Author’s note: This is a story I wrote after finishing Squaresoft’s

 beautiful game, Kingdom Hearts. This may or may not become a series,

 so please, please tell me what you think. ^-^ This is only a one shot

 right now, but if I get a positive enough response or if I just feel

 crazy enough to actually write a series about this, I just might do

 it. This is shortly after the end of the game. So you might not want

 to read if you don’t like spoilers. ^^;; 

 

 

 Prism Hearts

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 ‘Thinking of you, wherever you are.

 

 We pray for our sorrows to end,

 And hope that our hearts will blend.

 Now I will step forward to realize this wish.

 

 And who knows: 

 Starting a new journey may not be so hard.

 Or maybe it has already begun.

 

 There are many worlds,

 But they share the same sky;

 One sky, one destiny.’

 

 

 Sitting on the end of a small pier, Kairi looked off into the

 sunset. The beautiful colors that descended to the earth looked like

 a painter’s most vivid dream. The sea reflected them, shifting

 recklessly as if it was jealous of the attention the sky was

 garnering for itself. But it wasn’t the sky that Kairi was interested

 in. She was trying to look past it, for something brighter than even

 the most beautiful sunset. She had done this often recently, so much

 so that the others on the island had finally stopped questioning her

 about it. They may think she was crazy or just daydreaming, but she

 was busy searching. All she needed was the tiniest hint. And the

 skies would stare back, teasing her with half-glimpses and images in

 the cotton candy clouds. But she would not let that deter her. She

 would keep searching forever if she had to.

 

 “I’ll be waiting for you. If you come here, you’ll find me. I

 promise,” she whispered, her voice carried off by the wind to

 destinations unknown. “Even if your ears can’t hear me, I know your

 heart can.” Her hand rested on her chest, feeling the beat of her own

 heart. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel their rhythm,

 all beating in unison. It didn’t matter how far apart they were.

 Their hearts would always be one. 

 

 When she blinked her eyes open, he was there. Just as if he had

 never left. His silver hair moved about in the light breeze. His eyes

 were shining and determined. He was reaching out for her, just as he

 always did. He was always reaching out for her, as if he could pull

 her along with him, to some place far away. Her hand left her chest,

 reaching out slowly for him. But before she could take his hand, he

 was gone. With a weak sigh, her hand fell into her lap. So close, yet

 always so far. It was like he was perpetually just out of reach. If

 she could just reach a little further, they could be together again.

 She knew Riku was far away, but she swore she could feel him

 sometimes, as if he were right behind her. That’s why she kept

 looking. Because she knew eventually they would be together again.

 

 A laugh reached her ears from the beach. It was laced with memories

 and feelings. “Sora!” She whirled about on the pier, her back aching

 from twisting so suddenly. Her hands lay on the deck as she gazed for

 the source of the boy’s laughter. Her heart sank when she saw that it

 was only Tidus, laughing at something Wakka had done. Shoulders

 slumped, the young girl turned back to the empty sea. The vast

 expanses that surrounded her encaged her as surely as any prison. 

 

 It was ironic that this had all began as an attempt to escape with

 her best friends from this island, to taste the freedom and the

 excitement of other worlds, to see all the beauty they had to offer.

 And now she was trapped on that same island, her friends somewhere

 far off. They were now distant stars to her, lost somewhere in the

 heavens. She would sit up at night, peering into the moonlit sky,

 striving for any glimpse of the two boys that held her heart up.

 Sometimes she would mistake a falling star for one of them, hoping

 they were returning to her. But her hopes were always dashed when she

 didn’t find them running to her on their beach. 

 

 Her memories were still clouded, distant things that seemed to come

 from another lifetime. She knew that she was a princess, but of where

 she wasn’t certain. But those memories didn’t matter to her. The

 memories that she cherished, that she held onto with all the strength

 in her heart were of her days with Riku and Sora on the island, of

 all of their moments together. Those were things she would never

 allow herself to forget, no matter how painful they could be or how

 lonely they might make her feel. They were her treasures, her little

 gems that she would sneak looks at whenever she could. 

