Sora, Donald, and Goofy appear in a cave system, starting to walk around. Goofy says that the place gives him the willies and Sora says that they have to press on.
"Are you… still in the place from before?" Kairi asked and Sora shrugged.
"We kind of just wandered around there for a while, fought some Heartless, before finding a door and fighting Ansem," he explained. "I assume we were in the same place."
They move deeper into the cave system, eventually getting attacked by some Heartless that they fight off. Goofy sees another heart shaped emblem like the one from Radiant Garden.
"They're doorways, right?" Roxas asked, getting a head nod from Sora.
Donald says it looks a lot like the one from before and Goofy says that it's not all, pointing out that as they defeated the Heartless, the emblem covering the doorway cracked away.
"Strange," Aqua murmured, before pausing. She had seen many strange things in her time in the Realm of Darkness, the clock from the Castle of Dreams coming back to her most prominently. Perhaps this world, created from the darkness remaining from the fallen worlds, had similar strange laws in logic.
Sora realizes that if they defeat all the Heartless, the door will open, and they do just that. They end up in a smaller cave with a fancy door on one side.
Riku tipped his head to the side, studying the door. As strange as it seemed… it looked almost like the Door to Darkness, or at least their side of it. He hadn't ever seen the light side and it had been dark when he and Mickey were going for it, so he could be wrong but… Nothing so far seemed like any coincidence.
Donald says that there isn't any Heartless in there and Sora walks closer to the door, seemingly confused.
"Sora, what's wrong?" Kairi asked, seeing the expression on Sora's face and Sora smiled at her, doing his best to reassure her.
"Nothing's wrong, Kai," he told her. "It just that I was hearing something. Something that the others couldn't."
"What?" Xion asked and Sora dipped his head in Mickey's direction in answer.
"Mickey?" Terra questioned.
"I had to give him a little warning about what he was getting into," Mickey explained. "It was the last time I could contact him before I was completely behind the door after all."
Sora asks if they can hear it. "Careful… this is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you."
"Rather pessimistic, Mickey," Riku said, looking over at the mouse. "What gives?"
"It was just that I wanted him to fully know what he was getting into," Mickey said in response. "I was deep in the darkness and didn't completely know what Sora would be getting himself into, so I wanted to make sure he was in some way prepared, even if it ended up not being as bad as I thought it would be."
Sora shot Mickey a smile. "Thanks."
"But don't be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all."
And it remains to be, Sora thought, feeling in his chest the warm light that usually held his Keyblade ready and waiting for him. And while he couldn't summon it for the moment, he could still feel it there. That and my friends.
"Remember—you are the one who will open the door to the light."
"I thought you closed it?" Xion asked, having been listening to certain things as they were presented, plus a little niggling in the back of her brain that spoke of remembrance even thought there was nothing to remember, so she had a basic grasp of what had happened before she came into existence.
"Well, I did," Sora said. "With Riku's help." The older boy's expression soured slightly as he remembered what was coming next, his separation from Sora and all that had come from it. "But first had to open it to defeat Ansem. And I did technically open it like a couple of hours ago to get Riku and I out of the Realm of Darkness. Though, Kairi's letter may have done that."
"You found that?" Kairi asked, looking to Sora in surprise. When he nodded, she looked down, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks. She hadn't realized…
Donald says that he doesn't hear anything, and Sora says that the voice was familiar, before mentioning that it could just be his imagination. Donald says maybe he needs a break.
Yes, he does, Aqua thought, grateful that someone finally realized it. He needs a break desperately.
Goofy says they should take a break and settles on the ground, Donald and Sora following him. Donald says that Aerith gave him some goodies and opens a package.
Aqua smiled, an expression mirrored across the room, as Sora was given a second to just sit and breathe, to hang with people that clearly meant a lot to him and not having to fight Heartless. It was something that he had really needed. They probably all needed it.
Sora asks when and Donald replies when they left Hollow Bastion. He passes out the cookies, to joy from Sora and Goofy.
"Those were good," Sora recalled with a fond smile on his lips. "I should get more of them from Aerith when we go back. I think you would like them." He elbowed Riku in the side, causing the older boy to look down at him.
"Really?" Riku asked and Sora nodded. "Huh."
Goofy recalls that the cookies in Alice's world were good as well and Sora brings up the bananas from the Jungle. They bring up a few other things from their journey.
