DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any of the Disney/Square Enix characters that appear in this work. Please support the original releases.


Chapter 27: Hollow Bastion


"Awesome!"

Max and Kairi moved about the bridge of the gummi ship, marveling at all the buttons, the steering wheel, and the dollar sign shaped pilot's chair.

"Totally awesome," Kairi agreed, looking up at the glass domed ceiling.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie bounced up and down by the control panel.

"Finally! It's ready! That was so much work," complained Louie.

"Think of all the adventures we can go on now," said Dewey.

Huey rubbed his eye. "A real rocket ship! Words cannot express how happy I am."

Scrooge stomped into the bridge and pointed his cane at the semicircle of passenger seats behind the pilot's chair. "Sit down and buckle up. Goodness knows, I don't want this thing falling out of the sky because you five had to go and play co-pilot."

Professor Von Drake's head popped out from under the control panel. "I vill have you know that I have created the finest ship! There is no vay it will fall out of the sky!"

Gadget, who had been sitting on the professor's shoulder, jumped onto the control panel. "We've given the ship a complete overhaul. The odds of blowing up are less then ninety nine point eight percent."

She stomped on a blue button. A view screen appeared on the round window in front of the pilot's seat.

"Testing, one, two. Chip? Dale? Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear!" Dale waved his arms on the view screen.

Chip's blurry, black nose obscured the screen for a moment before he leaned back. "We'll keep an eye on the ship's progress from the hanger. Be safe out there!"

Gadget jumped from one button to the next. The screen changed. Chip and Dale vanished, to be replaced by a screen full of numbers and charts. Gadget nodded at each figure.

"All systems ready, Professor."

"Excellent. Ve only need our pilot."

Launchpad entered the bridge. "All right Mr. McD, I'm ready to get this baby space-born."

Kairi cringed.

"Don't worry," Gadget winked, "I've added anti-crash systems attached to the ship."

"Thanks."

Buckling up, Kairi looked out of the glass dome at the red and white wings of the ship. The thrusters lit up with a lavender stream of energy as the ship came to life. Down blow, in the gummi hanger, Queen Minnie, Daisy, Mary, PJ and Bobby stood behind Chip and Dale. The gummi ship's view screen popped up.

Bobby pushed aside everyone else so that he give the passengers a huge wink.

"You got this, bro-oh! We'll keep things good on the home front."

Max waved at his friends. "Make sure he doesn't slack off, Peej."

PJ gripped his hammer with trembling hands. "Please come back safe. I don't think I'm ready to be captain full time."

Someone cleared their throat. Bobby and PJ stiffened, moving so Daisy can take up the screen. "Max, make sure to keep everyone out of harm's way."

Max saluted. "Yes ma'am."

Next came Mary and Minnie. "I've taught you as much as I can. Experience will be your teacher now."

"And Kairi," Queen Minnie curtsied, "good luck on your mission."

Kairi put her hands over her heart, biting her lip. "Majesty Minnie, Daisy, Mary, thank you for everything!"

Minnie, Mary and Daisy chuckled. "Of course dear. Now off you go."

"Launchpad to crew, perimeters set! Ready for blast off."

On the screen, Chip and Dale grinned. "Happy flying!"

The screen turned off. Launchpad pulled a lever. The ship vibrated, lifting from its secured position. It hovered, lighting up the gummi hanger with lavender shadows.

"Blast off!" An arrow appeared right in front of the ship. It pointed downward.

Kairi had one second to realize what was happening before her stomach dropped down into her legs. The triplets screamed. Max held onto this seat for dear life. Professor Von Drake had to grab Gadget before she could go splat against the ceiling. Scrooge merely rolled his eyes as the ship fell down through a long tunnel.

They popped out right underneath the world of Disney Castle. Kairi, upside down and still gasping from the surprise plunge, watched Disney Castle shrink as they flew away. Once Launchpad had the ship right side up again, everyone was allowed to leave their seats. Gadget ordered the triplets around while Scrooge and Professor Von Drake stayed near Launchpad, making sure he was paying attention on their voyage. Max looked out the window into the swirling, tie-die blues, purples, and pinks of interspace. The nebulae and stars reflected in his wide eyes.

"Wow."

Kairi stared out into the stars, wondering if Sora was out there somewhere, looking all the worlds he had worked so hard to save. Now it was her turn. Kairi removed two letters from her waist pouches. The first was the crumbled letter from King Mickey, the one that Pluto had given her on Destiny Islands. The second was from Master Yen Sid.

"Hello? Earth to Kairi?"

Max slumped down in the seat next to her. "What's up? You're never this out of it."

Kairi pinched the letter's corner, wrinkling it more. "Just thinking about all the stuff we're going to do in the new world. What do you plan to do once we get there?"

"Stick to you like glue." Max pointed to the ducks. "Bet Mr. McDuck is going to find a nice place to set up some kind of shop, and he's going to boss around the boys to do his busy work. Gadget, Launchpad and Professor Von Drake aren't going to leave this ship." Max leaned in to whisper. "No matter what Gadget says, I just know Launchpad is going to find some way to damage this thing."

"I heard that!"

Max waved his hand dismissively at Gadget.

"Anyway," he continued, "you have something big you need to do. So, I'm not leaving your side until you do it."

"It may be dangerous."

Max poked Kairi on her forehead. "Who was the person that taught you how to defend yourself?"

Kairi grinned evilly. "Oswald."

"Excuse me? What about all the sweet moves I taught you?"

Kairi put her tongue between her teeth. "I'm kidding, you goof."

"Excuse me, Ms. Kairi," Launchpad called.

"We're far enough from Disney Castle to do a jump," Gadget explained, pointing to a series of buttons. "All we need are the coordinates."

"Give me a second." Kairi closed her eyes, thinking. "Sora punched in the numbers on his last adventure. I think it went something like this."

Automatically, Kairi pressed the right buttons. It was strange how she knew so much simply from being inside Sora's heart, experiencing his adventure with him. In fact, Kairi wondered if her aptitude for sword play was because she had been with Sora during so many of his battles.

