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 30: Door to the Light
The muscled vine around Sora's body constricted. Thorns poked into his clothes, their sharp tips scratching his skin, moments away from becoming unbearable pain. Somehow, before he had no more room to move, Sora was able to angle his keyblade so that it pointed at himself.
"Aeroga!"
A sphere of powerful wind currents pushed the thorns inches away from his flesh, yet every slight movement made him scratch up against the sharp points. Sora knew that the instant the aero spell faded, the thorns would crush him, but he did not have time to focus on that. He looked down.
Marluxia was floating toward Riku and Kairi. They were cocooned in the same vine, only their heads were free. With neither magic nor weapons to defend themselves, Sora's friends were nothing more then condemned prisoners. And Marluxia was the executioner. Without hesitating, he plunged his scythe down, the sharp blade reflected in Kairi's wide eyes.
Sora wriggled his arm past the wind spell and out from between the vines, wincing as the thorns bit into his elbow. He threw his keyblade. Without even turning his head, Marluxia blocked Sora's attack. Then his scythe swung again, the blade moving toward Riku's cheek. Not wasting any time, Sora called the keyblade back, and threw it once more. He followed up with a quick fire spell. Marluxia phased away from the fire spell and the keyblade, taking his scythe with him. Riku and Kairi were safe, for now.
As if sensing his defiance, the vines around Sora trembled with fury, pressing harder on his spell. Like a shell being crushed by a fist, Sora's aero spell broke. Yelping, he spread out his arms and legs, pushing the vines back with all of his strength. The muscles on the vines throbbed with pure malice, pressing on Sora's palms and feet, the thorns creeping closer to his body.
Something flashed in the corner of his eye and he turned his head to see Marluxia looming over him. The scythe gleamed as it flashed toward Sora's forehead. Instinct kicking in, Sora threw out his arm, calling his keyblade to his hand, barely blocking the scythe from sinking into his brain. But, with his arm fight against the scythe, there was nothing to prevent the vine from tightening. Thorns jabbed into Sora's side, icy needles of anguish exploded in Sora's ribs. His grip on the keyblade weakened and the scythe slid closer to his eyes.
Sora's entire arm popped as though his muscles were snapping one by one. He couldn't keep his weapon straight. The keyblade slanted diagonally. Sparks flew as the scythe ground against the shaft of the keyblade, sliding down toward Sora's shoulder.
Without thinking, he lunged to the side, grunting as the thorns bit into the entire right half of his body. The scythe whooshed, inches over his left shoulder, hip and thigh. It cut through the vines, and Sora slipped out, falling onto the cold water below.
The sea water burned his bruises and cuts, but there was no time to hiss at the pain. Marluxia fell toward him. Sora rolled, just in time to avoid getting sliced. Marluxia sliced into the water, leaving a crescent shaped cut in the ocean. Adrenaline rushing through his veins, Sora quickly found himself on his feet, blocking Marluxia's next strike. He pushed Marluxia back, giving himself only a second to cast a healing spell before the scythe came flying at his waist.
Sora jumped over the blade, aiming a swing at Marluxia's head. His keyblade hit nothing. Marluxia vanished. The air behind Sora shifted, and he rolled forward, narrowly avoiding getting his spine cut open by Marluxia's scythe.
Back on his feet, Sora blocked Marluxia when he came at him from the left, then from the right, then from above. Block, vanish, strike, block, vanish, strike. Sora counted the seconds between each attack, searching his surroundings, keeping his senses open in case Marluxia reappeared in his blind spot. He could come from anywhere, and one wrong move could leave Sora in pieces. Then it happened. Sora made the mistake of blinking just when Marluxia appeared behind him.
Sora lunged forward, but wasn't fast enough to dodge, and the scythe bit into his leg. The shock took the wind out of him and he collapsed onto the water. Once again, there was no time for pain, or thought, as Marluxia loomed over him, his scythe flashing down. Sora managed to block again, but the disadvantage of being on the ground, with no where to escape, forced his arms to bend. At least Marluxia wasn't going to vanish when he had the upper hand, which gave Sora a ricky idea.
The tip of the keyblade buzzed with lightning.
"Thundaga!"
The spell came crashing down on Marluxia's head. He drew backward, grunting as electricity sizzled through his body.
Sora bolted, limping toward another vine. He cast a healing spell on his leg, but it didn't matter. His injury had slowed him down too much, and Marluxia was already flying after him, spinning madly in midair, his scythe blurring into a deadly disk.
Sora thrusted his keyblade. The teeth of the key caught the a corner of the scythe, where the blade met the staff. It was the perfect angle, as the tip of the keyblade was pointing directly at Marluxia's face.
"Blizzaga!"
Unable to escape with his scythe tapped by Sora's key, Marluxia could only lunge to the side. A spear of ice missed his nose, but jabbed into his shoulder instead. Doubling over, Marluxia tried to pull the icicle out. That was his first mistake. Sora reached over, grabbed the scythe and pulled it our of Marluxia's weakened grip. He looped the scythe around Marluxia's waist, and spun, throwing Marluxia up in the air. Then he hurled his keyblade, and it banged against the icicle in Marluxia's shoulder, driving it deeper.
While Marluxia writhed in the air, pulling the icicle out, Sora dashed to the nearest vine. Raising the scythe over his head, he sliced the vine at the base. Mickey tumbled out of the drying brambles.