All the adults in the room felt a sense of peace, or at least gratefulness, when they saw Sora taking a moment and just breathing, eating some good food and remembering fun things that he had done. Sora had been going full speed ahead probably from Neverland and he hadn't really gotten a moment to stop and breathe. They were glad he was getting that chance now.
After their break, the three of them stand up and push open the door.
Sora took a deep breath, leaning back into Riku's side. Riku was here, he was here, he thought. Sure, he may be hurting and struggling but he's here, with me, and I'll be able to help him with those problems. He's not leaving again; I won't let him.
Sora walks out onto a beach, realizing in shock that it was Destiny Islands.
"You were on Destiny Islands?" Kairi asked, breathless in shock, while Riku had to swallow back the feeling of bile in his throat. The Destiny Islands… in the place of the worlds where all those that had fallen to darkness had gone… because of him.
Sora nodded quietly, not saying anything. Of course, the Islands hadn't lasted long but… He knew what was coming next.
Sora looks around, spotting several things that were off with the world.
"It doesn't look… right," Naminé settled on, looking at the screen in confusion. Destiny Islands was of the worlds in Sora's memories that she knew well, probably the best, what with her needing to carefully place herself in place of Riku/Kairi/Sora depending on whose memories she was messing with. And they had grown up in the place, so she also had to know enough about it to make the changes believable. It was with that knowledge that she was able to see was Sora had been seeing in that moment, small little things that were missing.
Riku and Kairi could also see the differences and Kairi furrowed her eyebrows in thought. Why were those things missing? Was it just a product of the Heartless or the darkness? But they had been fine when she returned to the world? Had they been restored somehow?
"It wasn't," Sora replied.
Looking around, Sora spots 'Riku' in the distance, running up to him and calling his name. "This world… has been connected."
Riku went stiff at the voice, glaring at the person who dared to use his body to draw Sora in. Several of them remembered the words from all the way back when Sora first saw the door when Destiny Islands were still whole, said by the brown cloaked figure. Who must have been Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.
"Tied to the darkness… soon to be completely eclipsed."
Terra gritted his teeth as he listened to Ansem speak. Now that he had been told… it was painfully obvious who it was truly. Who was actually speaking. The language, the tone… It was Xehanort. It had always been him.
Parts of the islands started to disappear, much to the three's shock. "You know so little. One who knows nothing can understand nothing."
Sora made a face and crossed his arms, looking away from the screen with a huff. "I think I understand enough right now," he muttered, doing his best to keep the air light and not oppressive with worry. He lived through this, he survived this, and while it may have led to him and Riku being separated, they were back together now.
"Take a look at this place. To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison surrounded by water. And so this boy sought to escape from his prison."
Riku bit the inside of his mouth, feeling the gazes of several people land on him. He didn't… Destiny Islands weren't a… prison, per say, but… He had known, ever since he had seen Terra that day and got confirmation that the outside world truly existed, that he wouldn't be happy remaining on the Islands. Remaining with his friends might have made it bearable but he wouldn't have been truly happy, not like there was a chance for him to be, a very small chance now, happy traveling across the stars and to so many different worlds. The island, that he knew like the back of his hand, would never have sustained him for longer than it already did. If he hadn't gotten out on the storm, he would have gone some other way. No matter what the consequences were.
"He sought a way to cross to other worlds. And he opened his heart to darkness." 'Riku' turns around, changing into Ansem.
Terra swallowed past the slight pain in his head as the memories tried to make themselves known. Had he… seen this before? In some way?
Sora calls out to Riku, but Ansem tells him not to bother and that Sora's voice can't reach him where he is. He says that Riku's heart belongs to the darkness.
"Only partly," Sora refuted, leaning on Riku's shoulder and taking one of Riku's hands, holding it tight. "Only partly."
Only partly, Riku thought. I hope I can believe that someday.
Ansem says that all worlds began in darkness, and all will end in darkness, just like hearts. Ansem says that darkness sprouts within all hearts, growing and consuming it as its nature.
Maybe, Mickey thought, looking over to Riku. Maybe all hearts, except for some clear exceptions, have some darkness in them and perhaps that darkness will always grow. But that doesn't mean it can't be used for good. He knew Riku's fighting style well, he had seen his heart. It has in the past. It is now. It can always be used for good.
Part of him wondered when the words good and evil had started to be synonymous with light and dark. There was living proof in front of him that it wasn't the case.
