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     1.4 +Prism Hearts
     1.5 +
     1.6 +Chapter 14
     1.7 +Fly Me to the Moon
     1.8 +by Amazoness Duo
     1.9 +
    1.10 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.11 +
    1.12 +
    1.13 +
    1.14 +
    1.15 +
    1.16 +“Is this the End of the World?” Sora asked. He stood on a small rock
    1.17 +in the midst of a stream. The water was plummeting over a jagged edge
    1.18 +into nothingness. And this was inside the upside down palace he had
    1.19 +found Hikari in. It was as if this was an amalgamation of so many
    1.20 +things, yet all of them incomplete. Everything was missing something.
    1.21 +Everything was just a little warped, a little wrong. Like a dream
    1.22 +that you couldn't quite tell was a dream.
    1.23 +
    1.24 +“Hmm?” Hikari sat near the edge of the stream, her bare feet in the
    1.25 +cool water. She looked gorgeous in the black dress she wore. She wore
    1.26 +a collar around her throat and two black ribbons around her wrists.
    1.27 +She smiled at Sora, kicking some water at him. “I guess you could say
    1.28 +that. This is at the end of the universes. This is where everything
    1.29 +ends. Where Kingdom Hearts is locked away.”
    1.30 +
    1.31 +Sora grinned as he tried to dodge Hikari's light splashing. It was
    1.32 +so nice to be with her again. He took another glance around. Some
    1.33 +leaves that had been falling off the trees hung in midair, as if they
    1.34 +had decided not to fall to the ground after all. “But this looks so
    1.35 +different from the End of the World that Donald, Goofy and I went
    1.36 +through before.”
    1.37 +
    1.38 +The water splished and splashed as Hikari walked over to Sora,
    1.39 +wrapping her arms around him from behind. Her hands rested on his
    1.40 +heart, feeling the flutter of it against her fingertips. It was
    1.41 +almost an ironic feeling. She smiled despite herself, resting her
    1.42 +head against his back. His smell, his clothes rustling against her
    1.43 +touch, his heartbeat under her palms, it was all so very real.
    1.44 +“That's because you were at a different End of the World, Sora. You
    1.45 +sealed away the Doorway to the Darkness. This place leads to the
    1.46 +Doorway to the Light.”
    1.47 +
    1.48 +Sora shook his head, his heart pounding against Hikari's hands. He
    1.49 +tried to focus on the question to keep from getting too distracted.
    1.50 +Kairi... He had missed her so much. He had almost felt lost before he
    1.51 +had found her. Even in this faraway place, as long as he could be
    1.52 +with her... Riku. No, he wasn't done yet. He had to find Riku. It
    1.53 +wasn't complete without him. But he was halfway there now. Together,
    1.54 +they'd find him. Focusing back on his question he tried to ignore the
    1.55 +way her soft, smaller body felt pressed against his back. “But if
    1.56 +both the Doorway to the Darkness and the Doorway to the Light are
    1.57 +Kingdom Hearts, shouldn't it be the same place?”
    1.58 +
    1.59 +Hikari giggled against his back, letting her hands wander. “Yes and
    1.60 +no. You sure are full of questions, aren't you Sora?” Leaning up on
    1.61 +her tiptoes, she kissed the back of his neck. She grinned as she felt
    1.62 +him tense up, knowing he must be blushing. This was more fun than she
    1.63 +thought. She was becoming happier and happier that she had had
    1.64 +Sephiroth bring Sora to her. Real or not, she still loved him.
    1.65 +Pretending that she didn't realize his embarrassment, she continued.
    1.66 +“They're the same place, but they're also different. Do you notice
    1.67 +how when you go someplace and come back, it's longer on the way there
    1.68 +than the way back? It's like that. The End of the World you went to
    1.69 +led to the Doorway to the Darkness. Which is Kingdom Hearts. This End
    1.70 +of the World leads to the Doorway to the Light. Which is also Kingdom
    1.71 +Hearts. Much like we all have darkness and light inside of us, so
    1.72 +does Kindgom Hearts, the heart of everything. So it all depends on
    1.73 +where you're going. Once you know the secrets, there's very little
    1.74 +you can't do, Sora. Everything is as far away or as close as you want
    1.75 +it to be.”
    1.76 +
    1.77 +Sora shook his head trying to make sense out of too many things at
    1.78 +once. “I don't understand.”
    1.79 +
    1.80 +“That's exactly the problem. You're trying too hard to understand.
    1.81 +This isn't two plus two equals four. This is two plus two equals
    1.82 +whatever you want it to be.” Her hands rested on his shoulders. How
    1.83 +could she explain it? A fairytale her grandmother had told her came
    1.84 +to mind. “A long time ago, Darkness began to spread throughout the
    1.85 +worlds. No matter what people did, they couldn't stop it until
    1.86 +everything was consumed by shadows. But out of the darkness, their
    1.87 +came light. The worlds were reborn from the hearts of the children.
    1.88 +If the worlds were reborn from these special hearts, then wouldn't it
    1.89 +be different depending on which heart? That's why each world is so
    1.90 +different. But this place lies on the outskirts of all the worlds,
    1.91 +where everything is and isn't. This place is a little bit of
    1.92 +everything. Or it's just what you want it to be. Or it's just what
    1.93 +you don't want it to be. It's at the very edge of reality, of life,
    1.94 +of everything. That's why it's the End of the World.”
    1.95 +
    1.96 +“I remember hearing that before. Your grandmother told it to you,
    1.97 +right? But it was just a fairytale, wasn't it?” Sora turned to face
    1.98 +Hikari, the petite girl looking up at him.
    1.99 +
   1.100 +“Every fairytale has some basis in truth. But truth is subjective.
