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1 Author’s note: This is a story I wrote after finishing Squaresoft’s
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2 beautiful game, Kingdom Hearts. This may or may not become a series,
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3 so please, please tell me what you think. ^-^ This is only a one shot
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4 right now, but if I get a positive enough response or if I just feel
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5 crazy enough to actually write a series about this, I just might do
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6 it. This is shortly after the end of the game. So you might not want
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7 to read if you don’t like spoilers. ^^;;
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8
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9
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10 Prism Hearts
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11 by Amazoness Duo
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12 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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13
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14
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15
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16 ‘Thinking of you, wherever you are.
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17
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18 We pray for our sorrows to end,
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19 And hope that our hearts will blend.
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20 Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
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21
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22 And who knows:
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23 Starting a new journey may not be so hard.
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24 Or maybe it has already begun.
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25
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26 There are many worlds,
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27 But they share the same sky;
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28 One sky, one destiny.’
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29
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30
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31 Sitting on the end of a small pier, Kairi looked off into the
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32 sunset. The beautiful colors that descended to the earth looked like
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33 a painter’s most vivid dream. The sea reflected them, shifting
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34 recklessly as if it was jealous of the attention the sky was
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35 garnering for itself. But it wasn’t the sky that Kairi was interested
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36 in. She was trying to look past it, for something brighter than even
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37 the most beautiful sunset. She had done this often recently, so much
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38 so that the others on the island had finally stopped questioning her
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39 about it. They may think she was crazy or just daydreaming, but she
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40 was busy searching. All she needed was the tiniest hint. And the
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41 skies would stare back, teasing her with half-glimpses and images in
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42 the cotton candy clouds. But she would not let that deter her. She
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43 would keep searching forever if she had to.
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44
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45 “I’ll be waiting for you. If you come here, you’ll find me. I
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46 promise,” she whispered, her voice carried off by the wind to
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47 destinations unknown. “Even if your ears can’t hear me, I know your
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48 heart can.” Her hand rested on her chest, feeling the beat of her own
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49 heart. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel their rhythm,
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50 all beating in unison. It didn’t matter how far apart they were.
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51 Their hearts would always be one.
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52
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53 When she blinked her eyes open, he was there. Just as if he had
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54 never left. His silver hair moved about in the light breeze. His eyes
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55 were shining and determined. He was reaching out for her, just as he
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56 always did. He was always reaching out for her, as if he could pull
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57 her along with him, to some place far away. Her hand left her chest,
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58 reaching out slowly for him. But before she could take his hand, he
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59 was gone. With a weak sigh, her hand fell into her lap. So close, yet
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60 always so far. It was like he was perpetually just out of reach. If
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61 she could just reach a little further, they could be together again.
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62 She knew Riku was far away, but she swore she could feel him
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63 sometimes, as if he were right behind her. That’s why she kept
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64 looking. Because she knew eventually they would be together again.
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65
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66 A laugh reached her ears from the beach. It was laced with memories
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67 and feelings. “Sora!” She whirled about on the pier, her back aching
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68 from twisting so suddenly. Her hands lay on the deck as she gazed for
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69 the source of the boy’s laughter. Her heart sank when she saw that it
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70 was only Tidus, laughing at something Wakka had done. Shoulders
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71 slumped, the young girl turned back to the empty sea. The vast
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72 expanses that surrounded her encaged her as surely as any prison.
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73
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74 It was ironic that this had all began as an attempt to escape with
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75 her best friends from this island, to taste the freedom and the
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76 excitement of other worlds, to see all the beauty they had to offer.
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77 And now she was trapped on that same island, her friends somewhere
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78 far off. They were now distant stars to her, lost somewhere in the
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79 heavens. She would sit up at night, peering into the moonlit sky,
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80 striving for any glimpse of the two boys that held her heart up.
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81 Sometimes she would mistake a falling star for one of them, hoping
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82 they were returning to her. But her hopes were always dashed when she
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83 didn’t find them running to her on their beach.
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84
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85 Her memories were still clouded, distant things that seemed to come
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86 from another lifetime. She knew that she was a princess, but of where
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87 she wasn’t certain. But those memories didn’t matter to her. The
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88 memories that she cherished, that she held onto with all the strength
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89 in her heart were of her days with Riku and Sora on the island, of
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90 all of their moments together. Those were things she would never
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91 allow herself to forget, no matter how painful they could be or how
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92 lonely they might make her feel. They were her treasures, her little
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93 gems that she would sneak looks at whenever she could.
