Prism Hearts

 Chapter 12

 Angelus Errare: Where Angels Lose Their Way

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 She was out there. Somewhere. Being chased by the Heartless and

 whoever else wanted what lay inside of her heart. Lost out in a world

 slowly being consumed by darkness. Torn between reality and nightmare

 and whatever was in between. And the one man he had counted on to

 protect her was now incredibly far away, unable to keep the darkness

 at bay for her. Wherever she was, he knew she was in danger. He could

 feel it resonating throughout his soul, a cosmic cord that had been

 struck, hitting him like nails on a chalkboard. He could tell himself

 that it was only his own worry, but he didn't believe that. There was

 a connection between them, something that being worlds away wasn't

 going to sever. After all, she was the only reason he lingered in

 this world of the living.

 

 The concern he felt was reaching a crescendo, crashing around him

 like an angry sea. It was maddening. He was powerless to save her,

 trapped behind the door at the center of all the universes, Kingdom

 Hearts. Riku pounded on the inside of the door, frustration eating

 him alive. He'd heard Kairi on the other side of those large doors

 not so long ago. So close yet so far. If only he'd been able to get

 through them to her... He hated leaving her alone. Sora was supposed

 to be with her. But where was the other boy?

 

 Leaning against the door, Riku crossed his arms and sighed. He was

 trapped here. He couldn't go to Kairi's rescue. Not this time. He

 wanted to believe that Sora would reach her in time, but Sora felt so

 very far away. Well, Riku wasn't exactly trapped. There was one other

 place he could go. "But I can't do that. Not yet. Not until I see her

 again." When he had lost his body to Ansem, he had technically died.

 With no body, he was only a soul. He could leave this plane, could

 escape to the afterlife. Farplane. Lifestream. Whatever one wished to

 call it. He could feel it calling to him, but he pushed it off with

 force of will. He couldn't go yet. Even if that left him locked

 behind a door at the center of all creation. "Kairi..." he whispered.

 

 Again, that feeling of cold dread sent shards of ice through his

 blood. She needed him and he couldn't go to her. "Sora... Hurry...

 She needs you." But somehow, he had the horrible feeling that Sora

 was lost himself at the moment. Neither of them could save her.

 Neither of them could reach her. It was up to Kairi. Or Fate. "Hold

 on, Kairi. Please hold on. You don't need to be meeting me in the

 afterlife. Not yet."

 

 Locked away at the heart of all that was, a silver haired boy closed

 his eyes and prayed to whoever would listen to him to let the girl he

 loved be all right.

 

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

 

 "Yuna!"

 

 Yuna pulled away from the kiss she had been entagled in with Rikku,

 the world slamming back down around her. Her cheeks flushed a dark

 red as her flustered heart spun dizzily. She tried to step away from

 the catgirl, but Rikku was only pulled closer. She could feel tiny

 pinpricks against her hips. It took her a moment to realize it was

 the blonde girl's claws through her skirt. They were still snagged on

 the fabric. Blushing more, Yuna quickly cast her gaze for the source

 of the voice.

 

 Rikku blinked confusedly, still staring up at the pretty brunette.

 The voice had vaguely reached her ears, but she was too lost in a

 world alone with Yuna to case. "Mew?" The curious cat sound she made

 didn't register to her as anything strange. It was as close to a

 question as she could muster at the moment. Holding onto Yuna, the

 catgirl nuzzled her neck, purring happily as she reached up to kiss

 the other girl again. She paused when she saw the horrified look on

 Yuna's face. That look on the brunette's beautiful face broke the

 spell Rikku had been under, sending her tumbling back to the earth

 from the heavens she had been dwelling in. "Yunie, what's wrong?"

 

 "Tidus!" Yuna pulled away from Rikku, running forward on the beach.

 The previously comfortable wet sand against her feet now felt

 difficult and unpredictable, impeding her effort to reach the blonde

 boy.

 

 Tidus was still smiling. He'd finally found Yuna on the other side

 of the island and she seemed to be talking to Rikku about something.

