Chapter XXVIII: Fighting for a Friend.

Sora, Luigi, Yoshi, and Kairi prepared for departure as they arrived in the atmosphere of Isle Delfino. Kairi looked out the window and was amazed at the island she saw.

"Sora!" she cried excitedly. "This place is amazing!"

Sora looked out his window and smiled, "It's a beautiful island. Sometimes it reminds me of home."

Kairi then turned to Sora with a depressed look, "Is it true? Our home was destroyed?"

"I'm sorry, Kairi." Sora sighed sadly. "If only I sealed the key..."

Kairi walked over and took Sora's hands with a giggle, "It's okay, silly. As long as we have each other it doesn't matter." Sora blushed bright red. "You're blushing!"

"I-I'm not blushing." Sora objected. "I have sunburn?"

Kairi giggled again, "One thing you've always been good at was being a terrible liar."

"Guilty as charged." Sora said with his famous smile.

The two slowly move their heads towards each other. Both of them were a bit nervous, but were ready to do what they were about to do. They were about to tilt their heads to each side when they stopped and turned to notice Luigi and Yoshi watching them. Luigi was eating a bag of popcorn while Yoshi was sighing feeling happy for the two.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupting something?" Luigi teased.

"Sure did." Sora mumbled.

"Aw." Yoshi said. "Don't mind Yoshi."

Kairi giggled again and blushed. Sora also blushed and then made an evil glare at his friends. The group then heard Tails on the intercom.

"Guys, where do you want me to land this baby?" Tails asked.

"Take us to Pinna Park." Sora instructed.

"Roger!" called the fox over the intercom.

The Toad Express slowly made it's way towards the amusement park. Sora sat back in his seat and remembered what happened to Riku. His heart sank as he knew his friend was lost in the darkness. He then looked down and saw Yoshi smiling at him. Sora smiled back and petted his friend's head. Yoshi jumped into his arms and licked his face, trying to make him feel better.

The plane finally landed outside of Pinna Park and the foursome exited. As they left, Kairi was astounded by something.

"Sora?" Kairi asked her friend. "Was that a fox that just drove us here?"

"I was in shock too." Sora responded. "I mean I never expected to meet such interesting characters." He then eyed Luigi. "Like the word's klutziest person."

"Hey, I'm not a klutz!" Luigi snapped. He then ran into a palm tree and a coconut landed on his head. "Okay, so I'm a klutz on a rare occasion."

"Rare occasion?" Yoshi asked. "But Luigi always fall down the stairs, run into a wall, trip over..."

"Shh!" Luigi shushed.

Kairi and Sora both started laughing as Luigi put his hand over Yoshi's mouth. The four continued walking through the theme park. Kairi was amazed at all the rides she was.

"Hey, maybe later we should go on a ride." Kairi said. "It would be fun."

"Yeah, you two could go on the tunnel of love." Luigi teased.

Kairi and Sora both started blushing again and Yoshi giggled to himself. Sora put his arm around Luigi and began choking him.

"Ha! Ha! You're such a kidder." Sora laughed, sarcastically.

"Let...me...go!" Luigi said with his last bit of breath. Sora then released his grip and Luigi gasped for air. "Strong kid."

Deciding not to make anymore comments about Sora and Kairi's crush, Luigi said nothing for the rest of the way until the gang arrived at the home base for Leon and the others. Sora knocked on the door and Yuffie answered it.

"Hey, guys!" Yuffie said, greeting the group. "Glad to see you again." She then noticed Kairi. "Oh, is this a friend of yours?"

"Hi, I'm Kairi." Kairi said, introducing herself.

"Oh, so your Kairi." Yuffie said in realization. "Sora once mistakes me for you and hugged me."

Kairi then made an evil glare at Sora, "You did what?"

"I-I thought it was you." Sora said innocently. "Honest!" He then noticed Kairi smirking at him. "Hey, you were kidding, weren't you?"

"Hello, Sora." called Leon. The group looked inside to see Leon and Aerith approaching them. "Cid told me the path you were going was dangerous. I'm glad you made it out alright." He then gasped as he looked behind Sora. "Behind you!"

Sora quickly turned to see tons of heartless appear before them.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. "I've never seen that many!"

"And how many times are you going to say?" Luigi groaned.

"Quickly, inside everyone!" Leon instructed.

Everyone quickly ran into the house and slammed the door behind them. The group ran into the living area and sat down to catch their breath.

"Surprising Spaghetti!" Luigi gasped. "There were so many!"

"Not only that." Kairi added. "But they looked stronger then before."

"Guys, I think it's our fault." Sora postulated. "We left the keyhole unlocked."

"That's your fault!" Luigi countered. "I'm not the one who stabbed myself!"

"Hey, I would have been dead if you didn't help." Sora argued. "So this is your fault as well."

"No!" Luigi argued back. "I've always been a good egg!"

"What are you talking about?" Kairi asked Luigi, raising her eyebrow.

"Everyone settle down!" Leon said, trying to break up the argument. He then turned to Sora. "Tell me what happened. Then maybe we could figure out what went wrong."

Sora told everyone what happened. From his fight with Riku to changing into a heartless. Sora tried not to leave out any details and Luigi and Yoshi helped tell the story as well.

"And then, with Sora down for the count I bravely jumped in and single handedly defeated that madman." Luigi boasted.

"But wasn't Luigi the one who got knocked aside effortlessly?" Yoshi asked.

Luigi tried to shush Yoshi but everyone started laughing. After that, Sora finished his story and Leon leaned against a wall and crossed his arm.

"I'm not surprised about Ansem." Leon said. "As a boy I remember the crazy things he did."

"Experimenting on people's hearts." Aerith added with disgust. "What kind of ruler would do that to his own people?"

"He led a cold and lonely life." Leon continued, turning away from everyone. "Even now I can't believe the great lengths he's gone to just get total power. By abducting seven young ladies and possessing a boy's body." Trying to put the past behind him he turned back to Sora. "At this moment due to the keyhole remaining unlocked, the darkness will flow out of it."

"Of course!" Yuffie gasped. "That's why the heartless are stronger and have multiplied!"

"Then we got to seal the keyhole!" Sora concluded. "It's the only way to stop them!"

"Possibly." Leon nodded. He then walked to the center of the room "However, it's risky because at this point no one knows what will happen when the keyhole is sealed. It could be life threatening."

"He's right." Luigi agreed. "Maybe we should play it safe and..."

"No, Luigi!" Sora shouted, standing up. He knew that Riku was still there and he wasn't going to let this keyhole or Ansem for that matter stop him. "Listen, I'm not just going to stand here and do nothing about this! Riku is still back there and a friend never leaves a friend behind!" Tears began streaming down his face. "He's my best friend! I can't let him suffer! I'm sick and tired of the heartless hurting these innocent people." He wiped his tears away and Kairi put her arms around him.

"Calm down." Leon said softly. "I'm not forcing you too. It's your choice to go or not. You still have one more friend to worry about." He then turned to Sora. "I figure that Riku's keyblade must have been born from the captive princesses' hearts just like the keyhole you saw." He then looked to Kairi. "But since Kairi's heart wasn't present, it remained incomplete. Now that the keyblade is destroyed, the others should be free." He then walked over to Sora and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I wouldn't worry. I know of one person that can save Riku and the world now and I'm looking at him. Are you up to this task?"

Sora knew that he was far from done. In order to maintain piece, he needed to seal the keyhole. He looked at all of his friends who gave him support. He knew they had his back throughout his entire venture. It was a little hard to except the fact that he was the savior now and everyone was depending on him. But he knew that he couldn't give up now. He may have gotten Kairi back, but he wouldn't be satisfied until the entire world and Riku were saved.

