Keyblades of Future Past

by lyokoMARVELanime

Xehanort's forces of darkness rule all of existence, and only a few worlds are left in the light with but a handful of warriors fighting to defend them, but something about all this is not quite right. When Yen Sid discovers that history is not as it should be, he finds the only solution is to set things right by sending the light's greatest champions back in time to do so

17. Descent Into Battle

AN: Hey guys, we're nearing the end now, as we come to another chapter of Keyblades of Future Past! Pretty exciting huh?

Sora: No kidding! I can't wait to see how this turns out, but at the same time it's kind of sad that this story's almost done. I really liked working with you.

Kairi: Same here. I really wish we could do more.

AN: Well sorry, but I have no plans on writing a sequel, mostly because this story will tie up just about any and every loose end you can think of by the final chapter. But that doesn't mean I won't take on any other Kingdom Hearts stories in the future.

Roxas: Really?! Like what?

AN: Whoa, slow down there, zippy. I haven't quite worked out all the details on them just yet, and besides, as soon as I'm finished working on this story, I want to try and bring my attention back to the Gundam SEED Prime series, as it has been a while since I last worked on the final story of that series, or even updated the collection of deleted scenes one-shots.

Riku: Can you at least give us an idea, like whether or not I'll actually get some more action or even screen time in any of those ideas than I did in this story?

Xion: Or how about whether or not I'll get a major role in any of those stories? Cause I'd really like to do more in a future story than I did here.

Saix: How about a better role for the members of the Organization than just passing mentions, as we are far superior to a puppet or these children.

Xigbar: Yeah no kidding, I mean I only got a few mentions and I'm like one of the more memorable bad guys! Come on man, don't leave us hanging like...

AN: DAH! WHINING DIVA CHARACTERS! [hits the control]

Xigbar&Saix: [hoisted up by the seat of their pants by a bungee cable and get sent flying on a bungee wedgie] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! THIS ISN'T FUNNY AT ALL!

AN: [sighs in relief] That's better. Anyways, if you want some basic ideas of what I've got in mind for future Kingdom Hearts stories though, then here's the scoop on that...

I've kicked around a couple of ideas for a Kingdom Hearts High School AU that each share similarities with a certain show about certain heroes, along with a small crossover with "House of Mouse". The final idea I currently have at the moment is an idea for a crossover with the Batman Arkham Series, in which Riku fills the role of Batman as a hero known as Twilight Walker. The last of those ideas is really just some random thing I may or may not do since I'm not entirely sure about it, but at least now you know a small idea of some of the things that run through my mind when it comes to ideas I come up with in between stories or while I'm working on other stories.

Kairi: Wait, isn't there something on this list for a possible Naruto...

AN: OKAY MOVING ON NOW! [snatches list from Kairi before she can finish reading what she may or may NOT have seen] Enjoy the chapter everyone! DISCLAIMER!

I do not own anything from the Kingdom Hearts franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.

*IMPORTANT EDIT 2/18/2019* Parts of this chapter have been changed in accordance with a recent update to the content of a previous chapter. The original version of the scene will be posted as part of a separate story along with other similar pieces and the original version of the chapter that prompted this change in the story. Enjoy what can be considered as the Final Mix version of this story.

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Chapter XVII

The journey to the Keyblade Graveyard was relatively silent, and the landing upon the world was just as quiet as the six Keyblade Wielders looked over the barren waste land before them, seeing large craters, one of which they noted looked like Mickey's seal, entire mountains that were carved out by what was likely a very powerful attack, and dark skies that had only a small amount of light that could be closely compared to a sunset, letting only the sound of the wind blowing through the mountains and their hair and faces fill the silence. The group gazed at the world before them for a few more moments in silence, letting the gravity of all that was riding on their shoulders as they took on the upcoming battle settle on them as they thought about the friends that were counting on them both in this time and in the future, until Sora finally broke the silence and said, "This place is…the result of a real Keyblade War?"

"Yeah. Not a pleasant sight," Terra nodded in confirmation. He then turned to Sora and Kairi as he added, "You know, you guys don't have to do all this if you're not feeling up to it."

"Like we said before, we've already come this far so we might as well see it through to the end," Kairi immediately replied, getting a smile from Terra in response. "Besides, you guys are our friends. There's no way we're about to let you face such a serious battle on your own."

When Aqua heard that she allowed a smile to grace her face and then thought of something that she almost forgot about. "Hey you two," the blunette said to Sora and Kairi. "I've got something for you. Close your eyes and hold out your hands for a minute."

Sora and Kairi both quirked an eyebrow in confusion for a minute before doing as Aqua had requested. A minute later, the felt something with a metal edge be placed in their hands before Aqua said, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Sora and Kairi did as asked and their eyes immediately widened when they saw what Aqua had placed in their hands. The objects that the two were each holding were Wayfinders like the ones that Terra, Aqua, and Ven carried, only with the crown symbol on Sora's necklace where the symbol that the three of the past wore as badges normally was, and Sora's being a dark red in color while Kairi's was bright pink. "Aqua, are these really…" Sora started to ask.

"Yep, they are," Aqua confirmed. "I was able to make them while the three of us were in the future during our trip to the World That Never Was, which wasn't easy since we had to deal with the ship being attacked by a horde of monsters that we weren't expecting."

"Thanks but I've already got a lucky charm of my own," Kairi reminded the older woman.

"We know that, but since we've all come so far and are such good friends, we figured it was only fair that we make you official parts of our circle of friends by making you Wayfinders like ours," Terra admitted. "Well, Aqua thought that we needed to do it, and once she sets her mind to something there's no changing it. Seriously, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Sometimes Aqua can be such a girl."

"Hey! Whaddya mean 'sometimes'," Aqua playfully snapped at Terra, knowing full well that Terra was teasing her once again.

"We're honored, but do you really think we deserve these, or that we'll even be able to keep them when we go back to the future," Sora asked, as he really did like having his own lucky charm that was not borrowed from someone else and did not want to lose something that important, especially while he knew that Aqua had worked so hard on it.

"Don't worry," Ven reassured the spiky haired boy. "Even if you do lose it, one of us will be able to hold onto it until we meet you guys again in the future. Consider it a promise between friends through time."

Aqua then summoned her Keyblade and held it up as she said, "The six of us will always be one."

Terra then summoned Ends of the Earth and held it up against Aqua's as he said, "What we all do from here on out, we do for the friendships we've forged across the worlds and throughout time."

Ven then added Wayward Wind into the collection as he declared, "Friends forever."

Mickey then smiled and brought Star Seeker up as well as he added, "No matter what, there's always hope."

Kairi and Sora both smiled in response and then pocketed their new Wayfinders and summoned their own Keyblades to meet the other four's as Kairi said, "For the light in the darkness that never goes out."

"All for one and one for all," Sora finished. The group all lowered their Keyblades, but while the four from the current time period dismissed their blades, Sora and Kairi kept theirs out for a moment as they exchanged a small look and a nod between them. "And if we're really going to be doing this, then we're going to need to be ready for anything."

Sora then reached into one of his other pockets and pulled out a Keychain with three silver crown symbols like the one on his necklace acting as the chain, and a crown-and-heart shaped symbol on the token, while Kairi reached into the pouch she wore on her belt and pulled out a Keychain with three gold links, and a charm that was shaped like a small, three-pointed gold crown like the one on Sora's necklace, except for the gold circle on each of the points. The two then removed the Keychains that were currently attached to their own Keyblades and replaced them with the ones that they had just pulled out, and upon doing so, the blades were immediately changed completely. Sora's had gained a blue, white, and gold color scheme with a blade that was reminiscent of a basic sword wrapped in an ornate filigree patterned like fish bones, crown shaped teeth, a crown symbol at the tip of the blade, and two crowns making up part of the blade's guard, giving off an image of great strength and power just from looking at it. Kairi's new Keyblade on the other hand seemed like something that was modeled after parts of Mirage Arena, at least in Terra, Aqua, and Ven's opinion, as it had a handle covered in blue stripes, five gold gears with blue centers making up the guard, a blue-white and spiked gear set at the top of the handle, and the base and tips of the blade resembled the teleportation hubs of the arena. The two hubs seemed to be connected by a dim glowing, light red beam, which was surrounded by a light blue, double-helix structure, with a gold crown that sat off-kilter at the tip of the blade making up the teeth.

"Whoa," Ven gasped. "What're those Keyblades?"

"They're our most powerful Keyblades," Sora replied. "Mine is known as Ultima Weapon."

"And mine's Royal Radiance," Kairi finished.

"If they're your most powerful Keyblades, then why haven't you used them before," Terra asked.

