2. The Parting of the Worlds

Sora, Mickey and Riku were standing in front of the enormous door leading to Kingdom Hearts. They had all been here before on three different occasions. Axel recalled their descriptions as an experience that had relieved them and cleared their minds. This time however seemed as close to relieve them as a coin had to not fall on the ground when thrown at it.

"Come on, let's do this Sora, Riku" said Mickey's high-pitched but warm voice. Axel detected a quiver.

Riku pointed his black Keyblade at the door and looked at Sora. Sora hadn't moved a single inch and seemed to be hesitating. Axel tried to look away politely but the curious urge at how Sora was going to take it couldn't be fought back.

It took a long time before Sora sighed deeply. He still had clearly decided not destroy the door and made to turn away just before Donald came up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Do it for Kairi" said the duck slowly and emotionally.

Axel thought he saw a glimpse of a tear streak past Sora's cheek. The Keyblade master was looking intently into Donald's sad but comprehensive face and Axel could feel the conclusion as if he was sharing Sora's mind. Sora turned and pointed his Keyblade straight at the lock on the door.

"Yes, for Kairi" he said.

For a few seconds nothing happened and then, simultaneously, all three Keyblade wielders slashed violently at the air, making a blue beam erupt from the tips of their Keyblades. They connected and formed a single, golden trail of light. It sped straight at the lock and with a deafening crash the door exploded into billions of minute bits of dust. The whistling stopped and silence came. There was no light and no darkness there was no ground and no ceiling. There was no silence and no noise. There was nothing left at all.

Axel opened his eyes wildly and looked around. He was sitting against a wall in a small and untidy room. He recognized it as the little house in which Leon, Yuffie, Aeris and Cid had established their head quarters ago. That meant he was in Traverse Town. He tried to stand up but found his head was buzzing. He moved his head to the right and almost recoiled as he saw Sora's numb body lie on his shoulder. Deciding not to wake Sora, Axel slowly stood up.

"Hiya Ax!" said a familiar, loud voice.

"I've told you about the Ax bit before" said Axel sulkily as Yuffie tapped him on the shoulder. He felt as if he'd slept for days at a time. He yawned and stretched before realizing this wasn't one of his habits and he rapidly recovered his straight and strong stature.

"How long have I slept long?" he asked Yuffie.

"You've only just arrived" the Ninja replied as if it was all a huge joke. "You all just appeared out of nowhere and seemed to be sleeping. You woke up a few seconds after arriving"

"What happened in the Abyss, in front of Kingdom Hearts?" asked a dark voice from the corner of the room. It was Leon, crossed armed and not bothering to look at anything but his feet.

Suddenly all came to Axel; the sudden explosion of light and the dead feeling of nothingness, the fight between Sora, Mickey and Ansem, the unlimited Heartless, the Darkside. He recalled how Auron had leapt to his defence. Inspired, Axel wheeled around and checked the group. They were all there; Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Cloud and Mickey. They were all there safe Auron.

"We destroyed it" said Axel indifferently." Auron told us it was the only way we could stop fighting. Locking the door wouldn't be enough, or so he claimed"

Leon's eyes shot up reflecting hope and even joy.

"You destroyed the door to Kingdom Hearts?" he asked incredulously." But then…"

"What happens?"

Axel was sure he knew the answer to that but somehow he couldn't think of it. He had known it when Auron had told them to destroy the and he'd even met Cloud's eyes as they saw the conclusion forming in Sora's eyes. But why had he forgotten it now?

There was a dull thud from behind Axel indicating that Sora was awake. Axel turned to him and looked apprehensive. He realized all of the others were also awake by now.

"Yeah, what does happen when the door is destroyed?" asked Riku curiously after being helped up by cloud.

Yuffie and Leon exchanged sour looks. There was a slow noise of footsteps and everyone noticed Aeris entering the room calmly. She looked surprised to see them all there but after Leon had explained the situation in a few words she's understood and followed the pace.