 

 The pier creaked behind Kairi, but she didn’t turn around

 immediately. For the first few days she had turned at every sound,

 every whisper that came her way, hoping that she would see the two

 boys again. But now she wouldn’t let herself be distracted about such

 things. She was trying to focus past all of the surface noise and

 images, to see where the two were out there. 

 

 “Kairi?” A voice asked tentatively. Selphie waited for a moment, not

 quite expecting an answer. With how out of it Kairi had been lately,

 she wouldn’t be at all surprised. But she could understand. Love did

 that sort of thing to you. Especially when your love was very far

 away. 

 

 Kairi slowly turned, her legs still slowly kicking away from the

 deck. She spotted Selphie waiting behind her. With Selphie was a

 blonde girl with glasses and a long pink dress. The blonde girl

 looked about a year or so older than Selphie. She could vaguely

 recall seeing her before on the main island of the Destiny Islands

 when she had been visiting with Sora and his parents. “Oh, hi,

 Selphie,” Kairi said, a little sheepishly. She placed a hand behind

 her head. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

 

 Selphie giggled, her hands behind her back. “Yeah, but you’re always

 like that lately. Thinking about someone special?” She grinned wider.

 Selphie loved romance. And watching it unfold on the Destiny Islands

 was her favorite past time. And she’d been wondering for quite some

 time what would become of the love triangle between Kairi, Riku, and

 Sora. 

 

 Kairi sighed, looking back at the ocean waves beneath her feet.

 “Something like that.”

 

 “Oh, this is Quisty. You probably haven’t seen her much. She spends

 too much of her time studying. I practically had to drag her out

 here,” Selphie stated with mock exasperation. She perked up

 immediately, dropping the façade. “But it’s nice and romantic at

 sunset on the beach and she needed a break from all those books.”

 

 Quistis sweatdropped, not quite sure what to say. She had indeed

 been studying when Selphie had taken it upon herself to get her to

 relax and had dragged her off to the island. Of course, she knew

 Selphie too well to believe her pretenses about relaxing. Selphie

 wanted a moonlit stroll on the beach or to sit and watch the sunset

 together or something. And how could she have possibly said no to

 that?

 

 Kairi giggled softly, looking at the two. It sounded like this

 ‘Quisty’ was the exact opposite of Selphie. Studious and mature, the

 slightly older girl didn’t seem anything like the spunky and childish

 brunette. But her smile slipped slightly as she saw them holding

 hands. She missed Riku and Sora. She wanted to watch the sunset with

 them again. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, smiling warmly

 at the two other girls. “That sounds like fun. The sunset’s gorgeous

 tonight. It’s perfect to watch with someone.”

 

 Selphie bit her lip, watching Kairi for a moment. “You really miss

 them, don’t you? I’m sure they’ll come back soon. They must miss you

 a lot, too. They’re probably both on their way right now. You’ll see

 them before you know it.” She smiled brightly. There was always hope.

 No matter how dark things were, there was always some light tucked

 away in the shadows.

 

 Staring back at the pink and orange sky, Kairi nodded, smiling

 softly herself. “I know. I can feel them. They’ll come back to me.

 Someday. Besides, Sora promised me that he’d bring my lucky charm

 back. And Riku risked everything to get my heart back. I know he

 wouldn’t give up on me no matter what.”

 

 Tilting her head to the side, Selphie tried to see what Kairi was

 looking at. It was almost like she was looking through the sunset to

 something behind it. Finally giving up, Selphie looked at Kairi

 again. “Remember what I said about Paopu fruits? How they intertwine

 your destiny forever with someone when you share it? I can get you

 one if you want. Then you can share it with one of them when they get

 back.” She squeezed Quistis’s hand, feeling a giddy thrill run

 through her. “I finally found someone to share one with. It’s

 wonderfully romantic. You should really try it.” She could tell

 Quistis was blushing, but that just made her want to melt against the

 taller girl.

 

 “I will,” Kairi promised. She leant back on her hands, staring

 straight up at the sky. “But I’d have to share it with both of them.

 So the three of us will never be apart again. So we’ll always be

 together.” Her blue eyes closed as she imagined them all sitting

 together, sharing the star shaped fruit. 

 

 Selphie sweatdropped, looking down at the lost princess. “But which

 of them do you love? Which one do you want to be with forever?”