   1.101 +It changes depending on what eyes you view it with. In one version of
   1.102 +that story, everything was destroyed by the darkness. Then it was
   1.103 +reborn from the hearts of some special young girls.”
   1.104 +
   1.105 +Sora's eyes went wide as pieces began to fall into place. “The
   1.106 +Princesses of Heart? Did they rebuild everything? Is that why all of
   1.107 +them were needed to get to Kingdom Hearts?”
   1.108 +
   1.109 +Hikari seemed to ignore him, continuing on. “And in another version,
   1.110 +the lives of these specific girls were shrouded in darkness. So they
   1.111 +escaped from the darkness and rebuilt their lives here, crafting out
   1.112 +their own little worlds to get some light. Both versions are true in
   1.113 +their own way. It all depends.”
   1.114 +
   1.115 +“But how can they both be true?” Sora looked down into Hikari's
   1.116 +lavender eyes, watching how they sparkled. Even after all he had
   1.117 +seen, he couldn't wrap his mind around it.
   1.118 +
   1.119 +“All of these different worlds. All of them separate, but all of
   1.120 +them connected. Just because one is true doesn't make another false.
   1.121 +One isn't mutually exclusive to another. Darkness and Light. Love and
   1.122 +Hate. Even seemingly contradictory things can be so wrapped together
   1.123 +that you can't tell the difference,” Hikari explained, gazing up at
   1.124 +the taller boy. So cute. So loyal. Like a beloved puppy dog. Although
   1.125 +his loyalty wasn't the same as Sephiroth's or Riku's. They would both
   1.126 +do whatever was necessary for her. This boy followed his heart. He
   1.127 +couldn't go against it, couldn't go to the extents that his friend
   1.128 +would. But he was all she had right now. And she did love him, as
   1.129 +foolish as that was. And until the end came, at least she could be
   1.130 +with him. 'I hate you for not being real. For not existing outside of
   1.131 +this dream. But I love you all the same.' Leaning up on her tiptoes,
   1.132 +she kissed him. He nearly took a step off of the rock they stood on,
   1.133 +but she clung to him with desperate fervor, with the need of someone
   1.134 +who knew they were dying, running out of time. He slowly held onto
   1.135 +her, kissing back. 'Love me, Sora. Please. Before I lose you.'
   1.136 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.137 +
   1.138 +
   1.139 +
   1.140 +“Kairi,” a voice said softly.
   1.141 +
   1.142 +
   1.143 +
   1.144 +It was warm and loving, soft and silky like flower petals on your
   1.145 +skin. Memories that she couldn't quite recall were spun around that
   1.146 +voice. It was comforting. Something that she could identify with
   1.147 +hundreds of different emotions. Most of all, it made her feel safe.
   1.148 +After all her travelling, that voice made her feel at peace. 'Mom!'
   1.149 +Kairi's eyes shot open as the realization finally sunk in. That was
   1.150 +the voice. She felt ashamed that she had nearly forgotten it, that
   1.151 +she had every allowed herself to forget who it belonged to. The first
   1.152 +thing she saw was her room. That immediately worried her. Plushies
   1.153 +filled her bed just as before. Her heart began to race. 'Not here.
   1.154 +Please, not here. Not this place again,' she thought desperately. A
   1.155 +cold feeling seemed to pump through her veins as she kicked the
   1.156 +blanket off. Why did she always have to end up in this place? It was
   1.157 +a prison, neither here nor there. But something was different. Not
   1.158 +wrong, but different. Her eyes finally travelled to the locked door
   1.159 +only to find that it was no longer locked. A beautiful older woman
   1.160 +stood in the doorway, smiling at her. “Mom!” The word sprang unbidden
   1.161 +to her lips. It was her mother. She knew it. Springing to her feet,
   1.162 +she dashed towards her mother and the open door. Her heart cried out
   1.163 +as she waited for her mother to disappear just as Riku had so many
   1.164 +times, for the door to come crashing shut. But neither happened. She
   1.165 +found herself nestled in her mother's embrace, clinging as tightly as
   1.166 +she could manage.
   1.167 +
   1.168 +“It's okay, Kairi. Everything is just fine. Don't worry, honey,”
   1.169 +Kairi's mother reassured, stroking her hair. “You must have had a
   1.170 +nightmare. It's gone now.”
   1.171 +
   1.172 +“Mom...” Kairi blinked tearfully as she buried her head against her
   1.173 +mother's shoulder. Everything had been so confusing. But now she was
   1.174 +here. With her mother. It really must've been a dream after all. She
   1.175 +wasn't alone searching for something at the end of the universe
   1.176 +through countless numbers of worlds. She was safe and sound at home.
   1.177 +Home. This place that she'd been so frightened of, that had been a
   1.178 +prison to her, now felt remarkably familiar in the way only a place
   1.179 +you have lived your life in can be. The subtle reassurances of smells
   1.180 +and sights and sounds all mixed with her mother's embrace all helped
   1.181 +soothe her weary and battered soul. Her mother slowly pulled away to
   1.182 +look into her eyes, stroking her cheek gently. She felt childish
   1.183 +because of it but she was happy for it nonetheless. She looked into
   1.184 +those eyes, remembering how they had seen her through so much. All
   1.185 +those times she had come home crying. Whenever she was so very
   1.186 +lonely. When she had hurt herself. She had always been there for her.
   1.187 +Just like now.
   1.188 +
   1.189 +“Are you all right, Kairi?” her mother asked gently.
   1.190 +
   1.191 +Kairi nodded, blinking her tears away. “I'm just fine, mom. I missed
   1.192 +you so much.” She bit her lip after the last part. What a stupid
   1.193 +thing to say. She hadn't really been gone. But it sure felt like it.
