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     1.4 +Prism Hearts 
     1.5 +Chapter 17
     1.6 +Hikari 
     1.7 +by Amazoness Duo
     1.8 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.9 +
    1.10 +"Imaginary"
    1.11 +by Evanescence
    1.12 +
    1.13 +I linger in the doorway
    1.14 +of  alarm clock  screaming monsters calling my name
    1.15 +let me stay
    1.16 +where  the wind will whisper  to me
    1.17 +where the raindrops as they're  falling tell a story
    1.18 +
    1.19 +in my field  of paper flowers
    1.20 +and  candy clouds of lullaby
    1.21 +i lie inside myself for  hours
    1.22 +and  watch my purple sky fly over me
    1.23 +
    1.24 +don't say i'm out of  touch
    1.25 +with  this rampant chaos - your reality
    1.26 +i know well what lies beyond  my sleeping refuge 
    1.27 +the nightmare i built my own world to escape
    1.28 +
    1.29 +in  my  field of paper flowers
    1.30 +and candy clouds of lullaby
    1.31 +i  lie inside myself for  hours
    1.32 +and watch my purple sky fly over  me
    1.33 +
    1.34 +swallowed up in the sound of  my screaming
    1.35 +cannot  cease for the fear of silent nights
    1.36 +oh how i long for  the deep  sleep dreaming
    1.37 +the goddess of imaginary light
    1.38 +
    1.39 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
    1.40 +
    1.41 +The darkness encompassed all. Any light that had been within Kingdom
    1.42 +Hearts had been extinguished. Standing in front of the imposing
    1.43 +doorway that led into the heart of the universe, Kairi paused for a
    1.44 +moment. This was it. This would lead her to Hikari, to her other
    1.45 +self. And if she didn't do something to stop Hikari, the Heartless
    1.46 +would consume the heart of the universe and tear apart the beautiful
    1.47 +dream. And then, she would die. Alone. She couldn't let that happen.
    1.48 +So much had already been lost. There had to be a way to save
    1.49 +everything. Somehow. 
    1.50 +
    1.51 +Closing her eyes, Kairi took a moment to feel Riku within her. His
    1.52 +heart, strong and dedicated, rested next to her own. She could feel
    1.53 +his thoughts and feelings flowing through her as if they were her
    1.54 +own. “I'm worried about him, too,” she whispered at last, feeling his
    1.55 +thoughts go to Sora. When she had awoken from the Darkness, she had
    1.56 +been all alone with the exception of Riku's spirit. Wherever Sora
    1.57 +was, she hoped they weren't too late. 
    1.58 +
    1.59 +Collecting her strength, the princess stepped through what had once
    1.60 +been the Doorway to the Light. 
    1.61 +
    1.62 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
    1.63 +
    1.64 +Inside the Doorway, all was dark. She could see herself, but
    1.65 +everything else was the deepest black. It was as if the world around
    1.66 +her was painted in shadows. And yet, even in that absence of light,
    1.67 +it didn't feel empty. There was something lurking in the shadows.
    1.68 +They were alive. Pulsing with the cold, pained cries of broken
    1.69 +hearts. Soon, this blanket of tears would encompass everything. The
    1.70 +princess hastened her step into the eternal night. 
    1.71 +
    1.72 +No matter how far Kairi traveled, nothing seemed to change. The
    1.73 +darkness was constant. Shivering in the darkness, she hugged herself
    1.74 +to try to keep warm. Her outfit may have been fine for island life,
    1.75 +but in these blackened depths, it offered little protection. From the
    1.76 +shadows came echos of crying, mocking laughter, angry voices, and
    1.77 +other noises Kairi couldn't quite make out. They all came from the
    1.78 +darkest part of the heart. There was no spectre of the light that had
    1.79 +once been there. Kairi feared that she was too late. But she couldn't
    1.80 +just sit and wait for the universe to collapse. If there was any
    1.81 +chance that she could make things right again, she had to take it. No
    1.82 +matter what the cost. “So Ansem's still alive. I should have known it
    1.83 +was him in your body,” Kairi said at last, growing wary of the
    1.84 +strange noises in the distance. “I guess he had reason to stick
    1.85 +around in this life like I did. He seems to be trying to stop Hikari,
    1.86 +too. The Light must have awakened the part of him that had been such
    1.87 +a great ruler before he started researching the Heartless,” Riku's
    1.88 +voice rang through Kairi's head. It was so strange. After he'd sold
    1.89 +his heart in order to save Kairi's, she had eventually been the one
    1.90 +to save him. Now his heart was in her body. She had always been
    1.91 +special to him. He and Sora had spent so much of their time vying for
    1.92 +her attention. But it was more than that. It ran deeper. He had been
    1.93 +willing to do whatever it took to save her. He had no idea she'd be
    1.94 +just as willing to do the same for him. “Thanks, Kairi.”A small smile
    1.95 +played of Kairi's lips. “I may not be able to fight like you and
    1.96 +Sora, but that doesn't mean I'd ever give up on you two.” Her tone
    1.97 +changed more serious as she rested her hand over her heart, imagining
    1.98 +his heart. “I promised I'd find you. This isn't over until we're all
    1.99 +together again.”“Kairi...” Riku smiled inwardly. “You're more amazing
   1.100 +than you know. Whatever Hikari said, don't let it get to you. You've
   1.101 +proven you're more than an illusion. However you started out, no
   1.102 +matter what world you came from, you're the strongest person I know.”