"Are you okay, Your Majesty?"
Mickey sucked in a quick, deep breathe. "Thanks pal!"
Without wasting another second, the King jumped right into battle. He lifted his keyblade and shot out a pearl of light that went flying up into the air and punching Marluxia right in the gut.
Furious, Marluxia pulled out the ice shard from his shoulder. He opened his palm, and then closed his fingers, tightening his fist. The scythe flew out of Sora's hand. As though it had a mind of its own, the blade tipped toward Sora and Mickey. The two keyblade wielders jumped back. From above, Marluxia maneuvered the scythe with invisible puppet strings. He watched Sora and Mickey scrambled away from the weapon as it spun and sliced after them. Mickey managed to block the blade, and Sora aimed a lightning spell at Marluxia.
Slipping into the darkness, Marluxia avoided the attack yet again. He appeared behind Sora. Before he could hurt the boy, Mickey charged at Marluxia. The two of them entered a lightning fast dance of parries and cuts, as the King's expert fencing skills forced Marluxia to back away.
With Marluxia busy, Sora ran to another cluster of vines. He tried attacking it with his keyblade, and then with magic, but the vines didn't bend, snap, or burn. Growling, Sora charged his keyblade with lightning, dashing back toward Mickey and Marluxia.
"Your Majesty, incoming!"
Mickey got out of the way by sliding between Marluxia's legs. The lightning spell flew at Marluxia. With a sigh, Marluxia faded away yet again. Sora reached Mickey's side.
"We need that scythe," he whispered. "Any ideas?"
Mickey nodded. "He can't attack and fade away at the same time."
"Then we have to keep him on the offensive." Sora grinned. "I've got it. Follow my lead."
"Right," Mickey agreed.
Carefully, the two of them walked about the battlefield, weapons raised, waiting for the next attack. Marluxia's laughter echoed from overhead.
"Two keyblade wielders, side by side, lost in the darkness."
The scythe came flying at them from straight ahead. Mickey and Sora casted fire spells, knocking the weapon off its trajectory. It vanished.
"Two destroyers shirking their duty. Did you ever wonder why the legends say that the keyblade brings ruin?"
Like a snake ready to bite, the scythe appeared by Sora's calves. He and Mickey jumped over the blade before it could slice off their feet. They tried to grab the scythe, but it slipped away, back into the darkness.
"The wielders of the past abandoned the worlds they had sworn to protect. They did not destroy the darkness at its roots. Hundreds of worlds payed the price. The few survivors that remained cursed the keyblade."
Sora ground his teeth together. "Hey Marluxia, I'm over here! Come and get me! Or are you too chicken to face us head on?"
Marluxia materialized right in front of Sora. His scythe spun in his hand, whirling into a hurricane of deadly slashes that gave Mickey and Sora no choice but block, duck, jump and lunge away from each attack.
Trying not to get cut into strips, Sora stuck his tongue out at Marluxia.
"Hey, you sad sack of rotten potatoes! You'll never defeat the darkness by obsessing over it!"
Marluxia's brow twitched. He lunged, his sharp whirlwind forcing Sora and Mickey apart.
"Sora's right! You keep talking about how the darkness will win if we don't do something about it. Yet you don't realize that the darkness has already beaten you!"
Marluxia flashed toward Mickey. The king didn't move. The hurricane around Marluxia vanished as he lifted his scythe to slice through Mickey.
"Sora, now!"
In seconds, Sora snuck up behind Marluxia, grabbed the scythe's staff and pulled. Marluxia jerked back, which gave Mickey enough time to smack his hands with the keyblade. His fingers throbbing, Marluxia dropped the scythe. Then he was met with an unpleasant surprise as Sora's keyblade smashed against his back. Before Sora could land another hit, Marluxia blinked out of existence, leaving his scythe behind.
The two keyblade wielders grabbed the scythe together, and spun, faster and faster, before letting the scythe go. Like a razor sharp boomerang, the scythe flew, cutting off each of the vines at the base. Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy fell out of the vines. Gasping, exhausted, covered in bruises from the thorns, they collapsed.
Behind them, the scythe stopped mid-spin. It flew backward, straight toward Kairi and the others. Mickey and Sora rushed to stand between the scythe and their friends. Spinning wildly, the scythe became a razor sharp twister that doubled in size within seconds. Marluxia appeared within in the wind storm, laughing as he hovered every closer to the keyblade wielders, watching with spite, knowing that as none of Mickey or Sora's attacks could cut through his spell.
Yet he never saw the flash of healing magic below, nor the spark of darkness that followed. By the time Marluxia looked up it was too late. Riku fell from the darkness above, slicing Marluxia on his way down with his soul eater. The twister fell apart. Hovering in the air, holding his shoulder, Marluxia roared at Riku.
Then there was an annoying scream, and something landed on Marluxia's back. His hair was pulled back as Donald yanked his head. Growling, Marluxia reached up and grabbed the duck. He never got the chance to throw him. Launched upward by Goofy and Riku, Kairi appeared right before Marluxia's eyes. She smashed her fist into his nose.
Yowling, Marluxia dropped Donald. He landed on the ocean next to Kairi, who was busy shaking her hand.
"Ow! What's his face made out of? Bricks?"
"Cure!" Donald bellowed.