"You can count on me." Sora said.

Everyone else cheered as Sora finished those words. Luigi and Yoshi walked up to him and smiled.

"And we'll still be by your side kid." Luigi smiled.

"All for one and one for all!" Yoshi cheered.

"We should go see Cid." Sora said. "I think we may have a problem getting back to Hallow Bastion."

"I agree." nodded Aerith. "The road back to the castle may not be easy."

"Kairi, at this moment I would like you to remain here with me." Leon told the red-head. "You're in grave danger from the heartless."

Kairi frowned, "But will I be able to see..."

"Don't worry." Sora smiled with reassurance. "I promise to see you later. We'll meet at the hotel."

Kairi nodded and Sora blushed at her. Luigi rolled his eyes and grabbed Sora's arm.

"Come on, Romeo!" Luigi groaned. "We have work to do."

The trio left the area and began to head back to the island. On the way, the heartless attacked them. The group were in shock to see heartless they've encountered from other worlds show up. The shield heartless knocked Sora back, causing him to crash into the ground. Sora got back up and jumped over it and slashed it aside. A group of shadows tackled him but Luigi used a thunder spell to knock them off.

Yoshi stuck his tongue out and ate some. He then used them as eggs and threw them at other heartless. The group had a much harder time dealing with the rest of them until Sora called in Marth. The legendary Swordsmen used his sword to break through the hard metal of the shield heartless. He then charged up his sword which caused him to glow. As the heartless jumped at him, he released the grip and knocked all of the heartless away.

Sora then finished if off with a Sonic Blade attack. The trio quickly ran back to the warp pipe to Delfino Plaza. They then stopped to remember that they found another summon gem. Luigi then knew that they had to go back to Wiseman's house and slowly backed away.

"O-oh, no!" Luigi gulped. "I'm not going back to that madhouse!"

"Luigi!" Sora snapped. "For shame on you! Don't you care about that summon's life?"

"Of course I do kid." Luigi responded. "But do you realize how much I have to go through with those two nut jobs?"

"Oh, come on!" Sora reassured. "They're nice."

"Kid, how would you like to be turned into a frog?" Luigi said. "Or listen to the snoring or dealing with bad B.O. or..."

"Okay, okay, they have their faults." Sora groaned, rolling his eyes. "But they're still nice people."

"Well, you and Yoshi can go over there, but I am staying here." Luigi said, crossing his arms.

"But, shouldn't Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi go together?" Yoshi asked.

"Come on, Yoshi." Sora told Yoshi. "Let Luigi be."

"But...but..."

Sora then whispered in his ear, "Think of this as payback for him tricking you into the water."

Yoshi smirked at Sora turned to Luigi, "Okay, Sora and Yoshi go while Luigi stay all alone."

"Ha!" Luigi laughed. "You think you can fool me with that old trick? Think again my friend."

"Don't worry Yoshi." Sora said to Yoshi. "I'm sure he can handle getting eaten by a heartless."

Luigi began to get nervous upon hearing that. He felt weak in his knees and began trembling in fear as the two walked towards the Japanese house. He then heard a cracking noise and he jumped in fear.

"Okay, everything is cool." Luigi gulped nervously. He tried to reassure himself that everything was okay. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me."

Sora and Yoshi stopped more then half way towards the house and Sora bent over to Yoshi and looked at his watch.

"Five...Four...Three.." Sora began to count down.

Luigi then ran pass the two screaming, "Don't-a-leave me here!"

"That's odd." Sora said, shaking his watch. "My watch must be a few seconds off."

Yoshi giggled as they rejoined Luigi. Sora knocked on the door and Wiseman answered it.

"Oh, hello my friends." Wiseman said, greeting the trio. "Glad to see you three again."

"Hey, Wiseman." Sora smiled. He then made a guilty look. "We're still sorry about..."

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Wiseman chortled. "Forget about it, Sora. Nothing Impact couldn't handle. He is such a dependable robot. Please come in."

The trio walked into the room and sat down at the table. Wiseman noticed that the trio were famished from their long journey and made them something to eat. He was able to forgive Sora's group for the damage caused earlier. Sora explained everything that happened to Wiseman after they left.

"So, the keyhole is still unlocked." Sora finished. "And we need to get back there."

"Well, I'm sure Cid can make that arrangement for you my friends." Wiseman said. "But I'm sure there is a reason you're here."

"Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi find summon gem." Yoshi nodded.

Sora handed the gem to Wiseman and the elder looked at it. He felt some familiar energy waves coming from the gem. It's as though the gem came from the same world as another person he knew. It then hit him like a ton of bricks.

"I don't know why, but I think whoever is in here came from Mumbo's world." Wiseman predicted. "Mumbo, come here a second!"

Mumbo Jumbo walked out with bubbles surrounding him. He also had a red towel around his waist and was holding a rubber duck. Luigi snickered at seeing the Tiki man holding a rubber duck.

"Rubber Ducky you're the one." Luigi sang in a goofy voice. "You make bath time lots of fun."

"Har! Har! Har!" Mumbo laughed. "Mumbo not afraid to admit that he take bubble bath with rubber duck." He then squeaked it. "So, Mumbo no offend by plumber's joke."

"At least it's not as bad as Luigi sleeping with his stuffed..." Sora began.

"I dare you to finish that sentence!" Luigi threatened.

Sora then shut right up. Mumbo turned his attention to Wiseman.

"Why did Wiseman call Mumbo?" Mumbo asked.

"Please take a look at this summon gem." Wiseman said, handing the gem to Mumbo.

Mumbo looked at the summon gem and examined it. He then gasped at it in fear.

"Oh, no!" Mumbo cried. "Mumbo not releasing this one! No way! Not no how!"

"Is there something wrong with that gem?" Luigi asked curiously. "Is it evil?"

"Well...to a certain degree." Mumbo explain. "This feather head is good, but is annoying."

"You know the summon then." Sora assumed. "Then you've got to let it out. It can't stay in there forever, especially if it's your friend."

"Is boy crazy?" Mumbo gasped in surprised. "Mumbo can't stand sight of her!"

"Let her out anyways." Wiseman said. "It would be better if she was out and about and not stuck in..."

"No! Mumbo refuse!" Mumbo interrupted, stubbornly.

"Your worse then Luigi!" Sora said angrily. "Can't you at least show some compassion?"

"Hey!" shouted Luigi.

Mumbo sighed sadly, "Very well. Even Mumbo have heart."

The Tiki man grabbed his staff and used his magic to release the summon gem. It began glowing a mixture of red and yellow which was beautiful. Sora sent Luigi and Yoshi into the summon gem and who came out of it astonished the fourteen-year old boy. It was a beautiful big bird with red feathers, red wings with yellow tips at the edge. She also had a yellow beak, long yellow legs, and green eyes. She looked around the room in confusion at her new surroundings. This was something completely new to her.

"Okay, is someone pulling a prank on me?" she squawked. "I remembered fighting with Banjo against those ugly creatures and then I end up in a broken down dump like this."

"Excuse me?" Wiseman asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah, really." she continued. "I mean the walls look all beaten up."

Wiseman then gave an evil glare at Sora.

"Hey, I thought you were over that!" Sora gasped in surprise.

"She just reminded me of the damage you did." Wiseman responded.

She then noticed Mumbo, "Well, well, well, if it isn't skull boy. Just when I thought I could escape the wrath of a certain mole with funny glasses, I run into the skull head with very little brain."

"Watch it, bird!" Mumbo snarled at her. "Or Mumbo tar and feather you."

"That's why you're the skull head with very little brain." the bird said. "I'm already feathered, stupid!"

"Stupid?" Mumbo gasped, appalled. "The only one stupid here is a bird who can't even define word."

