FINAL CHAPTER: UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
*XEHANORT'S THEME*
The Realm of Darkness, a place devoid of any light. It is here that Heartless roam free and seek hearts of any light dwellers that somehow find themselves in this lightless realm. A single road of pale gray is all that is visible with several pale violet spikes protruding from the sides and edges in the dark void. Here, Saïx looks towards the ground. The sound of a Corridor of Darkness opening behind him catches his attention. He turns his back to the left before turning his body to the side. He takes a few steps back before bowing his head slightly with closed eyes. At that moment an elderly man, slightly hunched forwards with his hands behind his back, passes by him; looking at him for couple seconds before looking down at the space Saïx was staring at. "So, this is the Incubator?"
"To be more precise, Master Xehanort," the scarred man replies before looking at what the Keyblade Master is observing, "what's left of it." A few yards from the old man is Kyubey or as stated by Saïx; its remains. Kyubey's body, still wearing that emotionless expression, is torn in two as it slowly fades into the darkness. The two Seekers of Darkness stare at for a few seconds. "What a waste. If I came across them earlier in my time, we could have found something beneficial to both of our causes. But now all of their knowledge is lost. Fading into darkness; never to be known again. And without a heart to call its own, it truly is the end of it and its kind."
"Master," the Luna Diviner addresses, "Could it have been possible to make use of the Witches?"
"Perhaps," the old man responds, "But it would take some time to truly control them. If we are able to get them to come out of hiding and call the Heartless to them… it is possible but the process would be quite challenging and time consuming. We have little time and reason to explore new possibilities when we have already acquired what we know and what we have at our disposal. If I had discovered them prior to my actions to forge the X-Blade; perhaps they could have been of some use." The fallen Keyblade Master gives a slight pause. "Then again, the Witches only seek destruction and death in order to serve their twisted natures. We have no need to go to such lengths to incite the fear and rage necessary to accomplish our goals. That is why the Heartless are the best tool for this task."
"I see," said the stoic, scarred man.
"Besides," Xehanort continues, "they are created by beings that do not truly exist. So it is best that they themselves don't exist as well. It is truly a sad fate to what happened to those girls. My only wish is that they would find more prosperous lives when their hearts can once again dwell in the light. A light that is balanced by the order of darkness that we shall bring to this universe." Nothing is said for a few seconds, "Tell me, how is the girl doing?"
"She has truly exceeded our expectations," Saïx answers. "It seems that she have been trained well. And it is through her heart that miracles not even I could imagine would come to pass. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes one of the seven Guardians of Light."
"A Guardian of Light that is also a Princess of Heart. I must admit I would never thought that Yen Sid would take her under his wing. This could turn very interesting. But for now we will let fate run its course. In the end it is not Yen Sid nor I that shall choose who the seven Guardians of Light are. After all, everything is bound to fate. Yes, even souls that have been bound by those very chains. Those fate-bounded souls, whose shackles have been freed by the Princess of Heart and her Keyblade. Perhaps someone that is able to accomplish such a task is worthy of being one of the seven." Master Xehanort diabolically smiles before turning around. "Come, we must make preparations for the next step to achieve our objective," he says as he walks away. Saïx keeps his eyes on Xehanort before looking back at the Incubator's remains, which have finally faded into the darkness. He makes a slight hum before he turns around to follow the Keyblade Master into a Corridor of Darkness.
Mysterious Tower
*MAGICAL MYSTERY*
King Mickey is reading a small spiral notebook in his hands, while Yen Sid has his eyes closed before opening them. "I see…," said the sorcerer, "So everything has been settled." His gaze is met by Riku, who has his arms crossed. It has been a few days since the battle with Walpurgisnacht. Riku left as soon as he could and allowed Kairi to stay with her friends a little longer.
The Keyblade Master nods, "Yeah, with Kyubey and the Incubators gone, it's impossible for a new Witch to be born. We could thank the Organization for doing that. I took care of the remaining Grief Seeds so those Witches will not return. And Kairi was able to free her friends' souls and restore them back to their bodies. And to top it all off, that disturbance you sent us to investigate, there's no need to worry about it."