No sooner had he cast the spell when Marluxia's scythe came spinning his way. The battle was on. Goofy blocked the scythe with his shield. Riku and Mickey flashed toward Marluxia, bombarding him with light and dark magic. He flashed away from their attacks, but didn't catch the tidal wave that Kairi threw at him from across the battlefield.
Sora stood, completely frozen, watching his friends fight. Donald sat on Goofy's shoulders, throwing boatloads of spells at Marluxia while Goofy protected the both of them with his shield. Mickey and Riku's looked as though they could read each other's mind, as the two of them kept Marluxia on the ropes with quick, deadly slashes of their weapons. But it was Kairi that caught Sora's attention the most. She rolled and flipped away form attacks, all the while retaliated with magic that rivaled both his and Donald's.
"What? How? When? Wow."
Sora was stuck there until Riku flashed over by his side. He knocked away the scythe that had nearly stabbed into Sora's back.
"Hey lover-boy! Pay attention!"
Reddening, Sora charged into battle, shouting at Riku over his shoulder.
"You pay attention!"
"Oh nice comeback." Riku chased after him. "Is that all you got?"
Sora turned around, running backwards, grinning. "No, but you should duck!"
He threw his keyblade over Riku's head, watching as it knocked Marluxia's scythe away before it could turn his friend into swiss cheese.
Straightening, Riku whistled. "Nice!"
The two joined the battle alongside their friends. Their combined teamwork kept Marluxia on the defensive. Donald bombarded Marluxia with magic. Mickey, Riku and Sora parried attacks, slashing and thrusting their weapons. Goofy and Kairi ran around the battleground, defending everyone from sneak attacks. But even their combined power couldn't land a single, solid hit as Marluxia kept slipping into the darkness.
"That's so is annoying," Sora growled.
"Would it be too much to ask for him to hold still for two seconds," Donald agreed.
"Then think of an attack that he can't dodge," Riku panted.
Marluxia flew upward, pink petals gathering around his scythe. "Even attacking the darkness head on couldn't erase me from the world. What makes you think the six of you have a chance?"
He came down like a black lightning bolt, slamming into the ocean. A shockwave of sea water knocked everyone off their feet. A black whirlpool spread over the water. Pink brambles of electricity zapped up from darkness, shocking everyone, pulling them toward the center of the vortex, where Marluxia's scythe blurred into chainsaw of darkness.
The brambles looped around Sora's wrists and legs, tying him down. He was pulled, closer and closer to the scythe chainsaw, to be chopped up like piece of meat. All around him, his friends fired magic and threw their weapons at the chainsaw, but Marluxia pushed their attacks back with a storm of petals. The petals radiated out of the center of the whirlpool, and Sora felt paper cuts criss-crossing his skin. Bitter, acid pain throbbed in Sora's wounds, evaporating his concentration. He struggled, but couldn't resist the gravitational pull toward the center of the vortex.
The chainsaw sparked inches below his feet. Sora felt its heat burning the soles of his shoes. He clawed at the dark whirlpool below him, fighting the current that pushed him down. The chainsaw razored the bottom of his shoe.
He bent his knees in a vain attempt to keep himself from being sanded down into nothing. A cry caught his attention. To Sora's left, Goofy nearly lost his toes to the chainsaw. He put his feet on his shield, but even it couldn't withstand the might of Marluxia's attack, and the shield was breaking apart piece by piece.
With his legs, Goofy pushed off the shield, sacrificing it in order to move away from the vortex. The vines holding him snapped. He rolled in Sora's direction and, somehow, the two of them were able to grab hands. Across from them, Donald casted three fire spells, using the energy to rocket his way toward his friends. When the trio joined hands, instinctively their combined magic burst from their bodies.
"Trinity limit!"
The tri-colored spell smashed against the whirling scythe, slowing it and the vortex down, just enough for their other friends to escape. Riku slipped into the darkness, reappearing at Sora's side. Mickey summoned several orbs of light, using them like stepping stones, jumping toward his friends. Kairi summoned a water spell, and the wave pushed her their way.
When the six of them collided, every nerve ending, blood vessel, bone, and muscle in Sora's body sizzled with an unspeakable, unbreakable, intense force. It traveled down his arm to Donald, to Goofy, to Riku, to Kairi, and King Mickey.
All six friends glowed. White light traveled outwards from their bodies, blinding Marluxia. His vortex and twister weakened. Time slowed down.
Casting a reflect spell, Kairi trapped Riku, Mickey and Sora in it. She and Goofy grabbed Donald's shoulders, giving him strength. A miniature sun exploded from Donald's staff, smashing against the reflect spell, propelling Sora, Riku and Mickey forward like shooting stars. The magic glass broke in midair, but it no longer mattered as all three attackers flew at their enemy.
Riku sliced Marluxia's legs, Mickey thrashed Marluxia's waist, and Sora, his keyblade razor sharp with light, delivered the final blow right across Marluxia's forehead.
Like a comet, the light from Sora's last attack kept flying. It was like he had cut a hole right through the atmosphere. As Marluxia crumbled to the ground, a white crack appeared in the air above him. It widened, light bleeding out of the cut, molding into a familiar shape.
Marluxia coughed. His hand over his chest, he turned away from the light.
"Such strength. If only you would use it to destroy this realm. We could have covered all the worlds in that light."
Sora looked down at his key. "The realm of darkness is a terrible place, and it may be eternal." He looked at Mickey. "But I can't put the rest of the worlds in danger to destroy it."
Mickey smiled, nodding proudly at Sora.