   1.103 +Kairi blushed, all too acutely aware that Riku could feel her
   1.104 +thoughts. It made it impossible to hide her embarrassment. She acted
   1.105 +hastily to cover it up. “I hope that means you won't be calling me
   1.106 +lazy anymore,” she joked.“Oh, I don't know about that,” the once
   1.107 +silver haired boy teased. “You and Sora still like to leave me to do
   1.108 +the hard work.”Giggling softly, the brunette nodded. “That's just
   1.109 +because you're better at it. And I hope that means you don't plan on
   1.110 +building another raft to go see other worlds. I think I've had enough
   1.111 +travel for a while.”“I learned that traveling isn't worth it if you
   1.112 +can't be close to the ones you love. I never wanted to go by myself.
   1.113 +I wanted to go with you and Sora. Everything would have been fine
   1.114 +then,” Riku explained. “I'm sorry, Riku. I wanted that, too. And I'm
   1.115 +sorry for what happened to you because of me. You tried to save me,
   1.116 +but you lost your body because of it. If there's anyway I can get it
   1.117 +back, I will,” Kairi promised,guilt washing over her for the silver
   1.118 +haired boy's predicament. “No, don't feel sorry, Kairi. I did what I
   1.119 +had to. I'd have done anything to get you back. I sold my heart to
   1.120 +try to do that. I lost my body in the bargain. But getting you back
   1.121 +was more important than any of that. I can accept what happened. As
   1.122 +long as I'm with you, I'm happy.” 
   1.123 +
   1.124 +The conviction in Riku's thoughts coursed through Kairi. She smiled
   1.125 +faintly. “As long as I'm with you...” she echoed. 
   1.126 +
   1.127 +“Watch out!” Riku's voice called out to her. Kairi stopped herself
   1.128 +right in front of a developing shadow. It shifted and grew, achieving
   1.129 +a shape. Because of the darkness around it, the shadow itself was
   1.130 +difficult to make out, but it became easier and easier as its form
   1.131 +became more defined. Kairi took several steps back, but already she
   1.132 +could feel more of them. They were surrounding her. The one in front
   1.133 +of her finally stepped forward, the shadowed hair shifting from side
   1.134 +to side. It's long sleeves nearly touched the ground. It looked up
   1.135 +with a horribly familiar face. “Yuna...” Kairi got out breathlessly.
   1.136 +It looked exactly like the other girl painted in shadows. Beside the
   1.137 +shadowed Yuna stood a rapidly forming shadow of Rikku. Kairi turned
   1.138 +to spot the others, but there were rapidly becoming more than she
   1.139 +could count. Kuja. And Ultimecia. And Kefka. And Seifer. And Celes.
   1.140 +And more and more. They all watched her with their blind, dark,
   1.141 +accusing eyes. The Keyblade was in her hand without thinking. It took
   1.142 +the princess a moment to realize Riku had taken control and was
   1.143 +preparing to fight. But even with how good a fighter she knew Riku
   1.144 +was, they were terribly outnumbered. There were simply too many of
   1.145 +them. They appeared in droves, surrounding them. So many faces that
   1.146 +she could recognize in those awful shadow faces, all damned. “No! I
   1.147 +unlocked your heart!” Kairi turned to Yuna, practically shouting in
   1.148 +panic. “You should be free. You should all be in the Lifestream by
   1.149 +now. You should be safe from the Heartless!”“And they are,” a voice
   1.150 +said. The path of shadows opened for the darkly clad, silver haired
   1.151 +SOLDIER. Sephiroth nodded to Kairi, watching her intently as he began
   1.152 +to step forward. “You unlocked their hearts. And the others are dead.
   1.153 +They're far away. Much too far away to help you, my princess. But
   1.154 +their shadows, on the other hand... Those are more than happy to tear
   1.155 +you apart. Bit by bit. Princess Hikari was running out of Heartless
   1.156 +so she took the shadows of the dead. Now they have gathered here,
   1.157 +ready for the endless night that she will bring.” 
   1.158 +
   1.159 +“Why are you doing this? She's wrong. She'll destroy everything,”
   1.160 +Kairi insisted. Part of her could remember Sephiroth. He had been her
   1.161 +loyal guard, always there to protect her. How could he be doing this
   1.162 +now? “I don't ask questions, your highness. I do as Princess Hikari
   1.163 +commands me. I would lay down my life for her. I'm sure the ghost boy
   1.164 +with you understands what I mean.” He raised the Masamune, his
   1.165 +glowing green eyes fixed on Kairi's.
   1.166 +Deep within Kairi, she could feel Riku's grudging agreement. Riku,
   1.167 +too, would do the same thing for Kairi. Sephiroth was protecting
   1.168 +Hikari in the same way, regardless of where that led the universe.