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94
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95 The pier creaked behind Kairi, but she didn’t turn around
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96 immediately. For the first few days she had turned at every sound,
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97 every whisper that came her way, hoping that she would see the two
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98 boys again. But now she wouldn’t let herself be distracted about such
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99 things. She was trying to focus past all of the surface noise and
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100 images, to see where the two were out there.
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101
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102 “Kairi?” A voice asked tentatively. Selphie waited for a moment, not
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103 quite expecting an answer. With how out of it Kairi had been lately,
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104 she wouldn’t be at all surprised. But she could understand. Love did
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105 that sort of thing to you. Especially when your love was very far
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106 away.
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107
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108 Kairi slowly turned, her legs still slowly kicking away from the
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109 deck. She spotted Selphie waiting behind her. With Selphie was a
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110 blonde girl with glasses and a long pink dress. The blonde girl
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111 looked about a year or so older than Selphie. She could vaguely
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112 recall seeing her before on the main island of the Destiny Islands
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113 when she had been visiting with Sora and his parents. “Oh, hi,
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114 Selphie,” Kairi said, a little sheepishly. She placed a hand behind
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115 her head. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
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116
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117 Selphie giggled, her hands behind her back. “Yeah, but you’re always
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118 like that lately. Thinking about someone special?” She grinned wider.
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119 Selphie loved romance. And watching it unfold on the Destiny Islands
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120 was her favorite past time. And she’d been wondering for quite some
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121 time what would become of the love triangle between Kairi, Riku, and
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122 Sora.
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123
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124 Kairi sighed, looking back at the ocean waves beneath her feet.
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125 “Something like that.”
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126
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127 “Oh, this is Quisty. You probably haven’t seen her much. She spends
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128 too much of her time studying. I practically had to drag her out
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129 here,” Selphie stated with mock exasperation. She perked up
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130 immediately, dropping the façade. “But it’s nice and romantic at
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131 sunset on the beach and she needed a break from all those books.”
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132
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133 Quistis sweatdropped, not quite sure what to say. She had indeed
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134 been studying when Selphie had taken it upon herself to get her to
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135 relax and had dragged her off to the island. Of course, she knew
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136 Selphie too well to believe her pretenses about relaxing. Selphie
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137 wanted a moonlit stroll on the beach or to sit and watch the sunset
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138 together or something. And how could she have possibly said no to
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139 that?
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140
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141 Kairi giggled softly, looking at the two. It sounded like this
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142 ‘Quisty’ was the exact opposite of Selphie. Studious and mature, the
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143 slightly older girl didn’t seem anything like the spunky and childish
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144 brunette. But her smile slipped slightly as she saw them holding
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145 hands. She missed Riku and Sora. She wanted to watch the sunset with
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146 them again. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, smiling warmly
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147 at the two other girls. “That sounds like fun. The sunset’s gorgeous
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148 tonight. It’s perfect to watch with someone.”
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149
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150 Selphie bit her lip, watching Kairi for a moment. “You really miss
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151 them, don’t you? I’m sure they’ll come back soon. They must miss you
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152 a lot, too. They’re probably both on their way right now. You’ll see
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153 them before you know it.” She smiled brightly. There was always hope.
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154 No matter how dark things were, there was always some light tucked
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155 away in the shadows.
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156
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157 Staring back at the pink and orange sky, Kairi nodded, smiling
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158 softly herself. “I know. I can feel them. They’ll come back to me.
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159 Someday. Besides, Sora promised me that he’d bring my lucky charm
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160 back. And Riku risked everything to get my heart back. I know he
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161 wouldn’t give up on me no matter what.”
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162
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163 Tilting her head to the side, Selphie tried to see what Kairi was
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164 looking at. It was almost like she was looking through the sunset to
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165 something behind it. Finally giving up, Selphie looked at Kairi
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166 again. “Remember what I said about Paopu fruits? How they intertwine
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167 your destiny forever with someone when you share it? I can get you
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168 one if you want. Then you can share it with one of them when they get
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169 back.” She squeezed Quistis’s hand, feeling a giddy thrill run
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170 through her. “I finally found someone to share one with. It’s
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171 wonderfully romantic. You should really try it.” She could tell
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172 Quistis was blushing, but that just made her want to melt against the
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173 taller girl.