 They were hugging and whispering, he thought. Running to them, he'd

 called out to Yuna. He wanted to ask her if she wanted to go with him

 to the festival that night. She would be fun to go with and he did

 like her. And Selphie was right, she was an excellent dancer. For

 some reason, Yuna had blushed when he'd called her name. They must

 have been talking about something private. When she finally caught

 sight of him, he grinned and waved. "Yuna!" He ran across the beach,

 his sandles mashing against the wet sand. He was nearly out of breath

 but he didn't care. They were having the festival that night. He'd

 get to go with Yuna and they'd all have fun. They could forget about

 holes that led to nowhere and friends disappearing and...

 

 "Tidus!!" Yuna screamed, reaching out for him. Strong arms wrapped

 around her waist, yanking her back. The wind was knocked out of her

 as she was dragged back. Someone's voice yelled to her, but it was

 drowned out by the roar of the water. Water poared around her like a

 spring storm, but it all came from the sea around them, soaking her

 in salt water. She struggled to get free, but Rikku's claws held

 tight in her dress, pulling her further back even under the

 relentless shower. She cried out unintelligibly straining.

 

 Something immense broke throught the water's surface, sending water

 spraying everywhere as waves crashed against the beach. The creature,

 some cross between a whale, coral, and a nightmare, raised up above

 the beach, casting the already cloudy day into shadow. Water and sand

 were actually getting sucked upwards, high into the air in some sort

 of vortex above the creature. It watched them, even though it had no

 eyes. But in particular, it seemed to be watching Yuna.

 

 For a moment, Yuna was disoriented. A huge wave had crashed around

 her and Rikku, sending them tumbling. She couldn't tell if she was

 still on the beach or in the ocean. She spat out seawater, hunched

 over. The wind tore at her drenched clothes, making her shiver and

 the wet cloth slapped against her. She scanned frantically for any

 sign of Rikku or Tidus. She finally caught sight of the blonde boy.

 He was floating in the water in front of the monster. "Tidus!!" she

 cried out, slowly getting to her feet. The boy stirred, starting to

 move in the water. She had to get him away from it. "Rikku?" She

 couldn't tell where the catgirl was. Deep in her heart, she knew this

 creature. It sang to her, a horrible, brutal lullaby. It dizzied her

 senses, leaving her barely able to concentrate. She struggled to

 reach Tidus in time, stumbling through the knee deep water. Tripping

 on a rock in the water, her heart lurched as well as her body as she

 crashed painfully into the waves. She was running out of time. It

 wouldn't pause forever. She had to drag him away from it. She had to

 find Rikku and run. They all needed to get away. Far, far away.

 

 Gazing through the water that burned her eyes, Yuna could barely

 make out the vague blur that she hoped was Tidus. "Tidus!" She tried

 to get out around a mouthful of water. She pushed herself forward the

 last few steps. The boy began to get up on his own. Good. Now she

 wouldn't have to drag him. They could run. Before she could search

 for Rikku, she could tell that something was wrong. No, he wasn't

 getting up on his own. The water was moving him. Pulling him up. Up

 into the air. "No!" Yuna ran forward, slowed by the surging waves.

 "Tidus!" She screamed. She reached for his limp hand, her fingers

 brushing against him. Her heart nearly collapsed when she realized it

 was too late. His wet fingers slipped past hers as the water and sand

 and leaves were sucked up into the air. And she was about to follow.

 Her feet were no longer touching the ground. The water around her was

 starting to get pulled after her. She was going to be devoured.

 This... Thing was going to devour Tidus and then her. It was like a

 monster from fairy tales her father had told her. But this one was

 hideously real.

 

 Yuna stopped in midair. A wet paw clung tightly to her skirt,

 yanking her away from the funnel of water and debris getting sucked

 into the vortex up above. The hand nearly lost it's grip again and

 again, but it kept grasping at her, finally pulling her away. The

 water around them was still trying to lift into the sky, but not as

 strongly as the tornado of objects being pulled into the air where

 Yuna had just been. Rikku held onto Yuna's hand tightly, the claws

 cutting into her skin as the wind whipped at them, trying to drag

 them after Tidus. 'I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to

 you. I won't let it hurt you,' Rikku's mind raced. She didn't know

 what this was, but she knew she couldn't let it have Yuna. She'd

 promised to protect the girl. She'd do anything to protect her.