   1.169 +Kairi felt her hands tighten on the Keyblade as Riku prepared to try
   1.170 +to fight off Sephiroth. And the mass of shadows that was surrounding
   1.171 +them. The princess wasn't ready to give in, but she couldn't see a
   1.172 +way out. “But if you have to protect her, you have to protect me,
   1.173 +too,” Kairi insisted. “I'm the princess. You swore you'd protect me
   1.174 +from all harm.”Sephiroth shook his head, still a few meters away. He
   1.175 +would be on them in seconds. “I'm afraid it isn't that simple. You
   1.176 +are only a dream that Princess Hikari had. She wishes the dream to
   1.177 +end. So I will be your executioner for my highness.” His single dark
   1.178 +wing unfurled. It would be a shame to have to kill even a facsimile
   1.179 +of the princess, but he would do whatever she asked of him. Spinning
   1.180 +end over end, a shuriken whistled through the air. The bladed weapon
   1.181 +sunk deep into shadow Rikku, felling the dark version of the catgirl.
   1.182 +“You will not degrade the memory of my little sister! I don't care
   1.183 +who the hell you think you are!” Yuffie yelled out, rage burning in
   1.184 +her eyes. 
   1.185 +
   1.186 +Turning in a daze, Kairi was shocked. Yuffie was there? The ninja
   1.187 +had followed her? But how? But it wasn't just Yuffie. There stood
   1.188 +Relm, already drawing a fire to light the darkness. Aerith stood with
   1.189 +them, chanting a spell. And there stood Cloud with his own wing
   1.190 +unfurled. And Squall and Rinoa. And the Turks. And there were Quistis
   1.191 +and Selphie. They were all there. They had come for her. She wasn't
   1.192 +alone. 
   1.193 +Before the shadows could get to Kairi, the group began to fight
   1.194 +their way into the mass of living shadows. Yuffie slashed her way
   1.195 +through with another shuriken, fighting with all the pain she had for
   1.196 +her lost sister. Relm drew vicious dogs, letting her paintings attack
   1.197 +the shadows nearest her. The Turks opened fire, fighting their way
   1.198 +through the mob of darkness. Quistis and Selphie fought together, for
   1.199 +their Island, for everyone's future. They all fought back the growing
   1.200 +darkness as best they could. They all knew the stakes of this final
   1.201 +battle. And they were all willing to give their hearts to try and
   1.202 +stop the end from coming. “Didn't think we'd just live you to do it
   1.203 +all alone, did you?” Yuffie asked, breaking through the shadows to
   1.204 +reach Kairi. 
   1.205 +
   1.206 +Relm followed closely behind Yuffie. “You shouldn't have ran off on
   1.207 +your own. We got worried about you.” The light in Kairi's heart grew
   1.208 +as she watched her two companions. Even in darkness, there is always
   1.209 +light. Even now, at their very darkest hour, her friends had come for
   1.210 +her. Hikari was wrong. She couldn't let this end. “I guess I just
   1.211 +thought it was better to do it alone,” Kairi admitted. Yuffie
   1.212 +smirked. “Without the universe's greatest ninja?” She shook her head.
   1.213 +“You're crazy, princess.” Kairi couldn't keep from smiling. “I guess
   1.214 +I am.” 
   1.215 +
   1.216 +“Goodbye, Princess.” Kairi's heart froze as she heard Sephiroth's
   1.217 +voice. There was genuine sorrow in it for what it was about to do,
   1.218 +but she knew it wouldn't slow his blade at all. The wind knifed
   1.219 +against her back as his blade descended. He had managed to make his
   1.220 +way through the shadows to fulfill his mission, to eliminate the
   1.221 +princess's dream. Metal clanged loudly against metal. Cloud held back
   1.222 +the Masamune with his Buster Sword, keeping it inches away from
   1.223 +Kairi. Kairi hurried out of the way, near Yuffie and Relm while Cloud
   1.224 +stepped in Sephiroth's way. “Too many have died already, Sephiroth.” 
   1.225 +
   1.226 +Sephiroth shook his head, silver hair swaying about. “By morning,
   1.227 +everything will be dead.” Pulling up his sword, the two warriors
   1.228 +clashed. Yuffie grabbed Kairi's shoulder, yanking the princess
   1.229 +further back. “Aerith said we're running out of time. You're the
   1.230 +Keyblade Mistress, so it sounds like you're the only one who can stop
   1.231 +all this.” She turned Kairi to look at her, holding both of her
   1.232 +shoulders. The ninja looked deep into the princess's eyes. “Kairi...
   1.233 +You have to stop all this. I... I believe in you. You have to end
   1.234 +this. For Rikku. I can't let her die in vain. Please.” “And for
   1.235 +Celes. For everyone who's died because of this, Kairi. You can't let
   1.236 +their sacrifices be pointless,” Relm said. “Everyone's counting on
   1.237 +you. You have to save tonight or there will never be another
   1.238 +tomorrow.”“And for Riku. And Yuna. And Kuja. And everyone.” Kairi
   1.239 +nodded. “I will. I'll save everything. Somehow. I'll close the
   1.240 +door.”Yuffie smiled faintly, nodding. “Then get going. We'll hold off
   1.241 +the Heartless. You make your way there.”
   1.242 +
   1.243 +“Thank you. All of you,” Kairi said, blinking back tears. Just
   1.244 +knowing that they'd all come to help her like that meant so much to
   1.245 +her. She hugged her two companions, clinging tightly to them for a
   1.246 +long moment. “It's been fun...” she whispered. Stepping away, she
   1.247 +turned towards the waiting darkness.“Kairi... Good luck. No matter
   1.248 +what happens, don't forget us,” Relm called after her.“I won't. I
   1.249 +couldn't.” Kairi ran into the darkness.