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174
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175 “I will,” Kairi promised. She leant back on her hands, staring
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176 straight up at the sky. “But I’d have to share it with both of them.
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177 So the three of us will never be apart again. So we’ll always be
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178 together.” Her blue eyes closed as she imagined them all sitting
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179 together, sharing the star shaped fruit.
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180
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181 Selphie sweatdropped, looking down at the lost princess. “But which
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182 of them do you love? Which one do you want to be with forever?”
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183
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184 Blinking, Kairi slowly focused on the sky above. That thought
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185 puzzled her. It seemed so simple, yet the answer eluded her. It felt
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186 like a trick question. She rolled it over in her mind. But she
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187 couldn’t imagine one without the other. It felt wrong, incomplete.
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188 “Both of them,” she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper.
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189 "I love both of them. I want to be with them forever.” And she was
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190 satisfied with that answer. It was what her heart desired, what she
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191 wanted more than anything else. That was why they were all still
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192 together, why their hearts were all one, even if they were far apart.
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193
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194 ~~~~~~~~~~
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195
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196 “Everything has been restored. Our world’s back to normal,” Aerith
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197 said, relief filling her soul. For so long they had been cast out
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198 into the universe, their home world a mere shell of it’s former self,
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199 consumed by the Heartless. Now all of those hopes and dreams that had
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200 grown inside of them were realized, brought back as if they had never
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201 been gone at all. But what cost had been paid to return their home to
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202 them?
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203
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204 “Do you think they’re all right?” Yuffie asked after a moment’s
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205 pause. She had been thinking the same thing. They had bound together
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206 in order to stop the Heartless, but in the end they could only pray
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207 the Keyblade Master could stop the outpouring of darkness. She felt
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208 as if she should have been there herself. This was her home, after
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209 all. She should have been fighting for it. No one else should have to
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210 sacrifice themselves for her happiness.
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211
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212 Leon shrugged, his arms crossed. “Who knows? I don’t suppose we’ll
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213 ever find out. The worlds are separated again so we can’t know what’s
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214 become of them.” Though he couldn’t voice it, he felt the same way
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215 Yuffie did. He had spent so long mourning the loss of his home world,
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216 blaming himself for not being able to save it. He had even changed
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217 his name to distance himself from the pain. He had been willing to do
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218 anything to fix his mistake. And a boy had done that for him. He had
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219 to hope the Keyblade Master was all right somewhere out there.
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220
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221 “Hey, guess who I found wandering outside? Looks like he got lost.
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222 Aerith, you seem to have a thing for lost puppies. Maybe you can
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223 handle him.” Cid grinned as the brunette turned her attention his
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224 way. He motioned behind him at a cloaked figure.
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225
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226 “Cloud!” Aerith called out happily, hurrying to the blond man. Now
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227 her home felt complete again. Now she truly felt like she was home.
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228 Her eyes sparkled with diamond tears of joy.
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229
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230 “Aerith...” Cloud could only stare for a long moment. He felt so
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231 exhausted after his long and lonely journey. He wanted nothing more
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232 than to collapse at Aerith’s feet. Or better yet, in her arms. But he
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233 could only stare, his heart thawing now that he had finally found
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234 what he had spent so long searching for. “I never stopped looking for
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235 you.”
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236
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237 Aerith smiled brightly, taking the cloaked man’s hand. “I know,
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238 Cloud. I knew you’d find me one day. I’ve always had faith in you.
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239 That’s why I was never worried. Because I knew one day I’d see you
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240 again. I was just worried you wouldn’t have the same hope. You can be
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241 so dark sometimes.”
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242
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243 Cloud’s emerald eyes shone as he held Aerith’s hand tightly,
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244 reveling at just the simple fact of being able to hold it again. “It
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245 was hard sometimes. But I knew I had to keep looking. I couldn’t
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246 afford to give up. I knew you didn’t die with the planet. And I would
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247 do anything to see you again.”
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248
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249 Leon watched on, his arms still crossed. This was reminding him too
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250 much of something he would prefer to forget. He hadn’t been able to
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251 save her. He had given up hope of ever seeing her again. But this
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252 man, this Cloud had kept searching even when it had been more than
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253 likely that Aerith had died along with almost everyone else on Hollow
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254 Bastion. He felt a cold wind blow across his soul at the thought. He
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255 had been such a naïve child, believing he could protect the woman he
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256 loved from something like the Heartless. He had been unsuccessful.