 

 The two girls reached the beach, soaked and out of breath, aching

 and afraid. Behind them, the steady roar began to die down. Splashes

 could be heard as objects that hadn't reached the vortex plummeted to

 the sea below. Yuna turned slowly, dreading what she would see. Where

 the creature had stood was now only chaos. Debris floating

 haphazardly in the ocean. And Tidus was gone. Gone. "No..." she

 whispered, as if denying that it had happened would bring him back,

 would deny the very event itself. "No!" She stumbled forward, wanting

 to search for him, but she knew it was pointless. She collapsed to

 her knees in the wet sand. That creature... It was her nightmare. The

 thing that haunted her dreams. She knew it. Her personal boogeyman.

 It had many forms, but it was always the same. And now it was real.

 It had come out of her nightmares and it had found her. And it had

 taken away one of those closest to her. And she knew it would be back

 for more. She burst into tears. They had always told her that her

 father had merely drowned at sea, but she could never believe that.

 She'd had a dream about that creature taking her father away the

 night before he'd died. She'd seen it. She'd been unable to stop it.

 Now it had taken Tidus away. "Tidus... I'm so sorry..." She had

 failed once more to protect those she cared about. Her father hadn't

 listened, had told her it was only a nightmare and had sailed off to

 his death. Tidus had been so close. So very close. She'd nearly had

 his hand. "I'm so sorry..." she repeated between sobs.

 

 Wet, furry arms wrapped around Yuna, pulling her close. The crying

 girl curled up weakly in Rikku's arms, shaking. "Yunie..."

 Swallowing, Rikku buried her face against the brunette's soggy hair.

 What was that thing? In all of her travels, she'd never met anything

 so terrifying. It had seemed so focussed on Yuna. How could she

 protect Yuna from that demon? She had to try. Somehow. She'd

 promised. She wouldn't let it take her. No matter what.

 

 "Sin..." Yuna whispered, resting limply in Rikku's arms. She

 shuddered violently, breaking into a fresh batch of sobs.

 

 "What? Yunie, what's sin?" Rikku asked worriedly, pulling Yuna closer.

 

 "That... that was Sin..." Yuna whispered. "Sin's come to punish

 us..." She knew it. Knew it like she knew how to breathe and how to

 laugh. It was ingrained in her. That was Sin. It was a nightmare. And

 it had come for the Destiny Islands.

 

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

 

 Hikari nibbled on her lower lip, waiting anxiously for the bell to

 ring. She shuffled the beautiful, multicolored papers on her lap,

 watching the clock in the classroom tick inexorably towards

 dismissal. Her heart pounded excitedly in her chest as she waited.

 

 Taking a pencil, she began to scribble on the top sheet. She smiled

 as a familiar figure began to take shape on the page before her. It

 happened without thinking, as if he wanted to see her. It was silly,

 she knew, but she couldn't help it. Riku slowly came into being on

 the paper in front of her in the form of a hastily drawn picture.

 Sighing inwardly, she smiled. He was so cute. But he was probably so

 lonely there by himself. By now completely phasing out whatever the

 teacher was saying, Hikari drew in Sora next to the other boy. And,

 after a moment's thought, herself between the two boys. There. That

 was better. By now, drawing the boys was second nature. She'd drawn

 hundreds of pictures of them and their island. They were her best

 friends. Even if they weren't real.

 

 The bell finally rang, cutting into Hikari's distant thoughts. The

 girl quickly got up, nearly dropping her lapful of colored papers. A

 boy behind her laughed as she struggled to keep a grasp on the

 handful of them. Finally pulling them into a hug, she hurried to pass

 them out. They were invitations to her thirteenth birthday party. Her

 mother had made each of them by hand the night before. Her mother's

 art still amazed her. The older woman could draw such beautiful

 things. It was she who had spent hours upon hours teaching Hikari to

 draw. And now the younger girl spent as much time as she could

 drawing her dreams, that far off world she loved so very much. It

 seemed to come to life in the drawings.

 

 Written in her mother's careful hand on each and every paper was:

 'Please come, one and all, to the beautiful Princess Hikari's 13th

 birthday this Friday. Whether by carriage or chocobo or airship, all

 are welcome for this wondrous celebration. Dinner will be served so

 all visiting dignitaries' parents shouldn't worry about them coming

 home hungry. Please call Princess Hikari's chief adviser (her mother)

 if you have any questions.'