Gadget clapped her hands. "Perfect! Everyone sit down! Warping in ten seconds!"

The ship launched through a long tunnel of lights and colors. Kairi was pressed into her seat. Moments later, the tunnel ended and the ship slowed. A red spec appeared in the distance. As they flew closer to it, Kairi felt the itch of dread on her chest.

Memories filled her mind of running through a labyrinth of elevators, forgotten halls, waterways and pipes. And of running away from Ansem, right after losing Sora. A lonely feeling chewed at her heart, reminding her of the pain of when she finally reunited with her friends, only for Sora to vanish in her arms, and for Riku to appear as nothing more then a phantom, warning her to run away from the heartless. They were going back to where it had all happened. The place she had refused to remember for so long.

Her original home.

"All right, it's now or never! Professor, I'm counting on you."

"Right! Ve vill succeed!"

Gadget danced on one of the control panels, pressing buttons with her feet. A slot opened under the panel and tiny lever rose up from under it. On the other side of the bridge, Professor Von Drake did the same. An identical lever appeared.

The professor gripped the lever. "Preparing to pass through the vorld barrier in three."

"Two," said Gadget. "Launchpad, get ready."

"Aye aye!" Launchpad's hand hovered over a red button.

"Von!"

The levers were pulled. Launchpad slammed the button. The ship sprinted forward. For a split second, Kairi's heart flipped when she looked down and saw that she was standing over nothing. There was a golden flash, and the ship reappeared around her. The sky outside changed from the swirling colors and stars of interspace. Instead a gloomy, pink, perpetual sunset appeared overhead.

"It vorks!" Professor Von Drake gave Gadget a high five. "Vell done!"

A decrepit castle stood in the middle of a world of water. Kairi's throat tightened and she took in a shaky breath. Mangled pipes grew out of the castle like an infection growth, twisting this way and that. Steam fizzled out of the pipes' rusted holes. A heart shape, the same symbol that appeared on non pureblood heartless, towered over them. Built into the middle of the castle, half of the heart emblem looked like a layer of skin that had been peeled away, revealing the muscles underneath. The other half looked into the castle's clockwork bowels. Darkness coated the castle like a pesticide. Even from inside the ship, Kairi could feel its poison pounding on her head and its stale scent stinging her nose. Her breathing quickened.

"Hey," Huey pointed at something out of the window. "I see a town."

"A town means people. People means munny! Take us down, Launchpad."

"Yes sir, Mr. Mc.D."

Kairi kept her eyes on the castle as they flew past. Those old, forsaken walls were full of more then just darkness. Memories of Donald and Goofy's betrayal, of losing the keyblade and having to rely on Beast's strength, of fighting Riku, all while forcing herself to go on, to find...Kairi shook her head. Those weren't her memories. They were Sora's. She had been with him as he had climbed the castle. In his heart, she had been helpless, unable to tell him he would be all right, unable to scream at Riku for what he was putting the both of them through, unable to stop Sora from stabbing his own heart to set her free.

As the gummi ship began to descend, Kairi watched the castle move up to loom over them. For a moment, the sky turned dark, and Kairi felt pain rising up from somewhere deep within her. A dark and stormy night, screaming, running away from monsters in the dark, someone's low cackle, and...

Max put his hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

The ship landed in the town, surprisingly without a problem. Gadget jumped onto Max's leg and tapped her foot.

"Told ya. Lauchpad proof."

Just then the ship groaned, leaning to one side. Scrooge and Ludvig Von Drake smacked against the left window.

"Launchpad!" Scrooge growled.

"Oops!" Launchpad turned the steering wheel to the right, making sure ship, and everyone in it, level.

Max raised his eyebrows at Gadget.

"Always room for error," she shrugged.

"Opening the hatch," Launchpad announced. "You may disembark."

Scrooge and the triplets raced out. Following, Max and Kairi entered into a makeshift town square. Sections of the cobblestone roads were not yet lined, revealing the halfway done cement underneath. Several shops were nothing more then a booth and a skeleton of wooden beams. People carried around lumber, roof shingles, and bags of dirt.

In the middle of the town was a hot dog stand, and a line of muddy but excited construction workers. The sweet smell of sizzling sausages made Max's stomach growl. He joined the line while Kairi took in all the busy townsfolk that were hammering, plastering and painting new houses.

She paused by hole in the square. A man and a woman in overalls were down in the dirt, tightening bolts on a set of underground pipes. The workers turned a valve, and then water began flowing through the tiny fountains on the edges of the square. Kairi stared at the fountains. A familiar feeling filled her heart. She remembered flowers, whole patches of them, lovingly grown in flowerbeds all along perfect blue, purple, and grey cobblestone streets.

Max came back, licking his lips. "That was one good hod dog. Want one?"

"No thanks," said Kairi, not taking her eyes off the flower beds.

"What's up?"

"I remember this town. It was covered in flowers, like a garden."

Max looked around. "You sure? It looks like they just started building it."

"Well, maybe not this exact town, but one like it, from a long time ago, I think."

"You think?"

"I was born in this world." Kairi explained. "But I don't remember much. I'm getting bits and pieces here and there."

"Let's take a look around. Maybe you'll get a better picture."

Kairi and Max passed by a shop that looked suspiciously like a giant refrigerator. Scrooge and the triplets were there, setting up an ice cream stand. Scrooge haggled with the shop owner, while the triplets helped the workers pain the shop sign.

Behind the fridge was a set of stairs that led to the residential area. The houses in that part of town were more complete then the ones in the square, as were the roads. A large, red crane hovered over Kairi and Max's heads, making them feel like toys in a claw machine. Workers stood around wooden crates, arguing over blue prints.

A tall, muscular man and a girl were pushing a wheel barrow full of bricks in Kairi's direction.

"Maybe you should take it easy Cid," mocked the petite girl next to him. "This kind of work can't be easy on your bones."

The big, blond man clenched his teeth on the long twig between his lips. He glared at the girl. She back-flipped away. Landing on her feet, she put her hands on her hips.

"Calm down. I'm just worried about you."

"If yer not going to help me work, then go n' bother someone else."

