UltimaShishigawa: Hey everyone! Sorry I've been gone so long, but I've been swamped with my other stories. Anyway, here's part 1 of the final chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: UltimaShishigawa doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, or it's characters.
Chapter 9: End of the World Pt.1
-Gummi Ship-
Sora, Donald, Goofy and Neo were all on the Gummi Ship on their way to what Neo called it as "the Heart of the Darkness."
"So what do you know about this place, Neo?" asked Sora. The black haired Keyblade wielder shook his head as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Not much. I was only there long enough to get Kairi and get out." said Neo. "But what I did see looked like... fragments. Pieces of land floating in the air. And the weird thing is... I was able to walk in the air just fine." Sora crossed his arms as he thought on this.
"Well, Riku, Donald, Goofy and I were able to fly in Neverland, so it probably won't be a problem." said Sora.
"WAK!" shouted Donald causing Sora, Neo and Goofy to look out the cockpit window to see a swirling mass of purple light.
"There it is." said Neo. Goofy looked at Neo with a questioning look.
"Gawrsh, are you sure that's it, Neo?" asked Goofy. The black haired Keyblade wielder nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll never forget the darkness I felt while I was there." said Neo. "It's why I left so quickly when I found Kairi."
"Well, get buckled in because we're about to land!" said Donald. The other three nodded their heads as they went to their respective seats and buckled in.
-End of the World: Gate of the Dark-
Sora, Donald, Goofy and Neo came out of a cave that they landed the Gummi Ship in only to find what Neo described. "Is this all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?" asked Goofy.
"Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right?" asked Sora. "But then, what will happen to this world? And to us?" Neo shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows." said Neo. "But we'll most likely be back home... on the islands." He then started walking.
"Let's go. Ansem is at the very core of this world." said Neo before Sora, Donald and Goofy followed after him. As they walked through the seemingly endless fragments of the worlds taken by the Heartless, they stopped when they encountered Heartless (Invisibles and Angel Stars). Sora and Neo summoned their Keyblades while Donald and Goofy took out their staff and shield, respectively.
"What do you think the best course of action would be to get past them?" asked Neo. Before anyone could answer, Sora immediately charged ahead and struck down an Invisible.
"We mow right through them!" said Sora as he continued running and cutting down Invisibles and Angel Stars. Neo sighed before looking at Donald and Goofy.
"I'm guessing he was this way when it was you guys, him and Riku, huh?" Neo more so stated rather than asked.
"Pretty much." said Donald as a sweat drop rolled down his head. Neo shook his head.
"He'll never change." said Neo before chuckling. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing. C'mon guys!" With that, Neo, Donald and Goofy ran after Sora while cutting down the Invisibles and Angel Stars that Sora missed. Soon the four friends came to a dark portal.
"I wonder where this leads to." said Sora. Looking back, Neo spotted an army of Invisibles and Angel Stars coming at them.
"Well, we can either ask them," said Neo while pointing back, "or we can go through and see for ourselves. Your choice." Immediately, all four ran through the portal.
-End of the World: Giant Crevasse-
They soon found themselves surrounded by darkness. However, it quickly cleared up and revealed to them that they had been transported to some sort of dark canyon. Looking over the edge of the cliff, Goofy gulped as he noticed that he couldn't see the bottom.
"Gawrsh, that's a long way down." said Goofy. Looking at a stone on the ground, Neo picked it up before tossing it over the edge. The four friends listened for the sound of the rock to hit the bottom, but just when they thought that it was a bottomless pit, they heard a very faint tapping sound that signaled that the rock had finally hit the bottom.
"Well, now what?" asked Donald. Sora looked around the canyon before spotting a light in the distance.
"Maybe that leads somewhere." said Sora as he pointed toward the light.
"Probably." said Neo. "Let's go." With that, the four friends began making their way carefully towards the light. However, when they were about halfway there, the ground gave way under Neo's feet.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!" shouted Neo has he quickly grabbed the edge with both hands.
"NEO!" shouted Sora, Donald and Goofy as they rushed over.
"Neo, are you okay?" asked Sora. Neo looked down at the dark abyss below before looking back up at Sora with panic filled eyes.
"WHO CARES IF I'M OKAY?! PULL ME UP!" shouted Neo. Sora and Goofy knelt down and grabbed Neo's wrists while Donald held onto the two's belts. As one, all three pulled with all their might and managed to pull Neo back up onto the cliff. Gasping loudly, Neo clung to the ground for a few minutes as he stayed on his hands and knees.
"Now are you okay?" asked Sora. Neo shakily nodded his head.
