Summary: A girl from our world (in other words, Earth) has wanted to get
the Kingdom Hearts game since it came out. which hasn't been very long.
only a week. When her friends' mom gives her a special copy, she gets
something better than the game. What might that be? An adventure she'll
never forget and love. Sora/OC (OC = Original Character for you dense
peeps)
Disclaimer: I'm not saying it again, alright?
Author's Note: I'm skipping ahead cuz I can't think of anything interesting to happen during the next two worlds. Is that ok? I can't keep writing chapters for this story cuz my writer's block is getting worse and worse. Oh, and Raine won't be in this chapter much. Anyways, the last chapter of the Crystalline Key, CH 6 - Raine's Last Adventure
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raine and I had just disembarked the Gummi Ship and she was staring at Hollow Bastion. She sighed and turned to me. "Big, isn't it?" she said and I nodded.
"I know this place." I said slowly. Raine blinked.
"Really? Hmm. Weird."
Goofy nodded in agreement and said, "That's strange."
"I wonder why. I feel this warmth inside, right here." I said, touching where my heart was. Donald rolled his eyes.
"You're just hungry." He said. I glared at the duck.
"Hey, I'm serious!" We all looked ahead as we heard a loud roar sound. "Let's go!" The others nodded and we raced off toward the sound, battling Heartless on the way. We could see a platform where a beast and Riku stood.
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"No vessel, no help from the Heartless. So tell me, how'd you get here?" Riku asked in a cold tone.
The beast answered, "I simply believed. Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!" Riku narrowed his eyes.
"Take her if you can." He said simply. The beast lunged at him but Riku easily evaded and counterattacked. Beast fell to one knee, seriously injured.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Stoppit!" Raine shouted as we ran toward the two. Riku looked at her and then to the rest of us.
"So, you finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you. We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you." Riku said.
"Riku." I said, feeling a bit sad about my friend's behavior.
"But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters." I quirked an eyebrow, very confused and Raine pouted, tapping her Keyblade on the ground. "Three, then." Riku said, watching her. Raine grumbled something that sounded a lot like, "Boys. Always forgetting girls."
I ignored her comment and asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Let the Keyblade choose its true master." Riku said as Raine's Keyblade and my Keyblade disappeared from our hands. My Keyblade appeared in Riku's hands but Raine's didn't reappear at all. She looked around frantically.
"Omigosh! Where'd it go?!" Donald and Goofy's eyes widened as did mine.
"Huh?"
"What!?"
"Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi, and if Raine were in real trouble, you probably couldn't save her, either. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door, and change the world."
"But that's impossible. How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!" I yelled, blinking back tears. Riku shrugged.
He replied, "You were just the delivery boy. Sorry, your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this." Riku tossed a wooden sword onto the ground near me. I looked down at it with sadness and I felt Raine's hand on my shoulder let go of me. I looked up and saw her asleep and Riku was carrying her.
I growled, "Hey! You can take the Keyblade, but not Raine! Why would she sleep at a time like this anyway?" I watched her as Riku chuckled.
"What makes you think I'll give her back? And I put a sleeping spell on her, dimwit." I took a step towards him as he left but froze when I heard Donald's next sentence.
"Goofy. Let's go. We have to remember our mission."
"Oh! Well, I know the king told us to follow the key and all, but," his voice trailed off and he looked at the ground.
Donald apologized, "Sora, sorry." They left to go after Riku as the beast tried to get up. I looked at him sadly.
"Hey, don't move. You're hurt." He looked up at me.
"Why, why did you, you come here? I came to fight for Belle. And though I am on my own, I will fight. I won't leave without her. That's why I'm here."
I sighed, picking up the wooden sword and thinking, 'Better having this than nothing at all.' I responded, "Me too. I'm not gonna give up now. I came here to find someone my friend, and, as you just saw, I must now find my girlfriend." The beast and I then started our journey. We had to go through a frustrating maze to turn the power on but after a while we were able to proceed to the castle gates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Raine's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke up in a chamber. Six girls were around a purple capsule. I stood up to get a better look and saw that Kairi was inside the capsule. From their chests a beam emitted into a Keyhole. I saw Maleficent walking away and Riku standing nearby, watching me. I glared at him and turned my back to him. I walked farther away when I heard him walking toward me. The footsteps stopped and I blinked, turning around to see if he was there. "Huh?" I said in disbelief that he'd disappeared and turned back around, seeing Riku in front of me. I jumped back, startled. I looked at him and put my hands over my mouth to keep from laughing.
He narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's so funny?"
I said between giggles, "You're, * giggle *, outfit! Can you say, * giggles multiple times * fashion emergency?" I burst into a fit of laughter as he looked down at his blue attire with the Heartless symbol on it. I stopped laughing when he walked over to me. Thinking he was gonna hurt me for my comment, I backed away. Seconds later my back touched a corner and he stood in front of me, looking at me. I was rooted to my spot as he kissed me. I couldn't help but kiss back, for no matter what he was wearing, I had to admit, Riku was sexy. He pulled away and grinned, then turned and walked away.
I felt like killing myself. I'd kissed a male other than Sora. I started hitting my forehead to punish myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Be on your guard. They're close. I can feel it. Are you ready for them?" The beast man said after we'd made into the castle-like place. The beast man looked around and asked, "Belle?" The one he thought was Belle turned into a Shadow Heartless. The beast roared in fury and chased after the little Heartless. I was left to explore the huge place on my own. It wasn't too difficult, but then I reached a room where Riku, Donald, and Goofy stood.
"Quit while you can." Riku said. I shook my head and glared at him.
"No. Not without Raine and Kairi." I said.
"The darkness will destroy you."
"You're wrong, Riku. The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!" I said, touching where my heart was again. Riku raised a brow.
"Really? Well, we'll just see about that!" I tried to lunge at him but couldn't move. Riku shot an orb of darkness at me from the palm of his hand. I crossed my arms in front of my face for some protection and a bright light flashed. When the temporary blindness was gone, I lowered my arms and saw Goofy with his shield up in front of me.
"Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!" he said, glaring at Riku.
"You'd betray your king?"
"Not on your life! But I'm not gonna betray Sora, either, 'cause he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together! See ya later, Donald. Could ya tell the king I'm really sorry?"
"Hold on, Goofy! We'll tell him together." Donald walked over to us and I smiled. "Well, you know, all for one and one for all."
"I guess you're stuck with us, Sora."
"Thanks a lot, Donald, Goofy."
"How will you fight without a weapon?" Riku asked.
I got into a battle position and answered, "I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon. My heart." Riku chuckled.
"Your heart? What good will that weak little thing do for you?"
"Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then, if they don't forget me, then our hearts will be one. I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!" The Keyblade Riku was holding disappeared and it reappeared this time in my possession. We battled Riku, and soon won. Riku ran off and the beast came back.
"So, your heart won this battle." I nodded.
Donald, Goofy, and I figured out we needed emblems to open a door we needed to go through. We searched high and low and battled many Heartless. Our efforts were rewarded with finding every emblem in a short amount of time. We reached the Castle Chapel. There, Maleficent waited.
"I'm afraid you're too late. Any moment now, the final Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness. It is unstoppable." I readied the Keyblade and glared at her.
"We'll stop it! After coming this far, there's no way we're gonna let that happen!"
"You poor, simple fools. You think you can defeat me? Me, the mistress of all evil?" We fought Maleficent with difficulty; she was much more powerful than anything we'd faced, but we defeated her after a long while. Maleficent retreated in a portal. We went through a dark portal. In that area, Maleficent walked forward, seriously wounded. Then, Riku appeared from behind with his Keyblade.
"Do you need some help?" he asked Maleficent.
"Riku!" I yelled as we ran into the room.
"Is that-" Donald began but was interrupted.
"Yes. A Keyblade. But unlike yours, this Keyblade holds the power to unlock people's hearts. Allow me to demonstrate." He paused to thrust the Keyblade into Maleficent. "Behold!"
"Wha-" Maleficent began, but was cut off by Riku.
