Sora and Co. jumped out of the Hollow Bastion crater. Once they had exited, the fire-red pillar blew out. Kairi looked oddly at the place that it had been. "Shouldn't there be a purple pillar now?"
Dia shook her head. "When we go to fight Chernabog, it's just a plain crater."
"What's Chernabog?" Donald asked.
Jake squealed loudly. "Chernabog! He's from a Disney movie called Fantasia! He's really big, like this!" He stood on the tip of his toes to make himself appear taller. "And he's got wings, like this!" He flailed his arms around insanely. "And he roars like this, RAWR!" he yelled where Donald's ear would be. Donald promptly fell over.
Emma laughed. "Let's just go fight Chernabog now, okay?"
Riku was the last one to jump in. Something grabbed his arm, however, and pulled him back. "Welcome back, you impudent rat."
"What do you want now, Guardian?" Riku demanded. "It's almost Homecoming!"
Guardian smirked. "Ansem wants you locked inside of Kingdom Hearts. If he takes you over, then resumes his true form, you will be trapped behind that door, with the mouse."
Riku raised an eyebrow. "What mouse? Are you telling me that the king Donald and Goofy are looking for is a mouse?" Guardian nodded. "That's just weird."
"Blame some dead real-worlder named Walt Disney." Guardian teleported away, grabbing onto Riku.
… … …
"What's taking Riku so long?" Sora wondered. He and the others were smacking and casting spells at Chernabog with their respective weapons. "You don't think Guardian got him, do you?"
Emma sighed. "I bet that's it. We'll see him soon…we'll just take him back."
"Myeh." Jake turned around. "Emmie, are any of your stones working?"
"I hope so." Emma looked down at her necklace; the purple stone was glowing. She clutched it, and a purple mist filled the area. "ANTARES!"
The rest of Sora and Co. stopped fighting. "Go, Emma!" Goofy cheered.
"………" Emma nodded, and took out her metal pole. She bashed Chernabog in the head with it. However, the attack didn't seem to have fazed him. Chernabog emitted a growling cackle. "………" Suddenly, he fell down a few feet further into the volcano. Emma hit him again, and he fell even further.
"I get it!" Dia exclaimed. "This is just like her Steel Angel attack! Donald, Sora, follow me!" They flew to the top of the volcano, which Chernabog was now tightly wedged in. "THUNDAGA!" she and Donald chorused.
"LET'S GO!" Sora yelled. Ixion appeared, nervously trying to fly. "THUNDAGA! THUNDAGA! THUNDAGA!" Instead of sending the spells down the sleeping volcano, Sora aimed them at Ixion, filling his Overdrive gauge. "Now! THOR'S HAMMER!"
Ixion charged lightning particles with his horn, then shot the ball of electricity down the volcano. Pink, blue, and white flames flew up through the volcano, and Chernabog burst. Emma, who had changed back to normal, laughed. "That's nasty."
… … …
"Heart goes bye-bye!" Kairi chirped as she and the rest of Sora and Co. approached the third Behemoth. A crystal heart flew out of it. "Whoo!"
Many Invisibles and Angel Stars appeared. "I hate this part," Emma lamented.
Sora nodded. "I can understand why," he told her, taking out the Diamond Dust and striking an Invisible. After a few minutes, the crest at the far end of the room had worn down, leaving a Heartless insignia-shaped hole. "Finally!" Sora and Co. jumped through. Sora stared blankly. "That's the door from my dream!"
Dia stretched her arms. "Heal up and equip stuff, guys; we're gonna be fighting Ansem a bunch of times without stopping."
Emma looked at the others. "The game's pretty much over. I guess we won't be seeing each other for a while…it's been fun, guys."
Goofy shook his head. "Don't say that, Emma! We'll see you in two weeks!"
"But it'll be two YEARS for us!" Jake reminded him.
Sora put one hand on the door. "Are we ready?" His allies nodded. "Let's defeat Ansem!" The door opened.
… … …
"Is this Destiny Islands?" Kairi asked. Sora and Co. were standing on a nice-looking beach, covered in lush palm trees and some wooden shacks. "This is Destiny Islands!" she exclaimed.
Emma nodded. "We have to go to the Secret Place."
Sora looked confused. "How do you know about the Secret Place?"
Dia laughed. "Everyone who's played Kingdom Hearts knows about it, Sora."
Ansem's deep voice echoed the words that he had told Sora before as the group approached the small cave. "This world has been connected. Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed." The water turned dark blue, and the whole island shook. "There is so much to learn. You understand so little. A meaningless effort." The area was flooded with a white light. "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."
Once the light cleared, Sora gasped. "What happened?" Destiny Islands looked like it had been ravaged by an earthquake. The shacks were ripped apart, and the entire island was a wreck. He looked at the coast. "Riku!" he cried, and used Superglide to fly over to him.
