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date	Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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-:dbe144217c71
+:fc00894c1d4a
+Prism Hearts
+Chapter 17
+Hikari
+by Amazoness Duo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+"Imaginary"
+by Evanescence
+I linger in the doorway
+of  alarm clock  screaming monsters calling my name
+let me stay
+where  the wind will whisper  to me
+where the raindrops as they're  falling tell a story
+in my field  of paper flowers
+and  candy clouds of lullaby
+i lie inside myself for  hours
+and  watch my purple sky fly over me
+don't say i'm out of  touch
+with  this rampant chaos - your reality
+i know well what lies beyond  my sleeping refuge
+the nightmare i built my own world to escape
+in  my  field of paper flowers
+and candy clouds of lullaby
+i  lie inside myself for  hours
+and watch my purple sky fly over  me
+swallowed up in the sound of  my screaming
+cannot  cease for the fear of silent nights
+oh how i long for  the deep  sleep dreaming
+the goddess of imaginary light
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+The darkness encompassed all. Any light that had been within Kingdom
+Hearts had been extinguished. Standing in front of the imposing
+doorway that led into the heart of the universe, Kairi paused for a
+moment. This was it. This would lead her to Hikari, to her other
+self. And if she didn't do something to stop Hikari, the Heartless
+would consume the heart of the universe and tear apart the beautiful
+dream. And then, she would die. Alone. She couldn't let that happen.
+So much had already been lost. There had to be a way to save
+everything. Somehow.
+Closing her eyes, Kairi took a moment to feel Riku within her. His
+heart, strong and dedicated, rested next to her own. She could feel
+his thoughts and feelings flowing through her as if they were her
+own. “I'm worried about him, too,” she whispered at last, feeling his
+thoughts go to Sora. When she had awoken from the Darkness, she had
+been all alone with the exception of Riku's spirit. Wherever Sora
+was, she hoped they weren't too late.
+Collecting her strength, the princess stepped through what had once
+been the Doorway to the Light.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Inside the Doorway, all was dark. She could see herself, but
+everything else was the deepest black. It was as if the world around
+her was painted in shadows. And yet, even in that absence of light,
+it didn't feel empty. There was something lurking in the shadows.
+They were alive. Pulsing with the cold, pained cries of broken
+hearts. Soon, this blanket of tears would encompass everything. The
+princess hastened her step into the eternal night.
+No matter how far Kairi traveled, nothing seemed to change. The
+darkness was constant. Shivering in the darkness, she hugged herself
+to try to keep warm. Her outfit may have been fine for island life,
+but in these blackened depths, it offered little protection. From the
+shadows came echos of crying, mocking laughter, angry voices, and
+other noises Kairi couldn't quite make out. They all came from the
+darkest part of the heart. There was no spectre of the light that had
+once been there. Kairi feared that she was too late. But she couldn't
+just sit and wait for the universe to collapse. If there was any
+chance that she could make things right again, she had to take it. No
+matter what the cost. “So Ansem's still alive. I should have known it
+was him in your body,” Kairi said at last, growing wary of the
+strange noises in the distance. “I guess he had reason to stick
+around in this life like I did. He seems to be trying to stop Hikari,
+too. The Light must have awakened the part of him that had been such
+a great ruler before he started researching the Heartless,” Riku's
+voice rang through Kairi's head. It was so strange. After he'd sold
+his heart in order to save Kairi's, she had eventually been the one
+to save him. Now his heart was in her body. She had always been
+special to him. He and Sora had spent so much of their time vying for
+her attention. But it was more than that. It ran deeper. He had been
+willing to do whatever it took to save her. He had no idea she'd be
+just as willing to do the same for him. “Thanks, Kairi.”A small smile
+played of Kairi's lips. “I may not be able to fight like you and
+Sora, but that doesn't mean I'd ever give up on you two.” Her tone
+changed more serious as she rested her hand over her heart, imagining
+his heart. “I promised I'd find you. This isn't over until we're all
+together again.”“Kairi...” Riku smiled inwardly. “You're more amazing
+than you know. Whatever Hikari said, don't let it get to you. You've
+proven you're more than an illusion. However you started out, no
+matter what world you came from, you're the strongest person I know.”
