"Peach!" The four heroes ran up to the pink clad princess as she stood in the lobby of the castle, where the Starshroom conveniently dropped them.

"You guys came back," Peach said with a smile. She looked at Tippi with confusion, but didn't ask. "The other four sent me out to wait for you."

"Wait for us?" Sora asked.

Peach nodded. "They wanted to speak to you about the Keyhole. Rosalina was acting like it's important."

"Is that space princess why you're still here?" Bowser asked with a growl.

"No, the Keyhole is." Peach stepped onto the lift, followed closely by the others.

"Did you ever find out what happened to Nastasia, Mimi, and O'Chunks?" Tippi asked.

"Yes. They're currently safe inside the library putting every lock available on the Dark Prognosticus. If Nastasia has it her way, nobody will ever find that book again," Peach said. "Both O'Chunks and Mimi wish to apologize for attacking you all."

"Well, I forgive them. You guys?" Sora asked.

"I do too," Luigi said. Bowser just crossed his arms and turned away. They all laughed.

"I guess some things don't change," Peach said.

"Do you have any plans to travel with us after this?" Tippi asked.

Peach shook her head. "After this is over, I'll have to return to my kingdom. As a princess, it's my duty to return to it after this. It was a nice break though."

"Well, you're always welcome to come with us when you want." Sora smiled as the lift arrived at the top. The exited for the room right in front of the final Keyhole, where the four other girl's remained.

"Sora, these are Shiki, Rosalina, Daisy, and you already know Zelda. Guys, these are Tippi, Luigi, Bowser, and Sora." Peach indicated them.

"So you're the Keyblade master." Rosalina looked him over. "We've been waiting for you, all four of you."

"Where's Ansem?" Sora asked.

"Gone," Daisy said. "And good riddance to that creep."

"When the Keyhole appeared, darkness poured out and it swallowed Ansem," Rosalina said.

"Ansem might be gone, but it hasn't stopped the flood of darkness either Sora," Zelda said.

"Forget that! He had a smile on his face when he disappeared into the darkness. It was just creepy," Shiki said. "But you all have to hurry. He can't hold the darkness flood back much longer."

"You guys can't?" Luigi asked.

"No, we can't," Peach said. "And if we don't hold it back, this world will be destroyed. It's why I needed to get you."

"All right, we're on it," Sora said.

"We're counting on you to do what you can," Zelda said.

"Ansem ignored us when he first arrived, and he probably won't return," Daisy said.

"So please, seal the Keyhole before the darkness overwhelms this world," Rosalina said.

"Alright, come on guys, let's go," Sora said. They entered the Keyhole room, the room Sora lost his heart in. The portal was still open, as it should have been.

They entered into the rainbow colored realm, nothing inside but the Keyhole at the end. As Sora went to approach it, a Heartless appeared. It was large and purple with large tusks and a horn on its head. "Woah!"

"What is that thing?" Luigi asked.

"A Behemoth, a rather large and powerful Heartless. The only place it can be hurt is the horn on its head, you'll need to destroy that in order to kill it." Tippi was right that her Tippi form was valuable, seeing as it could gain all that information with a glance.

"Right, well, let's go." Sora ran at the Heartless and attempted to jump up high enough to hit its horn, but the Heartless seemed only vaguely interested as it stepped right on top of Sora the moment he landed, missing the horn completely.

"Let's try this!" Luigi jumped higher than Sora and nearly into the horn, but fell just short, missing the Heartless's horn completely and falling prey to an attack. It did lower its horn briefly, allowing them to attack it for a moment only to be hit by it once more by a ball of darkness it fired. "I don't get it, how are we supposed to attack something we can't hit."

"Like this." Bowser had climbed onto the Behemoth's back and breathed fire on its horn. He aggravated the Heartless, causing it to fire lightning bolt at him that he avoided by ducking inside of his shell. He started clawing at it again and again, causing a scream of pain from the Heartless. Sora and Luigi looked at each other and smiled before running onto the Behemoth's back as well. Sora jumped up its leg and up while Luigi made the jump in one try. After reaching the top, Sora started to rapidly slash at the horn while Luigi started to punch and kick it. It collapsed after several hard hits from the three caused its horn to shatter. It followed too moments later, releasing a pink heart as it disappeared.

"Now it's time to seal that Keyhole," Luigi said.