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257 That was part of why he had changed his name. If he was someone else,
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258 he wouldn’t have to think about losing her. Because Squall had lost
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259 Rinoa, not Leon.
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260
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261 Sitting on the table in the library, Yuffie watched with mild
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262 interest at Cloud and Aerith’s reunion. They really were back home.
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263 With all of their friends. It was slowly sinking in. The world’s
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264 greatest ninja was back home with all of her family and friends. No
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265 more wandering and fighting.
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266
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267 Leon sighed, turning his back on the goings on. He wasn’t a part of
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268 any of this. He felt awkward, like an outsider. But he had always
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269 felt that way. He wasn’t good with people. Until she came along... He
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270 banished the thought, walking away from his teammates. He walked
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271 deeper into the library. He just wanted to be alone right now.
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rlm@2
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272
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rlm@2
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273 “Aren’t you even going to say hello?”
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274
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rlm@2
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275 Leon froze. All of his cold mental reserve shattered like brittle
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rlm@2
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276 glass. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. It couldn’t be... He
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rlm@2
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277 slowly turned to face the voice, his heart still frozen in midbeat.
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rlm@2
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278 His eyes fell upon a girl in blue leaning against a bookshelf. He
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rlm@2
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279 felt dizzy and lost all over again, as if the floor had been yanked
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280 out from under him.
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281
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rlm@2
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282 Rinoa smiled at him, brushing back some dark hair as she advanced on
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rlm@2
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283 Leon. “You look different. But it doesn’t seem like you’ve changed at
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rlm@2
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284 all otherwise.”
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rlm@2
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285
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rlm@2
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286 “...”
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rlm@2
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287
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rlm@2
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288 Rinoa giggled, finally reaching the moody gunblade expert. “I love
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rlm@2
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289 you, too, Squall,” she replied. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders
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rlm@2
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290 as she stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.
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291
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rlm@2
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292 Leon slowly found himself regaining control as she kissed him, as if
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293 his soul was reawakening because of her. He closed his eyes tightly,
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rlm@2
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294 holding onto Rinoa. All that he had thought he had gotten rid of had
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rlm@2
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295 only been hidden away. Forgotten, but not entirely gone. And she was
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rlm@2
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296 the key to unlocking it all.
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rlm@2
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297
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rlm@2
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298 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
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rlm@2
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299
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rlm@2
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300 Sora collapsed onto his back, staring up at the cerulean skies above
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rlm@2
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301 him. He yawned, stretching out on the soft grass. His entire body was
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rlm@2
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302 sore. It felt like they had been travelling forever. He just wanted
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rlm@2
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303 to lie down for a moment. But lying there, his weariness tore at him.
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rlm@2
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304 He didn’t want to get back up. He just wanted to lie there.
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rlm@2
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305
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rlm@2
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306 ‘Sora, you lazy bum,’ he could hear Kairi say.
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307
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rlm@2
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308 ‘I know you’re stronger than that, Sora,’ Riku’s voice called out in
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309 his mind.
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310
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rlm@2
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311 Nodding resolutely, he struggled back into a sitting position. There
|
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rlm@2
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312 was still too much work to do. He couldn’t go slacking off now. He
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rlm@2
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313 couldn’t let down Kairi and Riku.
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rlm@2
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314
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rlm@2
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315 “We’re never going to find that door,” Donald said exasperatedly,
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rlm@2
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316 slumping next to Sora. His legs ached. He was a lot shorter than
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rlm@2
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317 Goofy and Sora, so he had to work harder to keep up. On top of that,
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rlm@2
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318 he had to get back to Daisy soon. Or she’d kill him. He gulped at the
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rlm@2
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319 thought, resting against his staff.
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rlm@2
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320
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rlm@2
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321 “We’ve gotta find the door. We will find it. It’s the only way we
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322 can find Riku and your king.” Sora looked up at the clouds, seeing
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323 his friends in them, calling to him. That managed to reenergize his
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rlm@2
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324 spirits. They were out there. And they would be together again one
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325 day. If there was one thing his journey had taught him, it was to
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rlm@2
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326 believe in the power of one’s heart. And there was a red thread
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rlm@2
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327 connecting his heart to Riku and Kairi’s. As long as he believed that
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rlm@2
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328 they would be together, they eventually would. He just had to keep
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rlm@2
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329 believing.