"What you need to know is the war between the Heartless and the Keyblades have been going on for millennia" she said wisely, looking at Sora more than anyone." Ever since the first world was created, Kingdom Hearts came with it. Kingdom Hearts was the link between all the worlds and it evolved into what you saw when you and the King locked it for the first time; a world made of Heartless"

"But locking the door isn't enough to conquer Darkness" said Leon, taking over." Locking it will only change its place and location. Destroying it however breaks all the bonds of membership between all the worlds and everyone will return to their own native place. There is a long period of peace that follows the destruction of the door, mostly it lasts a generation or two. Then the door rebuilds and the whole scenario you, Sora, have just been through plays itself again with, of course different aims, a different Keyblade master and a new characters. There are half a million more worlds to explore. There's one called London, another's called Hawaii, one called Brussels or New York. They're bigger, vaster worlds than Traverse Town and the King's Palace"

"Once the door is destroyed there's nothing more we can do" said Yuffie sadly." It's either losing each other, or losing our friends back home"

A long silence followed. Axel exchanged a dark look with Cloud and they both nodded in agreement, eying Riku and Sora from the corner of their lenses.

"How do you know all this?" asked Riku, not bother to withstand an almost accusative tone.

"There seems to be something to our side" said Leon solemnly." Every time the war starts again we're called back and no matter how we try not to, we escape our world and end up in different places in different forms and shapes. We weren't always like this"

"So what…" asked Sora." Auron said something about an hour and then we all dissolve into our own world again or something"

"That's right, more or less" said Leon. He looked at Aeris who took up the talking.

"If a world was destroyed by the Heartless time will not have applied to it anymore. So to the world you won't have applied to time either. If you dissolve back into a place where time has stopped for a while you will take back to your original form. That is to say, the body you had before the world was destroyed"

"You mean we're going to be 16 and 17 again?" asked Sora incredulously. See bottom of page

"That's right" said Yuffie." But don't worry, you'll remember everything that happened to you in between; which means, you ungrateful, little twat, that you'll never ever forget me. Unfortunately I can't forget you either" she added as an afterthought.

Everyone snorted weakly, even Leon grinned. Silence followed.

"Will we all dissolve together?" asked Goofy's stupid voice.

"No" said Aeris sweetly.

"Once the worlds are recreated we will start disappearing back to them" interrupted Yuffie rudely." And then there will be no way we can ever join each other again unless Kingdom Hearts rebuilds itself in less than a generation"

"The thing is" said Aeris, ignoring the fact that she'd just been interrupted." The world's have different sizes and different links with Kingdom Hearts. Once they're not linked to anything anymore we will disappear. Luckily the King's Castle, Destiny Islands, New Moyara, and, what's now called, the Hollow Bastion are some of the farthest worlds away from Kingdom Hearts so it will take a good hour for all the connections to break"

"Why isn't that Auron here?" asked Donald.

"Auron comes from Spira, which is basically Kingdom Heart's neighbor" said Leon." He disappeared instantly as Kingdom Hearts broke down."

Axel felt a painful twinge of guilt at Auron's disappearance. After Auron had saved him, back in the Abyss he hadn't even thanked him for it, too weak and too enthusiastic. He tried to shake his head violently but didn't manage. He was thinking, as usual, about his home, New Moyara. He would be going back to it in less than an hour. Excitement flooded through him at the though of his sister, of his friends and of the place he'd grown up in.

The last hour the friends spent together felt too short and everyone felt they weren't using it properly, as traditionally in these cases. Riku and Mickey spent time together. They had been together ever since Sora and Mickey had locked Kingdom Hearts for the very first time.

Sora, Donald and Goofy were in a corner discussing for probably the last time in their lives. Their faces were undoubtedly full of hidden grief and although many arguments they had grown very close to each other in the ten years they had spent together.

Ten years. Had it really been ten years since the Destiny Islands were destroyed and since the Keyblade master had been revealed? It had felt much, much shorter. Even though Sora and Riku were now men of a not unreasonable 24 and 25, Axel still regarded them as young teenagers. To him, they were still two boys who had discovered the many other worlds and were just discovering the abilities of the heart. He knew, of course, that what Riku and Sora had found out could fill a small library, but the knowledge never seemed to become basis. Had it really been ten years since he'd met both of them for the first time?

"Donald, Goofy?" said Mickey suddenly after what seemed, to Axel, to have been ages." We're leaving"

Axel was astounded to see that Sora wasn't crying or even showing any sign of remorse. He just put his right hand in front of him. Goofy and Donald laid theirs onto it and they spoke some well-chosen farewell words. Axel didn't try to understand what was said. This time his self-control won over his curiosity.

