Okay, okay. I know I haven't updated in forever on this chapter… but really. It was this story so one of my other stories. See as how hardly anyone reads this one anyways, it made more sense to work on my other stories than this one. For those of you (few) people who do actually read this story, this will be the last chapter. It's a bit short, just to warn you.

The Panic's End: Riku and Jessica's Beginning

(Jessica POV)

"I hope you know I didn't just get away with this without consequences Riku. There was one condition to me coming back here." I explained, biting my lower lip as I watched his face to see his reaction. I paused, not wanting to go on with what I knew I had to explain to him – but of course he wasn't going to let me stay silent for long.

"What is it? What was the condition to coming back to me Jessica?" Riku asked me, setting his cup of hot chocolate aside. I still said nothing. "Tell me, please."

"When Axel explained to me how to return to Destiny Island to you and the others, he said in order to stay with you for good I would have to find a way to tie myself to the world again, as the previous link between myself and the world in which I lived had been destroyed when Xemnas 'killed' me. I have a set time limit in which I have to establish the new link before I disappear and never return." I explained, my voice sounding higher than normal as I tried to recall all the things Axel had told me before we had parted. "He also told me the strongest way to invent a new link was to use my most powerful emotion to make it so that it would last and not wear out and send me back to that white room unintentionally. He said the strongest connection I could create would need a little help – from you, Riku."

"You need help from me?" He asked, sounding a little baffled. I didn't blame him in the least, this whole ordeal sounded like something out of those Star Trek episodes we had watch as children when we had nothing better to do on rainy days. In that moment, I felt terrified that Riku would refuse. If this doesn't work, if I can't get him to agree, Axel said I'll be sent back to stay with him and the others in that white room until the end of the world! Riku just has to agree to help me! "What do I have to do?"

"What?" I asked, unsure that I had heard him right so immersed as I was in my own thoughts.

"I said what do I have to do." Riku smiled softly, his eyes sparkling. "I'm willing to do anything to keep you here with me Jessica, I love you. Just tell me what I have to do."

I felt myself smile broadly, my eyes close as I leaned in closer to him. His arms tightened around me making me feel safe even thought I knew my time with him was running short. We'd better do this now, or it'll be too late. Too late for me anyways…

"Riku, could you get a few things for me while I try to remember everything Axle told me to do to recreate the connection?" I asked him and he nodded. "We're going to need a wine goblet filled halfway with cold water, a sharp silver kitchen knife, a fairly large space cleaned out on the floor, a lighter or a match and as many white candles as we can find. We need to hurry and get started, or else my time will run out before we even get started."

"Hold on a second." Riku whispered, grabbing my wrist as I made to stand up. I looked back at him, staring into his eyes, reading the worried expression that lingered there still. "How long do we have to do this before you poof back to that white hell you were telling me you woke up in after the battle?"

"Riku, if I told you you'd only worry." I frowned as I tried to pull my wrist from his grasp. He didn't relent. "I only have about an hour left with you. If this doesn't work, I'll disappear for good this time."

"We only have an hour left together?" Riku said in a choked voice, his eyes bulging slightly. I watched as a single tear trickled down the side of his face before he spoke again. This time however, his voice was determined. "Then we'd better hurry."

(Riku POV)

"I think we've got everything then, are you ready Jessica?" I asked her, my eyes flitting to the clock in the corner for what must have easily been the hundredth time. She nodded at me slowly, my eyes scanning over the arrangement placed on the spot we had cleared off on the floor for the 'ritual' or whatever it could be classified as. "You're gonna have to talk me through this you know, I have absolutely no clue what to do."

"I don't expect you to know what to do." She said to me softly, reaching out a hand to stroke my hair lightly sending chills down my spine as I fought to hold back the tears I felt welling up inside of me. "How much time do we have left?"

"About fifteen minutes." I said as I felt my eyes filling with tears. I took her hands up in mine, silently praying that this would work. "Please, we need to do this quickly. We don't have much time. I don't want to lose you a second time."

"You won't, I'm right here." Jessica smiled, kissing me gently before pulling back with a small frown. "There's just one more thing before we find out if this works or not. Once this is all over and done with and you've helped link me to this world again, I'll be linked to you as well."

"That's not so bad is it?" I smirked at her lightly, trying not to panic more than I already was. I could tell without words that she was even more petrified than I was. She didn't need to worry about my fears on top of hers. "Unless of course you're already sick of having me around you or something like that; I kind of like the idea of the two of us being linked together for the rest of our lives, don't you?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that." She sighed, the tone of her voice changing slightly. Jessica suddenly sounded older to me, more tired, more world weary than before as though her time in the other realm had shown her more than she should have seen. It frightened me slightly. "I mean that once this is done, my soul with depend on yours in a way. If we're separated from each other over a large enough distance for an extended period of time I'll start to fade away again until I'm gone for good."