 

 As Hikari passed out the last of the invitations, she felt

 excitement mixed with pride and anticipation. The invitations were

 beautiful. Her mother had spent so much time on them, surprising

 Hikari early in the morning with the bundle. She had said she wanted

 Hikari to have a birthday fit for a princess. That was so sweet.

 Hikari had been delighted with the beautiful pictures that adorned

 the invitations. Her mother had drawn them. It was like an invitation

 to Wonderland, wondrous and amazing. No one else had invitations like

 that, usually little more than explanations on paper of what party

 and where. No one else had a mother like she had, pretty and fun and

 loving. Her mind raced with thoughts of her birthday, of games and

 the pretty dress her mother had bought her for it and....

 

 "Princess Hikari?" One of the girls asked, grinning. "Since when was

 Hikari a princess?"

 

 Hikari's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It's... Mom meant..."

 

 "So we're supposed to get off of school friday and go to 'her

 highness's' little play date?" A boy asked.

 

 "What types of games will they be playing? Spin the bottle?"

 

 Another boy laughed. "With who? The other four-year-olds Hikari

 invites? You'll be lucky if they play pin the tail on the donkey. The

 'Princess' likes to keep things simple."

 

 Hikari's eyes burned brightly with tears as she listened to them

 laugh and joke. Each time she heard someone call her 'princess', it

 felt like a slap to the face. Not like when her mother said it. When

 she said it, Hikari felt like a real princess. But now....  She

 sniffled painfully, hoisting up her backpack as she left the room.

 

 "Hey, Princess, I don't think I can make it. I'm gonna be visiting

 the man on the moon that day. Very busy," a girl said mock seriously.

 Her friends burst into laughter.

 

 Hikari couldn't speak. She could barely keep from crying. She'd

 thought the invitations were wonderful. She loved the idea of a

 magically princess themed birthday party. But now she felt stupid for

 wanting such a thing. Stupid and childish.

 

 Another boy crumpled up the invitation, drawn brilliantly on a sky

 blue paper. He dropped it in a trash can as he passed, not bothering

 with a glance back. It was simply so much trash to him. Nothing more,

 nothing less. Her mother's work, the pretty invitation she had spent

 all night on, now left unceremoniously with the rest of the garbage.

 Hikari felt sick. She shook lightly, her vision blurred. She didn't

 even know where she was going. She wanted to collapse and cry. But

 then they'd be right. She would just be a dumb little girl. Tears

 fell silently down her cheeks as she cursed herself inwardly. She was

 just a dumb little girl. A little girl who wanted her mother, who

 wanted to be a princess. Who wanted everyone to like her. Her breath

 caught in her throat, wet and stinging. She pushed open the bathroom

 door and stumbled on leaden feet into a stall. Collapsing, she cried

 through most of the next period.

 

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

 

 Kairi stirred weakly in her bonds. Where was she? Oh, how she was

 beginning to loathe that question. Kuja... Blinking awake, Kairi

 glanced around the gothic looking room. The nightmare she had just

 had only made her present state that much more miserable. Her soul

 was still clouded with pain half-remembered, worried about an

 uncertain Fate that hung before her.

 

 "So the sleeper awakens." Kuja's soft voice seemed to come from

 everywhere at once. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was

 smirking now. "Or perhaps that's not entirely true. You haven't woken

 up just yet. Not from this dream. But that suits my needs just fine.

 I'll shape this dream however I see fit with the power you'll grant

 me, Kairi." Finally stepping into view, the lithe catboy was indeed

 smirking. He traced Kairi's cheek with his fingertips. "It will hurt.

 But then it will all be over. And I'll create a new world from your

 ashes."

 

 Kairi struggled as she felt his hand trailing down her neck, moving

 over her collarbone. But she was helpless. "I won't give up. I won't

 let you change this world. I'm going to save it." She had to believe

 in those words. She had to. For Sora. For Riku. For all of her

 friends who were counting on her to stop the Heartless.

