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date Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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1 Prism Hearts
2 Chapter 12
3 Angelus Errare: Where Angels Lose Their Way
4 by Amazoness Duo
5 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
6
7
8
9 She was out there. Somewhere. Being chased by the Heartless and
10 whoever else wanted what lay inside of her heart. Lost out in a world
11 slowly being consumed by darkness. Torn between reality and nightmare
12 and whatever was in between. And the one man he had counted on to
13 protect her was now incredibly far away, unable to keep the darkness
14 at bay for her. Wherever she was, he knew she was in danger. He could
15 feel it resonating throughout his soul, a cosmic cord that had been
16 struck, hitting him like nails on a chalkboard. He could tell himself
17 that it was only his own worry, but he didn't believe that. There was
18 a connection between them, something that being worlds away wasn't
19 going to sever. After all, she was the only reason he lingered in
20 this world of the living.
21
22 The concern he felt was reaching a crescendo, crashing around him
23 like an angry sea. It was maddening. He was powerless to save her,
24 trapped behind the door at the center of all the universes, Kingdom
25 Hearts. Riku pounded on the inside of the door, frustration eating
26 him alive. He'd heard Kairi on the other side of those large doors
27 not so long ago. So close yet so far. If only he'd been able to get
28 through them to her... He hated leaving her alone. Sora was supposed
29 to be with her. But where was the other boy?
30
31 Leaning against the door, Riku crossed his arms and sighed. He was
32 trapped here. He couldn't go to Kairi's rescue. Not this time. He
33 wanted to believe that Sora would reach her in time, but Sora felt so
34 very far away. Well, Riku wasn't exactly trapped. There was one other
35 place he could go. "But I can't do that. Not yet. Not until I see her
36 again." When he had lost his body to Ansem, he had technically died.
37 With no body, he was only a soul. He could leave this plane, could
38 escape to the afterlife. Farplane. Lifestream. Whatever one wished to
39 call it. He could feel it calling to him, but he pushed it off with
40 force of will. He couldn't go yet. Even if that left him locked
41 behind a door at the center of all creation. "Kairi..." he whispered.
42
43 Again, that feeling of cold dread sent shards of ice through his
44 blood. She needed him and he couldn't go to her. "Sora... Hurry...
45 She needs you." But somehow, he had the horrible feeling that Sora
46 was lost himself at the moment. Neither of them could save her.
47 Neither of them could reach her. It was up to Kairi. Or Fate. "Hold
48 on, Kairi. Please hold on. You don't need to be meeting me in the
49 afterlife. Not yet."
50
51 Locked away at the heart of all that was, a silver haired boy closed
52 his eyes and prayed to whoever would listen to him to let the girl he
53 loved be all right.
54
55 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
56
57 "Yuna!"
58
59 Yuna pulled away from the kiss she had been entagled in with Rikku,
60 the world slamming back down around her. Her cheeks flushed a dark
61 red as her flustered heart spun dizzily. She tried to step away from
62 the catgirl, but Rikku was only pulled closer. She could feel tiny
63 pinpricks against her hips. It took her a moment to realize it was
64 the blonde girl's claws through her skirt. They were still snagged on
65 the fabric. Blushing more, Yuna quickly cast her gaze for the source
66 of the voice.
67
68 Rikku blinked confusedly, still staring up at the pretty brunette.
69 The voice had vaguely reached her ears, but she was too lost in a
70 world alone with Yuna to case. "Mew?" The curious cat sound she made
71 didn't register to her as anything strange. It was as close to a
72 question as she could muster at the moment. Holding onto Yuna, the
73 catgirl nuzzled her neck, purring happily as she reached up to kiss
74 the other girl again. She paused when she saw the horrified look on
75 Yuna's face. That look on the brunette's beautiful face broke the
76 spell Rikku had been under, sending her tumbling back to the earth
77 from the heavens she had been dwelling in. "Yunie, what's wrong?"
78
79 "Tidus!" Yuna pulled away from Rikku, running forward on the beach.
80 The previously comfortable wet sand against her feet now felt
81 difficult and unpredictable, impeding her effort to reach the blonde
82 boy.
83
84 Tidus was still smiling. He'd finally found Yuna on the other side
85 of the island and she seemed to be talking to Rikku about something.