"Ouch. So cold. I swear, you and Leon, so stiff."

The man returned to pushing the wheel barrow. Then he spotted Kairi at the bottom of the stairs. He dropped the wheel barrow on his foot. Wailing, he jumped up and down, holding his leg.

Kairi dashed forward. "Cure!"

The man's pained expression faded. "Thanks." He lowered his leg. "Wait a minute, now is not the time for that. What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too Cid," Kairi smiled awkwardly. "Long time."

"You were supposed to go back to yer own world. Don't tell me the heartless are breaking down the walls again."

"Not exactly. My friends and I came here in a special ship that can pass through the world's protective wall."

Cid's eyes lit up. "Did you now?" He rubbed his hand on the stubble on his chin. "A ship that can pass through the walls of worlds. Where's yer vessel?"

"Upstairs, behind the town square."

Cid abandoned his cart, and raced up the stairs. Then it was the girl's turn to appear in front of Kairi's face.

"No way, it is you! And Goofy too? Wait, no. You're not Goofy."

"No. The name's Max. I'm Goofy's son."

"Goofy has a son?"

Max's muzzle wrinkled. "Is that a problem?"

The girl waved her hands. "Not at all. It's just a surprise. Pleased to meet ya, Max. I'm the great ninja Yuffie."

Her intro done, she completely ignored Max in favor of throwing her arms around Kairi and giving her a good squeeze.

"I can't believe you're here!" She leaned back. "Is Sora here too? What happened? Did he defeat Ansem? I mean, we know he must have, how else would all the stars come back to the sky? But I want to know the details!"

Kairi laughed. On Sora's last adventure, she had barely met Yuffie in person and yet it still felt as though she were reuniting with a long time friend after summer vacation. Kairi looked Yuffie over, from her short, black hair to her yellow shorts. She hadn't changed a bit, all spunk and no shame.

"Sora's not here," Kairi explained. "I haven't seen him since he, Donald and Goofy restored the worlds. I came here for a different reason."

Yuffie put a finger to Kairi's lips. "Hold that thought. You've got to explain everything to the others. Come on!"

Yuffie led the way to a cottage. There was a short, round tower, shaped much like a wizard's hat, rising out of the house's red roof. Pushing the heavy door open, Yuffie shoved Max and Kairi into a messy room. Right across from the front door, was a massive computer, with several screens on wall. A young man sat in front of the keyboard, looking up at the screens. Yuffie put her hands on his shoulders.

"Squall! You'll never believe who's here!"

The man swatted her hands as though he were chasing away a fly. "It's Leon. Do you have to be so loud every time you enter a room?"

His voice was smooth and low, completely relaxed despite Yuffie's spastic pointing.

"Whatever! Look!"

Leon turned around and spotted Kairi. His serious features didn't show a hint of surprise. Meanwhile, a young woman with long, braided, chestnut hair stood up from behind a pile of books on the floor. She pressed her palms together, her green eyes dancing with delight.

"Kairi! You're here!"

"Hi Aerith."

Leon waved nonchalantly. "Hey."

Yuffie crossed her arms, curling her lip at him. "That's it? What happened to," her voice got low, "'We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other?' Can't you show a little more enthusiasm? We thought we'd never see anyone from the outside world ever again!"

Leon sighed, leaned back in his seat, and rubbed the diagonal scar between his brows. Ignoring him, Aerith greeted Kairi properly.

"How did you get here? Oh! And you must be Goofy's son."

Max bowed.

"Are you here to keep Kairi out of trouble?"

"Keep her out of trouble? Yeah sure. Trouble finds her."

"Don't mind him, Aerith. He's just mad that he can't beat me in a sparring match."

Max shoved Kairi's shoulder. "Pu-lease! Last I checked, you're at seven wins and thirteen losses against me. Plus, you can only beat me by using magic."

"Don't be such a sore loser Max."

"And you've never beaten me when duel wielding."

Now that got Leon's attention.

"You use two swords at once? I'd like to see that in action."

Max grinned. "A duel? I'm down."

Smirking, Leon opened the front door. Outside, Kairi, Yuffie and Aerith leaned against the house, watching Max unsheathe his swords. Leon brandished a silver blade. A picture of a lion was embedded at the base of the blade. The handle resembled a pistol's grip. The hilt of the sword had a trigger guard and trigger, as well as a cylinder, hammer and part of a barrel.

Max pointed. "What is that, some short of blade gun?"

"Gunblade," Leon corrected. "Whenever you're ready."

Max charged.

While the two of them duked it out, Kairi filled Aerith in on everything she knew regarding the end of Sora's journey, how she escaped Destiny Islands, the letter from Yen Sid, and the heartless machine. Aerith listened patiently, without asking questions. That was Yuffie's job.

"Hold up. You're saying that somewhere in this world, there is a machine that's just randomly spitting out heartless?"

"Yes. Has there been a heartless problem in this town?"

"Sometimes," said Aerith, "but we've got it covered. Leon, Cloud, Yuffie and I take turns patrolling the town and destroy any we come across. There haven't been any major incidents."

"Don't jinx it." Yuffie covered her mouth.

"What about the castle? I noticed the town is a little ways off."

Aerith and Yuffie exchanged looks.

"We've been working to restore Hollow Bastion to what it was like before. And we've come a long way in such a short time."

Yuffie winked. "Yeah, everyone has been working super hard! Even Merlin uses his magic to help us out."

"Merlin's here?"

Aerith pointed over her shoulder to the house. "We use his home as a headquarters."

"And Cid's been working on a defense system to help protect the town from heartless."

"That's great, but what about the castle?"

Yuffie deflated, crossing her arms. "You tell her."

Aerith looked up at the sky, in the direction of the castle. "After the stars reappeared in the sky, more heartless then ever swarmed the castle. We had to evacuate. Since then, an impenetrable wall of darkness has kept everyone out."

"So it's been abandoned all this time?"

Aerith nodded.

Yuffie rotated her neck. "I still feel sore thinking about it. I've never seen so many heartless at once. There were thousands of them. They just kept coming. Almost like that night." She shuddered.