"Still…" Mickey says aloud. He closes the book containing Riku's Logs. "I feel ashamed. We were so focused on Xehanort, we couldn't have known that beings from one world would try to sacrifice lives from another world in order to achieve their goal."
"I admit that they had a noble goal," Riku said with closed eyes. He opens them up seconds later, "But… they definitely chose the wrong path. We should consider ourselves lucky that the Organization saw the Witches and Incubators as a potential threat. I mean, they would go to lengths we couldn't."
"Though I do not approve of Xehanort's actions, we can all concur that it is for the best," the sorcerer said; getting the attention of the two Keyblade Masters who both nod in response. "When I felt the Incubator's world fall into darkness, I had the feeling that this was necessary. Perhaps one can say it is the will of the worlds."
"But what would happen if that world gets restored?" the King asks with a slight wave of his arms.
"Kairi mentioned that somehow the Incubators have no hearts," Riku answers. "So even if their world is restored, I highly doubt they'll come back. Just like Saïx said to me, the Witches will disappear along with their creators."
"And all the Witches are now gone thanks to you and Kairi," the King said optimistically. And of course the friends that you and she made."
"Speaking of Kairi, where is she?" Yen Sid asks.
"Oh, she wanted to spend a couple more days with her friends before saying goodbye to them. Then again," Riku smiles, "I have a feeling she wants to leave something behind."
Mitakahira City
*FRIENDS IN MY HEART*
The city is full of people moving around and about during evening hours of twilight. However it is far from the normal days. Anyone that can lend a helping hand is working with authorities and construction workers in cleaning up the battleground. For all they know, the city was hit by a massive typhoon and many buildings were somehow tossed from their foundations. At this time, many of the schools and businesses have closed.
It already has been a few days since the battle and the girls have been hanging out in all sorts of places, namely malls, arcades, music stores, and parlor restaurants. High above a high-traffic road, on the bridge that Sayaka and Kyoko almost dueled and the dark truth of Magical girls begin to unravel around them, Kairi stands facing the five girls that live in this world. From Kairi's left to her right is Mami, Homura, Madoka, Sayaka, and Kyoko. "Do you really have to go?" Madoka asks with a frown.
Kairi nods, "Yes, it's time for me to go now." She looks up to the sky, "Sora and Riku will be waiting for me. Not to mention, there are other worlds out there that would definitely need our help." She looks back at the girls, "You know, I had a lot of fun hanging out with all of you these past couple days."
"I agree," says Mami with a joyful smile. "For the first time, I actually felt like I was really living."
"Can't argue with that," said Kyoko. She turns to Sayaka, "I still can't believe you convinced your land owner that we can room together."
Sayaka makes a small sneer, "Just remember that you have to start going back to school as soon as classes start back up again."
Kyoko shrugs before putting her hands behind her head, "Well since I'll be going to the same one as you four, I guess it wouldn't be that bad."
"I hope you can be in our class," Madoka says cheerfully to the redhead.
Homura smiles at the small exchange before turning to Kairi, "None of this could even be possible if it weren't for you."
"Hey, what are friends for," Kairi said with a bright smile. "But even if we weren't friends I would have done anything to save you guys."
Homura makes a small sneer, "Would you have made a contract with Kyubey?"
Kairi couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah right!" She continues to laugh at the small joke as does the other girls.
"Speaking of Kyubey," Mami said with a curious tone after getting her laughter under control. "What do you supposed those people could have done to him?"
Kairi shrugs before answering, "Knowing the Organization, they would probably have dumped him in the Realm of Darkness. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if they executed him as soon as they did."
Kyoko humphs with a smile, "Serves him right. Using us girls to become batteries for the universe. And speaking of people getting served," her smile turns into a smirk. Kairi responds with a giggle.
Flashback (Two days ago)
"You're heading back already?" Kairi asks Riku.