   1.250 +
   1.251 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.252 +
   1.253 +Somewhere deep within the darkness, Kairi finally reached the very
   1.254 +Heart of the Universe. It had once hung majestically in the air,
   1.255 +shimmering with the beauty of a thousand suns and the hearts of all
   1.256 +that ever were. But now it sunk low, covered sickly with shadows. It
   1.257 +looked diseased, as if the shadows were killing it. The Heartless
   1.258 +were consuming the Heart of the Universe. Where everything began. 
   1.259 +
   1.260 +Kairi stepped slowly towards the Heart, her eyes slowly moving
   1.261 +towards the girl standing next to it. Herself. Her darker half. And
   1.262 +it looked like Hikari had been waiting. “I see somehow you got past
   1.263 +Sephiroth.” The princess shook her head dismissively. “Though it
   1.264 +hardly matters. There's nothing left to do. The Heart of the Universe
   1.265 +is dying. It will be completely Heartless soon. The dream is already
   1.266 +falling apart. You don't matter anymore.”Kairi shook her head,
   1.267 +frustration, regret, and anger all welling up inside of her. “You
   1.268 +can't do this, Hikari. I won't let you. I know why you want to. I'm
   1.269 +part of you. And part of me wants this, too. But I can't let you. I
   1.270 +love these people too much. I love this world.”Scoffing, Hikari
   1.271 +turned her attention to Kairi. “And what of the other world? This is
   1.272 +all just as much an illusion as you. The dying thoughts of a lonely,
   1.273 +disturbed girl. What about that other world?”Kairi swallowed, the
   1.274 +painful memories of her other life returning. But they were
   1.275 +bittersweet, mixing with her memories of her mother. Of dressing up
   1.276 +and dancing with her in the living room when she was a child. Of
   1.277 +playing games and going on picnics and laughing as they stayed up
   1.278 +late talking. “This isn't only an illusion. Everything... Everything
   1.279 +is real.” Kairi smiled, understanding at last what Harle had tried to
   1.280 +say to her. “Both worlds are just as real. And... And I can't give up
   1.281 +that world either. I miss mom too much. I won't die in her arms. I
   1.282 +won't leave her all alone.” Digging her fingernails into her palms,
   1.283 +Hikari glared hatefully at Kairi. “I won't go back there. I'm tired
   1.284 +of being teased and hurt. I've cried until my soul can't take it
   1.285 +anymore. I won't live that life. It's over. I can't find solace in
   1.286 +these dreams anymore. It only hurts even more that they can't be
   1.287 +real. And I can't live that life any longer. My soul has bled too
   1.288 +much. Now I'm going to escape it. And I'll take these dreams, my
   1.289 +beautiful dreams with me. I want them to bleed. I want to destroy
   1.290 +something beautiful. They're my dreams. And only I can destroy
   1.291 +them.”“Hikari, don't do this! Please! What about Aerith, Aya, and the
   1.292 +other princesses? What about their dreams? What about the Destiny
   1.293 +Islands? What about Sora and Riku? You can't kill them all. They all
   1.294 +mean too much. And what about mom?” Kairi pleaded, hoping against
   1.295 +hope that she could get through to Hikari before it was too
   1.296 +late.Hikari looked back towards the Heart of the Universe, reaching
   1.297 +out and feeling the darkness coursing through it. “The other
   1.298 +princesses need to grow up. You can't hide in fantasy forever. It's
   1.299 +all lies. I'm doing them a favor. Mom is better off without me.
   1.300 +Couldn't you see the pain in her eyes when she saw me crying? She
   1.301 +wanted to help me. It hurt her so much to see me suffering and not
   1.302 +knowing how to take that pain away from me. She'll never have to see
   1.303 +me cry again.” Closing her eyes, she let the pain and tears well up
   1.304 +inside of her, the fresh hurt reminding her of her mission. “And as
   1.305 +far as Sora and Riku go, we might as well end that right now.”Sora
   1.306 +stepped out of the shadows. He was holding the Keyblade, advancing on
   1.307 +Kairi. His outfit had changed, the Heartless symbol prominent on his
   1.308 +chest. “Oh, God, no...” Kairi whispered, frozen. “You didn't...” Her
   1.309 +heart sunk deep in her chest as she saw the way he looked at her. The
   1.310 +beautiful glint in his eyes was gone. It was replaced by something
   1.311 +cold and menacing.
   1.312 +
   1.313 +“I couldn't get Sora to join me willingly. He struggled. But I was
   1.314 +determined to have him by my side at the last moments. He is one of
   1.315 +the boys of my dreams, after all. So I made him one of the
   1.316 +Heartless,” Hikari explained, not bothering to look back. “Sora, be a
   1.317 +good boy and kill her.”Sora nodded his assent, pulling up the
   1.318 +Keyblade. “Yes, princess.” With that, the Keyblade Master lunged at
   1.319 +Kairi.Riku blocked the blow with Kairi's Keyblade, taking control of
   1.320 +Kairi's body again. “Sora, don't do this! You promised me you'd take
   1.321 +care of her,” Riku reminded the brunette boy. “You have to take care
   1.322 +of her for me, Sora.”Hikari shook her head, aiding the darkness
   1.323 +surrounding the Heart of the Universe. “He can't hear you, Riku. He's
   1.324 +Heartless now, remember?” She glanced back at Kairi, watching the
   1.325 +girl return Sora's blows. “It's good to see you again, by the way,
   1.326 +Riku. Interesting choice in new bodies. You always did make such a
   1.327 +good bishounen.”“You bitch!” Kairi screamed at the other version of
   1.328 +herself. “What did you do with his heart? Give it back!!” Her soul
   1.329 +cried out as she could only watch Sora trying to comply with his
   1.330 +order to kill her. Hikari had turned one of the most important people
   1.331 +in Kairi's life against her.
