Sora stared endlessly in every direction, lost in the beauty of his
surroundings. All his efforts up to now had led him to this single moment.
This was the reason that he began his journey what seemed so long ago, the
reason that he continued it now. He would finally be able to see her. He
would finally see Kairi. He looked down and saw the soft, barefooted marks
of a young girl and on the same path, a set of larger, deeper footprints.
He sprinted down the beach, knowing that Ansem was after the girl that he
had been trying to reach for so long. He turned the corner around the huts
and hurried through the shack itself. He reached the other side, throwing
the door aside and leaping through. He shielded his eyes from the bright
sun as he looked over the side beach. There, standing peacefully, watching
the waves was someone very familiar. A salty wind drifted in over the
gently rolling waves of the crisp blue ocean. It blew by her, brushing her
hair back. Something was in that wind, for the very next moment, she
turned slowly but resolutely directly in Sora's direction. She also
shielded her eyes, attempting to make out the mysterious figure.
"Sora? Sora!" she shouted.
"Kairi!" he exclaimed, tears almost in his eyes.
He leapt from the ledge upon which he stood, kicking up the soft white sand
as he dashed down the beach. He caught Kairi and swung her around in a
sweet embrace.
"Is it really you, Kairi?" asked Sora, afraid that this reality might
disappear like the rest.
"Of course it's me! Who else would I be?" she joked.
"At last." Sora sighed deeply. Then he asked suddenly, "Where is he?"
"Where is who? You're acting kinda weird, Sora..."
"I'm sorry, you're right. I guess that I was wrong after all. I'm so glad
to be back here. I've waited for so long to see you."
"I'm glad too. I've been waiting for you, ever since we were separated
that day."
"Remember what you told me that day, Kairi? It was what kept me going." She smiled. "Yeah, I said that I would wait for you, for the day you would return." Sora turned to her and looked deep into her eyes. "No. That's not it." He laughed. "I thought something wasn't right. I have to go save the real Kairi!" He drew the Keyblade, thrusting it into the ground. The beach turned purple and then black around the blade. Then suddenly, the world seemed to devour itself. Everything shattered like glass, leaving Sora standing alone in darkness. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he again found himself on Destiny Island. Everything was exactly the same as it was in the illusionary island he had just left. He didn't have anymore time to waste, he ran to the other beach. He might already be too late, but he didn't want to think about that. He burst through the door. There, on the beach below, Ansem stood, about to grab a seemingly paralyzed Kairi. Her eyes looked white and she stared up into the sky in a daze. A billowing cloud of darkness already surrounded Ansem and Kairi up to their waists. Had he been able to, Sora would have leapt off the ledge. But something was holding was holding him back; some invisible force prevented Sora from moving at all. Only his eyes were still mobile. Fear seethed from his eyes, fear, anxiety, and anger. Something happened next that no one on the beach that day was prepared for. Not Kairi, certainly not Ansem, and most of all, not Sora. As Ansem began to disappear with Kairi, everything seemed to move in slow motion. At that moment, something clicked not only in Sora's head, but his heart as well. It was as if a dam had suddenly been broken and the water rushed, unhindered, from the lake. It was not a Limit Break, not a powerful magic spell, not even Trance; the power that Sora unleashed far surpassed any of these techniques.
Sora threw back his head and screamed in fury. He had forgotten completely about the force that held him. He was already beginning to overcome it. Ansem looked up in shock, surprised to see the boy defeating his barrier. But what Ansem saw next, he couldn't explain, even on the level of understanding that he possessed. From the left side of Sora's chest, a brilliant light shone forth. Its rays first emerged in a thin beam, then widening and diverging and finally forming a brilliant white light that seemed to fill the planet in every direction. Ansem closed his eyes, covering them in pain. He seemed to cower at the power of the light. Just as the light faded, Ansem became all the more terrified. Suddenly, the light was no longer just light; the light surrounded Sora's body, his entire body engulfed in blaze of glory. Ansem's eyes widened, he practically shook with fear. This force was far stronger than the strength of the boy who had defeated him before, Sora as he was did not have the ability to achieve such power. This newfound power was beyond comprehension. It seemed that Sora possessed the power of light itself. Ansem began to turn back towards Kairi. "Ansem!" boomed Sora's powerful voice that seemed to echo off the air itself. He turned his head, but only quick enough to see Sora disappear. Before even a second had passed, Sora had closed the distance between them. The Ultima Keyblade smashed into Ansem's stomach, sending him hurtling over the surface of the water, far beyond the horizon. Sora crouched and took Kairi in his arms. He supported her with one arm and brushed her forehead with his other hand. Her eyes slowly regained their beautiful blue color. The shining image of Sora was the first thing that she saw. "Sora!" she cried out in joy as she threw her arms around his neck. He held her closer and closed his own eyes. "Kairi. are you. ok?" he asked. "I'm fine, thanks to you! . Oh Sora, I knew that you were coming. I felt it," she stated, placing her hand over her heart. "Don't ever forget what I told you, wherever you go, I'm always with you." "It's really you! It's really finally you!" He laid his hands on her shoulders and they became lost in each other's eyes. They didn't need to say anything. It seemed that they both understood what the other was thinking. Each seemed awestruck just to be in the presence of the other. However, Sora then recalled the other reason that he had gone in search of Kairi. He had to tell her. He had to tell her how he felt. He might never get another chance. He didn't want to face the possibility of having to live without telling her his feelings. Sora again pulled her close.