"Shut up!" the bird squawked angrily. She tried to attack Mumbo, but Wiseman stopped the argument. "Let me go gramps! I'll crack that large skull of his!"

"Please, calm down." Wiseman said, trying to break up the fight. "I know you have a lot against my roommate, but you should be lucky to be alive." He then looked at Sora. "This young man risked his life to save you."

Although from the looks of her, Sora could tell she was cranky, he tried to remain friendly and pet the bird's head.

"My name's Sora." Sora smiled. "I think I better explain why you're here."

The bird continued to take Sora's strokes and enjoyed it, "While you tell me, don't stop petting me kid."

"Okay." Sora said, rolling his eyes. "You see your world was destroyed by a group of creatures called the heartless."

"What?" the bird squawked in surprise. "My world was destroyed?" Sora nodded and the bird began crying. "Oh, no! Banjo is gone! And who will I make fun of without Bottles boy around?"

"Erm..." Sora began, slightly confused. "Look, it's okay. You have been chosen to help me stop those guys that destroyed your home. Maybe we can even restore your world!"

"For real?" the bird asked with hope. Sora nodded and the bird chirped with joy. "Then I'll help you out, Sora. You may not be Banjo or wear a backpack, but I can deal with that. I'm Kazooie, winged goddess of the skies."

"More like wing goddess of the flies." Mumbo snicked.

"Hey, ever seen stars before?" Kazooie hissed at the Tiki man. "And I'm not talking about the ones you see on T.V. or the ones in the sky. I'm talking about the ones your going to see when I wack that skull head of yours."

"Bring it on!" Mumbo challenged.

Kazooie flew into the air and shot blue eggs at Mumbo from her mouth. The skull man dodged the attacks and fired magic fire spells at Kazooie. She dodged the attack and it hit the wall, which burnt the ceiling. Wiseman screamed upon seeing this. Mumbo continued firing more spell at Kazooie which she dodged by tilting like an airplane. The spells kept hitting the ceiling, causing ruble to break down.

Sora and Wiseman took cover under the table in the middle of the room as the war continued. Kazooie shot grenade eggs at Mumbo which he used a magic shield to block it. Kazooie then swooped down and tripped him with her wing.

"Have a nice trip!" she cried. She then flew back up and flew down like an airplane. Mumbo tried running, but Kazooie did a quick peck with her beak, knocking him down. "See you next fall!"

Kazooie flew back into the air and spun her body at Mumbo like a drill. She then flew down and drilled her beak at Mumbo, spinning and knocking him out. Kazooie flew back onto the table and a made a proud look. Mumbo looked weakly up at the bird and groaned.

"Ugh!" he groaned, holding his head. "Mumbo see stars."

"Ha!" Kazooie laughed. "Don't ever mess with this bird, bonehead! She'll knock you out!"

Sora and Wiseman both came out from under the table in shock. Sora was happy to have a powerful summon, but Wiseman was furious as he looked around his house to see rubble all over it. The ceiling was messed up yet again. He pulled his hair out and screamed.

"I'm going to roast and stuff that bird!" Wiseman yelled, trying to attack Kazooie. Sora quickly held him back. "I should have my head examined for letting her out!"

"Please, it's no big deal." Sora said, holding Wiseman back. "Can't you just get Impact to clean up the mess?"

All of a sudden the two turned to see the door fall down and Parakarry flew up to it.

"Um, mail call." Parakarry said, slightly confused. "What happen to your house?"

"Long story." Wiseman groaned. "Do you have anything for me?"

"A letter from someone named Impact." Parakarry responded, looking at a letter he pulled out.

Wiseman read the letter and gasped in horror, "What do you mean he's gone on strike? Tired from all the damage he fixed?"

"Sir, I just deliver the letters." Parakarry explained. "I don't get involved in conflicts." Wiseman then ripped the paper in half causing the parakoopa to gulp in fear. "I-I think I hear a Fedex truck calling me. Bye!"

Wiseman went into the draw and got out a giant hammer. Kazooie gulped nervously and jumped onto Sora's shoulders.

"Sora, you have three seconds to get out of here with that feather head!" Wiseman shouted. "Before I lose my mind! And stop by anytime for magic lessons!"

"Uh, sure." Sora said.

"Kid, let's move!" Kazooie cried.

Sora quickly ran out of the house with Kazooie on his shoulder. Wiseman began screaming and started banging on the ground with the hammer. Mumbo hid under the table as Wiseman went crazy, wrecking his entire house. Finally, after wrecking his house he dropped the hammer and sighed.

"Okay, I feel better now." Wiseman sighed. He then grabbed a mop and began wiping the floor. "Come on, Mumbo! I need a hand!"

Mumbo groaned and grabbed a mop, "Wiseman going to switch to decaffeinated coffee . Mumbo getting too old for this."

Meanwhile, Sora and Kazooie arrived back in Delfino harbor, away from the insanity. Kazooie flew off Sora's shoulders and landed on the ground.

"Maybe Luigi was right." Sora sighed. "It is like an insane house."

"Kid, that can't compare to what I have to put up with back home." Kazooie said. "Trying dealing with a witch that rhymes all time or being bothered by a mole."

"I know how you feel." Sora chuckled. "Trying putting up with Wakka blabbing all day long." He then smiled. "From that battle with Mumbo you proved to be a good summon. I know you'll be a great help."

"Aw, thanks Sora." she blushed. "I like you even if you are an oddly dressed, big-footed weirdo."

"What did you say?" Sora asked suspiciously.

Kazooie gulped nervously and then noticed she was fading, "Oh, look at that, my time is up. Well, we've got to do this again sometime. See you later!"

Kazooie returned to her summon gem and his friends returned. Sora explained everything that happened while they were in the summon gem. Luigi just rolled eyes saying, "I told you so."

The trio next headed over to the harbor were Louie and Olimar saw them and eagerly ran up to then.

"Hello, Sora." Olimar said, greeting the boy. "Did you happen to find any more Pikmin on your travels? You know we're running out of time." He then pulled out a long list which extended about four feet long. "I've already wrote my will and everything."

"No need." Sora said. "We found the remaining Pikmin."

Olimar and Louie gasped in excitement as Sora released the remaining Pikmin. They then began to work right away on the ship. The Pikmin used their hands to help each other move the pieces onto the ship. They then used special material from their bodies to finally put the ship back together. Olimar and Louie hugged each other with excitement and began crying with joy.

"Oh, Louie!" Olimar cried. "I'm so happy that I could kiss you!"

He then bonked his helmet into Louie's helmet and the two felt the loud knocking sound, causing their heads to spin.

"Please, don't do that again, sir." Louie groaned

"Indeed, Louie." Olimar nodded. He then turned to Sora and shook his hand. "I can't possibly thank you three gents enough for all you've done. Now we can go home! I'm just amazed that you three risked your necks to help us."

"Hey, I'm a plumber." Luigi laughed proudly. "Our job is to please our clients. Whether it's cleaning a toilet or help to repair a ship."

Sora smiled, "We're going to miss you guys."

The Pikmin surrounded everyone and looked at Sora's group. Luigi felt a bit freaked out by them, but Sora and Yoshi knew they did the right thing. Sora rubbed his head and smiled at the Pikmin who all jumped up and down for them. Olimar turned to Louie and nodded. Louie left and helped get the Pikmin into the rocket. Sora was amazed that all of those Pikmin were able to fit into that one ship. Louie returned outside with a brown bag.

"Young man, for all of your hard work in finding the Pikmin and saving our lives, I reward you with this." Louie said, proudly presenting the bag.