"Because we prefer to only use them in really serious situations, such as important battles that more than likely will need the power they have, or a moment as serious as the one we're about to face is. It's so we don't become so dependent on them that we can't fight with the Keyblades we normally use if we ever lost these," Sora explained. Everyone nodded in acceptance of this and then turned to head on to where their final battle against Xehanort and his allies would take place as soon as the two had dismissed their newly changed Keyblades.

The all walked in silence after that, only pausing for a moment as they walked through Twister Trench whenever some or all of them suddenly got caught in one of the twisters of raw emotion that littered the area, until they finally reached a large fissure just before the actual graveyard itself. Upon reaching this point, everyone took a moment to make sure they were fully prepared for anything, which gave Ven a moment to pull Terra and Aqua aside so that he could talk to them about something that he felt needed to be said. From the look on his face, Terra and Aqua were able to immediately tell that it was something that was really bothering their young friend, and so they did not hesitate for a minute to let him speak about what was bothering him.

"Listen you guys," Ven began. "I think we all know that at this point I won't have any other choice but to fight against Vanitas, and I doubt I need to remind you guys about what will happen afterwards. If the χ-blade is forged then I don't know what will happen to me, but if worse comes to worst, then I want you guys to…"

"Stop right there, Ven," Terra cut in as he placed a hand on Ven's shoulder. "Nothing's gonna ever separate us again. I'll make sure of it."

"You mean we'll make sure of it," Aqua corrected while placing her hand on Ven's cheek. "After all that's happened, there's no way that we'll ever be split up again."

Ven gave a sad smile before he removed his friends' comforting hands from him and finished, "I'm asking you as my friends…just…put an end to me."

"No, there has to be another way," Aqua immediately protested.

"And if there isn't then what," Ven asked. "I don't want you guys to get hurt because of me. Terra, you're like my older brother, and there's no way I'd ever want you to get hurt because of me, or to fall into darkness for the same reason, and Aqua…I…"

Terra was of course touched by Ven's saying that the blonde considered him like a brother, and since Terra felt the same way about Ven, he knew that he needed to excuse himself for a minute when he noticed the look in Ven's eyes when the blonde gazed at Aqua, so he simply moved away after saying, "I won't let that happen Ven. There's always a better way, right? Anyways, I'll just be over there checking my supplies and stuff, so you guys just…yeah…"

The two wanted to roll their eyes at Terra as he walked away, but Aqua was too transfixed on the younger boy in front of her at the moment as Ven had gotten nervous after starting to say what he was about to say to her. "Aqua, there's…something I want to tell you."

"Ven, please," Aqua interrupted. "I don't want you to say anything you wouldn't normally say if you were about to go off to a battle you may not survive. It'll only spoil it."

Ven looked up into Aqua's eyes in astonishment, and was about to say something in protest to Aqua's request when the girl cut him off by crashing her lips into his. Ven's eyes had immediately widened in shock at Aqua's sudden kiss, but then he felt Aqua communicating her feelings to him through said kiss, and he instantly knew how desperately Aqua had wanted this right now, and elected to close his own eyes and return the gesture as he wrapped his arms around Aqua, while she wrapped hers around his neck. The feelings that the two communicated were filled with so much intensity and passion that it was surprising that the two did not come up for air after a few seconds, yet it was still clear as day that they were sharing their true feelings for one and other for every second that passed as they remained that way. Finally, they both felt the need to breathe again becoming too strong to ignore, and they slowly released each other from their passionate embrace to regain their breath while Aqua panted, "Just in case you're right to be so worried and I don't see you again."

Ven smiled happily at Aqua and nodded in response to this before he cupped her cheek and gave her one last small peck on the lips before he moved to join Terra and the others in making sure they were ready. As he was walking over, he noticed that Sora and Kairi were smiling at him knowingly, indicating that they had seen what had just happened between him and Aqua, and he simply rolled his eyes before saying, "You know, you two might want to get anything like that between you off your chests before we go out there too, or you might never get the chance again."

The two immediately ceased their smiling and glanced away with bright blushes on their face, leaving a smirking Ven and Aqua to walk off as they prepared themselves for the final battle along with Mickey, and they were soon exchanging small, hesitant glances with one and other before Sora finally said, "Kairi, if what those guys and our other friends in the future found out really is true, then there's a chance that something in this battle will cause me to…you know…and if that does happen…"

"It won't; I won't let it," Kairi immediately interrupted. "No matter what happens, I'm not going to ever let you break that promise you made me so long ago." When Sora raised an eyebrow in confusion, Kairi immediately elaborated, "Your promise that you would never change, and that you would always come back to me."

Sora smiled at the girl he cared about so much before he ran a hand through her hair, gaining Kairi's full attention as he said, "Don't worry, I'll always find a way back to you, because I know that you'll always be able to give me the light I need to find my way through the deepest darkness."

Kairi smiled in reply to this as she closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of Sora's hand against her face for a minute, not coming out of the feeling until Mickey finally told them that it was time to get going. The two then stood up from where they had sat down and quickly followed after Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, with Mickey falling in just a little ways behind them, having already agreed to act as the last line of backup instead of being right on the front lines with them since the upcoming battle was the five Keybearers' fight, and that was all the indication the king of Disney Castle needed to know that history was indeed about to be made.

---

(The Future)

Roxas was extremely thankful to find that the Avengers were okay and holding their own when the blonde and his companions had reached them, and it was not long after regrouping with the team of heroes that they all left the World That Never Was and returned to the Mysterious Tower to rejoin the efforts in defending Yen Sid's home. Once they had returned and assured everyone that Axel, Riku, and Xion were on their side, Roxas immediately led the three to Mickey, who was with Yen Sid and Naminé as they kept a watchful eye on Sora and Kairi so that they could inform them of what they had learned. Needless to say, the three were shocked by the revelations that Roxas and the others had to share.

"The true master of darkness…was Sora," Mickey whispered. "But…it can't be…"

"I didn't want to believe it either, but it was a little hard to deny that it was him considering everything we heard from him," Riku replied solemnly, as he was still shell-shocked by the fact that his best friend was the enemy even though he had sworn to stop the evil Sora.

"This is indeed a most troubling revelation," Yen Sid then commented as he stroked his beard in thought. "One that we must be careful of when deciding on how to respond to it."

"Do you want to bring Sora and Kairi back from the past," Axel asked. "I mean if we do that then the evil Sora never exists and all the problems are solved."

"Except we'd be leaving Aqua, Terra, and Ven to fend for themselves against Xehanort, Vanitas, Ansem, and Xemnas with only Past Mickey to help," Naminé reminded the redhead.

"So what else can we do," Xion asked. "It's not like we know how to stop it from happening this time. Like Master Yen Sid said earlier, the book of Keyblade Wielder history has gone completely crazy, and the evil Sora didn't exactly say anything specific about what it was that drove him to do all that he's done, just how he's done it, so we don't exactly have any idea on how to stop him from coming about."

Everyone had fallen into silent thought at the black haired girl's comment, each wondering what could have happened in the past that drove Sora to change into the man that Riku and the others had encountered, while also trying to think of a way to stop the evil Sora in case their friends in the past failed, only to come up with nothing in the end. That is, until Riku suddenly thought of something from the conversation that he had with the evil Sora. "Maybe he did tell us something," the silver haired boy commented.

"What do you mean," Roxas asked.

"He said that he was doing this so that he wouldn't lose everything he ever cared about," Riku recalled aloud. "He's already lost his home, but there must be something more specific that Sora would consider being everything to him."

"Like what," Donald squawked.

Riku paused to think for a moment before he remembered something else. "He also got pretty edgy when I mentioned Kairi to him…maybe…"

"Riku, you're not saying what I think you're saying, are you," Xion asked.

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Riku reasoned, getting a few nods of agreement in response, but before he or anyone else could further comment on the matter, the tower suddenly shook with the force of a powerful explosion, the likes of which they had not felt before during the entire battle. Everyone other than Naminé immediately rushed to the window to see what had happened, and the sight that they were greeted with was something that shocked and horrified them all.

The sky was now shifting between the state of a small number of stars that they had known and that of the massive number of them, but now it was doing it so much that it was happening in patches before covering up to what they had known to be, only for another part to be torn out and replaced by the other image. It was almost like reality was being torn apart and stitched back together again only to be torn open once more, right to the point that the sky was also varying in colors and the stars were seen in different positions than they were normally in, but the most terrible sight they saw was of the battle's latest addition to the enemy side. There, casually approaching the battlefield through the forces of darkness, which were opening the way for him as he moved forward, was none other than the evil Sora himself, clearly showing that there was no way to hide that he was the enemy from anyone any longer, and proving that he was not afraid of anything that the forces of light would throw at him. His extravagant coat was now unzipped to reveal that he was wearing a dark red shirt underneath with a silver "X" shining brightly across the front and a pair of black pants that was held up by a dark blue belt underneath the coat, while he usual crown necklace was missing from where it normally was.