"That night." Kairi repeated.

A dark and stormy night, screaming, her home falling apart, someone's low cackle, and monsters that appeared out of the shadows. Kairi shook her head, clearing away the memories. For now.

"The heartless at the castle, were they pureblood heartless? Or did they have the heart shaped emblem on them?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah. I haven't seen the little shadowy types around that much."

"The heartless machine must be in the castle. There has to be a way inside."

Max and Leon's duel ended in a draw. Resting his blade on his shoulder, Leon turned to Kairi.

"If you want to get in to the castle, check in with Cloud at the rising falls. He's been going there often. I'll lead the way."

Yuffie walked past Leon. "Great, let's go!"

"Oh no you don't."

He grabbed Yuffie's head, turning her around.

"You're staying in town."

"What? Why?"

"Someone's got to stay and defend this place."

Leon shoved Yuffie. She stumbled, stopping in front of Aerith.

Aerith leaned down, smiling into Yuffie's grumbling face. "Translation: that was an indirect compliment. He wouldn't have asked you stay if he didn't think you would do a good job."

Leon's only response to Aerith's comment was a quick, "hmph" sound.


The rising falls made Kairi dizzy. After following Leon through a series of limestone tunnels on the edge of town, they walked into the misty pit that sat under the castle. Water flowed along the walls of the pit, flowing up instead of down, making Kairi feel as though she were in a wet elevator that was always going down. Except they weren't moving at all.

Stone platforms floated in the air before them. Jumping from platform to platform, Max, Leon and Kairi reached the top of the pit. Standing between two stone pillars, they watched the ocean of still water before them. Though it was a ways away, rising out of the ocean, the castle loomed like a giant watching the insignificant ants at its feet. Kairi could feel the gaze of darkness on her. She pushed down the need to retch.

A young man and woman stood at the water's edge before them. Kairi recognized the young man. Though his outfit had changed from the last time she had seen him, switching out his blue uniform and red cape for a mostly black ensemble, Kairi recognized his spiky, blond hair and the thick, heavy, buster blade on his back. One of Sora's memories flashed in her mind. She remembered fighting the young man in Olympus Colosseum. Cloud.

A young woman that stood next to Cloud. Kairi was drawn in by the gentle smile in the woman's brown eyes. She wore a black, leather outfit and a matching set of gloves. Upon seeing Leon, she walked over.

"Not that often we see you around these parts. Something happen in town?"

Leon shook his head. "Any progress on the castle?"

"Nothing to report," drawled Cloud.

Kairi stepped forward. "Excuse me, Mr. Cloud, has any heartless come out of the castle?"

Cloud gave her a cold gaze.

"How do you know me?"

"You've met my friend, Sora."

His eyes rested on her face for a long second. "I see. So you were the light he was searching for."

Kairi blushed.

Max elbowed her. "Not that much fun when it's you, is it?"

Covering her face with one hand, Kairi pushed Max with the other.

"Cloud," the young woman admonished.

Cloud quickly turned to look back at the castle. Behind him, Leon crossed his arms and tried to act uninterested, but his the corners of his lips curled upward ever so slightly. Sighing, the young woman pulled Kairi's hand away from her face.

"Don't mind him, he's a little insensitive to these kinds of things. My name is Tifa. You were asking about heartless in the castle?"

Kairi could have hugged Tifa. Clearing her throat, she explained about King Mickey's letter and the heartless machine. When she was finished, Cloud and Tifa exchanged looks.

"That would explain why the heartless keep popping up in town," Tifa said.

"But how are they getting out? We've investigated every inch of the rising falls. The entire time we've been here, we haven't encountered a single one," said Cloud.

Max pointed to the water. "Can't we just get a boat and sail across?"

"Negative," said Leon. "The water may be slow here, but the current to the castle is too strong for any boat."

"Bummer." Max kicked one of the stone pillars.

Kairi stared at the spot Max had just kicked. Goosebumps rose on her arms. She pressed her hand on the pillar. The tingle of darkness zipped through her palm. She jumped, stumbling backward toward the edge of the platform. Tifa reached out, caught her arm and pulled her back.

"Are you all right? You're as pale as a sheet."

Kairi pushed away from Tifa's side. "I felt darkness."

Slowly, Kairi approached the pillar and put her hand on it. A cold tingle spread up her arm. She moved her hand down to the ground. The tingle was still there. She took off her boots and socks. Shivering, she felt the unmistakeable cold burn of darkness in her heels.

Leon, Cloud, Tifa and Max followed Kairi down the rising falls. She walked on the water, passing over the walls. The water sprayed on her face and shirt, but she ignored it, concentrating. Directly underneath the platform that faced the castle, she stopped.

"The darkness is strongest here."

"Get clear."

Everyone stepped out Cloud's way. He lifted his broad sword with both hands. After a mighty swing, the wall cracked. The blue stone crumbled away. A draft blew out from behind the water. Kairi put her hand through the waterfall. The other side was hollow.

The party stepped into a dark tunnel. On the other side, Kairi put her boots back on.

"Looks like we've found our entrance," said Cloud, turning to look at Kairi.

"W-what is it?"

"Nothing."

"Really, Cloud? You're going to creep her out. Just go ahead and tell her what's on your mind."

Cloud ignored Tifa, walking ahead.

"That guy," Tifa sighed. "He's like a cat: you have to wait for him to come to you. There's a soft side in there somewhere. He's just too proud to say that he's impressed."

Kairi pressed her lips together. "He reminds me of a certain someone."

"Me?"

"Max, you're a total softie. Like Sora. No, Cloud reminds me of Riku. Hard shell on the outside, soft on the inside."

"What is he, an egg?"

Tifa laughed. "I like that. Yep, a total egghead." Cloud's voice echoed from up ahead. "Are you going to stand around gossiping or are we going to start this mission?"

Leon tapped Kairi's shoulder. She turned to see that he hadn't crossed the waterfall into the tunnel.

"Good luck," said Leon.

"You're not coming?"

"Someone's got to stay in the rising falls, to make sure no heartless come out of this tunnel. Watch out for each other."