Sora opened the bag and saw a bunch of items. One of which was a crystal to update magic spells. He used it and his Aero spell got updated to it's final form. They also received useful items for the Toad Express. Louie and Olimar both shook everyone's hands and got ready.

"Again, thank you Sora." Olimar said. He then began to cry. "You're the greatest kid I ever met."

Louie then groaned and pushed the crying captain onto the ship.

"Did Olimar forget pills?" Yoshi asked Louie.

"No, he can be a bit emotional." Louie said. "Farewell, my friends."

The two men boarded the ship and Olimar started the engine. Sora's group watched as the ship began to lift into the sky. The two men and a group of Pikmin looked out the window and waved good-bye to their new friends. Sora's group waved back as the ship took off into space. Sora remembered the first day he met Captain Olimar, Louie, and the Pikmin. He was going to miss them, but was happy to see they were finally heading home. Luigi smiled and turned to Sora.

"Don't worry." Luigi smiled. "We'll meet them again."

The trio left and headed over to Cid who was reading a comic book.

"Aw, man, those Peanuts kids crack me up every time." Cid laughed. "I especially love when Lucy takes the ball away from Charlie Brown." He then looked up to notice Sora's group. "Well, if it isn't my favorite customers; Huey, Dewey, Louie. What brings you fellas by?"

"Cid, we need to get back to Hallow Bastion." Sora said. "Could you..."

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that." Cid interrupted. "If you go back that same route, you'll get your hides beat like it was going out of style." Sora raised his eyebrow at Cid. "It's been a long day."

"Look, we need to get back there!" Luigi said angrily. "We're not going to stand here and..."

"Hold your horses!" Cid interrupted. "I swear you three don't know when to SHUT UP!" The three made disappointed looks at him. "Sorry. However, there is a simple solution to your dilemma. Instead of going through that rough wave, you should go around them."

"Wow!" Luigi said baffled. "I can't believe it's just that easy."

"It's not rocket science to figure out routes." Cid said. "However, you'll need a new navigation piece. And before you three jump to conclusions, that piece is here in town."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm the one that hid it away here." Cid explained. He then turned away from the group. "When we first came to this world, I knew that someday we would return home. Sometimes we can't escape the scent of where we came from. I knew that maybe one day we may have needed to return to our home world. So, I hid the navigation piece in a secret location, so that nobody would steal it. Since you are doing this to save our hides, I can install the piece to your ship."

"Where do we find it?" Sora asked.

"I believe you three went to Leon's secret training ground before, right?" Cid asked. Sora's group nodded. "There's a panel in there of a sun and moon. Hidden inside is a navigation piece. Bring it back and I'll have it installed."

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi left the harbor and headed towards the round panel at the center of town. On the way the heartless attacked as always. Sora used a few new moves on them such as Arc Arcanum and trinity limit which combined the power of Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi and created a massive lightning attack that destroyed all heartless. The group made their way over to the panel. Sora decided to go alone because he didn't want to deal with Yoshi being afraid of the water.

Inside, Sora swam through the secret area and arrived at the training ground. He looked to his left and noticed the secret panel. He walked up to it and looked up at the beautiful picture he saw. It reminded him of what some of the famous artists he read in books drew. He pressed his hand against the picture and it pushed in. He then noticed a secret compartment open below him. A small box appeared before him and when he opened it, he was the navigation piece. Smiling, he pocketed it and returned back outside and met up with Luigi and Yoshi.

The trio returned back to the harbor to not only see Cid, but to see Kairi talking to him. She then turned to notice the trio and ran up to them.

"Sora!" she cried. "I'm glad you're here! I've missed you!"

"And it's only been ten minutes?" Luigi said, looking at his watch.

"Hey, I haven't seen this lazy bum in a long while." Kairi snapped at Luigi.

"Okay, okay." Luigi cried. "Relax! Mama-mia!"

Sora walked up to Cid and handed him the piece, "Here, Cid."

"Ah, good job." Cid said, taking the piece. "Bad news is that the sunset has already come and it's close to nighttime. If I were you, I'd wait until tomorrow. Till then, I'll hang onto this baby."

"Okay, thanks." Sora nodded. Cid then took his leave to head home. Sora took Kairi's hands and made his famous smile. "Kairi! Come with me! I'd like to show you something!"

"Ooh, what it is?" an intrigued Kairi asked.

"You'll see." Sora replied. He then turned to Luigi and Yoshi. "Um, do you two mind? Kairi and I would like to be alone."

"Oh, alone, huh?" Luigi smirked, knowing what Sora was playing at. "Come on, Yoshi!"

The duo took there leave and Kairi giggled again. Sora took Kairi's hand and walked her to the edge of Delfino Beach, unaware that Luigi was secretly following them. Yoshi ran over to stop the plumber.

"What Luigi doing?" Yoshi gasped. "Sora wanted to be alone! Why Luigi meddling?"

"Oh, now you know the word." Luigi groaned. "I'm not meddling. I'm looking out for the kid. Make sure he doesn't look like a fool."

At first, Yoshi didn't believe Luigi, but then sighed and complied.

"Okay, but if Luigi and Yoshi get caught then it's..." Yoshi began.

"I know, I know." Luigi sighed, impatiently. "It's my fault"

The duo continued to follow the boy and girl to the beach, hiding behind buildings, market places and even hid under an islander's grass skirt. The islander kicked the duo out and they finally hit behind a giant palm tree. Sora and Kairi were sitting on the warm sand, looking at the sunset together. It was a magical moment as the two children sat together, finally reunited. They felt the warm breeze rush through their faces and could hear the gentle sounds of the waves.

Kairi rested her head on Sora's chest causing him to blush. The boy put his arm around the girl and smiled warmly. Kairi sighed as she looked out at the beautiful sunset and taking the gentle brushes to the her hair from Sora. She could also hear Sora's heart beat fast from her being so close. She could tell he was nervous and excited about being with her again. Luigi and Yoshi both looked on with oohs and suspended chuckles.

"Doesn't this remind you of home, Sora?" the girl asked the boy.

"Sure does." Sora responded in agreement. "The sunset reminds me of when the three of us would sit together."

Kairi didn't say anything else for a few minutes. Sora then heard her whisper something lightly under her breath.

"The light at the end of the tunnel." she whispered.

"Let me guess...your grandma's story?" Sora asked.

Kairi looked up at him and nodded, "It was beautiful, Sora. I'm glad you heard it too. I loved my grandma and we would always be together." She pulled away from the boy and stood up, putting her hands together and putting them behind her lower back. "That's all I remember."

"It's funny." Sora said standing up. "I looked everywhere for you. I searched high and low." He then put his head down and turned away from her. "Even I felt like giving up because I couldn't find you." Kairi put her arms around Sora's chest, making him feel better. "But in the end, you were with me all along. Your heart was with me, Kairi and we're now finally together again. Why did your heart enter my body?"

"Because my heart wanted to hitchhike." Kairi joked.

Sora laughed at the comment, "Ha! You could be funnier then Luigi!"

Luigi heard that and got mad, so mad that he threw his hat angrily away. He didn't realize that it had hit a beehive that was near by and it fell over. The bees angrily flew up and spotted the duo. Luigi and Yoshi noticed this and ran away in fear as the bees began to chase them. However, Sora and Kairi didn't know what was going on behind them.

"It's not over though." Sora said seriously. "Now, it's time to get Riku back."

Luigi and Yoshi ran by with the bees chasing them.

Kairi frowned, "Do you think anything will be the same between the three of us? Riku's lost his..."

"Don't think it like that." Sora warmly said. "Do you remember when I was a heartless?" Kairi nodded. "I was lost in the darkness. It was endless and I couldn't find my way out. As I stumbled through it, I began to forget everything. My friends, who I was, where I came from, it all began to leave me and it was about to consume me. But then I heard a voice and it was your voice. That's what saved me. You're the one who brought me back. You'd never let go of the fact that I still existed."