Ansem says that in the end, every heart returns to the darkness from whence it came. That darkness is the heart's true nature.
Then what caused mine and the other princess of hears existences? Kairi wondered, a hand subconsciously coming up to press at her chest, right over where her heart was. If all hearts contain darkness, and that's the 'right way' of things, what caused us? Why are we here? How are we here? What do you say to that Ansem?
Vanitas looked to the side, one set of nails digging into his other arm. Returning to darkness… he didn't know if he wanted that. He had just wanted the pain to stop and Xehanort had said that joining with Ventus would make it so. He honestly hadn't cared if that had meant they both died instantly upon recompletion. He just wanted the pain to stop.
Sora says that's not true and says that the heart may be weak, might even give in. But that he's learned that deep down there's a light that never goes out.
My friends, Sora thought. That little light that never goes out. My connection to my friends.
Axel looked down at the teenagers on the couch with him. While we may not have hearts, there is something… special almost that connects all of us. Maybe it's the light, maybe it's something different. But we're always connected.
I hope so, Terra thought, thinking of his own heart. That means it's not too late for me.
Ansem says that he has come far but still clearly understands nothing and floats up. A dark creature rises up behind him.
Terra pressed a hand to his temple. He could remember- What was going on? The light stung his eyes and the headache pulsed in his head and the darkness wrapped around all of his limbs. He choked on the darkness, trying to see through the light that was blinding his eyes. Was something… happening? Everything was wrapping around him, all the sounds and lights that he barely hear sounding like they were coming through six walls each. There was… He blinked once. Sand and noise and darkness and a boy and he was moving but he didn't feel like he was moving and it almost felt like before, before- Another ripple of pain sliced across his head and he lost the sound and sight as the darkness crept closer and he tried to hold on but-
He had seen this. His breath caught at the sudden realization. More proof, he supposed. I guess that means that my heart isn't broken, like it crossed my mind that it could be. If I can remember some things, it means that I was aware, seeing out of Ansem's eyes. Joy.
Sora fights with Ansem and the dark creature until Ansem disappears.
Roxas made a noise at the abrupt disappearance of Ansem. If you were going to fight someone, at least fight until the end. Don't cheat like that, Riku. He tried to tamp down the worry that was building in him for his Somebody. Or what felt like worry.
Sora and the others look around until the ground starts to shake, sending darkness and crevices up the beach. Sora spots Ansem hovering in the air but his gaze is cut off by a Darkside rising from the now broken ground.
Several people gasped at the thing grew from the ground, Aqua going stiff as she stared at it, memories flashing in front of her eyes of fighting them over and over again, leaning how to fight them better but still being equally exhausted at the end of each one.
Kairi reached out, hands circling around one of Sora's arms. She knew, she knew, that Sora made it out of this. She had seen him after it after all. But it still made her nervous and it was clear it wasn't just her dealing with that.
Naminé got the urge to cover her eyes with her hands and hide her face.
Sora falls into the pit with it, Goofy and Donald skidding to a stop at the edge of the pit. Sora recognizes it from the night Destiny Islands disappeared and starts fighting it.
"Ow, ow, Kairi," Sora gave her a flat look, flinching slightly as her grip on his arm grew painful. "I'm okay, remember? I survive this."
"You can survive a lot," Riku murmured from behind him, his own hand on Sora's shoulder thankfully not as painful as Kairi's was.
"Sorry," Kairi muttered, loosening her grip. "It's just… stressful to watch."
The darkness slowly consumes the world around Sora even as Donald and Goofy join the battle against the creature.
The worry that was plaguing Riku and Kairi slowly infected the others as the world seemed to literally collapse from around Sora.
The darkness surges up and swallows the three of them. When Sora opens his eyes again, he sees the monster in a different form, with pieces of land surrounding it in the dark void.
"Riku," Sora said, his ire this time directed at the older boy, as his grip became iron on Sora's shoulder. "Guys, I'm fine. This was over a year ago at this point. I won; you both saw me afterward.
"It's not that easy to stop worrying," Aqua told him gently with a tight smile on her face. "People are just going to do that; you have to accept it."
Sora huffed slightly. I don't know why I need to; no one needs to worry about me. I've saved the world twice, I'm strong enough to take care of myself.
He attempts to get close to it, but the darkness comes back, swallowing up both Donald and Goofy, before taking him.
All of the noise and feeling in the room was sucked out of it as the screen went black and Sora didn't reappear.