"Okay. Thanks."

As they walked through the tunnel, Kairi whispered to Tifa.

"I can see how he and Leon could get along. Mission comes first."

"Workaholics more like," Tifa giggled. "It wouldn't hurt either of them to open up a little."

The tunnel was a narrow, dark line, forcing the party to move single file. It smelled of rain and stone. The scent swirled around Kairi, reminding her of a storm. In her mind, rain fell from the sky in thick sheets, flooding the gardens and the town. People screamed as they were washed away, vanishing under the black water and Kairi watched it all, frozen in place, even though she knew she should be running, but from what? She couldn't remember.

Kairi stopped walking, making Max crash into her. Before he could complain, he looked over her shoulder. Up ahead was a long spiral staircase. The party climbed. At the top of the stairs were a pair of massive double doors. Cloud and Tifa pushed them apart. For the first time in a year, Kairi walked into the great hall of the castle.

Instantly, she remembered protecting Sora from the heartless and returning him to his true form, but then another memory flashed. She was small. She was playing in the great hall. A kind voice called out to her, a voice that Kairi sometimes heard in her dreams.

The memory was interrupted by Cloud, and Tifa's echoing footsteps as they inspected the hall. The only light in the dim, cavernous space came from the massive, ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The room was painted in gloomy, earthy tones, which, to Kairi, felt just wrong. Though hazy, she remembered this room being a lot brighter, full of townspeople and happy researchers, chatting about library books and making requests for the wise man that led them. She remembered someone's soft, wrinkly hand holding hers. She remembered asking so many questions, and having each of them patiently answered by a pair of soft voices. She remembered-

A wolfish face appeared in the middle of the hall. Then a bulgy heartless appeared right behind it. The heartless raised the wolfish face into the air like a shield, letting out a silent roar. More shield baring heartless appeared, along with floating witches and wyverns. They packed the room like sardines, surrounding the party.

Max and Kairi darted forward, to fight, but never got the chance. Cloud flashed from one place to another, stabbing anything that was in his path with his sword's sonic power. While he was busy slicing through whole armies of heartless, several of the flying wyverns appeared over his head. Before Kairi could even think of summoning magic, Tifa jumped and kicked the heartless so hard, that all five of them slammed against a wall, bursting into dust.

Cloud was a heaver hitter, obliterating anything that was dumb enough to gather in one spot, but his speed was nothing compared to Tifa, who sprinted all over the great hall, punching, kicking, somersaulting, stomping and throwing heartless around like baseballs, all while Max and Kairi stared with their jaws on the floor.

"She fights with her bare hands," Max whispered.

"With her bare hands," Kairi repeated.

"Mega cool," they said together.

It took Cloud and Tifa five minutes to get rid of the hordes. Dusting off her hands, Tifa gestured deeper into the castle. "Shall we?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kairi and Max said eagerly.

The party entered the library and spread out, looking for clues. Along the back wall of the library were a set of golden windows. A staircase sat in front of the windows, leading to the second floor. Under the staircase was a reading table and a chair. Kairi stared at the empty seat.

"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of the light."

Kairi closed her eyes. She could hear her grandmother's voice, clear and soft.

"Everyone loved the light," Kairi recited her grandmother's story. "Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts."

A book lay on the table. Kairi opened it. She recognized the words on the first page. She had read them before, on someone's lap, in that very seat.

"What are you reading Kairi?"

"This book is like Grandma's story. What are you reading?"

"It's a complicated book. I don't think you'll understand it. There are no fairy tales in here."

"Is is a book for smart people? If I read all the books in the library, will I be as smart as you are one day?"

There was a loving chuckle. "Perhaps." Then there was a sigh. "Perhaps you are better off not being like me. Knowledge can be a tempting curse."

Kairi dropped the book. Her memory flashed forward, to another time, to another room, a wide room, with books thrown all over the floor, funny looking diagrams on the chalkboards behind the desk, and papers upon papers of notes, all written in his neat handwriting.

She wasn't supposed to be in there. He didn't like it when she entered without permission, but she just couldn't resist looking at all the pretty lights. They floated like glowing jellyfish in the cylindrical tanks all around the room. She sat under one of the tanks, mesmerized by the glowing, heart shaped lights inside. They shined a brilliant pink, gold and silver, making her chest feel warm, almost like-

"Kairi! You know better then to play in here!"

A cane slammed down next to her.

Kairi stood, bowing her head.

"But, Grandpa-"

"No excuses. This is no place for children."

A pair of wrinkled hands pushed her out of the room. Before the door closed behind her, Kairi turned, watching her grandfather sit at his desk. He turned something, and the wall behind him twitched. The door closed before Kairi could see anything else.

The memory faded from Kairi's mind. She snapped back into her body, watching the ceiling getting closer and closer. She was falling, falling, falling until her world completely faded.

A warm hand on her forehead woke her up. Max and Tifa's faces appeared overhead. Kairi pushed their hands away and couldn't hear their questions. The memories pounded on her head, forcing her to remember. She had loved to play in the library, loved to climb the book shelves like she were a gorilla in the jungle. Once, she had been climbing and her foot slipped. On the way down, she had grabbed a pink book and pulled it out. A secret door had opened. The next thing Kairi remembered was walking down a dark passage.

Kairi waved off Max and Tifa's concerns. "I'm okay. I just need to find," she looked around, "there!"

Kairi climbed the bookshelf that faced the stairs. The pink book was exactly where she remembered it. She pulled it out. Down below, there was a groan of wood and metal. Max and Tifa tensed, but relaxed a moment later when Cloud called.

"Over here!"

Following Cloud's voice, they discovered a bookcase that had been pulled away from the wall like a open door. A whistling draft came from the dark passage behind it. Cloud tilted his head at Kairi.

"Nice job," he grunted.

He went on ahead.

Tifa winked at Kairi when she passed by. "He's warming up to you."

The passage was long. This time, the damp smell of earth and mist reached Kairi's nose. She wobbled. Max caught her shoulders, steadying her, and Kairi had no choice but to lean on him for a moment, as another memory banged inside her skull.