+Kairi blushed, all too acutely aware that Riku could feel her
+thoughts. It made it impossible to hide her embarrassment. She acted
+hastily to cover it up. “I hope that means you won't be calling me
+lazy anymore,” she joked.“Oh, I don't know about that,” the once
+silver haired boy teased. “You and Sora still like to leave me to do
+the hard work.”Giggling softly, the brunette nodded. “That's just
+because you're better at it. And I hope that means you don't plan on
+building another raft to go see other worlds. I think I've had enough
+travel for a while.”“I learned that traveling isn't worth it if you
+can't be close to the ones you love. I never wanted to go by myself.
+I wanted to go with you and Sora. Everything would have been fine
+then,” Riku explained. “I'm sorry, Riku. I wanted that, too. And I'm
+sorry for what happened to you because of me. You tried to save me,
+but you lost your body because of it. If there's anyway I can get it
+back, I will,” Kairi promised,guilt washing over her for the silver
+haired boy's predicament. “No, don't feel sorry, Kairi. I did what I
+had to. I'd have done anything to get you back. I sold my heart to
+try to do that. I lost my body in the bargain. But getting you back
+was more important than any of that. I can accept what happened. As
+long as I'm with you, I'm happy.”
+The conviction in Riku's thoughts coursed through Kairi. She smiled
+faintly. “As long as I'm with you...” she echoed.
+“Watch out!” Riku's voice called out to her. Kairi stopped herself
+right in front of a developing shadow. It shifted and grew, achieving
+a shape. Because of the darkness around it, the shadow itself was
+difficult to make out, but it became easier and easier as its form
+became more defined. Kairi took several steps back, but already she
+could feel more of them. They were surrounding her. The one in front
+of her finally stepped forward, the shadowed hair shifting from side
+to side. It's long sleeves nearly touched the ground. It looked up
+with a horribly familiar face. “Yuna...” Kairi got out breathlessly.
+It looked exactly like the other girl painted in shadows. Beside the
+shadowed Yuna stood a rapidly forming shadow of Rikku. Kairi turned
+to spot the others, but there were rapidly becoming more than she
+could count. Kuja. And Ultimecia. And Kefka. And Seifer. And Celes.
+And more and more. They all watched her with their blind, dark,
+accusing eyes. The Keyblade was in her hand without thinking. It took
+the princess a moment to realize Riku had taken control and was
+preparing to fight. But even with how good a fighter she knew Riku
+was, they were terribly outnumbered. There were simply too many of
+them. They appeared in droves, surrounding them. So many faces that
+she could recognize in those awful shadow faces, all damned. “No! I
+unlocked your heart!” Kairi turned to Yuna, practically shouting in
+panic. “You should be free. You should all be in the Lifestream by
+now. You should be safe from the Heartless!”“And they are,” a voice
+said. The path of shadows opened for the darkly clad, silver haired
+SOLDIER. Sephiroth nodded to Kairi, watching her intently as he began
+to step forward. “You unlocked their hearts. And the others are dead.
+They're far away. Much too far away to help you, my princess. But
+their shadows, on the other hand... Those are more than happy to tear
+you apart. Bit by bit. Princess Hikari was running out of Heartless
+so she took the shadows of the dead. Now they have gathered here,
+ready for the endless night that she will bring.”
+“Why are you doing this? She's wrong. She'll destroy everything,”
+Kairi insisted. Part of her could remember Sephiroth. He had been her
+loyal guard, always there to protect her. How could he be doing this
+now? “I don't ask questions, your highness. I do as Princess Hikari
+commands me. I would lay down my life for her. I'm sure the ghost boy
+with you understands what I mean.” He raised the Masamune, his
+glowing green eyes fixed on Kairi's.
+Deep within Kairi, she could feel Riku's grudging agreement. Riku,
+too, would do the same thing for Kairi. Sephiroth was protecting
+Hikari in the same way, regardless of where that led the universe.
+Kairi felt her hands tighten on the Keyblade as Riku prepared to try
+to fight off Sephiroth. And the mass of shadows that was surrounding
+them. The princess wasn't ready to give in, but she couldn't see a
+way out. “But if you have to protect her, you have to protect me,
+too,” Kairi insisted. “I'm the princess. You swore you'd protect me
+from all harm.”Sephiroth shook his head, still a few meters away. He
+would be on them in seconds. “I'm afraid it isn't that simple. You
+are only a dream that Princess Hikari had. She wishes the dream to
+end. So I will be your executioner for my highness.” His single dark
+wing unfurled. It would be a shame to have to kill even a facsimile
+of the princess, but he would do whatever she asked of him. Spinning
+end over end, a shuriken whistled through the air. The bladed weapon
+sunk deep into shadow Rikku, felling the dark version of the catgirl.