   1.194 +Laughing, Kairi's mother shook her head. “I missed you, too, honey.
   1.195 +Glad to have you awake again.” She kissed her forehead before
   1.196 +stepping back. “You should get dressed. Breakfast is almost ready.”
   1.197 +Nodding, Kairi pulled her hands to her heart. Something jostled
   1.198 +against her hands. “I'll be down in a few minutes.” She watched her
   1.199 +mother head back towards the kitchen, leaving her alone in her room
   1.200 +to try to figure things out. Her hand clasped the necklace she wore,
   1.201 +feeling it's grooves. The Keyblade. Then... She gazed down at the
   1.202 +tiny key in her hand. But if the Keyblade were still with her, then
   1.203 +how could it have just been a dream? It had to have been real. A
   1.204 +sudden terror and hope gripped her at the same time. If it was a
   1.205 +dream, then Riku and Sora had just been in her head. All of her
   1.206 +friends had been part of her dream. But if the Keyblade was still
   1.207 +with her, it couldn't have been a dream.
   1.208 +
   1.209 +She had to know. If it was a dream, then she had just lost both the
   1.210 +boys she loved more than anything. If it wasn't, then how could she
   1.211 +be home? Her mouth suddenly went dry as she came up with a way to
   1.212 +find out. She licked her suddenly dry lips, staring at the open
   1.213 +doorway for a long moment. This could plunge her back into the prison
   1.214 +her room had so often been. But it might be her only way to find out
   1.215 +if it was a dream or not. Part of herself begged her not to try it,
   1.216 +to run downstairs to be with her mother again. But she couldn't. She
   1.217 +couldn't just leave it alone, let it die. They had to be real. She'd
   1.218 +come too far to give up on them now. Steeling herself, she closed her
   1.219 +door. Nothing. But that didn't prove anything. That door had been
   1.220 +locked so many times. And there was often a voice on the other side
   1.221 +of it. That strangely familiar voice. And Riku was trapped behind it.
   1.222 +“Riku?” she called out at last. “Riku, are you there?” Her heart
   1.223 +thundered as she waited for his reply. 'Please. He has to be there.
   1.224 +He has to. It can't just be a dream. I love him.' “Riku?” she begged.
   1.225 +“What is it, Kairi?”
   1.226 +
   1.227 +Kairi stared wide eyed at the door. Her mind couldn't comprehend it
   1.228 +for a moment. His voice had come from behind her. She spun about to
   1.229 +face him. And there he was, smiling the smile she'd grown to love,
   1.230 +the salty ocean air sending his silver hair fluttering in the wind.
   1.231 +Salty ocean air? Her shoes crunched on the sand as she stepped
   1.232 +towards him. She was back on the beach, back on the Destiny Islands.
   1.233 +She was home. This... This was home, too. “Riku...” She gripped his
   1.234 +shirt, her hands nearly shaking. Real. He was real. She hugged him
   1.235 +fiercely. “Riku! Don't you ever leave me again!” Her voice was mixed
   1.236 +with anger and fear and joy and love. He was real. He was in her
   1.237 +arms. She didn't care about the how and why at the moment, only on
   1.238 +what was.
   1.239 +
   1.240 +“Hey! What did Riku do?” Sora asked, his hands behind his head. His
   1.241 +face was a combination of jealousy and surprise.
   1.242 +Kairi laughed, letting one arm go to drag Sora into a big group hug.
   1.243 +The boys didn't hug, instead both standing in her grasp. Silly boys.
   1.244 +Riku's gloved hand rested on her back while Sora merely stood there a
   1.245 +bit embarrassedly. “You're both here. It's been so long since we've
   1.246 +all been together like this.”
   1.247 +
   1.248 +Sora looked at her curiously. “What do you mean? Here on the beach?
   1.249 +It's only been since this morning.”
   1.250 +
   1.251 +“Speaking of that, have either of you gotten any work done on the
   1.252 +raft or do I have to do all the work by myself?” Riku asked, raising
   1.253 +a silver eyebrow.
   1.254 +
   1.255 +Kairi shook her head quickly. “No! I mean... Let's not do that.
   1.256 +Let's just stay here. The three of us. Always.”
   1.257 +
   1.258 +This seemed to perplex Riku. “You don't want to go travelling? To
   1.259 +see all the worlds out there? To see what lies beyond our Islands? I
   1.260 +was sure you did, Kairi.”
   1.261 +
   1.262 +Shaking her head, Kairi held her boys closer. “I think I've had
   1.263 +enough travelling for a very long time.” She leaned closer, dropping
   1.264 +her voice to a conspiratorial hush. “But I do think I could travel
   1.265 +over to the dock before either of you can.” Giggling, she pushed away
   1.266 +from the two boys and began running towards the dock. She could hear
   1.267 +them both running behind her. The sound of laughter filled the
   1.268 +crystal blue skies above.
   1.269 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.270 +
   1.271 +
   1.272 +
   1.273 +Kairi stumbled over her mattress and nearly landed face first on the
   1.274 +floor of her bedroom. What had been sand mere moments before was now
   1.275 +carpet, the ocean now her blanket on the floor. She was back in her
   1.276 +room, she knew. But how and why? What was going on? She was used to
   1.277 +travelling back and forth, but not so suddenly.
   1.278 +
   1.279 +“Kairi, breakfast!” her mother called from downstairs.
   1.280 +
   1.281 +Walking slowly to the door, Kairi stepped over where she remembered
   1.282 +seeing herself bleeding to death on the floor. Though there was no
   1.283 +indication of that here, the memory was still frightening. Pausing
   1.284 +for a moment, she looked and her wristbands, wondering if her scars
   1.285 +would still be there. Slowl reaching for one of them, she could see
   1.286 +her hands shaking. No, there wouldn't be, she told herself. There
   1.287 +couldn't be. She wasn't dead, was she? Opening the door, which she
   1.288 +half expected to be locked, she headed out her door.