"How could I forget about you?" Kairi smiled. "You're my best friend, I couldn't possible forget the one who I always hung out with. When I first came to the island I was shy, but you showed me the path to making friends. I kept my heart connected to you."

"Of course!" Sora cried. "That's it!" He then put his hand on his chest. "Our hears are connected. The power of light from both of our hearts worked together and destroyed that darkness. When I heard your voice, I saw it with my own two eyes. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness is, a light can always shine through." He then turned to Kairi. "It's more then just a fairytale, it's a reality."

Kairi nodded, "Do Luigi and Yoshi give you that light too?"

"Not like you though." Sora smiled. "But then again, those two always have my back." He then made a wondered look. "I wonder what those two are up to anyways."

The swarm of bees flew by and Luigi and Yoshi chased after them, shrugging at each other.

"Probably being goofy." Kairi giggled. "So take me with you!"

"Hold up, Kairi!" Sora said, stopping the excited red head. "I'm sorry, but you can't come with me."

In the background, the bees and the duo came in, backwards from each side of the area and backed into each other. The groups slowly turned around and the duo screamed and ran off with the bees chasing them again.

"Is this because I'm a girl?" Kairi asked angrily.

"No!" Sora blushed embarrassed. "It's nothing like that! It's just too dangerous!"

Luigi and Yoshi walked in wearing those fake glasses with the giant noses. Yoshi had a moustache one because Luigi already had a real one. The bees flew by and stopped by the duo. They both pointed right and the bees flew off. Luigi and Yoshi then ran off in the opposite direction.

"Oh, come on, Sora." Kairi begged. "We've come this far by sticking together, right? You can't do it alone!"

"Look, if we're ever apart, we're not alone anymore, right?" Sora said warmly. "We have each other no matter what."

"So, I can't come?" Kairi said a little disappointed.

"You'd kind of get in my way." Sora chuckled nervously.

Kairi sighed, "Okay. You win this round, Sora."

Luigi and Yoshi walked back in and rested against the tree, catching their breath from the chase.

"I'm glad you understand." Sora smiled.

"But, there's something I want you to hold onto." she said, going through her pocket. Kairi pulled out a red star that had a smile on it and gave it to Sora. "This is my Oathkeeper keychain. It's my lucky charm, so don't let anyone have it and you have to bring it back to me, okay?"

"Don't worry, Kairi." Sora said with an Irish accent. "I won't let them get your lucky charms."

Kairi laughed out loud, "Sora!"

"Only fooling with you." Sora chuckled. "I promise."

Sora put the Oathkeeper in his pocket and Kairi warmly took his hands again. The two looked into each others eyes. Luigi and Yoshi were watching again with their mouths were wide open. They began to slowly make their way towards each other. Sora's heart rate raised and he could feel sweat dripping down his face. Kairi smiled at the boy and put her arm around him.

"Don't forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you." Kairi whispered.

Sora and Kairi began to bring their lips towards each other when they heard Yoshi sneeze. The two turned to see Luigi and Yoshi nervously looking at them. Sora got red in the face and took out his keyblade.

"Okay, you two have five seconds to start running!" Sora said.

"Wait, we just recovered from running!" Luigi panicked.

Yoshi began crying, "Luigi forced Yoshi to do it!"

"Quite!" snapped Luigi. Sora then ran towards the duo. "Have mercy!"

Sora chased Luigi and Yoshi around the island and Kairi fell in the sand, cracking up from seeing Sora getting so embarrassed that he was chasing the duo. Although Sora had escaped the darkness there was one person who was lost in there totally because of his own hatred and betrayal of his heart. He was in the darkness, lost, cold, and alone. He felt scared and at the same time felt like no one liked him anymore.

He felt like a fool. How could he have done this? They were his best friends. He felt like a broken person and had guilt that extended to the end of time. He looked down to see he was on a lone white path that extended into what appeared to be endless darkness. He put his head down, hiding his eyes with in his long silver hair.

"Oh, Sora. Oh, Kairi." Riku sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry." He got on his knees and looked up at the endless darkness. "I was wrong. If only I could change before it's too late." He walked down the path with his head hung and looked loss. "Could this be the world of death?" As he walked, he lightly flickers and shrugged it aside. It was like a fly, it didn't feel like a threat. He then stumbled as his body felt numb and a blue aura surrounded his body. "I'm not ready to disappear." The aura disappeared. "I just want to see them one last time."

"Hang in there, kiddo!" called a voice. Riku looked around the room as he heard the strange voice. He was became alert expecting something to happen. "I'll be-a-there soon."

Riku thought that the voice had an accent like Luigi's voice except this one wasn't feeble and yet it felt like a more comfortable and trusting voice.

"Who's there?" Riku demanded. "Show yourself!"

"It's okay." the voice responded warmly. "I'm-a-here to help you."

Riku tried to find the voice, but it felt like it was all around him. He also felt something else about this person, a power he once had.

"Sora?" Riku gasped in surprise. "Is that you?"

"Sorry, but Sora isn't-a-here." the voice said to his dismay.

"But I feel the keyblade!" Riku objected.

"That's-a-because there's another one." the voice responded. "This-a-one I got from this side." Riku was left confused. "You see, I've been-a-talking to you all along. Sadly, my words were-a-hindered by the darkness covering your heart."

"Listen, buddy, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but you seem to have me figured out like a book." Riku said. "If you know about me, then what happened to me?"

"It's-a-like this..." the voice began. "Your heart was-a-successful in overcoming the darkness. Unfortunately, you-a-couldn't take back your body. So only your heart was left behind. In this darkside, the stolen hearts gather here."

"Is there anything I can do?" Riku asked the voice. "I just can't stand here in this eternal darkness forever."

"The time has-a-not come yet." the voice responded. "First, we must-a-wait for the door of darkness to appear. It has a power that can't let us cross to the other side of it. But in order to-a-close it, two keys and two hearts are required. I'm-a-not too sure what it fully meant, but the key must be the keyblade. Perhaps you-a-too, like me, come here to achieve this purpose. Maybe it's fate that brought us both here."

"Fate, huh?" Riku chuckled. "It sounds like you know everything about this."

"Hoo-hoo!" the voice laughed. "I'm not a philosopher, I'm-a-still learning about things. But there is much I know about our current situation."

Riku paused. He trusted this person even though he hasn't seen him yet. He felt that there was one more thing for him to accomplish.

"Answer this one more thing for me." Riku began. "Are Sora and Kairi safe? Did they escape?"

He was concerned. The true Riku finally returned and wanted to make sure his friends were out of harms way. He would not let them suffer anymore. Riku looked back at the blank sky. For a minute there was no response, but the voice then spoke up.

"That I can't answer." the voice responded. "You yourself should be able to-a-feel their hearts."

Riku could see Sora appear in his mind as he closed his eyes. His friend ran towards him with a big smile and laugh. Riku felt the connection between his two closest friends.

"I see..."

"How you-a-perceive your friends is dependant on your own heart." the voice continued.

Riku could feel Sora and Kairi were very close now. They smiled at him and ran off together. Riku then sighed with relief as he knew he found the answer. He looked up at the endless darkness and smiled at it.

"Thank you." Riku whispered.

Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi had to leave bright and earlier so they could get back to Hallow Bastion. The trio along with Toadsworth headed to the Toad Express. Sending them off was Leon's group and Kairi.

"Be careful, kid." Cid told Sora. "I really wish you didn't have to go back there. A kid shouldn't have to do this."