"O-one thing is certain." said Neo as he carefully stood up. "I won't b-be climbing any t-trees anytime soon." Once they were certain that Neo was okay, the four friends continued on their way. Once they reached the light, which appeared to be a portal in the ground, they jumped in.
-End of the World: World Terminus-
When the darkness cleared up, the four found themselves in an abyss. Looking down, they found that they were standing on some sorta platform that resembled a mouth with a pillar of purple flames shooting upward.
"Where does that go?" asked Sora.
"Only one way to find out." said Donald as he walked over to the pillar of purple flames before jumping in. Following Donald's lead, the other three ran into the purple flames.
-End of the World: World Terminus: False Traverse Town-
When they ran through the purple flames, the four found themselves in the Third District of Traverse Town causing Sora, Donald and Goofy much confusion.
"How are we back in Traverse Town?" asked Goofy as he looked around. Neo shook his head.
"We're not." said Neo earning him the three's attention. "This Traverse Town isn't real. It's fake. I can feel the darkness rolling off in waves here. We're still where we were, but what we're seeing is an illusion." Suddenly, several Heartless (Soldiers and Large Bodies) appeared. Neo and Sora summoned their Keyblades while Donald and Goofy pulled out their staff and shield, respectively.
"And them?" asked Donald.
"Real." said Neo before he ran ahead and struck down a Soldier. Sora gave chase while cutting down a few Soldiers and Large Bodies.
"THUNDAGA!" shouted Donald before thousands of lightning bolts came raining down, destroying several Heartless in their wake.
"CHARGE!" shouted Goofy as he rushed through the Soldiers and Large Bodies and sent them flying. Neo jumped over a Large Body before landing and slashing through it's back. Turning quickly, he cut down a few Soldiers and another Large Body. Looking towards Sora, Donald and Goofy, Neo found them taking care of the last of the Soldiers and Large Bodies. Once all the Heartless were gone, the four regrouped.
"How do we get out of here?" asked Donald. The four looked around before Sora noticed the door leading to the First District.
"Maybe we can try going through there." said Sora as he pointed at the door. Neo, Donald and Goofy looked towards the door before shrugging their shoulders.
"Couldn't hurt to try." said Neo as he and the others walked up to the door before the black haired Keyblade wielder pushed it open. They then proceeded through the door.
-End of the World: World Terminus-
The four friends reappeared on the platform and found that the purple flame pillar had changed to a blue color. Looking ahead, that noticed a strange blue orb. Walking over to it, they reached out as one and touched the orb before disappearing and reappearing on another platform exactly identical to the last one, except the flame pillar was purple like the last one had been before.
"Well, let's see where this one leads." said Sora before he and the others walked into the purple flame pillar.
-End of the World: World Terminus: False Olympus Coliseum-
"Where are we?" asked Neo after the four appeared in the coliseum.
"This is Olympus Coliseum! Me, Riku, Donald and Goofy came here and competed in tournaments and also met a guy named Hercules and his trainer Phil as well as two other guys named Cloud and Rai (1)!" explained Sora. "If we're lucky, we can go visit them sometime and you can meet them!" However, before Neo could give a response, several Heartless (Air Soldier, Wyvern and Defender) appeared. The four got into their battle stances having still had their weapons out.
"Hopefully those invisible walls will stay down long enough so I can, but let's worry about the here and now first!" said Neo.
"Right!" said Sora, Donald and Goofy before the four rushed at the Heartless. Neo and Sora struck down several Defenders while Donald was firing off spells left and right at the Air Soldiers. Goofy, meanwhile, was tossing his shield at the Wyverns and knocking them out of the sky. Neo quickly ran up to a Defender and slid underneath it before jumping to his feet and slicing it down the middle from behind.
Sora, meanwhile, sliced a Defender in half when it raised it's shield and attempted to slam it down on the Keyblade wielder. As an Air Soldier attempted ramming the brown haired Keyblade wielder, Neo tossed his Keyblade. Neo's Keyblade spun through the air, slicing the Air Soldier in two, before disappearing and reappearing in his right hand.
"Thanks Neo!" said Sora. The black haired Keyblade wielder nodded his head. Looking around, the four found no more Heartless.
"Well, now what?" asked Donald. Sora looked toward the door leading further into the Coliseum.
"Let's go through there." said Sora as he walked toward the door. Neo, Donald and Goofy looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and followed after Sora.
-End of the World: World Terminus-
After returning to the platform, the four friends made their way to the same blue orb which transported them to another identical platform. The difference with this platform was that the flame pillar was red instead of purple. Not even bothering to questioning why, the four rushed in.