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330
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rlm@2
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331 “Hey, Sora,” Goofy began. “You finally got that friend of yours,
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rlm@2
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332 Kairi, back, right? So why aren’t you trying to find a way back to
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333 your island?”
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334
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rlm@2
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335 “Because I’m not going back without Riku. I have to find him. We’re
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rlm@2
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336 going back to Kairi together. I can’t leave him. And I can’t leave
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337 you guys to find your king alone. We’re in this together,” Sora
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rlm@2
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338 explained. He could see Riku and Kairi smiling at him in the clouds.
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rlm@2
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339 “And even if I can’t be with Kairi right now, I’ll always be with
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rlm@2
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340 her. The same with Riku. But I want us to all be together again. So
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rlm@2
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341 I’m going to make sure it happens. No matter how long it takes.”
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rlm@2
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342
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rlm@2
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343 “Gawrsh. Poor Kairi has to wait all this time while we’re off
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rlm@2
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344 lookin’ for that door.” Goofy shook his head sadly.
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345
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rlm@2
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346 Donald glared at Goofy, crossing his arms. “Poor Kairi? I wouldn’t
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rlm@2
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347 mind trading places with her. Let her find that stupid door.”
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348
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rlm@2
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349 Sora laughed. “But you’ll keep looking with us anyway, right,
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rlm@2
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350 Donald? Remember, only smiles on this trip.”
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351
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rlm@2
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352 The duck looked over to protest but found himself staring at the
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rlm@2
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353 oddly grinning faces of both Goofy and Sora. Sighing, the mage gave
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rlm@2
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354 up. “All right, all right! Only smiles.”
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355
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rlm@2
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356 Sora stretched as he finally stood up. “Good. Then lets get going.
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rlm@2
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357 We have to go find Riku and the king. We can’t waste any time.
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rlm@2
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358 They’re probably waiting for us right now.” With renewed enthusiasm,
|
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rlm@2
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359 he began walking again. He had no idea where the door to the light
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rlm@2
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360 would be, but it hardly mattered. He’d keep looking until he found
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361 Riku.
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rlm@2
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362
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rlm@2
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363 Donald sighed and slowly got to his feet. “Hey! Wait up!”
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rlm@2
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364
|
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rlm@2
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365 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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rlm@2
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366
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rlm@2
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367 Walking along the beach, Kairi was lost in thought. The island felt
|
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rlm@2
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368 so empty without Sora and Riku by her side. She found herself closing
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rlm@2
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369 her eyes more and more and wishing that they would be there when she
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rlm@2
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370 opened them. But they never were. So she wandered the island,
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rlm@2
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371 visiting all of the places that were important to her two best
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rlm@2
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372 friends, that held special memories for her. It was all she could
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rlm@2
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373 think to do. It wasn’t as good as having them there with her, but it
|
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rlm@2
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374 let her relive those moments they had together. Even if she did wind
|
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rlm@2
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375 up crying because of it quite a bit. She felt so alone without the
|
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rlm@2
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376 two of them. “Come back to me,” she whispered.
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rlm@2
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377
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rlm@2
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378 Something in the air caught her eye, drawing her gaze to the
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rlm@2
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379 heavens. Something was plummeting through the sky, falling like some
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rlm@2
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380 shooting star. It took her a moment to realize it was human shaped
|
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rlm@2
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381 and plunging towards the waves nearby. It finally crashed into the
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rlm@2
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382 aquamarine ocean, sending water splashing everywhere. Kairi ran to
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rlm@2
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383 the water, swimming as quickly as she could towards the figure. Her
|
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rlm@2
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384 mind raced with thoughts, all jumbling upon each other in their
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rlm@2
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385 confusion. Riku? Sora? Were they hurt? Was it them? How had they
|
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rlm@2
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386 fallen from the sky? Could she really drag them all the way back to
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rlm@2
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387 the beach?
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rlm@2
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388
|
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rlm@2
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389 Searching under the gently rolling waves, Kairi finally spotted a
|
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rlm@2
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390 prone figure in the water. She pushed forward, grabbing hold as
|
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rlm@2
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391 tightly as she could. Pulling herself up, she gasped greedily for
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rlm@2
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392 air, holding the figure close as she made her way back to land. Her
|
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rlm@2
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393 heart was playing a staccato beat inside of her chest as she
|
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rlm@2
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394 struggled wet and weak along the sand. She finally collapsed with the
|
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rlm@2
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395 fallen person, her curiosity and anxiety nearly maddening. Rolling on
|
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rlm@2
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396 her side while she tried to catch her breath, she found herself
|
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rlm@2
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397 staring back into blue eyes.