Riku didn't turn around, but he started talking. His voice had left completely; only Ansem's could be heard. "Take a look at this tiny place. To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison surrounded by water. And so this boy sought out to escape from this prison," Ansem said with a chuckle in his voice. Riku raised his arms. "He sought a way to cross over into other worlds." He turned around, and faded; only Ansem stood there.
"Riku!" Sora and Kairi cried in unison.
Ansem smirked at them. "Don't bother. Your voices can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness."
Dia rolled her eyes. "This has been going on for too long." She snapped. "Let's put a little life in this guy!"
"What? No! Not again!" Ansem clutched his head. "Guardian, protect me!"
Guardian appeared, wearing an amused expression. "I am the ultimate evil, do you know that? You obviously do not, seeing as you order me around as if I were your lap dog. You deserve retribution, so I shall merely watch."
Ansem took on a blissful look, Dia's powers finally getting a hold on his brain. He put his hands on either side of his jacket, like he was holding two overall belts. "I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay! I sleep all night, and I work all day!"
"He's a lumberjack, and he's okay, he sleeps all night and he works all day!" Emma, Dia, and Jake sang.
"I cut down trees, I eat my lunch, I go to the lavatory!" Ansem declared. "On Wednesdays, I go shopping, and have buttered scones for tea!"
The real-worlders were trying their hardest not to laugh. "He cuts down trees, he eats his lunch, he goes to the lavatory! On Wednesdays, he goes shopping, and has buttered scones for tea! He's a lumberjack, and he's okay! He sleeps all night, and he works all day!"
"I cut down trees, I skip and jump, I like to press wild flowers! I put on women's clothing, then I hang around in bars!"
"He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps, he likes to press wild flowers! He puts on women's clothing, then he hangs around in bars! He's a lumberjack, and he's okay! He sleeps all night, and he works all day!"
Sora cracked up. "Now, THIS is entertainment!"
"I cut down trees, I wear high heels, suspenders, and a bra! I wish I were a girlie, just like my dear papa!"
"He cuts down trees, he wears high heels, suspenders, and a bra!"
Ansem got down on one knee, and belted out the last line. "I wish I were a girlie, just like my deeeeeaaaaar PAPAAAAAAAAAA!"
Dia picked up a handful of sand, and screeched, "Oh, Brevers! And I thought you were so butch!" She, Emma, and Jake proceeded to throw sand at Ansem. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi were utterly confused, but needed no excuse to throw things at their arch nemesis.
Emma held onto the Protect Stone. "And now for something completely different!" she announced. "STEEL ANGEL!" Her metal pole appeared. "Say hello to my little friend!"
Ansem, who had regained control of himself because Dia had lost interest, scoffed. "That is simply a bar of metal."
"Oh, is it?" Emma grinned, and bent the metal pole into the shape of a dog. "Look, it's a poodle!" Guardian and Ansem rolled their eyes. "Now, it's a hat!" She put it on her head. "Hmm? You don't like it? Then how about…" She bent the pole intricately, then pointed her creation at Ansem. "…a Tommy gun! BWAHAHAHAHA!" Pieces of the gun broke off into small, bullet-sized pieces and hurled themselves at the former king. Emma glanced back. "What, I don't get any help?"
"Oh. Attack!" Sora yelled, rallying his allies, excluding Kairi, to battle Ansem. Sooner than was expected, Ansem retreated into a large hole that had been made. "That was easy," the Keyblade Master commented.
Emma nodded and returned to normal. "Sora, you're the only one who's allowed to go in there, so we can't help you fight. There's a force field keeping us out." Sora nodded. "Good luck. And kick butt!"
Sora mockingly saluted his friend. "Aye-aye, ma'am!" he said, and ran into the pit. The Darkside Heartless appeared, his hair waving around. "Ugh, again? HYAH!"
"Go, Sora!" Jake cheered. He tugged Emma's sleeve. "Isn't Sora awesome, Emmie! He'll beat the Darkside in…huh? Emmie, one of your stones is glowing!" he observed.
Emma looked down; the Aero Stone was shimmering. "What's going on? It's not like I'm allowed to fight with Sora!"
"Try going through the force field," Kairi urged her. "It's worth a try."
What if I get hurt by the force field. Emma raised an eyebrow. Wait, what am I saying? I've been getting hurt nonstop since I came into this game! Kairi's right. I should try. She clenched her fists and teeth, then barreled straight ahead. More cheers came from behind her. Did I do it? Emma opened her eyes, only to see the inside of the pit. I did it! I made it through the force field! She waved at the rest of Sora and Co. on the other side of the field, then held onto the Aero Stone. "WIND'S MASK!"