"Now, open your heart, surrender it to the darkness! Become darkness itself!" Riku pulled the Keyblade out of Maleficent's heart and disappeared. Maleficent cackled evilly.
"This is it! This power! Darkness, the true darkness!" In a burst of green flame and purple smoke, Maleficent turned herself into a dragon. We fought her, having to use much magic and potions. After defeating Maleficent, the branches burned in green flames and the Dragon melted, then burned to ashes. Riku came back.
"How ironic. She was just another puppet after all."
"What?" Donald asked, confused.
"The Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to notice the darkness in her heart eating away at her. A fitting end for such a fool." He explained and disappeared. We proceeded to the Grand Hall. In there, we entered the area with the Keyhole, but a barrier prevented Goofy from entering. Then, I saw Kairi.
"Kairi!" I ran towards her. "Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!"
"It's no use. That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up." Riku said.
"What? You, you're not Riku."
"The Keyhole cannot be completed so as long as the last princess of heart still sleeps." He said.
"The princess? Kairi's a princess?" I asked, eyes a bit wide.
Riku floated up in midair and replied, "Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened."
"Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!" I shouted.
"But first, you must give the princess back her heart." The Riku look- alike said. I felt something strange in my heart and kneeled while holding my heart. "What's-"
"Don't you see yet? The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"
"Kairi, Kairi's inside me?"
"I know all that there is to know."
"Tell me then, who are you?" I asked, getting a little bit annoyed.
"It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness." Donald tried to charge at Riku but was shoved through the barrier. "So, I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!" Ansem/Riku was going to attack me, but then I heard Raine's voice.
"Sora!" she said. I woke up and deflected the attack from Riku with my Keyblade.
I said to Ansem/Riku in an angry tone, "Forget it! There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!" I fought Ansem/Riku. After defeating Ansem/Riku, Ansem/Riku dropped his Keyblade and disappeared. "Riku!"
"Sora! Sora, look!" Donald said, pointing.
"The, the Keyhole!" Goofy said. I tried to use the Keyblade on the Keyhole, but nothing happened. "It won't work! The Keyhole's not finished yet!"
"What can we do?" I asked.
"Maybe we've gotta go wake Kairi up." Goofy suggested, shrugging.
"I think you're right. If we can free her heart, but, but how?" I asked, thinking. I looked to the dark Keyblade. "A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts. I wonder." I said, walking over to it.
"Sora?" Goofy asked, sounding slightly confused. "Sora, hold on!"
"No, wait!" Donald shouted. I smiled at Donald and Goofy, and then thrust the dark Keyblade into my heart. Upon doing this, the hearts returned to the six females and Kairi as well. I lit up as I fell slowly.
"Sora! Sora!" was the last thing I heard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke up in darkness. "What's happening to me? Falling. Falling, into darkness." I said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Reader's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later, a Shadow was looking at Goofy, Donald, and Kairi.
"What about the Keyhole?" Goofy asked.
"Let's just get out of here!" Donald said.
The Shadow follows Goofy, Donald, and Kairi to the Entrance Hall.
"Kairi, hurry!" Goofy said, dragging her along.
Kairi said, "I can't leave them behind!"
"We can't stay here!" Donald shouted.
"A Heartless is after us!" Goofy stated, looking back at a Shadow Heartless.
"I'll take care of him!" Donald said. The Shadow approaches closer. Donald tried to attack the Shadow. "Confounded Heartless! Get lost, will ya?" The Shadow responded like Sora.
"Sora? Is that you?" Kairi asks.
"Uh-oh!" Goofy said, looking around. Goofy, Donald, Kairi, and the Shadow were surrounded by the other Shadow Heartless. Goofy and Donald take their battle positions.
"This time, I'll protect you." Kairi said to the Shadow. The other Shadows get near Kairi and the Shadow she is holding on to.
"Kairi!" Goofy shouted. The other Shadows were eliminated and Sora reverted from a Shadow to normal.
"Thanks Kairi." I said as more Shadow Heartless surrounded us. Then the Beast appeared at the scene.
"Go! Now!" he said, fighting off some of the Heartless.
"Come with us!"
"I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle. Now, go! The Heartless are coming!" I sighed and turned to the others.
"All right. Let's get out of here." The others nodded and we ran from the spot to where we landed our Gummi Ship. I stopped for a moment, remembering something. When it hit me, I turned around to run back but was pulled in by Goofy and Kairi. "WAIT! WE DIDN'T GET RAINE!" I shouted as we took off into space. We made our way to Traverse Town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Raine's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I paced around the room. "Riku, do you honestly think you can keep me in here and keep me sane? I need to get out of here! I need to find a way back to my family and home! So, will you please let me go?" I plopped down into a chair and looked at the Shadow Heartless I'd been practicing with. "That wouldn't go well, would it?" The Heartless, who I named Dark, shook its head. "Didn't think so. Y'know, arguing with boys like Riku is like arguing with a wall. You can't do it."
"Oh really?" said a voice from behind. I turned a saw Riku leaning against the wall. I nodded.
"I won't lie about it, no one can win an argument when arguing with you." I said, turning back around and closing my eyes. He walked up behind me and put his arms around my shoulders. I brushed them away. "D-don't. You know I love," my voice trailed off when I looked directly into Riku's eyes to seem less frightened. Big mistake. 'His eyes are a lighter shade of blue than Sora's. Wait, why am I comparing them?'
My thoughts were interrupted when Riku kissed me, yet again. This time, though, the kiss was different. This time the kiss had me forgetting all about Sora and thinking about Riku. He slipped his tongue between my lips and explored my mouth. I put my hands behind his neck and laced my fingers together, pulling us closer so as to make my body melt into his. Riku's hands roamed my body as I moaned with much pleasure.
Five minutes had gone by and we heard Riku's name being called. He pulled out of another lustful kiss and I sighed as I got off of him and stood up. He stood up and kissed my forehead. "See you later, Raine." He said as he walked off. The make out session we'd just shared had been so enticing that it left me daydreaming about the next one we'd share instead of worrying about how I'd betrayed Sora. (A/N: I just realized I'd be good at writing lemons. 0.o;; I think I may hafta change this to a Riku/OC. Nah, I'll think of something.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tell me what happened." Leon demanded. I told Leon all about what had happened since the last time we saw him up until now. "So the darkness is flowing out of the Keyhole."
"No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere. The only way to stop them is-" Aerith started to say but I interrupted.
"Seal the Keyhole, right?" I asked. Leon shrugged.
"Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it's sealed." He said.
"Well, we can't just stay here. We have to do something. I've got two friends back there."
"That's right. You have two more friends to worry about. Riku's Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses' hearts-just like that Keyhole you saw." He paused to look at Kairi. "Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete. Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should have been freed. Don't worry, Sora. If anyone can save your friends, you can." I nodded and Donald, Goofy and I left the small house to go talk to Cid. We found him standing somewhere in the First District.
"Cid, I need to go back to Hollow Bastion." I said.
"I don't think I can let you do that, kid. The Heartless there are multiplying by the minute. They'd eat your ship up."
"Then, what can we do?" I asked.
"Simple. Go around 'em instead of through. Install a new navigation gummi and take a new route." Cid explained.
"A new gummi? From where?"
"The secret waterway. When I came here 9 years ago, I stored it there in case I ever needed it. Never thought a kid would be the one to use it!" I pouted at being called a kid again but instead of replying I turned and walked to the Waterway. We looked around and found a sun mural. The gummi lies near it and I picked it up, pocketing it. We returned to the First District where I stopped to talk to Kairi for a while as Goofy and Donald went elsewhere.
"Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me." Kairi said as she handed me a chain.
"Don't worry. I will."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."
"Yeah. Raine too." I talked to Cid again and he installed the gummi into the ship. He came back hours later and found me in deep thought.
"All set! You can get going any time. Kid, I gotta say, I wish you didn't have to face all this danger. Whatcha thinkin' 'bout, anyway?" He asked. I stood up and sighed.