-End of the World: World Terminus: Secret Lab-
The group arrived through a swirling black portal to find a long hallway with a large Heartless sigil at the end of it. Walking down the hall, they came to a door. Opening it, they found a strange laboratory of sorts with a computer console in the middle of the room that was hooked up to five containers filled with a strange blue liquid. Around the room were dozens of swirling black portals. Walking up to the console, Neo pressed a few keys before a screen with a message appeared.
"What is this?" asked Sora as he looked over the black haired Keyblade wielder's shoulder at the screen whilst Donald and Goofy looked around the room.
""Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation. Seize all hearts and consummate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all. Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts. The great darkness sealed within the great heart. Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness. For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one Keyhole, one key to the door. The door of darkness, tied by two keys. The door to darkness to seal the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness. One born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens."" Neo read. "It seems to be some kind of... research note. And a cryptic one at that." Neo pressed a few more keys before the computer shut down.
"Did you get all of that Jiminy?" asked Neo. Jiminy, from his perch on Sora's shoulder, wrote something down in his journal before closing it and nodding.
"Yup. I have to agree, though. That research note was indeed cryptic." said Jiminy. Sora reached up and grabbed Jiminy before placing him in his pocket for safety.
"We'd better keep moving. That feeling is getting stronger, which means we're getting closer. I don't think it'll be much longer until we find Ansem. We find him, we find Riku." said Neo. Sora nodded his head before the four exited the lab and made their way back through the portal that brought them there.
-End of the World: World Terminus-
The four returned to the platform to find the pillar of fire gone and, in it's place, a dark blue portal.
"Gawrsh, where do ya reckon that there portal leads to?" asked Goofy. Neo shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows." said Neo. "But we're never gonna find out standing around here. Let's go." With that, Neo jumped into the portal followed by Sora, Donald and Goofy.
-End of the World: Evil Grounds-
When their vision cleared, they found themselves floating in a dark void with an inactive volcano. However...
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" screamed Neo as he suddenly started falling straight down. The other three whipped their heads in the direction the black haired Keyblade wielder was falling.
"Donald!" said Sora. Donald nodded his head before pointing his staff in Neo's direction.
"AEROGA!" shouted Donald before a sphere of wind surrounded Neo and lifted him back up to the other three.
"Thanks." said Neo before getting a questioning look. "How come you guys can fly without this?" As he asked this, Neo gestured at the wind sphere around him.
"Oh, well Tinker Bell helped us with her pixie dust. All ya have to do is believe that you can fly when she sprinkles the dust on ya. Ahyuck!" said Goofy. Neo sweat dropped at this.
"I'm not one who believes in that kind of stuff easily, but after everything we've been through, separately and together, I can believe just about anything now." said Neo.
"Um... guys?" asked Donald earning him the other three's attention. "WHAT'S THAT?!" As he asked this, Donald pointed at what he was looking up at. Neo, Sora and Goofy followed where Donald was pointing only for their eyes to widen. The "volcano" was actually a large black demonic looking figure with wings, yellow eyes and horns on it's head (Chernabog). The lower half, which was it's waist and legs, were inside the rest of the volcano.
"FLY AWAY!" shouted Goofy as he flew in the opposite direction with Sora and Donald on his heels. When Neo attempted to follow, though, he found that he couldn't.
"HOW DO YOU MOVE THIS THING?!" asked/shouted Neo. Looking back, he saw Chernabog's fist coming flying at him. The fist struck the wind sphere and sent the poor black haired Keyblade wielder spinning back toward Sora, Donald and Goofy. Coming to a stop near them, Sora looked at Neo.
"Neo, are you okay?" asked Sora. Neo, who was seeing mini paopu fruits and keys floating around his head, groaned.
"I think... I'm gonna... be sick. Uuuh." groaned Neo before covering his mouth. Sora glared at the towering figure of Chernabog before looking at Donald and Goofy.
"C'mon guys! We've made it this far so we can't give up now!" said Sora. Donald and Goofy nodded their heads in agreement.
"RIGHT!" said Donald and Goofy in unison as they brandished their weapons. Summoning his Keyblade, Sora flew at Chernabog with Donald and Goofy on his tail. As they got close, Donald held up his staff.
"THUNDAGA!" shouted the Royal Court Magician as several large lightning bolts rained down on Chernabog. The demon roared out in annoyance and pain as the lightning bolts struck him.
"EEEEEHHOOOOO!" shouted Goofy as he threw his shield at Chernabog. The shield sailed through the air and struck the demon in the forehead. Chernabog roared out in anger as the shield returned to Goofy.
"TAKE THIS!" shouted Sora as he flung his Keyblade at Chernabog. The Kingdom Key sailed through the air before impaling in Chernabog's right arm. The demon roared out in pain as the Kingdom Key disappeared in a blaze of light before reappearing in it's master's right hand. Chernabog raised it's wings and flapped them once, summoning a mighty wind that blew the three backwards.