 

 "You really don't have a choice anymore, Kairi. You may be the

 dreamer, but with the Prism Heart, I'll recast it into my dream. I'll

 never die. All the things that haunt me will disperse into

 nothingness. It will be beautiful." Kuja sighed deliciously. "It's

 only too bad you won't be there to see it." His hand now rested

 directly over Kairi's heart. He could practically taste the fear and

 uncertainty that washed over her. He gazed into her eyes, ready to

 watch the light fade from them as she died. With a swift motion of

 his hand, he shoved his fingers into her chest.

 

 Pain screamed through Kairi's head, bright and searing pain that

 instantly killed any thoughts that were swarming through her head.

 The scream felt endless and tore through her mind and soul. Yet her

 lips only trembled, unable to make anything but the tiniest sounds.

 She could feel his hand pushing deeper inside of her, clutching at

 her heart, could feel him grabbing it tenderly, ready to draw it out

 of her. She'd come so far. She had promised she'd save Riku. But now

 she would die in a far off world as someone used her heart to

 recreate this reality. And all she could do was wish for the pain to

 end.

 

 '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.'

 

 No. She had promised. This wouldn't end here. Her fingernails dug

 into her palms as she tried to concentrate. She wouldn't die here.

 She couldn't die here. Her journey wasn't over. She needed to save

 Riku. Had to find Sora. 'I won't give up. I'm with you. Wherever you

 are.' Whether the thought was her own or soemone else's, she couldn't

 quite be sure. The pain grew, numbing her senses in an overload as

 she felt her heart slipping further and further away from her.

 'Mom...' Her mother was a beautiful woman, her best friend. 'Dad...'

 Her father had been an ingenious monarch who had fallen victim to his

 own curiosity. Both were from different worlds. But both felt so

 real. 'I can't give up one and not the other. I can't choose. I

 can't...' Everything around her began to fade as she felt her heart

 giving up it's hold. 'I'm sorry...' she thought dimly as everything

 plunged into blackness around her.

 

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

 

 "Kuja!" Garnet stood at the last of the steps, watching in horror as

 pulled a shimmering, crystalline heart from Kairi. The chestnut

 haired girl slumped in her bonds, her eyes dull and glassy. Simply a

 body. They were too late.

 

 "Kairi!!" Relm ran past the silver haired catboy to the chained up

 Keyblade Mistress's side. If she'd been with her instead of playing

 her stupid games with Yuffie... Celes had sacrificed herself so they

 could escape. But now... Without Kairi, how could they hope to stop

 the Heartless? "Kairi... Kairi, please wake up..." Relm held onto

 Kairi's shoulders, but the other girl couldn't hear her.

 

 "I'm afraid you're too late. I already have what I was looking for.

 Go ahead and take her body if you want. I have no further use for

 it." He shrugged, grinning wildly as he held his prize. The Prism

 Heart. "This world will soon be born anew. Do as you like until

 then." Not even Sephiroth or Princess Hikari could stop him now. He

 was the master of reality itself. Now his perceptions, his dreams

 would all resonate throughout all the existed.

 

 "How could you do this?" Garnet asked, disbelief making her dizzy.

 How could this have happened? How could anyone do that? She stepped

 forward in a haze, barely feeling Eiko clinging to her side.

 

 "He's doing this at my behest," a voice said from further up the

 steps. Queen Brahne walked down the steps, followed closely by Harle.

 "The kingdom is in danger. I'll do whatever it takes to protect it.

 And if a few peasant girls' lives are needed to stop the Heartless,

 I'll gladly sacrifice them."

 

 Garnet turned, the world tipping on its side. Her mother had known

 what Kuja was doing? She had let him do these horrible things? They

 would have done this to Eiko. "No! You can't sacrifice others! You

 can't use them like toys!"

 

 "I'm the Queen of Alexandria. I will do whatever I see fit. And you

 will not speak back to me again, Princess." Brahne's eyes grew cold

 and distant, not at all the mother Garnet had once known.

 

 Laughter broke out through the torture chamber, drawing everyone's

 attention. "I'm afraid you have it all wrong, Queen Brahne. I don't

 care what happens with the Heartless. I think you're confused about

 just who was using who. You gave me the resources I needed to find

 the girl with the Prism Heart. Your pathetic Alexandria won't even

 exist in the world I create."