"Raine." Cid nodded and Donald, Goofy and I boarded the Gummi Ship. We went through a portal to the area that leads to Hollow Bastion. Once we landed, we saw the beast.
"Where's Belle?" I asked.
"Still in the castle."
Goofy asked, "Against her will?"
"No, I think she stayed for a reason. The other princesses are inside as well."
"I wonder why?" Donald said.
"Let's go ask them." I said.
"You may need my strength. I'll go with you." We walked into the castle and made our way to the Library where we found a lady dressed in gold.
"Belle!" They shared a kiss to celebrate their reunion and I sighed, thinking of Raine.
"You've come to seal the Keyhole, right? Please, be careful. The darkness is raging deep inside. We've been holding it back, but we can't hold out much longer." Belle said, breaking my thoughts.
"We'll take care of it." We proceeded to the Castle Chapel. I saw the other princesses and walked up to ones wearing blue; one with her hair in a neat bun and the other with her hair down.
"We've been waiting for you, Keyblade master."
"Where's Ansem?"
"Gone."
"When the Keyhole appeared, darkness poured out of it. It swallowed Ansem, and he disappeared."
"Though Ansem is gone, the flood of darkness hasn't stopped. We're working together to hold it back."
"I cannot forget the look on his face. As the darkness engulfed him, he was smiling." We walked over to Jasmine, Alice, and a lady with short black hair wearing a yellow dress.
"Sora, please hurry! Darkness is pouring from the Keyhole." Jasmine said.
"It's all we can do just to hold back the darkness." Alice added.
"I don't know how long we can manage even that."
"All right, I'm on my way." I said.
"We're counting on you, Keyblade master. In the meantime, we'll do what we can, too."
We ventured to the Dark Depths. In there, we fought Behemoth. After defeating Behemoth, we saw a Keyhole. "Now let's go and seal that big Keyhole!" Goofy said, pointing to it.
"Sora. You did it." Said Leon's voice. I turned and saw him and he led us back to the Grand Hall where Aerith and Yuffie were waiting.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.
"We came in Cid's ship." Yuffie answered.
"This is our childhood home. We wanted to see it again." Aerith explained.
"It's in worse shape than I feared. It used to be so peaceful." Leon said, looking around and sighing.
"Don't worry. If we defeat Ansem, all should be restored. Including your island." Aerith said.
"Really?" I asked.
"But, it also means goodbye."
"Once the worlds are restored, they'll be separate again."
"Everyone will go back to where they came from."
"Then I'll visit you guys with the gummi ship." I said.
"It's not that simple." Leon said.
"Before all this, you didn't know about the other worlds, right?"
"Because every world was isolated. Impassable walls divided them."
"The Heartless destroyed those walls. But if the worlds return, so will the walls."
"Which means gummi ships will be useless." Leon added to Yuffie and Aerith's explanations.
"So you're saying we'll never-" I began but was cut off.
"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." Leon said.
"No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again."
"Besides, I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to." Yuffie said. I blinked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Sora!" Donald called.
"Hurry! Come and close the Keyhole!" Goofy shouted to me from a distance away.
"Sora, good luck." I nodded. We went back in the Dark Depths and I used my Keyblade to shoot a ray at the Keyhole, sealing this world from the Heartless forever. Later, we walked back to the Castle Chapel.
"Thank you, Sora. I think the darkness has begun to weaken." Alice said.
"But I can feel a powerful darkness growing somewhere far away." Jasmine added.
"It's the heart of the darkness. It must be where Ansem went."
"Then we'll take the gummi ship and deal with both Ansem and the Heartless." I said.
"A worthy answer, Keyblade master. We offer this power to aid your battle." She handed me a ring and I could feel my Fira spell become more powerful.
"Sora, your courage can bring back our worlds."
"Once the darkness is gone, all should return to its original state."
"Does that mean Raine will go back to her home?" I asked, blinking back burning tears that appeared when it finally registered in my brain that I may never see Raine again.
"Most certainly. And you should be, too."
"I can't go home 'til I find Raine, Riku, and the king." I said, turning to leave. We boarded the Gummi Ship to the final area, the End of the World. We trekked to the Final Dimension.
"Gawrsh, is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?"
"Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right?" I asked, thinking of something.
"You betcha." Donald confirmed.
"But if we do beat him and all these worlds become restored and disconnected, what's gonna happen to this place? And to us?" Donald blinked.
"Well, uh-" Donald said, thinking about what to say and being interrupted.
"This is a Heartless world, so maybe it'll just disappear." Goofy said.
"Huh?" Donald and I said simultaneously.
"But no worries. Even if this place goes poof, our hearts ain't goin' nowhere. I'm sure we'll find our pals again. Yup, I just know that we will." I nodded.
"Yeah, you're right." We ran to the next area, trying to avoid battling Heartless.
"I wonder where that Ansem feller went?" Goofy said, looking around.
"Dive into the most dangerous place and we'll find him!" Donald said. We then reached another area where we fought series of Heartless from previous worlds. After that, we found a big area where a big thing was. (A/N: Big thing. Wow. Real descriptive.) After we killed the beast, Chernabog, we saw the Final Rest area up ahead. Before I could open the door, I heard something.
"Huh?" I said, looking around.
"What's wrong?" Donald asked.
"Don't you hear something? There!" I said, listening.
A mysterious voice said, "Careful. This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But don't be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember, you are the one who will open the door to the light." Donald shrugged.
"I don't hear anything."
"Strange. That voice was so familiar. Maybe it's just my imagination."
"Maybe you'd better take a rest!" We opened the door and entered a place that resembled Destiny Islands.
"Is this? Is this my island?" I asked, looking left and right. We approached where the Secret Area used to be when a voice spoke.
"This world has been connected." Said the voice. The objects on the Island started to disappear.
"What was that?" Goofy asked.
"Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed. There is so very much to learn." The ocean turned purple. "You understand so little. A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing." The island changed and we walked around. I saw Riku transform into a man up ahead and ran to him.
"Riku!"
"Don't bother. 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. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness from whence it came." Ansem said, disappearing and reappearing behind us, floating in midair. We looked up at him. "You see, darkness is the heart's true essence."
"That's not true! The heart may be weak. And sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out!" I said, glaring at Ansem as he rose a little higher into the air.
"So, you have come this far and still you understand nothing. Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!" We fought Ansem. After the fight, the trees started shaking apart, revealing Ansem where he is waiting. We entered that area, but when we did so, Donald and Goofy were shoved back from the invisible barrier. Only I made it to the area. I fought Darkside and defeated it. Then, I had to fight Ansem after he appeared for the second time. After the battle against Ansem, Donald, Goofy, and I ended up in the dark emptiness.
"Wha?"
"Behold the endless abyss! Within lies the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts!" I looked around, seeing almost all blackness except for a white door. "Look as hard as you are able. You'll not find even the smallest glimmer of light. From those dark depths are all hearts born. Even yours." The World of Chaos appeared. "Darkness conquers all worlds!"
Suddenly, Goofy and Donald Duck were sucked into a portal and I fell, but then I heard Riku's voice.
He said, "Giving up already? Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Raine's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I looked up from rummaging around in a drawer. The final battle was going on, I could feel it. I sighed, wishing I could be there to help Sora battle or encourage him. I smacked myself and continued my search for something sharp. I was going to commit suicide. Why? Because two hours ago I'd realized I'd cheated on Sora. I didn't wanna see the look of hurt on his face when he found out. I didn't want to see the anger he would feel toward me. I saw something near me on the ground and looked at it. "A nail! Yes!" I kneeled down to get it but Dark picked it up and made it vanish in a puff of smoke.
Dark made gestures as if he were scolding me. Something told me Dark was telling me to be honest with Sora. I sighed and nodded, giving up my search and standing up. I walked over to the wall and hit my head against it multiple times. I noticed that my necklace was glowing and held it. I could see Sora and Ansem getting ready to battle. I wished I could be there in spirit to cheer Sora on, and suddenly I felt as if my soul was leaving me. The next thing I knew, everything had blurred then gone black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I flew up, using Super Glide, and saw Ansem in his ultimate form, which is the World of Chaos. I battled Ansem, finding his attacks stronger than any other I'd seen. After this fight, Ansem froze himself with a Heartless crest that protected him. I saw a portal and flew into it.