86 They were hugging and whispering, he thought. Running to them, he'd
87 called out to Yuna. He wanted to ask her if she wanted to go with him
88 to the festival that night. She would be fun to go with and he did
89 like her. And Selphie was right, she was an excellent dancer. For
90 some reason, Yuna had blushed when he'd called her name. They must
91 have been talking about something private. When she finally caught
92 sight of him, he grinned and waved. "Yuna!" He ran across the beach,
93 his sandles mashing against the wet sand. He was nearly out of breath
94 but he didn't care. They were having the festival that night. He'd
95 get to go with Yuna and they'd all have fun. They could forget about
96 holes that led to nowhere and friends disappearing and...
97
98 "Tidus!!" Yuna screamed, reaching out for him. Strong arms wrapped
99 around her waist, yanking her back. The wind was knocked out of her
100 as she was dragged back. Someone's voice yelled to her, but it was
101 drowned out by the roar of the water. Water poared around her like a
102 spring storm, but it all came from the sea around them, soaking her
103 in salt water. She struggled to get free, but Rikku's claws held
104 tight in her dress, pulling her further back even under the
105 relentless shower. She cried out unintelligibly straining.
106
107 Something immense broke throught the water's surface, sending water
108 spraying everywhere as waves crashed against the beach. The creature,
109 some cross between a whale, coral, and a nightmare, raised up above
110 the beach, casting the already cloudy day into shadow. Water and sand
111 were actually getting sucked upwards, high into the air in some sort
112 of vortex above the creature. It watched them, even though it had no
113 eyes. But in particular, it seemed to be watching Yuna.
114
115 For a moment, Yuna was disoriented. A huge wave had crashed around
116 her and Rikku, sending them tumbling. She couldn't tell if she was
117 still on the beach or in the ocean. She spat out seawater, hunched
118 over. The wind tore at her drenched clothes, making her shiver and
119 the wet cloth slapped against her. She scanned frantically for any
120 sign of Rikku or Tidus. She finally caught sight of the blonde boy.
121 He was floating in the water in front of the monster. "Tidus!!" she
122 cried out, slowly getting to her feet. The boy stirred, starting to
123 move in the water. She had to get him away from it. "Rikku?" She
124 couldn't tell where the catgirl was. Deep in her heart, she knew this
125 creature. It sang to her, a horrible, brutal lullaby. It dizzied her
126 senses, leaving her barely able to concentrate. She struggled to
127 reach Tidus in time, stumbling through the knee deep water. Tripping
128 on a rock in the water, her heart lurched as well as her body as she
129 crashed painfully into the waves. She was running out of time. It
130 wouldn't pause forever. She had to drag him away from it. She had to
131 find Rikku and run. They all needed to get away. Far, far away.
132
133 Gazing through the water that burned her eyes, Yuna could barely
134 make out the vague blur that she hoped was Tidus. "Tidus!" She tried
135 to get out around a mouthful of water. She pushed herself forward the
136 last few steps. The boy began to get up on his own. Good. Now she
137 wouldn't have to drag him. They could run. Before she could search
138 for Rikku, she could tell that something was wrong. No, he wasn't
139 getting up on his own. The water was moving him. Pulling him up. Up
140 into the air. "No!" Yuna ran forward, slowed by the surging waves.
141 "Tidus!" She screamed. She reached for his limp hand, her fingers
142 brushing against him. Her heart nearly collapsed when she realized it
143 was too late. His wet fingers slipped past hers as the water and sand
144 and leaves were sucked up into the air. And she was about to follow.
145 Her feet were no longer touching the ground. The water around her was
146 starting to get pulled after her. She was going to be devoured.
147 This... Thing was going to devour Tidus and then her. It was like a
148 monster from fairy tales her father had told her. But this one was
149 hideously real.
150
151 Yuna stopped in midair. A wet paw clung tightly to her skirt,
152 yanking her away from the funnel of water and debris getting sucked
153 into the vortex up above. The hand nearly lost it's grip again and
154 again, but it kept grasping at her, finally pulling her away. The
155 water around them was still trying to lift into the sky, but not as
156 strongly as the tornado of objects being pulled into the air where
157 Yuna had just been. Rikku held onto Yuna's hand tightly, the claws
158 cutting into her skin as the wind whipped at them, trying to drag
159 them after Tidus. 'I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to
160 you. I won't let it hurt you,' Rikku's mind raced. She didn't know
161 what this was, but she knew she couldn't let it have Yuna. She'd
162 promised to protect the girl. She'd do anything to protect her.