   1.289 +
   1.290 +“Kairi.”
   1.291 +
   1.292 +Kairi nearly jumped at the voice. How did people continually sneak
   1.293 +up on her? Was her peripheral vision that bad? She looked back over
   1.294 +her shoulder from where she was halfway down the hallway. Behind her,
   1.295 +near her room, stood the blindfolded silver haired boy she had met
   1.296 +before. He had his hood up this time, but bits of silver peaked out
   1.297 +from underneath it. What was he doing here? And who was he? He
   1.298 +couldn't be Riku. Riku was trapped behind Kingdom Hearts. “Who are
   1.299 +you?”
   1.300 +
   1.301 +He didn't acknowledge what she said, 'looking' directly at her
   1.302 +despite the blindfold. “Kairi, you can't stay here. You're running
   1.303 +out of time. We're all running out of time. You're the only one who
   1.304 +can stop her.”
   1.305 +
   1.306 +“I... I don't know what your talking about. Stop who? How can I stop
   1.307 +her? I just want..” Kairi shook her head. “I don't know what I want
   1.308 +anymore. I want to be with my mother. I want to be with Sora and
   1.309 +Riku. I want my friends.”
   1.310 +
   1.311 +“Kairi? Are you almost ready?” Her mother called from the kitchen.
   1.312 +“Yeah, just about,” Kairi called back. When she turned to ask the
   1.313 +boy again, he was gone. She stared for a moment longer before heading
   1.314 +to the kitchen. What had he been trying to tell her? And why did he
   1.315 +look so much like Riku?
   1.316 +
   1.317 +When Kairi reached the kitchen, her breakfast was already on the
   1.318 +table. “Oh, mom... It looks delicious.” She kissed her mother's
   1.319 +cheek. The older woman beamed as she sat down. It had been so long
   1.320 +since they'd had breakfast together. Or had it? She was still under
   1.321 +the assumption that she had been on the Destiny Islands for years
   1.322 +now. But that couldn't be the case if she was here. Whatever the
   1.323 +case, breakfast was wonderful.
   1.324 +
   1.325 +“I was working on that Princess Mint costume for you, Kairi. I
   1.326 +should have it finished for you by the convention. I'm going to stop
   1.327 +by the store later for some gold paint so I can make you her rings,”
   1.328 +her mother explained.
   1.329 +
   1.330 +“Mom... Thanks so much.” Kairi felt her throat constricting and her
   1.331 +eyes blurring. Her mother had always supported her love of
   1.332 +videogames. The older woman had made so many different costumes for
   1.333 +her over the years, trying so hard to get them down beautifully for
   1.334 +her only daughter. It had only been the two of them for so many
   1.335 +years. They were all the other had. Kairi's mother had driven her all
   1.336 +over to conventions, sometimes making a costume for herself so she
   1.337 +wouldn't 'look too much like a goofy parent'. She felt ashamed for
   1.338 +having torn up her mother's birthday cards after the children at
   1.339 +school had ridiculed her over it. This world could be so cruel, but
   1.340 +never her mother. 'I want to be here with you, mom. But I also want
   1.341 +to be there with Sora and Riku. I.. I can't choose. I can't pick
   1.342 +which one. I can't give you up. But I can't give them up either.' If
   1.343 +she was supposed to stop the Heartless by either going back through
   1.344 +the door and shutting it or staying and forgetting her mother, how
   1.345 +could she do either of them? But if she didn't, then the Heartless
   1.346 +would consume everything. But that was only if she believed there
   1.347 +were Heartless. And those things surely didn't exist here, where
   1.348 +normalicy ruled. But wasn't her depressing lonely real life where the
   1.349 +Heartless were born? 'Stop thinking about it,' she commanded. The
   1.350 +fact that she was home was what mattered.
   1.351 +
   1.352 +Picking up the dishes, Kairi brought them to the sink. “I'll clean
   1.353 +up breakfast.” It was the least she could do. She felt guilty that
   1.354 +she could have thought about killing herself. How could she?
   1.355 +Everything was fine, wasn't it? She felt a little funny as she
   1.356 +admitted that. But it was true, wasn't it? Gloved hands wrapped
   1.357 +around her thin waist, holding her close to a warm, well built body.
   1.358 +Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the hands move up,
   1.359 +caressing her breasts through her shirt. Riku... She didn't know how,
   1.360 +but she knew. Somehow, she wasn't surprised when she saw they were in
   1.361 +the secret cave back on the Destiny Islands. She could feel his hands
   1.362 +mold against her skin, his fingers tracing circles around her
   1.363 +nipples, the cloth suddenly feeling like very little protection
   1.364 +against anything at all.
   1.365 +
   1.366 +“You don't have to, Kairi. I'll put them back in the picnic basket
   1.367 +and clean them up later. My mom knew I was having a picnic today
   1.368 +anyway, so she won't mind,” Riku's voice said behind her. She could
   1.369 +only nod, her breath still caught in her chest. “And I don't want to
   1.370 +let go of you just yet,” he whispered in her ear.