In there, I destroyed the Room Core and escaped from it. Then, I fought the Artilleries. After defeating them all, another portal was revealed and I went through. I rescued Goofy and destroyed the second Room Core once inside. We both escaped. Then Goofy and I fought the Face. After defeating it, another portal appeared, yet again. We went through it. We rescued Donald and we destroyed the third Room Core. We escaped from that area, too. Next, we fought the Main Core. After destroying it, Ansem revives. We fought Ansem, praying that this was the last time. After defeating the World of Chaos, Ansem is still alive.
"It is futile. The Keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness. Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness!" He said, turning to face the large white door. The doors opened and dark smoke started to come out. "Supreme darkness."
"You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts is light!" As these words came form my mouth, the dark smoke was replaced with blinding light. Goofy, Donald, and I held up our arms to shield our eyes from the bright light.
"Lights? But why?" Ansem asked himself as the light engulfed him. When the light faded, we opened our eyes and let our arms drop to our sides to see Ansem gone. The light had annihilated him. Kingdom Hearts' doors were partially open, so we approached them and began closing them.
"Come on!" While we pushed the doors, Goofy stopped to see something.
"Stop staring and keep pushing!" Donald shouted. Donald and Goofy saw more Heartless through the doors of Kingdom Hearts.
"The Heartless!?" Goofy and Donald said in unison.
"Hurry!" Donald said, pushing harder.
"I can't!" I shouted, trying my best to close the large, heavy doors.
"Don't give up!" said Riku's voice. Riku appeared from the other side of the doors.
"Come on, Sora! Together, we can do it!" said Raine's voice. She walked up next to me and leaned against the doors. She smiled nervously once she saw Riku and I thought I saw a hint of color in his cheeks, but ignored it.
"Okay!" We tried harder to close the doors, but the Heartless were approaching. And though Raine and Riku were helping out, the door didn't move much.
"It's hopeless!" Donald cried. Then, the Heartless were eliminated one by one. We saw something bright coming out, and it turned out to be a, mouse man?
"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy said at the very same time.
"Now, Sora! Let's close this door for good!" The King said, holding up the Kingdom Keyblade.
"Close it, quick!"
"But-"
"Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light."
"Sora, you can trust King Mickey." Goofy assured me.
"Now! They're coming!" Riku said, glancing behind him for a moment and then returning to pulling.
"Donald, Goofy, thank you." The King said. We almost closed the doors.
"Take care of them." He said, nodding slightly to Raine. I nodded as we closed the door. Then, I held up my Keyblade and could feel the power of another doing the same. I pointed it to the door to Kingdom Hearts, locking it form the outside. A click from the inside told me The King had locked the other side. After that had been done, I saw Kairi, who is about to go back to her world and waved and walked with Raine to Kairi. Donald tried to follow us, but Goofy stopped Donald before he could do anything. We walked over to Kairi.
"Hey Kairi!" Raine said as she approached.
"Sora!" Kairi said completely ignoring Raine, causing her to furrow her eyebrows. The area started shaking and Kairi grabbed onto my hand to keep from falling over.
"Kairi. Remember what you said before? I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you. I promise!" I said. (A/N: He's saying this as friends, ok? Nothing more. Raine would be VERY pissed if he were saying this as more.)
"I know you will!" I was unable to hold onto her hand any longer. Plus, I wanted to say good-bye to Raine. I turned to her and she was looking at her necklace, which giving off a dim glow that was becoming brighter, with tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear.
"I, I kissed Riku." She let her heels fall back to the ground and took a step back. I looked at her.
"What? Why?" She looked at the ground and shrugged, tears falling from her eyes.
"I don't know. I'm really sorry, I mean it! I guess I was just lonely and kissed him because he was the only one there. I was also a little mad that I couldn't go save the worlds with you, and mad at you for not getting me sooner. I'm really really sorry." I took her chin in my hand and tilted her head up to look at me.
"I was saving them for you too, you know." She shook her head. "What do you mean, shaking your head and all?" She sighed and looked down again. I hugged her close to me as the land we were on approached a blue mist. Raine's necklace was getting brighter. "Please tell me."
"Well, I live in a world where the adventures we had is all just part of a video game called Kingdom Hearts. My necklace took me here, and I sense it wants to take me back soon. This means that even if you can pass the walls that have formed between the worlds, you will never find my world and probably never see me again." I looked down at her in disbelief. I'd never see her again?
I shouted, "Why didn't you tell me?! I would've saved you a lot faster had I known this information!" She started crying again and I held her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's ok, it wasn't you that upset me. It was this stupid necklace! It's all the necklace's fault that I came here. Then I would never have had to fall in love with you and be sad about it when I go home!" She looked up at me as I put my hand on her cheek.
"Sshh. It's okay, Raine." I kissed her, slipping my tongue into her mouth. Our tongues 'danced' together for a moment and then we ended the kiss, breathing in oxygen. "You know what they say. 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all'." She smiled and nodded. Her necklace shot two beams from it; one blue, the other white. They started spiraling around her body and she started to glow. (A/N: If you dun like, "our tongues 'danced' together", then too bad. I didn't feel like being the same as other people and putting, "our tongues 'battled'". I like being original and unique better. So nyah. * sticks out tongue * Anyways, back to the story.)
"I'll never forget you Sora. I love you." She was about to kiss my cheek when her body disappeared and the light merged into one, rocketing up into the sky. There was a flash and a 'ting' sound and I knew Raine was on her way home. The blue mist engulfed me as I looked up at the sky, seeing stars begin to flicker back into the night sky.
"Good-bye Raine."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* cries * What a sappy ending! * sniffles * I have been grounded and have been hanging with friends AND the evil 'Writer's Block Demon' has been pestering me. If you've been checking back often, then thanks for being a loyal reader. Me loves you all! * huggles you all * OK, now for my responses.
Review Responses:
Jamiesgirl - Kairi was a bit jealous, though didn't show it at all. Well, except for the ignoring Raine part in this chapter but other than that, well, they didn't really see each other. Heh.
Meheria - Gonna blame me now? Please don't. * hides * I already feel guilty about not updating. I haven't finished that book yet. I was too busy trying to get over my writer's block. Oh, and don't think I was accusing you of blaming me in this response. I was just saying if you were planning to blame me then I'd like it if you don't. Same goes for everyone else.
Anime_girl_Carrie - I, too, hate yaoi, shounen-ai, yuri, and shoujo- ai. But maybe that's just because I'm totally in love with Sora and Riku and would prefer to have them like girls so I can change it around in my mind and think it's me they like. ^^
Tommy - Hey, boy! Thanks for reading my story! Neomail me sometime, cuz you dun do that much anymore. I'm starting to think you hate me. * cries * Anyways, I'm glad you like my story! ^^
W?zard/26 - Good work. It's so nice to hear someone, or, rather, see someone praise my writing. * hugs you * Yay!
Star Moon - As you've read, Raine DOES think of Riku. Yup. ^.~
Jennifer - WOOHOO! A FELLOW KAIRI-HATER! * holds up sign that says, "DOWN WITH KAIRI!" * DIE KAIRI! MUAHAHAHAHA! * coughs * Sorry. Weird moment.
Foxxy*Girl - Glad you liked it. This was a LONG chapter or me to do. It was 20 computer pages. And we all know computer pages are WAY different from normal paper, so I did a lot.
Flamestrike - I'm glad you like my story, but please try to remember: Things like this take time or else they come out all crappy. I dun think this is the actual saying/phrase, but, who cares? LOL.
All - I want you all to remember the saying/phrase in my response to Flamestrike, y'know, so you can tell it to your future (or present) reviewers and can remember it next time you want someone to update. Think of it this way, the longer it takes, the better and sooner the next chapters should be. Otherwise, that person is just a lazy ass. LMAO. OK, I'm done. Hopefully you will read my future fanfics and enjoy them as much as you did this one.