"We have to make hard choices," Sora continued, "but it's never too late to change, to try and make thing better, even with darkness in our hearts. Isn't that worth more then destroying something you hate?"
Marluxia was silent.
Kairi held Sora's hand. "There's always a light. The worlds will be safe as long as one person believes in it, no matter how small."
Riku closed his eyes. "Darkness exists in every heart. Even if the realm is destroyed, people's darkness will still linger. Destroying it is impossible. You can only accept it and try not to let it rule you, to be one with the light as much as you can."
Donald and Goofy beamed at the three friends, unspoken words of pride in their smiles.
Marluxia looked at each face blankly. His cloak and face became transparent, his fingertips and toes disintegrating.
"If only the worlds were that simple."
Then he was gone. All that remained was the light behind him. It stretched, turning into a doorway. A sweet breeze fluttered out from the light. The tropical smell of coconuts met Riku's nose.
He stiffened. "Home."
The dark ocean around them shook. The still water trembled, the waves rising angrily. Sora turned. From the dark beach, a wave of shadow heartless stampeded their way, lured by the doorway and of a promise of defenseless prey on the other side.
Mickey waved everyone toward the door. "Quick! Get through!"
Donald and Goofy chased after their king, disappearing into the light. Grabbing Sora and Riku's wrists, Kairi dragged them toward the door. She ran into the light first, but the moment she had taken a step, the light flickered around her. Turning, Kairi tried to get back to her friends, but it was too late. Instead, her lucky charm fell out of her pocket, vanishing on the other side of the door with Sora and Riku.
The boys stood there, staring at the empty space where the door and Kairi had been moments before. Sora picked up Kairi's good luck charm. The moment he put the charm in his pocket, the ocean split open beneath him.
Sora and Riku sank into a deep chasm. The heartless swarmed down after them. As he fell, Sora felt whispers tingling his ear. He couldn't understand the words, yet he felt malice choking his neck. The number thirteen appeared in front of his eyes. Transparent and glowing a sickening pink and black, the number floated above his head. Turning, Sora saw the same number floating on Riku's crown.
The heartless fell on them like acid rain. Riku and Sora cleaved through them, and the cloud of heartless dispersed, fading back into the darkness. A moment later, the boys crashed onto a dark surface. Sora raised his keyblade, healing himself. He got on his hands and knees.
The platform below his fingers was flat and cold, a thin membrane of obsidian. Yellow eyes stared at him from below the surface. Sora scrambled backward. A horde of darkside heartless scratched the glass he was sitting on. They reached up, their giant palms rubbing the glass, trying to get through.
"The darkness is strong here," Riku grunted.
Sora was about to heal his best friend, but then he froze. The number above Riku's head was now a twelve, not a thirteen. Sora he didn't know how, but he was sure that number spelled doom for the both of them.
"Curaga!"
The darkside heartless below their feet stopped moving, as though they were frozen in time. Then they turned, turning their gaze to the center of the platform, where a cluster of black vines appeared.
Rising out of the thorns was Marluxia. His cloak was tattered with holes and burns. The deep, purple gashes on his face glowed, overflowing with sinister smoke. His eyes had blackened completely. Soot fell off the tips of his hair. He floated toward them like a puppet on a string. No more hiding in the shadows, no more vanishing and reappearing. Marluxia chased and slashed at the boys.
Though his attacks were quick and ruthless, his voice was calm, low, hoarse.
"Your friend has already given in to the darkness. See how quickly his time runs out."
Riku's number was now eleven.
Marluxia's scythe blurred into a black arc. Sora jumped back from the shadowy attack, looking down at his reflection in the dark glass below. His number was down to twelve. The darksides drummed their fingers on the back of their wrists, like one would do for a watch. Tick-tock.
Riku charged at Marluxia, slicing with his soul eater. He cut through Marluxia's shoulder, but the man simply laughed. Marluxia counterattacked with a flurry of quick strikes and jabs. Riku cartwheeled away, landing by Sora's side.
Ten.
There didn't need to be any words between the two boys. The moment they stood shoulder to shoulder, their bond blazed into an unstoppable drive to fight. Riku and Sora flashed toward Marluxia, their movements so quick that they floated in the air. Sora devastated Marluxia with powerful slices from the front while Riku delivered equally powerful blows from above. The boys gathered together for a second, throwing several, silver energy attacks that bombarded Marluxia's body. He flew back from the spells, limp as a ragdoll, but the boys were not done.
Nine.
They charged forward, back to back, summoning blades of light and darkness that cut through anything and everything. Then they threw their weapons in the air. The keyblade and soul eater floated, pointing at each other. Surrounded by an aura of light and darkness, a crushing blast exploded from the two weapons. Like an eternal session of opposing forces, the concussive energy from the explosion burned away Marluxia's black robes. After the flash, Marluxia lay in a heap on the floor.
Sora turned to smile at Riku for their victory, but then his face melted int into a look of terror. The number above Riku's head was down to five.
Marluxia laughed, rising into the air, floating above the boys. His was body blackened with soot from the neck down. His scythe rotated above his head, like a propeller. The area around their arena hummed with lethal intent. Sora and Riku pressed their hands on their temples as the pressure in the atmosphere closed in. They dove out of the way just as a harpoon of thorns stabbed into the glass between them.