   1.332 +
   1.333 +Sora launched into a stream of blows, trying his hardest to get to
   1.334 +the seemingly fragile girl before him. Riku struggled to parry the
   1.335 +other Keyblade. The two were evenly matched, but Riku was at a
   1.336 +disadvantage both in a new body and in that he didn't want to hurt
   1.337 +the other boy.
   1.338 +
   1.339 +“It's gone,” Hikari said simply. “He's nothing more than my puppet
   1.340 +now. If he wouldn't stay with me to watch the end, then I had no use
   1.341 +for his heart. I cast it aside and made him another Heartless,” she
   1.342 +explained, turning to watch the fight.“No!” Kairi's heart wrenched
   1.343 +inside of herself. “Sora...” He couldn't be gone. She couldn't have
   1.344 +lost him. Her hands ached as the Keyblade was slammed around in their
   1.345 +grasp. Sora was attacking more and more fiercely. “Kairi, she's
   1.346 +lying. Hikari's in pain. She's been suffering. She wants her
   1.347 +suffering to end. And she's self-destructive enough to want to kill
   1.348 +herself and her dreams. But she still loves Sora. She wouldn't just
   1.349 +discard his heart. It has to still be here,” Riku explained, slashing
   1.350 +at Sora to keep the other boy back. 
   1.351 +
   1.352 +Laughing, Hikari placed her hands behind her back. “I love you, too,
   1.353 +Riku, but I still asked Sora to kill you. I think your logic's a bit
   1.354 +off.” She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “It's strange.
   1.355 +I've always had this love affair with the light and the dark. I lived
   1.356 +my life in darkness, yet I fantasized about the light. I can't live
   1.357 +without the darkness. It sustains me. At the same time, I longed for
   1.358 +the light as well. And so there was you and Sora. My light and my
   1.359 +darkness. I loved you both because I could never choose one over the
   1.360 +other. I needed you both. And now that I've reached the end, I have
   1.361 +the boy of the light while Kairi, the light from my heart, is sided
   1.362 +with the boy of the dark. Fascinating how these things turn
   1.363 +out.”“Absolutely fascinating...” Riku replied sarcastically, grunting
   1.364 +as he blocked a downward cut from Sora. 
   1.365 +“What if I unlock his heart? Will that set it free?” Kairi asked
   1.366 +hopefully.“Nope,” Hikari shot down Kairi's idea. “Remember what
   1.367 +happened with everyone else you've unlocked? Their heart is unlocked
   1.368 +from their body. Sora would die. That's of course saying he has his
   1.369 +heart inside of him right now.”Riku hopped back, inches away from
   1.370 +Sora's frenzied swipes. He needed to end this quickly or Sora would
   1.371 +kill Kairi. There had to be a way. There had to! Kairi thought
   1.372 +desperately while Riku tried to keep them alive just a little longer.
   1.373 +She dove through her memories, trying to find something, anything
   1.374 +they could use. Then it hit her. Not just her own memories, but
   1.375 +Riku's as well. Wasn't her Keyblade the Keyblade that Riku had owned,
   1.376 +after all? The one that could unlock hearts. “No... You're wrong.
   1.377 +When I unlocked Seymour's heart, he didn't die. The darkness was
   1.378 +unlocked and it transformed him. The same thing happened when Riku
   1.379 +unlocked Maleficent. When I unlocked those people, I was unlocking
   1.380 +their hearts themselves, just like when Sora unlocked his heart to
   1.381 +free me when I was stuck inside of him. But with Seymour and
   1.382 +Maleficent, they had the darkness in their hearts unlocked. Which
   1.383 +means...”“That if Sora's heart is still there, we can unlock the
   1.384 +light inside of it,” Riku finished for her. He gave a quick nod. This
   1.385 +would be close. Sora was battering away at Riku's defenses now. He'd
   1.386 +only get one chance. Riku left an opening for Sora, blocking low.
   1.387 +Sure enough, Sora took the chance, slamming the Keyblade into Kairi's
   1.388 +shoulder. Pain exploded in the injured shoulder, shooting throughout
   1.389 +Kairi and Riku. But there it was. Riku's chance. With Sora's attack
   1.390 +leaving him open, Riku lunged forward, plunging the Keyblade deep
   1.391 +into the spikey haired boy's chest, right through the Heartless
   1.392 +symbol. Praying she was right, Riku and Kairi turned the key. If they
   1.393 +were wrong, either Sora would be dead, or they would. Sora slumped
   1.394 +forward on his knees, his heart unlocked from the turning Keyblade.
   1.395 +He held his chest, clutching his heart. Light cascaded over him, his
   1.396 +clothes returning to normal. He lay there, breathing heavily. 