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rlm@2
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398
|
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rlm@2
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399 Sitting up as quickly as she was able, Kairi found herself staring
|
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rlm@2
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400 at herself lying on the sand. “What?” The sight gave her no relief.
|
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rlm@2
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401 It only served to raise more questions, confusing her further. This
|
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rlm@2
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402 didn’t feel like a dream. But how? This didn’t make any sense. She
|
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rlm@2
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403 could only stare at herself for a long moment, waiting to see if the
|
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rlm@2
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404 other her would do anything. Where had it come from? Why was it her?
|
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rlm@2
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405 What was going on?
|
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rlm@2
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406
|
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rlm@2
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407 It took Kairi a bit before she noticed a difference in the other
|
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rlm@2
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408 her. There was something strange sticking out of her chest. Still on
|
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rlm@2
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409 her knees, she slowly reached toward the strange object. Her hand
|
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rlm@2
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410 jerked back when she saw the chest rise and fall. She finally worked
|
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rlm@2
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411 up the courage to reach out again, taking hold of what she now
|
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rlm@2
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412 realized was a handle. But for what? The girl that looked so much
|
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rlm@2
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413 like her didn’t seem to be stabbed or anything. But the handle still
|
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rlm@2
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414 seemed to lead to something.
|
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rlm@2
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415
|
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rlm@2
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416 “It will be okay, Kairi. I’ll always be with you. There’s nothing to
|
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rlm@2
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417 be afraid of. You just have to reach out and take my hand.”
|
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rlm@2
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418
|
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rlm@2
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419 Kairi looked up in shock at the familiar voice. She could see Riku
|
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rlm@2
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420 looking down at her, holding his hand out for her. “Riku... I...” She
|
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rlm@2
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421 reached forward, trying to take his hand, to pull him close. But his
|
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rlm@2
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422 hand was gone before she could grab hold of it. “Riku...” She looked
|
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rlm@2
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423 back down at herself, her other hand still on the protruding handle.
|
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rlm@2
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424
|
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rlm@2
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425 “Find them,” her other self whispered. “They need you. They can’t do
|
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rlm@2
|
426 it alone.”
|
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rlm@2
|
427
|
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rlm@2
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428 Kairi slowly found herself nodding. “We should be together. We need
|
|
rlm@2
|
429 each other.” She couldn’t just wait on her island forever. ‘This
|
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rlm@2
|
430 time, I’ll protect both of you,’ she thought to herself. The her on
|
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rlm@2
|
431 the sand smiled. Taking a firmer grip on the handle, Kairi pulled it
|
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rlm@2
|
432 out of the other version of herself. In a storm of sparkles, the
|
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rlm@2
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433 other her was gone, and Kairi was holding a large key.
|
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rlm@2
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434
|
|
rlm@2
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435 “Open the door,” a voice whispered in her head. Who was it? She
|
|
rlm@2
|
436 couldn’t quite tell. Looking up, she could see a lone door standing
|
|
rlm@2
|
437 on the beach, apparently leading to nowhere. It had a large keyhole
|
|
rlm@2
|
438 on it. It almost seemed to beckon her. Kairi slowly stood up. If she
|
|
rlm@2
|
439 stayed here, her friends might be in danger. She knew they could
|
|
rlm@2
|
440 handle anything if they were all together again. Sora and Riku were
|
|
rlm@2
|
441 both lost out there. Maybe she could find them. She would find them.
|
|
rlm@2
|
442 Wherever they were.
|
|
rlm@2
|
443
|
|
rlm@2
|
444 Stepping forward, the young princess used the large, unwieldy key to
|
|
rlm@2
|
445 unlock the door awaiting her. As the door slowly opened, she knew
|
|
rlm@2
|
446 there would be no turning back. This was it. But her choice was
|
|
rlm@2
|
447 simple. She had to find them. Anything could have happened to them
|
|
rlm@2
|
448 out there, lost on any one of countless worlds. Without a glance
|
|
rlm@2
|
449 back, Kairi plunged through the door.
|
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rlm@2
|
450
|
