Passing Shadows Chapter 29: Bittersweet, a kingdom hearts fanfic

Me: Final Chapter, hang on tight!

Ch: 29

"Bittersweet"

Surreal.

That was the one word which described everything Sora was feeling. The small, worn, bond which had kept Sora's state of mind tied down had broken. The bond which resides in all of us that you acknowledge when your standing at the edge of a steep cliff staring fixed down into the black abyss leading to the bottom and part of you ponders over the question "What if I just jump in? let myself fall? Would I break?" But you know better then to try it and give in to the fear.

Sora's mind was blank as he watched transfixed as his feet soared up above him and the glass platform gazed down at him eerily coating his body with its twisted images from the moonlight which had begun to shine out from its veil of clouds making the glass spray out colors and shine heavily. But the platform slowly grew smaller in the distance as he fell feeling the wind tear and rip at his body. His wounded fingers were numb with cold and the remaining tears on his face had frozen and aloud themselves to be stolen by the wind. His wings ached to be let out, to stop the brunette from falling to his death but they stayed tucked tightly behind him trailing feathers into the black abyss.

But Sora's mind was elsewhere. Images of his friends, his adventures, every person, place, and thing he had ever seen in his short life came flickering before him. Him and Kairi playing on Destiny Island, Riku battling him at Hallow Bastion, Leon, Cloud, Mickey, Roxanne, the taste of ice cream, the joy of beating Riku in video games, the simple things which eventually led up to what matter the most to him. Everything in the world he hadn't seen but longed too that would end up being destroyed if he didn't do something about it.

Suddenly his heart gave a nasty throb and Sora's eyes dilated in fear. What if he messed up? What if he ended up killing himself and nothing would be all right again? His life would be wasted and his death in vain.

' You can't turn back now…just believe. Only you can do this.' his conscious told him. ' You've had to many doubts. Don't doubt the power within you or you will never be able to use all that it has to offer.'

Sora closed his eyes and then slowly opened them watching the clouds swirl and drift across the sky letting small beacons of light shine through; waiting to be free from there dark prison. Carefully Sora reached his hand out against the force of the wind wanting to wipe the clouds away and touch the stars with his fingertips feeling there strong, bright, warmth against his skin. The moon would shine brighter then it had in ages becoming the skies most precious jewel showering the worlds with its penetrating glow.

It would be beautiful.

And for that one moment his friends would look up in awe drinking in the beauty which had been taken from them and forget everything that had happened. There faces would be pure, almost child like as the light caressed there skin and found its home in there eyes where they would reflect the beauty back into the sky creating a never ending cycle of peace and purity.

Everything would be at peace. Light would reign supreme and the only darkness would be the sadness brought to those who had lost someone or something special in there lives. A darkness light enough to create anger yet remain bittersweet till it passed and people moved on with there lives.

All of this was what the future held in store for the universe and everything within it.

Sora knew and hoped for this future. His heart was set on it and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Even if it meant that the future had no place for him.

The roar of the wind took a different pitch and the sky suddenly became jagged with the blackened outline of sky scrappers rising up on all sides of him like jail bars. He let his hand drop to his side keeping his gaze locked on the sky above as the stars battled with the clouds trying to push them away and let the midnight sky let itself be known to human eyes again.

"SORA!"

Quickly he averted his gaze and locked his eyes on Kairi's.

And for a moment time seemed to stop.

He drank in her appearance from her blood soaked ankles to the horrified expression slapped across her bruised face as she stood gapping atop a loan banged up office building with her weapon in her hand hanging limply at her side as she stared at him transfixed. Sora could only imagine the thoughts running through her head. All of her worst fears boiling up to the surface in a shower of tears just as his had.

Suddenly time snapped back into place and Sora felt himself falling once again watching as Kairi's body grew smaller into the distance as she reached out her hand to him hopelessly almost like a scene in a dream where you suddenly wake up covered in a cold sweat and shaking.

But Sora knew now he wasn't going to wake up.

"Please…" He thought averting his eyes back up to the sky. " I just… I just want her to smile again after all of this. Just see her… one last time."

He could hear Jenza's laughter now. Feel the prickling on his neck as the coldness grew from the darkness reaching out to claim him. His wings pressed in tighter against his back and slowly he spread his frozen lips into a warm smile as fresh tears spilled out onto his face.