   1.397 +
   1.398 +“Sora!!” Kairi through her arms around him, clutching him as tightly
   1.399 +as her injured shoulder would allow. They hadn't lost him. She could
   1.400 +feel Riku in their hug as she held onto Sora. “Sora, you're okay...”
   1.401 +Burying her head against his shoulder, she felt relief blossoming
   1.402 +within her. For the first time in so long, they were all together.
   1.403 +The three of them. Just as it should be. “Kairi...” Sora held the
   1.404 +other girl, feeling her hair against his cheek. She was real in his
   1.405 +arms. She had saved him again. What had he been about to do? He
   1.406 +shuddered at the thought. How could he ever harm her?“And?” Kairi
   1.407 +asked, raising an eyebrow.Sora laughed. He knew that gesture wasn't
   1.408 +Kairi's. “And Riku. It's good to see you, too. Even if you look...
   1.409 +ummm... cuter... than you did before.”Laughing as well, Kairi sat
   1.410 +back, gazing at Sora. “I thought he was plenty cute before. But I'm
   1.411 +just glad we're all together again.”Quite enraged that the light from
   1.412 +her heart was thoroughly turning the boys she loved against her,
   1.413 +Hikari summoned the darkness around her into razor sharp daggers. An
   1.414 +illusion wasn't going to take even the boys she loved away from her.
   1.415 +She had lost everything as it was. This was the final insult.
   1.416 +“Kairi!” Sora turned just in time to see the blade ended shadows
   1.417 +rushing towards them. His body ached too much to give him the
   1.418 +strength he needed to get up and get Kairi out of the way in time. 
   1.419 +When Kairi turned to look, she could only see a dark figure standing
   1.420 +before her. 
   1.421 +The blades cut deep into Ansem's cloak, causing the body that had
   1.422 +formerly belonged to Riku to stagger back. Blood dripped down the
   1.423 +cloak from the jagged wounds. The blindfolded boy grit his teeth,
   1.424 +trying to fight back the pain. “No... No, Hikari... The Heartless are
   1.425 +using you..” He coughed. Blood spattered his lips as he stepped
   1.426 +forward. “I'm sorry, Hikari... You never should have followed me... I
   1.427 +never should have forgotten... how much I loved my dear little
   1.428 +princess... I failed you... But I can't let you do this...” Drawing
   1.429 +his dual winged blades, he summoned the last of his strength. 
   1.430 +
   1.431 +When the Light within Kingdom Hearts had hit him, it had awakened
   1.432 +something Ansem had forgotten had ever existed. The love for his
   1.433 +daughter. How he had wanted his baby princess to be happy, how he
   1.434 +wanted his people to live happy lives. That was why he had originally
   1.435 +studied the Heartless. But he had lost himself in his work somewhere
   1.436 +along the way. Still in Riku's body, his own having died when he had
   1.437 +become one of the Heartless, he had decided to help Kairi along her
   1.438 +journey. Maybe she could put write what he had done wrong. But now he
   1.439 +had to kill Hikari in order to end the cycle. This was his fault. If
   1.440 +he hadn't been consumed by the Heartless, she never would have done
   1.441 +the same. At least they'd be together in death. Far away from the
   1.442 +Heartless.Dashing forward, Ansem brought both his swords to bear on
   1.443 +the fragile looking princess. His swords were blocked by her swiftly
   1.444 +moving shadows. Raising her hand, Hikari summoned all of the power of
   1.445 +darkness at her disposal. Ansem understood then that he had been too
   1.446 +late. Hikari was completely lost to the darkness. Her tortured soul
   1.447 +had found solace with the Heartless. And she wasn't going to leave
   1.448 +until everything was dead. “Foolish old man. The Heartless isn't
   1.449 +using me. I'm using it.” Narrowing her eyes, Hikari sent the
   1.450 +gathering darkness out, watching as it destroyed her father. His
   1.451 +tattered, bloodied cloak fell uselessly to her feet. 
   1.452 +
   1.453 +“Dad...” Kairi's heart lurched as she saw him die. In one world, she
   1.454 +had her mother. In this world, she had just lost her father. He had
   1.455 +tried to protect her, to make up for his sins. And her other self had
   1.456 +simply killed him. How could she be so cold? How could she have ever
   1.457 +gotten so dark inside? What had happened to her soul? That thought
   1.458 +horrified her. That was her. She was only a small part of that girl. 
   1.459 +
   1.460 +“If she killed Ansem that easily...” Riku whispered.“Then how are we
   1.461 +supposed to stop her?” Sora continued, watching in horrified awe.
   1.462 +Even Ansem hadn't been that powerful when he had fought the other
   1.463 +man. All the darkness that existed was at Hikari's fingertips. “We
   1.464 +have to try,” Riku said, clutching the Keyblade. Between himself and
   1.465 +Sora, there had to be something they could do, right? He had to do
   1.466 +something. But part of him held back. Could he really put Kairi in
   1.467 +harm's way like that?“You don't have a choice,” Kairi answered Riku's
   1.468 +thought. “Whether I get killed here or when she destroys everything,
   1.469 +there's no difference. I want to try. All three of us.” She turned to
   1.470 +Sora. “Can you distract her? Don't do anything that'll get her to
   1.471 +kill you outright. Be careful. Just distract her. I know she loves
   1.472 +you. I think she'll keep from seriously hurting you unless she has
   1.473 +to.” Sora nodded. She swallowed. “Riku, can you get me close enough
   1.474 +to her? I'm going to do what I did to Sora. I need to unlock her
   1.475 +heart. There has to be light in it. I'll unlock it just like I've
   1.476 +unlocked the others. I'll set her free.”“I'll get you there, Kairi,”
   1.477 +Riku promised. 