"Sora?" Mickey asked hesitantly and Sora turned around to give him a smile.
"Don't worry Mickey," he replied. He knew what came next after all.
"Giving up already? Come on Sora, I thought you were stronger than that."
Riku blinked in surprise at his own voice that sounded through the room, which was quickly followed by Sora leaping out of the darkness and onto the land pieces.
"Turns out I can reach your heart," Sora told him, smiling up at him as he leaned backward into Riku's side. "I'll always be able to."
"Always?" He questioned, taken aback by the word and the smile that Sora was giving him, he could feel the heat rushing to his cheeks.
"Always," Sora responded.
Unnoticed to the two of them, both Aqua and Terra flinched, hearing the familiar saying passed between the two of them that used to pass between the older two Keyblade Wielders.
Ansem appears out of the darkness, connected to the dark creature, and Sora moves forward, engaging in battle with him. In the distance, a familiar door can be seen.
Riku's, Aqua's, and Mickey's eyes widened in surprise at the door. They hadn't realized this had all been happening right outside of it, probably while the three of them were in different places behind it. If only they could have gone through, they could have helped.
Sora fights with Ansem, having to dodge from other attacks from the beast. Donald and Goofy suddenly burst out of the darkness and help Sora face off with Ansem.
Mickey sighed in relief at both the reappearances of his friends and the joy that Sora wouldn't be fighting alone for the rest of the fight. He had done that enough.
Sora eventually lands a hit on Ansem that starts to cause the whole structure to collapse. Sora shields his eyes from the explosion, looking back to see just Ansem.
Kairi couldn't help the cheer that slipped out of her mouth in joy as Sora defeated Ansem, jumping slightly on the couch, her grip on Sora turning into a hug as she leaned in. Sora smiled at her, returning the hug as best as he could without completely slipping out of Riku's grip.
Roxas smiled as Xion did, both of them happy that the boy that they had in someway come from had defeated Ansem while Axel grinned, not at all surprised in any way. This was the boy who had taken down Xemnas. That was a feat, with help or not.
Aqua relaxed, allowing her shoulders to slump slightly as she witnessed Sora make it out of the fight mostly unscathed. While she knew it wasn't the last thing he went through, not in the least, it was good that this was done.
Ansem says that it is futile and that the Keyblade alone cannot seal the Door to Darkness. He turns, looking back at the doors, and calls upon Kingdom Hearts to fill him with the power of Darkness.
Mickey and Riku looked at the screen in scrutiny. They would probably be showing up very soon. Riku's hand almost tightened around Sora's shoulder, but he managed to stop himself. It was fine, Sora was here now. They were both there together.
The doors start to open slowly, and darkness pours out of them.
The good mood that had taken over the room plummeted as the darkness started to creep out. Did Sora have to fight Ansem again? Kairi sucked in a breath, turning back to look at Sora. She paused in shock however, when she saw the smile on his face. He caught her eye.
"It's okay, Kairi," he told her. "Kingdom Hearts is light, remember?"
Sora tells Ansem that he's wrong and he knows without a doubt that Kingdom Hearts is light. The darkness turns into light and covers Ansem, causing him to fade away.
Riku watched Ansem fade away with a neutral expression on his face. Ansem… he had seen him in Castle Oblivion and had lived as him for a good couple of weeks when trying to get Sora his heart back. He had seen him, over and over again in his nightmares and dreams, the mirror and in his own darkness.
To say his feelings about Ansem were complicated would be a gross understatement.
Terra dug his nails into his palms. If he had been connected to Ansem, which he was sure he had been, had this been the great… relief he had felt a while ago? In the darkness, all of a sudden there had been a great comfort taking over his body for a second, banishing the headache and all the pain and he had felt free from the darkness for the quickest of seconds before it was gone. Had this been it? The light of the worlds' hearts?
Aqua sucked in a breath, feeling it catch in her throat as she watched some… facet of Xehanort fade away into nothingness. It didn't… It wasn't Xehanort, not really, but it still… had his vocal patterns and his goal, as twisted as it was, and it wasn't… Her hands twisted together, a self-soothing measure she'd had since childhood and she simply closed her eyes, trying to push the confusion thoughts away. She couldn't… it was hard to think.
