was so familiar," Kairi comments.

Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But do not be afraid. The light within us can pierce even the darkest of nights. I am right here with you. "Let's go," Kairi exclaims as she pushes open the white door and a blight light engulfs her and her friends.

When the light fades, Kairi found herself somewhere she never sees again. The lush palm trees. The beautiful blue sea. The white sandy beach. A rush of memories pours into Kairi.

"This is our island," Kairi exclaim. Although she glad to be back here, she knows that it is too good to be true. As if to confirm her instinct, a voice calls out. "This world has been connected..." Kairi, Donald, and Goofy get in battle positions.

"Tied to the darkness... soon to be completely eclipsed. There is so very much to learn." As the mysterious voice talks, the group's surroundings start to change. The palm trees start to wilt and die. The sea turns dark. The beach cracks and starts to break apart.

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy are horrified by the sudden change in their surroundings. "You understand so little. A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand." Upon hearing this, Kairi remembers the strange encounter she had before she lost her home.

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy desperately search for the source of the voice. Kairi then notices someone at the edge of the beach. It is Riku or rather Ansem in Riku's body. "Take a look at this place," Ansem said as he looks towards the darkened sea.

"To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison surrounded by water. And so, this boy sought escape from his prison. He sought a way to cross over into other worlds and he opened his heart to the darkness."

After finishing his speech, Ansem turns to the group. But to their surprise, Ansem transforms into someone else. Ansem is now a man with dark skin and long silver hair. "Riku," Kairi calls out. "Don't bother," Ansem tells Kairi.

"Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness. All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end," Ansem continues. Suddenly, what is left of Kairi's island starts to collapse into the darkness with the group in tow.

As Kairi, Donald, and Goofy fall into the darkness, Ansem continues to monologue. "The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it grow, consumes it. Only a pure heart can open Kingdom Hearts."

Out of the darkness, seven shimmering lights appear. Despite the danger she is in, she feels at ease when she sees them. Something about them feels familiar to Kairi. "...have opened the door!" Kairi was so mesmerized by the seven lights that she forgot about Ansem.

"Behold the endless abyss! Within lies the heart of worlds- Kingdom Hearts! Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!" As Ansem said this, another object appears out of the darkness. Unlike the seven lights, this thing is not as pleasant. It is a humongous terrorizing monster with Ansem fused on top of it.

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy could not believe their eyes. "Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness," Ansem shouts. The group suddenly notices a pair of huge white doors behind Ansem. Black smoke leaks through the huge doors' opening.

"We need to close that door," Kairi exclaim. But before any of them could do anything, the darkness around Kairi, Donald, and Goofy start to wrap and bind them. "It is futile. The Keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness," Ansem explains.

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy try their hardest to break free, but they could not. "And now your hearts will return to darkness whence they came," Ansem continues. Despite how hopeless her situation seems; Kairi is not ready to give up. "You're wrong! That is not the heart's true essence at all," Kairi exclaim.

"The heart may indeed be weak, and sometimes it may even give in. But even in the darkest depths, there is a light that refuses to go out. Without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts...is light!" Just then, something twinkle in the darkness and a torrent of light explodes through the huge white doors.

Ansem is engulfed by the light. "Light?! But why-," Ansem asks before he is vaporized. When the light fades away, Donald and Goofy are left dumbfounded. "I knew that what lies deep in everyone's hearts," Kairi said.

Despite the outburst of light, darkness is still leaking through the huge white doors. "Let's close the door," Kairi exclaim. "All right," Donald and Goofy reply. The three of them rush towards the huge white doors and tries to push the doors shut. But the doors are too heavy.

"It won't budge," Donald exclaims. Kairi starts to doubt if they can close the doors. "Don't give up!" Kairi looks up to see Riku trying to close the door from the other side. "Come on, Kairi! We can do it," Riku tells Kairi. Seeing Riku again has renewed Kairi's determination.

"Th-there are Heartless in there," Donald and Goofy exclaim. Kairi looks past Riku and into the doorway. The other side of the door is connected to a whole different place. It leads to a strange underground place. The cavern is illuminated by glowing blue cracks in the veins.

Kairi sees two giants Heartless in the distance. They look just like the ones that attacked her home. They slowly walk towards the group and the doorway. Suddenly, a bright light appears and vanquish the Heartless.

Inside the light, a voice calls out. "Now, Kairi! Let us close this door for good!" Kairi could not make out the figure in the light. All she could see is two round ears and an object in their hand that looks just like her Keyblade.

"Your majesty," Donald exclaims. "Your majesty?! A-hyuck... A-hyuck," Goofy exclaims. "What'll happen to you two," Kairi asks. Kairi worries if she would be able to see them again. "Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light," Donald and Goofy's king tells Kairi.

"King Mickey..." Goofy sadly mumbles. "Oh no, what are we going to tell the queen and Daisy," Donald said. Kairi is uncertain about what to do. "Kairi..." She looks at Riku.

"I want to say I'm sorry for what I said. You are my friend and Sora. I guess I was just jealous. It was just Sora and me before you showed up. Will you take care of him for me," Riku asks.

Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Riku work together and close the doorway. Kairi steps back and raises her Keyblade. The Keyblade is engulfed in a swirling light and the light is launched at the doorway. After a satisfying clicking sound, the giant doorway dissolves away into the light.

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy stand in silence for a few moments. "Let's go," Donald said. Before Kairi leaves with Donald and Goofy, she notices something out of the corner of her eye. "Sora," Kairi exclaimed. Despite the odds, Kairi finds Sora wandering by himself.

Kairi rushes over to him. "Kairi," Sora exclaimed when he saw Kairi. "How'd you get here," Kairi asks. "I don't know, one moment I was with-," Sora answers before the ground suddenly breaks apart. The piece Sora is standing on starts to drift away.

The two grab each other's hands. Despite this, Kairi and Sora are still being pulled apart. "Please search for me," Kairi asks. "I'll find you. I promise" Sora tells Kairi. "I know you will," Kairi replies before they lose their grip, and everything is engulfed in bright light.

Despite being separated from him, Kairi knows that she will be reunited with him one day.

The End

K Report 11: Awakening

As the girl watches two being separated, something stirs inside of her. The girl thinks over everything she remembers and sees. Then, suddenly something clicked together in her mind. Finally, the girl remembers who she is. As if in response to her revelation, a keyhole appears in front of her.

The girl summons her Keyblade and shoots a beam of light at the keyhole. The darkness dissolves as everything transforms into an endless sea that reaches towards a night sky. In the distance, the girl sees a figure. Despite the dark, she knows exactly who it is.

The girl starts running towards the figure. But as the girl is about to reach him, everything fades into white. When it clears up, she finds herself on the same beach that she woke up on not so long ago.

No, not the same beach. That beach belongs to the other me and this one belongs to me. This is where I met him.

The girl wonders if everything that happened was real or if it was just a dream.

But in the end, she decides it does not matter. Because the whole thing was real to her other self. The girl thinks over her incredible journey. But tears start to fall down her cheeks as she remembers the person at the end, not tears of sadness but tears of happiness.

He is still out there somewhere.

With renewed determination, the girl stands up and decides to work even harder. Her journey helps her realize how much he worked to help everyone. The girl decides to work just as hard as he did. Before heading out, the girl prays that her other self would have the strength and determination to follow her heart and have many more fun adventures.

The End

Is Never the End