   1.371 +
   1.372 +His breath was warm against her ear, sending a shiver down her
   1.373 +spine. Though her thoughts were still a bit fuzzy as to how she had
   1.374 +gotten here, she didn't want it to end. She turned to face him,
   1.375 +looking up at the silver haired boy. “Riku... I don't want to,
   1.376 +either.” Her hands reached up, stroking his cheeks, her eyes gazing
   1.377 +up into his. How long had she wanted this, if only as nothing more
   1.378 +than a fantasy? But now... She could feel his hands slide under her
   1.379 +shirt, could feel his palms press against her breasts. Each move was
   1.380 +slow and deliberate, sending sparks throughout her. She looked out
   1.381 +through half lidded eyes as he bent down to nibbled on her neck. The
   1.382 +ground seemed to reach out for her as she found herself sitting with
   1.383 +Riku on the picnic blanket, moaning softly from his touch. Her hands
   1.384 +slid up and down his sides, carressing whatever part of him she could.
   1.385 +
   1.386 +“Kairi, I love you,” Riku whispered, leaning forward and kissing her
   1.387 +softly. And again. And again. Kairi kissed back, yearning for his
   1.388 +kiss. Her tongue teased his even as he began to pull her shirt up.
   1.389 +They seperated as he pulled the doubled white and black sleeveless
   1.390 +shirts over her head. Blushing deeper, she went back to kissing him,
   1.391 +his hands now stroking her stomach and then her thighs. Her own hands
   1.392 +moved over the smooth expanse of his back, stopping down at his
   1.393 +behind as she pulled him closer. “Riku,” she whispered into his ear.
   1.394 +Nibbling on his ear, she could feel his hands beginning to pull off
   1.395 +her skirt and underwear. Sitting up, she helped him to get rid of it.
   1.396 +Gazing back at him, naked except for her choker, necklace, and
   1.397 +wristbands, she went to work getting rid of his clothes. It wasn't
   1.398 +fun if she was the only one naked, after all.
   1.399 +
   1.400 +Running her hands up and down his bare chest, she slowly began to
   1.401 +work her way down his stomach, kissing him as she went. Her hands
   1.402 +hesitated for a moment at the zipper of his pants. Slowly unzipping
   1.403 +it, he helped her pull them off, leaving him gloriously naked before
   1.404 +her. He was beautiful. Just as she'd always imagined him. She
   1.405 +couldn't believe this was happening. She had fantasized about this
   1.406 +before, and now she was finally with him. It was... wonderful. He
   1.407 +cupped her cheek, gazing into her eyes. She felt safe with him. She
   1.408 +knew he'd do anything for her. Taking his hand, she kissed his
   1.409 +fingers gently, never pulling her eyes away from him. There was
   1.410 +concern in his eyes, but she simply smiled and nodded. How sweet. He
   1.411 +didn't want to hurt her. But she wanted to be with him in this
   1.412 +perfectly romantic way.
   1.413 +
   1.414 +Laying down on the blanket, she shifted about, gazing up at the boy
   1.415 +over her. Reaching out for him, she pulled him down on top of her,
   1.416 +feeling his body against her own. Every inch of his skin that came
   1.417 +into contact with hers felt so wonderful, leaving her with a thousand
   1.418 +different sensations. Her hands buried in his hair as he kissed her
   1.419 +throat, right above the choker. His hands finally rested on her hips.
   1.420 +The feeling of him at her entrance nearly made her hold her breath.
   1.421 +It felt like an eternity as she waited. This was it. She didn't
   1.422 +regret this at all. She loved him. She had always loved him. They
   1.423 +kissed as he began to ease his way into her. Her breath was quick and
   1.424 +rapid, her excitement mixing with her anxiety as she waited for him
   1.425 +to go deeper inside of her. It took a force of will to get herself
   1.426 +breathing anywhere near normally again.
   1.427 +
   1.428 +Fingernails scratched against Riku's back as she felt him tear past
   1.429 +her barrier. Tears stung her eyes as she clutched his naked body
   1.430 +closer to her own. He froze simply holding onto her. Gradually, the
   1.431 +pain began to dissipate. She slowly began to move against him. He
   1.432 +took the hint, starting to move inside of her again. It was...
   1.433 +Delicious. She loved being so close to him, feeling him with her,
   1.434 +inside of her, around her. Her hands wandered everywhere they could,
   1.435 +wanting to feel all of him. They moved in unison, their pants and
   1.436 +moans forming a soft chorus that filled the silence. Her eyes closed
   1.437 +tightly, her head moving on the blanket.
   1.438 +
   1.439 +“Kairi...” Sora's voice moaned above her.
   1.440 +
   1.441 +Blinking bleary eyes, Kairi strained to see in the dim cave. Had
   1.442 +Sora seen them? Sudden guilt blossomed inside of her. How hurt was he
   1.443 +to see this? But that wasn't it at all. She was looking up at him,
   1.444 +her hands on his chest. Sora moaned as he continued to push inside of
   1.445 +her. “Sora?” But... Wasn't Riku? She shifted against him, her body
   1.446 +burning up. What the hell was going on? Nothing. Nothing, she told
   1.447 +herself. It was Sora. She'd been here with Sora all along. The panic
   1.448 +slowly ebbed away. Of course. She loved them both. She must have
   1.449 +imagined it was Riku as well.
   1.450 +
   1.451 +Moaning softly, she let her hands carress up and down his chest and
   1.452 +stomach as they moved against each other. “Sora...” she whispered,
   1.453 +closing her eyes once more as one of his hands went to her breast,
   1.454 +pinching and rubbing her nipple. Shifting against him, the blanket
   1.455 +underneath her seemed to shift as well. The ground underneath it was
   1.456 +suddenly much, much softer. His fingers continued to pinch at her
   1.457 +nipple while he began to speed up his movement inside of her.
   1.458 +Shifting again, Kairi felt the ground move beneath her again.
   1.459 +Something rolled against her head. Blinking swiftly, she tried to
   1.460 +find out what it was. The sooner it was out of the way, the sooner
   1.461 +she could get back to focusing on Sora.