"Kairi." he whispered into her ear. "Hm?" she responded quizzically. "I. Kairi." "What is it, Sora?" "All this time. all I've been able to think about. all I've been able to think about is you!" "Sora." "What I'm trying to say is. I ." Sora was cut short as a strong wind practically blew them over. Dark black clouds moved quickly towards the beach, bringing with them an air of terrible evil. The feeling only intensified as the clouds swirled round, faster and faster until they had formed a tornado. From within the vortex, rays of darkness poured out abundantly until the tornado exploded in a black flash. Ansem floated in the sky, the full power of darkness swirling around his body and an ebony fire pouring from his eyes. "You poor, simple fool!" boomed Ansem's deep voice. "Did you actually think that it would end like that? Did you actually think that you could defeat me? Don't you realize that I control the darkness? And you can never overcome the darkness!" he exclaimed. "Prepare yourself for oblivion!" Sora began to glow that brilliant white light once more and as he drew the Keyblade, it radiated the same light. Ansem floated slowly downward, landing softly as the winds of darkness surrounded him. He drew a terrible and awesome dark Keyblade, like Riku's, only a thousand times more powerful. Both fighters struck a fighting stance.
Kairi stood up and ran behind a rock behind Sora. She peeked around the corner, knowing that this battle could very well decide the fate of not just her, not just Destiny Island, but the entire universe. Ansem suddenly stood up straight, abandoning his stance and laughing to himself. "One more thing," he stated. "I want your friends to see you die!" He snapped his fingers and behind him, two transparent ebony crystals floated above the beach. Donald and Goofy pounded on the surface, fighting for their freedom. Then, more and more crystals appeared. Queen Garnet, Tidus, Marle, Kid, and Aeris all appeared, trapped and powerless. The heroes in the crystals could do nothing but sit by and watch as Sora fought for their and everyone's fate. Ansem smiled then once again resumed his battle stance. Sora and Ansem stood, staring each other down for what seemed like an eternity. Then, in what seemed like the same instant, the two flew towards each other, swinging mightily. The two weapons struck, the opposite powers repelling each other. Sora and Ansem both used this momentum to spin in a circle the reverse direction. The blades again struck, grinding against each other. As Sora and Ansem attempted to gain ground, streaks of lightning flew between the weapons and the warriors themselves. As Kairi looked on from a distance, she saw something strange. An aura surrounded both warriors, pure white light emanated from Sora just as utter darkness was reflected in Ansem. The auras themselves seemed to be fighting. Kairi suddenly realized that this was a battle between the forces of light and darkness themselves. It was no longer Sora and Ansem fighting, it was the power of light against the power of dark. And it seemed to be an equal match. Suddenly the impasse ended and both combatants threw each other back, sliding on the sand. There was no pause, however, and the two rebounded and attacked with such speed and frequency that there was no telling who was winning and who was losing. The blur of black and white ended and both leapt backwards, hunched over and breathing hard.
"Give up boy! Don't you understand that I am invincible?!" exclaimed Ansem. "It's the destiny of your heart, the destiny of all hearts to be consumed by darkness!" "You're wrong! I was once told that the darkness can only conceal the light, it can never consume it. The power of light will never be defeated! You should have realized that when you called upon darkness in Kingdom Hearts and all you found was light. It defeated you once and it will defeat you again!" responded Sora. Even as Sora spoke, something was changing inside of him. His power was growing and by no small margin. Sora's aura grew until it was three times the size of his dark counterpart. It began swirling, until it was moving so fast it seemed that it would consume everything. Sora swung the Ultima Keyblade, even though he was out of reach of Ansem. A blade of light flew towards Ansem, leaving him little time to defend. He blocked with the dark Keyblade, a move that threw him backwards. Sora released five more attacks. Ansem again could only attempt to block and while two blades sailed noticeably wide, three struck home. This combo hurled Ansem to his back, but he quickly scrambled to his feet. Kairi watched carefully. At first she had thought it just her imagination. It was clear that Sora's strength had grown, but when he attacked with the projectiles, she actually thought that Ansem's dark power was decreasing. After he was thrown down, she was sure of it. Sora was winning. However, Ansem was back on his feet and seething with anger. He swung his Keyblade, unleashing a similar dark blade towards Sora. Sora jumped, but the blade still caught him under his feet, pushing him backwards. Suddenly, Sora leapt and flipped backwards off the blade. He immediately landed feet first on the rock and sprung towards Ansem. Sora disappeared after he left the rock. When he was next visible, he drew his Keyblade from his left hip. Just as he reached Ansem, Sora swung the blade through him, launching Ansem into the air behind him. Sora finished through Ansem with his right arm extended sideways, crouched low and staring straight ahead. Ansem dropped onto his head. He fought to stand. He managed it for just a second before falling to his knees. Suddenly, over his almost entirely black body, streaks of white energy ran and branched like rivers. He threw his arms out the side, screaming in agony. His body rose from the ground, the white light pouring from the cracks as he floated there. It got brighter and brighter until in one explosive flash, Ansem was defeated forever.