   1.478 +
   1.479 +Kairi smiled vaguely. “All three of us. This is how it's supposed to
   1.480 +be. If it's going to be the end, I'd want it to be with the two of
   1.481 +you. I'm sure she feels the same way.”“It's not the end, Kairi. We'll
   1.482 +stop this,” Sora argued. 
   1.483 +
   1.484 +“Whatever happens, we're together,” Riku said softly. “Together,”
   1.485 +Kairi agreed. She slowly got up, Sora standing up beside her. 
   1.486 +
   1.487 +Rushing forward, Sora threw his Keyblade, magic swirling around it
   1.488 +as it whipped through the air at Hikari. The princess looked up,
   1.489 +shadows swirling to protect her. As predicted, the Keyblade crashed
   1.490 +into her shield of shadows. 
   1.491 +
   1.492 +Riku through all of Kairi's strength into running to Hikari. He had
   1.493 +to catch her off guard. He could feel every pain in Kairi's body
   1.494 +acutely, but he tried to force more strength out of it. Just a little
   1.495 +more... Soon this nightmare could be over... There! Reaching Hikari,
   1.496 +Kairi shoved the Keyblade into Hikari's chest. Now she could unlock
   1.497 +Hikari. She could feel the other girl's pain. The torment that raked
   1.498 +over Hikari's soul was her own pain as well. But she had hope. That
   1.499 +was the big difference between them. She could believe in a brighter
   1.500 +tomorrow. She hoped she could prove it to Hikari. Turning the
   1.501 +Keyblade, Kairi waited for Hikari's heart to come unlocked. Nothing
   1.502 +happened. Switching the Keyblade inside of the other girl again, cold
   1.503 +dread spread throughout Kairi's heart and soul. Hikari turned to look
   1.504 +at her. The other girl was smiling. 'No...' Kairi thought, trying
   1.505 +again and again. Nothing. It was like there was nothing there.
   1.506 +“Didn't I tell you I planned for this? I cast out the light in my
   1.507 +heart a long time ago. I am the Heartless. I have nothing to unlock,
   1.508 +Kairi. I sent you away for this exact reason. There is absolutely no
   1.509 +light in my heart. I won't be defeated the way my father was.”
   1.510 +Raising her hand, Hikari summoned dark lightening, sending Kairi and
   1.511 +Sora flying back. “I have all of the Darkness in the universe at my
   1.512 +control thanks to you. And there's no light in my heart to exploit.
   1.513 +You're powerless, Kairi. You always were. You are nothing more than a
   1.514 +dream. A dream that's about to end.” She tilted her head back, tears
   1.515 +dripping down her cheeks. “Can you hear that? The universe is crying
   1.516 +out. It's dying. It's finally over. Nothing will ever hurt us again.
   1.517 +No more false hopes. No more painfilled days. Thank God, it's finally
   1.518 +over.” Her shoulders slumped with the relief of a girl consigned to
   1.519 +her death. This was her relief. She was finally ending it all. 
   1.520 +
   1.521 +The Heart of the Universe finally collapsed. The light in it was
   1.522 +extinguished. The entire universe trembled as its heart stopped. The
   1.523 +fabric of reality began to twist and writhe sickly as it began to
   1.524 +die, like the structure of a building finally succumbing to too much
   1.525 +stress and tearing itself apart. 
   1.526 +
   1.527 +Kairi had failed. The part of her that hoped for a brighter future,
   1.528 +that couldn't leave her mother, that needed Riku and Sora and her
   1.529 +dreams had failed. Hikari had succeeded. The part of her that
   1.530 +lamented every day, that cried herself to sleep at night, that found
   1.531 +each day a grueling exercise in pain, who could find no comfort in
   1.532 +dreams had succeeded. And so existence began to be plunged into
   1.533 +darkness. In darkness there was nothing. There was only the abyss. 
   1.534 +
   1.535 +Pain bit into Kairi's wrists. With a moan, the brunette doubled
   1.536 +over. Red hot pain was flaring through her mind. Now that everything
   1.537 +was falling apart, she didn't have this other world to protect her
   1.538 +from the fact that she was in her bedroom bleeding to death. Blood
   1.539 +dripped down her wrists as she lay on the cold shadows at the now
   1.540 +dead Heart of the Universe. “Kairi!!” Riku's voice cried out in her
   1.541 +mind. 
   1.542 +
   1.543 +“It's over,” Hikari whimpered, relief evident in her shaking body.
   1.544 +She cried tears of relief. Finally. She could finally die. After all
   1.545 +this time. No more purgatory in this world of dreams. No more days in
   1.546 +that intolerably cruel world where she was an outsider. Finally.
   1.547 +Blood dripped down her own wrists, but she hardly noticed. 
