Okay. Still not really back from my brieg HIATUS, but...since I already had this done, might as well post it.

Kyrie (c) Me

Kingdom Hearts (c) Square Enix

Kingdom Hearts

Bonded Soul

Chapter 75

The group exited the portal, finding that the barrier had lifted and that they could continue on. Kyrie sighed in relief at this, they were getting closer and closer to Xemnas, and hopefully getting closer to stopping him. But she also felt a strange feeling in her chest, like something was telling her that something both wondrous and awful was about to occur.

"But what? What will happen?" she thought as the group walked, Axel keeping her left arm wrapped securely around his waist for support as they did so. She looked at Axel for a moment, one question still lingering on her mind.

"Axel?"

"Hm?"

"W-what…happened to L-Luxord? Did y-you all…" she asked, her eyes boring into his. His expression became grim, and she understood what had happened to the man. Looking down, she felt her eyes heat up as she closed her eyes. Sure, she had been angry with Luxord over the events of Port Royal, but his death still brought a pang of sadness in her heart. She felt Axel's arm wrap around her shoulders as he pressed her against his side.

"I'm sorry, Kyrie. But we can't save them all." he whispered softly. She nodded and the two continued walking. But when they came to the entrance of Naught's Approach, they heard distant voices arguing.

"Ansem! The machine!" they heard the King cry. But the next voice that spoke made Kyrie's body go stiff and all the pain disappear.

"All the more proof that hearts cannot be contained by data. Run, my friend! It's going to self-destruct, and anything could happen!" at this, she broke away from Axel, causing him to gasp as she ran away.

"Kyrie, wait!" he cried as he reached out to grab her, but she was too quick and disappeared up the landing. When she got up the landing, she spotted King Mickey as he stood next to a man with graying blonde hair, causing her to skid to a stop. The king spotted her, gasping as he turned to her.

"Kyrie!"

"Kyrie…?" the person questioned as they turned, making her gasp loudly as her hands flew to her mouth. This was the same man that had appeared in her dreams, the same man whom her younger self called "grandfather". An emotion flooded her chest at that moment, like something inside her was rejoicing. Right now, all she wanted to do was run over and embrace him.

"Grandfather…" He smiled tenderly at her, and held out an arm to her.

"Ah, my dear Kyrie…it's been so long." she smiled and nodded, tears in her eyes. With that, she ran into his arms, burying her face into his chest as she allowed the tears to fall. He held her tightly, like he never wanted to let her go.

"G…grand…father. I…I finally f-found…you." she choked as she held him tightly. His eyes widened as he looked down at her, surprised. But his smile grew as he held her tightly.

"Kyrie…you've finally spoken after so long…do you…remember me?" suddenly, the machine he held in his other arm shook, causing her to wince as he looked down at the machine.

"Your Majesty!" a familiar voice called, making them turn their attention to Sora and the others as they ran up the landing. Axel blinked in surprise, spotting Kyrie in Ansem's arms. "Kyrie? What's going on?"

"Axel…t-this is… my g-grandfather…" she answered, making the group gape in shock. "HUH?" they exclaimed. Ansem stared at the group sadly as he held his granddaughter in his arms, knowing that he didn't have much time left as the machine began short-circuiting.

"Sora, the rest is up to you… And Roxas- I doubt you can hear me- but… I am sorry. And you, Axel-" this made the pyro blink as he stared at the man. "Please, take care of my granddaughter. She is all that I have left." this made Kyrie blink at him in confusion and Axel nod, before Mickey turned to them.

"Ansem!"

"My heart is telling me what I must do. Please allow me to do what it says!" he spoke. But the king shook his head as he took a step forward to stop him. But Riku reached out, pulling him back.

"No! Riku!"

"His heart's decided. We can't change that." he said sternly, holding him back. Ansem looked down at the girl in his arms, holding her close.

"My dear Kyrie… I wanted to keep my promise to you, but it seems that I cannot. Please, find it in your heart to forgive me. I was unable to protect you, and you suffered so much because of my ignorance. You even lost your memories…" she shook her head, reaching up and cupping his cheek.

"Grandfather… I n-never… hated y-you. Y-you're the only… family t-that I…have l-left. A-and I d-do…f-forgive you-" she started, but stopped when a dark corridor appeared a few feet away.