"I disagree." Leon said. "Sora has matured in this last month. I'm quite impressed with how much he has changed."

"Thanks." Sora blushed. "I promise to end this madness."

"But remember," Leon began. "You're going right into the frying pan. The heartless will be extremely difficult to defeat."

The trio nodded and boarded the ship. Toadsworth also boarded and the door closed. The plane took off and Kairi watched it leave. A tear came streaming down her face and Leon put his hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be back." Leon smiled.

A new route opened up on the Toad Express path and Tails drove the plane into it. The path was very rough and the plane began shaking. Tails began sweating nervously as he gripped the control. He knew that Sora, Luigi, Toadsworth, and Yoshi's lives were in his hands.

"Sonic, give me strength." Tails whispered to himself.

The Toad Express at one point began diving, but Tails was able to bring it back up. He kept everything under control until he entered another warp pipe and arrived back at the castle of darkness. Tails sat back in his seat and sighed. Sora walked in and noticed the little fox was exhausted.

"Take it easy." Sora said. "You're the best pilot ever. Thank you."

"No problem, Sora." Tails sighed. "Is everyone alright?"

"All except for Luigi who fainted." Sora chuckled. "Other then that, we're ready, Tails."

"I've done my part." Tails said. "Now it's all up to you."

Sora nodded and took his leave. After many attempts, Sora was able to get Luigi up and the three returned back to the castle of darkness. Sora noticed that darkness has spread out of it from the keyhole.

"Looks like the heartless came out to play." Luigi said.

"Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi need to get back in there." Yoshi said, impatiently.

"Right! Let's go!" Sora nodded in agreement. Before they could move, Sora gasped as he saw Fox standing not too far from them. Sora ran up to Fox and greeted him. "Fox!"

"Sora!" the fox cried. He then shook Sora's hand. "I'm glad you're safe."

"You too." Sora nodded. "I'm glad the heartless didn't give you a big problem." Sora then looked around the area. He remembered that the princesses should have been free now. He was sure that Krystal was with Fox. "Where's Krystal? I thought she was with you."

Fox looked at the castle, "I thought so too, but she still in there."

"Against her will?" Yoshi asked Fox.

"No." Fox responded. "I can sense her feelings. I think she stayed behind for a reason. Notice that the other princesses haven't hurried home for supper."

"He right!" Yoshi exclaimed. "Others still in there!"

"Why would Peach stay behind?" Luigi asked.

Sora ran ahead and turned to the group, "Let's go find out!"

"I'll guide you through the castle." Fox said, getting his staff out. "You may need some help."

The group made their way passed the rising falls and onto the outside of the castle. The heartless attacked upon arrival and the group fought them. Sora used his keyblade to knock them aside. He then used Strike Raid and wacked heartless that attacked from the air. Luigi used F.L.U.D.D to spray water on the heartless and knock them away. He sprayed the floor which caused some to trip. Yoshi used egg roll and rolled around the area and squashed the smaller heartless.

Fox pulled out his staff and spun it around, knocking heartless in front of him away. Two heartless dove at him from above, but Fox jumped onto the top of his stick and the two ran into each other. He then grabbed his staff and swung it over his shoulder and hit both heartless on the heads. He then twirled it and knocked both heartless away. The group proceeded into the castle where they ran into more heartless.

Sora used Ragnarok and knocked a group of heartless back. He then fired a golden beam out of his keyblade and knocked the heartless away. Luigi used Gravity to bring down heartless that were flying in the air. Yoshi ate his heartless and spat them out at others. Fox spun his staff around and then pound it into the ground, creating a giant earthquake. The heartless went flying across the room. More heartless then entered the hallway. Sora kicked one aside and slashed three behind him. He then grabbed another one from behind and threw it into the air, shooting a Fira spell at it.

The heartless continued to enter the room and ambush the group. They couldn't stop all of them and got knocked into the library door. Luigi quickly grabbed the handles on the door and began pulling on it, but it wouldn't open. The group began to panic as Luigi tried as hard as he could to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Luigi then panted and sat on the floor, exhausted from pulling on the door. Yoshi then walked up to the door and pushed it open. Luigi smacked his forehead in realization and groaned.

"Oh, I knew that." Luigi said.

The four dived through the door and quickly slammed it behind them. The group sighed with relief as they stood up and looked around.

"Luigi, sometimes you can't even think right." Sora sighed. "It took a two year old just to open a door."

"Silence!" snapped Luigi. He then sighed. "I've never seen that many before. That keyhole not only made them stronger, but made the army size big as a Storm Trooper army marching down the hallway." He then shivered. "Ugh! I can't stand the sounds their feet make when they walk."

"Listen, this isn't the time to talk about sci-fi movies." Fox pointed out. "We're never going to get to the princesses at this rate."

"Maybe there's a secret passageway." Sora assumed.

Fox then paused as he could feel something strange. He walked through the library searching for something. Shrugging their shoulders, the trio followed him. They reached the end of the area and walked up the stairs. Fox reached the top first and gasped in excitement upon who he saw. It was Krystal and she just finished reading a book. She turned to see Fox and smiled.

Fox dropped his staff and stood frozen. He was a bit skeptical at first, but had a good hunch it was really her.

"K-krystal?" Fox asked nervously. "Is that really you?"

Krystal giggled, "Who else would it be? A heartless?"

Fox laughed nervously at the comment and then smiled. Tears rushed down his face and he ran into Krystal's arms and hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Krystal!" Fox cried. The tears rushed down his face. This is the first time ever since his father died that he has broken down. "I'm so glad you're okay! I'm sorry! If only I..."

"It's okay, Fox." Krystal said softly. "I understand. Better late then ever, right?"

Fox pulled away from Krystal and brushed her hair, "Krystal, I've always wanted to tell you the truth. I love you. Ever since you joined the Starfox team my heart has been beating for you. I was just too afraid to tell you."

"And I love you as well, Fox." Krystal confessed. "I've always have and always will."

The two kissed each other on the lips and Sora smiled. He was happy to see the two foxes united. He then noticed Luigi crying from the beautiful moment. He walked over to the table and picked up a tissue box. Sora brought it back to Luigi and held it out.

"Tissue?" Sora asked.

Luigi took it and blew his nose on it, "Thank you, kid."

The two foxes pulled away from each other. Krystal brushed Fox's chin and he smiled warmly. Krystal then turned her attention to Sora.

"Greeting chosen one of the keyblade." she said to Sora. "I thank you for the brave sacrifice." Sora nodded. "But the keyhole still remains unlocked at this moment." She then turned to Fox. "Fox shall go with you because the power of the heartless has grown."

"Listen, lady." Luigi said. "We'd love to go, but the heartless are everywhere. We can't even get to the source of the problem by going through the problem."

"It's Krystal first off." Krystal said. "And secondly there is a secret elevator that should bring you back to the chapel. I believe a friend named Peach is waiting for you." She then looked down the stairs. "Hm, someone is about to enter this room."

"Huh?" Sora asked confused.

"The princess!" called a voice.

The group turned to see Toadsworth walking into the room and walking up the stairs.

"Greetings, Master Sora!" Toadsworth said.

"Toadsworth!" Yoshi cried. "What Toadsworth doing here?"

"Why else? See that Princess Peach is perfectly okay." Toadsworth chortled.

Luigi then realized something and turned to Krystal, "How did you know he was coming?"

"I have telepathic powers." Krystal responded. "In speaking of telepathic I have a gift for you, Sora." She then handed him a badge and keychain. "The badge is called Scan and with this on, you can sense enemies. The keychain I also gave you is called Swiftfox. It has amazing power. I'm sure it will give you courage like the courage Fox has." Fox blushed and kissed Krystal again. "And you may hold onto my staff this time, Fox."