+“You will not degrade the memory of my little sister! I don't care
+who the hell you think you are!” Yuffie yelled out, rage burning in
+her eyes.
+Turning in a daze, Kairi was shocked. Yuffie was there? The ninja
+had followed her? But how? But it wasn't just Yuffie. There stood
+Relm, already drawing a fire to light the darkness. Aerith stood with
+them, chanting a spell. And there stood Cloud with his own wing
+unfurled. And Squall and Rinoa. And the Turks. And there were Quistis
+and Selphie. They were all there. They had come for her. She wasn't
+alone.
+Before the shadows could get to Kairi, the group began to fight
+their way into the mass of living shadows. Yuffie slashed her way
+through with another shuriken, fighting with all the pain she had for
+her lost sister. Relm drew vicious dogs, letting her paintings attack
+the shadows nearest her. The Turks opened fire, fighting their way
+through the mob of darkness. Quistis and Selphie fought together, for
+their Island, for everyone's future. They all fought back the growing
+darkness as best they could. They all knew the stakes of this final
+battle. And they were all willing to give their hearts to try and
+stop the end from coming. “Didn't think we'd just live you to do it
+all alone, did you?” Yuffie asked, breaking through the shadows to
+reach Kairi.
+Relm followed closely behind Yuffie. “You shouldn't have ran off on
+your own. We got worried about you.” The light in Kairi's heart grew
+as she watched her two companions. Even in darkness, there is always
+light. Even now, at their very darkest hour, her friends had come for
+her. Hikari was wrong. She couldn't let this end. “I guess I just
+thought it was better to do it alone,” Kairi admitted. Yuffie
+smirked. “Without the universe's greatest ninja?” She shook her head.
+“You're crazy, princess.” Kairi couldn't keep from smiling. “I guess
+I am.”
+“Goodbye, Princess.” Kairi's heart froze as she heard Sephiroth's
+voice. There was genuine sorrow in it for what it was about to do,
+but she knew it wouldn't slow his blade at all. The wind knifed
+against her back as his blade descended. He had managed to make his
+way through the shadows to fulfill his mission, to eliminate the
+princess's dream. Metal clanged loudly against metal. Cloud held back
+the Masamune with his Buster Sword, keeping it inches away from
+Kairi. Kairi hurried out of the way, near Yuffie and Relm while Cloud
+stepped in Sephiroth's way. “Too many have died already, Sephiroth.”
+Sephiroth shook his head, silver hair swaying about. “By morning,
+everything will be dead.” Pulling up his sword, the two warriors
+clashed. Yuffie grabbed Kairi's shoulder, yanking the princess
+further back. “Aerith said we're running out of time. You're the
+Keyblade Mistress, so it sounds like you're the only one who can stop
+all this.” She turned Kairi to look at her, holding both of her
+shoulders. The ninja looked deep into the princess's eyes. “Kairi...
+You have to stop all this. I... I believe in you. You have to end
+this. For Rikku. I can't let her die in vain. Please.” “And for
+Celes. For everyone who's died because of this, Kairi. You can't let
+their sacrifices be pointless,” Relm said. “Everyone's counting on
+you. You have to save tonight or there will never be another
+tomorrow.”“And for Riku. And Yuna. And Kuja. And everyone.” Kairi
+nodded. “I will. I'll save everything. Somehow. I'll close the
+door.”Yuffie smiled faintly, nodding. “Then get going. We'll hold off
+the Heartless. You make your way there.”
+“Thank you. All of you,” Kairi said, blinking back tears. Just
+knowing that they'd all come to help her like that meant so much to
+her. She hugged her two companions, clinging tightly to them for a
+long moment. “It's been fun...” she whispered. Stepping away, she
+turned towards the waiting darkness.“Kairi... Good luck. No matter
+what happens, don't forget us,” Relm called after her.“I won't. I
+couldn't.” Kairi ran into the darkness.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Somewhere deep within the darkness, Kairi finally reached the very
+Heart of the Universe. It had once hung majestically in the air,
+shimmering with the beauty of a thousand suns and the hearts of all
+that ever were. But now it sunk low, covered sickly with shadows. It
+looked diseased, as if the shadows were killing it. The Heartless
+were consuming the Heart of the Universe. Where everything began.