163
164 The two girls reached the beach, soaked and out of breath, aching
165 and afraid. Behind them, the steady roar began to die down. Splashes
166 could be heard as objects that hadn't reached the vortex plummeted to
167 the sea below. Yuna turned slowly, dreading what she would see. Where
168 the creature had stood was now only chaos. Debris floating
169 haphazardly in the ocean. And Tidus was gone. Gone. "No..." she
170 whispered, as if denying that it had happened would bring him back,
171 would deny the very event itself. "No!" She stumbled forward, wanting
172 to search for him, but she knew it was pointless. She collapsed to
173 her knees in the wet sand. That creature... It was her nightmare. The
174 thing that haunted her dreams. She knew it. Her personal boogeyman.
175 It had many forms, but it was always the same. And now it was real.
176 It had come out of her nightmares and it had found her. And it had
177 taken away one of those closest to her. And she knew it would be back
178 for more. She burst into tears. They had always told her that her
179 father had merely drowned at sea, but she could never believe that.
180 She'd had a dream about that creature taking her father away the
181 night before he'd died. She'd seen it. She'd been unable to stop it.
182 Now it had taken Tidus away. "Tidus... I'm so sorry..." She had
183 failed once more to protect those she cared about. Her father hadn't
184 listened, had told her it was only a nightmare and had sailed off to
185 his death. Tidus had been so close. So very close. She'd nearly had
186 his hand. "I'm so sorry..." she repeated between sobs.
187
188 Wet, furry arms wrapped around Yuna, pulling her close. The crying
189 girl curled up weakly in Rikku's arms, shaking. "Yunie..."
190 Swallowing, Rikku buried her face against the brunette's soggy hair.
191 What was that thing? In all of her travels, she'd never met anything
192 so terrifying. It had seemed so focussed on Yuna. How could she
193 protect Yuna from that demon? She had to try. Somehow. She'd
194 promised. She wouldn't let it take her. No matter what.
195
196 "Sin..." Yuna whispered, resting limply in Rikku's arms. She
197 shuddered violently, breaking into a fresh batch of sobs.
198
199 "What? Yunie, what's sin?" Rikku asked worriedly, pulling Yuna closer.
200
201 "That... that was Sin..." Yuna whispered. "Sin's come to punish
202 us..." She knew it. Knew it like she knew how to breathe and how to
203 laugh. It was ingrained in her. That was Sin. It was a nightmare. And
204 it had come for the Destiny Islands.
205
206 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
207
208 Hikari nibbled on her lower lip, waiting anxiously for the bell to
209 ring. She shuffled the beautiful, multicolored papers on her lap,
210 watching the clock in the classroom tick inexorably towards
211 dismissal. Her heart pounded excitedly in her chest as she waited.
212
213 Taking a pencil, she began to scribble on the top sheet. She smiled
214 as a familiar figure began to take shape on the page before her. It
215 happened without thinking, as if he wanted to see her. It was silly,
216 she knew, but she couldn't help it. Riku slowly came into being on
217 the paper in front of her in the form of a hastily drawn picture.
218 Sighing inwardly, she smiled. He was so cute. But he was probably so
219 lonely there by himself. By now completely phasing out whatever the
220 teacher was saying, Hikari drew in Sora next to the other boy. And,
221 after a moment's thought, herself between the two boys. There. That
222 was better. By now, drawing the boys was second nature. She'd drawn
223 hundreds of pictures of them and their island. They were her best
224 friends. Even if they weren't real.
225
226 The bell finally rang, cutting into Hikari's distant thoughts. The
227 girl quickly got up, nearly dropping her lapful of colored papers. A
228 boy behind her laughed as she struggled to keep a grasp on the
229 handful of them. Finally pulling them into a hug, she hurried to pass
230 them out. They were invitations to her thirteenth birthday party. Her
231 mother had made each of them by hand the night before. Her mother's
232 art still amazed her. The older woman could draw such beautiful
233 things. It was she who had spent hours upon hours teaching Hikari to
234 draw. And now the younger girl spent as much time as she could
235 drawing her dreams, that far off world she loved so very much. It
236 seemed to come to life in the drawings.
237
238 Written in her mother's careful hand on each and every paper was:
239 'Please come, one and all, to the beautiful Princess Hikari's 13th
240 birthday this Friday. Whether by carriage or chocobo or airship, all
241 are welcome for this wondrous celebration. Dinner will be served so
242 all visiting dignitaries' parents shouldn't worry about them coming
243 home hungry. Please call Princess Hikari's chief adviser (her mother)
244 if you have any questions.'