A crack spread over the dark glass. The darksides below writhed, waiting for their prey to fall through, but they were the farthest things from Sora's and Riku's minds. An endless attack of sword-like thorns came at them. From every angle, a javelin of thorns nearly skewered them. The boys jumped and flipped, defending each other and themselves from the unrelenting thorns.
Four.
"A doomed keyblade master that ignores his true mission."
Sora ignored Marluxia's voice.
Three.
"A sinner of the darkness. There will be no forgiveness for you."
Riku did not head Marluxia's words. His senses buzzed with warnings, and he blocked the endless spikes one by one.
Two.
"Sora. I've seen your journey. All your attempts to help others. But there were failures, weren't there? Agrabah destroyed, the king of Atlantis and the first mate of the Legacy lost forever. What do you say to that, hero?"
That was Sora's undoing. The pit of his stomach filled with ice. A thorn got through his defenses, slicing into his leg. Another thorn followed and Sora wasn't fast enough to stop it. Riku pushed him. Sora fell away from the spike. His throat was too dry from panting and he couldn't cry out when Riku's side got split open by the thorn. Marluxia appeared behind his stunned friend.
The blade of his weapon swung toward Riku's heart.
One.
Fear. Panic. Pain. All the emotions that swirled in Sora's mind were trampled down, pushed aside to make room for only one thought.
My friends are my power.
Sora flew. Riku reached out. Grasping his hand, Sora swung Riku away from Marluxia's weapon. As they roated, Sora smashed his keyblade into Marluxia's neck. Riku circled back around to face Marluxia. With all his energy, Riku blasted Marluxia with a dark fire spell. The bombardment of their attacks threw Marluxia back. He hunched over, gasping, raising his scythe with a trembling arm.
It was too late.
Zero.
Whatever dark spell that was chasing after Sora and Riku, now that their time was up, was not fast enough to catch them. They rocketed toward Marluxia, and, like the thorns they had spent so long defending against, Sora and Riku cut and slashed at Marluxia from every angle.
A final X-slice of dark and light attacks completely obliterated Marluxia. He crumbled into dust, fading away forever. A ghost left from ages past, now nothing but a bad memory that was doomed to be forgotten.
The number zero faded away from Sora and Riku's heads. The glass under their feet broke. They fell into the horde of darksides below. Exhausted from their battle, but refusing to give up, the boys fought yet again. The last of the darksides faded, but they still fell.
Floating down in an abyss of darkness, Riku was one blink away from losing consciousness.
"Don't you dare give up now!"
Riku turned toward Sora's voice. "Look where we are. What more can we do?"
"We'll find a way out. No matter what."
"How can you be so positive?" Riku rasped. "The realm of darkness is endless."
"So is the realm of light."
"So what do we do?"
"You got out of the darkness once."
Despite the emptiness around him, despite the last of his strength fading away, Riku chuckled. "So did you."
"I didn't escape without help."
"Neither did I. If we're together, we'll find a way out."
"That's the spirit." Sora's grin was weak, pulled down by exhaustion, yet his eyes held unwavering strength.
"Sora."
"What is it?"
"You've really grown, but I'm glad that you haven't changed that much."
"What do you mean?"
Riku closed his eyes. "You're stronger, but still the same dork. Following your heart no matter what. I always admired that about you. I wish I was like that. Maybe that's why I always try to one up you."
Sora took a deep breathe. "Funny. I always wanted to be like you. Dependable, cool."
Riku couldn't help but snort.
"I'm serious."
Riku let out a trembling sigh, his lips curving upward. "You know what, Sora?"
"What?"
Riku's grin reached his eyes. "You don't need to change. Having you as a friend, just the way you are, is one of the best parts of being me."
And just like that, in that vast, horrible world of nothing, Sora felt a joy so rich and warm that all he could do was breathe and let the feeling wash over his entire body. When he could form words again, his voice broke.
"Aw, why'd you have to go and say something so cool? How am I supposed to respond to that?"
"Don't need to. I already know what's going on in your head?"
"Oh really? What?"
"You're thinking, 'right back at ya.'"
Now it was Sora's turn to snort. "We're just two big, dumb pieces of the same puzzle."
"Yeah. I hope we can reunite with our missing pieces someday."
"No."
Warm, smooth water covered Kairi's legs and waist. The sun shined over the calm, azure sea, the soft breeze tickled her lashes, yet she felt colder then she had ever felt in her entire life.
"No! No! No!"
Kairi's fists plunged through the water, her knuckles hitting the sandy depths. She didn't know if the salt on her cheeks was from the sea or from her eyes.
Hands on her shoulders and arms made her still for a moment. She turned to face Mickey, Donald and Goofy's gazes.
"It can't be over! Not now! Not after all this!"
Donald sniffled, looking at King Mickey. "What should we do?"
Mickey's eyes were bright and puffy, but not a single tear escaped. "Let's go back to the shore and calm down for a moment."
"No! I'm not going anywhere but back to my friends!"
Kairi grabbed Donald and Goofy's hands. She tried to concentrate on the light, but all she could see in front of her eyes were Sora and Riku's faces. They reached out toward from the darkness, but then they faded away, leaving her alone once again. All that Kairi could feel inside her was fear and despair. The light didn't respond.
"Come on! Holy! Why isn't it working?"
Letting go of Donald and Goofy, Kairi began to swim deeper into the sea, searching for the door she had passed through.
"Wait," Mickey called after her. "You'll only tire yourself out!"