"I was wondering who would dare interfere with my Kingdom Hearts. And look- here you all are. How convenient for me." Xemnas spoke as he appeared. He looked over at Ansem and Kyrie, and smirked. "Ansem the Wise…you look pathetic."

"Have your laugh. I deserve as much for failing to see you for the fool you are." he snapped. Kyrie growled as she glared at the man, feeling the anger build up in her chest.

"Students do take after their teachers. Only a fool would be your apprentice. After all, none of this would have happened without you. YOU are the source of all Heartless. It was your research that inspired me to go farther than you ever dared." Kyrie growled.

"S-shut up!" she snapped. But Ansem placed a hand on her shoulder, as he looked at his former apprentice.

"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 better left forgotten… Is this the answer you were looking for?" the aging man snapped at his former apprentice, holding Kyrie tightly to his chest.

"All that and more. 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. I understand, though. Unlike me, you have a heart. And you're powerless to control it. Consumed by jealousy you feel toward the student who surpassed you." Kyrie growled at this, and took a step away from her grandfather, facing the man head on.

"X-Xemnas… you're the one… who's the fool! Y-you know…n-nothing a-about the heart… a-after all…you d-don't have a…h-heart. H-how can you…u-understand a-anything a-about…the heart, w-when you lack o-one of…your own!" she spat. But before she could continue, the machine sparked, causing her to cry out in agony as she collapsed to the ground, a sharp flash of pain radiating from her chest. She felt the world spin for a moment, before everything went dark.

The group gasped as she fell, going unconscious.

"Kyrie!" Goofy cried, his hands flying to his mouth. Axel growled.

"Kyrie, hang on-" he started as he tried to run in, but Xigbar held him back. He looked back at the man in confusion. "Why're you-"

"Don't, the machine's gonna explode!" Xigbar growled. Xemnas seemed amused of this as he turned to his former teacher.

"Why Ansem the Wise, you're even more heartless than myself. You're causing your own granddaughter unspeakable pain, and yet you feel no remorse. How heartless." he taunted. Ansem glared at the man before looking sadly at his granddaughter, feeling hatred for his own mistakes and helpless to stop her pain. He turned his attention to Xemnas once more.

"Xehanort. 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 any world that you try to create… Any world of yours… would be an empire of ignorance. That is why you and your creation are destined to fall!" he looked at his granddaughter, before looking over to Riku.

"We've said enough! Riku, you know what to do! King Mickey, my friend, forgive me!" He looked once more at his granddaughter, smiling sadly as she lay unconscious on the ground. "My beloved granddaughter, I doubt you can hear me now, but… I will always love you. Never forget this." he then turned his attention on the machine as it entered its critical point.

"Farewell!" and with that, the machine exploded, causing Kyrie's chest to burn up in a searing pain as she screamed, writhing on the floor in pain despite being unconscious. The others held up their arms, protecting themselves from the blast. It was over in a matter of seconds, as shards of light began to fall from the sky.

-A little while later-

"Mm…" Axel slowly opened his eyes, to find himself laying on the ground. He quickly lifted himself up, to see Demyx, Xigbar, Donald, and Goofy lying a few feet away from him. Sora and Kairi regained consciousness and looked around, spotting Riku a few feet away.

"Riku!" he exclaimed as he ran over to his fallen friend. Axel turned his attention to Demyx, Xigbar, and the King's servants as he began shaking their shoulders, trying to rouse them from their sleep.

"Hey, hey! Wake up!"

"Mrgh…just five more minutes…" Axel deadpanned and sighed, delivering a harsh kick to Demyx's behind. The man cried out in pain, now awake as he got to his feet and started rubbing his behind. "Ow, Ax! What the hell!"

"Hey, you didn't wanna wake up, so I had to kick you awake. Got it memorized?" the man nodded as he continued rubbing his behind. Xigbar snickered as he got to his feet as well, eyeing the two with a humorous glint in his eyes. Demyx glared over at him as Donald and Goofy began to laugh as well.

"Sorry, can't help it." the man defended, lifting his arms. Axel shook his head before looking around, spotting Kyrie as she lay a few feet away. His eyes widened.

"Kyrie!" he exclaimed, running over and kneeling beside the girl as he took her into his arms. He checked to see if there was any pulse, thankfully, there was. He sighed in relief as the others walked over.

"Is she…?" the King asked, staring at her worriedly. Axel shook his head.

