Marie and her keyblade:
www.swirl3y.deviantart.com/art/Marie-and-her-Shooting-Star-Keyblade-383502787
Ryan:
www.swirl3y.deviantart.com/art/That-s-his-name-286861562?q=gallery%3ASWIRL3Y%2F29599925&qo=12
A/N:
Oh, the sweet, sweet epilogue. You can start playing Sanctuary if you want. Or something that will add to the sweetness of this chapter. :D
Chapter Sixty-Two
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Epilogue
Eli and Leah woke up earlier than usual and decided to work on breakfast for their family, and Eli walked past Marie's room without noticing that it was empty. Leah, however, wasn't so oblivious and walked into the room, and had noticed that Marie was gone. She quickly called Eli back, who came rushing in, and asked where Marie was.
"I don't know, there's just these two letters," she said as she sat down on her bed. She looked down at the letter, and noticed one was for Sora, while the other was for them. She practically ripped it open and started reading it. Ryan had woken up from all the commotion and walked into the room to ask what was going on. Leah was starting to whimper, but held it in as she looked at Eli and Ryan. "Marie left… she said she was going to find Stella and Dante. Apparently Trinity is alive…"
"What!? But that… we buried Trinity!" Eli shouted. Ryan stood there in shock as he saw what was unfolding. Marie had gone, even after all that they went through to get her back. He felt pretty angry and even betrayed, but when he got to reading the letter, he calmed down a bit. The letter read that Marie went out looking for a way to bring her parents back, and it told them that Trinity was still alive and well, but too consumed by the darkness. Eli and Leah didn't quite understand, but Ryan did—he gripped the paper in his hand, he wasn't going to let Marie do this on her own.
"Why would she do this, just a couple of days after she just got home?" Leah questioned. Eli held the woman and comforted her but he was just as confused—he missed his family, but he couldn't risk losing his only niece again. He took a deep breath though, and looked over to Ryan, who was still looking at the paper.
"She's gonna be okay, mom. She's survived eleven years on her own, and I don't think anything is going to bring her down," Ryan told her. He looked at his parents, who looked back at him, and he gave them a smile. "I can speak for her, because I was with her. She's strong, and I can only imagine that she got that from my aunt Stella."
"…You're right. Marie and Stella are in so many ways alike," Eli said. He smiled back at Ryan, and looked down at his wife. "And she's got the caring and thoughtful side of Dante. She will be alright."
-x-
Sora came gleefully walking down the street towards Marie's house, and was hoping to have a day where they could just spend it together alone. He was glad to have shared the Paopu fruit with her, and it really showed just how much Marie wanted to be with him. He was in front of the house and knocked on it, but something felt off. As soon as his hand bounced off the door, there was something that changed around the house, and he wondered if everything was okay.
"Sora!" Ryan ran shouting when he opened the door. Sora didn't have time to answer when Ryan pulled him in, and now he really wondered what was going on. Ryan planted him on one of the stools attached to the island of their kitchen, and the older teen went running upstairs and practically flew back down with a letter and a crystal. "This is for you."
"What is it?" he asked as he was handed the letter and crystal. The older teen shifted a bit in his footing before giving an answer, and it wasn't going to be an answer that Sora liked.
"Listen, man… Marie left. I'm sure it's all written in that letter from her, but I know she's struggling with her parents still out there," Ryan told him, hoping to soften the blow for his cousin's love. Sora just stared down at the letter, feeling a bit confused, sad, and a bit hurt. Why couldn't she come to him first? He got up from the stool and thanked Ryan, who nodded his head in return. He walked out of the house and started making his way towards the island, but along the way he started opening up the letter and started to read it.
Dear Sora,
I'm sure that by now I'll be gone, and I wanted to come to you, but it didn't seem fair taking you from everyone just to help me. I know it's also not fair just leaving everyone behind—especially you, but I know deep down in my heart that I can't truly stay happy until I figure out everything, and that involves my parents. They're still out there, and even my aunt Trinity, who we saw fighting alongside Xemnas. There's still a mystery, or rather, a whole load of questions that need to be answered, and the only way I can achieve that is by searching for my parents and aunt.
I'm really sorry Sora… but no matter what happens, no matter where destiny takes us, I'll always be in your heart; and you'll always be in mine. No matter how far a distance we are, I'll always hear your voice, loud and clear. The wings of love will always bring us together, so I have no worries finding my way back to you. I love you. I always will love you. Please don't be sad… I need at least one of us to be happy, and your cheerful eyes and smile are what always makes me so happy, so please don't be sad.