Sora turned around. "Emma! I'm glad you're here! But I thought you said-"
Emma shook her head. "Never mind what I said. I'm here to help!" She held out her hand, and wind blew past her and Sora. They soared into the air. "Great, now it'll be easier to get the Darkside's weak spots!" Eventually, the Darkside fizzed and evaporated. "Okay, what's the next stone?" The Gravity Stone was glowing. "This one again? I just used it! I wanna use another one!"
"Deal with it," Sora told her. "Here comes Ansem."
Ansem and Guardian reappeared. "Yes, here comes Ansem," the latter sneered. "We underestimated you two, but we will not do so again."
"Same here!" Emma agreed. "ANTARES!" She turned purple again, and summoned her metal pole. "………" One good, firm smack sent Ansem at least three feet into the ground. She hit him a few more times, until only his head stuck out of the dark sand. "………" Emma looked back at Sora, and made some gestures.
Sora nodded. "Okay. RAGNAROK!" He swiped wildly at Ansem, then finished his combo by unleashing rays of light at him. He ran backwards the moment he was finished. "STRIKE RAID!" He tossed the Diamond Dust at Ansem, which flew back to Sora like a boomerang after the hit connected.
By the time Ansem had unearthed himself, all of his HP had been depleted. Guardian's eyes flashed, and Sora and Co. were sent to the area surrounding Kingdom Hearts. "Behold the endless abyss!" Ansem announced majestically. "Try as hard as you are able. You'll not find the smallest glimmer of light. Within it lies the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts! It's also where I shop every Wednesday. Y'know, to get buttered scones for tea. REAL-WORLDER!" Ansem snapped. Dia whistled innocently. "Oh, nevermind the speech. Darkness conquers all worlds!" Ansem's red eyes became hazy, and his jacket disappeared. He and Guardian merged together; Guardian grew to his true form and size, larger and spikier. Umbilical cord-looking things connected the two. A halberd appeared in Ansem's hand, and the World of Chaos fizzed into view. The whole figure was comprised of several different bosses; a snarling face was attached to the front, near the bottom. Waving artilleries planted theirselves in front of Ansem and Guardian. A pulsating bulb with a face sat in the center, protected by a force field. A trippy, rainbow-colored hole sucked everyone into it except for Sora. Ansem smirked at him. "Say goodbye, Keyblade Master."
… … …
"Why?" Emma whined. She and Kairi were standing in Room Core I. "Why am I stuck with the Mary-Sue?"
Kairi turned around, looking indignant. "Hey, my name's Kairi, not Mary-Sue!"
Emma just cast her a dull look, and both girls fell silent. For the next few minutes, Emma and Kairi sat on the floor, prodding the Shadows. "Finally," Emma exhaled. A soft light shone in the middle of the darkness, and Sora stepped out. "Hey."
Sora looked at all the Shadows. "Um…guys? Why didn't you fight any of the Heartless?"
"They weren't hurting us," Emma pointed out. "Just bumping into each other and tripping over our legs."
"I thought Heartless could see in the dark."
"They can. They're just stupid." Emma shrugged. "We'd better fight them, though, 'cause that's our ticket out of here."
Kairi ran around in circles, chanting, "Heart goes bye-bye! Heart goes bye-bye!" Suddenly, she put her hands on her throat. "Ow…I've been talking too much," Kairi rasped.
"I'll say," Emma mumbled to Sora. A Shadow snuck up behind the princess. "Hey, Kairi! Watch-" Kairi flailed her arms around, hitting the Shadow the majority of the time. It disappeared. Emma grinned and patted Kairi's shoulder. "That was great for a first-time fighter, Kairi!" Emma noted.
Sora grinned at Emma, whispering, "I'll bet you like her considerably more now that she's really holding her own weight, huh?"
"I can tolerate her."
… … …
Sora, Emma, and Kairi flew out of Room Core I. "Emma!" Kairi pointed at Emma's necklace. "One of your stones is glowing!"
Emma held the black stone in her index finger and thumb. "This must be the Stop Stone! The description of the spell is 'the power of time', so maybe I can use it to fast-forward to Ansem III!" Black mist appeared, and it soon became impossible to see anything. "JIKAN!"
When the black mist cleared, everyone was floating before Ansem, and many of the bosses in the World of Chaos had been cut off or blown up. "What are we doing here?" Dia asked. "There's still several bosses left!"
Emma had already returned to normal. "I used the Stop Stone to skip to Ansem III," she told her proudly. "Now, less talking, more beating the game!" This time, all of her stones started glowing. "What is this, a super attack?"
"Use it!" Jake squealed happily.
"PYROMANIAC! INAZUMA! YUKI NAIFU! NAOSU! WIND'S MASK! ANTARES! JIKAN! STEEL ANGEL!" No mist appeared, just a strong light. Ansem stopped all movement. He was surrounded by hunks of steel, and pressed to the ground. Aeroga was cast on Sora and Co., their hands set on fire, they were completely healed, and were moving at abnormal speeds.