"Yeah, its best we get back as soon as possible," said the Keyblade Master as he looks at Kairi, who is in front of the other five girls as they all stand in the park where Riku 'challenged' Sayaka and Kyoko.
"How about you go on ahead and let them know?"
Riku was about to say something before looking at the former Magical Girls. He makes a sound of amusement with a smile. "Sure, why not?" He looks back at his friend, "But just a couple more days."
"I'm not a little kid," Kairi said with a defiant smile. "Besides, I just want to enjoy being normal for a couple of days before I head back."
"Suit yourself."
Kyoko suddenly walks up to him, arms behind her back. "Do you really have to go?" she asks in a sing-song voice. Riku looks at her with a raised eyebrow. Kyoko slightly twists her body back and forth as she looks at the ground. "You see…what I'm trying to say is…" Riku tilts his head curiously at Kyoko. "You're actually quite cute," she says with gentle eyes as she looks back up at the Keyblade Master.
"What?" Riku said; flabbergasted as he takes a step back.
"How about you stay for one more night? The two of us can go on a date," Kyoko says with a certain longing in her eyes. Riku is at a loss for words; sputtering out different words in complete hesitation. Out of nowhere, the redhead pushes him to the ground with a sudden thrust of her hands. Riku looks at her with wide eyes. Her gentle smile suddenly turns into a triumphant smirk with her hands on her hips as she leans in forward. "That's for toying around with me." She laughs a bit through her teeth, "I guess you really can't handle girls that admire you."
"What are you-" Riku says in bewilderment. He immediately stops before looking up at his friend with a slight glare, "Kairi!"
Kairi giggles. "Serves you right," she says before she playfully sticks her tongue out at him.
Riku blinks at her before looking down with a tired sigh, "I should've known you weren't done with me…" After that all the girls laughed.
Kairi continues to giggle before getting under control. "Madoka. Sayaka. Homura. Mami. Kyoko. I will never forget you," Kairi says with a deep smile before turning around and walks for about ten steps. "Just promise me one thing." She turns back to the girls. "Don't stop wishing. If there's a wish you truly want to come true, don't just wait. Do what you can to help make that wish become real." The others smile at those words before they all nod; all together coincidentally. Kairi continues to smile before taking out the Star Shard from her pocket. She looks straight at them, "Until we meet again." She grasps the Star Shard with both hands after bringing it to her chest. The Star Shard slowly shines bright before giving off a brilliant flash.
The flash temporarily blinded the girls. When they can see after a few seconds, Kairi is no longer in front of them. "She's gone…" Madoka says in a whispery voice.
Mami looks up before her eyes go wide. She alerts the others to look up. When they did, they are astonished by the sight. "No Way," Sakaka says with a breathy voice. In the sky, a shooting star bounces around as it gets smaller and smaller. Sayaka and Madoka instantly recall the weird shooting star that appeared before they met Kairi.
"Now that's what I call an exit," Kyoko says with a hand on her forehead as she looks into the sky.
Madoka continues to gaze at the shooting star before an idea came to her. She tilts her head forward eyes closed, clasping her hands together near her face. After a few seconds she looks up with opened eyes; just in time to see the tiny shooting star to disappear into the sky. Homura, who managed to see what Madoka was doing, asks a question, "What were you doing?" she asks in a curious tone.
"I was making a wish," Madoka answers with a soft smile.
"A wish?" Homura says with a curious tilt. The other girls look at the pinkette.
Madoka nods, "I wish to see Kairi again." At that moment, the girls realize what is going on. Kairi wanted to give them a chance to make a wish on the shooting star that carried her away. They all looked up at the sky with smiles.
"I'm sure it will come true one day," Homura says softly. They continue to stare at the twilit sky for what seems an eternity.