Stopping, Kairi wrung her hands. "I'm not giving up!"
"She's right, Your Majesty," said Goofy. "There has to be something we can do."
"Yeah! We have to try," Donald begged.
Kairi swam back. She bent down so that she could look into Mickey's eyes, interlocking her fingers tightly in front of her.
"Please, Your Majesty, help me! The longer we wait, the more they slip away!"
Mickey covered her hands with his. "You're absolutely right. The light will connect us, somehow."
"Tell me what to do."
"Concentrate on your friends. That's what we will all do. If our bonds are strong, then we'll surely find them."
Mickey gathered everyone close. Closing their eyes and holding hands, the four of them blocked out the beautiful world around them. The ocean, the sky, the islands all faded away. Memories of Sora and Riku swirled through their thoughts. In their minds, they heard the boys' voices, saw their smiles, and imagined them standing on the beach by their side. The world grew silent, and the only sound the four friends could hear was that of their twinkling wish.
A velvety wind touched the back of Kairi's neck. Her eyes snapped open. She turned, breathing in so deeply that all of her sadness and pain melted away. A sphere of light floated above the water, a song of hope fluttered to her ears.
Kairi moved toward the light, but stopped when she felt the others let her go. Mickey, Donald and Goofy knelt in the water, their bodies shining with a golden aura.
"Go," they rasped, "we can't hold it open forever! Hurry! Bring out friends home!"
Nodding, Kairi dove into the light.
Someone said his name. Opening his eyes, Sora saw nothing but blackness, yet he felt a surge of giddiness, like the zing of laughter that was just begging to be released. But he did not have the strength to laugh.
Something warm buzzed by his hip. He was barely able to wrap his fingers around Kairi's good luck charm. Pulling it out of his pocket, he watched in wonder as the star shaped charm glimmered.
Stretching his arm toward Riku, Sora felt his friend grasp his hand, the lucky charm trapped between their palms. They could almost feel Kairi's presence.
No. It wasn't "almost." She was with them, in their hearts. Always.
Far above, a tiny star was shining. It broke through the darkness. Sprinkles of light fluttered down onto the boys' chests. Their descent slowed. The star brightened, growing. It fell toward the boys, the light blinding them.
Kairi burst out the white star. She fell, holding out her arms, reaching for her friends. Sora and Riku lifted their hands, interlocking their fingers with Kairi's.
She fell backward, back toward the star, pulling the boys through with her. For a few unending seconds, they floated in a world of white. Then, like brushstrokes on a canvas, color began to appear. A blue sky welcomed them. A moment later, they splashed into a crystal clear sea. Bursting through the surface of water, taking a deep breathe of fresh air, they heard calls from the shore.
Mickey, Donald and Goofy were running toward them from the beach. Flashing each other a grin, Kairi, Sora and Riku swam toward the beach. Just a few feet away from the shore, a happy scream came down on Riku's head. Mickey cannonballed over him. Donald and Goofy pounced on Sora, throwing him back in the water. Sitting up, they squeezed the boy between them, and then pulled Kairi into their group hug. A moment later, Sora bent forward as Riku and Mickey joined in. Closing his eyes, Sora felt a brilliance in his heart unlike any he had ever felt before.
"We did it," Kairi cried. "We're together again!"
Riku sat in the water, letting the warm, clear liquid pass over his palm. "We're back."
"We're home," Sora whispered.
Mickey, Donald and Goofy jumped up in the air, whooping. "Yeah! We did it!"
Sora held up Kairi's good luck charm. She watched as he put it in her hand.
"I told you I'd keep my promise."
"Oh no you don't."
Kairi closed Sora's finger's around the charm, pushing it back toward him.
"You're holding on to this. I need something to help me find you in case you go wondering off again."
Sora gave her a sneaky smile. "Does that mean you'll come rescue me again?"
"Someone has to protect you."
"Look who's talking."
Riku slapped a hand on his forehead. "Oh no!"
Sora and Kairi broke apart, blushing. "What?"
"I just realized I haven't seen my parents in forever! What am I supposed to say when I go back home? 'Hi Mom, hi Dad. I'm back. Oh, by the way, I'm blind.' They're never going to let me out of their sight again!"
Sora paled. "I'm a year late for dinner! My mom is going to kill me!"
A twitchy, wide eyed smile spread over Kairi's face. Trembling giggles burst from her lips. "We're in so much trouble."
Mickey, Donald and Goofy snickered. Huffing, Kairi bent down and splashed water in their faces. Donald and Goofy smirked, accepting her challenge and splashing her back. She dodged, and a wave of water slapped Sora and Riku right in the nose. Mickey snorted until Riku dumped a mini tidal wave on his ears. Then it was an all out war of water and laughter. No weapons, no magic, just pure, simple fun. No matter what warnings were coming their way, no matter what happened after they said goodbye, the future did not scare them at all.
Epilogue
There was a wedding in the Enchanted Bayou. Mama Odie happily pronounced Naveen and Tiana as husband and wife. When the two frogs kissed, a golden ribbon of light whirled around them, glimmering out over the lily pads and ancient trees of the swamp. Stepping out of the light, Naveen and Tiana pulled away from each other, and were surprised to see that they were both human again.