The might-see-you-in-future-fanfic-reviews,
~Raine Minamino =^.^=
Disclaimer: I'm not saying it again, alright?
Author's Note: I'm skipping ahead cuz I can't think of anything interesting to happen during the next two worlds. Is that ok? I can't keep writing chapters for this story cuz my writer's block is getting worse and worse. Oh, and Raine won't be in this chapter much. Anyways, the last chapter of the Crystalline Key, CH 6 - Raine's Last Adventure
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raine and I had just disembarked the Gummi Ship and she was staring at Hollow Bastion. She sighed and turned to me. "Big, isn't it?" she said and I nodded.
"I know this place." I said slowly. Raine blinked.
"Really? Hmm. Weird."
Goofy nodded in agreement and said, "That's strange."
"I wonder why. I feel this warmth inside, right here." I said, touching where my heart was. Donald rolled his eyes.
"You're just hungry." He said. I glared at the duck.
"Hey, I'm serious!" We all looked ahead as we heard a loud roar sound. "Let's go!" The others nodded and we raced off toward the sound, battling Heartless on the way. We could see a platform where a beast and Riku stood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No vessel, no help from the Heartless. So tell me, how'd you get here?" Riku asked in a cold tone.
The beast answered, "I simply believed. Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!" Riku narrowed his eyes.
"Take her if you can." He said simply. The beast lunged at him but Riku easily evaded and counterattacked. Beast fell to one knee, seriously injured.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Stoppit!" Raine shouted as we ran toward the two. Riku looked at her and then to the rest of us.
"So, you finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you. We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you." Riku said.
"Riku." I said, feeling a bit sad about my friend's behavior.
"But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters." I quirked an eyebrow, very confused and Raine pouted, tapping her Keyblade on the ground. "Three, then." Riku said, watching her. Raine grumbled something that sounded a lot like, "Boys. Always forgetting girls."
I ignored her comment and asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Let the Keyblade choose its true master." Riku said as Raine's Keyblade and my Keyblade disappeared from our hands. My Keyblade appeared in Riku's hands but Raine's didn't reappear at all. She looked around frantically.
"Omigosh! Where'd it go?!" Donald and Goofy's eyes widened as did mine.
"Huh?"
"What!?"
"Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi, and if Raine were in real trouble, you probably couldn't save her, either. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door, and change the world."
"But that's impossible. How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!" I yelled, blinking back tears. Riku shrugged.
He replied, "You were just the delivery boy. Sorry, your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this." Riku tossed a wooden sword onto the ground near me. I looked down at it with sadness and I felt Raine's hand on my shoulder let go of me. I looked up and saw her asleep and Riku was carrying her.
I growled, "Hey! You can take the Keyblade, but not Raine! Why would she sleep at a time like this anyway?" I watched her as Riku chuckled.
"What makes you think I'll give her back? And I put a sleeping spell on her, dimwit." I took a step towards him as he left but froze when I heard Donald's next sentence.
"Goofy. Let's go. We have to remember our mission."
"Oh! Well, I know the king told us to follow the key and all, but," his voice trailed off and he looked at the ground.
Donald apologized, "Sora, sorry." They left to go after Riku as the beast tried to get up. I looked at him sadly.
"Hey, don't move. You're hurt." He looked up at me.
"Why, why did you, you come here? I came to fight for Belle. And though I am on my own, I will fight. I won't leave without her. That's why I'm here."
I sighed, picking up the wooden sword and thinking, 'Better having this than nothing at all.' I responded, "Me too. I'm not gonna give up now. I came here to find someone my friend, and, as you just saw, I must now find my girlfriend." The beast and I then started our journey. We had to go through a frustrating maze to turn the power on but after a while we were able to proceed to the castle gates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Raine's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke up in a chamber. Six girls were around a purple capsule. I stood up to get a better look and saw that Kairi was inside the capsule. From their chests a beam emitted into a Keyhole. I saw Maleficent walking away and Riku standing nearby, watching me. I glared at him and turned my back to him. I walked farther away when I heard him walking toward me. The footsteps stopped and I blinked, turning around to see if he was there. "Huh?" I said in disbelief that he'd disappeared and turned back around, seeing Riku in front of me. I jumped back, startled. I looked at him and put my hands over my mouth to keep from laughing.
He narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's so funny?"
I said between giggles, "You're, * giggle *, outfit! Can you say, * giggles multiple times * fashion emergency?" I burst into a fit of laughter as he looked down at his blue attire with the Heartless symbol on it. I stopped laughing when he walked over to me. Thinking he was gonna hurt me for my comment, I backed away. Seconds later my back touched a corner and he stood in front of me, looking at me. I was rooted to my spot as he kissed me. I couldn't help but kiss back, for no matter what he was wearing, I had to admit, Riku was sexy. He pulled away and grinned, then turned and walked away.
I felt like killing myself. I'd kissed a male other than Sora. I started hitting my forehead to punish myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Be on your guard. They're close. I can feel it. Are you ready for them?" The beast man said after we'd made into the castle-like place. The beast man looked around and asked, "Belle?" The one he thought was Belle turned into a Shadow Heartless. The beast roared in fury and chased after the little Heartless. I was left to explore the huge place on my own. It wasn't too difficult, but then I reached a room where Riku, Donald, and Goofy stood.
"Quit while you can." Riku said. I shook my head and glared at him.
"No. Not without Raine and Kairi." I said.
"The darkness will destroy you."
"You're wrong, Riku. The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!" I said, touching where my heart was again. Riku raised a brow.
"Really? Well, we'll just see about that!" I tried to lunge at him but couldn't move. Riku shot an orb of darkness at me from the palm of his hand. I crossed my arms in front of my face for some protection and a bright light flashed. When the temporary blindness was gone, I lowered my arms and saw Goofy with his shield up in front of me.
"Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!" he said, glaring at Riku.
"You'd betray your king?"
"Not on your life! But I'm not gonna betray Sora, either, 'cause he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together! See ya later, Donald. Could ya tell the king I'm really sorry?"
"Hold on, Goofy! We'll tell him together." Donald walked over to us and I smiled. "Well, you know, all for one and one for all."
"I guess you're stuck with us, Sora."
"Thanks a lot, Donald, Goofy."
"How will you fight without a weapon?" Riku asked.
I got into a battle position and answered, "I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon. My heart." Riku chuckled.
"Your heart? What good will that weak little thing do for you?"
"Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then, if they don't forget me, then our hearts will be one. I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!" The Keyblade Riku was holding disappeared and it reappeared this time in my possession. We battled Riku, and soon won. Riku ran off and the beast came back.
"So, your heart won this battle." I nodded.
Donald, Goofy, and I figured out we needed emblems to open a door we needed to go through. We searched high and low and battled many Heartless. Our efforts were rewarded with finding every emblem in a short amount of time. We reached the Castle Chapel. There, Maleficent waited.
"I'm afraid you're too late. Any moment now, the final Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness. It is unstoppable." I readied the Keyblade and glared at her.
"We'll stop it! After coming this far, there's no way we're gonna let that happen!"
"You poor, simple fools. You think you can defeat me? Me, the mistress of all evil?" We fought Maleficent with difficulty; she was much more powerful than anything we'd faced, but we defeated her after a long while. Maleficent retreated in a portal. We went through a dark portal. In that area, Maleficent walked forward, seriously wounded. Then, Riku appeared from behind with his Keyblade.
"Do you need some help?" he asked Maleficent.
"Riku!" I yelled as we ran into the room.
"Is that-" Donald began but was interrupted.
"Yes. A Keyblade. But unlike yours, this Keyblade holds the power to unlock people's hearts. Allow me to demonstrate." He paused to thrust the Keyblade into Maleficent. "Behold!"
"Wha-" Maleficent began, but was cut off by Riku.
"Now, open your heart, surrender it to the darkness! Become darkness itself!" Riku pulled the Keyblade out of Maleficent's heart and disappeared. Maleficent cackled evilly.