245
246 As Hikari passed out the last of the invitations, she felt
247 excitement mixed with pride and anticipation. The invitations were
248 beautiful. Her mother had spent so much time on them, surprising
249 Hikari early in the morning with the bundle. She had said she wanted
250 Hikari to have a birthday fit for a princess. That was so sweet.
251 Hikari had been delighted with the beautiful pictures that adorned
252 the invitations. Her mother had drawn them. It was like an invitation
253 to Wonderland, wondrous and amazing. No one else had invitations like
254 that, usually little more than explanations on paper of what party
255 and where. No one else had a mother like she had, pretty and fun and
256 loving. Her mind raced with thoughts of her birthday, of games and
257 the pretty dress her mother had bought her for it and....
258
259 "Princess Hikari?" One of the girls asked, grinning. "Since when was
260 Hikari a princess?"
261
262 Hikari's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It's... Mom meant..."
263
264 "So we're supposed to get off of school friday and go to 'her
265 highness's' little play date?" A boy asked.
266
267 "What types of games will they be playing? Spin the bottle?"
268
269 Another boy laughed. "With who? The other four-year-olds Hikari
270 invites? You'll be lucky if they play pin the tail on the donkey. The
271 'Princess' likes to keep things simple."
272
273 Hikari's eyes burned brightly with tears as she listened to them
274 laugh and joke. Each time she heard someone call her 'princess', it
275 felt like a slap to the face. Not like when her mother said it. When
276 she said it, Hikari felt like a real princess. But now.... She
277 sniffled painfully, hoisting up her backpack as she left the room.
278
279 "Hey, Princess, I don't think I can make it. I'm gonna be visiting
280 the man on the moon that day. Very busy," a girl said mock seriously.
281 Her friends burst into laughter.
282
283 Hikari couldn't speak. She could barely keep from crying. She'd
284 thought the invitations were wonderful. She loved the idea of a
285 magically princess themed birthday party. But now she felt stupid for
286 wanting such a thing. Stupid and childish.
287
288 Another boy crumpled up the invitation, drawn brilliantly on a sky
289 blue paper. He dropped it in a trash can as he passed, not bothering
290 with a glance back. It was simply so much trash to him. Nothing more,
291 nothing less. Her mother's work, the pretty invitation she had spent
292 all night on, now left unceremoniously with the rest of the garbage.
293 Hikari felt sick. She shook lightly, her vision blurred. She didn't
294 even know where she was going. She wanted to collapse and cry. But
295 then they'd be right. She would just be a dumb little girl. Tears
296 fell silently down her cheeks as she cursed herself inwardly. She was
297 just a dumb little girl. A little girl who wanted her mother, who
298 wanted to be a princess. Who wanted everyone to like her. Her breath
299 caught in her throat, wet and stinging. She pushed open the bathroom
300 door and stumbled on leaden feet into a stall. Collapsing, she cried
301 through most of the next period.
302
303 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
304
305 Kairi stirred weakly in her bonds. Where was she? Oh, how she was
306 beginning to loathe that question. Kuja... Blinking awake, Kairi
307 glanced around the gothic looking room. The nightmare she had just
308 had only made her present state that much more miserable. Her soul
309 was still clouded with pain half-remembered, worried about an
310 uncertain Fate that hung before her.
311
312 "So the sleeper awakens." Kuja's soft voice seemed to come from
313 everywhere at once. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was
314 smirking now. "Or perhaps that's not entirely true. You haven't woken
315 up just yet. Not from this dream. But that suits my needs just fine.
316 I'll shape this dream however I see fit with the power you'll grant
317 me, Kairi." Finally stepping into view, the lithe catboy was indeed
318 smirking. He traced Kairi's cheek with his fingertips. "It will hurt.
319 But then it will all be over. And I'll create a new world from your
320 ashes."
321
322 Kairi struggled as she felt his hand trailing down her neck, moving
323 over her collarbone. But she was helpless. "I won't give up. I won't
324 let you change this world. I'm going to save it." She had to believe
325 in those words. She had to. For Sora. For Riku. For all of her
326 friends who were counting on her to stop the Heartless.