"Thanks, Krystal." Fox smiled.

"And thanks for the gifts." Sora said to Krystal. "I promise to use it."

Krystal led the group to the end of the hallway and pulled a book out of a shelf. A secret door appeared and she opened it, revealing a platform. The five stepped on the elevator and Krystal made a worried look.

"Please, be careful." Krystal said. "The darkness is raging on. The six of us are doing the best we can to hold it back. But we won't last much longer. You must hurry and finish the job."

"Then let's do it!" Sora said with full energy.

Krystal pressed a button and the elevator lifted into the air. The group arrived outside on the floating platform as it made its way up towards the top of the castle. Sora never really got to see the castle from this point of view and he thought it was amazing. The group looked down to see they were a hundred feet in the air. Finally, the platform reached the door outside of the castle. The group stepped off and walked into the next room.

They arrived at the hallway that lead to the chapel and quickly ran through as the heartless began to appear. They then arrived in the chapel room. They looked to see the remaining princesses talking to each other. Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth saw Peach talking to the young bear cub and they ran up to her.

"Princess Peach!" Toadsworth, Luigi, and Yoshi cried together.

"Thank you my friends." Peach smiled at the group. "But our princess is in another castle."

"WHAT?" Yoshi cried.

Luigi and Toadsworth both almost fainted, but Sora was able to grab them. Peach giggled a little bit.

"That trick never gets old." Peach giggled.

Sora helped get the two adults back on their feet. Toadsworth scowled at the princess.

"Princess!" Toadsworth scowled. "Don't you ever scare me to death like that again!" Peach made sad, puppy dog eyes at the elder mushroom and Toadsworth sighed. "Oh, I can't stay mad at you princess." He then hugged her. "I'm go glad you're okay! I was worried sick princess! I worried night and day..."

"Toadsworth, calm down!" Peach cried, as the mushroom ranted on. "I'm okay!" She then turned to see the trio. "Thank you Sora, Luigi, and Yoshi. You three have done well."

"We're glad you're alive, Peach." Luigi said. "My brother would have had a heart attack if he heard all about this."

"Well, I guess it was fate that chose me to be one of the seven princesses of heart." Peach shrugged. She then bent down to the bear cub. "This is another one named Tooty. I believe this is the only one you haven't met yet."

"We've been waiting for your arrival, keyblade master." Tooty said. "The other princesses and my self have been holding back the keyhole." She then sighed. "I would have rather go on an adventure with my big lazy brother then do this, but that's how life is sometimes."

"Your majesty, what happened to Ansem?" Sora asked the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. "I was told he was still alive. We've got to stop him!"

"Sorry, Sora." she said sadly. "He's gone."

"Gracious!" Toadsworth exclaimed.

"But how?" Yoshi asked in shock.

"When the darkness came pouring out of the keyhole, it swallowed him. Ansem disappeared." Peach sadly explained.

"But that's not stopping the keyhole." Tooty added. "It's still flooding and we're doing everything we can to stop it."

"The reaction on Ansem's face when he was consumed was the most frightening part." Peach said, feeling the chills coming down her spine from remembering it. "He was smiling as the darkness consumed him."

"Who wouldn't find that face frightening?" Luigi asked rhetorically. "I mean they should arrest him for attempting a first degree cause of blindness."

Sora laughed at the joke, "Now that was a funny joke, Luigi!" He then paused about what he just said. However, Luigi didn't hear Sora when he said it."Did I just say Luigi, funny, and joke all in the same sentence?"

"Please, I give you my full support." Peach said. "Good luck."

Toadsworth remained with Peach as Sora's group went to see Samus, Zelda, and Dixie.

"Hey, you three are okay!" Sora said.

"Good to see you again, Sora." Dixie smiled.

"Look, there isn't much time for a reunion." Samus pointed out. "After all you did to save me from the space pirates, now I'll help you."

"We're doing the best we can to hold the darkness back, Sora." Zelda said. "You've got to hurry! We won't last much longer!"

"Kid, we've got to head for the chamber before we're too late." Luigi said. "The princesses won't last forever."

"Yeah, we'll get right on it!" Sora cried.

Sora's group said good-bye and headed into the next room where the heartless attacked them. Fox used his earthquake ability to knock the heartless back. The group processed into the next room which was the chamber area. The heartless once again attacked head on. Sora slashed through the heartless as the others followed him. They had to hurry and tried to knock any heartless that came at them. Sora also found another treasure chest which contained another keychain known as Oblivion.

He put it on and it made him stronger and he was able to knock the heartless back. The four finally reached the heart portal and dove into it. Their new surroundings were a giant room that had multicolors such as red, blue, and green. Sora gasped as he noticed the keyhole on a heartless symbol. Unlike the others, this one had fire surrounding it. Sora could sense it was very powerful.

"Hurry!" Fox called. "Let's close this thing!"

Sora's group headed for the keyhole when a giant purple beast appeared out of the sky with four legs. It was a giant heartless with a horn on the top and two giant fangs that stuck up. Luigi groaned and smacked his forehead.

"So close!" Luigi groaned. "We were so close!"

"Come on!" Sora cried, getting his keyblade ready. "We can do this together! This Behemoth looks tough, but we can beat him!"

Behemoth brought it's two front feet up and then back down which sent a shock wave at the group. They quickly dodged the attack and charged at the monster. It then fired a dark energy ball from it's horn and split it into smaller balls. A few hit the group and knocked them down. As another one came down, Sora deflected the attack away. Fox used his staff and spun some away and using it like a fan, knocked the attack right back at the monster.

Behemoth jumped into the air and slammed back down on the ground. Luigi and Yoshi ran other the monster's legs to avoid the attack. Yoshi tried to hit the monster with an egg, but it had no effect.

"Oh, no!" Yoshi gasped.

Sora tried to stab the beast's leg, but it quickly knocked him back with it. Sora went crashing into Fox and the two went flying into the wall. Luigi tried to use stop magic, but it also had no effect. He then tried his gravity magic and it caused the beast to scream in pain. It then bent down and growled. Sora used his new scan ability to detect that the horn was the source of his power. The four quickly attacked the monster with hard blows.

The monster could feel extreme amounts of pain coming from their blows. He got so mad that he put a shield up on the horn and stood up. He then fired giant lightning which zapped everyone. The group tried to get up, but the monster blasted them again. They weakly got up and ran at the monster again. They then figured out a better way to hit the monster's horn, by jumping on his back. The group quickly ran under the monster's legs and arrived at the other end. Sora then jumped for it and got on. The others then followed him up.

They ran for the horn and began striking it as much as they could. Behemoth noticed this and shot electricity out at the group. The group went flying back to the edge, but Sora was able to grab to the creature's back. He crawled his way back up and charged again at the horn. He snapped on his Sonic Blade badge and dashed through the monster and finished it with a hard strike. Behemoth hit the ground from the tremendous pain.

"Quickly!" Sora cried.

The four rapidly hit the beast as much as they could until it put up a shield to protect its horn. It then fired another thunder spell at everyone. The group was able to dodge it this time and charged at the monster again. Behemoth shot another energy ball at the group which they all dodged again. Fox rapidly slashed the little balls away by spinning his staff. Sora and Luigi used gravity to bring the beast down hard to the ground. Finally, the group combined their attacks into one final blow and brought it down hard on Behemoth.

Behemoth growled in pain after receiving such a blow and it fell over. It gave on more look at Sora's group and it disappeared from their sight. Sora received a rare and powerful item called "Omega Arts" which he saved for later.

"We did it." Luigi sighed.

"He wasn't so bad." Fox said from his perspective.

"You kidding?" Luigi groaned. "I got zapped so many times I thought I was going to turn into ashes."