Five years later…
Mitakahira Town is as bustling as ever. New buildings being built, people coming and going on the streets, and traffic going one way and the other. On the outskirts of a park, a man with red, spiky hair, wearing a red blazer jacket over a yellow shirt, a pair of black slacks with a chain loop coming out of his right pocket and red tennis shoes, stretches his arms out as he walks. "Man, that dessert café has some good treats," he says with a smile. He brings his arms down after finishing his stretch. "I'm definitely memorizing this place. You know what, I should tell the others about it."
After he finished saying that, three high school girls pass by him, walking in the opposite direction. They're all wearing blue school blazers with white undershirt and black ties, and red, plaid skirts that go down to the knees along with long black socks going up to just below their knees and black shoes. The girl in the middle has pink hair that is tied with a red ribbon before flowing past her neck. To her left is a girl with short, light blue hair and the girl on the right has long, black hair.
"Hey Sayaka," said the pinkette, "How was your date last night?"
The bluenette smiles, "It went great, Madoka! In fact, it went better than I expected!"
"Really?!" Madoka reacts with a smile. "So what did you two do exactly?"
"How about we save that for later with the others? I'm pretty sure Kyoko wants to know about it and I don't feel like repeating things today."
"I hope you haven't forgotten about the exams we have at the end of the week?" said the black-haired girl.
"Of course not, Homura," Madoka says. "I've been studying all weekend. And you Sayaka?"
Sayaka hesitates before turning to the side, scratching her cheek, "Uh… yeah, sure."
Homura makes a sound of amusement with a sly smile. "Sounds more like you were more focused on your new boyfriend. It would be a shame he dumped you because of your poor grades."
"Hey, watch it!" Sayaka protests as she brings a fist up to her face. "Just watch, I'm going to ace those exams!"
"How about a bet?" Homura says slyly, "If you can get an average of eighty or more on your exams, I'll pay you back for the costs of your next date." Her eyes narrow and her smile becomes more intimidating. "But if you don't meet that goal, then you have to treat me for dinner at a place of my choosing!"
"You're on, Homura!" Sayaka exclaims. Nothing is said for a few seconds as the girls keep on walking. For the next ten minutes they gossip, joke and laugh with each other. During this time a young man with spiky, blonde hair wearing a necklace with an X-shaped piece of metal and a white jacket with over a black shirt runs by them; running in the opposite direction. He is followed by a girl around his age with short, black hair and blue eyes, wearing a black mini-dress over a red halter top.
The three girls eventually arrive in front of a two story building. A sign hanging over the door from a pole jutting out of the wall reads 'Magical Pastries.' The sign is written with pink letters on a thick white piece of wood shaped like a cloud with stars and rainbows attached on the edges. A young, smiling woman with long blonde hair, wearing a white sleeveless, turtleneck sweater and a long white skirt with a slit on the left side, walks out the door. She looks at the three as she walks past them; her smile deepens. They look at her for a few seconds with confused looks; feeling that they met her before. But the thought left their minds as fast as it came before Madoka opens the door.
Seconds after they enter the building, a scolding voice calls to them, "About time!" The immediately notice the voice's owner. Their friend and companion, Kyoko. She's about the same age as the others, with long, red hair tied in a pony tail by a black ribbon shaped into a bow. The girls recognize her outfit, a modified version of the clothes the red-head wore when she fought against the forces that threatened their world. It looks exactly like it except she does not have a red gem on her chest but is covered instead by a black cloth underneath the red outfit with gold trimmings. She has a tray with a plate with a slice of cheesecake under her right hand as her left hand is on her hip. "What took you guys so long?" she says in an aggravated voice as she stares at the three with narrowed eyes. "You better hurry up and get dressed; the place is packed today."
"Right," the other three said in unison before running past the main counter and into the kitchen. Running past a young woman with blond hair, with two braids shaped like drills; the pinkette greeted her by the name of Mami. Her outfit is exactly like her old Magical Girl clothes, but been modified to adjust to her new height and curves. She turns her head to the doorway the three went through with a smile.