   1.462 +
   1.463 +Staring at the plushie of Yuffie staring back at her, Kairi could
   1.464 +only blink dumbly. How had it gotten to her? Had it fallen from
   1.465 +somewhere. She looked up to ask Sora, but she couldn't see him. Her
   1.466 +heart froze. If he wasn't there, then why could she still feel him?
   1.467 +Her gaze slowly went down. Her fingers pinched and rubbed at her
   1.468 +hardened nipple. Her other hand was between her legs, her fingers
   1.469 +rubbing up inside of herself. Her hands stopped their motions as she
   1.470 +stared in abject horror. It was her. It hadn't been Sora or Riku. It
   1.471 +had been her. The hands, everything she had felt, it had all just
   1.472 +been her. She suddenly felt sick. Pulling her hands away, she curled
   1.473 +up into a ball on her bed. It felt like she had just woken up from a
   1.474 +beautiful dream, only to have life remind her she could have none of
   1.475 +it. “No!!” she cried, digging her fingernails into her skin. “No!!!”
   1.476 +Why? What the hell was wrong with her? What was real? And what was
   1.477 +her own mind?
   1.478 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.479 +
   1.480 +
   1.481 +
   1.482 +Kairi stared at the screen of her tv hours later. She had quickly
   1.483 +pulled her clothes back on after finding them all in a pile on the
   1.484 +clothes. Random battle music played in front of her. FF7 had been
   1.485 +playing on her screen for the past few hours now, lighting up her
   1.486 +otherwise dark room as she tried desperately to drown out her fears.
   1.487 +There was only the game in front of her. Nothing else. Only it was
   1.488 +real. This had been her only solace for so long. She would come home
   1.489 +from school and do exactly this, pretending the outside world wasn't
   1.490 +there at all. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror. It
   1.491 +only filled her with repulsion. It wasn't that she had a problem with
   1.492 +doing things to herself. It was that she had honestly believed it was
   1.493 +Riku or Sora doing thos things to her. And the fact that it wasn't
   1.494 +scared the hell out of her. That she could have lost herself that
   1.495 +much frightened her. And so she played. And played.
   1.496 +
   1.497 +Reaching out, Kairi grabbed a glass, taking a sip of stale water.
   1.498 +Going downstairs could resolve that problem with a fresh glass of
   1.499 +water, but if she did that it would risk thinking again. And thinking
   1.500 +was not on her agenda at the moment. She was going to put that off as
   1.501 +long as possible. Her wary, tired eyes blinked in the dark room as
   1.502 +she read the screen again. She must have misread what Aerith had
   1.503 +said. FF7 was one of her favorite games. She knew it backwards and
   1.504 +forwards. Dialogue shouldn't be surprising her this time through. But
   1.505 +even upon closer inspection, it still felt off.
   1.506 +
   1.507 +'She's lost in someone's spell, Cloud. I can't get her back on my
   1.508 +own,' Aerith said on screen.
   1.509 +
   1.510 +“What?” Kairi leaned forward, staring at the screen. Clicking
   1.511 +forward, Cloud was given a choice.
   1.512 +
   1.513 +'There has to be some way that we can wake her up.'
   1.514 +Or;
   1.515 +
   1.516 +'It's up to her. Only she can break the spell. We can't reach her
   1.517 +there.'
   1.518 +
   1.519 +Dropping the controller, the chestnut haired girl stepped away from
   1.520 +her tv. They weren't... They couldn't be... talking about her? Could
   1.521 +they? It wasn't possible. But how many other impossible things had
   1.522 +she seen? For some reason, being home made it all seem outside the
   1.523 +realm of possibility once more. Things she would've been forced to
   1.524 +accept in the other world felt so foreign here.
   1.525 +
   1.526 +Throwing her door open, Kairi walked to the bathroom. She was
   1.527 +exhausted and scared. They were preying on her mind. Maybe sleep
   1.528 +would be a good idea after all. If it could hold the specters at bay,
   1.529 +then it would be worthwhile. Taking a handful of ice cold water, she
   1.530 +splashed her face, trying to force her weariness away. Her wet bangs
   1.531 +clung to her forehead as she looked back up. Her eyes shifted to
   1.532 +someone behind her. It was him. The cloaked boy again. She whirled
   1.533 +about to face him, but to her surprise, he wasn't there.
   1.534 +“Kairi,” he said from the mirror.
   1.535 +
   1.536 +Turning to face him, she rested heavily against the sink. She
   1.537 +suddenly felt very, very weak. It was as if the strength had been
   1.538 +sapped from her body. It felt like she had lived eons and eons. It
   1.539 +all felt so hopeless. She wanted to give up.
   1.540 +
   1.541 +“You can't give up. The you of this world gave up. But deep in your
   1.542 +heart, I know how strong you are, Princess. You can handle this. You
   1.543 +can handle anything. You're stronger than this. You can fight through
   1.544 +her spells. You can't spend eternity trapped in this spell or you'll
   1.545 +never set Riku free. You'll never see Sora again. Or your mother.
   1.546 +You'll only see this illusions of them. They all need you, Kairi. You
   1.547 +can't let them down.” The boy pressed his hand against the glass.
   1.548 +“Only you can free yourself of this prison. Only you have the
   1.549 +strength to come and set them all free.”
   1.550 +
   1.551 +Very slowly, Kairi nodded. “I'll fight. For them. I'll set them free.”
   1.552 +
   1.553 +The boy smiled faintly. Walking to the bathroom door in the mirror,
   1.554 +he opened it. “I know you will, Kairi.” With that, he stepped out,
   1.555 +disappearing.
   1.556 +
   1.557 +Clutching the Keyblade necklace in her hand, she stepped out of the
   1.558 +same door on her own side of the mirror. “So they're still out there.
   1.559 +This isn't home.” If she was going to save them, she had to escape.
