Chatper Thirty-Five: Journey's End
I wasn't sure how long I was out… maybe hours, maybe days. Regardless, when I finally came to, I was being supported by Sora and Riku. They were supporting me, walking along with me despite some difficulty. I fell over after I woke up, but stood up soon afterwards.
"Hey! You're finally awake. Have a nice nap?" Sora asked me as I dusted myself off. I noticed we were in the crystal cliffs around the Radiant Garden.
"Sorry… breaking the Limits of Power has its repercussions," I said, still a bit weary. "So what happened next?"
"See for yourself," Sora said, pointing to someplace off of the cliff. I walked slowly to the edge, and looked down upon a vast plain. A large, craggy rock stood off in the distance.
"That's… Pride Rock, isn't it?" I asked.
"Yeah. We've… restored the worlds," Riku answered.
"So this is the world in its true form… this is the way it's all meant to be, not infected by darkness," I said, gasping in awe. I turned around swiftly to see not only Sora and Riku, but also Kairi and Serenity.
"We… we did it! Everything's fine," I said. "We saved everybody, we saved everything…"
"Yeah. We can all go rest now, if you want," Riku said, motioning toward the Radiant Garden's Castle, which was just over the horizon.
"I'd like… nothing more. And I'm sure they wouldn't, either," I said, motioning toward the girls. "I'd… like to sleep in a bed."
"Then let's go," Sora said. We began our silent walk… the walk of heroes. Even though I didn't truly deserve to be called a hero, for a few moments, I felt like one. I'd saved… no, restored the worlds and saved the damsels in distress.
After we got to the castle, I didn't say a word to anybody. I just went up to the bedroom I had been sleeping in before, flumped myself down on the bed, and went to sleep. I got up at midnight to grab a snack, since I hadn't eaten in I don't know how long, then went back to sleep.
I had the weirdest dream that night… which is even weirder, considering I never remember my dreams. I was all the way in my Ultimate Form, dueling with the Akuma. Each time I killed her, though, she just kept coming back to life. It went on and on until I awoke in a cold sweat.
It was noon. I went out and stood on the balcony, realizing that, for now, at least, everything was at peace.