The forces defending the tower had all paused in shock for a moment at seeing the evil Sora, many of which were unsure of what to do once they saw him as they had not yet been informed of which side this Sora was on, but it quickly became clear to them all when many of the forces of darkness suddenly kneeled before him and they all felt a great, evil surge of power radiating off of him. Upon feeling this dark presence, Jack Sparrow could not help but comment, "I've known many a man to travel a perilous journey and be tested to the point that he is never the same as he once was again, but in all my travels across the Caribbean I've never encountered a person who had fallen into such a terrible change as this."

If Evil Sora had heard the pirate's comment, he did not show any indication of it, but instead looked around the battlefield in mild amusement until he finally glanced up at the tower and called out, "Yen Sid, I know that Roxas and the others have told you of my existence, so I have come here to offer you this: Surrender now and don't try to stop me anymore than you already have, and I shall show you just how grand the new paradise I will create will be. This is your last chance to give in; however, if you do not…well, allow me to give a small example of what will happen to your precious forces of light."

Evil Sora then merely raised a hand towards a group of the defenders, and with a simple flexing of his fingers, that same group was blasted away from him, off the island, and into one of the nearby rifts in the space-time continuum. Everyone was completely horrified by this sight, as there was no telling what would happen should anyone have fallen into one of those rifts that had begun to be torn open, and in that moment, they all knew that there was likely no chance that they could fight this madman that had once been their friend. "That was merely the smallest sample of my true might, old friends," Evil Sora then informed them. "As I said, this is your last chance, and if you do not, then every single life that ends will be on your heads, Yen Sid, King Mickey, and all the rest who lead theses so-called 'Freedom Fighters'."

If anyone had not found their resolve shaken before, then they certainly found it in such a state now. The words that Evil Sora had spoken when he had given that last warning alone were frightening enough as it was, but the tone with which he said it made it all the more frightening, as he had spoken with a deep conviction that implied that not only was he confident that he would be able to do as he said he could, but that he knew he would be able to do it without even the smallest shred of doubt, almost like he was at a level of strength that far exceeded that of everyone else around him. Some were wondering what Yen Sid planned to do in response and what the result of such a surrender would be, thinking that it probably would not be so bad since it was Sora that was asking for the surrender, while others had a strong feeling that it would be better to keep on fighting even if Yen Sid did decide to surrender. In the end though, it was not Yen Sid or Mickey who made the final decision, but rather Roxas who did as he gained a determined look upon leveling a glare at the monster that was once his friend.

"I'm going out there, and I'm going to face him," Roxas declared as he turned and began making his way towards the door.

"Roxas, no," Naminé protested. "He's too powerful for you to face him on your own! I don't want to lose you!"

"I don't want to lose you either, any of you, and that's why I have to do this," Roxas reasoned. He then smirked a little as he added, "Besides, if anyone stands a chance of beating Sora, it's me, seeing as I am his Nobody."

"I'm going with you," Xion then suddenly said as she strode over to Roxas, only stopping with Roxas held up his hands in protest.

"Oh no, you're not," the blonde immediately denied. "I just got you and Axel back, and I'm not going to lose you guys again no matter what."

"That's exactly why I'm going," Xion argued. "I just got my brother back, and I'm not letting you walk out and leave me behind again. Please Roxas, we're in this together whether you like it or not."

Roxas just groaned in annoyance before he finally moaned, "I don't have time for this. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Riku, kiss your girlfriend so she'll stop arguing."

Riku looked at Roxas for a minute before he replied, "Not gonna happen, because I'm going too. I've got just as strong of a chance at beating Sora as you do, and he's been my best friend since childhood. If anyone needs to do this, it's me, so don't try and stop me from coming."

Roxas had to groan once again before he finally conceded and said, "Okay fine, you win, but Mickey and Axel, you two are going to stay here and help Master Yen Sid keep Naminé, Sora, and Kairi safe. If we run into one of them, I'll send either Mulan, Aladdin, or Jack up to help out along with a couple of the Avengers if possible."

"Sure thing pal," Mickey replied as he summoned his Star Seeker Keyblade, proving that he was ready for action no matter what happened. He then held out his other hand and summoned forth the Kingdom Key D, an act that showed that he had no intention of taking any chances when it came to protecting his friends this time around, and the act was soon followed by Axel summoning his Chakrams so that he was ready as well, and upon seeing that two of the last line of defenders were now more than ready, Roxas turned and led Riku and Xion out of the tower and onto the battlefield so that they could approach Sora.

As they made their way across the battlefield, they passed Mulan on their way out and immediately asked her to head in and help their friends inside, which the young woman immediately agreed to do, and soon after, they had encountered Captain America and asked him to send some of the Avengers into the tower as well. The captain immediately agreed to do so, and soon after he had sent some of his forces into the tower, they were quickly followed by Yuffie, Cloud, and Auron, who had overheard the blonde when he spoke with Captain America and immediately wanted to help. After that point, everyone just watched the three approach the evil warrior that had once been a great friend and hero of the worlds in silence, waiting to see what would happen.

When the three finally stood before him, Evil Sora had to smile tauntingly at them before he remarked, "Didn't think the old man would send you three to deliver the message. So, are you ready to surrender?"

Roxas, Riku, and Xion just glared at Sora for a minute before Riku finally said, "I told you when we last met at the Castle That Never Was that I would stop you no matter what. I don't plan to go back on that promise now."

"And that goes for us as well," Roxas added. "So if you want to go any further than you already have…"

"Then you'll have to go through us, and we don't intend to go down without a fight," Xion finished, and when she said the last few words, she and the other two boys immediately summoned their respective Keyblades and assumed a battle stance, sending a silent signal to the rest of their forces to keep fighting no matter what and to leave the evil Sora to them.

Sora looked over them for a minute before he finally chuckled a little and replied, "Very well then, it's your funerals, but you'll find that your Keyblades are nothing compared to my own."

Sora then held his hand out and summoned forth the very weapon that the three had hoped they would never seen, and upon seeing their looks of recognition, Sora could only smile in dark glee as he confirmed, "Yes, this is indeed the ultimate of all Keyblades, and the very embodiment of Kingdom Hearts' vast power, and it is mine to command…this is the χ-blade!"

Roxas, Riku, and Xion were admittedly thrown off for a minute seeing Sora wielding the legendary χ-blade, but they were quick to shake off their moment of surprise and prepare themselves for action, knowing immediately that the battle they were about to face was going to be that much more difficult than they had hoped it would be.

---

(The Past)

Around the same time, the group of Keybearers in the past had finally reached the center of the Keyblade Graveyard, and Sora and Kairi were able to instantly tell how the area had gained its name. The ground around them was littered with so many lifeless Keyblades that appeared to have rusted and gained a dark color due to the fact that their wielders had lost their lives in battle, and with the way they were placed into the ground, it almost seemed like they were now good for nothing more than serving as grave markers of the ones who had fallen in the terrible war. Sora and Kairi could have sworn that they saw some Keyblades that looked very much like the ones they and their friends had wielded through Keychains in the past among the lifeless weapons as they glanced around, but the thing that they found most surprising was how there seemed to be four, intersecting paths right in the middle of the vast grave site, and to see so many dead Keyblades was a sight that was very disheartening for the two.

Admittedly, they were glad that Aqua, Terra, and Ven had gone a little ways ahead of them so that they could take a moment to take in the sight around them, but the other reason for that was because it gave them a moment to talk with Mickey about something that they felt they needed to address to the king of Disney Castle. "It's really a sad and terrible sight, isn't it," Mickey asked the two when he approached them.

"Yeah it is, and it's all the more reason why we need to ask you to make sure that it either never comes again or that it's at least prevented for as long as possible," Sora replied.

"Gosh Sora, I know that I kinda owe you two for helping me reunite with my three friends over there and for helping me to remember who I once was, but I don't know if I can do that," Mickey admitted with a worried look.

"You don't owe us anything at all," Kairi immediately replied. "That's just what friends are for, and we're going to need you a lot in the years to come after we get our Keyblades."

Sora immediately took over when Mickey looked at them in confusion and said, "Kairi and I are just kids in this time, so we haven't grown up yet or received a Keyblade, but we will one day, and we'll need you to remember us, and a few others as well. Riku, Lea, Roxas, Xion, Naminé…those are all people that will one day be a very important part of keeping the worlds safe, so promise us that you'll find both us and them, bring us all together, and guide us so that we can become the true Keyblade Masters of the future."

Mickey looked into Sora's eyes, and he could immediately see that the boy was very serious about the matter, right to the point where he did not even need Sora to tell him that they would need his help, and upon glancing at Kairi, Mickey could see the very same conviction in her eyes as well, and that she too shared the belief that they would need the cartoon mouse in the near future when they did finally become Keyblade Wielders. Seeing how strongly they believed this and that they were so serious on the matter, almost as though they believed that the worlds would end without those people that they mentioned, Mickey found he could not do anything other than nod in agreement, letting them know that he would do his best to help them and the friends that their past selves would one day meet, and he then let Sora and Kairi move on to join their other three friends in the center of the graveyard.