Ven blinked, getting the random urge to look over at Vanitas. The darkness user was watching the screen with a blank expression, but Ven could see the way his hands were gripping the sides of his chair tightly. Was he… upset… about Ansem's destruction? Would he have even cared about what happened to Ansem? Sure, he was a piece of Xehanort, but he didn't seem to hold any of Xehanort's ideals or plans. Though, they didn't know that much about Xehanort. That could have been a plan all along and they would have no clue. Ven himself… was mostly just glad that Sora and the others were out of harm's way.
Donald says that they have to shut the door and the three of them fly towards it, landing on the ground and running up to it. Sora and the others start pushing on the door, trying to close it.
Sora froze, before twisting his body so he could much more easily hug Riku, pressing his face into the older boy's shoulder. Said older boy froze in shock before looking down at the Keyblade Wielder. He supposed… He wrapped one arm around Sora's back, reciprocating the hug.
The gesture between the two of them did not lessen the worries of any of the other watchers, having grown used to reactions like that when things were truly about to go off the rails.
Donald and Goofy look through the open doors as they push, freezing in shock when they see the Heartless massing inside the door.
Several pairs of eyes grew wide when they noticed the number of Heartless there. That… was a lot.
Donald says to hurry and Sora nods, pushing the doors despite their little movement. A hand appears from inside the door, pulling from the inside, and Sora looks up, seeing Riku pulling from the inside.
Aqua paused, her gaze moving back to the boys who were curled up on the couch together. She remembered Sora's words, from all the way back in the beginning, right as they were starting to watch the past. Sora had said they had closed the Door to Darkness from 'opposite sides' and the only thing on the other side was…
She hadn't realized that Riku had gotten stuck in the Realm of Darkness with her.
After defending Mickey from the Heartless and ending up on the Destiny Islands for the quickest second, she had been thrown back into the Realm of Darkness, alone again though this time without a Keyblade. She had thought that Mickey and Riku had made it through, had made it to safety. Had she known that they were still there, she would have tracked them down, tried to protect them, instead of just wandering around again. Stupid, you shouldn't have assumed. You should have done something, you're a Keyblade Master.
She didn't feel like one.
Riku and Sora start forcing the doors to close, but more and more Heartless amass behind it, including several Darksides.
Kairi watched the screen carefully, worry for her friends building in her throat as she looked between the screen and their current selves. She knew they made it out of there, but it was still nerve wracking.
Donald says that it's hopeless, but they're distracted by a bright light that appears and banishes all the Heartless back. The light dims and reveals Mickey.
Riku smiled as the mouse appeared, an expression echoed around the room.
Aqua briefly wondered if she was going to get shown, given that she was fighting Heartless not a hundred meters away.
Both Donald and Goofy are shocked but Mickey calls out to Sora to close the door for good. Sora hesitates for a second, looking to Riku who's still on the other side of the door.
Sora, who had looked back at the screen for a quick second, turned away from it again, tightening his hold on Riku.
"It's okay," the older boy said gently, finding their positions abruptly reversed from what was happening not five minutes prior. "I'm here now. We're both here now."
"And you're not allowed to leave again," Sora replied, voice muffled slightly by his face being pressed into Riku's side. "Never again. Right?"
"Right," Riku repeated.
Aqua looked to Terra out of the corner of her eye, reaching out one hand behind Ven to latch onto one of his hands, holding it tightly. Terra startled slightly in surprise but then relaxed, sending her a smile, and changing their hand positions a little to be more comfortable. They knew separation well.
Roxas reached across Axel's lap, intertwining his hands with Xion, trying to block out the memories of fighting her, of cradling her body as it flaked away after he had killed her. He felt Axel's arm settle around his back and let his head fall slightly, leaning on the older man's side. Xion held his hands back just as tightly.
Mickey reassures Sora that there will always be a door to light and Goofy tells Sora that he can trust King Mickey. Riku looks back towards Mickey and warns Sora that the Heartless are coming and Mickey thanks Donald and Goofy.
Mickey smiled gently at his friends on screen. His list of people who he needed to see was just getting longer and longer. Sure, he had been with them for the past two hours while waiting for Sora and Riku to reappear, but they had mostly been worried about the boys. They hadn't really gotten a chance to sit and catch up with each other. Go over everything they had been through.
Riku tells Sora to take care of her and Sora nods firmly through his tears.