In Little London, inside Basil's home, Dr. Dawson rested in a cushioned chair with his fingers interlocked over his round belly. As he snored, Basil worked tirelessly, haunched his work desk, reading three books at once. He must have discovered something amazing because he jumped up and exclaimed so loudly that Dr. Dawson fell out of his seat. Without bothering to explain, Basil rushed to the door and pulled on his coat and hat. He ran out while Dr. Dawson scrambled to catch up with him. Outside, Freya watched the two mice excitedly running down the street. With a smile, she hefted her lance over her shoulder and followed them, eager to join their next caper.
On Big Ben, in the balcony above the clock, Alice sat, enjoying the view. Her admiration of London was interrupted when a golden pixie fluttered over her head. Before Alice could jump back in surprise, an upside down face appeared before her eyes. A red headed boy was hovering-no, flying-right in front of Big Ben. He winked at Alice, and the golden pixie by his side crossed her arms petulantly.
One wouldn't believe how hot the desert heat was in Agrabah, not with all of its citizens out and about, working tirelessly to put the city back together. Razoul fussed about Jasmine, not letting her lift a single finger to help. She gave the captain annoyed looks, and was just about to scold him for snapping at Aladdin, who happened to be working nearly. The only thing that saved Razoul from a rather embarrassing talking to from the princess, was Carpet. Completely fixed, and waving its tassels, Carpet flew around Jasmine happily. Excited, Aladdin and Jasmine looked around. A moment later, a blue genie came down from the sky and scooped the couple up in his arms, giving the pair of them a big hug.
In Todayland, Cornelius and Franny sat together on their lawn, having a picnic with their family. Uncle Art set down a tower of pizza boxes. As the Robinson family ate, there was a sudden stampede of terrified frogs. They jumped on the pizza boxes, tipping them over, splattering the family and the picnic blanket with cheese, pepperoni and sauce. Wilbur ran after the frogs, holding one of his father's newest inventions in his hand. When he noticed the mess the frogs had made, Wilbur turned around, whistled and casually walked back toward house with his hands in his pockets. Too bad the frogs told Franny exactly what had happened and she threw a pizza slice at the back of her son's head. Before she could punish him however, Wilbur peeled the slice off and chucked it at Grandpa Bud. The entire family broke out into a happy food fight.
At their camp, in the Forest of Spirits, Merida was trying to teach Queen Eleanor how to shoot an arrow. Eleanor concentrated on the target, the bow shaking in her hand. It was just then that Hubert, Hamish and Harris popped up behind their mother, startling her. She yelped, firing the arrow. Bullseye. Merida chortled while both her mother and father chased after their prankster sons, happy to not be the one in trouble for once.
Milo and Kida held hands. Standing high on the head of a stone golem, the new king and queen of Atlantis looked at the bright star shining above their city. The heart of Atlantis glowed in the sky, the face of Kida's father carved onto one of the stones that encircled it. Down below, the city was vibrant with movement and life. No longer crumbling, Atlantis was covered in roads and polished buildings. Vehicles flew in the sky above the city, filling it with movement and life.
Litwak's Arcade was about to open for the day. The surge protecter at Game Central Station received a very unpleasant surprise when Vanellope glitched right behind him and let out a loud belch. Falling over in shock, the surge protector couldn't stop Ralph. He ran out of Sugar Rush and into Fix-it Felix Jr, all while ignoring the alarms that went off as he passed from one game to the next. Before he went into his game, Ralph shouted a thank you at Vanellope. She gave him a wink and a thumbs up before scampering back into her own game, leaving the surge protector to shake his head in annoyance.
Toontown was as crazy as ever when Eddie Valiant and Dolores visited. Benny the taxi drove them through the rolling, bouncy hills, dropping them off in the town square where they met Roger and Jessica. All the toons gathered around a new monument that was covered by a sheet. Roger gave a dramatic speech. Jessica lifted him up, and he pulled the sheet off the monument, revealing a statue of Eddie Valiant and his bother, Teddy. A plaque below the statue read, "Toontown's defenders."
Somewhere in space, Captain Amelia barked orders to her new crew. The RLS Legacy's deck was shined and polished. The crew members scrubbed, complaining about the work. When the first mate of the Legacy walked by, the men straightened, and saluted. Wearing a white uniform, first mate Jim Hawkins put his hands behind his back and gave the crew a once over. Then he gave his own series of orders, making the crew flinch. At the helm, Captain Amelia gave Jim an approving nod.
Somewhere, on another new planet, Locke was busy pulling bagfuls of gold out of a hole in the ground. He paused for a moment and pulled the magicite out of his pocket. The gem shined with a pink glow, and Locke smiled as he kept exploring.
In the garden at Disney Castle, Roxanne and Max sat at a table, chatting over some tea, all the while blushing as the two of them attempted to flirt. Bobby and PJ came running into the garden, panting, trying to say something with their hands. A second later, they stood straight, snapping to attention. Max was about to ask what was wrong, but then a pair of hands covered his eyes. Pushing the hands off him, Max turned around. His jaw dropped when his eyes met Goofy's. Jumping out of his seat, Max hugged his dad tight, and then introduced him to Roxanne.
Down in the gummi hanger, Chip, Dale, Launchpad and Gadget did some maintenance on the gummi ship. Professor Von Drake supervised, leaning over a new set of blueprints. Scrooge McDuck, meanwhile, was busy counting all the munny he had made back in Hollow Bastion. That was, until Pluto snuck up next to him and swiped the munny pouch out of Scrooge's hand.