The he felt his body hit.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Darkness erupted around Sora swallowing him into its core laughing loudly in his ears. A mixture of voices both familiar and new traveling from all sides taunting him and taking action to his presence in there hell. The word "cold" no longer had a meaning as his body reached a temperature ranking below that of death. His blood turned black being drained of all human heat and spilling out from his body through any opening it could find. His eyes ran red as did his ears and beneath his finger nails as the dead tissue was pushed painfully up from his skin and ripped away letting his frozen blood run fourth. His throat swam with it threatening to spill over taking his lungs with it. Sharp teeth dug into his flesh letting the blood flow out quickly and feed the darkness leaving it drunk with his life which it hungered for, for so long.

Sora let the pain envelop him as he sunk deeper into the core keeping his blood splattered eyes on the small glimmer of stars which managed to shine through the black darkness. He closed his eyes causing a river of blood to flow down his face and let his mind wander away from the pain and paint images from his memories and dreams which gave him strength.

He could see Destiny Island. Feel the warm sand between his toes just before the cool rush of the ocean swept it away taking it out to sea. The sun beat down upon his face creating a sheet of orange behind his eyelids making him smile at the effect. He could here Tidus and the others playing in the background and the occasional yawn of Riku from his tree a few yards away with Kairi splashing around in the water in front of him skimming through the sand and waves to find seashell's for her collection which she would take home and make into necklaces and bracelets for her and Selphie.

The way life once was. A memory of something pure and simple.

He raised his hand above his head feeling the presence of his Keyblade awaken and glow pushing out against the darkness. The abyss seemed to tremble around him as the glow enveloped his body prying the darkness from his skin and sending it screeching back. The blood cleared from his eyes and he could make out the platform high up in the sky above as the clouds began to lessen losing there war against the stars.

With sparkling eyes Sora could see the powerful shine of the moon which had freed itself from its prison and was lined up directly above the glass platform creating a god like aura to cover the world below reflecting its beauty in his eyes.

Bruised and beaten, Kairi and the others looked up from there turmoil and stared in awe at the site letting the light blind them and bring tears gushing from there eyes. Even Leon couldn't control himself as he seen the site above feeling a sense of peace settle within the pit of his stomach. No one spoke or moved allowing there weapons to drop to there sides as the moment capture them.

Sora could feel the power emitting from his friends and let the happiness consume him mixing with his power and creating something so strong and wonderful that words couldn't even begin to describe it.

Sora had found his true power.

Silently, the brunette pointed the tip of his Keyblade at the platform so that the arrow shaped tip eclipsed the light. The shadows tried desperately to reach him and Sora could hear Jenza's voice filled with hatred and loathing but not enough of it to hide his fear.

"W-what are you doing? Stop it! Spirit your attempts are useless, the future is what it is. Everything is destined to lie in darkness and nothing you do can change that! SORA!"

His words passed through him like wind and with a clench of his fist he sent a large burst of light cutting through the darkness receiving a loud shriek of pain from Jenza but the shadows only pressed harder around him in anger.

Now was the time.

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It was a weird feeling. Letting everything in your body go. He concentrated hard on his Keyblade. Sending all his emotions and thoughts into its core taking himself apart piece by piece and shoving it into his heart which was his only weapon. Every memory, every image, every taste, smell, experience, pain, likes, and dislikes all stripped from him and reattached to something much greater. His memories of Riku, Leon, Yuffie, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Tidus, Wakka, Roxanne, every face he had encountered in his travels from the connected worlds even memories of his enemies which had caused him so much pain.

He didn't know how long it was before he started losing feeling in his arms and legs. The remaining blood in his limbs had begun to settle and grow cold as his body began to become more and more of an empty shell. The glow began to dim from his body and his Keyblade was barely noticeable beneath the layers of shining power which had coated it over time.

With his remaining strength he blinked away the cold, dead tears which had gathered in the bend of eyes and moved his lips spilling out one simple word which would announce the beginning of the new era for an eternity.

"…Light…"

The Keyblade gave a tremendous shudder blasting out a gigantic ray of white light into the waiting sky cutting through the cold air like a knife. With a nerve bending shatter the ray connected with the glass platform fusing with the broken shards of tainted glass and scattering across the sky like rockets desperate to reach every world and cast the darkness away forever.

Kairi stared up in awe watching the lit up shards zoom in every direction streaking the sky with sparkles of light which no firework show could ever own up too. She could hear the others nearby gasping and pointing in delight at the magnificent site. She could hear Yuffie's triumphant laugh as she danced around Leon who was grinning from ear to ear despite himself. Donald and Goofy slapped a high five tapping there weapons together and turning there faces back up to the sky to watch.