+Kairi stepped slowly towards the Heart, her eyes slowly moving
+towards the girl standing next to it. Herself. Her darker half. And
+it looked like Hikari had been waiting. “I see somehow you got past
+Sephiroth.” The princess shook her head dismissively. “Though it
+hardly matters. There's nothing left to do. The Heart of the Universe
+is dying. It will be completely Heartless soon. The dream is already
+falling apart. You don't matter anymore.”Kairi shook her head,
+frustration, regret, and anger all welling up inside of her. “You
+can't do this, Hikari. I won't let you. I know why you want to. I'm
+part of you. And part of me wants this, too. But I can't let you. I
+love these people too much. I love this world.”Scoffing, Hikari
+turned her attention to Kairi. “And what of the other world? This is
+all just as much an illusion as you. The dying thoughts of a lonely,
+disturbed girl. What about that other world?”Kairi swallowed, the
+painful memories of her other life returning. But they were
+bittersweet, mixing with her memories of her mother. Of dressing up
+and dancing with her in the living room when she was a child. Of
+playing games and going on picnics and laughing as they stayed up
+late talking. “This isn't only an illusion. Everything... Everything
+is real.” Kairi smiled, understanding at last what Harle had tried to
+say to her. “Both worlds are just as real. And... And I can't give up
+that world either. I miss mom too much. I won't die in her arms. I
+won't leave her all alone.” Digging her fingernails into her palms,
+Hikari glared hatefully at Kairi. “I won't go back there. I'm tired
+of being teased and hurt. I've cried until my soul can't take it
+anymore. I won't live that life. It's over. I can't find solace in
+these dreams anymore. It only hurts even more that they can't be
+real. And I can't live that life any longer. My soul has bled too
+much. Now I'm going to escape it. And I'll take these dreams, my
+beautiful dreams with me. I want them to bleed. I want to destroy
+something beautiful. They're my dreams. And only I can destroy
+them.”“Hikari, don't do this! Please! What about Aerith, Aya, and the
+other princesses? What about their dreams? What about the Destiny
+Islands? What about Sora and Riku? You can't kill them all. They all
+mean too much. And what about mom?” Kairi pleaded, hoping against
+hope that she could get through to Hikari before it was too
+late.Hikari looked back towards the Heart of the Universe, reaching
+out and feeling the darkness coursing through it. “The other
+princesses need to grow up. You can't hide in fantasy forever. It's
+all lies. I'm doing them a favor. Mom is better off without me.
+Couldn't you see the pain in her eyes when she saw me crying? She
+wanted to help me. It hurt her so much to see me suffering and not
+knowing how to take that pain away from me. She'll never have to see
+me cry again.” Closing her eyes, she let the pain and tears well up
+inside of her, the fresh hurt reminding her of her mission. “And as
+far as Sora and Riku go, we might as well end that right now.”Sora
+stepped out of the shadows. He was holding the Keyblade, advancing on
+Kairi. His outfit had changed, the Heartless symbol prominent on his
+chest. “Oh, God, no...” Kairi whispered, frozen. “You didn't...” Her
+heart sunk deep in her chest as she saw the way he looked at her. The
+beautiful glint in his eyes was gone. It was replaced by something
+cold and menacing.
+“I couldn't get Sora to join me willingly. He struggled. But I was
+determined to have him by my side at the last moments. He is one of
+the boys of my dreams, after all. So I made him one of the
+Heartless,” Hikari explained, not bothering to look back. “Sora, be a
+good boy and kill her.”Sora nodded his assent, pulling up the
+Keyblade. “Yes, princess.” With that, the Keyblade Master lunged at
+Kairi.Riku blocked the blow with Kairi's Keyblade, taking control of
+Kairi's body again. “Sora, don't do this! You promised me you'd take
+care of her,” Riku reminded the brunette boy. “You have to take care
+of her for me, Sora.”Hikari shook her head, aiding the darkness
+surrounding the Heart of the Universe. “He can't hear you, Riku. He's
+Heartless now, remember?” She glanced back at Kairi, watching the
+girl return Sora's blows. “It's good to see you again, by the way,
+Riku. Interesting choice in new bodies. You always did make such a
+good bishounen.”“You bitch!” Kairi screamed at the other version of
+herself. “What did you do with his heart? Give it back!!” Her soul
+cried out as she could only watch Sora trying to comply with his
+order to kill her. Hikari had turned one of the most important people
+in Kairi's life against her.