When the two reached the others, they had arrived just in time to see that they seemed to begun a very serious conversation as they immediately heard Terra say, "Aqua, I want to apologize for everything I said and did in the past that drove us apart, and…I want you to know that…you were right, and so was the master."

Aqua smiled a little, truly feeling touched that Terra was apologizing for the mistakes he made that nearly destroyed their friendship, and in her joy she could not help but say, "Well the master is often right about a lot of things, especially when it's something that I agree with him on, so you're going to have to be more specific than that about what you're referring to."

Terra had to smile at his friend's quip before elaborating, "I'm referring to the fact that I did need to be watched. Maybe if I had listened to you then Xehanort wouldn't have used me as his tool in destroying Master Eraqus, and maybe our bond would never had suffered so much. I went astray, but not anymore and never again. I'll do whatever I have to in order to make Xehanort pay."

Aqua's smile quickly vanished when she heard those last words, and she had to lower her head in sadness as she asked, "What else is darkness but hate and rage? Xehanort is feeding the dark fires within you, making you fight. You'll go astray again if you do that."

"I'm not doing this out of anger and revenge, but out of honor and justice, both for our master and father, and for our bond," Terra corrected Aqua with a smile. "I said it before and I'll say it again, nothing is ever going to tear us apart, not even my own darkness, because I control it, not the other way around."

Aqua smiled in response to this along with Ven, Sora, and Kairi before they all nodded and she said, "Then I guess that I don't have to worry about you, because I know you'll stay strong for all of us. You're really honoring our master's memory in doing what you have been doing far more than I could ever hope to. That's why I want to apologize as well. Ven's right, it wasn't just one of us at fault in destroying our friendship. Maybe deep down, I was a bit eager to prove that I had earned my new title as master that I let the master's teachings cloud my judgment on a lot of things, and I tried to force my own feelings on how we should have been handling things on you guys. Master Eraqus would never have done that to any of us, and I can't help but feel that it's all the more reason why I don't deserve the Mark of Mastery."

"Are you kidding me? You deserve it way more than anyone I know," Ven immediately argued. "Aqua, you've always stayed true to your beliefs of right and wrong, and you've always had our backs even when we didn't see it, and not only that, but you've been able to help a lot more people than me and Terra ever could since this whole journey started."

"Ven's right," Terra agreed. "If anyone has honored our master's memory it's you, Aqua. I'm really glad that you were named a master, and that we're all able to fight side-by-side now when we need each other the most."

Aqua looked up and had to give her two friends a bright smile in response, and the three soon found that same smile being shared with Sora and Kairi, knowing that the future was already becoming that much brighter with so many friends believing in them. Those smiles immediately vanished when they finally sensed a familiar darkness approaching, and the minute they all turned towards it, they all saw Xehanort had arrived with Vanitas on his right, and Ansem and Xemnas on his left, the former with his Keyblade already out. The two sides merely stared at each other across the desolate graveyard until the four warriors of darkness finally came to a halt and Xehanort began to give a small monologue.

"Behold," Xehanort declared as he gestured around him. "These lifeless keys used to be full of power…united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat as a great Keyblade War raged. Countless Keyblade Wielders gave up their lives, all in search of one, ultimate key, and soon it will belong to me." Xehanort then paused for a moment in his speech before he pointed towards Ven as he finished his villain monologue. "χ-blade."

The five Keybearers only glared at the five villains for a minute before they all simultaneously tapped their shoulder armor pieces and summoned forth their armors, summoning their Keyblades forth only a minute later as the armor finished forming around them, signaling the beginning of the battle that would make history and determine the fate of the future. Terra was quick to make the first move by charging in, intending to hit Xehanort or one of the other three with a powerful attack right from the start, but Xehanort merely waved a hand and caused a large slab of the ground to suddenly rise up beneath Terra's feet at unnatural speeds. Terra crashed onto the ground as he was in mid-leap when it suddenly rose up, and then looked up to see that Xehanort had elevated the ground he and the other three were standing on so that they were high above the five Keyblade Wielders. Terra did not let this deter him for long, as he was soon running up the side of the mountain that Xehanort had just created in order to reach the madman, not noticing when Xehanort waved his hand and caused a vast swarm of the fallen Keyblades to suddenly rise up and start flying through the air towards both him and his friends.

Aqua and the others did notice this however, and the blue haired woman was quick to warn the others just as Vanitas had jumped down from where he was standing next to Xehanort and begun riding on the storm of Keyblades like a surfboard. The four on the ground bellow Terra had to quickly scatter so that they were not hit, but it was not long before Terra was suddenly swarmed by the Keyblade storm and then thrown over the side of the cliff that he was running up. When Aqua saw this, she immediately stopped running so that she could cast a spell in order to help her friend, but her moment of pause allowed Xehanort to send a second storm of Keyblades up from beneath Aqua, tossing her into the air before she crashed back into the ground. Ven was quick to race to her side to make sure Aqua was okay, and he was relieved to see that the aside from the small amount of pain that had slipped through her armor's protection, the worst that had happened was that Aqua had lost her helmet sometime during the fall.

Aqua then propped herself up before using her Keyblade to cast a Reflect spell to save Terra from the Keyblade storm that had begun to bombard him, and the minute the sphere of light formed around Terra and then exploded outward, Terra found himself on top of the same cliff as Xehanort, just as the fallen master was drawing his Keyblade and Ansem and Xemnas appeared next to him with their own weapons or powers readied. Xehanort did not get the chance to strike at Terra though, as Ven suddenly came up from behind his former master so that he could attack from Xehanort's blind spot. However, Xehanort had sensed Ven's approach and quickly teleported away from Ven's strike before grabbing the boy by the back of his helmet. Terra tried to charge in to save his young friend, but the Keyblade storm that Vanitas was riding on suddenly came up from beneath him and shot him into the air, away from the three masters of darkness and the blonde and into the ground many miles below.

As Ven struggled to get out of Xehanort's grip, hearing his helmet beginning to crack as he did, he looked down to see that Aqua had finally managed to get back on her feet once again with a little assistance from Kairi just before he was suddenly overwhelmed with a cold feeling surging through his body. A minute later, he felt everything go stiff and cold, which served as a clear indication that Xehanort had just frozen the blonde solid, and thus, Ven was unable to stop himself from falling down the side of the cliff when Xehanort dropped him. Thankfully, someone else was able to catch Ven just before he shattered on the ground bellow, and he soon found himself gazing up at Sora's face just as he noticed Aqua and Kairi running over.

"Ven, are you okay," Aqua asked, worriedly.

"The guy just turned me into a popsicle! What do you think," Ven asked through the D-Link, since he was not quite able to use his frozen mouth just yet.

"Right, stupid question. Sorry," Aqua quickly apologized.

"Did I just hear Aqua admit she said something stupid? Wow, it really must be the end of the worlds," Terra's voice then said in all their minds, indicating that he was alright as well.

"Too soon, Terra," Sora immediately reprimanded.

"Sorry, couldn't help it." Everyone then went quiet as Aqua and Kairi started to use some magic to heal and unfreeze Ven while Sora prepared to take a chance and attack their opponents, until Terra called out, "Guys, you might not want to look up at the sky."

When the other four did, they immediately wished that they had listened to Terra when he said to not look up, as they were immediately greeted by the sight of the dark clouds that had formed in the sky parting to reveal a massive, heart-shaped, blue moon shinning down on them. "Tell me that's not what I think it is," Sora pleaded.

"To do that would be lying, False Hero," Xemnas's cold voice suddenly echoed around them before both the Superior of the In-Between and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness appeared before them from a Dark Corridor. "It would seem that we have come full circle at last. The Keyblade Hero and his Princess of Heart face-to-face with the most powerful Heartless and Nobody to have ever existed. I suppose this must be destiny."

Neither Sora or Kairi dignified Xemnas's words with a response beyond a simple glare and moving to ready themselves for battle, and the two powerful, dark warriors took that as their cue to move to another area, clearly indicating that they were trying to lure Sora and Kairi away from Aqua and Ven so that the two from the future could face them without interference. Even though they knew this, Sora and Kairi were both still very much intent on going after their two old enemies, and so the former turned to Aqua and immediately said, "Keep Ven safe until he's unfrozen. We're going after Xemnas and Ansem."