Sora reached out blindly and grasped Kairi's arm, pulling on her incessantly until she moved closer, changing the way he was sitting so he could drag her into the hug, one arm coming up to hold her close. Her free hand intertwined with Riku's, and she pressed her forehead to his shoulder for the quickest second. He smiled back at her, shifting around to make it easier, and within a second, the three of them were curled up in a hug together, all bunched together at Riku's end of the couch. Sora sniffled slightly, clearly trying to mask the tears that were no doubt building in him, having to be reminded of this, and Riku and Kairi just held him tighter.
Everyone carefully averted their eyes from the three of them, trying to give them as much privacy as possible.
Sora finishes pushing the door closed and backs up, summoning the Keyblade. On the other side, Mickey summons Kingdom Key D and it glows in time with Sora's.
Sora, through the tears that were misting his eyes, gazed at the Keyblade that the King was holding onscreen. It certainly looked like his, just color swapped, like Mickey had said. Why his though? Nothing was special about it, despite the fact that it used to be Riku's.
Sora backs up from the door as it vanishes, several memories of Riku flashing in front of his eyes, before it disappears completely.
Sora pressed his face deeper into Riku's side. Not leaving, not leaving again. Staying with me, forever.
Riku couldn't stop the blush from creeping up his cheeks slightly when he saw the memories that Sora thought of. He didn't realize that closing the door had hurt Sora so badly.
Axel raised an eyebrow at the screen. Having several flashbacks to several important memories while the boy at the center of the memories slipped out of your reach? Yeah, that didn't scream heteronormality.
From behind them, Sora hears Kairi call his name and turns around, seeing her there. He takes off towards her, Donald and Goofy watching behind.
Now it was Kairi choking back tears, remembering holding onto his hand in a death grip. Trying to keep a hold of it as the very ground beneath their feet worked to pull them apart. Sora pulled her closer to him. At this point, it was hard to tell where one teenager ended and the other began.
Sora grabs her hand and tells Kairi that he is always with her and that he'll come back to her, he promises. Kairi says she knows he will.
"And you did," she whispered, feeling the first tear trickle down her face, hand tightening on Sora's. "You did."
"I did," he confirmed, pressing their temples to each other. "I did."
Their hands lose grip on each other, Sora reaching out one more time as she vanished into the dark.
"Here, I'm here," Kairi murmured. "We're all here." They weren't letting go of each other again.
Aqua's hand grew vicelike on Terra's swallowing back her own tears that tried to escape her. Why? Why was it that they could never stay together? She, Terra, and Ven were ripped apart from each other; Roxas, Xion, and Axel were separated as well. Why couldn't they just stay together? Why wouldn't the world let them?
Xion pressed herself into Axel's side, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
Kairi sees a small ball of light float down in front of her and she looks up, seeing hundreds of them float through the air.
"All the light returning to the world," Ven murmured, voice quiet and downtrodden. His hands reached out and gently grasped his friends', having seen how they had reached out for each other. Another trio, separated in pursuit of saving the world.
Sora sees it as well, looking around in shock. Around Kairi, Destiny Islands springs back into being, being restored back to life.
All three of the Islanders smiled in happiness at seeing their home returned. They knew it happened, Kairi had lived there for a year, but having seen it fall to darkness earlier in the watching, they were happy to see it return to life as well.
Kairi sees Sora disappear into a bright flash of light, from which hundreds of streaks of light explode outwards, painting across the sky.
"Are those…?" Xion questioned, not knowing exactly what they were but having an idea. "The worlds?"
Mickey nodded once in response, seeing as the other teenagers weren't going to do it, still wrapped up in each other.
Now during the daytime, Kairi heads into the Secret Place, finding the drawing that Sora added too before the world fell. She reaches out and touches it, tears dripping down her cheeks.
"When we go back," Kairi whispered to Sora, voice barely over a breath. "We should share an actual paopu." Riku's breath caught in his throat as he heard Kairi's statement.
Sora blinked, slightly befuddled. "To… prove our friendship?" He asked her, voice not leaving the level of hers and Kairi sucked in a breath, looking up at Sora. When he didn't say anything else, she forced her mouth into a smile, nodding gently.
"Yeah," she said, brushing off another tear that rolled down her cheek. "For our friendship."
She paints herself giving a paopu to Sora.
Riku closed his eyes, feeling a tear slide down his face. It was fine, he was just crying because he had just relived losing Sora again. He wasn't crying because… He wasn't. Sora's not yours to love, he and Kairi care so deeply for each other. Why are you trying to insert yourself into their love? They're the textbook fairytale, they're everything the stories say. Two people as bright as them would do no less than write a new fairytale.