The three come out minutes later in their work uniforms. Their appearances are quite similar to their old Magical Girl outfits. While Homura's is mainly the same, both Madoka's and Sayaka's outfits are different. The change in Madoka's outfit is instead of a mini-gown, it has a pink skirt with a slit on the left side that stops just short of the knees. Other than that, her costume has hardly any other differences. Sayaka's outfit is mainly like her original Magical Girl form, except her former white cape is replaced by a waist cape that goes down to her knees. Despite these changes they still have the appearance of Magical Girls; the entire theme surrounding the café. They greet the incoming customers and start taking orders. A few minutes went by before Madoka gets called by a young man with spiky, blonde hair with a raised hand. He is sitting next to a woman with short, blue hair, and on the other side of the table a slightly older man with long, brown, spiky hair.
Hours later, the café is pretty much empty as the twilight rays of the sun seep into the now empty café except for the five friends. Sayaka sighs, "Sheesh, today sure was busy." To her right, is Kyoko and to her left is Madoka. On the other side of the table is Homura and Mami, the latter sitting next to the window on her left.
"Quit complaining," Kyoko states as Mami drinks a cup of tea, "you only worked for a few hours."
Sayaka looks back at the red head with a challenging smirk, "That's about the same amount of time you actually study for a week."
"Why, you…" Kyoko retorts before hesitating and everyone else in the room laughs. Kyoko also goes to the same high school as the other three, but she tends to skip school and just work at the café with Mami. In fact, Mami is the owner of the business. After graduating from high school, she took a portion of the money she's inherited from her deceased parents and used it to build and open up this shop. The Magical Girl theme for the place was actually Madoka's idea. The café has been very successful for about a year now. Its customers are mostly high school and middle school students along with young couples.
Homura openly asks about Sayaka's date and she gave them the full details. Sayaka's date is none other than her childhood friend, Kyousuke. The other girls already knew that two years ago, Hitomi's family moved to a different country. At the time, the relationship between Hitomi and Kyousuke started to get rocky, and the two recognized that things are not starting to turn out and both agreed to go separate ways peacefully. After Hitomi left, Kyousuke spends most of his free time practicing his violin and gives free performances for the sick and injured at the hospital he attended. At the same time, Sayaka was a volunteer at the same hospital. After the two run into each other at the hospital months ago, they have been talking to each other more. It was then Kyousuke asked Sayaka out several days ago. Sayaka explains how she and Kyousuke went to a movie and the two went out to dinner afterwards.
Just as Sayaka finished telling her tale, the door opens, along with the chime of the welcoming bell. The girls look towards the door in confusion. "Gah!" Madoka cries out with realization, "I forgot to switch the sign," she says as she gets off her seat and hurries to the door. It didn't take long for her to stand in front of the customer. She bows forward, "I'm sorry, we're actually closed right now," she says in an apologetic tone. "Please come back again tomorrow."
The customer is a young woman with long, auburn hair. She makes a slight gasp before smiling a couple seconds later. "It's good to see you again," she says. Madoka looks up and sees the girl's blue eyes. The woman wears a sleeveless magenta shirt with a large, black heart symbol; starting from the bottom, it branches off and the two branches come towards each other before curving on the inside. Along with her shirt, she sports a black belt with a golden buckle hanging slightly around her waist over a red, frilly skirt that goes down to her knees. She also wears a pair of crown-shaped earrings and a small pendant around her neck.
"Do I know you?" the pinkette asks with a slight tilt.
The woman's smile slightly deepens, "How long has it been?" she responds. Madoka still looks at her confused; blinking several times. The woman giggles, before raising a finger next to her face with a wink, "Have you been practicing your magic?"
Madoka blinks a few times before she slowly gasps as her eyes go wide, "K-Kairi…" she says under her breath. The woman closes her eyes with a nod; still wearing her friendly smile. Madoka mouth forms a smile. She turns her head to the other girls, "Hey, Kairi's here!"
"Kairi?!" they all said in unison and as if in a flash, they immediately rush over and stand behind at Madoka, each one wearing a surprised look.