Aqua nodded in understanding to the two, and then watched for a minute as they raced off after their old foes before turning her attention back to Ven so that she could focus on unfreezing him. As they continued chasing after the Nobody and the Heartless, Sora noticed Terra's Keyblade Glider flying up to the top of the cliff that Xehanort was watching from, indicating that Terra was going after Xehanort on his own, but he filed that away as something to deal with later, and instead just informed Aqua and Ven of the fact through the D-Link before he came to a stop, seeing as both Kairi and their opponents had done the same. Sora and Kairi then held their Keyblades up so that they were aimed directly at Ansem and Xemnas, which led both to give a humorless laugh as the former said, "Do you really believe that you can defeat us? The fact that you two exist like this proves that history has already changed, and that nothing you do can stop what is now the inevitable."

"Shows what you know," Sora retorted. "You've changed the past already, so that means we'll be able to do it just as well. Only difference is that we'll be changing it for the better."

"Foolish boy," Xemnas sighed. "Do you think that you can really undo what has already been done? Everything that you have done here will not simply vanish if you defeat us anymore than what we have done will. The changes to this timeline's history are very much permanent, whether they were made by us or by you. There is no way for you to change history to what it was once before."

"Maybe we can't change history back to its original state, but that doesn't mean we can't change things so that there's a better future," Kairi replied confidently. "We've got so many people counting on us to do that along with Aqua, Terra, and Ven, and we're not going to let any of our friends down."

"Then by all means, show us just how strong your versions of the power your friends give you truly is," Ansem requested as he summoned his Guardian forth and then dashed towards the two through the air. Sora and Kairi dived to either side and avoided the Heartless's attack, but that was all that the villains needed to have happen so that Sora was forced to fight against Xemnas while Kairi was left to fend for herself against Ansem. Sora did not let that deter him, as he quickly clashed his Keyblade against Xemnas's Ethereal Blades before he pushed the Nobody back and sent a powerful slash at him. When Xemnas jumped back to avoid Sora's attack, the spiky haired boy immediately leapt into the air and tossed his Keyblade towards Xemnas with all his might, and since Xemnas was still in the air, he could do nothing to stop the Ultima Weapon from hitting him dead center before it returned to Sora's hand in a flash of light.

Kairi was easily managing just as well in her battle against Ansem, as the Heartless had only been able to land a few lucky hits on her so far with his Guardian or a well-timed spell, but thankfully, the young woman was able to recover quickly before forcing him back with a quick barrage of spells. Kairi then charged forward and swung Royal Radiance with all her might in a fast, precise barrage of strikes that Ansem was not able to dodge entirely, before she used the momentum of her last swing to spin around and kick Ansem in the stomach. While Ansem was off balance, Kairi charged forward and brought down her Keyblade in a strong, diagonal slash that sent him flying across the battlefield and onto his back, and just as he was getting up, Kairi quickly used a Blizzaga spell to freeze Ansem where he was, incapacitating him for the moment, and freeing the girl up to go and lend a hand to Sora. As she raced over to her best friend, Kairi glanced up to where they knew Terra was, and prayed that he was alright, but that ended up being a fatal mistake, as the minute she brought her eyes forward again, she saw that Xemnas had somehow managed to get the upper hand on Sora, and was now preparing to drive his Ethereal Blade right through the spiky haired boy.

Sora was not entirely sure how it had happened himself, as all he knew was that one moment he had Xemnas on the ropes and was preparing to activate his Destiny Blaze Command Style in order to speed things up, and the next, Xemnas had blasted him onto the ground and then held him at blade point, readying his final strike. Sora did not close his eyes as Xemnas prepared to strike him though, as he had no intention of showing even the smallest sign of fear at the chance of his end approaching, but a minute later, he wished that he had closed his eyes, for they were soon met with a sight that made his blood run cold. Just as Xemnas was bringing his Ethereal Blade down, someone jumped into his path and took the hit for Sora, allowing him to roll out of the way in time, and Sora honestly hoped that he was wrong in thinking that the person who saved him in that way was not who he thought it was. Sadly, when he looked up towards said person, he quickly found out that he was right indeed.

There, with Xemnas's blade running through her chest and her eyes wide in pain, was none other than Kairi. Xemnas was also staring at the girl with his usual neutral look, but there was just a slight hint of surprise in them as he extracted the blade from the girl and let her stumble for a minute until she finally fell back, right into Sora's arms just as he had reached her, and as much as he hoped that Kairi was breathing hard because she was panting, he knew deep down that it was because she was struggling to breathe at all. Xemnas only smirked at the sight of the horrified boy before him as said boy held the dying girl in his arms before he moved to free Ansem form his icy prison so that they could move on to deal with their other targets, with Sora not paying them any mind at all, as he was much more concerned about the girl who was likely struggling just to keep her eyes open at this point.

"Kairi! Kairi, please say something," Sora begged as Kairi continued to pant.

"Sorry, Sora…I guess…I screwed up," Kairi weakly apologized.

"No you didn't, you saved my life, and that's not screwing up at all," Sora said as he started to desperately rummage through his many pockets. "You're going to be okay. I've got some Elixirs and Hi-Potions that we can use, and you'll be good as new in no time."

"No…don't," Kairi said as she tried to raise a hand to Sora's face. "It would…just be a…waste. You should save them…for your next fight with…those two."

"Don't say that," Sora begged. "I've got to help you."

"I'll be fine," Kairi insisted weakly. "But you need to…leave me here for now…and stop Xemnas…and Ansem. That's…more important."

"Stop talking like that! I can see that this isn't some small injury and you're too weak to do anything on your own," Sora insisted. Before he could say anything else, he was immediately cut off by Kairi's hand finally being placed against his face.

"Don't worry," Kairi told him. "After all…we promised…that we'd always be together…and we'd always come back…to one another. Now…go…before it's…too…late."

When those last words, Kairi let her hand drop and her eyes slowly close, before she began to fall limp in Sora's arms, much to Sora's horror. "No, Kairi! Kairi! Don't close your eyes! Please Kairi, wake up," Sora pleaded, his shouts almost echoing throughout the near empty battlefield, just as Ansem was freed from where he had been frozen before he left with Xemnas.

---

Terra had frozen for a moment in shock, as he was able to see Sora and Kairi's battle from where he was fighting Xehanort, and while he was happy to see that the two were doing quite well at the beginning, it was still quite horrifying to see Kairi being struck down in the way that she was. The fact that she had fallen back into Sora's arms while Xemnas and Ansem moved to escape from the two was able to tell a great deal to Terra, and he instantly felt a great anger boiling up inside him as he brought his attention onto Xehanort and swung Ends of the Earth at the elder master as hard as he could, clashing it against Xehanort's Keyblade as soon as he did.

Xehanort only smirked a bit at the sight that Terra had just seen before he turned to Vanitas and ordered, "Go take what Ventus owes you, take Aqua's life, and then assist Xemnas and Ansem in finishing off the two interlopers for good."

"No," Terra shouted as he watched Vanitas run off and then jump off the edge. Terra immediately pushed Xehanort back and then began to chase after the masked boy, but he had to pause and jump back again when Xehanort appeared in his path.

"You see how powerless you are to save them," Xehanort asked Terra. "Savor that rage and despair. Let it empower you!"

Terra ignored the madman's words that were meant to cause him to be consumed by darkness, but he still knew that he would need to use his dark powers if he wanted to win this battle, and so, he began to let the darkness inside him build up as he prepared to unleash his Dark Impulse Command Style, all the while saying, "You will pay Xehanort. Was my master…no, my father, Eraqus not enough for you? Leave my friends alone!"

"Yes, boy, that's it! More," Xehanort encouraged, thinking that Terra was falling for his ploy. "Let your whole heart blacken with anger!"

"No. This isn't anger," Terra corrected as he finally released his Command Style in a burst of dark energy. "This is the power of the darkness that is used to protect!"

Xehanort was thrown off a little at Terra's declaration, and that little moment was exactly what Terra needed before he charged forward, unleashing the furry of his Command Style on the old man. Xehanort was able to teleport away from many of Terra's first strikes, but with Dark Impulse increasing the speed of his movements, Terra was able to easily keep up with the old man, forcing Xehanort to defend himself with his Keyblade more than he had expected he would have had to in this battle. This did not mean that Xehanort was unprepared for this, and he was quick to prove this by blasting Terra into the air by causing the ground beneath Terra's feet to suddenly blast him upwards. Thankfully, Terra was able to right himself in mid-air just before he hit the ground, and was thus able to intercept Xehanort when the older man brought his Keyblade down on him.

"Aqua, we've got a serious problem," Terra called out through the D-Link while he continued to push back against Xehanort's Keyblade with his own. When he did not hear anything in reply, he immediately began to worry before trying again. "Aqua, can you hear me? Aqua?!"

"Terra, Aqua's hurt," Ven's voice then cried out instead.

"What happened," Terra asked as he finally pushed Xehanort off and then threw his free hand forward to unleash a large, dark claw that blasted Xehanort away from him.