"Sora. You did it." The voice sounded like Leon, and it was coming from outside of the Keyhole. Luigi and Bowser watched as Sora exited the area. Just outside the dark portal were Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sora asked.

"We came in Cid's Gummi Ship," Yuffie said.

"This is our childhood home." Aerith answered the unasked question of why. "We wanted to see it again."

"It's in worse shape than I feared," Leon said. "It used to be so peaceful…"

Aerith smiled. "Don't worry. If we defeat Ansem, all should be restored. Including your island."

Sora was surprised. He'd thought his island would be gone forever, the idea that it could come back and he could save it excited him. If his home came back, did it mean Timpani's and Blumiere's home could come back as well. "Really?"

"But it also means goodbye." Yuffie frowned.

"Goodbye?" Tippi asked, voicing Sora's question before he had a chance. That didn't make sense.

"Yes, once all the worlds are restored, they'll all be separate again," Aerith explained.

"Everyone will go back to where they came from," Yuffie said.

Sora shook his head. How will that separate us? "Then I'll just visit you guys with the Starshroom."

"It's not that simple." Leon crossed his arms.

"Before all this, you didn't know about other worlds, right?" Yuffie asked.

"Because every world was divided. Impassable walls divided them," Aerith said.

"The Heartless destroyed those wall," Yuffie said. "But if the worlds will return, so will the walls."

"Which means the Starshroom will be useless," Leon said.

"But Peach, Luigi, Bowser, Timpani, and Blumiere all knew of the worlds, traveled the worlds before the Heartless were really a problem," Sora said.

"Sora, Peach and Luigi only knew because of a comet that breaks the world barriers every one hundred years and Blumiere and I are from a world that's very nature involves protecting the secret of other worlds. Even then, I would have never been able to break the world's barrier without that curse or Blumiere's help. My magic's too dilute," Tippi said.

"What about Kairi? How did she come to the island?" Sora asked.

"I don't know, but if she came alone, I doubt she came by spaceship," Tippi said. "I'm sorry Sora, but I think they're right."

"So you're saying we'll never…"

"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other," Leon said.

"No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again," Aerith said.

"Besides," Yuffie said with a laugh. "I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked.

"Sora!" Luigi shouted for him.

"You better hurry and close that Keyhole!" Bowser shouted.

"Sora, good luck," Leon said. Sora nodded and went to the Keyhole.

A beam of light exited his Keyblade, sealing the Keyhole off and preventing the darkness from escaping. As the group walked by the princesses, Peach stopped him. "Thank you, Sora. The darkness is going away now."

"But it isn't gone forever," Rosalina said. "Somewhere far off from here, a greater darkness has gathered."

"We'll take care of the Heartless and Ansem," Sora said.

"A good answer Sora. Remember, after this, your home will return," Zelda said. "After that, you and your friends will return home."

"Back to the islands?" Sora asked with a smile.

"Yeah, it should return," Daisy said.

"Well, I can't go home. Not until I find Riku, Blumiere, and Luigi's brother," Sora said.

"Yes, until you find Mario and them, I suppose you can't go home," Peach said with a smile.

"Hopefully, we'll all be able to head home soon. I miss Shibuya," Shiki said.

"Well, we're going-" Sora's statement was interrupted as a white portal appeared in the room, surprising them all.

"I don't like the way it feels," Peach said. "It feels dark."

"No, not dark," Rosalina said. "Wrong, neither light nor dark." She looked to Sora. "I hate to ask more favors, but can you check it out?"

"Sure," Sora said and nodded. He walked into the white portal, followed by Luigi and Bowser. A black cloaked figure waited for him. The figure walked through Sora.

"No problem. Let's do it!"

"Hold on! What's that over there?"

"She arrived on the night of the meteor shower!"

"A huge black thing swallowed me up."

"So, you're from another world?"

"A paopu fruit..."

"What? There's no way you're getting this!"

"I'm so glad that you're okay, Kairi."

"The Keyblade..."

"The Heartless?"

"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi..."

"Hey! Let Zelda go!"

"Yeah! I did it! See, that's the power of the Keyblade!"

"You'll find it. I'm searching too."

"We can't abandon her, she's our friend."

"So he doesn't show that he cares well?"

"If Kirby managed to use this?"

"I do."

"You're stupid. Sooner or later they'll swallow your heart."

"I've finally found her."

"I still can't believe it."