While Scrooge chased after the dog, Donald walked into the castle library, waving nervously at Daisy. She tapped her foot, glaring at him. Donald turned away, rubbing his neck. Before he could say sorry, Daisy threw herself at him. The two ducks were about to kiss, but then Huey, Dewey and Louie burst into the library and dog piled on top of Daisy and Donald. He about to scold his nephews, but stopped when Daisy started giggling. Her laugher was infectious, and soon, all five ducks lay on the floor, happily quaking up.
High above the castle, Mary Poppins sat on a cloud, powdering her nose. Jut then, a sparkling letter floated down in front of her. The wax seal of a wizard's hat gleamed on the letter. Raising an eyebrow, Mary opened the envelope.
In the castle's audience hall, Queen Minnie sat in the throne, reading a book. She was so focused that she did not notice someone walking over to stand beside her. She started when Mickey leaned over and kissed her temple. The book fell from her hands, landing on an open page about a lucky, rabbit, master mage. Minnie leaped into Mickey's arms. The two of them pressed their noses together, closing their eyes, together at last.
Deep within the realm of darkness, Oswald kept wondering. Light gleamed at the end of his wand, pointing downward. Jumping into a deep chasm. Oswald crept closer and closer to a galaxy of darkness down below.
In Hollow Bastion, Cid was busy building a new ship right in front of Merlin's house. Yuffie and Aerith stood next to him, handing him tools and reading over the blueprints Cid had placed on the floor. There was a puff of blue, magical smoke, and Merlin appeared in front of his house. He gave Aerith an envelope. Popping open the wizard-hat wax seal, Aerith read.
Leon and Cloud stood in the rising falls, strategizing about what to do about the castle. Behind them, Tifa sighed. She bonked both men on the back of the head, getting their attention. The three of them met up with Cid's group back in town, where Yuffie excitedly showed them a picture she had drawn. Leon squinted at the picture, confused. Yuffie puffed up her cheeks, irritated. Aerith explained the picture, pointing at the ship Cid was building, and then to the castle in the distance. Understanding, the group looked up a the castle, thinking of new possibilities.
Back at Destiny Islands, Riku and Kairi played a ball game with Selphie, Wakka and Tidus on the beach. Sora, feeling lazy, went to the secret place so that he could nap. He walked into the cave, looking at the scribbles on the walls, moving toward the picture he and Kairi had drawn when they were little. Pressing his hand over the stone wall, he froze when he saw the picture. Before leaving the islands, Sora had drawn a himself giving a paopu fruit to Kairi. He was surprised, and delighted, to see that Kairi had added to the picture. She was now giving him a paopu fruit as well.
Destinies intertwined.
A part of each other's lives, no matter what.
Secret Ending
The worlds settled into a blissful peace for a while. Even though he couldn't see it, Riku could feel it. Light shined all around him. On the islands, he sat on the paopu tree. How long had he spent dreaming of other worlds, wanting so badly to leave his home? To think that now, after everything that had happened, the warmth of the sunset at home was still unlike any other he had felt in the outside worlds. The ocean waves hummed in his ears and reverberated in his heart.
Nothing had changed, and yet home felt brand new. Like learning an exciting new secret about someone he loved, his home was fresh and welcoming. How ironic that he couldn't stand being on that island before. He had been willing to destroy his home to be set free, only for it to be the one place in the whole universe he had wanted more then anything to return to. It was truly wonderful that he was allowed to return.
Footsteps reached Riku's ears. Sora jumped over the paopu tree and leaned against the trunk, relaxing, watching the sun set with his best friend.
"What a small world," Riku said.
"Yup. But part of one that's much bigger."
"Hey, Sora, I've been meaning to ask."
"Yeah?"
"How did you break the keyblade?"
"Snapped it in half, right over my knee," Sora said nonchalantly.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Riku laughed. "That's right, you've got a weapon that's stronger."
"My knee?"
Riku pointed at Sora's chest.
"Yeah, I know," said Sora. "You have the same weapon."
Riku leaned back on the tree, breathing in deep. "So, where's Kairi?"
"She went to the secret place. Said she had some stuff to think about, but she promised to meet us here later."
The two boys settled into a comfortable silence, enjoying the tropical breeze and the sunset, until Kairi's urgent cry made Riku jump off the paopu tree. She ran across the bridge to the little island. The boys walked up to her.
"What's wrong?"
"Sora, Riku, it's-I can't explain! Just come, quick!"
Sora and Riku stumbled as she pulled them across the bridge. They ran to the other side of the island, the side that held the race course and the harbor that had once housed their raft. Kairi led them to the beach by the coconut trees. A new scent reached Riku's nose, one he didn't know. Someone was there, collapsed on the shore.
Sora gasped. "Ariel?"
End of Kingdom Hearts 2.
Author's Note: Phew! It only took a full year, but I finally finished...the first half of this project...oh man...
So I'm not too sure when I will start on KH Route B for KH3. Just need a break to relax. It's been some tough writing! I will say, though, that KH3 will be part of this fanfic, and not a fanfic on its own. Basically, the next part of the story will be added to this fanfiction.
I hope everyone enjoyed this wild ride with me! Thank you again Stuff3, Aztec 13, Guest, BadOrk11, Dario Flaman and Spyro 101 for all your reviews! And thanks to all the people that added this story to their favorites, followed, or even sent me messages! Your words and support mean the world to me! Thank you all, so much! And happy holidays!