"Axel" called Mickey warmly.

"Your Highness" replied Axel, smiling." It was an honor"

"It was a pleasure to free you from the Organization. I hope you do well" continued Mickey, in his high-pitch.

"Good luck, to you, your Highness"

Then something happened; the strangest thing that had ever happened to Axel. King Mickey had hugged him very tightly around the middle. The queer shape of the mouse was uncomfortable and odd. Axel found no way to bend down to return the hug s he contended himself to tap the King on the shoulder.

Goofy and Donald nodded at him. Neither had forgiven him for what had happened in Castle Oblivion, so long ago. Axel nodded back curtly.

"Thank you for everything" Axel heard Riku say to Mickey. This one smiled and then all of a sudden, along with Goofy and Donald he evaporated in thin air.

Sora smiled weakly.

"Riku" he said." When I first came into another world I appeared in a little ally close to the jewelry. I think it'd be cool if that's where I left it again"

"That's in the 1st Quarter, Sora" said Leon warningly.

"You may not have the time to reach it" completed Aeris.

"I'll try all the same" said Sora confidently." You guys coming"

"I'm coming" replied Riku, grinning." I'd better show Kairi you and me are cool again"

"Me and Leon will come too" confirmed Yuffie.

Everyone turned to Cloud and Aeris. They'd been standing next to each other, hand in hand all the time.

"No." said Cloud shortly." Sorry Sora but I have things to see too. Me and Aeris have to experiment something before it's too late"

"Well then, I guess, It's goodbye to you two" said Sora, grinning more widely than ever, clearly trying to fight back tears.

"Goodbye Sora" said Aeris sweetly and she hugged him tightly before kissing him on the forehead.

"Sora, good luck. I hope you manage to keep your light this time" said Cloud serenely. Sora recognized the allusion to their first discussion, ten years ago outside the Olympus Coliseum.

"Give my regards to Sephiroth"

Axel sniggered. He then followed Sora, Riku, Leon and Yuffie out of the house. The trip was a silent one. Even Yuffie didn't manage to entertain with her usual excitement. It took them less time than expected to reach the alleyway and when they finally reached it they saw it hadn't changed one bit. The wooden boxes were still stacked clumsily against the wall; there was still a gap in the building through which Sora had reached to grab a box containing a group of Dalmatians.

"Well, this is it" said Sora turning and beaming around at Axel, Leon and Yuffie. (Riku stood beside him).

"Jeez, it's going to be all weird not having you around any more" said Yuffie, as though she'd just noticed.

"Losing one Keyblade master was something but losing the two others…" said Axel.

"You couldn't have kept us here for always, we'd have found a way home anyway" said Riku, sniggering.

"Here it goes" said Sora closing his eyes." Bye guys. I'm going to miss you"

"And we're going to miss you" said Yuffie kissing both of them on both cheeks.

"Yeah, the door will rebuild itself in no time" said Riku grinning.

The grin was the last thing they ever saw of him. The moment the words were out of his mouth both of them disappeared. It left the alleyway quite silent. A mistral of wind passed through it and Axel felt a strange feeling in his back, as if people were pushing him forwards.

"I think I'm about to go too" said Axel, looking at Yuffie more than Leon.

"You're from New Moyara, yeah?" asked Leon.

"Yeah" was the answer." Look, before I go there's something I must confess"

Axel felt a weird twitching in his body. He thought of Cloud who was holding Aeris' hand. He thought of Riku holding Naminé's. He thought of Sora who probably had Kairi in his arms right now.

"Leon" he said, ignoring the feeling." You were best friend I ever had. Thanks for everything you ever did"

The pushing in his back had expanded itself all over his body so that now he had the feeling he was being crushed into a tennis ball. He looked at Leon who was smiling at him warmly.

"Yuffie" he turned to Yuffie and look her straight in the eyes." I love you"

With those last words Axel, his red-hair, his black coat, his patched eyebrows vanished. The last glimpse he got was Yuffie's abashed face and Leon's smirking face. He felt relieved, he was going home. Then for the second time that day everything became black and all was nothing.

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PS: At the end of Kingdom Hearts II Destiny Islands was destroyed by the Heartless again. By consequence time stopped… Kingdom Hearts II happened two years after KH1. References will be made in the following chapters to "eight years ago"