 

 Blinking, Kairi slowly focused on the sky above. That thought

 puzzled her. It seemed so simple, yet the answer eluded her. It felt

 like a trick question. She rolled it over in her mind. But she

 couldn’t imagine one without the other. It felt wrong, incomplete.

 “Both of them,” she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper.

 "I love both of them. I want to be with them forever.” And she was

 satisfied with that answer. It was what her heart desired, what she

 wanted more than anything else. That was why they were all still

 together, why their hearts were all one, even if they were far apart. 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 “Everything has been restored. Our world’s back to normal,” Aerith

 said, relief filling her soul. For so long they had been cast out

 into the universe, their home world a mere shell of it’s former self,

 consumed by the Heartless. Now all of those hopes and dreams that had

 grown inside of them were realized, brought back as if they had never

 been gone at all. But what cost had been paid to return their home to

 them?

 

 “Do you think they’re all right?” Yuffie asked after a moment’s

 pause. She had been thinking the same thing. They had bound together

 in order to stop the Heartless, but in the end they could only pray

 the Keyblade Master could stop the outpouring of darkness. She felt

 as if she should have been there herself. This was her home, after

 all. She should have been fighting for it. No one else should have to

 sacrifice themselves for her happiness.

 

 Leon shrugged, his arms crossed. “Who knows? I don’t suppose we’ll

 ever find out. The worlds are separated again so we can’t know what’s

 become of them.” Though he couldn’t voice it, he felt the same way

 Yuffie did. He had spent so long mourning the loss of his home world,

 blaming himself for not being able to save it. He had even changed

 his name to distance himself from the pain. He had been willing to do

 anything to fix his mistake. And a boy had done that for him. He had

 to hope the Keyblade Master was all right somewhere out there. 

 

 “Hey, guess who I found wandering outside? Looks like he got lost.

 Aerith, you seem to have a thing for lost puppies. Maybe you can

 handle him.” Cid grinned as the brunette turned her attention his

 way. He motioned behind him at a cloaked figure.

 

 “Cloud!” Aerith called out happily, hurrying to the blond man. Now

 her home felt complete again. Now she truly felt like she was home.

 Her eyes sparkled with diamond tears of joy. 

 

 “Aerith...” Cloud could only stare for a long moment. He felt so

 exhausted after his long and lonely journey. He wanted nothing more

 than to collapse at Aerith’s feet. Or better yet, in her arms. But he

 could only stare, his heart thawing now that he had finally found

 what he had spent so long searching for. “I never stopped looking for

 you.”

 

 Aerith smiled brightly, taking the cloaked man’s hand. “I know,

 Cloud. I knew you’d find me one day. I’ve always had faith in you.

 That’s why I was never worried. Because I knew one day I’d see you

 again. I was just worried you wouldn’t have the same hope. You can be

 so dark sometimes.”

 

 Cloud’s emerald eyes shone as he held Aerith’s hand tightly,

 reveling at just the simple fact of being able to hold it again. “It

 was hard sometimes. But I knew I had to keep looking. I couldn’t

 afford to give up. I knew you didn’t die with the planet. And I would

 do anything to see you again.”

 

 Leon watched on, his arms still crossed. This was reminding him too

 much of something he would prefer to forget. He hadn’t been able to

 save her. He had given up hope of ever seeing her again. But this

 man, this Cloud had kept searching even when it had been more than

 likely that Aerith had died along with almost everyone else on Hollow

 Bastion. He felt a cold wind blow across his soul at the thought. He

 had been such a naïve child, believing he could protect the woman he

 loved from something like the Heartless. He had been unsuccessful.

 That was part of why he had changed his name. If he was someone else,

 he wouldn’t have to think about losing her. Because Squall had lost

 Rinoa, not Leon. 

 

 Sitting on the table in the library, Yuffie watched with mild

 interest at Cloud and Aerith’s reunion. They really were back home.

 With all of their friends. It was slowly sinking in. The world’s

 greatest ninja was back home with all of her family and friends. No

 more wandering and fighting. 