Sora fell to one knee. He was exhausted. His body had struggled to support the massive amount of energy that he had received. "You see Ansem. You were wrong. The true destiny of the heart lies in light. It exists on purity and thrives on love. You could never beat me because the capacity for love knows no bounds. My heart, the hearts of all those people who dwell in light, have limitless potential." stuttered Sora to the sky. "Sora!" shouted Kairi as she ran to him. "Kairi!" he called back, waving. "Sora, you did it!" she exclaimed, embracing him. "No, it was you," he responded softly. She looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?" "When I was fighting, all I could think about was you. That's why I was finally able to figure it out. True power has nothing to do with the strength of my heart. That's not where I got all that power. The real power came from you. It was from the combined strength of our hearts, of me and you, of Donald and Goofy, of everyone. All along it was the power of love that gave me strength. I guess what I mean is that I love you Kairi. I've loved you ever since I could understand the feeling." "Sora. I love you too!" she exclaimed as she smiled. "I wanted to tell you for so long! I think I loved you all along too. But I didn't really realize until. well, until I saw what you added to our drawing in the secret spot. I added a little something myself." Sora smiled. "You know, Kairi, I think that just having that drawing has done as much as sharing a real papou fruit. All this time and we were both too afraid to admit our feelings. If only I would have been more courageous sooner. So much lost time, so many moments we can never regain." She leaned over and kissed him. He was so surprised at first that it took him a moment to kiss her back. It was a kiss of innocence, but a kiss of passion and purity. "We'll just have to make up for them all," she said as she smiled. "Aw shucks." Sora heard from behind. He spun around to see Donald and Goofy standing on the beach behind him. "Goofy! Donald! I guess my attacks were on target then," he stated, hugging both of his friends at once. "Yeah, Ansem didn't even notice that those two blades that missed him freed us!" Goofy responded. Sora turned to the side and swung the Keyblade. A blade curved around, striking every crystal and freeing Ansem's captives. As they shook their heads and recovered, Sora shouted, "Come on everyone! Your friends are waiting for you!"
He grabbed Kairi's hand and hurried to the secret spot. Sora looked at Kairi. He grasped her hand tighter and each placed one hand on the door. The frame of the door glowed white for a few moments, then, slowly but steadily, the door opened. Sora stepped aside and gestured for the rest to go. Sora waited for everyone and once they had all passed through, he sealed the Keyhole and went through himself. When he emerged, a vast black door towered in a seemingly grey world. It was the second entrance to Kingdom Hearts. It looked like the first door, but the black color clearly demonstrated that this was the door through which the Heartless were created. Sora and his friends rushed to the door. Sora shouted, "Kingdom Hearts! As servant of the Keyblade, I request entry through your gates! We must save our friends!" It seemed that at once, the door began to grind against the floor with a low crunching sound. As it opened, Sora saw Mickey fighting off giant Heartless. "Sora!" exclaimed Mickey. "Hurry!" Sora darted in and smashed the Heartless that Mickey was fighting while Donald and Goofy ran and bowed before him. "I knew you'd come, Sora. You must have discovered the true power if you're here, right? You must have figured it out," stated Mickey, looking at Kairi. "Yeah, but I can't believe I didn't see it before," he responded. "All that's left to do is to seal the final door to Kingdom Hearts and the darkness will be gone forever!" Mickey said excitedly. Sora nodded, but as Mickey left the room and Sora turned, the ground began to rumble. The door slammed shut and suddenly, a single Heartless, many times the size of the one that Zidane and the others defeated, rose from the floor. It was the last of the Heartless, a combination of all of them. "Seal it!" shouted Sora, pointing the Keyblade at the door. On the other side, Mickey drew the golden Keyblade and pointed it at the door. Kairi cried out to stop, but the door had already begun to disappear. The final door to Kingdom Hearts had been sealed. Kairi knew there was no way out for Sora or Riku. She fell to her knees and covered her face in tears. "We've got to go," stated Donald as everything began to shake violently. Mickey picked up Kairi and the group ran back through the door to Destiny Island. Back on the beach, Mickey drew his Keyblade and slashed downward at the air. It created a small rift, just large enough for the four to escape through. They hurried through and moments later, the gap between dimensions sealed.
Back in Kingdom Hearts, Sora struggled to fight off the beast. Every attack seemed to have no effect as the Heartless regenerated quicker than Sora could damage it. Sora knew that he was in trouble. Meanwhile, at the Hollow Bastion, old friends were reuniting and celebrating, but Kairi was still crying. Quickly, all the warriors and their friends noticed that Sora was missing and the all formed a circle around Kairi. Mickey approached her. "Kairi, we can still help him," Mickey said. "What? How?" she asked in return, drying her tears. "Take this, you know what to do," he stated, handing her the Golden Keyblade. She stood as Mickey returned to the circle. She lifted the Keyblade above her head and shouted, "Sora! Never give up! We're all here, fighting with you! So win this for all of us!" As she finished speaking, the Keyblade disappeared from her hands. She smiled. In Kingdom Hearts, Sora thought he was hearing things. But when he heard Kairi's voice, he knew it was her. What happened next is almost beyond description. Sora began to regain the familiar power of light, but next to him, a golden glow slowly expanded and took form until the golden Keyblade floated mysteriously beside him. Then, Sora watched in amazement as a pair of hands, then arms, then a body, then an entire person clothed in glowing white formed around the golden Keyblade. Next, behind him, more glowing figures appeared, these he recognized. The apparent ghosts behind him were his friends who had accompanied him on his journeys. Not just Goofy and Donald, but Mickey and Kairi, Peter Pan, Zidane, and every other person that had ever offered him their hand in friendship. They all stood as an army of light, ready to follow Sora in his battle. He looked to see the face of the robed figure, but it too was pure white. The mysterious man in the hood nodded his head to Sora and together they charged. The spirit army behind them followed.