327
328 "You really don't have a choice anymore, Kairi. You may be the
329 dreamer, but with the Prism Heart, I'll recast it into my dream. I'll
330 never die. All the things that haunt me will disperse into
331 nothingness. It will be beautiful." Kuja sighed deliciously. "It's
332 only too bad you won't be there to see it." His hand now rested
333 directly over Kairi's heart. He could practically taste the fear and
334 uncertainty that washed over her. He gazed into her eyes, ready to
335 watch the light fade from them as she died. With a swift motion of
336 his hand, he shoved his fingers into her chest.
337
338 Pain screamed through Kairi's head, bright and searing pain that
339 instantly killed any thoughts that were swarming through her head.
340 The scream felt endless and tore through her mind and soul. Yet her
341 lips only trembled, unable to make anything but the tiniest sounds.
342 She could feel his hand pushing deeper inside of her, clutching at
343 her heart, could feel him grabbing it tenderly, ready to draw it out
344 of her. She'd come so far. She had promised she'd save Riku. But now
345 she would die in a far off world as someone used her heart to
346 recreate this reality. And all she could do was wish for the pain to
347 end.
348
349 'Thinking of you, wherever you are.
350
351 We pray for our sorrows to end,
352 And hope that our hearts will blend.
353 Now I will step forward to realize this wish.'
354
355 No. She had promised. This wouldn't end here. Her fingernails dug
356 into her palms as she tried to concentrate. She wouldn't die here.
357 She couldn't die here. Her journey wasn't over. She needed to save
358 Riku. Had to find Sora. 'I won't give up. I'm with you. Wherever you
359 are.' Whether the thought was her own or soemone else's, she couldn't
360 quite be sure. The pain grew, numbing her senses in an overload as
361 she felt her heart slipping further and further away from her.
362 'Mom...' Her mother was a beautiful woman, her best friend. 'Dad...'
363 Her father had been an ingenious monarch who had fallen victim to his
364 own curiosity. Both were from different worlds. But both felt so
365 real. 'I can't give up one and not the other. I can't choose. I
366 can't...' Everything around her began to fade as she felt her heart
367 giving up it's hold. 'I'm sorry...' she thought dimly as everything
368 plunged into blackness around her.
369
370 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
371
372 "Kuja!" Garnet stood at the last of the steps, watching in horror as
373 pulled a shimmering, crystalline heart from Kairi. The chestnut
374 haired girl slumped in her bonds, her eyes dull and glassy. Simply a
375 body. They were too late.
376
377 "Kairi!!" Relm ran past the silver haired catboy to the chained up
378 Keyblade Mistress's side. If she'd been with her instead of playing
379 her stupid games with Yuffie... Celes had sacrificed herself so they
380 could escape. But now... Without Kairi, how could they hope to stop
381 the Heartless? "Kairi... Kairi, please wake up..." Relm held onto
382 Kairi's shoulders, but the other girl couldn't hear her.
383
384 "I'm afraid you're too late. I already have what I was looking for.
385 Go ahead and take her body if you want. I have no further use for
386 it." He shrugged, grinning wildly as he held his prize. The Prism
387 Heart. "This world will soon be born anew. Do as you like until
388 then." Not even Sephiroth or Princess Hikari could stop him now. He
389 was the master of reality itself. Now his perceptions, his dreams
390 would all resonate throughout all the existed.
391
392 "How could you do this?" Garnet asked, disbelief making her dizzy.
393 How could this have happened? How could anyone do that? She stepped
394 forward in a haze, barely feeling Eiko clinging to her side.
395
396 "He's doing this at my behest," a voice said from further up the
397 steps. Queen Brahne walked down the steps, followed closely by Harle.
398 "The kingdom is in danger. I'll do whatever it takes to protect it.
399 And if a few peasant girls' lives are needed to stop the Heartless,
400 I'll gladly sacrifice them."
401
402 Garnet turned, the world tipping on its side. Her mother had known
403 what Kuja was doing? She had let him do these horrible things? They
404 would have done this to Eiko. "No! You can't sacrifice others! You
405 can't use them like toys!"
406
407 "I'm the Queen of Alexandria. I will do whatever I see fit. And you
408 will not speak back to me again, Princess." Brahne's eyes grew cold
409 and distant, not at all the mother Garnet had once known.