"She was fighting some guy with an eye patch, who looked like he was guard of Radiant Garden's castle, I think his name was Braig, when he suddenly called it quits and ran off," Ven explained. "When Aqua tried to chase after him, Xemnas and Ansem got in her way and pushed her back into the path of Vanitas's Keyblade. She's unconscious now, and I think they're going to kill her!"

"Why didn't you do anything to help," Terra questioned as he quickly ran away from the sudden barrage of stone pillars, fire blasts, and ice spells that Xehanort was trying to hit him with.

"It's a little hard to help when you're barely even able to move your mouth enough to talk," Ven stated, instantly reminding Terra that he had been frozen at the moment. "I'm just about free now, and if they touch her, I will make them pay. I could still use a hand though. Where's Sora and Kairi? I thought they were supposed to be dealing with Ansem and Xemnas anyways?"

"You're not gonna like hearing this," Terra replied as he brought his Keyblade up to deflect a sphere of dark magic that Xehanort had thrown at him right back at the disgraced master along with a few more before Xehanort finally ceased the use of the Shotlock he had tried to hit Terra with. "Kairi's hurt, and from what I could see a minute ago, it didn't look good. Something tells me that Sora's not doing so well either given how he was holding her and screaming her name a minute ago."

Ven could only gasp in shock through the D-Link, and if what he sensed a minute later was any indication, that was all the motivation that Ven needed to finally break himself free from the last of the ice that was holding him and charge into battle against Vanitas, Xemnas, and Ansem on his own. Terra knew full well that there was no chance that Ven would be able to fight all three of those enemies by himself, but he also knew that as long as Xehanort was still standing, he would not be able to go help Ven either, so Terra brought his full attention onto the man who had tricked him into helping to murder Eraqus, and charged in with his Command Style's energy charged. As he clashed Keyblades with Xehanort once again, Terra's only thought was, Sora, I hope you can help Ven soon, and that for your sake, Kairi's alright. Aqua, please don't let Ven face this alone.

---

Sora's eyes were raining tears of dismay as he continued trying to wake Kairi up, but no matter what he did, the redhead would not answer him or open her eyes. Even so, Sora did not want to believe what he was seeing and continued to shake Kairi as he held her close and softly begged, "Please Kairi, you've gotta fight this! I've already lost so much now, but it never mattered not only because we would be able to get it back after completing our quest, but also because I still had you with me. It won't matter to me if we do succeed and get our home and friends back after defeating Xehanort and the forces of darkness unless you're there. Don't you see, Kairi? I care about you so much that I can't live without you. You're more than just my best friend. You're everything to me! Please, don't leave me!"

Sora was now openly sobbing as he begged and pleaded with the now clearly unconscious girl, his shoulders shaking horribly with each word, until he suddenly stopped his sobbing and shaking, and slowly opened his eyes as he whispered, "You're everything to me." He then gently set Kairi down for a minute as he dismissed his armor completely and began rummaging through his many pockets once again whispering, "Where is it? Where is it?" until he finally smiled at having found the item in question, and pulled it out to reveal a small, clear blue potion bottle. "I really hope this works like you said it's supposed to King Agnarr," Sora then said as he uncapped the lid on the vial, remembering what the king of Arendelle had said when she gave it to him as he did.

---

Ven, Aqua, and Terra were celebrating being reunited with Mickey after telling Sora and Kairi everything that they had found out in the future, especially the details involving the evil, future Sora, and the two had decided to stand off to the side as the four had their small celebration. As she looked on at the happy sight, Kairi looked to Sora for a minute and asked, "Hey Sora, what do you think happened? You know, to that evil Sora that Aqua and the others met in the future. What do you think caused him to become what he is?"

Sora crossed his arms in thought for a minute, truly not sure what to say in response to Kairi's question, and that alone was something that really worried him. "I don't know, but I'm not entirely sure I want to," Sora finally admitted. "I mean, it would have to be something pretty bad if it caused that kind of changes in me, especially given all that we've been through so far."

Kairi smiled to show that she agreed with him before she said, "Well, I was thinking about what Aqua had said about their meeting, and something kind of stuck out to me. Evil Sora said that he was doing what he was doing because he wanted to create a perfect existence and so that he would be able to get back everything he lost. Does that last part mean anything to you, like is there something that means so much to you that you would do whatever it takes to protect it and get it back if that thing was ever lost?"

Sora felt his face heat up in response to Kairi's question, as he knew right away his answer to her question was actually Kairi herself, but he was not sure he was quite ready to tell her that yet. Still this was Kairi, and Sora knew full well that it would take a miracle to keep him from answering her question since she was so stubborn about this sort of thing. Thankfully, he received a miracle when Agnarr suddenly showed up and called him over, saying that there was something really important that he needed to speak with him about. Feeling that he would be rude if he were to refuse for any reason, Sora quickly excused himself from Kairi and made his way over to the king of Arendelle, feeling the look of disappointment on Kairi's face the whole way as he went.

"What's up, your highness," Sora asked when he reached Agnarr.

Agnarr had to chuckle a bit at Sora's behavior before he became serious and said, "I just wanted to thank you again for all that you and your friends did to help my family and our kingdom, and I also wanted to warn you of something."

"What's that," Sora asked, immediately getting worried when he saw how serious Agnarr was.

"Do you remember the legend I told you about when you and Kairi met with my daughter, Elsa? The one about Sora the Brave and Princess Kairi," Agnarr asked. When Sora nodded in reply, the king continued by saying, "Well, according to the legend, the two were deeply in love with each other and would do anything to keep one another safe, but they never told each other, both because they were unsure of the other's feelings and because their quest was so important. Eventually they did fulfill their quest, but it came at a terrible price. Princess Kairi was killed in the final battle, and in his grief at not being able to save his love, Sora the Brave became Sora the Terrible, and he nearly plunged all of existence into darkness, until three brave warriors rose up to end his tyranny. The legend then went on to say that it was foretold that the two would one day be reborn so that they may meet again and face the same quest, in the hopes that they would be able to avoid the destiny that their past lives had faced, but it would only be so if the reincarnation of Sora the Brave would be able to recognize what was most important to him and let his heart guide his actions away from any darkness."

"So…are you saying that, if the legend's true…then Kairi might," Sora asked, barely able to believe what he had just heard. He then glanced over at Kairi, and immediately became mesmerized by her beautiful, amethyst eyes, her long, flowing red hair, her soft, kind smile, and her lovely laugh that sounded like ringing bells to his ears, ultimately leading him to look back at Agnarr and say, "No way. I'll never let that happen to her. I'll always save Kairi no matter what it takes even if I have to give up my own life for it."

Agnarr smiled in response to Sora's declaration, and then pulled out a small, crystal blue vial from a pocket of his coat and handed to him as he explained, "Then you should take this. Someone who said that he was a friend of yours thought you might need it, and he explained that it's a special elixir that had been in his family for generations. The magical properties in it are said to be able to allow it to work miracles on anything if used by the right person for the right reasons, but it is also very hard to make so this is all he could prepare for you."

Sora hesitated for a minute before he finally accepted the vial as he asked, "What was this person's name?"

"He didn't give it," Agnarr replied. "He just said that he was one of the first people you and Kairi met when you arrived in Arendelle and that he wanted to make sure his friends would be alright."

Sora smiled in thanks to Agnarr as he pocketed the vial, and he then let his smile grow a little wider when he started to gain an idea as to who it was that had given the king the potion before rejoining Kairi in watching their friends finish celebrating their reunion so that they could head out for the Keyblade Graveyard.

---

"Please work," Sora whispered as he gently tipped the vial and let a small amount of the supposed miracle elixir onto Kairi's wound. He then watched as the small amount glowed a little, slowly closing up Kairi's stab wound as it did, until he placed a hand near her heart, relieved to find that it was beating at a steady, normal beat. A minute later, his smile became much brighter when he saw Kairi's eyes slowly begin to open and then fixate themselves on him in surprise.

"Sora, what…" Kairi started to ask, but she was quickly cut off and thrown into complete surprise when Sora pulled her closer and connected his lips to hers. Kairi's eyes were wide with shock at Sora's sudden action, but they immediately snapped shut as she returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around Sora's neck, running her fingers through his spiky hair as soon as she did, while Sora placed the crystal vile on the ground next to him so that he could wrap Kairi in his arms completely. The feelings that the two felt running through them were more powerful than anything they could have ever have hoped to describe, but it was not a feeling of burning passion, great desire, or any other sort of cliché description that you would find in a typical romance novel, but rather a feeling so intense and powerful that they could only describe it as something that just felt right.

When Sora finally released Kairi from the kiss, the girl barely suppressed a whimper of sadness, indicating that she did not want it to end just yet, and he then smiled as he said, "You were right before, Kairi. There is something that I consider to be everything to me, or rather someone I consider as such." Sora then took a deep breath before he finally said, "It's you, Kairi. You're the most important thing in my life, because…I…I love you. I love you with all my heart and I would give up everything if it meant I would be able to spend just one day with you, Kairi."