Grandpa would be mad if she went down the secret passage again, but for some reason, Kairi couldn't help herself. There were whispers, calls from deep within the passage, like a lullaby that Kairi couldn't help but listen to. She followed the sweet voices, but when she entered her Grandpa's messy office, all the heart shaped lights in the tubes were gone.

Something ducked behind Grandpa's desk. Getting on her hands and knees, Kairi peaked behind the desk. A dark creature, with yellow eyes, peered back at her. Curious, Kairi reached out, to touch it. A mouth opened wide and nearly bit off Kairi's fingers. Yelping, she ran. Out of the tunnel, back into the library, and into her grandmother's arms.

Kairi couldn't breathe. Her heart hammered against her lungs as she gasped. Max fanned her face.

"What's wrong?"

Tifa knelt down and put her hands on Kairi's shoulders. "Breathe in for five seconds, hold your breathe for two, and then breathe out again, five seconds."

Kairi did as she was told, and slowly, her breathing eased, but her heart did not relax.

Cloud crossed his arms. "This is too much for you. Go back and wait in the library, we can go investigate on our own. Max, can you keep her company?"

Kairi let Max hold her arm. He took one step back toward the library and Kairi pulled her hand away. The library was safe, far away from her memories and the horrible truth. She could pretend like nothing happened, go back and be protected till it was over, and let other people pick up her slack.

"No," Kairi bit her lip, facing Cloud. "I'm going."

Cloud smiled for a second. Then he continued on ahead.

"You sure you're okay?" Max asked.

"My memories. Everything's coming back. It makes me sick."

Max looked concerned.

"I want to keep going," Kairi urged him. "I don't want to run away. Not again."

"Again?"

"I've been in this tunnel before."

Max went behind her. "If you feel out of it, let me know so I can catch you before you face plant the floor."

Despite the ice gnawing at her heart, Kairi giggled. "Well, aren't you my knight in shining armor."

"You know it."

Max pushed her down the hall. Now, the smell of ash reached Kairi's nose. Another memory triggered. She had been awakened by a nightmare in the middle of the night. Running to her grandmother's room, Kairi had heard muffled voices from the beyond the door. Then there was shouting, but Kairi couldn't understand the words. She felt the air around her shift, closing in like a tightening fist.

Something was behind her. Turning, Kairi screamed. It was the dark creature from her grandfather's office and there were more of them. Lightning flashed from the windows in the hall, illuminating the creatures' writhing bodies and the thorny hearts on their chests. They pounced.

Kairi ducked. The creature slammed into her grandparent's bedroom door, slashing it. The door openned. Kairi's grandmother appeared. She scooped up Kairi, and ran down the castle's dark corridors to the great hall. There were more monsters there. A dark shadow appeared over her grandmother's shoulder. Kairi sobbed, hiding her face in her grandmother's neck.

Grandmother turned, faced the robed creature, and let out a horrified gasp.

"Ansem, what have you done?"

"I've brought upon the only truth. All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end." The sleeve of his brown robe lifted. "Give her to me."

Kairi's eyes were swollen with tears. "Grandpa? Why do you look like that?"

Grandmother ran to a wall and pushed a switch. A passage opened. She pushed Kairi through it. "Run and don't look back!"

The door closed, trapping Kairi in darkness. She stumbled through the torchlit tunnel, the lights flickering off one by one behind her, until she ran out into town. The storm ripped the flowers out of their beds. The townsfolk screamed, running away from the same monsters that had been in the castle. The creatures rained down from the dark clouds above, washing people away in a black flood, tearing out the same glowing, heart shaped lights she had seen in the tubes.

Her grandmother's words echoed in her head. "The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything and the world disappeared."

The creatures surrounded Kairi. Her back banged against the castle gates. The creatures twitched, reaching toward her.

"But small fragments of survived, in the hearts of children."

Something glittered overhead. Shooting stars rained down through the clouds above. "So listen child, even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you."

Kairi reached toward the sky, trying to grab one of the stars. The creatures were closing in.

"Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you."

Kairi closed her eyes, willing a star to shine her way. She could feel the creatures' breathe on her skin. She wished for a safe place, far away from the darkness, someplace with children, someplace she wouldn't be alone. Her feet left the ground, she was blinded by light. The star came down to her hand and Kairi closed her eyes, forgetting everything.


Kairi snapped back to the present. Her eyes stinging, she ran, passing Cloud and Tifa. She got to the end of the tunnel and entered the office she had seen in her memories. The tanks were completely obliterated. Broken glass shined all over the floor. Papers, yellowed and ripped with time, crunched under her boots. The desk lay on its side, the wood splintered and decayed, yet Kairi felt magnetically pulled to it, her hand reaching out with a force she could not stop. An hourglass lay under the desk. Kairi turned the glass over so that the white sand fell into the empty glass on the bottom. As the sands fell, they changed color, from white to dark purple.

Wind whispered on the back of Kairi's neck. The back wall crumbled, piece by piece, like the sands falling into the lower glass. Passing through an archway, Kairi entered a large, round room, and froze. Behind her, Max, Tifa and Cloud entered. She heard them gasp, but she did not need to see the matching sets of horror on their faces for she could not tear her own eyes away from the image before her.

A massive tank was suspended from the ceiling. Hearts glowed inside the glass, packed and smashed against each other, covering every inch of the tank. They were squashed through long, thick, pulsating tubes into metal pods full of darkness. There was a gurgling, bubbling sound, like a predator tearing into a piece of meat. Then, claws scratched at the inside of the pod. A pair of yellow eyes peered through the glass, before they two were pushed down through another set of tubes into the floor.

Kairi watched the heartless move through the tubes with disgust. The ground beneath her feet was crisscrossed with throbbing pipes. She could feel the scratching, struggling monsters moving under her feet like living waste being passed through an intestine.

Fury and shame pulsed in Kairi's veins. "This is the machine. We have to destroy it!" Kairi spread her feet wide. Her anger sizzled through her body. Fire blazed between her fingers. Kairi aimed at the tank. "Firaga!"