But what ended up catching Kairi's attention was Riku and Mickey. Both legends standing side by side in silence, eyes fixed upon the sky with a bittersweet look painted into there features. They seemed to be in a trance, almost in an entirely different place feeling the darkness melt away from the worlds. The very essence which had tormented them in there past. Something that they could never truly defeat.

They were ready to start over.

Suddenly something flashed out of the corner of Kairi's eye and she turned her attention back up to the sky. A large piece of glass was floating down steadily toward her like a snowflake taking its time to dance across the sky showering tiny sparks into the air.

With shaking hands she stretched out her arms wrapping her fingers delicately around the fragile shard feeling a warm tingling sensation spread throughout her body down to the very tips of her toes. A soft light began to bubble around her feet growing brighter and brighter spreading across the surface of the building like water and falling down the twisted metal sides.

The darkness below was quivering now; unable to find a place to retreat. It could feel the light approaching, covering the buildings and rubble slowly dripping its way toward it.

It was at this moment that Sora's Keyblade shattered. What shards were left in the sky quickly scattered off to find there worlds as a giant blast irrupted from within the pit of darkness enveloping it with a loud, blood curling shriek as what remained of Jenza was destroyed for good before quickly swallowing the rest of the world in in its endless hikari.

Kairi didn't have time to scream. She closed her eyes tightly, clutching the shard to her chest and feeling the building beneath her start to dissolve and give way unable to stand against the sudden blast of power. Her body toppled over head first, wind rushing into her face but no sound reaching her ears as everything suddenly went mute. She was in a dream, falling slowly through an endless world of light where she couldn't hear herself scream or feel the pain which should have been rushing through her body.

Without warning the glass shard slipped from her fingers and she desperately tried to snatch it back, opening her eyes ever so slightly trying to win against the constant brightness.

But all she could see was the shard. Dancing dreamily up above her and becoming smaller in the distance as she fell endlessly leaving it farther behind.

Slowly she lowered her hand and closed her eyes letting her mind black out with a heavy heart. The glass shard was gone, she had let it slip away from her.

Just as Sora had.

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( Oh, its not over yet. Sad, angsty, ending scene coming your way. Be prepared.)

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The world was still.

That was the first thing Kairi noticed as her mind swam up from unconsciousness. She kept her eyes shut, not wanting to see what horror awaited her after the explosion. The site of all her friends piled under pounds of debris and shattered windows was the last thing she wanted to open up her aching heart too.

But the small glow that was filtering through her eyelids was tempting her into submission and carefully she opened up her eyes only to find herself staring into a star filled abyss conducted by a golden waxing moon. Something she hadn't even seen on Destiny Island in the longest time.

The rubble she expected to find around her was never there. Each building which had towered over the town square had vanished without any trace of destruction or massacre causing Kairi to become slightly spooked. She knew the buildings were the centers of darkness of the world, but only something really powerful would have been able to remove them without any flaw to the surrounding area.

Suddenly the teens breath caught in her throat.

"Sora…"

Her hearted pounded painfully in her chest as she staggered around the square searching for her friends, a glimpse of there faces, a glimpse of him. Anything that would tell her that they had won or in her case, lost the battle which they had risked everything for.

She was becoming frantic now. Not wanting to go any further into the town then the square except in desperate measures. With a shuddering breath she raced around the squares edge glancing into the buildings which had remained intact and unharmed mostly consisting of small businesses, bars, and bakeries. All were deserted and empty pushing the feelings into Kairi's chest and making her feel even worse.

Kicking the ground in frustration, she headed toward the center of the square listening to the thud of her feet rebound eerily making her feel like a doll put away in storage. It wasn't until she had left the abandoned shops far behind her that her eyes fell on a still figure lying dead center in the middle of the concrete road.

She skidded to a stop holding her breath tightly. Part of her wanted to go forward while the other half wanted to turn in the other direction and run until she was miles away. To escape from the future which lay spread out before her which she wanted but didn't because of the loneliness she knew was waiting to ensnare her.

With a quivering step Kairi walked forward being light and gentle with her steps as if the ground before her would shatter like glass if she wasn't carefully. Her heart was thundering in her chest shaking her eardrums in the constant silence pressing all around her.

Pale skin and chocolate brown hair became visible in the starlight.

