You guys were so great with the reviews that I had to post this as quickly as I could! Not bad this time, only twelve days. Last time I was so busy it took me a month! Crazy, right?
Anyway, exams are nearly over. I have one left on Friday and then I'm done high school. Which means I'll be able to finally finish this story. I think I'm going to end it at chapter 30. That's my goal. And also, just a heads up, my last two updates are probably going to be shorter ones. I think you might understand why once you're done reading this chapter.
Thank you's today go out to: CHIBI-CRAZY, phantombullets240, pandabearmusic, ccsakura21, Heart-of-Fate, AoZ, celtic-roses, Kingdomheartsgirl123, Echoillith, Hidden Fairy Tale, sakurapedals, Amara Natsumi, WarriorFan523, animechick247, TeamHalo13, Clarissa Avila, and betty.
Keep reviewing while you still can! I think this chapter's gonna give you a lot to say.
Suddenly Vilixa heard a portal opening from behind Ansem the Wise and saw Xemnas emerge from the darkness. "I was wondering who would dare interfere with my Kingdom Hearts," he said calmly. "And look...here you all are. How convenient for me." He turned to Ansem. "Ansem the Wise...you look pathetic."
"I deserve as much for failing to see you for the fool you are," he retorted.
"Students do take after their teachers. Only a fool would be your apprentice. After all, none of this would have happened if it weren't for you. You are the source of all Heartless. It was your research that inspired me to go further than you ever dared."
"I admit my disregard brought chaos to more worlds than one. But what were you seeking? You erased me from the world only to take my name and continue research that was better off forgotten," Ansem the Wise sneered. "Is this the answer you've been looking for?"
"All that and more," Xemnas responded. "I'm carrying on what you yourself began, and I'm creating a brand new world, one heart at a time. I thought you'd praise me, but all you ever do is hold me back." He frowned deeply. "I understand, though. Unlike me, you have a heart. And you're powerless to control it. Consumed, by the jealousy you feel toward the student who surpassed you."
"Xehanort," Ansem scoffed. "Foolish apprentice of a foolish man. You have surpassed nothing. Only proved how little we both know. We may profess to know the heart, but its essence is beyond our reach. We're both ignorant. As oblivious as when we began. I'm afraid that any world you would try to create-any world of yours-would be an empire of ignorance. That is why you and your creation are destined to fall."
Vilixa eyed the machine that Ansem the Wise was using to disassemble Kingdom Hearts. It was shaking on its stand, and Ansem was using all of his strength to keep it stationary. It couldn't take much more.
"We've said enough!" Ansem declared. Turning to Riku, he said, "Riku, you know what to do." Then, to the King, he bowed his head. "King Mickey my friend, forgive me." He turned to Kingdom Hearts, his eyes narrowed nearly into slits. Finally, with his last breath, he called out, "Farewell!"
The machine burst from the center where the hearts were being stored into data. They burst out from every inch, consuming the entire platform in light. Riku turned away from the contraption and stretched his arms out, shielding almost everyone.
Vilixa turned and held Mickey back. While everyone shielded their eyes, she focused hers on the light that shone before her. One second, she could see the World that Never Was, and the next, she felt warm. As if she was floating on a cloud.
As hearts fell from the sky, Dusks below held out their slender white claws and groped at them, attempting to be reunited with what had once made them whole. As the hearts fell to the ground, darkness sprung from them, creating hoards of Heartless that swarmed the castle grounds.
Soon, the light died. Sora picked himself off of the ground and looked around to make sure that everyone else was alright. His eyes widened when he saw the silver-haired boy face down on the ground.
He ran over to him. "Riku!"
Riku let out a groan and propped himself up against his elbows, then sat up on his knees. Sora sighed in relief.
As Riku was getting up, Mickey said, "Ansem did say anything could happen."
"Sora...Riku..." Kairi's voice came from a small ways away. They both turned and gasped, rushing over to where she was.
Sora felt his heart grow heavy. "Oh, no..."
Vilixa laid on the ground motionless, her body slowly fading away.
"No!" Riku cried. "No, I can't lose her again!"
He fell to his knees and held her in his arms. She managed to crack her eyes open just slightly.
"Riku..." she mumbled, forcing herself to smile. "Nice to see you again."
"Why is this happening?" he demanded, more to himself than anyone else.
"It's okay," Vilixa breathed. "It doesn't hurt."
Riku shook his head. "I can't do this again. I won't lose you."
"And you never will," she replied, lifting her hand shakily and placing it over his heart. "I'll be right here." Her hand fell to her side, and her eyes threatened to close. "Can I ask you a favour, Riku?"
"Anything."
She smiled. "Could you...take off your blindfold? I want to see your eyes one last time."
Riku nodded solemnly and raised his hand, pulling the black cloth from his eyes. He blinked a few times to readjust to the brightness. That's when he noticed that Vilixa's body wasn't fading into the darkness like the other Nobodies had. She was fading into light.