 

 "Kuja... I'll have you executed," Brahne growled. She wasn't about

 to let him betray her. She'd have Harle finish the rest of it. Her

 harlequin knew enough about magic and relics to use the Prism Heart

 to make Alexandria the most powerful nation in existence.

 

 More laughter erupted from the silver haired man. "You don't know

 who you're speaking to, Brahne. I'm a god now. I will never die.

 Certainly not at your capricious whims. My life... No, all lives are

 mine to do with as a please." He held out the shining crystal heart

 in his hand. "Starting with yours." Before Brahne could even move,

 the world shifted around them. The Queen stood where she was, frozen.

 She was made completely of polished marble. "A statue fitting of a

 queen. They can put you in the center of your palace and worship you

 until the palace falls in on itself. But I don't feel like waiting

 that long." With another wave on his hand, the statue shattered, the

 head rolling amidst the scattered pieces.

 

 "Mother!" Garnet fell beside what had been her mother, her heart

 seized in her chest. She was gone. Even if she had been killing

 innocent girls, she was still her mother. And now she was gone. In an

 instant. Tears dripped to the broken marble beneath her. "Mother..."

 

 "Garnet..." Eiko held onto the taller girl from behind, keeping a

 wary eye on Kuja. They needed to get out of there quickly. There was

 no telling what he'd do next. "Garnet, we have to go. Please." But

 Garnet wasn't listening. And Eiko couldn't leave without her. Though

 she was starting to worry none of them would be leaving.

 

 "You bastard! Give Kairi her heart back!" Relm ran up to Kuja,

 slamming her small fists into his chest. "Bring her back!!!" Tears

 burnt at her eyes. So many useless sacrifices. They couldn't be in

 vain. They just couldn't.

 

 Bringing his hand up, Kuja slapped the bandanna wearing girl

 viciously. Staggering back, Relm was disoriented. Kuja grabbed her

 neck, lifting her until her toes were scrabbling at the floor.

 "Useless little artist. I would have let you stay around to give me

 something to look at, but you hardly seem worth the effort. Don't

 worry. I'll let you join Kairi. If you don't want to be part of my

 world, I'll let you be part of hers. The world of the dead."

 Squeezing tightly, he felt her throat constricting under his hand.

 How long until the light faded from her eyes as well?

 

 Relm struggled to keep her feet on the floor, but they were feeling

 further and further away. Her lungs burned and her vision began to

 get spotty. She wanted to scream, but nothing could come out without

 the air she desperately needed. Her hands fell limply to her sides.

 She could almost hear Celes at the edge of her mind. But what was she

 saying? She'd know soon enough. At least... At least she'd be joining

 Celes and Interceptor. That was some comfort.

 

 "Leave her alone, you asshole!" Kuja let out a gasp of pain. A

 splume of red filled Relm's vision before she fell to the floor, air

 rushing back to her aching lungs. Kuja clutched his slashed arm, the

 Prism Heart floating next to him. Yuffie sat crouched in front of

 Relm, her giant shuriken bloodied. 'Yuffie!' Relm thought, fighting

 to clear her thoughts. 'She... she saved me...' She could only gaze

 at Yuffie's back, her heart burning anew for the ninja girl in front

 of her.

 

 Kuja grinned, running his hand over the wound on his right arm. The

 arm was instantly better. "You fool. You should have ran. Or did you

 want to die with the artist? That can be arranged."

 

 "I don't plan on dying for a good long time. And neither is she as

 long as I have any say in it." Pulling up her shuriken in front of

 her, Yuffie grinned herself. "I can't say the same for you." Her aura

 lit up, blazing in a beautiful array of colors. The shuriken began to

 spin in front of her as she focussed. If he could heal himself, she

 had to end this with one hit before he had a chance to. This had to

 be everything she had inside of herself. For Relm. She couldn't let

 him hurt the younger girl. She couldn't live with herself if she did.

 And she could live with herself doing quite a bit, so that was saying

 something. "All Creation!!" She called out, energy lashing out

 blindingly. It slammed into Kuja, illuminating the entire room.