The spell zoomed across the room. A black stripe poked out from between the pipes on the floor. It swiped at the spell, evaporating it into smoke. Then the stripe curved, flashing forward. Kairi and Max jumped back just before the stripe stabbed into the ground they had been standing on mere moments before. The stripe bugled and pulsed, the hard edges rounding out. The tip popped out from the ground, revealing a stinger that was dripping with dark venom. Another stinger poked out of the pipes, and then another, and another, until there were thirteen. Black claws sliced through the tubes below.

Countless emblem heartless rose up from the floor. Kairi raised her arm and roared.

"Thundaga!"

The lightning slashed through the heartless, but between the strikes, the stingers moved forward, nearly poking into Kairi's neck. A giant sword appeared before her eyes, shielding her. Cloud pushed the stingers back with his buster blade, slicing through a tail as he did so.

More heartless came out of the pipes. Max sprung into action, cutting the heartless into quarters with his swords. Tifa charged, waving through the stinger tails. She got close to the machine and smashed one of the dark pods with her fist before the stringer whacked her across the stomach, throwing her back. She skid back, still standing, her hand covering her stomach.

"The tank! We have to destroy the source!"

Heartless burst through the floor, grabbing Tifa's legs, jumping on her arms and shoulders. Tifa spun, round house kicking the heartless off. She pummeled one group of heartless, and then the next, and the next. Max and Cloud cross slashed through the heartless but were unable to move toward the tank. Kairi ran around the room, ducking, dodging and frying heartless with fire spells to get close to Max.

"I need to get closer to that machine! Turn me into a pinball!"

Max froze in the middle of stabbing a heartless. "What?"

"Good reflexes, remember?"

Max's ears shot up.

"Got it. Get ready!"

Max swung his swords at her.

"Reflect!"

Max's swords slammed onto Kairi's protective sphere. She rocketed across the room, trampling heartless. The stingers slammed down onto her shield, but Kairi rolled close to the machine, and let the shield drop.

"Kairi!"

Max's sword flew through the air. Catching it, Kairi stabbed into one of the pipes the hearts were pushed through, but then something jammed into her arm. Burning magma pumped into Kairi's veins. Yelping, she pulled the stinger out, stumbling back. A purple bruise sent fire into her arm.

Seven stingers appeared over her head, only to crash onto Cloud's sword. While he pushed the tails back, a heartless swiped Kairi from behind when she wasn't looking. Turning around, she slashed it with Max's sword. Down below, the giant claws reappeared, snapping more pipes, releasing more heartless.

The tails swept Cloud and Kairi back, away from the machine and right into the swarm of heartless. Kairi threw up a shield around herself and Cloud.

"We can't keep this up forever," she panted, casting a healing spell on her arm. The black mark faded from her skin, but her energy drained from the healing magic.

"You're right," said Cloud, handing Kairi an ether. "Tifa and I will distract the foot soldiers. You and Max focus on the leader."

Kairi downed the ether. The shield fell. Cloud jumped onto the heartless, sawing through their ranks with his blade. Just ahead of him, Tifa kicked a whole section his way, and he flipped in the air, bringing his sword down hard on their heads. Meanwhile, Kairi threw her arm in the air and chanted.

"Thundaga!"

Her spell cleared the area around her, obliterating the small fry heartless and letting Max run to her side. Without saying a single word, both Max and Kairi flashed forward, cutting off each stinger until only one remained. A claw appeared below Kairi's feet.

"Reflect!"

The giant claw clamped down around her glass, squeezing, cracking the shield. Max ran forward and sliced the claw off. There was a roar from under the pipes. Max had to jump back just as the floor exploded and a giant, black and purple scorpion climbed out. The heartless emblem glowed between its multiple eyes. Its last remaining stinger slammed into the tank, drawing in the hearts. The scorpion's body throbbed, its claws and stingers regenerating.

Then all thirteen stingers, from every angle, flew at Max and Kairi. Quickly, Kairi threw a shield around herself and Max. The scorpion grabbed the magic ball and lifted it, holding it in front of its many stingers, ready to strike the second it went down. The claws squeezed through the glass. Max stabbed the pincers the moment the glass broke and the creature pulled back.

Kairi took the chance.

"Waterga!"

A tidal wave pushed the scorpion back. It banged against the tank.

Max jumped forward and stabbed the heartless emblem between the creature's eyes. It thrashed, one of its claws clamping down on Max's leg. It threw Max across the room, flattening him against the wall. Kairi then yelped when she felt something on her wrist. The heartless lifted her up and splattered her back down onto the pipes. She felt her lungs slam into her spine. She hacked, pulling her arms and legs close.

Turning on her back, Kairi summoned all her energy and directed it at the heartless.

"Firaga!"

The spell hit the scorpion's eyes, and it rolled, trying to rub the fire off.

"Reflect!"

As the heartless flailed about, it kicked Kairi's ball. She rolled, getting close to Max. Pushing away the pain, Kairi healed the both of them. The last of Kairi's magic faded away like a candle being blown out. Ahead of them, the scorpion regenerated again and stalked forward.

More heartless burst out of the pipes. All around her, the darkness' pressure pulled down on her muscles and bones like weighted sand bags. Kairi trembled, barely able to stand and lift her sword. She pointed it at the creeping heartless and scorpion.

"I won't give up. I will put an end to my grandfather's mistakes right here, right now!"

Trembling, Max stood back to back with her, aiming his sword as well.

"I'm with you. All or nothing!"

Max tapped her sword with his. Fiery energy slammed into Kairi from their combined blades. Max's courage mixed with a pulsing, electric power in Kairi's heart. She imagined their training room back at Disney Castle, taking down Julius together, all their sparring and bantering, Max's jokes, his loyalty, his trust in her.

"Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away."

Max and Kairi raised their swords and screamed their spell.

"HOLY!"

A silver blade of light glowed above them. They brought the blade down on the scorpion, burning through it, the tank, the smaller heartless and the pods on the machine. The heartless roared back, its claws and stingers sliced off. Holding hands, Max and Kairi vanished from one end of the room only to reappear in another. They separated, vanishing and reappearing, cutting the heartless from every angle before they reunited again to deliver the final blow from above.