   1.560 +There would be no one to come to her rescue. She could feel that
   1.561 +things were... off. It was all real, but it had the same feeling as
   1.562 +dreams and memories. Part of her still wanted to stay here. It was
   1.563 +safe, wasn't it? Images of Riku, Sora, her mother, and her friends
   1.564 +filled her mind. Tidus's name on a gravestone in the Graveyard of
   1.565 +Dreams. They needed her. She couldn't let them down.
   1.566 +
   1.567 +Walking down the empty hallway, Kairi made her way to her mother's
   1.568 +room. The light was on and she could hear her mother in the other
   1.569 +room, still sewing the costume for her daughter. For a moment,
   1.570 +Kairi's will faltered. Could she deny her mother? Even if she was
   1.571 +only an illusion? She had to. If she had a real mother, then she
   1.572 +needed her elsewhere, not in this spell. Kairi stepped through the
   1.573 +door.
   1.574 +
   1.575 +“Oh, Kairi, you're awake.” Looking up, the older woman smiled
   1.576 +gently. “Maybe you could try this on for me. I want to make sure it
   1.577 +will fit well.”
   1.578 +
   1.579 +Taking a deep breath, Kairi closed her eyes. She wanted to speak,
   1.580 +but her throat closed off painfully. It still felt like her mother,
   1.581 +or her memories of her mother at the least.
   1.582 +
   1.583 +“What's wrong?” A soft chuckle. “You don't think you're getting fat
   1.584 +do you? Not that again. You're beautiful the way you are, Kairi.”
   1.585 +That halted Kairi for a moment. 'Do I even look the same in the
   1.586 +other world? If what Sophie said was right, that I'm what I want to
   1.587 +be in this world, do I look different, too?' She pushed the thought
   1.588 +away. There would be time for thoughts like that later. Much later.
   1.589 +Right now she had to escape this dream. “You aren't my mother, are
   1.590 +you?” Looking up, her eyes locked on her mother's. The older woman
   1.591 +was still smiling.
   1.592 +
   1.593 +“I can be. If you want me to. Just like Riku and Sora can be here,
   1.594 +too. With you, Kairi. Think about it. You could all go to conventions
   1.595 +together and play games and never have to worry again. Never grow
   1.596 +old. Never be teased again. I'll always love you. They'll always love
   1.597 +you. No need to bleed to death in your room. Just live. One
   1.598 +beautiful, everlasting moment,” the woman promised.
   1.599 +
   1.600 +Tears dripped down Kairi's cheeks. The princess shook her head. “I
   1.601 +can't. I just can't. They're all waiting for me. I can't stay here
   1.602 +and leave them.”
   1.603 +
   1.604 +The woman laughed, shaking her head. “So you can't do it now, but
   1.605 +you could do it when you were only leaving your mother? You sure are
   1.606 +altruistic when it's for the boys you lust after, aren't you? Your
   1.607 +mother, on the other hand, will just have to deal with her daughter's
   1.608 +suicide. No big deal, right?”
   1.609 +
   1.610 +“No!! It wasn't like that!” Kairi shouted, her hands clenching
   1.611 +against her heart. “I wouldn't...”
   1.612 +
   1.613 +“But you did! So what's the problem with doing it again? You escaped
   1.614 +the life with your mother only to find even more pain. But here,
   1.615 +there is no pain. Only everything you've wanted.” The older woman
   1.616 +smiled gently at her, standing up.
   1.617 +
   1.618 +“She's right, Kairi. We'll always be here with you,” Riku stated,
   1.619 +standing to her mother's right. They were still in Kairi's mother's
   1.620 +room, but the floor was now sandy and the ocean was lapping behind
   1.621 +them.
   1.622 +
   1.623 +“We'll never leave your side again,” Sora replied, to her mother's
   1.624 +left.
   1.625 +
   1.626 +Kairi laughed a small, sad laugh, smiling despite herself. “Thanks,
   1.627 +guys. I love you all for that. But you've never left me.” She pressed
   1.628 +her palm against her heart. “We'll always be together because our
   1.629 +hearts are always together. No matter how far apart we are. That's
   1.630 +why I can't stay. I need to go find you both. The real you. Whatever
   1.631 +'real' is these days. But it doesn't matter. I need to see you both
   1.632 +again.” Turning to the woman who was not her mother, she shook her
   1.633 +head. “I'm sorry. I can't.”
   1.634 +
   1.635 +The woman nodded, her facade disappearing. She sighed softly. “I
   1.636 +know.”
   1.637 +
   1.638 +Pulling up her Keyblade, Kairi plunged it into the heart of the
   1.639 +woman, unlocking it. The illusion around her dissolved into
   1.640 +nothingness, the light carrying her away.
   1.641 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.642 +
   1.643 +She was moving. At least, it felt as if she were moving. The
   1.644 +brilliant light made if difficult to see motion. The light moved
   1.645 +around her in a stream, flowing ever forward, twisting and turning.
   1.646 +Whether she even had a body in this place, she couldn't be certain.
   1.647 +Everything was light.
   1.648 +
   1.649 +“You have unlocked the light in the heart of Longing,” the voice
   1.650 +that existed in this light said from all around her. Whether it was
   1.651 +part of the light or part of herself or something entirely different,
   1.652 +she didn't know.
   1.653 +
   1.654 +“I wanted to use your power to bring back the one I love. I wanted
   1.655 +to live in a beautiful moment forever with him. He was one of Ansem's
   1.656 +first test subjects and I thought I could bring him back through you.