 Pushing herself, she tried to force out every ounce of energery she

 had inside of herself into the attack.  Yuffie stumbled onto one

 knee, the shuriken fell to the floor, clinging next to her. Her body

 felt drained, nothing left to push forward with. Slumping forward

 onto the cold stone floor, she passed out.

 

 "Yuffie... Yuffie!" Relm crawled over to the ninja, checking to make

 sure she was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt

 Yuffie's weak heartbeat under her hand. She was alive. Yuffie had

 saved her. She clutched onto the fallen ninja, burying her face into

 Yuffie's hair. "Yuffie..."

 

 "That... hurt..." Kuja stumbled forward. "I'm going to keep you

 alive for that, you little bitch. And you'll pray for the day that

 I'll kill you. That would have killed me. But the Prism Heart filters

 all reality. Even your pathetic attacks. I told you. I can't die." He

 walked towards them clenching his fist.

 

 "No. You will ruin everyzing. I will not allow it. Zis is not ze way

 things should be." Harle crossed her arms, watching Kuja turn to face

 her. "Zat girl is ze dreamer. You are not. You will plunge everyzing

 into chaos. You do not have ze will to be a god. She is integral to

 zis world. I won't let you make it all fall apart. Not now." Dragon

 wings unfurled behind her, her face elongating. Her fingers became

 deadly claws. A tail appeared behind her. Her harlequin costume tore

 apart as she grew, shifting into something not in the least human.

 Her voice changed into a deep roar as the dragon stood before Kuja.

 "I am Bahamut, the Dragon God. I won't let your madness spread

 throughout reality like a virus." The dragon's mouth opened, light

 spraying forth as he showered Kuja with Megaflare. And then nothing.

 The world spun around the Dragon God. Harle watched as Kuja stepped

 out of the dissipating explosion. She stepped back, realizing she was

 naked and no longer a dragon. This was much more trouble than she had

 expected.

 

 "So you're Bahamut. I thought there was something strange about you.

 But the legendary Dragon God isn't very frightening when you're

 sealed away inside that body. I think I'll keep you around just to

 show you what power I have. You can be there by my side as I unleash

 my 'madness' upon reality. And what better servant than Bahamut?"

 Kuja laughed. This was turning out perfectly. Everything was his to

 command. Nothing could stand against him. All would be as he wished

 it to be.

 

 "I told you not to harm Kairi."

 

 Kuja spun around at the sound of Sephiroth's voice. Could this day

 be any better? He had thought he'd have to go to Sephiroth and tear

 apart Princess Hikari's upside down palace right in front of his

 eyes. But now his former boss had come to him. This would be

 immensely satisfying. No one controlled him anymore. Everything was

 his. "I changed my mind. You gave me power, yes. The power of the

 Heartless. But I want more than that. The power of a god. The power

 to stop life and death. Letting you have her wouldn't have been any

 fun."

 

 Sephiroth narrowed his eyebrows, stepping forward. A young girl, a

 mirror image of Kairi wearing a gorgeous midnight black dress,

 stepped from behind him.

 

 "So you brought Princess Hikari with you? Thank you so much,

 Sephiroth. You're making this so much easier. Now I can get you both

 out of the way before creating my beautiful dream."

 

 "Kairi still has further to travel. You're complicating things,

 Kuja. You weren't supposed to harm her for a reason. You're fears and

 insecurities are making you erratic. I knew I shouldn't have trusted

 you." Princess Hikari stepped over to Kairi, lifting her chin and

 gazing into lifeless eyes.

 

 "It's a little too late for that, your highness. Maybe if you beg,

 I'll let you exist in my world. As something suitably ironic. Like a

 prostitute or a homeless girl. Yes, those both sound interesting. And

 you, Sephiroth, I'm just going to kill you. I'm sick of taking orders

 from you." Kuja watched the two of them, his thoughts spinning

 delightfully. So many possibilities. He raised his hand. He frowned.