Within seconds she found herself sprinting over to the boys side dropping to her knees and wrapping her shaking arms around his cold body. Blood spotted skin brushed against hers smearing onto her torn clothes and body sending shivers racing through her veins.

He was a mess. His clothes torn and stained with blood which seeped from dozens of gashes and cuts decorating every inch of his flesh including his wings which were torn and stained beyond repair. His fingernails were gone, torn clean off making Kairi's stomach give a terrible lurch. Blood trickled down his face from a gash hidden deep within his mass of messy brown hair which Kairi rubbed away as she lifted his body halfway off the ground and placed his head in her lap.

For awhile she just stared.

The part of her soul which was screaming in agony at the site of her boyfriends body was being strongly kept within the outer reaches of her heart. She had played this scene over and over in her mind ever since Mickey had told her and the others two long years ago that now didn't seem to be any different then the nightmare which had kept her awake every night.

The only difference now was… that it was real.

"Sora…" She whispered shakily placing her hand against the side of his cheek. "Sora… I don't want this to be real. Please, j-just… just say something and then I'll wake up. It's always the same, I believe your really gone and then I hear your voice and I wake up……… Sora please! I want to wake up! I don't want this to be real, don't let this be real!" she sobbed letting hot tears leak from her eyes. " Sora please! Its just a nightmare, none of this was supposed to really happen, I never believed it, oh god Sora… p-please…… DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE HERE!"

Kairi's body shook with uncontrolled sobs shedding tears onto Sora's still body which she hugged close to her never wanting to let go. She was angry at herself for not fully believing the prophecy like she should of instead of allowing a small glimmer of hope to stand in her way of the truth. Maybe then it wouldn't of hurt her as much as it did now. Nothing ever hurt this much, the sadness was indescribable and the one person who could relieve her of it was also the cause.

"Kairi…"

The teen froze biting deep into her bottom lip to try and stop herself from crying but it did little good. A cold hand wrapped delicately around hers rubbing its fingers soothingly over her bruised knuckles giving a small squeeze.

Kairi looked down to find azure blue orbs staring at her half open and heavy. Sora gave a weak smile giving Kairi's hand another squeeze to acknowledge the fact that she wasn't dreaming.

" Sora…" she whispered unable to swallow the lump in her throat. "You're not dea-"

"I will be Kairi." he whispered not having enough strength to raise his voice. " This was just…my final request… I'm sorry."

Kairi lowered her gaze sadly not sure if it was sadder seeing him dieing then seeing him dead. A fragile hand brushed against the side of her face wiping a few stray tears away.

"Please… don't be sad…" Sora's eyes dimmed slightly. " You knew this was going to happen."

Kairi wrapped her hand around the one against her face and pressed it against her cheek lovingly as a few stray tears escaped her eyes. " I…I thought I did but…a small part of me thought it would never happen. That there would be a way for you to avoid it. That you could be spared."

Hearing herself speak these words, Kairi found herself crying again slowly letting Sora's hand fall from her face guiding it with hers and rest entwined on the brunettes chest. He gave her another small squeeze, weaker this time but enough to offer her comfort.

"I-I'm sorry it's j-just that… I love you Sora. I don't want to let you go… you're my light."

" I will never stop being your light Kairi." He whispered watching the tears drip from her face. " All of this I did for you… for your happiness… to make sure you have the life you always dreamed of."

" But that life included you…" she sniffed watching as the blue pigment in his eyes slowly began to become darker.

" You have to move on……" he soothed deeply. "No matter how hard it is, you have to try." his grip on her hand tightened. " You have to promise me Kairi."

She held her breath listening to his words closely.

" You have to promise me that you wont let me hold you back. Don't let your memory of me stop you from living." tears spilled from the corners of his eyes as he stared deep into Kairi's making his voice rise with every word. " I want you to smile like you really mean it. Smile like you did back when none of this happened. Don't stop your life for no one for I'll always be with you no matter what."

Kairi bit her lip tasting a mixture of blood and tears which made her tongue curl. Everything Sora was asking would be hard. Forgetting him wouldn't be easy. He was her whole life. Making a promise she couldn't keep was the last thing she wanted to do to Sora.

But she would try.

"I promise…" she smiled weakly brushing her hand through his hair. " I promise I'll go out and have a life. I wont let your death be for nothing."