Kairi looked at Sora with a stunned look before she finally smiled a bright, loving smile at him and captured his lips in another kiss and then said, "I love you too."

Sora smiled through the kiss that Kairi was sharing with him, and the two would have continued on from there if they could, but they knew that there was still a job that needed to be done, so as soon as they ended their loving embrace once again, Sora stood and helped Kairi to her feet again, and they both nodded to each other, knowing exactly what they had to do. The two then focused on all the power they had inside of them and unleashed their Tier Two Command Styles, and with the extra powers that the two abilities gave them, they immediately charged off into battle once more, already knowing exactly where they would find their opponents for round two.

---

(The Future)

Roxas could not help but cry out in pain as he was thrown into the side of Yen Sid's tower, but he was extremely thankful that he was able to keep his hold on both of his Keyblades as he flew through the air, despite the pain. Roxas then pulled himself back to his feet with assistance from Oblivion, but when he looked up, he was only greeted by the sight of Evil Sora standing over him with the χ-blade being held at the blonde's head. "Was this really supposed to be the best you could do," Sora asked Roxas. "What in all the worlds made you think that you, a puppet, and a boy who had been scarred by darkness could possibly stop me?"

"Here's a hint: his name is Sora, and he is a guy who never gave up in his fight to protect the worlds and his friends no matter, but you, you're barely even a shell of the man he was," Roxas retorted angrily. "You're a complete disgrace Sora!"

"Um, Roxas, I think Sora heard that. He seems a bit annoyed with you at the moment for some reason," Naminé called out to Roxas through the D-Link that they learned that they could form just a short while ago.

"Well tell him I didn't mean him, I meant this evil bastard that's trying to kill me," Roxas thought in reply.

"I…can't help but think that's basically the same thing," Naminé admitted.

Roxas did not have time to reply, as Evil Sora was raising the χ-blade once again in order to strike him, only for Xion to race in from behind and land an attack on his back with her Two Become One Keyblade. The ebony haired girl then spun around on one foot before firing a blast of ice magic at Evil Sora's side, and then leapt away so that she could get clear and lead the madman that was once a great champion of light away from Roxas. She succeeded a little too well in this endeavor, as Evil Sora was directly in front of her before she could even blink, and had grabbed her by the throat to start choking the life out of her, causing her to drop her Keyblade when he grabbed her.

"You know, I'll be honest, the main reason why I kept you around aside from wanting to save you from you're original fate was because of the fact that you look so much like her, and you're personality actually has some similarities to hers as well, but now, I can see that it may have been a mistake to let my emotions guide such a decision," Evil Sora revealed to Xion as he tightened his grasp around her throat, leading Xion to do whatever she could as she desperately tried to get him to cease his vice-grip on her throat.

Eventually, Evil Sora was forced to relinquish his grip on Xion, when an enraged Riku suddenly struck him in the back with a Dark Cannon, the impact of which had led him to slacken his grip enough for Xion to slip out of his hand and jump away. Evil Sora then turned to look at Riku in amusement as he said, "You know, that actually tickled. Are you trying to make me laugh to death? Come on Riku, I thought you were stronger that."

Riku's face scrunched up even further in anger than before in response to Sora's obvious mocking, and he did not hesitate for a second for a second to charge the leader of the forces of darkness in order to attack with everything he had in his enraged state. As soon as he was in striking distance, Riku lashed out with everything he had, but unfortunately it was either parried or barely paid any mind by the evil Sora, who eventually yawned in boredom and then blasted Riku away with his own Dark Cannon. When Riku tried to stand up again, he found himself facing the end of the χ-blade's tip, just as Roxas had been a minute ago, while Sora just grinned at him out of pride.

That grin quickly vanished when a sudden flash of light erupted from Evil Sora's chest, and caused him to falter in his stance, giving Riku the chance to trip him up and then get away, until the silver haired boy was standing alongside Roxas and Xion once again. The three then looked on as another flash of light erupted from Evil Sora, and the dark master held his chest in pain while the χ-blade seemed to gain a slight shadow over it. "What's…what's happening…to me," Evil Sora demanded. "Where is this…this burst of light…coming from?!"

The three were all confused by what had happened until Roxas asked, "Hey do you guys think that…"

"Sora and Kairi figured out what happened and somehow stopped it," Xion finished for her blonde, brotherly friend.

"I'm thinking that's exactly what happened," Riku replied. "And now the light inside of him is starting to surge and counteract his darkness, making his powers unreliable and that χ-blade unstable."

"No…this can't be…I'm so close," Evil Sora protested as the time stream continued to fall apart around him. "So close…I will not be denied when I am right on the verge of victory!"

"Now he knows how just about every villain or opponent he's dealt with feels," Xion muttered to the two, getting immediate nods in response before they all suddenly sensed a familiar, yet strange presence from all around them.

"Stop it Sora," a voice that sounded a lot like an older version of Kairi's then cried out, leading them all to freeze in shock. "This isn't you. Please don't do this. Don't you see if you go through with it you'll be breaking my heart?"

"K…Kai…Kairi," Evil Sora whispered. "Is that…no, it can't be…you…you died. You died in my arms and I could do nothing to save you! How could you even want me to stop when I'm doing all this for you! All of this is so we can finally be together again! This…this is some kind of trick! Yes, that's it! A ploy by that old fool, Yen Sid to make me surrender!" Evil Sora's face then turned into a dark scowl that promised great pain to any who fell into its gaze. "You won't stop me with such underhanded tricks you bastards! I will never forgive you for trying to disgrace her memory this way! DO YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!"

The voice then called out once more, this time much more faintly than it was at first, and pleaded, "Please stop him Riku, Roxas, and Xion. It's the only way to save him and return him to being the Sora I once knew and fell in love with. I've already done all I can, so it's up to you now. Good luck."

A minute later, the presence that they could all feel when the voice had first begun speaking had faded away completely, and the three Keybearers had all gained a new fire of determination as they readied their Keyblades for battle once again. "You just wasted your last shot at redemption, and now you're going to pay the price for all the crimes you've committed against the worlds," Riku stated as he held his Keyblade by his head as he normally did.

"And for all the people you've brought so much suffering to, including those of your own forces," Xion added.

"Whatever it takes, you're plans will end here. This time you're going to pay for all the terrible things you've done, SORA," Roxas then finished with a shout, and the three then charged in to face the true final battle in the war between light and darkness.

---

(The Past)

Ven was struggling a great deal. That much was clear as day to anyone, not just because of how much he was panting, but from how he seemed to be struggling just to stand up, even while using his Keyblade as a crutch to help pull himself up. The fact that he had taken such a beating was not all that helpful either, as Ansem and Xemnas had attacked him at every moment they could when it seemed like he was about to gain the upper hand against Vanitas, and now, he was just trying to do what he could to stand up and get away from the masked boy who was now approaching him, and removing said mask as he did, granting Ventus with the sight of an appearance that looked a great deal like Sora's except with black hair and the same yellow eyes that Xehanort had.

"I'll admit, you've definitely gotten better, but considering how this fight went, it was still incredibly boring," Vanitas told Ven as he finally revealed his face to the blonde. "I guess that's what I get for fighting three against one though. Oh well, at least I'll finally have exactly what I deserve."

"Why," Ven struggled to say as he started to rise up. "Why do you…look like Sora?"

That question caused Vanitas to stop in his tracks for a moment as he gained a thoughtful expression and replied, "Huh, you know that's something that I've been wondering about myself. I mean, when the old coot first created me, I didn't have any face at all, just that stupid mask, but then one day, I looked in the mirror and saw this face. Xehanort and I both tried to figure out how it happened for a little while, but in the end, we decided it wasn't all that important. Guess we'll never know now, seeing as you're about to meet your end, huh?"

Vanitas then raised his Keyblade over his head, aiming to land the final blow, only to have to jump back when a sphere of light magic nearly hit him. A small glow from a healing spell then lit up Ven's body as someone then shouted, "Not if we have anything to say about it! Command Style: Trinity Blade Finisher!"

With those words, a blur suddenly began racing around Vanitas, telekinetically throwing the three Keyblades at Vanitas, and forming a faint image of the crown symbol on Sora's necklace. When the image was finally formed completely, two of the Keyblades positioned themselves in striking position of their target, and the blur solidified to reveal Sora in his armor, minus the helmet, before he fired a beam of energy from the Ultima Weapon that tore through the center of both the crown symbol and Vanitas, just as the other two Keyblades did the same, releasing a blinding explosion of light. Vanitas was just barely able to come out of Sora's surprise attack unscathed, and Xemnas and Ansem were about to run over and assist him when another voice shouted, "Command Style: Eternal Illuminator Finisher!"