 

 Leon sighed, turning his back on the goings on. He wasn’t a part of

 any of this. He felt awkward, like an outsider. But he had always

 felt that way. He wasn’t good with people. Until she came along... He

 banished the thought, walking away from his teammates. He walked

 deeper into the library. He just wanted to be alone right now.

 

 “Aren’t you even going to say hello?”

 

 Leon froze. All of his cold mental reserve shattered like brittle

 glass. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. It couldn’t be... He

 slowly turned to face the voice, his heart still frozen in midbeat.

 His eyes fell upon a girl in blue leaning against a bookshelf. He

 felt dizzy and lost all over again, as if the floor had been yanked

 out from under him. 

 

 Rinoa smiled at him, brushing back some dark hair as she advanced on

 Leon. “You look different. But it doesn’t seem like you’ve changed at

 all otherwise.”

 

 “...” 

 

 Rinoa giggled, finally reaching the moody gunblade expert. “I love

 you, too, Squall,” she replied. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders

 as she stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. 

 

 Leon slowly found himself regaining control as she kissed him, as if

 his soul was reawakening because of her. He closed his eyes tightly,

 holding onto Rinoa. All that he had thought he had gotten rid of had

 only been hidden away. Forgotten, but not entirely gone. And she was

 the key to unlocking it all.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 Sora collapsed onto his back, staring up at the cerulean skies above

 him. He yawned, stretching out on the soft grass. His entire body was

 sore. It felt like they had been travelling forever. He just wanted

 to lie down for a moment. But lying there, his weariness tore at him.

 He didn’t want to get back up. He just wanted to lie there. 

 

 ‘Sora, you lazy bum,’ he could hear Kairi say. 

 

 ‘I know you’re stronger than that, Sora,’ Riku’s voice called out in

 his mind.

 

 Nodding resolutely, he struggled back into a sitting position. There

 was still too much work to do. He couldn’t go slacking off now. He

 couldn’t let down Kairi and Riku. 

 

 “We’re never going to find that door,” Donald said exasperatedly,

 slumping next to Sora. His legs ached. He was a lot shorter than

 Goofy and Sora, so he had to work harder to keep up. On top of that,

 he had to get back to Daisy soon. Or she’d kill him. He gulped at the

 thought, resting against his staff. 

 

 “We’ve gotta find the door. We will find it. It’s the only way we

 can find Riku and your king.” Sora looked up at the clouds, seeing

 his friends in them, calling to him. That managed to reenergize his

 spirits. They were out there. And they would be together again one

 day. If there was one thing his journey had taught him, it was to

 believe in the power of one’s heart. And there was a red thread

 connecting his heart to Riku and Kairi’s. As long as he believed that

 they would be together, they eventually would. He just had to keep

 believing. 

 

 “Hey, Sora,” Goofy began. “You finally got that friend of yours,

 Kairi, back, right? So why aren’t you trying to find a way back to

 your island?”

 

 “Because I’m not going back without Riku. I have to find him. We’re

 going back to Kairi together. I can’t leave him. And I can’t leave

 you guys to find your king alone. We’re in this together,” Sora

 explained. He could see Riku and Kairi smiling at him in the clouds.

 “And even if I can’t be with Kairi right now, I’ll always be with

 her. The same with Riku. But I want us to all be together again. So

 I’m going to make sure it happens. No matter how long it takes.”

 

 “Gawrsh. Poor Kairi has to wait all this time while we’re off

 lookin’ for that door.” Goofy shook his head sadly.

 

 Donald glared at Goofy, crossing his arms. “Poor Kairi? I wouldn’t

 mind trading places with her. Let her find that stupid door.” 

 

 Sora laughed. “But you’ll keep looking with us anyway, right,

 Donald? Remember, only smiles on this trip.”

 

 The duck looked over to protest but found himself staring at the

 oddly grinning faces of both Goofy and Sora. Sighing, the mage gave

 up. “All right, all right! Only smiles.”

 

 Sora stretched as he finally stood up. “Good. Then lets get going.

 We have to go find Riku and the king. We can’t waste any time.

 They’re probably waiting for us right now.” With renewed enthusiasm,

 he began walking again. He had no idea where the door to the light

 would be, but it hardly mattered. He’d keep looking until he found

 Riku. 