The tears were nearly blinding her now and she didn't have the strength to wipe them away. With his free hand Sora placed it behind Kairi's head and guided her lips down onto his in one last passionate kiss. There tears mixed together coating there faces and washing away the scars and bruises of the past which would no longer haunt them. Kairi's head was spinning, being filled with a blinding light created from a wave of untamed emotions which left her breathless in Sora's kiss and shut out the rest of the world.

It seemed an eternity before he pulled away, his eyes nothing but a deep inky black bringing Kairi back to reality. " I'll be waiting for you Kairi." he whispered to her. " I'll be there when you're ready… then we can go together."

" I'll look for you…" she choked between her tears. " I promise."

Sora smiled at her. His usual, trade mark grin which had made her laugh throughout the years. The one which kept her spirits lifted, told her everything was going to be alright.

But as quickly as it had come, it faded. Sora's eyelids fluttered shut as one final breath escaped his lips letting the last of his strength out into the sky. Kairi felt his hand go limp in hers and she gave it a small squeeze feeling a sudden rush of wind circle around her as another soul was released to the endless sky.

A soft glow caught Kairi's attention soon after and suddenly Sora's body began to dissolve into dozens of small white orbs. Her heart throbbed, helpless to stop it but powerless to call out for help.

She sat enveloped in a silent state of shock as her boyfriend's body became part of the sky watching the orbs dance and twirl just as the glass shards had done earlier. She felt Sora's hand disappear from hers leaving her groping nothing but air.

"…I love you." she cried as she watched Sora's face glow brightly before dissolving into millions of butterfly orbs taking his azure blue eyes away from her forever. She knew this was what Sora wanted. It was the only way she would be able to let herself go. Be removing himself completely from her life except in memory.

The orbs danced around her brushing against her face in a loving manner before soaring up into the air and disappearing from view leaving Kairi alone with her thoughts.

Suddenly a soft clank reached her ears and she looked down shakily to find herself staring at Sora's crown necklace lying still on the ground reflecting the light from the moon above.

' I'll never forget you… Kairi.'

Carefully she picked up the necklace drinking in its features from the rusted silver crown to the sparkling thick chain. She had given this to Sora back when they were kids. Back at the beginning of there story when they first met.

With shaking hands, Kairi pressed the pendant to her chest and curled up crying letting her tears flow freely down her red cheeks. The moon and stars watched her silently from above bathing her with there light and letting her release her sadness with a bleeding heart which would fix itself in time.

Riku and the others watched from the shadows, tears silently dripping down there faces from the scene they had just witnessed. No one dared to walk into the middle of the square and arouse Kairi from her sorrow to tell her they should leave. There was nothing left for them here.

Silently Riku turned his head to the sky taking in the sparkling hikari for the tenth time that night. He couldn't get over the fact that something so beautiful was hidden beneath the darkness for so long and he didn't know it even existed. He had forgotten such sites.

" You really are a brat Sora." he chuckled under his breath letting his tears run freely from his eyes for the first time. " Leaving us all hear… when you were always the one keeping us together."

He sighed, thrusting his hands into his pockets and closing his eyes imagining the stubborn, pouty, look the boy would of given him if he had been standing there causing a sad smile to spread across Riku's lips.

"I'll look after her for you Sora." he told the sky softly feeling a slight breeze rustle through his hair in reply. " I promise."

Silently he turned on his heels and headed out into the middle of the square where Kairi was kneeling wrapped up in her grief. The others carefully fallowed behind him watching as Riku lifted the sobbing girl up into his arms and cradled her as they walked steadily back to the gummiship in silence.

The were heading home. To start a new life. The beginning of a new era.

Each person gaining and losing a little bit of what made them who they are.

Every heart containing the memory of a boy who had changed there lives forever. The boy who had given up everything to save them.

A best friend, a teenager, a guardian angel.

And as Kairi slowly cried herself to sleep in Riku's arms she clasped Sora's necklace to her heart and shut her eyes softly against the warm glow of the stars.

' I'll be missing you…..'

'…. even when I'm smiling.'

' Because every time I'll smile…'

'…I'll be smiling at you.'

' See you later…… Sora.'

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Me: OMG YES! YES! Its DONE!

Riku: NO IT'S NOT! EPILOUGE! GET YOUR BUTT MOVING!

Me: I'm working on it. I hope to have it up later tonight or when I get back from vacation. Just hang tight until then, savvey?

Wait… DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! You can't argue with the fact that I deserve it. I LOVE YOU ALL!