The great Heartless attempted to attack the army, but their speed was impossibly quick. No attack from the monster even neared the fighters. They seemingly flew about, darting in and through the Heartless, effectively slicing it to ribbons. As it began to break down, it was getting desperate. The monster swung at Sora and the robed man with its right arm, quickly followed by the left. Sora ducked under the first attack and jumped over the second, landing on the monster's left arm. The masked figure ran up the other arm with almost identical moves to Sora. They ran quickly up the arms of the beast, making their way to its head. Sora shouted, "King of the Heartless, you and your kind have no place in the world to come! Be gone!" He leapt into the air and at the same moment, the white fighter let the golden Keyblade fly. Sora caught it in midair, flipping both Keyblades in his hands so they faced down. He flew downward much quicker than even the spirit army, stabbing the Keyblades directly into the forehead of the great Heartless and turning the keys. The monster fell backwards as Sora leapt to level ground. And as such, the last of the Heartless was defeated; it disappeared into a puff of black smoke, never to destroy a world again. Sora looked at where the door had been. He looked to the robed figure. "Key Barer." began the mysterious one. "You have served the Kingdom in every way needed. For that I thank you. You have destroyed the threat of the Heartless and freed Kingdom Hearts." Sora recognized the voice. It was the voice that had led him all along. The voice, the person whose face he had never seen now stood before him. "Who are you?" Sora asked. The hooded figure raised his hands, grabbing the hood. He slowly lowered it and then cast off the robe entirely. Sora looked in amazement as his long time friend Riku stood before him. "Riku!" Sora exclaimed, running to his friend. "Yeah, it's me. I'm the man behind the mask." "But." began Sora. "How?" Riku said, finishing Sora's sentence. "I can't really explain. When we were locked in Kingdom Hearts, Mickey and I knew that you'd come for us. But we needed to lead you here somehow. Somehow, I was able to create a semi-physical body in the real world. It took time, at first I could only speak without form, but later, I found how to create a true body. And I suppose it worked, because here you are. In finding the true power of light and fulfilling your destiny, you defeated the power of darkness. It was no small victory either. Darkness is seductive. Ansem thought that he was using the darkness for his purpose. In the end, that is impossible. Ansem just turned out to be another pawn, like I once was. But now you've done it, Sora. Like you said, the darkness can only mask the light and now it is powerless. Kingdom Hearts can now produce light in people's hearts that will change the universe."
"If only we could see that universe, we're trapped in here." muttered Sora. "Please Sora, just use the Keyblade," stated Riku. "I already tried; even the projectile light blade can't cut through this dimensional wall." "That's because you're not using the true Keyblade. Take the chain from Mickey's golden Keyblade and cut us out of here." Sora felt fairly stupid about this point, but nonetheless connected the Keychain to his Keyblade. When it connected, the power that Sora felt was unlike any before. He smiled and swung the Keyblade, cutting through dimensions and allowing their escape from the now pure Kingdom Hearts. They both stepped through the cut and it closed behind them. When they emerged, it was to loud cheering. They had arrived at the Hollow Bastion, right amongst their friends. Kairi ran up to Sora and jumped into his arms. She kissed him and smiled, saying, "I knew you could do it." He set her down and she walked over to Riku. She hugged him saying, "Riku, it's been so long. I'm really glad to see you." Sora introduced Riku to all of his friends, even those from his last adventure were there thanks to Cid. Later that night, as the conquering heroes sat on the high balconies of the Bastion, watching the beautiful fireworks that filled the night sky. Sora sat with his legs hanging over the edge and the girl he loved at his side. The night was perfect and a cool breeze blew over the castle. Sora held Kairi's hand in his own. Riku came over and sat next to Sora, slapping him on the back as he sat down. "You don't mind, do ya?" asked Riku. "Of course not," answered Sora. "Those must have been some adventures, Sora. You've changed so much. You're different, good different, not bad different. You've got more strength. You've got more courage. I guess you could say you've got more heart," Riku stated as he stared at the fireworks. "Thanks for helping me. I could have never done it without your lead. You showed me the path, I just walked it." "You're wrong," said Riku as he shook his head and laughed. "There was no path, you see? You made the path and you walked it. There were many places that you could have turned around and given up, but you pressed on. Your strength of heart carried you through. It was you. It was your desire to find Kairi that got you through, not my help." Sora looked at his two friends. "Without you two, I would have been lost. Without you two I could have never done the things I did. Without you I never would have defeated Ansem, or that giant Heartless, or even gotten far enough to do so. So thanks for always being there for me." He reached over and shook Riku's hand. Then he turned the other way and leaned over to Kairi. "I love you," he said as he looked into her deep blue eyes. "I love you more than anything. I'd do anything for you." "I love you too. I always will. Stay by me forever." "Forever and a day." He kissed her softly and under the moonlit sky, their dreams became reality. It was the destiny of their hearts to lead the universe into the future where all hearts could learn the power of light. Destiny had at last been fulfilled.