+Sora launched into a stream of blows, trying his hardest to get to
+the seemingly fragile girl before him. Riku struggled to parry the
+other Keyblade. The two were evenly matched, but Riku was at a
+disadvantage both in a new body and in that he didn't want to hurt
+the other boy.
+“It's gone,” Hikari said simply. “He's nothing more than my puppet
+now. If he wouldn't stay with me to watch the end, then I had no use
+for his heart. I cast it aside and made him another Heartless,” she
+explained, turning to watch the fight.“No!” Kairi's heart wrenched
+inside of herself. “Sora...” He couldn't be gone. She couldn't have
+lost him. Her hands ached as the Keyblade was slammed around in their
+grasp. Sora was attacking more and more fiercely. “Kairi, she's
+lying. Hikari's in pain. She's been suffering. She wants her
+suffering to end. And she's self-destructive enough to want to kill
+herself and her dreams. But she still loves Sora. She wouldn't just
+discard his heart. It has to still be here,” Riku explained, slashing
+at Sora to keep the other boy back.
+Laughing, Hikari placed her hands behind her back. “I love you, too,
+Riku, but I still asked Sora to kill you. I think your logic's a bit
+off.” She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “It's strange.
+I've always had this love affair with the light and the dark. I lived
+my life in darkness, yet I fantasized about the light. I can't live
+without the darkness. It sustains me. At the same time, I longed for
+the light as well. And so there was you and Sora. My light and my
+darkness. I loved you both because I could never choose one over the
+other. I needed you both. And now that I've reached the end, I have
+the boy of the light while Kairi, the light from my heart, is sided
+with the boy of the dark. Fascinating how these things turn
+out.”“Absolutely fascinating...” Riku replied sarcastically, grunting
+as he blocked a downward cut from Sora.
+“What if I unlock his heart? Will that set it free?” Kairi asked
+hopefully.“Nope,” Hikari shot down Kairi's idea. “Remember what
+happened with everyone else you've unlocked? Their heart is unlocked
+from their body. Sora would die. That's of course saying he has his
+heart inside of him right now.”Riku hopped back, inches away from
+Sora's frenzied swipes. He needed to end this quickly or Sora would
+kill Kairi. There had to be a way. There had to! Kairi thought
+desperately while Riku tried to keep them alive just a little longer.
+She dove through her memories, trying to find something, anything
+they could use. Then it hit her. Not just her own memories, but
+Riku's as well. Wasn't her Keyblade the Keyblade that Riku had owned,
+after all? The one that could unlock hearts. “No... You're wrong.
+When I unlocked Seymour's heart, he didn't die. The darkness was
+unlocked and it transformed him. The same thing happened when Riku
+unlocked Maleficent. When I unlocked those people, I was unlocking
+their hearts themselves, just like when Sora unlocked his heart to
+free me when I was stuck inside of him. But with Seymour and
+Maleficent, they had the darkness in their hearts unlocked. Which
+means...”“That if Sora's heart is still there, we can unlock the
+light inside of it,” Riku finished for her. He gave a quick nod. This
+would be close. Sora was battering away at Riku's defenses now. He'd
+only get one chance. Riku left an opening for Sora, blocking low.
+Sure enough, Sora took the chance, slamming the Keyblade into Kairi's
+shoulder. Pain exploded in the injured shoulder, shooting throughout
+Kairi and Riku. But there it was. Riku's chance. With Sora's attack
+leaving him open, Riku lunged forward, plunging the Keyblade deep
+into the spikey haired boy's chest, right through the Heartless
+symbol. Praying she was right, Riku and Kairi turned the key. If they
+were wrong, either Sora would be dead, or they would. Sora slumped
+forward on his knees, his heart unlocked from the turning Keyblade.
+He held his chest, clutching his heart. Light cascaded over him, his
+clothes returning to normal. He lay there, breathing heavily.