"If we're apart too long, you'll fade away?" I asked her, no doubt in my mind that I sounded terrified. Her life would depend upon me. The last time she needed me to save her there was nothing I could do. I watched her fade away… I can't let her go through that again.

"Are you sure you still want to help me do this?" She asked me, her voice unsure. She was worried that I would refuse, I could tell. I nodded, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead before pulling back. "Let's get started then. Just kneel down over there and don't speak. I'll tell you what to do and what I'm going to do, but you can't say a word or it'll be ruined."

I nodded deafly, doing exactly what she told me to do. Kneeling down so that she was facing me, she placed the goblet between us being careful not to spill any of the water inside of it.

"Start lighting the candles Riku." She commanded of me gently, her voice shaking of its own will as she struggled to stay calm more for my sake than her own it seemed. I did as I was told and soon we were surrounded by a circle of the gentle candle light of close to thirty white candles that I had dashed around and collected as she set things up. Picking up the knife off of the floor she pulled back the sleeve covering my wrist and did the same with her own. "Don't move, it'll all be over soon. I promise."

Watching spellbound as she lowered the knife over her over wrist I felt suddenly sick, lightheaded as she pressed the blade down into her skin so that her crimson life force blossomed forth suddenly as she hissed softly, biting her lower lip. She tilted her wrist just enough so that some of the blood fell in tiny shimmering droplets into the goblet, staining the water red as I watched her horrified.

"Riku, s-stick out your w-wrist please; I w-won't hurt y-you." She said in a shaky voice. I hesitated before doing so, closing my eyes as I felt the very tip of the blade puncture my skin ever so slightly. I felt my wrist being turned and heard the soft plinking noise that came from my blood falling lightly into the goblet and mixing with hers. "Open your eyes Riku, it's almost over."

When I opened my eyes, she was still kneeling in front of me, the goblet now in her small hands. She's not actually going to…

"Please don't look at me like that Riku. I have to, we've only got five minutes or so left." She cried her hair falling in her face as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "I have to drink half of it, and you drink the rest. Then it's finished."

She pressed the glass to her lips and opened her mouth, the red liquid flowing inside as I fought the urge to scream. When she had finished she handed me the goblet wordlessly. I brought it to my lips and closed my eyes…

"Have you seen Riku today?" Sora asked Kairi as they walked down the beach together, hand in hand. She shook her head, her red hair catching the sun as she smiled looking out over the waves.

"Do you want to go look for him Sora?" Kairi asked and when he nodded she dropped his hand, Sora heading for the secret place while she headed for the other side of the island.

"Riku, where are you? Come out come out wherever you are!" Sora called out childishly to his missing friend as he looked through the darkness of the cave like area. Sora stopped when a girlish giggle reached his ears soon followed by a recognizable laugh. On tiptoes, Sora crept closer to the laughing voices and peered around the corner of the cave wall.

"Oh come on, we can't stay in here all day Riku!"

"Of course we can, why can't we?" Riku asked the person held so lovingly in his arms. He was sitting with his back against the stony wall, a girl wrapped up in his arms sitting lightly on his lap.

"What about our friends, I don't want them to worry." She said wisely, her fingers teasing their way up and down the arm about her waist. She laughed when he pulled her closer to his body, leaning her head n his chest.

"They won't worry, Sora and Kairi have better things to do than worry about us nowadays, don't you think? And besides, today I want to spend alone with you. I don't see anything wrong with that, do you?" Riku's voice dropped a little lower as he said the last two words.

"No," She breathed, her lips pressing an innocent kiss under his ear.

"I love you Jessica."

"I love you too Riku."

Sora smiled to himself, sneaking back out of the cave and over to where Kairi stood waiting for him.

"I couldn't find him anywhere. Jessica's missing too, I couldn't find her either." Kairi stated with a sigh. "Did you find either of them?"

"No, I didn't." Sora lied with a small smile. He took Kairi's hand and led her away, saying he wanted to go back to the main island and see a movie with her. As he and Kairi left Sora thoughts wandered back to his two friends hiding together. Riku and Jessica deserve a little alone time together. This is, after all, a new beginning for the both of them. The beginning of their new life together…

The End

Well I hoped you liked it. I did, if that means anything. Usually authors like their stories, right? I suppose it is possible to write something and not like it, but I don't think that would be much fun… hmmm…..

Anyways, review please seeing as this is your last chance to review this particular story. Merry early Christmas everyone!!!