Well, that's the end of the story. To all of you who took the time to stick with this story since it began, I thank you. I hope that you enjoyed it and it was worth the time. To everyone who read, I also hope that you found this story worth the read. I hope you'll all review and I hope with positive reviews. So thanks to all. Until next time, Cloud413
"Remember what you told me that day, Kairi? It was what kept me going." She smiled. "Yeah, I said that I would wait for you, for the day you would return." Sora turned to her and looked deep into her eyes. "No. That's not it." He laughed. "I thought something wasn't right. I have to go save the real Kairi!" He drew the Keyblade, thrusting it into the ground. The beach turned purple and then black around the blade. Then suddenly, the world seemed to devour itself. Everything shattered like glass, leaving Sora standing alone in darkness. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he again found himself on Destiny Island. Everything was exactly the same as it was in the illusionary island he had just left. He didn't have anymore time to waste, he ran to the other beach. He might already be too late, but he didn't want to think about that. He burst through the door. There, on the beach below, Ansem stood, about to grab a seemingly paralyzed Kairi. Her eyes looked white and she stared up into the sky in a daze. A billowing cloud of darkness already surrounded Ansem and Kairi up to their waists. Had he been able to, Sora would have leapt off the ledge. But something was holding was holding him back; some invisible force prevented Sora from moving at all. Only his eyes were still mobile. Fear seethed from his eyes, fear, anxiety, and anger. Something happened next that no one on the beach that day was prepared for. Not Kairi, certainly not Ansem, and most of all, not Sora. As Ansem began to disappear with Kairi, everything seemed to move in slow motion. At that moment, something clicked not only in Sora's head, but his heart as well. It was as if a dam had suddenly been broken and the water rushed, unhindered, from the lake. It was not a Limit Break, not a powerful magic spell, not even Trance; the power that Sora unleashed far surpassed any of these techniques.
Sora threw back his head and screamed in fury. He had forgotten completely about the force that held him. He was already beginning to overcome it. Ansem looked up in shock, surprised to see the boy defeating his barrier. But what Ansem saw next, he couldn't explain, even on the level of understanding that he possessed. From the left side of Sora's chest, a brilliant light shone forth. Its rays first emerged in a thin beam, then widening and diverging and finally forming a brilliant white light that seemed to fill the planet in every direction. Ansem closed his eyes, covering them in pain. He seemed to cower at the power of the light. Just as the light faded, Ansem became all the more terrified. Suddenly, the light was no longer just light; the light surrounded Sora's body, his entire body engulfed in blaze of glory. Ansem's eyes widened, he practically shook with fear. This force was far stronger than the strength of the boy who had defeated him before, Sora as he was did not have the ability to achieve such power. This newfound power was beyond comprehension. It seemed that Sora possessed the power of light itself. Ansem began to turn back towards Kairi. "Ansem!" boomed Sora's powerful voice that seemed to echo off the air itself. He turned his head, but only quick enough to see Sora disappear. Before even a second had passed, Sora had closed the distance between them. The Ultima Keyblade smashed into Ansem's stomach, sending him hurtling over the surface of the water, far beyond the horizon. Sora crouched and took Kairi in his arms. He supported her with one arm and brushed her forehead with his other hand. Her eyes slowly regained their beautiful blue color. The shining image of Sora was the first thing that she saw. "Sora!" she cried out in joy as she threw her arms around his neck. He held her closer and closed his own eyes. "Kairi. are you. ok?" he asked. "I'm fine, thanks to you! . Oh Sora, I knew that you were coming. I felt it," she stated, placing her hand over her heart. "Don't ever forget what I told you, wherever you go, I'm always with you." "It's really you! It's really finally you!" He laid his hands on her shoulders and they became lost in each other's eyes. They didn't need to say anything. It seemed that they both understood what the other was thinking. Each seemed awestruck just to be in the presence of the other. However, Sora then recalled the other reason that he had gone in search of Kairi. He had to tell her. He had to tell her how he felt. He might never get another chance. He didn't want to face the possibility of having to live without telling her his feelings. Sora again pulled her close.