   1.548 +
   1.549 +It was too late. There was nothing left. By now, the darkness had
   1.550 +covered everything. Everything was dead. Everything was darkness. All
   1.551 +because of her. Kairi lay weakly on the shadowed floor, her eyes dim.
   1.552 +She could almost make out the image of her mother over her, but she
   1.553 +was so far away. Sora and Riku were close by, but they would be gone
   1.554 +soon, too. They would die when the universe finally collapsed. Which
   1.555 +should be in only moments. No... No, she couldn't let them die. She
   1.556 +couldn't. The Destiny Islands. Riku. Sora. Yuffie and Relm. All of
   1.557 +her friends. All those she'd met. Aerith and the other princesses. 
   1.558 +
   1.559 +That was it. The princesses. They had once been the light in the
   1.560 +darkness. They had been the children who had recreated worlds when
   1.561 +the universe had been plunged into darkness long ago. Now it was
   1.562 +happening again. Everything had been cast into darkness. But if she
   1.563 +could stop this before the universe tore itself apart, they could
   1.564 +recreate it all again. There is light even in the darkness. It only
   1.565 +needed a chance to grow. And she had to give it that chance. 
   1.566 +
   1.567 +Her body felt so weak. She was dizzy and sick from blood loss. She
   1.568 +was dying, she knew, but she wasn't ready. Not yet. Not now. Her
   1.569 +questing fingers sought out the Keyblade, scrabbling along over the
   1.570 +shadows. Nothing. Please... She begged for more inner strength. Riku
   1.571 +helped as much as he could, despite the fact that he knew what she
   1.572 +was planning. She thanked him with all her heart, her fingers finally
   1.573 +grasping the handle of the Keyblade. “Hikari...” Kairi whispered
   1.574 +weakly, pulling the Keyblade close. “You can't die. You can't end the
   1.575 +dream. Because... your mother needs you... And this world... is too
   1.576 +beautiful to die...” She breathed heavily, having trouble focusing.
   1.577 +Pulling up the Keyblade, she plunged it into her own chest. With
   1.578 +shaking hands, she unlocked her heart. 
   1.579 +
   1.580 +The Keyblade clattered to the floor as Kairi's heart rushed out of
   1.581 +her body. Hikari looked up. The princess's eyes widened in
   1.582 +realization. “No... Kairi, how could you?” She shook her head, tears
   1.583 +falling to the floor. “You idiot. You sacrificed yourself for this
   1.584 +world. You'll never see it again. Is that what you want?” But Kairi
   1.585 +wasn't out there anymore. She was within her. They were now one soul
   1.586 +again. Just as they had originally been. 
   1.587 +
   1.588 +The light in Hikari's heart had finally returned. Light burst
   1.589 +through the darkness inside of Hikari now that her heart had been
   1.590 +returned. The trembling of the universe stopped. All was still. “It's
   1.591 +up to you,” Hikari whispered. “You have to rebuild our dreams.
   1.592 +Aerith.. I hope you and the princesses can do it. I'm sorry for
   1.593 +causing all of this trouble. Rebuild them without a trace of the
   1.594 +Heartless. Rebuild this world as beautifully as you can.” Kairi's
   1.595 +body stirred, slowly getting to her feet. The cuts on her wrists were
   1.596 +gone. “Kairi?” Sora asked, looking at the girl. Hadn't she unlocked
   1.597 +her heart? Was she all right after all?Kairi shook her head. “No, not
   1.598 +Kairi.” It was Riku. He was the only one in Kairi's body now. Kairi
   1.599 +had returned to her original body. And Riku knew exactly what it
   1.600 +meant. “You're closing the door. You're shutting off the Heartless.
   1.601 +Kairi... Don't go.”
   1.602 +
   1.603 +Hikari shook her head, trying to smile through the tears. “I have
   1.604 +to. I almost killed this world. I almost killed everything I love so
   1.605 +very much. Especially the two of you. Please... Rebuild the Destiny
   1.606 +Islands for me.”Getting up, Sora shook his head. He could let this
   1.607 +happened. He denied that it would happen. He wouldn't let it!
   1.608 +“Kairi!! No! You can't go!” He ran to her, but she was already
   1.609 +disappearing from their world. Riku walked up, his fingers brushing
   1.610 +over her fading cheek. “Kairi...” It wasn't fair. They had finally
   1.611 +been together and now she was taken from them again, whisked away to
   1.612 +another world where she was dying. Laughing tearfully, Hikari shook
   1.613 +her head. “It isn't the end. Because I won't let it be. I love you
   1.614 +both too much for that.” She began to blur, becoming more and more
   1.615 +faint. She could feel herself on the floor, her mother's arms around
   1.616 +her. There was the faint sound of an ambulance. She was now more in
   1.617 +the other world than in this one. “Remember,” she said, her voice
   1.618 +growing faint. “I'm always with you. No matter how far apart we are.” 
   1.619 +
   1.620 +“Kairi,” Riku whispered, looking through tearstained eyes at the
   1.621 +girl he loved. “I don't care where you go. Wherever you are, I'll
   1.622 +find you. I promise. I'll search every universe over until I do.”
   1.623 +
   1.624 +“You're right, Kairi,” Sora nodded, trying to stay strong for her.
   1.625 +“It isn't over. We'll be together again. Someday.” 
   1.626 +
   1.627 +“Someday...” Hikari whispered. And with that, she was gone.