"This is it! This power! Darkness, the true darkness!" In a burst of green flame and purple smoke, Maleficent turned herself into a dragon. We fought her, having to use much magic and potions. After defeating Maleficent, the branches burned in green flames and the Dragon melted, then burned to ashes. Riku came back.
"How ironic. She was just another puppet after all."
"What?" Donald asked, confused.
"The Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to notice the darkness in her heart eating away at her. A fitting end for such a fool." He explained and disappeared. We proceeded to the Grand Hall. In there, we entered the area with the Keyhole, but a barrier prevented Goofy from entering. Then, I saw Kairi.
"Kairi!" I ran towards her. "Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!"
"It's no use. That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up." Riku said.
"What? You, you're not Riku."
"The Keyhole cannot be completed so as long as the last princess of heart still sleeps." He said.
"The princess? Kairi's a princess?" I asked, eyes a bit wide.
Riku floated up in midair and replied, "Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened."
"Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!" I shouted.
"But first, you must give the princess back her heart." The Riku look- alike said. I felt something strange in my heart and kneeled while holding my heart. "What's-"
"Don't you see yet? The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"
"Kairi, Kairi's inside me?"
"I know all that there is to know."
"Tell me then, who are you?" I asked, getting a little bit annoyed.
"It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness." Donald tried to charge at Riku but was shoved through the barrier. "So, I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!" Ansem/Riku was going to attack me, but then I heard Raine's voice.
"Sora!" she said. I woke up and deflected the attack from Riku with my Keyblade.
I said to Ansem/Riku in an angry tone, "Forget it! There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!" I fought Ansem/Riku. After defeating Ansem/Riku, Ansem/Riku dropped his Keyblade and disappeared. "Riku!"
"Sora! Sora, look!" Donald said, pointing.
"The, the Keyhole!" Goofy said. I tried to use the Keyblade on the Keyhole, but nothing happened. "It won't work! The Keyhole's not finished yet!"
"What can we do?" I asked.
"Maybe we've gotta go wake Kairi up." Goofy suggested, shrugging.
"I think you're right. If we can free her heart, but, but how?" I asked, thinking. I looked to the dark Keyblade. "A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts. I wonder." I said, walking over to it.
"Sora?" Goofy asked, sounding slightly confused. "Sora, hold on!"
"No, wait!" Donald shouted. I smiled at Donald and Goofy, and then thrust the dark Keyblade into my heart. Upon doing this, the hearts returned to the six females and Kairi as well. I lit up as I fell slowly.
"Sora! Sora!" was the last thing I heard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke up in darkness. "What's happening to me? Falling. Falling, into darkness." I said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Reader's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later, a Shadow was looking at Goofy, Donald, and Kairi.
"What about the Keyhole?" Goofy asked.
"Let's just get out of here!" Donald said.
The Shadow follows Goofy, Donald, and Kairi to the Entrance Hall.
"Kairi, hurry!" Goofy said, dragging her along.
Kairi said, "I can't leave them behind!"
"We can't stay here!" Donald shouted.
"A Heartless is after us!" Goofy stated, looking back at a Shadow Heartless.
"I'll take care of him!" Donald said. The Shadow approaches closer. Donald tried to attack the Shadow. "Confounded Heartless! Get lost, will ya?" The Shadow responded like Sora.
"Sora? Is that you?" Kairi asks.
"Uh-oh!" Goofy said, looking around. Goofy, Donald, Kairi, and the Shadow were surrounded by the other Shadow Heartless. Goofy and Donald take their battle positions.
"This time, I'll protect you." Kairi said to the Shadow. The other Shadows get near Kairi and the Shadow she is holding on to.
"Kairi!" Goofy shouted. The other Shadows were eliminated and Sora reverted from a Shadow to normal.
"Thanks Kairi." I said as more Shadow Heartless surrounded us. Then the Beast appeared at the scene.
"Go! Now!" he said, fighting off some of the Heartless.
"Come with us!"
"I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle. Now, go! The Heartless are coming!" I sighed and turned to the others.
"All right. Let's get out of here." The others nodded and we ran from the spot to where we landed our Gummi Ship. I stopped for a moment, remembering something. When it hit me, I turned around to run back but was pulled in by Goofy and Kairi. "WAIT! WE DIDN'T GET RAINE!" I shouted as we took off into space. We made our way to Traverse Town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Raine's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I paced around the room. "Riku, do you honestly think you can keep me in here and keep me sane? I need to get out of here! I need to find a way back to my family and home! So, will you please let me go?" I plopped down into a chair and looked at the Shadow Heartless I'd been practicing with. "That wouldn't go well, would it?" The Heartless, who I named Dark, shook its head. "Didn't think so. Y'know, arguing with boys like Riku is like arguing with a wall. You can't do it."
"Oh really?" said a voice from behind. I turned a saw Riku leaning against the wall. I nodded.
"I won't lie about it, no one can win an argument when arguing with you." I said, turning back around and closing my eyes. He walked up behind me and put his arms around my shoulders. I brushed them away. "D-don't. You know I love," my voice trailed off when I looked directly into Riku's eyes to seem less frightened. Big mistake. 'His eyes are a lighter shade of blue than Sora's. Wait, why am I comparing them?'
My thoughts were interrupted when Riku kissed me, yet again. This time, though, the kiss was different. This time the kiss had me forgetting all about Sora and thinking about Riku. He slipped his tongue between my lips and explored my mouth. I put my hands behind his neck and laced my fingers together, pulling us closer so as to make my body melt into his. Riku's hands roamed my body as I moaned with much pleasure.
Five minutes had gone by and we heard Riku's name being called. He pulled out of another lustful kiss and I sighed as I got off of him and stood up. He stood up and kissed my forehead. "See you later, Raine." He said as he walked off. The make out session we'd just shared had been so enticing that it left me daydreaming about the next one we'd share instead of worrying about how I'd betrayed Sora. (A/N: I just realized I'd be good at writing lemons. 0.o;; I think I may hafta change this to a Riku/OC. Nah, I'll think of something.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tell me what happened." Leon demanded. I told Leon all about what had happened since the last time we saw him up until now. "So the darkness is flowing out of the Keyhole."
"No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere. The only way to stop them is-" Aerith started to say but I interrupted.
"Seal the Keyhole, right?" I asked. Leon shrugged.
"Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it's sealed." He said.
"Well, we can't just stay here. We have to do something. I've got two friends back there."
"That's right. You have two more friends to worry about. Riku's Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses' hearts-just like that Keyhole you saw." He paused to look at Kairi. "Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete. Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should have been freed. Don't worry, Sora. If anyone can save your friends, you can." I nodded and Donald, Goofy and I left the small house to go talk to Cid. We found him standing somewhere in the First District.
"Cid, I need to go back to Hollow Bastion." I said.
"I don't think I can let you do that, kid. The Heartless there are multiplying by the minute. They'd eat your ship up."
"Then, what can we do?" I asked.
"Simple. Go around 'em instead of through. Install a new navigation gummi and take a new route." Cid explained.
"A new gummi? From where?"
"The secret waterway. When I came here 9 years ago, I stored it there in case I ever needed it. Never thought a kid would be the one to use it!" I pouted at being called a kid again but instead of replying I turned and walked to the Waterway. We looked around and found a sun mural. The gummi lies near it and I picked it up, pocketing it. We returned to the First District where I stopped to talk to Kairi for a while as Goofy and Donald went elsewhere.
"Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me." Kairi said as she handed me a chain.
"Don't worry. I will."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."
"Yeah. Raine too." I talked to Cid again and he installed the gummi into the ship. He came back hours later and found me in deep thought.
"All set! You can get going any time. Kid, I gotta say, I wish you didn't have to face all this danger. Whatcha thinkin' 'bout, anyway?" He asked. I stood up and sighed.
"Raine." Cid nodded and Donald, Goofy and I boarded the Gummi Ship. We went through a portal to the area that leads to Hollow Bastion. Once we landed, we saw the beast.
"Where's Belle?" I asked.
"Still in the castle."
Goofy asked, "Against her will?"