"Kairi." he whispered into her ear. "Hm?" she responded quizzically. "I. Kairi." "What is it, Sora?" "All this time. all I've been able to think about. all I've been able to think about is you!" "Sora." "What I'm trying to say is. I ." Sora was cut short as a strong wind practically blew them over. Dark black clouds moved quickly towards the beach, bringing with them an air of terrible evil. The feeling only intensified as the clouds swirled round, faster and faster until they had formed a tornado. From within the vortex, rays of darkness poured out abundantly until the tornado exploded in a black flash. Ansem floated in the sky, the full power of darkness swirling around his body and an ebony fire pouring from his eyes. "You poor, simple fool!" boomed Ansem's deep voice. "Did you actually think that it would end like that? Did you actually think that you could defeat me? Don't you realize that I control the darkness? And you can never overcome the darkness!" he exclaimed. "Prepare yourself for oblivion!" Sora began to glow that brilliant white light once more and as he drew the Keyblade, it radiated the same light. Ansem floated slowly downward, landing softly as the winds of darkness surrounded him. He drew a terrible and awesome dark Keyblade, like Riku's, only a thousand times more powerful. Both fighters struck a fighting stance.
Kairi stood up and ran behind a rock behind Sora. She peeked around the corner, knowing that this battle could very well decide the fate of not just her, not just Destiny Island, but the entire universe. Ansem suddenly stood up straight, abandoning his stance and laughing to himself. "One more thing," he stated. "I want your friends to see you die!" He snapped his fingers and behind him, two transparent ebony crystals floated above the beach. Donald and Goofy pounded on the surface, fighting for their freedom. Then, more and more crystals appeared. Queen Garnet, Tidus, Marle, Kid, and Aeris all appeared, trapped and powerless. The heroes in the crystals could do nothing but sit by and watch as Sora fought for their and everyone's fate. Ansem smiled then once again resumed his battle stance. Sora and Ansem stood, staring each other down for what seemed like an eternity. Then, in what seemed like the same instant, the two flew towards each other, swinging mightily. The two weapons struck, the opposite powers repelling each other. Sora and Ansem both used this momentum to spin in a circle the reverse direction. The blades again struck, grinding against each other. As Sora and Ansem attempted to gain ground, streaks of lightning flew between the weapons and the warriors themselves. As Kairi looked on from a distance, she saw something strange. An aura surrounded both warriors, pure white light emanated from Sora just as utter darkness was reflected in Ansem. The auras themselves seemed to be fighting. Kairi suddenly realized that this was a battle between the forces of light and darkness themselves. It was no longer Sora and Ansem fighting, it was the power of light against the power of dark. And it seemed to be an equal match. Suddenly the impasse ended and both combatants threw each other back, sliding on the sand. There was no pause, however, and the two rebounded and attacked with such speed and frequency that there was no telling who was winning and who was losing. The blur of black and white ended and both leapt backwards, hunched over and breathing hard.
"Give up boy! Don't you understand that I am invincible?!" exclaimed Ansem. "It's the destiny of your heart, the destiny of all hearts to be consumed by darkness!" "You're wrong! I was once told that the darkness can only conceal the light, it can never consume it. The power of light will never be defeated! You should have realized that when you called upon darkness in Kingdom Hearts and all you found was light. It defeated you once and it will defeat you again!" responded Sora. Even as Sora spoke, something was changing inside of him. His power was growing and by no small margin. Sora's aura grew until it was three times the size of his dark counterpart. It began swirling, until it was moving so fast it seemed that it would consume everything. Sora swung the Ultima Keyblade, even though he was out of reach of Ansem. A blade of light flew towards Ansem, leaving him little time to defend. He blocked with the dark Keyblade, a move that threw him backwards. Sora released five more attacks. Ansem again could only attempt to block and while two blades sailed noticeably wide, three struck home. This combo hurled Ansem to his back, but he quickly scrambled to his feet. Kairi watched carefully. At first she had thought it just her imagination. It was clear that Sora's strength had grown, but when he attacked with the projectiles, she actually thought that Ansem's dark power was decreasing. After he was thrown down, she was sure of it. Sora was winning. However, Ansem was back on his feet and seething with anger. He swung his Keyblade, unleashing a similar dark blade towards Sora. Sora jumped, but the blade still caught him under his feet, pushing him backwards. Suddenly, Sora leapt and flipped backwards off the blade. He immediately landed feet first on the rock and sprung towards Ansem. Sora disappeared after he left the rock. When he was next visible, he drew his Keyblade from his left hip. Just as he reached Ansem, Sora swung the blade through him, launching Ansem into the air behind him. Sora finished through Ansem with his right arm extended sideways, crouched low and staring straight ahead. Ansem dropped onto his head. He fought to stand. He managed it for just a second before falling to his knees. Suddenly, over his almost entirely black body, streaks of white energy ran and branched like rivers. He threw his arms out the side, screaming in agony. His body rose from the ground, the white light pouring from the cracks as he floated there. It got brighter and brighter until in one explosive flash, Ansem was defeated forever.