Yoshi looked over to see the dark keyhole, "Sora need to seal keyhole now."

Sora nodded and walked over to the keyhole. As he was about ready to seal it, he heard a familiar voice.

"Sora. You did it." called Leon.

"Leon?" Sora asked, baffled. "What's he doing here?"

"Let's go and find out." Fox said.

The four left the dark room together and decided the keyhole could wait a moment. Outside, Fox said good-bye and headed back to the chapel to find Krystal. Sora gasped as he saw Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith. He walked over to them while Luigi and Yoshi stayed behind to watch over the keyhole.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Sora asked. "I didn't need any help."

"Why would we help you?" Yuffie joked. "Your big feet could stomp on any heartless." Sora frowned at her. "Only joking. Cid had an extra block and we were able to come here in the same vessel we used to leave here."

"Where is Cid?" Sora asked.

"He went to check out the old workshop here." Aerith explained. "As you're aware, this is our childhood home. We wanted to see it again now that you were here."

"And as I feared it is in the worse shape ever." Leon said, looking around at the castle. "This world used to be beautiful and peaceful. I hope one day we can rebuild this world to the way it was." He then turned to Sora. "Kairi is safe. I left her with Tom Nook. Hopefully, nothing bad will go wrong."

"Leon, I'm about to seal the keyhole." Sora told him. "What do you think will happen now?"

"At this point I think that the darkness will weaken." Leon assumed. "But, the threat will still be alive. I believe our only chance on winning this war is to take out the one who caused this."

"Ansem?"

"Exactly." Aerith nodded. "He's the one who started all this by experimenting on the heart. After that, he released the true darkness which caused this whole thing to turn into a big problem."

"If Ansem is defeated, every single world that was lost by the darkness shall return." Leon added. "That means your island as well."

Sora gasped excitedly. Finally, he was going to go home. Everything would be back to normal, plus he would be able to invite Luigi and Yoshi to his island sometimes and it would be a whole new journey.

"I get to go home!" Sora cried happily. "I can see my mom and dad again. And my friends! You guys can always come and visit me if you..." Sora noticed the adults had sad looks on their faces. He knew that something was horribly wrong. "What's the matter? I thought you were happy."

"We are." Leon nodded. "But when all the worlds are restored..."

"...this will mean good-bye." Yuffie finished sadly.

"Good-bye?" Sora blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Once the worlds are restored, they'll become separated again." Aerith explained.

"Everyone will go back to where they came from." Yuffie said. "And there's nothing they could do."

Sora began to felt nervous. How could they be sad? Weren't the worlds separated already? He was confused still, but then he knew that everything was okay.

"No, problem." Sora smiled. "I can ask Luigi and Yoshi if they could fly down in the Toad Express. Then, I can come and visit you guys."

"It's not as simple as it appears." Leon said to Sora's dismay. "Think about it, Sora. If you did know about other worlds out there, then I'm sure you would have visited them at an earlier time. But you never knew about other worlds nor then anyone else, did they?" Sora nodded. "That's because every world was isolated. Impassable by an invisible wall. The heartless destroyed the walls which caused other world travel."

"When the worlds are restored, those walls will return." Aerith said. "No question about it."

Sora couldn't believe his ears. He would never be able to see any of them again. Leon, Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie. He put his head down and fought back the tears that were coming out of his eyes.

"It can't be!" Sora cried in sorrow. "So, that means that we can never...?" Leon nodded before the boy could finish. He was heartbroken. He didn't want it to end like this. He loved exploring other worlds with his friends. Meeting new faces and going on fabulous adventures. Sora then sadly turned to Luigi and Yoshi. His two friends that supported him through his entire adventure would be out of his life for good. "Luigi...Yoshi...I don't know what to do without..."

Leon put his hand on Sora's shoulder, "It's alright. Not everything works out. I know you'll miss those two. Especially, Yoshi. You've grown attached to him." Sora sniffled a little bit. "Crying won't help. You need to be strong. We may never meet again, but as long as we remember each other, we'll always be in each others lives."

"Even if we are aprat." Aerith began. "Our hearts will bring us together again."

Sora looked up and smiled at the group. He needed to be strong now. This maybe the last time he'll see his friends, but a piece of each one would live on in his heart.

"Besides, I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to." Yuffie said, trying to enlighten the group.

"And what's that suppose to mean?" Sora chuckled. He then sighed. "But, I don't know how I'm going to break this to Luigi and Yoshi. It will break their hearts. Yoshi's especially. He looks at me like a big brother."

"Hey, Sora!" called Luigi. "What are you doing? Get your behind over here!"

Sora turned to notice the duo impatiently waiting for him.

"Hurry!" Yoshi called. "Come and close the keyhole!"

"I wouldn't worry about it now." Leon responded. "Good luck, Sora."

Sora nodded and left for the keyhole. Back inside, Sora approached the keyhole with the two behind him. Taking a deep breath, he took out the keyblade and pointed it right at the keyhole. The tip of the keyblade began glowing brightly upon contact with the keyhole. It shot a bright light at the keyhole and the fire dimmed and the keyhole made the familiar locking noise. The keyhole the made an extremely bright light and then flashed before Sora's eyes. The light finally dimmed and the keyhole was gone for good. The trio cheered as they finally sealed the keyhole and were one step closer to ending this madness.

As the group arrived outside, they ran into Aerith who was still around.

"Sora! You've got to read this!" she said.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"I found most of the Ansem reports." Aerith responded. "And take this with you. It will give you a bit of light."

Sora received a few more Ansem reports and a crystal to update his cure magic. The trio left the main hall and headed back to the chapel. Now that the heartless have vanished, it was smooth sailing all the way back. Upon their arrival, the princesses greeted them.

"You did good, kid." Samus said. "The darkness has begun to take it's leave. That puts me at ease."

"Not so fast, Samus." Zelda said discouraged. "There's another powerful darkness growing not too far from here."

"She's right!" Peach gasped, "It feels like the heart of all darkness."

"Probably where that Ansem guy went." assumed Luigi.

"Then we got to get in the Toad Express and finish this battle!" Sora cried.

"A worthy answer, keyblade master." Tooty said. She then handed Sora two crystals. "Take these. They'll make you stronger."

Sora received the final magic upgrades to ice and fire. Dixie smiled to Sora with hope.

"Your courage can bring back our worlds." Dixie said. "Believe me, the way you handled Captain Skurvy and his crew was impressive."

"Sora, when you, Luigi, and Yoshi defeat the darkness, all should return to it's original state." Peach explained.

Sora gasped in shock because he knew that Kairi wasn't from Destiny Island to begin with.

"Will Kairi return to my island?" Sora asked with hope.

"Most certainly." Tooty nodded. "And you should be, too."

"But, I know that Mario is still out there." Peach sighed sadly. "I'm counting on you three to find him."

"And we need to find Riku, too." Luigi added.

"Yeah!" Sora cried. "I'm not going home until they're safe!"

"And I'll gladly help as well." Toadsworth nodded. "I do worry about the princess, but I promised to help in this journey of yours." He then turned to Peach. "Stay out of trouble, young lady."

"Okay." she sighed while rolling her eyes.

The group said their good-byes and headed out. On the way, they stopped by the library and said goo-bye to Fox and Krystal. The four headed back for the Toad Express and Luigi, Yoshi, and Toadsworth boarded. Sora looked back at the castle and sighed. He knew he had one more task to complete, but in doing so, his magical journey would end. He didn't even know if he had the heart to tell his friends he was leaving. It was like with Yoshi and the storybook, except worse.

"Come on, Sora!" Yoshi called.

Sora sadly turned back and boarded the ship.