In the Disney Castle, Minnie and Daisy are walking through the halls, getting called over by Chip and Dale. They look out the window, seeing three young ducklings getting chased by some brooms.
"Donald's nephews," Mickey explained, smiling at the sight of Minnie. Sora twisted his head to see the screen while keeping a grasp on the other two. They certainly looked like Donald.
Ven blinked in slight surprise. It seemed that Huey, Dewy, and Louie hadn't aged that much either while he was gone. Perhaps it was the world. Or maybe people like Mickey, the trio, and the others simply aged slower.
In a room, Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie are speaking with each other. Cid enters the room and gestures outside.
Sora narrowed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the room. Were they… still in Hollow Bastion? He assumed, because they had been there when he returned there and he didn't know if Traverse Town still existed with all the worlds restored but… surely, they had stuff there, if they had been living there for nine years. Hopefully they managed to grab it.
Aerith leaves the room, following Cid's instructions, and sees Cloud waiting by a window. He turns to look at her in surprise and she breaks into a run, running up to him and throwing her arms around him. They hug.
Several of them smiled, glad to see the two of them reunited. Sora was happy that Cloud managed to find his light. Don't worry Cloud, he thought, his hand tightening around Riku's. I found mine too.
In a home, Pinocchio looks at his body, which has been transformed from a puppet into a real boy. He jumps around in excitement, to the amusement of Geppetto.
"How did he become real?" Roxas questioned, taken aback, and Sora simply shrugged. He hadn't even realized this had happened.
"Well, the world is full of strange things," Ven replied.
Jasmine and Aladdin reunite in Agrabah, sharing a kiss.
Riku looked down, blowing out a slow breath. He was glad that Jasmine was okay and managed to get back to Agrabah and Aladdin alright.
On Destiny Islands, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie run down the beach together.
All three of the Islanders felt a pang of sadness and nostalgia in their chest when they witnessed this. "When we get back," Sora murmured. "We need to go to the beach. Like we used to." He got two nods of approval.
Sora is walking down a path with Donald and Goofy.
Kairi and Riku weren't the only ones to sigh a little in relief once it became clear that Sora had gotten out of the dark world okay when all the worlds started returning to the sky. They knew he had gotten out, he had told them and he was literally there with them, but seeing it was another relief.
Donald asks what they do now and Sora says they have to find the King and Riku.
Riku started, the facts finally making their way through his head. Sora… Sora'd had a chance to go back to the Islands with Kairi. All he had to do was jump across the small gap before it had become huge. But he… hadn't? Why hadn't he? Why hadn't he gone back with Kairi, who so clearly loved him and was pure light just like Sora, who had never fallen to the dark or got manipulated or all the things that Riku had done?
Why had he stayed to look for Riku.
Against his will, his cheeks heated up slightly. Was it possible…?
Goofy asks where they should start and Sora pauses, not having an answer. Their attentions are pulled by Pluto, who appears on the path with a letter in his mouth with the king's seal.
"Oh good, Pluto found you," Mickey sighed in relief. He was worried that the whole Castle Oblivion thing had happened because they hadn't found his letter, but clearly that wasn't true. Castle Oblivion had simply happened anyway, he supposed.
Sora asks Pluto if he's seen the king and Pluto starts to head off down the path. The three of them exchange glances before taking off after Pluto.
Off to another adventure, Aqua thought with the smallest of sighs. She needed… She, in frank terms, needed to have a talk with whatever adults were in Sora's life at the moment. And yes, that included Mickey.
As Sora ran, he heard a voice in his head. "Remember Sora, you are the one… who will open the door to the light."
The screen faded to black.
Sora squeezed his friends tighter. They were here. They were all here. The three teenagers pressed themselves close to each other.
As Aqua looked around, eyes resting on each of the different couches and chairs, she let out a sharp breath and unwound her hand from Terra, squeezing them tightly together for a quick second. It was clear, now that the first great 'adventure' had ended they needed a break. Perhaps a much longer one than they'd had before. Her eyes moved to Axel and then to Mickey. She could tell they agreed with her.
They could talk about everything that they had just witnessed later. Right now, she needed to corral eight teenagers into taking a break before one of them had another breakdown.
She sighed, eyes settling back on the three who were slowly unwinding themselves from each other. They were all together now. And Aqua would do everything she could to keep it like that.