 

 Donald sighed and slowly got to his feet. “Hey! Wait up!”

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 Walking along the beach, Kairi was lost in thought. The island felt

 so empty without Sora and Riku by her side. She found herself closing

 her eyes more and more and wishing that they would be there when she

 opened them. But they never were. So she wandered the island,

 visiting all of the places that were important to her two best

 friends, that held special memories for her. It was all she could

 think to do. It wasn’t as good as having them there with her, but it

 let her relive those moments they had together. Even if she did wind

 up crying because of it quite a bit. She felt so alone without the

 two of them. “Come back to me,” she whispered. 

 

 Something in the air caught her eye, drawing her gaze to the

 heavens. Something was plummeting through the sky, falling like some

 shooting star. It took her a moment to realize it was human shaped

 and plunging towards the waves nearby. It finally crashed into the

 aquamarine ocean, sending water splashing everywhere. Kairi ran to

 the water, swimming as quickly as she could towards the figure. Her

 mind raced with thoughts, all jumbling upon each other in their

 confusion. Riku? Sora? Were they hurt? Was it them? How had they

 fallen from the sky? Could she really drag them all the way back to

 the beach? 

 

 Searching under the gently rolling waves, Kairi finally spotted a

 prone figure in the water. She pushed forward, grabbing hold as

 tightly as she could. Pulling herself up, she gasped greedily for

 air, holding the figure close as she made her way back to land. Her

 heart was playing a staccato beat inside of her chest as she

 struggled wet and weak along the sand. She finally collapsed with the

 fallen person, her curiosity and anxiety nearly maddening. Rolling on

 her side while she tried to catch her breath, she found herself

 staring back into blue eyes. 

 

 Sitting up as quickly as she was able, Kairi found herself staring

 at herself lying on the sand. “What?” The sight gave her no relief.

 It only served to raise more questions, confusing her further. This

 didn’t feel like a dream. But how? This didn’t make any sense. She

 could only stare at herself for a long moment, waiting to see if the

 other her would do anything. Where had it come from? Why was it her?

 What was going on?

 

 It took Kairi a bit before she noticed a difference in the other

 her. There was something strange sticking out of her chest. Still on

 her knees, she slowly reached toward the strange object. Her hand

 jerked back when she saw the chest rise and fall. She finally worked

 up the courage to reach out again, taking hold of what she now

 realized was a handle. But for what? The girl that looked so much

 like her didn’t seem to be stabbed or anything. But the handle still

 seemed to lead to something. 

 

 “It will be okay, Kairi. I’ll always be with you. There’s nothing to

 be afraid of. You just have to reach out and take my hand.”

 

 Kairi looked up in shock at the familiar voice. She could see Riku

 looking down at her, holding his hand out for her. “Riku... I...” She

 reached forward, trying to take his hand, to pull him close. But his

 hand was gone before she could grab hold of it. “Riku...” She looked

 back down at herself, her other hand still on the protruding handle. 

 

 “Find them,” her other self whispered. “They need you. They can’t do

 it alone.”

 

 Kairi slowly found herself nodding. “We should be together. We need

 each other.” She couldn’t just wait on her island forever. ‘This

 time, I’ll protect both of you,’ she thought to herself. The her on

 the sand smiled. Taking a firmer grip on the handle, Kairi pulled it

 out of the other version of herself. In a storm of sparkles, the

 other her was gone, and Kairi was holding a large key.

 

 “Open the door,” a voice whispered in her head. Who was it? She

 couldn’t quite tell. Looking up, she could see a lone door standing

 on the beach, apparently leading to nowhere. It had a large keyhole

 on it. It almost seemed to beckon her. Kairi slowly stood up. If she

 stayed here, her friends might be in danger. She knew they could

 handle anything if they were all together again. Sora and Riku were

 both lost out there. Maybe she could find them. She would find them.

 Wherever they were. 

 

 Stepping forward, the young princess used the large, unwieldy key to

 unlock the door awaiting her. As the door slowly opened, she knew

 there would be no turning back. This was it. But her choice was

 simple. She had to find them. Anything could have happened to them

 out there, lost on any one of countless worlds. Without a glance

 back, Kairi plunged through the door.