Sora fell to one knee. He was exhausted. His body had struggled to support the massive amount of energy that he had received. "You see Ansem. You were wrong. The true destiny of the heart lies in light. It exists on purity and thrives on love. You could never beat me because the capacity for love knows no bounds. My heart, the hearts of all those people who dwell in light, have limitless potential." stuttered Sora to the sky. "Sora!" shouted Kairi as she ran to him. "Kairi!" he called back, waving. "Sora, you did it!" she exclaimed, embracing him. "No, it was you," he responded softly. She looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?" "When I was fighting, all I could think about was you. That's why I was finally able to figure it out. True power has nothing to do with the strength of my heart. That's not where I got all that power. The real power came from you. It was from the combined strength of our hearts, of me and you, of Donald and Goofy, of everyone. All along it was the power of love that gave me strength. I guess what I mean is that I love you Kairi. I've loved you ever since I could understand the feeling." "Sora. I love you too!" she exclaimed as she smiled. "I wanted to tell you for so long! I think I loved you all along too. But I didn't really realize until. well, until I saw what you added to our drawing in the secret spot. I added a little something myself." Sora smiled. "You know, Kairi, I think that just having that drawing has done as much as sharing a real papou fruit. All this time and we were both too afraid to admit our feelings. If only I would have been more courageous sooner. So much lost time, so many moments we can never regain." She leaned over and kissed him. He was so surprised at first that it took him a moment to kiss her back. It was a kiss of innocence, but a kiss of passion and purity. "We'll just have to make up for them all," she said as she smiled. "Aw shucks." Sora heard from behind. He spun around to see Donald and Goofy standing on the beach behind him. "Goofy! Donald! I guess my attacks were on target then," he stated, hugging both of his friends at once. "Yeah, Ansem didn't even notice that those two blades that missed him freed us!" Goofy responded. Sora turned to the side and swung the Keyblade. A blade curved around, striking every crystal and freeing Ansem's captives. As they shook their heads and recovered, Sora shouted, "Come on everyone! Your friends are waiting for you!"
He grabbed Kairi's hand and hurried to the secret spot. Sora looked at Kairi. He grasped her hand tighter and each placed one hand on the door. The frame of the door glowed white for a few moments, then, slowly but steadily, the door opened. Sora stepped aside and gestured for the rest to go. Sora waited for everyone and once they had all passed through, he sealed the Keyhole and went through himself. When he emerged, a vast black door towered in a seemingly grey world. It was the second entrance to Kingdom Hearts. It looked like the first door, but the black color clearly demonstrated that this was the door through which the Heartless were created. Sora and his friends rushed to the door. Sora shouted, "Kingdom Hearts! As servant of the Keyblade, I request entry through your gates! We must save our friends!" It seemed that at once, the door began to grind against the floor with a low crunching sound. As it opened, Sora saw Mickey fighting off giant Heartless. "Sora!" exclaimed Mickey. "Hurry!" Sora darted in and smashed the Heartless that Mickey was fighting while Donald and Goofy ran and bowed before him. "I knew you'd come, Sora. You must have discovered the true power if you're here, right? You must have figured it out," stated Mickey, looking at Kairi. "Yeah, but I can't believe I didn't see it before," he responded. "All that's left to do is to seal the final door to Kingdom Hearts and the darkness will be gone forever!" Mickey said excitedly. Sora nodded, but as Mickey left the room and Sora turned, the ground began to rumble. The door slammed shut and suddenly, a single Heartless, many times the size of the one that Zidane and the others defeated, rose from the floor. It was the last of the Heartless, a combination of all of them. "Seal it!" shouted Sora, pointing the Keyblade at the door. On the other side, Mickey drew the golden Keyblade and pointed it at the door. Kairi cried out to stop, but the door had already begun to disappear. The final door to Kingdom Hearts had been sealed. Kairi knew there was no way out for Sora or Riku. She fell to her knees and covered her face in tears. "We've got to go," stated Donald as everything began to shake violently. Mickey picked up Kairi and the group ran back through the door to Destiny Island. Back on the beach, Mickey drew his Keyblade and slashed downward at the air. It created a small rift, just large enough for the four to escape through. They hurried through and moments later, the gap between dimensions sealed.
Back in Kingdom Hearts, Sora struggled to fight off the beast. Every attack seemed to have no effect as the Heartless regenerated quicker than Sora could damage it. Sora knew that he was in trouble. Meanwhile, at the Hollow Bastion, old friends were reuniting and celebrating, but Kairi was still crying. Quickly, all the warriors and their friends noticed that Sora was missing and the all formed a circle around Kairi. Mickey approached her. "Kairi, we can still help him," Mickey said. "What? How?" she asked in return, drying her tears. "Take this, you know what to do," he stated, handing her the Golden Keyblade. She stood as Mickey returned to the circle. She lifted the Keyblade above her head and shouted, "Sora! Never give up! We're all here, fighting with you! So win this for all of us!" As she finished speaking, the Keyblade disappeared from her hands. She smiled. In Kingdom Hearts, Sora thought he was hearing things. But when he heard Kairi's voice, he knew it was her. What happened next is almost beyond description. Sora began to regain the familiar power of light, but next to him, a golden glow slowly expanded and took form until the golden Keyblade floated mysteriously beside him. Then, Sora watched in amazement as a pair of hands, then arms, then a body, then an entire person clothed in glowing white formed around the golden Keyblade. Next, behind him, more glowing figures appeared, these he recognized. The apparent ghosts behind him were his friends who had accompanied him on his journeys. Not just Goofy and Donald, but Mickey and Kairi, Peter Pan, Zidane, and every other person that had ever offered him their hand in friendship. They all stood as an army of light, ready to follow Sora in his battle. He looked to see the face of the robed figure, but it too was pure white. The mysterious man in the hood nodded his head to Sora and together they charged. The spirit army behind them followed.