A massive blast of light grew out from their attack, smashing the pipes and the heartless below. The light grew, melting away any heartless that was still in the room, freeing the trapped hearts inside the tank, and completely disintegrating the remains of the machine into dust. When the whiteness faded, Max and Kairi lay on the floor, gasping.

"Ah-yuck! That was awesome! I've never done anything like that! It was like I passed a limit I didn't know I had! What did you do? What did I do?"

Kairi could barely lift her hands. She stared at her shaking palms. "I have no idea. It was like when Oswald and I blasted a hole through the realm of darkness. Is this my power as a princess of light?"

"Who cares? We did it! Mission accomplished! Great work, partner!"

Max held up his sword. Kairi tapped it with hers.

"Not your student anymore?"

"You got the moves, just need to master them."

Kairi laughed. "Finally! Some actual praise!"


Cloud and Tifa carried Kairi and Max back to town. They regrouped with Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith in front of Merlin's house. After a few intensely powerful healing spells from Aerith, Kairi and Max were able to stand.

"Should have seen the two of them," Cloud nodded at Max and Kairi, "pretty impressive."

"Wow. Cloud, you actually gave a compliment," giggled Aerith.

Tifa snorted. "You missed his protective, big brother routine. Poor Kairi, she so confused."

While the two ladies surrounded Cloud on either side, teasing him, making his fidget, Leon spoke to Kairi.

"So, the machine was completely destroyed?"

"Yes. There shouldn't be any more new heartless and I'm sure you can keep the infestation at bay until the keyblade master gets here. What about in town? "

"No heartless whatsoever," chimed in Yuffie. "Thanks to me. I made sure to ninja slice any that popped up."

"Good work," said Leon.

Yuffie's eyes widened. With a grin, she waved at Aerith and said, "Hey, I think the direct compliment thing is catching on."

Cloud sighed and Leon covered his eyes in annoyance. All the girls giggled. When the laughter faded, Kairi turned to stare at the castle in the distance. The touch of darkness was still there, but it was weaker, a spark compared to the wildfire before.

Aerith came to stand next to her. "What will you do now?"

Kairi shrugged. "My mission here is over, but I still have to find my friends."

"And after?"

Aerith offered a comforting smile and then bowed to Kairi.

"Tifa said you mentioned a grandfather during the battle. That man wouldn't be Ansem, now would it?"

"So you figured it out." Kairi looked out at the town. "Things should be easier to rebuild now that there's less darkness around. You could even return the castle to the way it was before."

"If we do, will you come back to lead us?"

Kairi looked down at the floor. "I need time to think."

Something shined in Kairi's pocket. She reached in and pulled out Yen Sid's letter. It glowed, melting into a silver star that zoomed up from between her fingertips. The star shot through the air like a comet, leading into town. Kairi moved to chase after it but then paused to look back at Aerith.

Holding out an ether, Aerith winked. "Go. I'm sure Leon and the others can take care of things here until you make up your mind."

Kairi threw her arms around Aerith, squeezing her tight. "Thank you!"

Taking the ether, she raced after the comet. It floated between the houses and stopped in an alley. Turning the corner, Kairi skid to a stop and then all the warmth she had felt moments ago fluttered away. Slowly, she stepped forward and knelt down, her hand trembling as she reached for something on the floor.

Max stumbled into the alley behind her. "Why'd you run off? What's going-"

He looked over Kairi's shoulder.

"Where did that door come from?"

Kairi looked up. A pristine, white door gleamed in front of her. Standing, she faced Max. He stared quizzically at the broken weapon in her arms.

Kairi displayed the broken halves of the weapon, and then showed Max a star shaped charm. "This is my lucky charm. I gave this to Sora. And this is his keyblade!"

Max paled. "Why is it broken?"

Kairi wasn't listening. Her fingers tightened around her star shaped charm." Sora would never willingly let go of this. Something has happened to him!"

Max pointed. "The door is fading away."

Kairi turned sharply. The white door was fading in and out, like a dying heartbeat. Pressing her lucky charm and Sora's broken keyblade to her chest, she gave Max a tearful look.

"I'm sorry."

Kairi lunged at the door, threw it open and ran into the light.


Jiminy's Journal

Cid (First Appeared in Final Fantasy VII, 1997): Grumpy but kindhearted, Cid is a scientist that lives in Hollow Bastion. A self-proclaimed expert on gummi ships and inter space travel, he's absolutely enthralled by the idea of a gummi ship that can pass through worlds. Wonder what kind of crazy contraptions he would come up with if he works with Gadget and Professor Von Drake.

Yuffie (First Appeared in Final Fantasy VII, 1997):A confident, hardworking, and energetic girl that has no problem making new friends. At times though, her cheerful nature annoys the more serious members of the Hollow Bastion team, especially Leon and Cid. Nevertheless, you can always count on her to come through in a pinch with her ninja skills.

Leon (First Appeared in Final Fantasy VIII, 1999): Weider of the gunblade, Leon leads the Hollow Bastion team in restoring the town. He's a withdrawn, serious man that shoulders a lot of responsibility. Though he may be quiet and introspective, he cares for and respects his team greatly.

Aerith (First Appeared in Final Fantasy VII, 1997): A young woman with a strong will and a lot of patience. She serves as Leon's counsel and acts as the emotional core of the team, holding them together and cheering them on. She is skillful at reading people and uses her intuition to tease or guide them.

Cloud (First Appeared in Final Fantasy VII, 1997): Though he can be as serious as Leon, Cloud is more the "go out there and get things done" type than the leader type. He has a strong sense of focus, especially on missions, but has a hard time showing affection for those he respects. However, he will protect and care for others in his own way, which leads to a lot of teasing from both Tifa and Aerith.

Tifa (First Appeared in Final Fantasy VII, 1997): A brave yet gentle woman that seems to know Cloud rather well. Her nurturing nature draws people to her. Don't be fooled though, she is a fierce warrior that is not afraid to throw down if it means protecting her friends.