+“Sora!!” Kairi through her arms around him, clutching him as tightly
+as her injured shoulder would allow. They hadn't lost him. She could
+feel Riku in their hug as she held onto Sora. “Sora, you're okay...”
+Burying her head against his shoulder, she felt relief blossoming
+within her. For the first time in so long, they were all together.
+The three of them. Just as it should be. “Kairi...” Sora held the
+other girl, feeling her hair against his cheek. She was real in his
+arms. She had saved him again. What had he been about to do? He
+shuddered at the thought. How could he ever harm her?“And?” Kairi
+asked, raising an eyebrow.Sora laughed. He knew that gesture wasn't
+Kairi's. “And Riku. It's good to see you, too. Even if you look...
+ummm... cuter... than you did before.”Laughing as well, Kairi sat
+back, gazing at Sora. “I thought he was plenty cute before. But I'm
+just glad we're all together again.”Quite enraged that the light from
+her heart was thoroughly turning the boys she loved against her,
+Hikari summoned the darkness around her into razor sharp daggers. An
+illusion wasn't going to take even the boys she loved away from her.
+She had lost everything as it was. This was the final insult.
+“Kairi!” Sora turned just in time to see the blade ended shadows
+rushing towards them. His body ached too much to give him the
+strength he needed to get up and get Kairi out of the way in time.
+When Kairi turned to look, she could only see a dark figure standing
+before her.
+The blades cut deep into Ansem's cloak, causing the body that had
+formerly belonged to Riku to stagger back. Blood dripped down the
+cloak from the jagged wounds. The blindfolded boy grit his teeth,
+trying to fight back the pain. “No... No, Hikari... The Heartless are
+using you..” He coughed. Blood spattered his lips as he stepped
+forward. “I'm sorry, Hikari... You never should have followed me... I
+never should have forgotten... how much I loved my dear little
+princess... I failed you... But I can't let you do this...” Drawing
+his dual winged blades, he summoned the last of his strength.
+When the Light within Kingdom Hearts had hit him, it had awakened
+something Ansem had forgotten had ever existed. The love for his
+daughter. How he had wanted his baby princess to be happy, how he
+wanted his people to live happy lives. That was why he had originally
+studied the Heartless. But he had lost himself in his work somewhere
+along the way. Still in Riku's body, his own having died when he had
+become one of the Heartless, he had decided to help Kairi along her
+journey. Maybe she could put write what he had done wrong. But now he
+had to kill Hikari in order to end the cycle. This was his fault. If
+he hadn't been consumed by the Heartless, she never would have done
+the same. At least they'd be together in death. Far away from the
+Heartless.Dashing forward, Ansem brought both his swords to bear on
+the fragile looking princess. His swords were blocked by her swiftly
+moving shadows. Raising her hand, Hikari summoned all of the power of
+darkness at her disposal. Ansem understood then that he had been too
+late. Hikari was completely lost to the darkness. Her tortured soul
+had found solace with the Heartless. And she wasn't going to leave
+until everything was dead. “Foolish old man. The Heartless isn't
+using me. I'm using it.” Narrowing her eyes, Hikari sent the
+gathering darkness out, watching as it destroyed her father. His
+tattered, bloodied cloak fell uselessly to her feet.
+“Dad...” Kairi's heart lurched as she saw him die. In one world, she
+had her mother. In this world, she had just lost her father. He had
+tried to protect her, to make up for his sins. And her other self had
+simply killed him. How could she be so cold? How could she have ever
+gotten so dark inside? What had happened to her soul? That thought
+horrified her. That was her. She was only a small part of that girl.
+“If she killed Ansem that easily...” Riku whispered.“Then how are we
+supposed to stop her?” Sora continued, watching in horrified awe.
+Even Ansem hadn't been that powerful when he had fought the other
+man. All the darkness that existed was at Hikari's fingertips. “We
+have to try,” Riku said, clutching the Keyblade. Between himself and
+Sora, there had to be something they could do, right? He had to do
+something. But part of him held back. Could he really put Kairi in
+harm's way like that?“You don't have a choice,” Kairi answered Riku's
+thought. “Whether I get killed here or when she destroys everything,
+there's no difference. I want to try. All three of us.” She turned to
+Sora. “Can you distract her? Don't do anything that'll get her to
+kill you outright. Be careful. Just distract her. I know she loves
+you. I think she'll keep from seriously hurting you unless she has
+to.” Sora nodded. She swallowed. “Riku, can you get me close enough
+to her? I'm going to do what I did to Sora. I need to unlock her
+heart. There has to be light in it. I'll unlock it just like I've
+unlocked the others. I'll set her free.”“I'll get you there, Kairi,”
+Riku promised.