"Make a pinball out of me, huh?" asked Neo as he regained his bearings. The wind sphere dissipated, but surprisingly the black haired Keyblade wielder was managing to stay afloat in the sky. Summoning his Keyblade, Neo shot forward at Chernabog.
"WELL, THIS IS WHAT YA GET FOR TURNING ME INTO A HUMAN PINBALL!" shouted Neo as he stabbed his Keyblade into Chernabog's side, causing the demon to howl in pain, before dragging it around his torso. Chernabog swiped at Neo with it's clawed hands, but the Keyblade wielder quickly removed his Keyblade and flew back to avoid the attack.
"Hey Neo, you can fly!" said a surprised, but grinning Sora. Neo smirked as he rested the blade of his Keyblade on his shoulder.
"Well, you said all I had to do was believe that I could. I knew that aeroga spell wasn't going to last forever, so I figured I had nothing to lose." said Neo. "And I didn't need the pixie dust either." Chernabog let out another roar, gaining the fours attention as it raised it's arms and summoned pillars of fire. The four flew around the pillars to avoid them as they closed in on Chernabog. Sora and Neo zipped around Chernabog as they cut into the demon's skin with their Keyblades while Donald continued bombarding it with firaga, blizzaga and thundaga spells. Goofy, meanwhile, was throwing his shield and closing in for close up strikes whenever he could.
Chernabog let out a mighty roar as it's waist became encircled in flames.
"GET BACK!" shouted Neo. The four quickly flew back as a column of fire shot up toward the sky, engulfing Chernabog in the process. Neo looked toward Sora.
"Sora now!" said Neo as he pointed his Keyblade at Chernabog as the fire pillar diminished. An orb of light formed around the tip of Neo's Keyblade. Sora nodded his head as he pointed his Keyblade at the demon. An orb of light formed around the brown haired Keyblade wielder's Keyblade tip.
"NOW!" shouted Neo before a beam of light fired from the two's Keyblades. The beams shot forward and pierced through Chernabog's chest. The demon let out a mighty roar as another pillar of fire engulfed it. When the pillar dissipated, Chernabog was gone.
"WE DID IT!" shouted Donald and Goofy. Sora grinned as he rested his Keyblade's blade on his shoulder.
"We'd better keep moving." said Neo as he started descending toward the remnants of the volcano with Sora, Donald and Goofy in tow.
-End of the World: Linked Worlds-
The group flew down into the volcano and through a portal to find themselves once again on the ground and in a large room. Making their way through the room, they came to a wall with a Heartless sigil on it.
"Well, now what?" asked Donald. Sora, Donald and Goofy all struck thinking poses as they tried to think up an idea. Neo, however, walked up to the sigil and placed a hand on it. Suddenly, the sigil began to glow, garnering the other three's attention, before it melted away.
"Gawrsh, how did ya do that?" asked Goofy. Neo looked at his hand with a look of uncertainy and worry.
"I just used the power of darkness, but I'm... being very cautious of how much I use." said Neo before shaking his head. "C'mon, we're almost there." Not giving them the time to ask him about his use of darkness, Neo stepped through the hole in the wall with the other three following close behind.
-End of the World: Final Rest-
When the four stepped through the hole, they found themselves in a cave of sorts with a strange looking door.
"End of the road." said Sora. Neo nodded his head in agreement.
"Yeah." said Neo. "Ansem is beyond that door. I can feel it." Sora walked up to the door and grabbed the handle.
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Sora. Neo, however, walked up to Sora and grabbed his wrist, stopping the brown haired Keyblade wielder from opening the door.
"Hold on, Sora! We don't know what's waiting for us beyond that door. If we go through this door... we may not be able to come back." said Neo as he looked at Sora with a serious look. "That means we need to make sure we're ready for what's waiting beyond here. I'm ready." He then looked at Donald and Goofy.
"We're ready, too, ahyuck!" said Goofy as he pulled out his shield with a determined look on his face. Donald nodded his head in agreement.
"Let's show that big palooka what he gets for messing with people's worlds!" said Donald as he pulled out his staff. Neo looked back at Sora.
"That just leaves one question." said Neo. "Are you ready, Sora?"
-Next Chapter: End of the World Pt. 2: A Promise of Return!-
UltimaShishigawa: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Now for the explanation. Note 1: Rai is the OC of my Final Fantasy VII story I'm currently working on and I thought it would be a good idea to include him in it. He'll actually be shown in later stories, though. Anyway, please read, review, comment, but don't flame! Peace, I'm out!