 He hadn't really expected Sephiroth to show any fear, but it was

 still disappointing. "Die!" The world shifted around Sephiroth,

 becoming razor sharp to cut through the warrior. But nothing

 happened. The SOLDIER unfurled his single, black wing, looking back

 at Kuja. "What the hell?" It wasn't possible. "The Prism Heart

 controls all reality. All of it! Even you, Sephiroth! Die!!!" Again,

 nothing happened. Princess Hikari stepped in front of Kuja, looking

 very displeased. Suddenly, Kuja began to feel the fear and

 desperation that had driven him to this in the first place. He was

 going to die. And he could do nothing to stop it. His plans were

 falling apart in front of him.

 

 "Kuja, that heart is mine. If Kairi is my shadow, then why would you

 be able to stop me with her heart?" Princess Hikari asked, beckoning

 Sephiroth over. "Prism Hearts isn't simply her. She's only a small

 part of it. Yes, you could shape reality with it. If I allowed it.

 And I most certainly will not." She held her hand out, Kairi's heart

 floating to her. Walking over to Kairi, she gently placed it back

 inside of the other girl. "Now go, Kairi. You need to unlock his

 keyhole. Riku needs you," she whispered in Kairi's ear. "Hurry to

 him." Turning, she motioned for Sephiroth. "We should go. I don't

 want to leave Sora for long."

 

 Kuja shook his head, watching Sephiroth advance. He could feel the

 power he'd been given by the Heartless dissolving as he called for

 it. It was over. He was going to die. All of his preparations to

 prevent that had been for naught. He shook his head again as

 Sephiroth pulled out the Masamune. "No... No!!!" Raising his hand, he

 cast Ultima. "I'll kill you all!! You'll all die with me!" he

 screamed. Magic shot out, tearing into the palace, destroying

 everything in its path. But it was too late. The pain was sharp and

 brilliant. Looking down, he could see the hilt of Sephiroth's blade.

 The SOLDIER looked into his eyes, their brilliant mako green glow

 looking like that of death itself. Pulling the blade out, Sephiroth

 walked after the Princess, the palace collapsing all around them.

 

 Only half awake, Kairi stumbled towards Kuja. She could see that he

 was bleeding heavily. Her mind whirled. The Keyhole... Riku...

 Darkness, deep and ancient where she'd been lost while her heart had

 been stolen from her. She lifted the Keyblade in front of her with

 what strength she could muster. The world felt like it was falling

 out from beneath her feet. She had to stop it now. And this was the

 only way. Lunging forward, the pressed the Keyblade into Kuja's

 chest, into the Keyhole that existed in his heart. The roof began to

 fall in around her, the palace getting ready to crush this basement.

 The entire world was about to fall on top of them. Closing her eyes,

 she unlocked his heart. Light spilled out of the dying man, filling

 the room until there was nothing else.

 

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

 

 Kairi found herself once again floating amidst light. It reminded

 her far too much of the darkness she had been surrounding her when

 she'd lost her heart. 'Maybe light and dark aren't so different after

 all.' She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. All that

 existed was light. Her body was an anomaly in this world of light.

 She felt that if she stayed her for too long her physical form would

 fade away. She floated in this tranquil sea, searching.

 

 "You have unlocked the light in the heart of Desperation."  The

 voice that existed everywhere in the light echoed through her.

 

 "I was supposed to save my world. I was created as a puppet to save

 a long dead planet by letting it repopulate another. But I wasn't

 what they wanted. So they created another to replace me. I was a

 tool, something to be used until it was no longer necessary and then

 thrown away. I was created to die. And there was nothing I could do

 to stop it. I was... afraid. I didn't want to die. So I tried to stop

 it. To do anything to live. And if I couldn't live, then I didn't

 want anyone to live. It wasn't fair. Life and death... Why? My

 desperation filled me until I saw nothing else. But now... I am

 dying. It... It will be all right? Won't it?"

 

 Kairi smiled softly, nodding in the glow of the light. "It will be

 all right. Death is only the beginning. I... I learned that a long

 time ago. You won't ever have to fear again."

 

 'I'm making Riku wait for me. He's... He's dead, too. I have to

 hurry to him. He's staying in this world for me. I couldn't stay in

 that other world. I couldn't live there. So I....'  She shook her

 head. No. She couldn't accept the other world where she'd killed

 herself. Not yet. "If you see someone named Riku there, please give

 him my love." As the light faded, Kairi lost herself in the layer

 between worlds.