410
411 Laughter broke out through the torture chamber, drawing everyone's
412 attention. "I'm afraid you have it all wrong, Queen Brahne. I don't
413 care what happens with the Heartless. I think you're confused about
414 just who was using who. You gave me the resources I needed to find
415 the girl with the Prism Heart. Your pathetic Alexandria won't even
416 exist in the world I create."
417
418 "Kuja... I'll have you executed," Brahne growled. She wasn't about
419 to let him betray her. She'd have Harle finish the rest of it. Her
420 harlequin knew enough about magic and relics to use the Prism Heart
421 to make Alexandria the most powerful nation in existence.
422
423 More laughter erupted from the silver haired man. "You don't know
424 who you're speaking to, Brahne. I'm a god now. I will never die.
425 Certainly not at your capricious whims. My life... No, all lives are
426 mine to do with as a please." He held out the shining crystal heart
427 in his hand. "Starting with yours." Before Brahne could even move,
428 the world shifted around them. The Queen stood where she was, frozen.
429 She was made completely of polished marble. "A statue fitting of a
430 queen. They can put you in the center of your palace and worship you
431 until the palace falls in on itself. But I don't feel like waiting
432 that long." With another wave on his hand, the statue shattered, the
433 head rolling amidst the scattered pieces.
434
435 "Mother!" Garnet fell beside what had been her mother, her heart
436 seized in her chest. She was gone. Even if she had been killing
437 innocent girls, she was still her mother. And now she was gone. In an
438 instant. Tears dripped to the broken marble beneath her. "Mother..."
439
440 "Garnet..." Eiko held onto the taller girl from behind, keeping a
441 wary eye on Kuja. They needed to get out of there quickly. There was
442 no telling what he'd do next. "Garnet, we have to go. Please." But
443 Garnet wasn't listening. And Eiko couldn't leave without her. Though
444 she was starting to worry none of them would be leaving.
445
446 "You bastard! Give Kairi her heart back!" Relm ran up to Kuja,
447 slamming her small fists into his chest. "Bring her back!!!" Tears
448 burnt at her eyes. So many useless sacrifices. They couldn't be in
449 vain. They just couldn't.
450
451 Bringing his hand up, Kuja slapped the bandanna wearing girl
452 viciously. Staggering back, Relm was disoriented. Kuja grabbed her
453 neck, lifting her until her toes were scrabbling at the floor.
454 "Useless little artist. I would have let you stay around to give me
455 something to look at, but you hardly seem worth the effort. Don't
456 worry. I'll let you join Kairi. If you don't want to be part of my
457 world, I'll let you be part of hers. The world of the dead."
458 Squeezing tightly, he felt her throat constricting under his hand.
459 How long until the light faded from her eyes as well?
460
461 Relm struggled to keep her feet on the floor, but they were feeling
462 further and further away. Her lungs burned and her vision began to
463 get spotty. She wanted to scream, but nothing could come out without
464 the air she desperately needed. Her hands fell limply to her sides.
465 She could almost hear Celes at the edge of her mind. But what was she
466 saying? She'd know soon enough. At least... At least she'd be joining
467 Celes and Interceptor. That was some comfort.
468
469 "Leave her alone, you asshole!" Kuja let out a gasp of pain. A
470 splume of red filled Relm's vision before she fell to the floor, air
471 rushing back to her aching lungs. Kuja clutched his slashed arm, the
472 Prism Heart floating next to him. Yuffie sat crouched in front of
473 Relm, her giant shuriken bloodied. 'Yuffie!' Relm thought, fighting
474 to clear her thoughts. 'She... she saved me...' She could only gaze
475 at Yuffie's back, her heart burning anew for the ninja girl in front
476 of her.
477
478 Kuja grinned, running his hand over the wound on his right arm. The
479 arm was instantly better. "You fool. You should have ran. Or did you
480 want to die with the artist? That can be arranged."
481
482 "I don't plan on dying for a good long time. And neither is she as
483 long as I have any say in it." Pulling up her shuriken in front of
484 her, Yuffie grinned herself. "I can't say the same for you." Her aura
485 lit up, blazing in a beautiful array of colors. The shuriken began to
486 spin in front of her as she focussed. If he could heal himself, she
487 had to end this with one hit before he had a chance to. This had to
488 be everything she had inside of herself. For Relm. She couldn't let
489 him hurt the younger girl. She couldn't live with herself if she did.
490 And she could live with herself doing quite a bit, so that was saying
491 something. "All Creation!!" She called out, energy lashing out
492 blindingly. It slammed into Kuja, illuminating the entire room.