"I love my job," Dia announced, setting Ansem's metal prison aflame, along with Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jake, and Kairi.
"ULTRA KATANA!" Emma's knife transformed into a five-foot-long sword, and plunged it into Ansem. The World of Chaos promptly exploded, and Guardian disappeared from view.
Ansem was the only enemy remaining; somewhere during the time it took for the World of Chaos to explode, he had put his jacket back on. "It is futile," he breathed heavily. "The Keyblade along cannot seal the door to darkness. Dia got a mischievous look in her eye and raised her hand, put Emma pushed it back down. "Kingdom Hearts! Fill me…with the power of darkness!" The door opened a bit, oozing darkness. "Supreme…darkness!"
"You're wrong!" Ansem turned around. Sora was glaring intently at him. "I know now, without a doubt, that Kingdom Hearts…is light!"
Sora was correct; Kingdom Hearts opened completely, and shone a powerful light at Ansem. "So…light! But why?" he asked the door in a plaintive tone. He stretched his arms out, and vanished. Kingdom Hearts closed.
Haiiro appeared, also breathing heavily. "Emma!"
Emma waved. "Haiiro! What are you doing here?" She glanced back at her friends, who were all in shock. "Don't worry, this is Ansem's replica, Haiiro. He's a good guy."
"Thank you, Emma." He bowed his head. "You know that if Kingdom Hearts is fully opened, an unstoppable amount of Heartless will spill out, correct?"
"Yeah," Emma confirmed, wincing.
Haiiro smiled warmly. "If you would like, I can halt the Heartless just long enough for you to rescue your friends."
Emma looked as if she was going to spring up and throw her arms around Haiiro. "Really? Thank you! Thank you so much, Haiiro!" Haiiro simply nodded. "Guys, help me pull open the door!" She landed on the piece of ground in front of Kingdom Hearts, and pulled one side of the door. "Come on!"
The other members of Sora and Co. looked at each other, then followed suit. Haiiro set up a wall of light nearby. "Your friends may now exit, but the Heartless cannot."
Emma put her eye up to the crack. "Riku! King Mickey!"
Riku's eye appeared on the other side. "Emma?" He laughed. "Guys! You came back!"
"Of course we did! Didn't I tell you that whenever Ansem tries to take you, we'll take you back?" Emma reminded him. "A friend of mine is here. He put up a barrier for the Heartless, so we can get you guys out of here! You have to push the door!"
"Thanks!" a higher voice, Mickey's, exclaimed from behind Riku. Finally, the door was open enough for Riku and Mickey to slip through. "You're Emma, right?" Mickey asked. Emma nodded. "Nice to meet you, Emma! Riku's told me about you." Riku turned red.
Emma bowed. "Nice to meet you too, Your Majesty."
Mickey held his hand out. "Aw, you don't need to be THAT formal." Emma smiled and shook his hand.
Riku walked over to Emma. "I owe you big time," he laughed. "It would've taken me a year to get back to Destiny Islands if it hadn't been for you, Dia, and Jake."
Emma shook her head. "It's no big deal."
"It IS a big deal!" Riku continued. He looked over at Sora and Mickey, who were locking Kingdom Hearts. "I'd be stuck in the basement of some weird castle. So I should be thanking you."
"Well, you're welcome, then!" Dia and Jake walked to Emma's side. "Haiiro, can you take us home now?"
"Us too," Sora added.
"And us!" Donald yelled.
Haiiro nodded. "You fighters have done excellently. You deserve to return to your homes."
Jake hopped up and down. "Wait a second, Mr. Replica Guy! We gotta say bye!" Haiiro nodded again. "We'll miss you guys! I didn't know for a really long time, but you're still our friends!"
Sora patted Jake's head. "We'll miss you guys too."
Riku smiled. "We'll be waiting for you." He looked at Emma. "And thanks again." He gave Emma a quick awkward hug. Sora raised his eyebrows suggestively, earning him an elbow jab from Riku. "Seeya."
Emma, Dia, and Jake waved. "Seeya," Emma replied. She and her real-world friends disappeared.
… … …
"Well, that was fun, huh, guys?" The trio reappeared in Emma's basement. Dia rubbed her neck. "Guys?"
Emma and Jake remained silent. "It'll be two years until we see them again," Emma murmured, a tear running down her cheek. "Two whole years. I can't believe it."
Jake wiped his nose on his hand. "Don't cry, Emmie, you're gonna make me cry too," he told her. However, he started bawling anyway.
Dia bit her lip. Tears were starting to well up in her eyes too. "I'm sure the wait won't be too bad…it's not like we'll never see them again. But…I miss them already," she admitted. She put her arms around the necks of the other two, and they trudged up the stairs, side-by-side.