I love you so much,
Marie Hill
He noticed a picture falling out of the envelope, and quickly picked it up as he looked at it. It was a picture of him and Marie hugging, the one that Ryan took a couple of days ago. It made him smile, since at the bottom he saw Marie's handwriting on it, with the words 'I love you' on it. He wanted to let a tear fall, but he had to keep smiling for her, and he was proud that Marie was so determined to bring her parents safely back home. He reached into his pocket and noticed the crystal he received with the letter, and when he grabbed it, the ball turned into a glowing flower that was blue. He stared at it in awe, and remembered it being handed to Marie from Yen Sid, but wondered if she gave it to him? Either way, he was going to hold on to it and take care of it. He didn't know where she would be, but he was going to make sure he'd find a way to reach her.
-x-
Sora came running down the wood path and made his way towards Riku, who was already sitting down by the giant tree. He jumped over the root, and leaned against it with his hands behind his back.
"Nothing's changed here, huh?" Riku asked, staring out into the ocean. The blue-eyed boy smiled and told him that it really hasn't, and Riku gave a faint smile. "What a small world."
"But part of one that's much bigger," Sora replied. He turned up to Riku, and asked what the door to the light was, and the silver head jumped down and faced Sora, telling him that it was their hearts. The light was always closer than they thought. Sora smiled, thinking about Marie and the words she relayed onto him, and nodded his head at Riku.
"Yo! Sora! Riku!" the two teens turned their heads to find Ryan and Kairi running down and towards them. Kairi had a bottle in her hands, and the two of them reached Sora and Riku, she bent down to catch her breath. Ryan waited a bit until she caught it, since he no longer had to do that, and when Sora asked what was going on Ryan looked at him, "It's a letter."
"From the king?" Sora asked as he looked down at the bottle to see King Mickey's insignia on the letter. He unscrewed the cork and pushed the letter out from the bottle and started to read it. His eyes widened along with everyone else's as they read the content, and somehow, this was the answer that Sora was looking for his worries.
-x-
Somehow, I had made my way to Radiant Garden, a place that was my second home for many years. I was really surprised, but incredibly happy to be able to return here, since I got to meet Leon, Cid, Yuffie, Aerith and Merlin again. They asked me how I got here, and I explained to them what had happened—to which they were really happy about the defeat of Xemnas. Merlin was exceptionally interested about gaining my powers back from Kingdom Hearts, but I really had no clue where to start with them, it was a miracle I was able to make it here because of it.
The first thing I really did when I got here was change into a different pair of clothes and trim my hair a bit, since it was starting to get a bit annoying, and then I started walking around the place. It was finally shaping up—into the Radiant Garden that we all remembered from way back when, a place we were all proud to call home. Ansem was no longer with us, but the legacy he created would surely live on, and I was glad that Leon and the others were here to make it happen. I stopped walking once I reached the balcony of the bailey, and I stared out into the town.
Although my journey so far was tough, it's still not over. When I find my parents, and figure out where Trinity is, I'll return home and then we can all live happily ever after. I've got a lot of work ahead of me, and a lot of research to do, but I know I'll find them. As Auron would say…
My story is far from over.
ଓ
The end
So, here we are—finally done with the story.
Thank you, to every single one of you who stayed and read this story, even when it went on a long break. You stood by me and waited until chapters were uploaded, and I couldn't thank you all enough. This has been a real treat, and a real challenge to my writing, but I feel like I've grown from the person who first started writing this series. I'm really glad to have shared my progress with you all.
And I shall leave it at that, because I still need to save up some love for when I complete the next story, and when it comes out KH:III. I would like to give a big thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favorites, watch list, and any other lists you may have had.
I would like to give an even bigger thanks to the lovely people who took their time to review my story. It meant a great big deal to me, and I love you all.
My next story won't be out right away. It'll take a few days to a week to get the chapters flowing, but please be patient. Keep your eyes out for the title Dreamless, as that will be my next KH story. Until then, good-bye!
Shadow 1n2:
Haha, no I got your last review, but thanks for reviewing again! Yup, I tried to write as much fluff between those two without going overboard, and that fruit pretty much sealed the deal between them! I wouldn't be so sure just yet about Aura and Roxas, since we'll be seeing a lot of her… just not with Roxas. :D and technically not everyone is back home. D: But we will see more next time.
I saw it a couple of times, but just online, I don't think they ever passed it on T.V here in Canada. I thought it was nice, and they did give Hook a different lighting than usual, which was a nice break from his usual cast. I wish I could go to Neverland! I would never leave!
Yeah, I heard about the movie, but I never went to watch it. When they played it live I was like, oh no, it's not gonna be the same! No one can pull a better live than DC/Marvel! They'll always be number one!
CatLoverx33:
Yep, now she really remembers everything! And thank you very much, I tried my best to make it seem as sweet as I could!