493 Pushing herself, she tried to force out every ounce of energery she
494 had inside of herself into the attack. Yuffie stumbled onto one
495 knee, the shuriken fell to the floor, clinging next to her. Her body
496 felt drained, nothing left to push forward with. Slumping forward
497 onto the cold stone floor, she passed out.
498
499 "Yuffie... Yuffie!" Relm crawled over to the ninja, checking to make
500 sure she was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt
501 Yuffie's weak heartbeat under her hand. She was alive. Yuffie had
502 saved her. She clutched onto the fallen ninja, burying her face into
503 Yuffie's hair. "Yuffie..."
504
505 "That... hurt..." Kuja stumbled forward. "I'm going to keep you
506 alive for that, you little bitch. And you'll pray for the day that
507 I'll kill you. That would have killed me. But the Prism Heart filters
508 all reality. Even your pathetic attacks. I told you. I can't die." He
509 walked towards them clenching his fist.
510
511 "No. You will ruin everyzing. I will not allow it. Zis is not ze way
512 things should be." Harle crossed her arms, watching Kuja turn to face
513 her. "Zat girl is ze dreamer. You are not. You will plunge everyzing
514 into chaos. You do not have ze will to be a god. She is integral to
515 zis world. I won't let you make it all fall apart. Not now." Dragon
516 wings unfurled behind her, her face elongating. Her fingers became
517 deadly claws. A tail appeared behind her. Her harlequin costume tore
518 apart as she grew, shifting into something not in the least human.
519 Her voice changed into a deep roar as the dragon stood before Kuja.
520 "I am Bahamut, the Dragon God. I won't let your madness spread
521 throughout reality like a virus." The dragon's mouth opened, light
522 spraying forth as he showered Kuja with Megaflare. And then nothing.
523 The world spun around the Dragon God. Harle watched as Kuja stepped
524 out of the dissipating explosion. She stepped back, realizing she was
525 naked and no longer a dragon. This was much more trouble than she had
526 expected.
527
528 "So you're Bahamut. I thought there was something strange about you.
529 But the legendary Dragon God isn't very frightening when you're
530 sealed away inside that body. I think I'll keep you around just to
531 show you what power I have. You can be there by my side as I unleash
532 my 'madness' upon reality. And what better servant than Bahamut?"
533 Kuja laughed. This was turning out perfectly. Everything was his to
534 command. Nothing could stand against him. All would be as he wished
535 it to be.
536
537 "I told you not to harm Kairi."
538
539 Kuja spun around at the sound of Sephiroth's voice. Could this day
540 be any better? He had thought he'd have to go to Sephiroth and tear
541 apart Princess Hikari's upside down palace right in front of his
542 eyes. But now his former boss had come to him. This would be
543 immensely satisfying. No one controlled him anymore. Everything was
544 his. "I changed my mind. You gave me power, yes. The power of the
545 Heartless. But I want more than that. The power of a god. The power
546 to stop life and death. Letting you have her wouldn't have been any
547 fun."
548
549 Sephiroth narrowed his eyebrows, stepping forward. A young girl, a
550 mirror image of Kairi wearing a gorgeous midnight black dress,
551 stepped from behind him.
552
553 "So you brought Princess Hikari with you? Thank you so much,
554 Sephiroth. You're making this so much easier. Now I can get you both
555 out of the way before creating my beautiful dream."
556
557 "Kairi still has further to travel. You're complicating things,
558 Kuja. You weren't supposed to harm her for a reason. You're fears and
559 insecurities are making you erratic. I knew I shouldn't have trusted
560 you." Princess Hikari stepped over to Kairi, lifting her chin and
561 gazing into lifeless eyes.
562
563 "It's a little too late for that, your highness. Maybe if you beg,
564 I'll let you exist in my world. As something suitably ironic. Like a
565 prostitute or a homeless girl. Yes, those both sound interesting. And
566 you, Sephiroth, I'm just going to kill you. I'm sick of taking orders
567 from you." Kuja watched the two of them, his thoughts spinning
568 delightfully. So many possibilities. He raised his hand. He frowned.