"No, I think she stayed for a reason. The other princesses are inside as well."
"I wonder why?" Donald said.
"Let's go ask them." I said.
"You may need my strength. I'll go with you." We walked into the castle and made our way to the Library where we found a lady dressed in gold.
"Belle!" They shared a kiss to celebrate their reunion and I sighed, thinking of Raine.
"You've come to seal the Keyhole, right? Please, be careful. The darkness is raging deep inside. We've been holding it back, but we can't hold out much longer." Belle said, breaking my thoughts.
"We'll take care of it." We proceeded to the Castle Chapel. I saw the other princesses and walked up to ones wearing blue; one with her hair in a neat bun and the other with her hair down.
"We've been waiting for you, Keyblade master."
"Where's Ansem?"
"Gone."
"When the Keyhole appeared, darkness poured out of it. It swallowed Ansem, and he disappeared."
"Though Ansem is gone, the flood of darkness hasn't stopped. We're working together to hold it back."
"I cannot forget the look on his face. As the darkness engulfed him, he was smiling." We walked over to Jasmine, Alice, and a lady with short black hair wearing a yellow dress.
"Sora, please hurry! Darkness is pouring from the Keyhole." Jasmine said.
"It's all we can do just to hold back the darkness." Alice added.
"I don't know how long we can manage even that."
"All right, I'm on my way." I said.
"We're counting on you, Keyblade master. In the meantime, we'll do what we can, too."
We ventured to the Dark Depths. In there, we fought Behemoth. After defeating Behemoth, we saw a Keyhole. "Now let's go and seal that big Keyhole!" Goofy said, pointing to it.
"Sora. You did it." Said Leon's voice. I turned and saw him and he led us back to the Grand Hall where Aerith and Yuffie were waiting.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.
"We came in Cid's ship." Yuffie answered.
"This is our childhood home. We wanted to see it again." Aerith explained.
"It's in worse shape than I feared. It used to be so peaceful." Leon said, looking around and sighing.
"Don't worry. If we defeat Ansem, all should be restored. Including your island." Aerith said.
"Really?" I asked.
"But, it also means goodbye."
"Once the worlds are restored, they'll be separate again."
"Everyone will go back to where they came from."
"Then I'll visit you guys with the gummi ship." I said.
"It's not that simple." Leon said.
"Before all this, you didn't know about the other worlds, right?"
"Because every world was isolated. Impassable walls divided them."
"The Heartless destroyed those walls. But if the worlds return, so will the walls."
"Which means gummi ships will be useless." Leon added to Yuffie and Aerith's explanations.
"So you're saying we'll never-" I began but was cut off.
"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." Leon said.
"No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again."
"Besides, I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to." Yuffie said. I blinked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Sora!" Donald called.
"Hurry! Come and close the Keyhole!" Goofy shouted to me from a distance away.
"Sora, good luck." I nodded. We went back in the Dark Depths and I used my Keyblade to shoot a ray at the Keyhole, sealing this world from the Heartless forever. Later, we walked back to the Castle Chapel.
"Thank you, Sora. I think the darkness has begun to weaken." Alice said.
"But I can feel a powerful darkness growing somewhere far away." Jasmine added.
"It's the heart of the darkness. It must be where Ansem went."
"Then we'll take the gummi ship and deal with both Ansem and the Heartless." I said.
"A worthy answer, Keyblade master. We offer this power to aid your battle." She handed me a ring and I could feel my Fira spell become more powerful.
"Sora, your courage can bring back our worlds."
"Once the darkness is gone, all should return to its original state."
"Does that mean Raine will go back to her home?" I asked, blinking back burning tears that appeared when it finally registered in my brain that I may never see Raine again.
"Most certainly. And you should be, too."
"I can't go home 'til I find Raine, Riku, and the king." I said, turning to leave. We boarded the Gummi Ship to the final area, the End of the World. We trekked to the Final Dimension.
"Gawrsh, is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?"
"Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right?" I asked, thinking of something.
"You betcha." Donald confirmed.
"But if we do beat him and all these worlds become restored and disconnected, what's gonna happen to this place? And to us?" Donald blinked.
"Well, uh-" Donald said, thinking about what to say and being interrupted.
"This is a Heartless world, so maybe it'll just disappear." Goofy said.
"Huh?" Donald and I said simultaneously.
"But no worries. Even if this place goes poof, our hearts ain't goin' nowhere. I'm sure we'll find our pals again. Yup, I just know that we will." I nodded.
"Yeah, you're right." We ran to the next area, trying to avoid battling Heartless.
"I wonder where that Ansem feller went?" Goofy said, looking around.
"Dive into the most dangerous place and we'll find him!" Donald said. We then reached another area where we fought series of Heartless from previous worlds. After that, we found a big area where a big thing was. (A/N: Big thing. Wow. Real descriptive.) After we killed the beast, Chernabog, we saw the Final Rest area up ahead. Before I could open the door, I heard something.
"Huh?" I said, looking around.
"What's wrong?" Donald asked.
"Don't you hear something? There!" I said, listening.
A mysterious voice said, "Careful. This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But don't be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember, you are the one who will open the door to the light." Donald shrugged.
"I don't hear anything."
"Strange. That voice was so familiar. Maybe it's just my imagination."
"Maybe you'd better take a rest!" We opened the door and entered a place that resembled Destiny Islands.
"Is this? Is this my island?" I asked, looking left and right. We approached where the Secret Area used to be when a voice spoke.
"This world has been connected." Said the voice. The objects on the Island started to disappear.
"What was that?" Goofy asked.
"Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed. There is so very much to learn." The ocean turned purple. "You understand so little. A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing." The island changed and we walked around. I saw Riku transform into a man up ahead and ran to him.
"Riku!"
"Don't bother. 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. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness from whence it came." Ansem said, disappearing and reappearing behind us, floating in midair. We looked up at him. "You see, darkness is the heart's true essence."
"That's not true! The heart may be weak. And sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out!" I said, glaring at Ansem as he rose a little higher into the air.
"So, you have come this far and still you understand nothing. Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!" We fought Ansem. After the fight, the trees started shaking apart, revealing Ansem where he is waiting. We entered that area, but when we did so, Donald and Goofy were shoved back from the invisible barrier. Only I made it to the area. I fought Darkside and defeated it. Then, I had to fight Ansem after he appeared for the second time. After the battle against Ansem, Donald, Goofy, and I ended up in the dark emptiness.
"Wha?"
"Behold the endless abyss! Within lies the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts!" I looked around, seeing almost all blackness except for a white door. "Look as hard as you are able. You'll not find even the smallest glimmer of light. From those dark depths are all hearts born. Even yours." The World of Chaos appeared. "Darkness conquers all worlds!"
Suddenly, Goofy and Donald Duck were sucked into a portal and I fell, but then I heard Riku's voice.
He said, "Giving up already? Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Raine's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I looked up from rummaging around in a drawer. The final battle was going on, I could feel it. I sighed, wishing I could be there to help Sora battle or encourage him. I smacked myself and continued my search for something sharp. I was going to commit suicide. Why? Because two hours ago I'd realized I'd cheated on Sora. I didn't wanna see the look of hurt on his face when he found out. I didn't want to see the anger he would feel toward me. I saw something near me on the ground and looked at it. "A nail! Yes!" I kneeled down to get it but Dark picked it up and made it vanish in a puff of smoke.
Dark made gestures as if he were scolding me. Something told me Dark was telling me to be honest with Sora. I sighed and nodded, giving up my search and standing up. I walked over to the wall and hit my head against it multiple times. I noticed that my necklace was glowing and held it. I could see Sora and Ansem getting ready to battle. I wished I could be there in spirit to cheer Sora on, and suddenly I felt as if my soul was leaving me. The next thing I knew, everything had blurred then gone black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sora's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I flew up, using Super Glide, and saw Ansem in his ultimate form, which is the World of Chaos. I battled Ansem, finding his attacks stronger than any other I'd seen. After this fight, Ansem froze himself with a Heartless crest that protected him. I saw a portal and flew into it.