Ten minutes later…
Kairi places a piece of a cheesecake into her mouth. She hums as she enjoys its taste. "It tastes even better than I remembered!" She's sitting next to Homura, and is directly facing Madoka, who is on the other side of the table; the other girls sitting in the same positions before Kairi arrived.
"Speaking of remembering," Mami starts out with a smile, "I just remembered it was you who suggested I opened my own bakery."
"And I'm glad you took my advice," Kairi chippers.
"Wow, I didn't know that," Kyoko comments.
"Well, I only remembered that someone suggested it after I graduated." The blonde looks back at the Keyblade wielder, "I still can't believe you're here."
"You better believe it," she says before finishing her dessert. After swallowing she winks at the girls, "And you will not believe all the places I've been to."
Sayaka smirks, "Try us…"
"Well, let's see…" Kairi says as she brings a finger to her chin.
"Hello," a male voice says out loud as the bells on the door chime, "is anyone here?"
*SANCTUARY (AFTER THE BATTLE)*
Nothing is said for a few seconds. "Oops," Madoka let's out. The others minus Kairi stare at the pinkette. But to Kairi she just froze for a second, almost recognizing the voice.
They hear a pair of footsteps walking close to them. The owner of those steps stop at their table. The girls look at him. He's slightly older than Kairi, has spiky brown hair going in different directions. He wears a black trench coat with short sleeves over a red, long-sleeved shirt. He sports a pair of black shoes and black pants. His most noticeable feature is his necklace that has a crown symbol. He looks at the girls before catching the eyes of Kairi, who looks at him in the same surprised look as the boy.
"Sora?" Kairi says out loud.
"Kairi?" the boy responds in a curious tone.
"What are you doing here?" they asked each other at the same time.
Homura looks at Kairi then to Sora, repeating the process several times. "You know him?" she asks curiously.
Kairi looks forward before nodding with a smile. "Everyone, this is Sora," she says with a gesture of her hand towards him, "You remember what I told you about him, right?".
All the girls look at Sora with wide eyes, remembering the tales Kairi told them prior to their final battle. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Madoka says with a slight bow towards the hero of all worlds. The other girls give similar statements.
Sora looks at them confused before looking at the female Keyblade wielder, "Friends of yours?"
"I told you about them," she says with a smile. "Remember the time that Yen Sid sent me on a mission while you were gone for so long?"
Sora looks at her with blinking eyes before realization hits him; he bounces his left fist off his right palm, which is facing towards the ceiling. "Now I remember; these are the girls you saved right?" Kairi responds with a nod. He turns back to the girls, "Thank you for what you did for her." He's talking about how the girls helped Kairi defeat Walpurgisnacht five years ago.
"Actually," Homura starts out with a smile, "it is us that should be thankful to Kairi. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for her."
Sora nods and decides to formally introduce himself. Madoka, Homura, Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko introduces themselves to the young man in order. Kairi asks Sora what brings him to this world. "I just got a call from Lea. He told me about this place, so I decided to check it out."
Kairi smiles before turning to Mami, "Is it possible that Sora can try something?"
Ten minutes later, Sora is finishing his slice of cheesecake. He tells Mami that it's one of the best things he's ever had and Mami responds that she's happy that the young man enjoys it. "Say, Sora," Madoka says, catching his attention. "What kind of worlds have you visited?"
Sora looks at Kairi, who smiles at him. Sora smiles before turning to the girls, "Well, how about I start from the beginning…" Sora says before he continues how his first journey began. The girls listen to his tale attentively, wanting to know more of the hero that risked his life for the peace and stability of all worlds. As the girls listen, they remember all the times they went through together.
Madoka looks at Kairi, still listening to Sora, with a thankful smile. Wishes can really come true…
Author's Note: There you have it folks, the final chapter.
I would like to thank each and every one of you that has read this story.
Any updates following this would only focus on fixing grammatical and spelling errors.
I would also like to hear your final opinions of this story.
Until we meet again.