569 He hadn't really expected Sephiroth to show any fear, but it was
570 still disappointing. "Die!" The world shifted around Sephiroth,
571 becoming razor sharp to cut through the warrior. But nothing
572 happened. The SOLDIER unfurled his single, black wing, looking back
573 at Kuja. "What the hell?" It wasn't possible. "The Prism Heart
574 controls all reality. All of it! Even you, Sephiroth! Die!!!" Again,
575 nothing happened. Princess Hikari stepped in front of Kuja, looking
576 very displeased. Suddenly, Kuja began to feel the fear and
577 desperation that had driven him to this in the first place. He was
578 going to die. And he could do nothing to stop it. His plans were
579 falling apart in front of him.
580
581 "Kuja, that heart is mine. If Kairi is my shadow, then why would you
582 be able to stop me with her heart?" Princess Hikari asked, beckoning
583 Sephiroth over. "Prism Hearts isn't simply her. She's only a small
584 part of it. Yes, you could shape reality with it. If I allowed it.
585 And I most certainly will not." She held her hand out, Kairi's heart
586 floating to her. Walking over to Kairi, she gently placed it back
587 inside of the other girl. "Now go, Kairi. You need to unlock his
588 keyhole. Riku needs you," she whispered in Kairi's ear. "Hurry to
589 him." Turning, she motioned for Sephiroth. "We should go. I don't
590 want to leave Sora for long."
591
592 Kuja shook his head, watching Sephiroth advance. He could feel the
593 power he'd been given by the Heartless dissolving as he called for
594 it. It was over. He was going to die. All of his preparations to
595 prevent that had been for naught. He shook his head again as
596 Sephiroth pulled out the Masamune. "No... No!!!" Raising his hand, he
597 cast Ultima. "I'll kill you all!! You'll all die with me!" he
598 screamed. Magic shot out, tearing into the palace, destroying
599 everything in its path. But it was too late. The pain was sharp and
600 brilliant. Looking down, he could see the hilt of Sephiroth's blade.
601 The SOLDIER looked into his eyes, their brilliant mako green glow
602 looking like that of death itself. Pulling the blade out, Sephiroth
603 walked after the Princess, the palace collapsing all around them.
604
605 Only half awake, Kairi stumbled towards Kuja. She could see that he
606 was bleeding heavily. Her mind whirled. The Keyhole... Riku...
607 Darkness, deep and ancient where she'd been lost while her heart had
608 been stolen from her. She lifted the Keyblade in front of her with
609 what strength she could muster. The world felt like it was falling
610 out from beneath her feet. She had to stop it now. And this was the
611 only way. Lunging forward, the pressed the Keyblade into Kuja's
612 chest, into the Keyhole that existed in his heart. The roof began to
613 fall in around her, the palace getting ready to crush this basement.
614 The entire world was about to fall on top of them. Closing her eyes,
615 she unlocked his heart. Light spilled out of the dying man, filling
616 the room until there was nothing else.
617
618 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
619
620 Kairi found herself once again floating amidst light. It reminded
621 her far too much of the darkness she had been surrounding her when
622 she'd lost her heart. 'Maybe light and dark aren't so different after
623 all.' She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. All that
624 existed was light. Her body was an anomaly in this world of light.
625 She felt that if she stayed her for too long her physical form would
626 fade away. She floated in this tranquil sea, searching.
627
628 "You have unlocked the light in the heart of Desperation." The
629 voice that existed everywhere in the light echoed through her.
630
631 "I was supposed to save my world. I was created as a puppet to save
632 a long dead planet by letting it repopulate another. But I wasn't
633 what they wanted. So they created another to replace me. I was a
634 tool, something to be used until it was no longer necessary and then
635 thrown away. I was created to die. And there was nothing I could do
636 to stop it. I was... afraid. I didn't want to die. So I tried to stop
637 it. To do anything to live. And if I couldn't live, then I didn't
638 want anyone to live. It wasn't fair. Life and death... Why? My
639 desperation filled me until I saw nothing else. But now... I am
640 dying. It... It will be all right? Won't it?"
641
642 Kairi smiled softly, nodding in the glow of the light. "It will be
643 all right. Death is only the beginning. I... I learned that a long
644 time ago. You won't ever have to fear again."
645
646 'I'm making Riku wait for me. He's... He's dead, too. I have to
647 hurry to him. He's staying in this world for me. I couldn't stay in
648 that other world. I couldn't live there. So I....' She shook her
649 head. No. She couldn't accept the other world where she'd killed
650 herself. Not yet. "If you see someone named Riku there, please give
651 him my love." As the light faded, Kairi lost herself in the layer
652 between worlds.
653
654
655