The next thing that either of the two knew, a bright bluish-silver blur was slashing at them multiple times in a way that formed a five-point star, and once said star had been formed, a group of magic spheres were suddenly formed and had taken a position at each point on the star. The blur then stopped in the air and revealed itself to be Kairi, who like Sora was wearing her armor without the helmet, and said Princess of Heart was quick to spin her Keyblade around in one hand and then swing once to unleash an explosion of light magic that quickly consumed both the Heartless of Xehanort and the Superior of the In-Between. Kairi then cast a quick healing spell on Aqua as she landed next to Sora and Ven, and the three then leveled a determined look with the three glares that were being thrown at them as Ansem shouted, "How is that girl is still alive? What did you do?! TELL US!"

"You wouldn't understand even if we did tell you," Sora replied with a smirk. "You're a Heartless, Xemnas is a Nobody, and Vanitas's heart is too clouded with darkness to ever even attempt to understand it. I've told you before, no matter how dark things get, there will always be a light that never goes out to guide us through the darkness."

Xemnas just scoffed at the boy's reply before he said, "It does not matter either way. We defeated you all once, and we shall do so again if we must. There is nothing any of you can do to change the fact that we have far more power than any of you ever could."

"Get real," Ven scoffed in reply. "Last I checked we're not the ones who just got blown away by two seriously powerful Command Styles and now look like crap."

"You really are an idiot," Vanitas stated. "Doesn't matter how hard you try, you'll never have enough power to beat us and live."

"Maybe not on our own," Sora calmly said. "But then again, we're not alone. We've got all our friends backing us up and cheering for us."

"Terra, Aqua, Roxas, Xion, Riku, and so many others…they're all counting on us to stop you and save both the worlds and the future from your darkness," Ven then said. "And the fact that they believe in us so much is more than enough reason to keep fighting, because its giving us all the strength we'll need to finish this battle."

"None of us are alone, we never were and we never will be, because we'll always have friends who are looking out for us even if they can't be right beside us," Kairi added before the three looked directly into their opponents eyes, and spoke as one.

"We don't need a weapon to defeat you. Our friends are our power, and we're theirs," the three finished as one, and that was all the prompting that any of them needed to charge in and attack the three with all they had, driving Vanitas away from the two intruders from another time.

"You guys handle Xemnas and Ansem," Ven shouted to Sora and Kairi. "Vanitas is mine."

Sora and Kairi both nodded in agreement, and then turned to face the two villains of another timeline in battle once again. "Oh please, you couldn't beat us with just the two of you before, and you've already used up the power of those precious Command Styles of yours, which I doubt you'll be able to reactivate any time soon, so what makes you think you can now," Xemnas scoffed.

"Maybe not on our own," Sora admitted. "But the Command Styles aren't the only things in our arsenal of abilities. This time, we're bringing down the final curtain on you."

A minute after he had said that, Sora and Kairi both focused all their power and began to emit a faint, white glow from their bodies. The glow then began to grow in intensity until it finally exploded in a flash of light just as the two shouted together, "Final Form, drive on!"

The explosion of light seemed to illuminate almost every corner of the battlefield, prompting everyone nearby to shield their eyes, including Terra and Xehanort, who were closest to the heart shaped moon that Xehanort caused to appear in the sky and so far away from the battle on the ground below, and even Mickey, who had quickly raced over to move the still unconscious Aqua out of the way so that she would not be harmed in the chaos of the battle. When the light finally began to fade, there was no longer any doubt that the beginning of the end had finally come for both this battle, and the mission that two different forces shared for different purposes, and only one would emerge victorious and succeed in altering history.

---

Yen Sid Report 12:

I will never forget the day when Sora and Kairi learned of the existence of the Ultima Weapon and Royal Radiance Keyblades, as their faces had lit up with joy and hope at the prospect of obtaining such powerful Keyblades that they would no doubt use to help end the war faster. As such, they always made it a priority to search the worlds they traveled to so that they could find the necessary materials that would allow them to fashion the powerful blades whenever they were able to afterwards. They would often return with looks of joy at finding so much as one piece of the puzzle to the two Keyblades while other times they would be mildly disappointed if they did not, whether or not they had succeeded in their original purpose for traveling to the world they traveled to. Of course, if they were able to find an ingredient and failed, their good moods were reasonably dampened, but there was no hiding that they were still glad to have found the materials regardless.

Finally, their long search for the various ingredients came to an end when they returned with the final ingredient that they each needed for both Keyblades, and soon after, they were able to lay both of their eyes on the fully completed form of the most powerful Keyblades that they had ever seen. After testing the Keyblades out both in actual battle on missions and in training, I had expected them to never use any Keyblade other than those two again, but I found myself met with a rather pleasant surprise instead. The two ended up deciding that they would only use the power of these mighty Keyblades when it was absolutely necessary, and it battles that truly mattered more in our efforts than any other, and they have continued to follow that oath ever since.

The fact that they show such restraint when it comes to holding such powerful weapons is another reason why it is clear that they truly are worthy of their titles as Masters of the Keyblade, and I am certain that the Ultima Weapon and the Royal Radiance Keyblades will serve Sora and Kairi well in the battles that are still to come whenever the two feel they need them, just as I am certain that the creation of these very blades is a sign that the end of all our hardships will soon be upon us all.

---

AN: So yeah, now you know what had happened to give rise to Evil Sora, and now the good-guy Sora prevented it, which is now messing with Evil Sora's power, giving Riku, Roxas, and Xion just the break they needed. Show of hands, who didn't see that coming? No really, who did not see Kairi having something to do with Sora's descent into darkness, because I can't help but feel like I made it extremely obvious when the matter first came up. I know it's a bit cliche and worn and all, but come on, give a guy a break. Did you really think that I'd be able to find a way to give Sora a chance to have a peaceful, romantic moment to confess his feelings in this story?

Now, the fact that Sora and Kairi switched to the Ultima Weapon and Royal Radiance Keyblades for the final battle. Yeah, I had them have those as a last resort, and I know it technically isn't in the games, but in this story, Royal Radiance is basically Kairi's version of the Ultima Weapon, and I spent a lot of time looking through the different Keyblades before I made my decision on that so don't hate or judge me on that. The Yen Sid Report on the Keyblades at the end there is actually kind of my way of explaining how I somehow always end up only looking for a way to create the Ultima Weapon after I beat the main story of the game and how much of a pain it is to do so, because let's face it, there are people who do that, and even if you do it before clearing the main story, it is a serious pain in the neck.

Also, if you're wondering why I didn't go into detail on some of the battles that Terra, Aqua, and Ven were having, it's mostly because at the basic level, they've pretty much played out like they did originally in Birth By Sleep, so I figured why waste your time making you read about something that you've already seen happen when you could read about the new stuff? You're not likely to see much more of Terra's battle against Xehanort, even though I am planning on trying to work it in somehow, but for the most part, the next chapter will mostly talk about the other battles that will be unfolding, except for the battle inside of Ven's heart between Ven and Vanitas, that's also pretty much the same as last time as well.

Now I know at this point you're probably thinking I'm being lazy and just leaving all the stuff in BBS as it was before while adding Sora and Kairi into the mix along with the battle in the future, but I promise you, I will be trying to change some things so that they are different from before, but it probably won't be all that much. If you want anymore ideas on what will happen next time, Onto the Preview!...

The final battles are here. Sora, Kairi, Ventus, Aqua, and Terra face off with Xehanort, Vanitas, Xemnas, and Ansem; Roxas, Xion, and Riku face off with Evil Sora. Who will win in the end? Who will face destruction? Who will survive? Just what will happen when the dust settles and everyone discovers the results of the mission that Sora and Kairi had undertaken? Find out the answers, next time.

Riku: Well that was short.

Sora: No kidding. He basically just told us what we already know while throwing us a bunch of questions to keep us guessing.

AN: What, did you expect more than that? Sorry, that would've given away a whole mess of spoilers. Anyways...

Please read and review, and see ya real soon!

*IMPORTANT EDIT 2/18/2019* Once again, parts of this chapter were changed recently due to a recent update/rewriting of a previous chapter, namely the Frozen chapter. As such, allow me to better explain those changes.

First off, instead of Elsa, King Agnarr, aka Elsa's father was the one who passed along the special potion to Sora and explained the details regarding the Legend of Sora the Brave and Princess Kairi. It did not really make sense for little Princess Elsa to tell Sora this, since she would likely be shutting herself up in her room again by now, even with the progress she had made in controlling her powers in this story, so obviously, the role had to fall to someone else. It was only natural that it would be one of her parents...That's pretty much it in terms of the changes.

The original version of that scene will be posted in a separate story, along with the original version of related scenes and the original version of the Frozen chapter of this story at a later date, so keep an eye out for that.

Hope you enjoyed the new version of the chapter/scenes, and...

Once again, Please read and review, and see ya real soon!