+Kairi smiled vaguely. “All three of us. This is how it's supposed to
+be. If it's going to be the end, I'd want it to be with the two of
+you. I'm sure she feels the same way.”“It's not the end, Kairi. We'll
+stop this,” Sora argued.
+“Whatever happens, we're together,” Riku said softly. “Together,”
+Kairi agreed. She slowly got up, Sora standing up beside her.
+Rushing forward, Sora threw his Keyblade, magic swirling around it
+as it whipped through the air at Hikari. The princess looked up,
+shadows swirling to protect her. As predicted, the Keyblade crashed
+into her shield of shadows.
+Riku through all of Kairi's strength into running to Hikari. He had
+to catch her off guard. He could feel every pain in Kairi's body
+acutely, but he tried to force more strength out of it. Just a little
+more... Soon this nightmare could be over... There! Reaching Hikari,
+Kairi shoved the Keyblade into Hikari's chest. Now she could unlock
+Hikari. She could feel the other girl's pain. The torment that raked
+over Hikari's soul was her own pain as well. But she had hope. That
+was the big difference between them. She could believe in a brighter
+tomorrow. She hoped she could prove it to Hikari. Turning the
+Keyblade, Kairi waited for Hikari's heart to come unlocked. Nothing
+happened. Switching the Keyblade inside of the other girl again, cold
+dread spread throughout Kairi's heart and soul. Hikari turned to look
+at her. The other girl was smiling. 'No...' Kairi thought, trying
+again and again. Nothing. It was like there was nothing there.
+“Didn't I tell you I planned for this? I cast out the light in my
+heart a long time ago. I am the Heartless. I have nothing to unlock,
+Kairi. I sent you away for this exact reason. There is absolutely no
+light in my heart. I won't be defeated the way my father was.”
+Raising her hand, Hikari summoned dark lightening, sending Kairi and
+Sora flying back. “I have all of the Darkness in the universe at my
+control thanks to you. And there's no light in my heart to exploit.
+You're powerless, Kairi. You always were. You are nothing more than a
+dream. A dream that's about to end.” She tilted her head back, tears
+dripping down her cheeks. “Can you hear that? The universe is crying
+out. It's dying. It's finally over. Nothing will ever hurt us again.
+No more false hopes. No more painfilled days. Thank God, it's finally
+over.” Her shoulders slumped with the relief of a girl consigned to
+her death. This was her relief. She was finally ending it all.
+The Heart of the Universe finally collapsed. The light in it was
+extinguished. The entire universe trembled as its heart stopped. The
+fabric of reality began to twist and writhe sickly as it began to
+die, like the structure of a building finally succumbing to too much
+stress and tearing itself apart.
+Kairi had failed. The part of her that hoped for a brighter future,
+that couldn't leave her mother, that needed Riku and Sora and her
+dreams had failed. Hikari had succeeded. The part of her that
+lamented every day, that cried herself to sleep at night, that found
+each day a grueling exercise in pain, who could find no comfort in
+dreams had succeeded. And so existence began to be plunged into
+darkness. In darkness there was nothing. There was only the abyss.
+Pain bit into Kairi's wrists. With a moan, the brunette doubled
+over. Red hot pain was flaring through her mind. Now that everything
+was falling apart, she didn't have this other world to protect her
+from the fact that she was in her bedroom bleeding to death. Blood
+dripped down her wrists as she lay on the cold shadows at the now
+dead Heart of the Universe. “Kairi!!” Riku's voice cried out in her
+mind.
+“It's over,” Hikari whimpered, relief evident in her shaking body.
+She cried tears of relief. Finally. She could finally die. After all
+this time. No more purgatory in this world of dreams. No more days in
+that intolerably cruel world where she was an outsider. Finally.
+Blood dripped down her own wrists, but she hardly noticed.
+It was too late. There was nothing left. By now, the darkness had
+covered everything. Everything was dead. Everything was darkness. All
+because of her. Kairi lay weakly on the shadowed floor, her eyes dim.
