They all stood around in shock at Sora's action. There wasn't really a way to react to witnessing anyone die, but the fact that they knew he did it to save Kairi and all the worlds didn't particularly help matters.
"Sora, are you really…" Kairi closed her eyes in an attempt to fight back any tears that were trying to escape. She closed her hand into a fist. "No. He can't be! I won't let him go!"
"Kairi, he's gone," Luigi said, but she shook her head. "We need to get going now and find my brother."
"I don't want to go! Not without Sora!"
"Kairi." Count Bleck walked up behind her. "I know better than anyone else what it's like to lose somebody you love, but if we stick around here we could be in dan-"
Footsteps sounded from behind them all, they turned around to face a dark portal. From inside the portal came a tan man with long silver hair. His eyes were a golden color and he wore a shirt that exposed his chest slightly, revealing the same thorny heart symbol that many of the Heartless had. The dark portal closed behind him moments later. "So, you have awakened at last, princess." The man smirked. "The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now it's over." He walked forward in an attempt, towards them.
Count Bleck lifted up his staff while Bowser and Luigi got into fighting positions, each standing in between Kairi and the man in an attempt to protect her. It was possible she knew how to fight, but they weren't about to take chances. "Get any closer and you'll have to face us."
The man simply took another step forward, or tried to. Something was holding him back. "Impossible…"
"No. You won't use me for this!" Riku appeared, surrounded in a yellow glow, his arms spread out wide. He was protecting them.
"Riku!" Kairi shouted.
"You've got to run! The Heartless are coming!" Riku warned them.
"But Riku-"
"Don't worry about me Kairi, just go!" Accepting Riku's words, Kairi ran down the stairs with the others where the other six girls appeared to be waking up, although only Peach and Timpani had fully awoken.
"Bowser, Luigi?" Peach asked as she looked over the group. "Where's Sora?"
Sora… Peach's question hurt so badly, it hurt all of them, but she couldn't have known. She was unconscious when it happened.
"We'll explain later," Luigi said. "We need to get out of here before the Heartless come, all of us."
"The Heartless?" Peach asked. As if summoned by her question, several of the Heartless swarmed, ranging from the harmless Shadow variety to the Heartless they had encountered throughout the world. "Alright, as soon as we escape them you can tell us all what happened."
I'm sorry Sora…Riku… Kairi looked back one more time, Riku still managing to hold the man back and protecting them. I guess I've failed you both…
"Hey, are you guys planning on sealing off that giant Keyhole?" Timpani asked pointing behind them, the Tippi like item now sitting in only one hand.
"When we get another Keybearer, yes." Questions immediately stopped, and they all just kept running, Count Bleck blasting at any Heartless that got too close to the fleeing party. Their first moment of peace was the lift stop.
"So what happened exactly? Where are we?" Peach asked.
Timpani looked over at Count Bleck, who nodded and turned to them all. "You are in the ruins of the Hollow Bastion, named Castle Bleck by the one who gathered you all here." He looked away after that. "Which would be me."
"So you're Count Bleck?" Peach asked. He nodded again. "Why are you helping us?"
"I'm helping to make up for what I did." Count Bleck looked at Timpani, causing everyone else to look at her. She turned a little pink at the sudden attention. "Because I lost her…"
"The real question isn't why Blumiere's helping us though. Where's Sora?" Timpani tried to change the subject as best as she could.
"How do you know him?" Luigi asked.
"I traveled with him too…" she held out the Tippi like form. With their first ever close up look, they were able to see that it was an exact copy of the Pixl. Bowser, Luigi, and Peach looked at her in shock, but she just nodded to their unasked question. "By the time I learned the truth, we were already preparing to leave Traverse Town. Only Sora knew. He was my friend just like he was yours, and I want to know where he is."
"Not in front of Kairi," Luigi said.
"Tell them. It's okay…" Kairi said.
"Why wouldn't it be okay?" Peach asked in confusion.
"In order to wake the seven of you up…Sora had to stab himself with a very special Keyblade," Count Bleck said. "Sora sacrificed himself for you all. He's dead."
Peach and Timpani looked at each other with surprise and horror. Having met Sora personally, they had all become friends with him. Timpani was the first to speak. "Kairi, I'm so sorry."
"It's just who Sora is…he'll always protect his friends before himself," Kairi said it as though the statement made it alright. The heartbroken look on her face said otherwise. The lift stopped moving.
"We need to keep moving," Count Bleck said. "Come on."
"What's going to happen to the others, the one's still waking up?" Peach asked.
Count Bleck looked away. "So long as they aren't active, I can't imagine the Heartless chasing after them."
"So where do we go next." Bowser asked.
"Straight. We're near the entrance chamber," Count Bleck said. "Hopefully my minions made it out in time though."
Following the hall through to its end, they arrived back where Sora fought Riku for that final battle. Five of them arrived at the final door, ready to leave, but Kairi held back. "Come on Kairi, we don't have all day!" Bowser shouted.
Kairi looked at them and back at the stairs. Getting away from a fight they couldn't win was one thing, but it was another entirely to leave the world and her friends without at least trying to save them. "I can't leave them behind."
"It's not like we can stay here though Kairi, when we return to Traverse Town we can come up with a new plan, but if you die that won't happen," Timpani said.
Timpani was right and Kairi knew it. She just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something that she could still do, and it had nothing to do with the Keyhole. She started down the stairway to the gate when she felt something touch her. She turned around to see a Shadow Heartless.
"I'll take care of him." Count Bleck raised his staff, but Kairi put her hand out to stop him. She looked at the Heartless. It wasn't attacking; it was just staring at her as though expecting her to do something. "Sora? Is that you?"
"Kairi?" The others stared at her like she'd lost it, but none of them had the heart to tell her it was just another Heartless. An army of Heartless surrounded them.
"We'll take care of them!" Luigi said. The heroes began to attack the Heartless as they came, Timpani using magic to hurt them.
Kairi got into a defensive position in front of the Heartless as other Heartless swarmed. "This time I'll protect you." The Heartless lunged for her. "Sora!" She wrapped her arms around the Heartless and closed her eyes tight. She could feel their claws scratching against her, but she couldn't let them hurt Sora.
Dimly she was aware that outside of the darkness surrounding her, somebody was calling her name in a panic, trying to attack the Heartless around her, but all that mattered was protecting Sora. If I become a Heartless, do you think that we can destroy everything together? The three of us, destroying worlds as Heartless, sound like a deal?
"You won't become a Heartless Kairi, I'll protect you." A bright light flashed, bright enough she could see it through her eyelids, and the Heartless were gone. In place of the Heartless that had once been in her arms was a warm body, one whose arms were wrapped around her. "Kairi, thank you."
It couldn't be, everything told her it couldn't be true, but when she opened her eyes, Sora's arms were wrapped around her, he was really there. "Sora…"
"Sora!" They all cheered and looked at the Keybearer. He smiled at them.
"How..?" Kairi asked. Had she turned him human once more?
"Come on, we have to get going!" Count Bleck said. "The Heartless won't stop until we've left this world."
"They'll still chase after us…" Peach said. She pulled out her parasol. "I can handle the Heartless, you all should head to safety."
"But Peach-"
"Don't worry about me Sora. I'll meet up with the other girls and see if I can find Count Bleck's minions." After a moment, Sora gave the princess a small nod.
"Let's go!" They ran out of the castle gates.