"No, she's okay. She's just unconscious. Got it memorized?" he answered. He looked her over, surprised that she wasn't grimacing or wincing in pain, like she had when she had gone unconscious the first time. He sighed in relief at this. "She's not in pain anymore, that's good." he thought as he brushed her bangs away from her face.

"Riku!" turning, he spotted Sora as the boy knelt beside his fallen friend. The boy's appearance had changed, he no longer resembled Xehanort. Now, he looked like the old Riku.

"Wow…"

"Hey, he doesn't look like Xemnas anymore! What gives?" Demyx asked as he pointed. The King shrugged his shoulders. "Well, Ansem did say that anything could happen."

"Riku, you're you again!" Sora exclaimed as he helped the other boy to his feet, a black tie covering his eyes. Sora blinked as he stared at it. "Uh…you gonna take that off?"

"Yeah, it ain't gonna help us if you can't see a thing while we're fighting." Xigbar pointed out. The boy nodded and removed the tie, showing the bright turquoise eyes that were hidden beneath.

"There we go! Now was that so hard?" Demyx asked as he patted the boy's shoulders. Riku sent him a glare, making him flinch as he hid behind Xigbar. "Hey, I was just joking!" After a few moments, Riku turned to Axel.

"How much further do we have to go before we get to Xemnas?"

"Well, we just have to go through Ruin and Creation's Passage before we get to him." he answered. Riku nodded before his eyes widened, causing Axel to raise his eyebrow before the boy pointed.

"Axel, look out-" but it was too late as something cut into Axel's back, causing him to cry out in pain as he fell to the ground. Looking up, he was surprised to see Xemnas as he stood over him, one of his Ethereal blades drawn as he pointed it at the pyro.

"Xemnas…!"

"I've come to collect payment for what that fool has caused. His granddaughter should suffice." and with that he reached down, grabbing Kyrie from Axel's arms as he held the unconscious girl with one arm. Demyx, Xigbar, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Riku, and the King were in front of the fallen man immediately as Kairi tended to him.

"Put her down, Xemnas!" Sora ordered as they pointed their weapons at him. But the man raised his blade to her throat, causing them to hesitate.

"I'm afraid I cannot, brave wielders of the keyblade. You see, this girl is necessary for me to fix what has been done to my Kingdom Hearts. Farewell." and with that, he disappeared into a corridor. Axel swore as he tried sitting up, the blood dripping profusely from his back as he did so.

"Kyrie-!" he gasped, blood spurting from his lips as Kairi tried to hold him back. Sora gasped at this, his eyes wide.

"Axel! Guys!" he exclaimed. The group turned and surrounded Axel, who was wounded badly as Kairi laid him back down. Donald and Demyx were at his side immediately, preparing their spells.

"Curaga!" the two cried in unison, as golden petals and leaves fell into the wound, sealing it back up and fixing what fate had designed. After a few minutes, the man's wound was healed as Xigbar and Riku helped him to his feet, the only two taller people besides himself. They looked over to Demyx, who was searching for the two.

"Can you see them?" he shook his head.

"No, I can't. He must've taken her to the Altar of Naught, he might use her to get his own heart back." he called. Mickey scowled and crossed his arms.

"Then we have to find them, and soon. Before he hurts her!" Riku nodded as he discarded his cloak. "All right, then let's go!" the group nodded as they ran up the landing, Xigbar and Riku supporting Axel as they did so. The man scowled as they ran, feeling nothing but pure hate for Xemnas.

"Xemnas, if you do as much as harm a hair on her, I'll personally deliver you to your end!"

-Meanwhile, Xemnas-

Xemnas looked at his Kingdom Hearts, which was now thoroughly damaged thanks to Ansem the Wise.

"Oh…my Kingdom Hearts…" he then looked over to where he had placed the unconscious girl, a small smirk on his lips. "You will have to pay for your grandfather's mistakes, my dear Kyrie. But what will you pay? Your heart, or your freedom?"

Xemnas...you're such an A**HOLE! Gah!

Xemnas: I am not an a**hole. More of a...man who is seeking profit using other people as his pawns.

Me:...Yeah, a manipulative a**hole.

Xemnas: I am not a- *gets his ass lit on fire by Axel* AAAAAAAAAHHHH! NUMBER EIGHT!

Axel: That's for literally stabbing me in the back, a**hole.

Me: ...Please review, and meanwhile I'll just roast some weenies and marshmallows over Xemnas' burning ass.