"Thank you," she whispered before her eyes shut. "Goodbye, Riku. I love you."
Riku felt a tear roll down his cheek as the light slowly consumed her until nothing remained. He sat there in disbelief, cradling the air where she once laid. He had lost her again.
Sora crouched down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Riku. We need to end this. For her sake."
Riku hastily wiped the tear away from his eye, not wanting to look weak in front of Sora. He rose to his feet and glared at Kingdom Hearts.
"We have to defeat Xemnas," he stated. "He's the Organization's last survivor."
"Right," Sora agreed.
Riku shed the black cloak that he was wearing as a disguise, readjusting his usual attire as he started to walk away. "Come on."
The group ran into a hall that had several floating platforms, seemingly connected by crystallized bridges. Heartless poured out from the walls and started squirming their way towards them. There must have been thousands. Riku growled.
"There's gonna be no end to this!"
Sora looked at Riku and said, "Together we can take them."
Riku gave an approving nod in response.
As the two moved to begin their fight, a wisp of smoke stopped them in their tracks. Maleficent and Pete appeared before them, Maleficent looking dangerously determined and Pete looking disoriented.
"Be gone from here!" she commanded. "Leave these creatures to us!"
"But there's no way we can take them all!" Pete protested.
"I will be sending them after Xemnas," Maleficent replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Or would you rather fight them yourself?"
Pete looked for a moment like he was in deep thought. Then he squealed, "Frankly, my dear...I'd rather run!"
"Off with you, then," Maleficent grunted.
Pete turned to leave and came face-to-face with Mickey. Looking down at him, he hollered, "Well, well, if it ain't the boat boy King!"
"Time to weigh anchor, Captain Pete!" Mickey declared.
Pete scoffed. "What, like 'abandon ship'? I don't think so!"
Maleficent eyed Sora and the others. "Sora. 'Your Majesty'," she added almost sarcastically in Mickey's direction. "Do not forget. When I've destroyed them all, this castle shall be mine!"
Pete pointed a finger at Mickey. "Now, lookie here. Opportunities like this don't come along every day, ya know." Pete ran next to Maleficent, his face scowling into a frown as he faced his throng of enemies. "Bring 'em on!"
As they ran to face the Heartless, Mickey announced, "We gotta hurry."
Sora protested. "But-"
"They're doing as their hearts command," Mickey reminded, cutting him off. "We can't interfere."
Sora finally agreed and followed the King and the others out of the room.
After a while, they made their way up a long flight of stairs up to the Altar of Naught. They saw Xemnas standing there before a destroyed Kingdom Hearts, his arms outstretched towards it.
"Oh...my Kingdom Hearts...ruined," he muttered. "Now I'll have to start all over again." He turned to Sora, Riku and Mickey. "Warriors of the Keyblade," he commanded. "Go forth and bring me more hearts!"
They all summoned their Keyblades, pointing them at Xemnas. "No!"
"Denizens of light, answer this," Xemnas inquired. "Why do you hate the darkness?"
"Aw, we don't hate it," Mickey answered. "It's just kinda...scary. But the world's made up of light and darkness. You can't have one without the other, 'cause darkness is half of everything. Sort of makes ya wonder why we're scared of the dark."
Riku spoke up. "It's because of who's lurking inside it."
"Then allow me another question," Xemnas mused. "You accept darkness, yet choose to live in the light. So why is it that you loathe us who teeter on the edge of nothing? We who were turned away by both light and dark-never given a choice?"
"That's simple," Riku countered. "It's because you mess up our worlds."
"Oh, we do?" Xemnas smirked. "Just as Vilixa 'messed up' yours?"
Riku's expression darkened. "Don't you dare mention her name."
"It seems that you've forgotten that she was one of us," Xemnas continued. "Born from nothing, able to feel nothing. And finally, consumed by nothing and returned to nothing. She was just another puppet, destined to return to the oblivion from whence she came."
"She wasn't like any of you!" Riku growled, clutching his Keyblade tighter in his hand. "She'll never be gone. Not as long as her memory stays alive in our hearts."
"That may be," Xemnas continued. "But as much as you care to deny it, Vilixa was part of the Organization. A Nobody. Not even meant to exist. The thought of it almost moves me to tears."
"Give it a rest!" Sora shot. "You're not sad about anything!"
Xemnas laughed slowly, his chest rumbling as he tilted his head back in what looked like amusement. "Very good. You don't miss a thing. I cannot feel...sorrow. No matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think, what you feel, or how you exist..."
He raised his arms up and beams of energy shot up from the ground, encircling the entire Altar of Naught. Riku shielded his eyes as the light became blinding. When he blinked again, the light was gone and so were Sora and Xemnas.
"Sora!" Kairi cried out. "Riku, what happened to him? Where did he go?"
"I don't know," he said darkly. "All we can do is hope for the best."
Aha...don't hurt me...
Review please :3