"I know this place..."

"No. Not without Kairi."

"I know now I don't need a Keyblade."

"I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!"

"Give him back his heart!"

"There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"

"A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts... I wonder."

"What's... What's happening to me?"

"Falling...falling...into darkness."

"Kairi, thank you."

"Now, it's time to get Riku back."

"Even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore."

"Don't worry. I will. Promise."

As the memories started to flash through Sora's mind he fell to the ground. He looked behind him at the figure, who had stopped. "Who are you?"

"Ah, it seems you are special too," the figure said. Judging by its voice, it sounded like a male was speaking.

"Ansem?" Luigi asked.

"That name has a familiar ring to it." The man raised his hand and summoned a ball of energy to his hand. "You remind me of him."

Sora glared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you are not whole," the man said. He threw the ball of energy at Sora, who sent it flying. "You are incomplete. Allow me-to test your strength." The man ran at Sora, two blades of red light emerged from his hands and hit the Keyblade Wielder, knocking him back. Sora ran at him only for the blade to be blocked. Sora looked to Tippi for help.

"That's-" Tippi's scan was cut off as she was hit by the red blades, causing Sora to glare.

"I cannot allow you to receive help," the man said. Tippi had already fallen to the ground and it spurred Luigi and Bowser into action. Luigi ran at the man, sending a fireball at him, which the man just deflected before hitting Luigi into Bowser. The moment they hit the ground, he formed a barrier. "They are not to interfere."

"But-" the man interrupted Sora by launching an attack with his glowing red blades. Sora lifted up his Keyblade just in time to block the strike and pushed him back. The man proceeded to throw balls of darkness at Sora, which we avoided at every direction by rolling out of the way, much like when he dodged Riku-Ansem's rapid fire attack. When the darkness stopped firing, blue lasers began an attack Sora was unprepared for as several hit him. He stood up.

"Heal!" A green light swept over Sora as he cast Cure before starting to attack the man once more, each attack seeming to do no damage as the man simply brought out his red blades and started beating Sora with them once more, putting the Keyblade Wielder on the defensive once more as he desperately tried to avoid the attacks. They seemed to stop, and Sora took advantage of that, stabbing at the man's heart. A red light glowed there for a moment, which the man sent away.

"Impressive," the man said and lowered the barrier, stopping his assault completely. "This will be enjoyable."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked and ran at him. The man stopped time for that moment as he walked through Sora. He turned around to face the man once more.

"It is beyond your comprehension, for now." The man turned to look at Sora. "Until we meet again."

"Wait, what are you-"

The man started to disappear. "I am-" Sora approached him and he vanished completely. "…but a mere shell."

"Sora, Tippi!" Luigi pointed to Tippi. Sora ran to the butterfly Pixl.

"Heal!" He cast a Cure on her and she began floating moments later.

"Thank you," Tippi said.

"No problem. Hey Timpani, did you get to scan that guy?" Sora asked her.

"No, he knocked me out before I could," Tippi said. "I'm sorry Sora, I didn't even learn who he was."

-x-

"So, you're still here?" Mimi asked as the heroes entered the library.

"We wanted to check and see how the three of you are holding up here," Tippi said. "What are you all going to do once the worlds are saved and all?"

"Well, we were plannin' on jus' stayin' 'ere," O'Chunks said. "I don' think I'd be welcomed if I were to return to me 'omeworld after all."

"Most of us don't have a world we can return to," Nastasia said. "We'll all be much happier here."

"That's good, and the Dark Prognosticus?" Sora asked.

"Sealed up tight where nobody can get it. I found these where I hid it." Nastasia handed Sora several papers labeled "Ansem Report". "Yeah, you'll have more use for these than us."

"Thanks," Sora said with a smile.

"I guess we finally found the lost Ansem Reports," Luigi said.

"So Timpani, can I ask you something?" Nastasia asked.

"Sure…" Tippi said.

"Where's the count?"

"Oh yeah, the count isn't here, but he left with you guys," Mimi said. "Shouldn't he be here?"

"Blumiere's looking for Riku," Tippi said. Nastasia nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Come on. Let's just get going already," Bowser said with a grumble.

"Right, thanks for all your help," Sora said, specifically to Nastasia. "I hope we'll get to see you guys again and actually have time to become friends."

On that note, they left the Hollow Bastion behind. It was time for the final battle to begin.