The great Heartless attempted to attack the army, but their speed was impossibly quick. No attack from the monster even neared the fighters. They seemingly flew about, darting in and through the Heartless, effectively slicing it to ribbons. As it began to break down, it was getting desperate. The monster swung at Sora and the robed man with its right arm, quickly followed by the left. Sora ducked under the first attack and jumped over the second, landing on the monster's left arm. The masked figure ran up the other arm with almost identical moves to Sora. They ran quickly up the arms of the beast, making their way to its head. Sora shouted, "King of the Heartless, you and your kind have no place in the world to come! Be gone!" He leapt into the air and at the same moment, the white fighter let the golden Keyblade fly. Sora caught it in midair, flipping both Keyblades in his hands so they faced down. He flew downward much quicker than even the spirit army, stabbing the Keyblades directly into the forehead of the great Heartless and turning the keys. The monster fell backwards as Sora leapt to level ground. And as such, the last of the Heartless was defeated; it disappeared into a puff of black smoke, never to destroy a world again. Sora looked at where the door had been. He looked to the robed figure. "Key Barer." began the mysterious one. "You have served the Kingdom in every way needed. For that I thank you. You have destroyed the threat of the Heartless and freed Kingdom Hearts." Sora recognized the voice. It was the voice that had led him all along. The voice, the person whose face he had never seen now stood before him. "Who are you?" Sora asked. The hooded figure raised his hands, grabbing the hood. He slowly lowered it and then cast off the robe entirely. Sora looked in amazement as his long time friend Riku stood before him. "Riku!" Sora exclaimed, running to his friend. "Yeah, it's me. I'm the man behind the mask." "But." began Sora. "How?" Riku said, finishing Sora's sentence. "I can't really explain. When we were locked in Kingdom Hearts, Mickey and I knew that you'd come for us. But we needed to lead you here somehow. Somehow, I was able to create a semi-physical body in the real world. It took time, at first I could only speak without form, but later, I found how to create a true body. And I suppose it worked, because here you are. In finding the true power of light and fulfilling your destiny, you defeated the power of darkness. It was no small victory either. Darkness is seductive. Ansem thought that he was using the darkness for his purpose. In the end, that is impossible. Ansem just turned out to be another pawn, like I once was. But now you've done it, Sora. Like you said, the darkness can only mask the light and now it is powerless. Kingdom Hearts can now produce light in people's hearts that will change the universe."
"If only we could see that universe, we're trapped in here." muttered Sora. "Please Sora, just use the Keyblade," stated Riku. "I already tried; even the projectile light blade can't cut through this dimensional wall." "That's because you're not using the true Keyblade. Take the chain from Mickey's golden Keyblade and cut us out of here." Sora felt fairly stupid about this point, but nonetheless connected the Keychain to his Keyblade. When it connected, the power that Sora felt was unlike any before. He smiled and swung the Keyblade, cutting through dimensions and allowing their escape from the now pure Kingdom Hearts. They both stepped through the cut and it closed behind them. When they emerged, it was to loud cheering. They had arrived at the Hollow Bastion, right amongst their friends. Kairi ran up to Sora and jumped into his arms. She kissed him and smiled, saying, "I knew you could do it." He set her down and she walked over to Riku. She hugged him saying, "Riku, it's been so long. I'm really glad to see you." Sora introduced Riku to all of his friends, even those from his last adventure were there thanks to Cid. Later that night, as the conquering heroes sat on the high balconies of the Bastion, watching the beautiful fireworks that filled the night sky. Sora sat with his legs hanging over the edge and the girl he loved at his side. The night was perfect and a cool breeze blew over the castle. Sora held Kairi's hand in his own. Riku came over and sat next to Sora, slapping him on the back as he sat down. "You don't mind, do ya?" asked Riku. "Of course not," answered Sora. "Those must have been some adventures, Sora. You've changed so much. You're different, good different, not bad different. You've got more strength. You've got more courage. I guess you could say you've got more heart," Riku stated as he stared at the fireworks. "Thanks for helping me. I could have never done it without your lead. You showed me the path, I just walked it." "You're wrong," said Riku as he shook his head and laughed. "There was no path, you see? You made the path and you walked it. There were many places that you could have turned around and given up, but you pressed on. Your strength of heart carried you through. It was you. It was your desire to find Kairi that got you through, not my help." Sora looked at his two friends. "Without you two, I would have been lost. Without you two I could have never done the things I did. Without you I never would have defeated Ansem, or that giant Heartless, or even gotten far enough to do so. So thanks for always being there for me." He reached over and shook Riku's hand. Then he turned the other way and leaned over to Kairi. "I love you," he said as he looked into her deep blue eyes. "I love you more than anything. I'd do anything for you." "I love you too. I always will. Stay by me forever." "Forever and a day." He kissed her softly and under the moonlit sky, their dreams became reality. It was the destiny of their hearts to lead the universe into the future where all hearts could learn the power of light. Destiny had at last been fulfilled.
Well, that's the end of the story. To all of you who took the time to stick with this story since it began, I thank you. I hope that you enjoyed it and it was worth the time. To everyone who read, I also hope that you found this story worth the read. I hope you'll all review and I hope with positive reviews. So thanks to all. Until next time, Cloud413