In there, I destroyed the Room Core and escaped from it. Then, I fought the Artilleries. After defeating them all, another portal was revealed and I went through. I rescued Goofy and destroyed the second Room Core once inside. We both escaped. Then Goofy and I fought the Face. After defeating it, another portal appeared, yet again. We went through it. We rescued Donald and we destroyed the third Room Core. We escaped from that area, too. Next, we fought the Main Core. After destroying it, Ansem revives. We fought Ansem, praying that this was the last time. After defeating the World of Chaos, Ansem is still alive.
"It is futile. The Keyblade alone cannot seal the door to darkness. Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness!" He said, turning to face the large white door. The doors opened and dark smoke started to come out. "Supreme darkness."
"You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts is light!" As these words came form my mouth, the dark smoke was replaced with blinding light. Goofy, Donald, and I held up our arms to shield our eyes from the bright light.
"Lights? But why?" Ansem asked himself as the light engulfed him. When the light faded, we opened our eyes and let our arms drop to our sides to see Ansem gone. The light had annihilated him. Kingdom Hearts' doors were partially open, so we approached them and began closing them.
"Come on!" While we pushed the doors, Goofy stopped to see something.
"Stop staring and keep pushing!" Donald shouted. Donald and Goofy saw more Heartless through the doors of Kingdom Hearts.
"The Heartless!?" Goofy and Donald said in unison.
"Hurry!" Donald said, pushing harder.
"I can't!" I shouted, trying my best to close the large, heavy doors.
"Don't give up!" said Riku's voice. Riku appeared from the other side of the doors.
"Come on, Sora! Together, we can do it!" said Raine's voice. She walked up next to me and leaned against the doors. She smiled nervously once she saw Riku and I thought I saw a hint of color in his cheeks, but ignored it.
"Okay!" We tried harder to close the doors, but the Heartless were approaching. And though Raine and Riku were helping out, the door didn't move much.
"It's hopeless!" Donald cried. Then, the Heartless were eliminated one by one. We saw something bright coming out, and it turned out to be a, mouse man?
"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy said at the very same time.
"Now, Sora! Let's close this door for good!" The King said, holding up the Kingdom Keyblade.
"Close it, quick!"
"But-"
"Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light."
"Sora, you can trust King Mickey." Goofy assured me.
"Now! They're coming!" Riku said, glancing behind him for a moment and then returning to pulling.
"Donald, Goofy, thank you." The King said. We almost closed the doors.
"Take care of them." He said, nodding slightly to Raine. I nodded as we closed the door. Then, I held up my Keyblade and could feel the power of another doing the same. I pointed it to the door to Kingdom Hearts, locking it form the outside. A click from the inside told me The King had locked the other side. After that had been done, I saw Kairi, who is about to go back to her world and waved and walked with Raine to Kairi. Donald tried to follow us, but Goofy stopped Donald before he could do anything. We walked over to Kairi.
"Hey Kairi!" Raine said as she approached.
"Sora!" Kairi said completely ignoring Raine, causing her to furrow her eyebrows. The area started shaking and Kairi grabbed onto my hand to keep from falling over.
"Kairi. Remember what you said before? I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you. I promise!" I said. (A/N: He's saying this as friends, ok? Nothing more. Raine would be VERY pissed if he were saying this as more.)
"I know you will!" I was unable to hold onto her hand any longer. Plus, I wanted to say good-bye to Raine. I turned to her and she was looking at her necklace, which giving off a dim glow that was becoming brighter, with tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear.
"I, I kissed Riku." She let her heels fall back to the ground and took a step back. I looked at her.
"What? Why?" She looked at the ground and shrugged, tears falling from her eyes.
"I don't know. I'm really sorry, I mean it! I guess I was just lonely and kissed him because he was the only one there. I was also a little mad that I couldn't go save the worlds with you, and mad at you for not getting me sooner. I'm really really sorry." I took her chin in my hand and tilted her head up to look at me.
"I was saving them for you too, you know." She shook her head. "What do you mean, shaking your head and all?" She sighed and looked down again. I hugged her close to me as the land we were on approached a blue mist. Raine's necklace was getting brighter. "Please tell me."
"Well, I live in a world where the adventures we had is all just part of a video game called Kingdom Hearts. My necklace took me here, and I sense it wants to take me back soon. This means that even if you can pass the walls that have formed between the worlds, you will never find my world and probably never see me again." I looked down at her in disbelief. I'd never see her again?
I shouted, "Why didn't you tell me?! I would've saved you a lot faster had I known this information!" She started crying again and I held her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's ok, it wasn't you that upset me. It was this stupid necklace! It's all the necklace's fault that I came here. Then I would never have had to fall in love with you and be sad about it when I go home!" She looked up at me as I put my hand on her cheek.
"Sshh. It's okay, Raine." I kissed her, slipping my tongue into her mouth. Our tongues 'danced' together for a moment and then we ended the kiss, breathing in oxygen. "You know what they say. 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all'." She smiled and nodded. Her necklace shot two beams from it; one blue, the other white. They started spiraling around her body and she started to glow. (A/N: If you dun like, "our tongues 'danced' together", then too bad. I didn't feel like being the same as other people and putting, "our tongues 'battled'". I like being original and unique better. So nyah. * sticks out tongue * Anyways, back to the story.)
"I'll never forget you Sora. I love you." She was about to kiss my cheek when her body disappeared and the light merged into one, rocketing up into the sky. There was a flash and a 'ting' sound and I knew Raine was on her way home. The blue mist engulfed me as I looked up at the sky, seeing stars begin to flicker back into the night sky.
"Good-bye Raine."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* cries * What a sappy ending! * sniffles * I have been grounded and have been hanging with friends AND the evil 'Writer's Block Demon' has been pestering me. If you've been checking back often, then thanks for being a loyal reader. Me loves you all! * huggles you all * OK, now for my responses.
Review Responses:
Jamiesgirl - Kairi was a bit jealous, though didn't show it at all. Well, except for the ignoring Raine part in this chapter but other than that, well, they didn't really see each other. Heh.
Meheria - Gonna blame me now? Please don't. * hides * I already feel guilty about not updating. I haven't finished that book yet. I was too busy trying to get over my writer's block. Oh, and don't think I was accusing you of blaming me in this response. I was just saying if you were planning to blame me then I'd like it if you don't. Same goes for everyone else.
Anime_girl_Carrie - I, too, hate yaoi, shounen-ai, yuri, and shoujo- ai. But maybe that's just because I'm totally in love with Sora and Riku and would prefer to have them like girls so I can change it around in my mind and think it's me they like. ^^
Tommy - Hey, boy! Thanks for reading my story! Neomail me sometime, cuz you dun do that much anymore. I'm starting to think you hate me. * cries * Anyways, I'm glad you like my story! ^^
W?zard/26 - Good work. It's so nice to hear someone, or, rather, see someone praise my writing. * hugs you * Yay!
Star Moon - As you've read, Raine DOES think of Riku. Yup. ^.~
Jennifer - WOOHOO! A FELLOW KAIRI-HATER! * holds up sign that says, "DOWN WITH KAIRI!" * DIE KAIRI! MUAHAHAHAHA! * coughs * Sorry. Weird moment.
Foxxy*Girl - Glad you liked it. This was a LONG chapter or me to do. It was 20 computer pages. And we all know computer pages are WAY different from normal paper, so I did a lot.
Flamestrike - I'm glad you like my story, but please try to remember: Things like this take time or else they come out all crappy. I dun think this is the actual saying/phrase, but, who cares? LOL.
All - I want you all to remember the saying/phrase in my response to Flamestrike, y'know, so you can tell it to your future (or present) reviewers and can remember it next time you want someone to update. Think of it this way, the longer it takes, the better and sooner the next chapters should be. Otherwise, that person is just a lazy ass. LMAO. OK, I'm done. Hopefully you will read my future fanfics and enjoy them as much as you did this one.
The might-see-you-in-future-fanfic-reviews,
~Raine Minamino =^.^=