   1.657 +Time is our enemy. It robs us of those we love and forever heads
   1.658 +forward, crushing all in its path. I wanted to stop time, to live out
   1.659 +one beautiful moment forever. Now.. Now that my body and heart have
   1.660 +been separated, we'll go our different ways, I guess. But.. Now I can
   1.661 +be with him. Forever. Thank you.”
   1.662 +
   1.663 +“I...” Kairi closed her eyes tightly, if she had them. She could
   1.664 +feel a tear slip out into the light. “Thank you for letting me see my
   1.665 +mother. Goodbye.” She could almost feel a gentle carress before the
   1.666 +light began to fade.
   1.667 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.668 +
   1.669 +
   1.670 +
   1.671 +“Kairi!!” Relm hugged her as she sat up in bed. “You're okay!” She
   1.672 +smiled brightly. The artist looked as if she'd been hugely panicked.
   1.673 +
   1.674 +“I told you she'd be fine,” Yuffie said nonchalantly. “A few spells
   1.675 +won't do in our princess, will they?” Grinning, the ninja placed a
   1.676 +hand on Kairi's shoulder.
   1.677 +
   1.678 +“You did manage to fight off Ultimecia's spells. We were all
   1.679 +worried.” Aerith winked. “Even Yuffie.”
   1.680 +
   1.681 +“Was not!” Yuffie retorted, crossing her arms.
   1.682 +
   1.683 +Kairi closed her eyes, her head tilted back. She was back. There was
   1.684 +still a chance. Blinking her eyes open, she looked over at Aerith. “I
   1.685 +need to get to the Destiny Islands. I'm running out of time. They
   1.686 +need me.”
   1.687 +
   1.688 +Aerith nodded. “Then we better hurry.” Standing up, the flower girl
   1.689 +led the way out of the room.
   1.690 +
   1.691 +Relm slid off the bed to follow. She placed a kiss on Yuffie's cheek
   1.692 +before hurrying. “We're coming! Wait up!”
   1.693 +Kairi gave Yuffie a curious glance.
   1.694 +
   1.695 +“Don't ask. Just don't ask.” Yuffie blushed faintly and helped Kairi
   1.696 +to her feet. “Let's get going. Seems like we still have a few things
   1.697 +to do before we get our nice, well deserved vacation.”
   1.698 +Kairi giggled, nodding. “A very long vacation.”
   1.699 +
   1.700 +The two followed after Aerith.
   1.701 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.702 +
   1.703 +
   1.704 +
   1.705 +At the large port behind the castle, Squall, Rinoa, and Cloud
   1.706 +waited. “She's ready!” Aerith called as she stepped up to the rest of
   1.707 +them. She smiled brightly at them before poking Cloud playfully.
   1.708 +“Cheer up. It's almost over.”
   1.709 +“Well... Yeah... But is it wise to bring the princess if we'll be
   1.710 +dealing with her former private guard? Sephiroth isn't going to leave
   1.711 +her alone,” Cloud admitted.
   1.712 +“That's why we're coming, silly. She won't be alone on this,” Aerith
   1.713 +reasoned.
   1.714 +
   1.715 +The rest of the girls finally arrived behind her.
   1.716 +
   1.717 +Kairi glanced around at the huge ocean open in front of them. “How
   1.718 +are we going to get to the Destiny Islands?”
   1.719 +
   1.720 +“With the Invincible. It was King Ansem's personal Gummi ship. He
   1.721 +was preparing it before he left. Cid fixed it up for us.” With that,
   1.722 +a giant mechanical airship soared into view. The wind whirled about,
   1.723 +but none seemed to notice as they stared in awe.
   1.724 +
   1.725 +The boarding ramp opened, settling on the side of the dock.
   1.726 +“Everyone on board!” a blonde haired woman dressed in a black
   1.727 +business suit called.
   1.728 +
   1.729 +“Well, well. If it isn't the gorgeous Princess Hikari,” a spikey
   1.730 +haired brunette man said, wearing a similar buisiness suit, albeit
   1.731 +untucked.
   1.732 +
   1.733 +“What are you doing here?” Cloud asked, crossing his arms.
   1.734 +“The Turks work directly for the royalty of Hollow Bastion. With
   1.735 +King Ansem gone and Princess Kairi newly returned to us, we decided
   1.736 +we'd keep her company to the End of the World and beyond. You know,
   1.737 +company policy and all that.” Reno winked, eliciting only a sigh from
   1.738 +Cloud.
   1.739 +
   1.740 +Cloud nodded at last. “Is everyone ready for this? It's only going
   1.741 +to get worse from here on out. If anyone wants to stay, now's the
   1.742 +time to say it.”
   1.743 +
   1.744 +Yuffie shook her head. “I lost my home once. I'm not letting them do
   1.745 +it again.”
   1.746 +
   1.747 +Relm clung to Yuffie's arm, nodding assent. “And I'll go anywhere
   1.748 +with Yuffie.” Yuffie blushed darkly.
   1.749 +Aerith laughed.
   1.750 +
   1.751 +Kairi shook her head. “Riku and Sora need me. The Destiny Islands
   1.752 +need me. I have to go.” She smiled, looking at those gathered around
   1.753 +her. “All of you... Thank you so much.”
   1.754 +
   1.755 +“You don't think we'd give up on you now, do you Kairi? You've
   1.756 +wounded my pride.” Yuffie winked at the princess.
   1.757 +“Are ya comin' or aincha?” Cid yelled from the ramp.
   1.758 +“We're coming, Cid,” Squall said brushing his hair back from his eyes.
   1.759 +“Then let's go,” Rinoa said, smiling at the gunblade bearer.
   1.760 +
   1.761 +“To the Destiny Islands,” Kairi said, gazing out to the sea. Destiny
   1.762 +waited out there. And she would be returning to it, whatever the
   1.763 +consequences.
   1.764 \ No newline at end of file