Sora burst through the wide doors. There were three crystal coffins on each side of the long hall, a girl in each. But Sora didn't even glance at them; there was only one girl he was concerned with.

He ran past them all, willing himself to go faster. Donald and Goofy struggled to keep up with him, but they couldn't; no one could compete with his determination to see her, his worry that he wouldn't make it.

There were steps; Sora took them two at a time. He prayed that he had made it on time, that he wasn't to late to save her. As he rounded the curve in the staircase and looked out onto the platform at the top, he didn't notice the Final Keyhole, or the boy sitting upon it's frame.

Sora had eyes for only her.

"Kairi!"

Her lifeless body lay there on the cold stone floor, no breath streaming from her lips. She was completely still, and she seemed so pale and fragile, lying there. Time seemed to stop as Sora moved towards her, slowly at first, then bursting into a run.

It seemed like hours, but he was at her side within seconds. Gently, Sora put his arm around her and raised her up a bit, holding her in his arms. Her skin was like ice, and as Sora held her, his mind was filled with one question: why wouldn't she wake up?

"Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!" he cried, gently shaking her, but it was no use.

"It's no use," a voice said. "That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up." The voice's tone was so flat, so monotonic, it seemed as if they were unable to feel emotion.

Sora spun around, and that's when he finally saw him. "Riku!" Sora shouted.

It was Riku, but he seemed different, somehow. He had changed his outfit, but there was more to it than that. Something about Riku was strange, out of place… and something inside Sora told him that this wasn't Riku.

"What? You…," Sora murmured. "You're not Riku."

Ignoring Sora, Riku glanced at Kairi. "The Keyhole cannot be completed so as long as the last princess of heart still sleeps."

"The princess…? Kairi's a princess?" Sora asked, lowering Kairi's body back down and standing up. He took a step forward. What did Riku mean? Kairi wasn't a princess… was she? And what was that about a Keyhole? He looked at the huge portal in front of him, seeing it for the first time.

What was this thing? That shape looked familiar… the Heartless emblem! This was somehow connected to the Heartless! Why was Riku…

Riku jumped off the golden frame and slowly fell through the air, landing on both feet in front of the Keyhole. "Yes," he said, answering Sora, "and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened."

Sora didn't understand what Riku was saying, but he knew one thing: this wasn't Riku. "Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!" he demanded, clenching his fists.

"But first," Riku said, a triumphant look on his face," you must give the princess back her heart."

"Unh…," Sora grunted. He felt strange… his heart was hurting. The pain forced him to his knees, one hand gripping the fabric beneath which his heart lay.

Riku leaned forward. His tone growing eager, he said, "Don't you see? The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"

Through his pain, Sora managed to look up. "Kairi… Kairi's inside me?"

"I know all that there is to know," Riku said, lifting his head and glaring icily down at Sora, as if he was superior to the Keyblade wielder.

"Tell me! Who are you!" Sora exclaimed. Now he was sure that this wasn't Riku!

"It is I," Riku said, spreading his arms, "Ansem, the seeker of darkness." He walked towards Sora, brandishing a Keyblade. Donald charged at him, but Riku pushed Donald away, onto the steps. The duck tried a second attack, but was blocked by a barrier.

Riku came to a stop in front of Sora. He poised himself in an attacking position, his Keyblade ready. "So, I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!" he cried, bringing his Keyblade down on Sora.

"Sora!"

Her voice snapped Sora out of his trance. He quickly drew his own Keyblade, blocking Riku's just in time. "Forget it!" Sora said angrily, forcing Riku back. "There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"