+She could almost make out the image of her mother over her, but she
+was so far away. Sora and Riku were close by, but they would be gone
+soon, too. They would die when the universe finally collapsed. Which
+should be in only moments. No... No, she couldn't let them die. She
+couldn't. The Destiny Islands. Riku. Sora. Yuffie and Relm. All of
+her friends. All those she'd met. Aerith and the other princesses.
+That was it. The princesses. They had once been the light in the
+darkness. They had been the children who had recreated worlds when
+the universe had been plunged into darkness long ago. Now it was
+happening again. Everything had been cast into darkness. But if she
+could stop this before the universe tore itself apart, they could
+recreate it all again. There is light even in the darkness. It only
+needed a chance to grow. And she had to give it that chance.
+Her body felt so weak. She was dizzy and sick from blood loss. She
+was dying, she knew, but she wasn't ready. Not yet. Not now. Her
+questing fingers sought out the Keyblade, scrabbling along over the
+shadows. Nothing. Please... She begged for more inner strength. Riku
+helped as much as he could, despite the fact that he knew what she
+was planning. She thanked him with all her heart, her fingers finally
+grasping the handle of the Keyblade. “Hikari...” Kairi whispered
+weakly, pulling the Keyblade close. “You can't die. You can't end the
+dream. Because... your mother needs you... And this world... is too
+beautiful to die...” She breathed heavily, having trouble focusing.
+Pulling up the Keyblade, she plunged it into her own chest. With
+shaking hands, she unlocked her heart.
+The Keyblade clattered to the floor as Kairi's heart rushed out of
+her body. Hikari looked up. The princess's eyes widened in
+realization. “No... Kairi, how could you?” She shook her head, tears
+falling to the floor. “You idiot. You sacrificed yourself for this
+world. You'll never see it again. Is that what you want?” But Kairi
+wasn't out there anymore. She was within her. They were now one soul
+again. Just as they had originally been.
+The light in Hikari's heart had finally returned. Light burst
+through the darkness inside of Hikari now that her heart had been
+returned. The trembling of the universe stopped. All was still. “It's
+up to you,” Hikari whispered. “You have to rebuild our dreams.
+Aerith.. I hope you and the princesses can do it. I'm sorry for
+causing all of this trouble. Rebuild them without a trace of the
+Heartless. Rebuild this world as beautifully as you can.” Kairi's
+body stirred, slowly getting to her feet. The cuts on her wrists were
+gone. “Kairi?” Sora asked, looking at the girl. Hadn't she unlocked
+her heart? Was she all right after all?Kairi shook her head. “No, not
+Kairi.” It was Riku. He was the only one in Kairi's body now. Kairi
+had returned to her original body. And Riku knew exactly what it
+meant. “You're closing the door. You're shutting off the Heartless.
+Kairi... Don't go.”
+Hikari shook her head, trying to smile through the tears. “I have
+to. I almost killed this world. I almost killed everything I love so
+very much. Especially the two of you. Please... Rebuild the Destiny
+Islands for me.”Getting up, Sora shook his head. He could let this
+happened. He denied that it would happen. He wouldn't let it!
+“Kairi!! No! You can't go!” He ran to her, but she was already
+disappearing from their world. Riku walked up, his fingers brushing
+over her fading cheek. “Kairi...” It wasn't fair. They had finally
+been together and now she was taken from them again, whisked away to
+another world where she was dying. Laughing tearfully, Hikari shook
+her head. “It isn't the end. Because I won't let it be. I love you
+both too much for that.” She began to blur, becoming more and more
+faint. She could feel herself on the floor, her mother's arms around
+her. There was the faint sound of an ambulance. She was now more in
+the other world than in this one. “Remember,” she said, her voice
+growing faint. “I'm always with you. No matter how far apart we are.”
+“Kairi,” Riku whispered, looking through tearstained eyes at the
+girl he loved. “I don't care where you go. Wherever you are, I'll
+find you. I promise. I'll search every universe over until I do.”
+“You're right, Kairi,” Sora nodded, trying to stay strong for her.
+“It isn't over. We'll be together again. Someday.”
+“Someday...” Hikari whispered. And with that, she was gone.

Mercurial > moonlitnights

comparison old/stories/prismhearts-17.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights