Prism Hearts

 

 Chapter 14

 Fly Me to the Moon

 by Amazoness Duo

 

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 “Is this the End of the World?” Sora asked. He stood on a small rock

 in the midst of a stream. The water was plummeting over a jagged edge

 into nothingness. And this was inside the upside down palace he had

 found Hikari in. It was as if this was an amalgamation of so many

 things, yet all of them incomplete. Everything was missing something.

 Everything was just a little warped, a little wrong. Like a dream

 that you couldn't quite tell was a dream.

 

 “Hmm?” Hikari sat near the edge of the stream, her bare feet in the

 cool water. She looked gorgeous in the black dress she wore. She wore

 a collar around her throat and two black ribbons around her wrists.

 She smiled at Sora, kicking some water at him. “I guess you could say

 that. This is at the end of the universes. This is where everything

 ends. Where Kingdom Hearts is locked away.”

 

 Sora grinned as he tried to dodge Hikari's light splashing. It was

 so nice to be with her again. He took another glance around. Some

 leaves that had been falling off the trees hung in midair, as if they

 had decided not to fall to the ground after all. “But this looks so

 different from the End of the World that Donald, Goofy and I went

 through before.”

 

 The water splished and splashed as Hikari walked over to Sora,

 wrapping her arms around him from behind. Her hands rested on his

 heart, feeling the flutter of it against her fingertips. It was

 almost an ironic feeling. She smiled despite herself, resting her

 head against his back. His smell, his clothes rustling against her

 touch, his heartbeat under her palms, it was all so very real.

 “That's because you were at a different End of the World, Sora. You

 sealed away the Doorway to the Darkness. This place leads to the

 Doorway to the Light.”

 

 Sora shook his head, his heart pounding against Hikari's hands. He

 tried to focus on the question to keep from getting too distracted.

 Kairi... He had missed her so much. He had almost felt lost before he

 had found her. Even in this faraway place, as long as he could be

 with her... Riku. No, he wasn't done yet. He had to find Riku. It

 wasn't complete without him. But he was halfway there now. Together,

 they'd find him. Focusing back on his question he tried to ignore the

 way her soft, smaller body felt pressed against his back. “But if

 both the Doorway to the Darkness and the Doorway to the Light are

 Kingdom Hearts, shouldn't it be the same place?”

 

 Hikari giggled against his back, letting her hands wander. “Yes and

 no. You sure are full of questions, aren't you Sora?” Leaning up on

 her tiptoes, she kissed the back of his neck. She grinned as she felt

 him tense up, knowing he must be blushing. This was more fun than she

 thought. She was becoming happier and happier that she had had

 Sephiroth bring Sora to her. Real or not, she still loved him.

 Pretending that she didn't realize his embarrassment, she continued.

 “They're the same place, but they're also different. Do you notice

 how when you go someplace and come back, it's longer on the way there

 than the way back? It's like that. The End of the World you went to

 led to the Doorway to the Darkness. Which is Kingdom Hearts. This End

 of the World leads to the Doorway to the Light. Which is also Kingdom

 Hearts. Much like we all have darkness and light inside of us, so

 does Kindgom Hearts, the heart of everything. So it all depends on

 where you're going. Once you know the secrets, there's very little

 you can't do, Sora. Everything is as far away or as close as you want

 it to be.”

 

 Sora shook his head trying to make sense out of too many things at

 once. “I don't understand.”

 

 “That's exactly the problem. You're trying too hard to understand.

 This isn't two plus two equals four. This is two plus two equals

 whatever you want it to be.” Her hands rested on his shoulders. How

 could she explain it? A fairytale her grandmother had told her came

 to mind. “A long time ago, Darkness began to spread throughout the

 worlds. No matter what people did, they couldn't stop it until

 everything was consumed by shadows. But out of the darkness, their

 came light. The worlds were reborn from the hearts of the children.

 If the worlds were reborn from these special hearts, then wouldn't it

 be different depending on which heart? That's why each world is so

 different. But this place lies on the outskirts of all the worlds,

 where everything is and isn't. This place is a little bit of

 everything. Or it's just what you want it to be. Or it's just what

 you don't want it to be. It's at the very edge of reality, of life,

 of everything. That's why it's the End of the World.”

 

 “I remember hearing that before. Your grandmother told it to you,

 right? But it was just a fairytale, wasn't it?” Sora turned to face

 Hikari, the petite girl looking up at him.

 

 “Every fairytale has some basis in truth. But truth is subjective.

 It changes depending on what eyes you view it with. In one version of

 that story, everything was destroyed by the darkness. Then it was

 reborn from the hearts of some special young girls.”

 

 Sora's eyes went wide as pieces began to fall into place. “The

 Princesses of Heart? Did they rebuild everything? Is that why all of

 them were needed to get to Kingdom Hearts?”

 

 Hikari seemed to ignore him, continuing on. “And in another version,

 the lives of these specific girls were shrouded in darkness. So they

 escaped from the darkness and rebuilt their lives here, crafting out

 their own little worlds to get some light. Both versions are true in

 their own way. It all depends.”

 

 “But how can they both be true?” Sora looked down into Hikari's

 lavender eyes, watching how they sparkled. Even after all he had

 seen, he couldn't wrap his mind around it.

 

 “All of these different worlds. All of them separate, but all of

 them connected. Just because one is true doesn't make another false.

 One isn't mutually exclusive to another. Darkness and Light. Love and

 Hate. Even seemingly contradictory things can be so wrapped together

 that you can't tell the difference,” Hikari explained, gazing up at

 the taller boy. So cute. So loyal. Like a beloved puppy dog. Although

 his loyalty wasn't the same as Sephiroth's or Riku's. They would both

 do whatever was necessary for her. This boy followed his heart. He

 couldn't go against it, couldn't go to the extents that his friend

 would. But he was all she had right now. And she did love him, as

 foolish as that was. And until the end came, at least she could be

 with him. 'I hate you for not being real. For not existing outside of

 this dream. But I love you all the same.' Leaning up on her tiptoes,

 she kissed him. He nearly took a step off of the rock they stood on,

 but she clung to him with desperate fervor, with the need of someone

 who knew they were dying, running out of time. He slowly held onto

 her, kissing back. 'Love me, Sora. Please. Before I lose you.'

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

 

 

 

 “Kairi,” a voice said softly.

 

 

 

 It was warm and loving, soft and silky like flower petals on your

 skin. Memories that she couldn't quite recall were spun around that

 voice. It was comforting. Something that she could identify with

 hundreds of different emotions. Most of all, it made her feel safe.

 After all her travelling, that voice made her feel at peace. 'Mom!'

 Kairi's eyes shot open as the realization finally sunk in. That was

 the voice. She felt ashamed that she had nearly forgotten it, that

 she had every allowed herself to forget who it belonged to. The first

 thing she saw was her room. That immediately worried her. Plushies

 filled her bed just as before. Her heart began to race. 'Not here.

 Please, not here. Not this place again,' she thought desperately. A

 cold feeling seemed to pump through her veins as she kicked the

 blanket off. Why did she always have to end up in this place? It was

 a prison, neither here nor there. But something was different. Not

 wrong, but different. Her eyes finally travelled to the locked door

 only to find that it was no longer locked. A beautiful older woman

 stood in the doorway, smiling at her. “Mom!” The word sprang unbidden

 to her lips. It was her mother. She knew it. Springing to her feet,

 she dashed towards her mother and the open door. Her heart cried out

 as she waited for her mother to disappear just as Riku had so many

 times, for the door to come crashing shut. But neither happened. She

 found herself nestled in her mother's embrace, clinging as tightly as

 she could manage.

 

 “It's okay, Kairi. Everything is just fine. Don't worry, honey,”

 Kairi's mother reassured, stroking her hair. “You must have had a

 nightmare. It's gone now.”

 

 “Mom...” Kairi blinked tearfully as she buried her head against her

 mother's shoulder. Everything had been so confusing. But now she was

 here. With her mother. It really must've been a dream after all. She

 wasn't alone searching for something at the end of the universe

 through countless numbers of worlds. She was safe and sound at home.

 Home. This place that she'd been so frightened of, that had been a

 prison to her, now felt remarkably familiar in the way only a place

 you have lived your life in can be. The subtle reassurances of smells

 and sights and sounds all mixed with her mother's embrace all helped

 soothe her weary and battered soul. Her mother slowly pulled away to

 look into her eyes, stroking her cheek gently. She felt childish

 because of it but she was happy for it nonetheless. She looked into

 those eyes, remembering how they had seen her through so much. All

 those times she had come home crying. Whenever she was so very

 lonely. When she had hurt herself. She had always been there for her.

 Just like now.

 

 “Are you all right, Kairi?” her mother asked gently.

 

 Kairi nodded, blinking her tears away. “I'm just fine, mom. I missed

 you so much.” She bit her lip after the last part. What a stupid

 thing to say. She hadn't really been gone. But it sure felt like it.

 Laughing, Kairi's mother shook her head. “I missed you, too, honey.

 Glad to have you awake again.” She kissed her forehead before

 stepping back. “You should get dressed. Breakfast is almost ready.”

 Nodding, Kairi pulled her hands to her heart. Something jostled

 against her hands. “I'll be down in a few minutes.” She watched her

 mother head back towards the kitchen, leaving her alone in her room

 to try to figure things out. Her hand clasped the necklace she wore,

 feeling it's grooves. The Keyblade. Then... She gazed down at the

 tiny key in her hand. But if the Keyblade were still with her, then

 how could it have just been a dream? It had to have been real. A

 sudden terror and hope gripped her at the same time. If it was a

 dream, then Riku and Sora had just been in her head. All of her

 friends had been part of her dream. But if the Keyblade was still

 with her, it couldn't have been a dream.

 

 She had to know. If it was a dream, then she had just lost both the

 boys she loved more than anything. If it wasn't, then how could she

 be home? Her mouth suddenly went dry as she came up with a way to

 find out. She licked her suddenly dry lips, staring at the open

 doorway for a long moment. This could plunge her back into the prison

 her room had so often been. But it might be her only way to find out

 if it was a dream or not. Part of herself begged her not to try it,

 to run downstairs to be with her mother again. But she couldn't. She

 couldn't just leave it alone, let it die. They had to be real. She'd

 come too far to give up on them now. Steeling herself, she closed her

 door. Nothing. But that didn't prove anything. That door had been

 locked so many times. And there was often a voice on the other side

 of it. That strangely familiar voice. And Riku was trapped behind it.

 “Riku?” she called out at last. “Riku, are you there?” Her heart

 thundered as she waited for his reply. 'Please. He has to be there.

 He has to. It can't just be a dream. I love him.' “Riku?” she begged.

 “What is it, Kairi?”

 

 Kairi stared wide eyed at the door. Her mind couldn't comprehend it

 for a moment. His voice had come from behind her. She spun about to

 face him. And there he was, smiling the smile she'd grown to love,

 the salty ocean air sending his silver hair fluttering in the wind.

 Salty ocean air? Her shoes crunched on the sand as she stepped

 towards him. She was back on the beach, back on the Destiny Islands.

 She was home. This... This was home, too. “Riku...” She gripped his

 shirt, her hands nearly shaking. Real. He was real. She hugged him

 fiercely. “Riku! Don't you ever leave me again!” Her voice was mixed

 with anger and fear and joy and love. He was real. He was in her

 arms. She didn't care about the how and why at the moment, only on

 what was.

 

 “Hey! What did Riku do?” Sora asked, his hands behind his head. His

 face was a combination of jealousy and surprise.

 Kairi laughed, letting one arm go to drag Sora into a big group hug.

 The boys didn't hug, instead both standing in her grasp. Silly boys.

 Riku's gloved hand rested on her back while Sora merely stood there a

 bit embarrassedly. “You're both here. It's been so long since we've

 all been together like this.”

 

 Sora looked at her curiously. “What do you mean? Here on the beach?

 It's only been since this morning.”

 

 “Speaking of that, have either of you gotten any work done on the

 raft or do I have to do all the work by myself?” Riku asked, raising

 a silver eyebrow.

 

 Kairi shook her head quickly. “No! I mean... Let's not do that.

 Let's just stay here. The three of us. Always.”

 

 This seemed to perplex Riku. “You don't want to go travelling? To

 see all the worlds out there? To see what lies beyond our Islands? I

 was sure you did, Kairi.”

 

 Shaking her head, Kairi held her boys closer. “I think I've had

 enough travelling for a very long time.” She leaned closer, dropping

 her voice to a conspiratorial hush. “But I do think I could travel

 over to the dock before either of you can.” Giggling, she pushed away

 from the two boys and began running towards the dock. She could hear

 them both running behind her. The sound of laughter filled the

 crystal blue skies above.

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

 

 

 

 Kairi stumbled over her mattress and nearly landed face first on the

 floor of her bedroom. What had been sand mere moments before was now

 carpet, the ocean now her blanket on the floor. She was back in her

 room, she knew. But how and why? What was going on? She was used to

 travelling back and forth, but not so suddenly.

 

 “Kairi, breakfast!” her mother called from downstairs.

 

 Walking slowly to the door, Kairi stepped over where she remembered

 seeing herself bleeding to death on the floor. Though there was no

 indication of that here, the memory was still frightening. Pausing

 for a moment, she looked and her wristbands, wondering if her scars

 would still be there. Slowl reaching for one of them, she could see

 her hands shaking. No, there wouldn't be, she told herself. There

 couldn't be. She wasn't dead, was she? Opening the door, which she

 half expected to be locked, she headed out her door.

 

 “Kairi.”

 

 Kairi nearly jumped at the voice. How did people continually sneak

 up on her? Was her peripheral vision that bad? She looked back over

 her shoulder from where she was halfway down the hallway. Behind her,

 near her room, stood the blindfolded silver haired boy she had met

 before. He had his hood up this time, but bits of silver peaked out

 from underneath it. What was he doing here? And who was he? He

 couldn't be Riku. Riku was trapped behind Kingdom Hearts. “Who are

 you?”

 

 He didn't acknowledge what she said, 'looking' directly at her

 despite the blindfold. “Kairi, you can't stay here. You're running

 out of time. We're all running out of time. You're the only one who

 can stop her.”

 

 “I... I don't know what your talking about. Stop who? How can I stop

 her? I just want..” Kairi shook her head. “I don't know what I want

 anymore. I want to be with my mother. I want to be with Sora and

 Riku. I want my friends.”

 

 “Kairi? Are you almost ready?” Her mother called from the kitchen.

 “Yeah, just about,” Kairi called back. When she turned to ask the

 boy again, he was gone. She stared for a moment longer before heading

 to the kitchen. What had he been trying to tell her? And why did he

 look so much like Riku?

 

 When Kairi reached the kitchen, her breakfast was already on the

 table. “Oh, mom... It looks delicious.” She kissed her mother's

 cheek. The older woman beamed as she sat down. It had been so long

 since they'd had breakfast together. Or had it? She was still under

 the assumption that she had been on the Destiny Islands for years

 now. But that couldn't be the case if she was here. Whatever the

 case, breakfast was wonderful.

 

 “I was working on that Princess Mint costume for you, Kairi. I

 should have it finished for you by the convention. I'm going to stop

 by the store later for some gold paint so I can make you her rings,”

 her mother explained.

 

 “Mom... Thanks so much.” Kairi felt her throat constricting and her

 eyes blurring. Her mother had always supported her love of

 videogames. The older woman had made so many different costumes for

 her over the years, trying so hard to get them down beautifully for

 her only daughter. It had only been the two of them for so many

 years. They were all the other had. Kairi's mother had driven her all

 over to conventions, sometimes making a costume for herself so she

 wouldn't 'look too much like a goofy parent'. She felt ashamed for

 having torn up her mother's birthday cards after the children at

 school had ridiculed her over it. This world could be so cruel, but

 never her mother. 'I want to be here with you, mom. But I also want

 to be there with Sora and Riku. I.. I can't choose. I can't pick

 which one. I can't give you up. But I can't give them up either.' If

 she was supposed to stop the Heartless by either going back through

 the door and shutting it or staying and forgetting her mother, how

 could she do either of them? But if she didn't, then the Heartless

 would consume everything. But that was only if she believed there

 were Heartless. And those things surely didn't exist here, where

 normalicy ruled. But wasn't her depressing lonely real life where the

 Heartless were born? 'Stop thinking about it,' she commanded. The

 fact that she was home was what mattered.

 

 Picking up the dishes, Kairi brought them to the sink. “I'll clean

 up breakfast.” It was the least she could do. She felt guilty that

 she could have thought about killing herself. How could she?

 Everything was fine, wasn't it? She felt a little funny as she

 admitted that. But it was true, wasn't it? Gloved hands wrapped

 around her thin waist, holding her close to a warm, well built body.

 Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the hands move up,

 caressing her breasts through her shirt. Riku... She didn't know how,

 but she knew. Somehow, she wasn't surprised when she saw they were in

 the secret cave back on the Destiny Islands. She could feel his hands

 mold against her skin, his fingers tracing circles around her

 nipples, the cloth suddenly feeling like very little protection

 against anything at all.

 

 “You don't have to, Kairi. I'll put them back in the picnic basket

 and clean them up later. My mom knew I was having a picnic today

 anyway, so she won't mind,” Riku's voice said behind her. She could

 only nod, her breath still caught in her chest. “And I don't want to

 let go of you just yet,” he whispered in her ear.

 

 His breath was warm against her ear, sending a shiver down her

 spine. Though her thoughts were still a bit fuzzy as to how she had

 gotten here, she didn't want it to end. She turned to face him,

 looking up at the silver haired boy. “Riku... I don't want to,

 either.” Her hands reached up, stroking his cheeks, her eyes gazing

 up into his. How long had she wanted this, if only as nothing more

 than a fantasy? But now... She could feel his hands slide under her

 shirt, could feel his palms press against her breasts. Each move was

 slow and deliberate, sending sparks throughout her. She looked out

 through half lidded eyes as he bent down to nibbled on her neck. The

 ground seemed to reach out for her as she found herself sitting with

 Riku on the picnic blanket, moaning softly from his touch. Her hands

 slid up and down his sides, carressing whatever part of him she could.

 

 “Kairi, I love you,” Riku whispered, leaning forward and kissing her

 softly. And again. And again. Kairi kissed back, yearning for his

 kiss. Her tongue teased his even as he began to pull her shirt up.

 They seperated as he pulled the doubled white and black sleeveless

 shirts over her head. Blushing deeper, she went back to kissing him,

 his hands now stroking her stomach and then her thighs. Her own hands

 moved over the smooth expanse of his back, stopping down at his

 behind as she pulled him closer. “Riku,” she whispered into his ear.

 Nibbling on his ear, she could feel his hands beginning to pull off

 her skirt and underwear. Sitting up, she helped him to get rid of it.

 Gazing back at him, naked except for her choker, necklace, and

 wristbands, she went to work getting rid of his clothes. It wasn't

 fun if she was the only one naked, after all.

 

 Running her hands up and down his bare chest, she slowly began to

 work her way down his stomach, kissing him as she went. Her hands

 hesitated for a moment at the zipper of his pants. Slowly unzipping

 it, he helped her pull them off, leaving him gloriously naked before

 her. He was beautiful. Just as she'd always imagined him. She

 couldn't believe this was happening. She had fantasized about this

 before, and now she was finally with him. It was... wonderful. He

 cupped her cheek, gazing into her eyes. She felt safe with him. She

 knew he'd do anything for her. Taking his hand, she kissed his

 fingers gently, never pulling her eyes away from him. There was

 concern in his eyes, but she simply smiled and nodded. How sweet. He

 didn't want to hurt her. But she wanted to be with him in this

 perfectly romantic way.

 

 Laying down on the blanket, she shifted about, gazing up at the boy

 over her. Reaching out for him, she pulled him down on top of her,

 feeling his body against her own. Every inch of his skin that came

 into contact with hers felt so wonderful, leaving her with a thousand

 different sensations. Her hands buried in his hair as he kissed her

 throat, right above the choker. His hands finally rested on her hips.

 The feeling of him at her entrance nearly made her hold her breath.

 It felt like an eternity as she waited. This was it. She didn't

 regret this at all. She loved him. She had always loved him. They

 kissed as he began to ease his way into her. Her breath was quick and

 rapid, her excitement mixing with her anxiety as she waited for him

 to go deeper inside of her. It took a force of will to get herself

 breathing anywhere near normally again.

 

 Fingernails scratched against Riku's back as she felt him tear past

 her barrier. Tears stung her eyes as she clutched his naked body

 closer to her own. He froze simply holding onto her. Gradually, the

 pain began to dissipate. She slowly began to move against him. He

 took the hint, starting to move inside of her again. It was...

 Delicious. She loved being so close to him, feeling him with her,

 inside of her, around her. Her hands wandered everywhere they could,

 wanting to feel all of him. They moved in unison, their pants and

 moans forming a soft chorus that filled the silence. Her eyes closed

 tightly, her head moving on the blanket.

 

 “Kairi...” Sora's voice moaned above her.

 

 Blinking bleary eyes, Kairi strained to see in the dim cave. Had

 Sora seen them? Sudden guilt blossomed inside of her. How hurt was he

 to see this? But that wasn't it at all. She was looking up at him,

 her hands on his chest. Sora moaned as he continued to push inside of

 her. “Sora?” But... Wasn't Riku? She shifted against him, her body

 burning up. What the hell was going on? Nothing. Nothing, she told

 herself. It was Sora. She'd been here with Sora all along. The panic

 slowly ebbed away. Of course. She loved them both. She must have

 imagined it was Riku as well.

 

 Moaning softly, she let her hands carress up and down his chest and

 stomach as they moved against each other. “Sora...” she whispered,

 closing her eyes once more as one of his hands went to her breast,

 pinching and rubbing her nipple. Shifting against him, the blanket

 underneath her seemed to shift as well. The ground underneath it was

 suddenly much, much softer. His fingers continued to pinch at her

 nipple while he began to speed up his movement inside of her.

 Shifting again, Kairi felt the ground move beneath her again.

 Something rolled against her head. Blinking swiftly, she tried to

 find out what it was. The sooner it was out of the way, the sooner

 she could get back to focusing on Sora.

 

 Staring at the plushie of Yuffie staring back at her, Kairi could

 only blink dumbly. How had it gotten to her? Had it fallen from

 somewhere. She looked up to ask Sora, but she couldn't see him. Her

 heart froze. If he wasn't there, then why could she still feel him?

 Her gaze slowly went down. Her fingers pinched and rubbed at her

 hardened nipple. Her other hand was between her legs, her fingers

 rubbing up inside of herself. Her hands stopped their motions as she

 stared in abject horror. It was her. It hadn't been Sora or Riku. It

 had been her. The hands, everything she had felt, it had all just

 been her. She suddenly felt sick. Pulling her hands away, she curled

 up into a ball on her bed. It felt like she had just woken up from a

 beautiful dream, only to have life remind her she could have none of

 it. “No!!” she cried, digging her fingernails into her skin. “No!!!”

 Why? What the hell was wrong with her? What was real? And what was

 her own mind?

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

 

 

 

 Kairi stared at the screen of her tv hours later. She had quickly

 pulled her clothes back on after finding them all in a pile on the

 clothes. Random battle music played in front of her. FF7 had been

 playing on her screen for the past few hours now, lighting up her

 otherwise dark room as she tried desperately to drown out her fears.

 There was only the game in front of her. Nothing else. Only it was

 real. This had been her only solace for so long. She would come home

 from school and do exactly this, pretending the outside world wasn't

 there at all. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror. It

 only filled her with repulsion. It wasn't that she had a problem with

 doing things to herself. It was that she had honestly believed it was

 Riku or Sora doing thos things to her. And the fact that it wasn't

 scared the hell out of her. That she could have lost herself that

 much frightened her. And so she played. And played.

 

 Reaching out, Kairi grabbed a glass, taking a sip of stale water.

 Going downstairs could resolve that problem with a fresh glass of

 water, but if she did that it would risk thinking again. And thinking

 was not on her agenda at the moment. She was going to put that off as

 long as possible. Her wary, tired eyes blinked in the dark room as

 she read the screen again. She must have misread what Aerith had

 said. FF7 was one of her favorite games. She knew it backwards and

 forwards. Dialogue shouldn't be surprising her this time through. But

 even upon closer inspection, it still felt off.

 

 'She's lost in someone's spell, Cloud. I can't get her back on my

 own,' Aerith said on screen.

 

 “What?” Kairi leaned forward, staring at the screen. Clicking

 forward, Cloud was given a choice.

 

 'There has to be some way that we can wake her up.'

 Or;

 

 'It's up to her. Only she can break the spell. We can't reach her

 there.'

 

 Dropping the controller, the chestnut haired girl stepped away from

 her tv. They weren't... They couldn't be... talking about her? Could

 they? It wasn't possible. But how many other impossible things had

 she seen? For some reason, being home made it all seem outside the

 realm of possibility once more. Things she would've been forced to

 accept in the other world felt so foreign here.

 

 Throwing her door open, Kairi walked to the bathroom. She was

 exhausted and scared. They were preying on her mind. Maybe sleep

 would be a good idea after all. If it could hold the specters at bay,

 then it would be worthwhile. Taking a handful of ice cold water, she

 splashed her face, trying to force her weariness away. Her wet bangs

 clung to her forehead as she looked back up. Her eyes shifted to

 someone behind her. It was him. The cloaked boy again. She whirled

 about to face him, but to her surprise, he wasn't there.

 “Kairi,” he said from the mirror.

 

 Turning to face him, she rested heavily against the sink. She

 suddenly felt very, very weak. It was as if the strength had been

 sapped from her body. It felt like she had lived eons and eons. It

 all felt so hopeless. She wanted to give up.

 

 “You can't give up. The you of this world gave up. But deep in your

 heart, I know how strong you are, Princess. You can handle this. You

 can handle anything. You're stronger than this. You can fight through

 her spells. You can't spend eternity trapped in this spell or you'll

 never set Riku free. You'll never see Sora again. Or your mother.

 You'll only see this illusions of them. They all need you, Kairi. You

 can't let them down.” The boy pressed his hand against the glass.

 “Only you can free yourself of this prison. Only you have the

 strength to come and set them all free.”

 

 Very slowly, Kairi nodded. “I'll fight. For them. I'll set them free.”

 

 The boy smiled faintly. Walking to the bathroom door in the mirror,

 he opened it. “I know you will, Kairi.” With that, he stepped out,

 disappearing.

 

 Clutching the Keyblade necklace in her hand, she stepped out of the

 same door on her own side of the mirror. “So they're still out there.

 This isn't home.” If she was going to save them, she had to escape.

 There would be no one to come to her rescue. She could feel that

 things were... off. It was all real, but it had the same feeling as

 dreams and memories. Part of her still wanted to stay here. It was

 safe, wasn't it? Images of Riku, Sora, her mother, and her friends

 filled her mind. Tidus's name on a gravestone in the Graveyard of

 Dreams. They needed her. She couldn't let them down.

 

 Walking down the empty hallway, Kairi made her way to her mother's

 room. The light was on and she could hear her mother in the other

 room, still sewing the costume for her daughter. For a moment,

 Kairi's will faltered. Could she deny her mother? Even if she was

 only an illusion? She had to. If she had a real mother, then she

 needed her elsewhere, not in this spell. Kairi stepped through the

 door.

 

 “Oh, Kairi, you're awake.” Looking up, the older woman smiled

 gently. “Maybe you could try this on for me. I want to make sure it

 will fit well.”

 

 Taking a deep breath, Kairi closed her eyes. She wanted to speak,

 but her throat closed off painfully. It still felt like her mother,

 or her memories of her mother at the least.

 

 “What's wrong?” A soft chuckle. “You don't think you're getting fat

 do you? Not that again. You're beautiful the way you are, Kairi.”

 That halted Kairi for a moment. 'Do I even look the same in the

 other world? If what Sophie said was right, that I'm what I want to

 be in this world, do I look different, too?' She pushed the thought

 away. There would be time for thoughts like that later. Much later.

 Right now she had to escape this dream. “You aren't my mother, are

 you?” Looking up, her eyes locked on her mother's. The older woman

 was still smiling.

 

 “I can be. If you want me to. Just like Riku and Sora can be here,

 too. With you, Kairi. Think about it. You could all go to conventions

 together and play games and never have to worry again. Never grow

 old. Never be teased again. I'll always love you. They'll always love

 you. No need to bleed to death in your room. Just live. One

 beautiful, everlasting moment,” the woman promised.

 

 Tears dripped down Kairi's cheeks. The princess shook her head. “I

 can't. I just can't. They're all waiting for me. I can't stay here

 and leave them.”

 

 The woman laughed, shaking her head. “So you can't do it now, but

 you could do it when you were only leaving your mother? You sure are

 altruistic when it's for the boys you lust after, aren't you? Your

 mother, on the other hand, will just have to deal with her daughter's

 suicide. No big deal, right?”

 

 “No!! It wasn't like that!” Kairi shouted, her hands clenching

 against her heart. “I wouldn't...”

 

 “But you did! So what's the problem with doing it again? You escaped

 the life with your mother only to find even more pain. But here,

 there is no pain. Only everything you've wanted.” The older woman

 smiled gently at her, standing up.

 

 “She's right, Kairi. We'll always be here with you,” Riku stated,

 standing to her mother's right. They were still in Kairi's mother's

 room, but the floor was now sandy and the ocean was lapping behind

 them.

 

 “We'll never leave your side again,” Sora replied, to her mother's

 left.

 

 Kairi laughed a small, sad laugh, smiling despite herself. “Thanks,

 guys. I love you all for that. But you've never left me.” She pressed

 her palm against her heart. “We'll always be together because our

 hearts are always together. No matter how far apart we are. That's

 why I can't stay. I need to go find you both. The real you. Whatever

 'real' is these days. But it doesn't matter. I need to see you both

 again.” Turning to the woman who was not her mother, she shook her

 head. “I'm sorry. I can't.”

 

 The woman nodded, her facade disappearing. She sighed softly. “I

 know.”

 

 Pulling up her Keyblade, Kairi plunged it into the heart of the

 woman, unlocking it. The illusion around her dissolved into

 nothingness, the light carrying her away.

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

 

 She was moving. At least, it felt as if she were moving. The

 brilliant light made if difficult to see motion. The light moved

 around her in a stream, flowing ever forward, twisting and turning.

 Whether she even had a body in this place, she couldn't be certain.

 Everything was light.

 

 “You have unlocked the light in the heart of Longing,” the voice

 that existed in this light said from all around her. Whether it was

 part of the light or part of herself or something entirely different,

 she didn't know.

 

 “I wanted to use your power to bring back the one I love. I wanted

 to live in a beautiful moment forever with him. He was one of Ansem's

 first test subjects and I thought I could bring him back through you.

 Time is our enemy. It robs us of those we love and forever heads

 forward, crushing all in its path. I wanted to stop time, to live out

 one beautiful moment forever. Now.. Now that my body and heart have

 been separated, we'll go our different ways, I guess. But.. Now I can

 be with him. Forever. Thank you.”

 

 “I...” Kairi closed her eyes tightly, if she had them. She could

 feel a tear slip out into the light. “Thank you for letting me see my

 mother. Goodbye.” She could almost feel a gentle carress before the

 light began to fade.

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

 

 

 

 “Kairi!!” Relm hugged her as she sat up in bed. “You're okay!” She

 smiled brightly. The artist looked as if she'd been hugely panicked.

 

 “I told you she'd be fine,” Yuffie said nonchalantly. “A few spells

 won't do in our princess, will they?” Grinning, the ninja placed a

 hand on Kairi's shoulder.

 

 “You did manage to fight off Ultimecia's spells. We were all

 worried.” Aerith winked. “Even Yuffie.”

 

 “Was not!” Yuffie retorted, crossing her arms.

 

 Kairi closed her eyes, her head tilted back. She was back. There was

 still a chance. Blinking her eyes open, she looked over at Aerith. “I

 need to get to the Destiny Islands. I'm running out of time. They

 need me.”

 

 Aerith nodded. “Then we better hurry.” Standing up, the flower girl

 led the way out of the room.

 

 Relm slid off the bed to follow. She placed a kiss on Yuffie's cheek

 before hurrying. “We're coming! Wait up!”

 Kairi gave Yuffie a curious glance.

 

 “Don't ask. Just don't ask.” Yuffie blushed faintly and helped Kairi

 to her feet. “Let's get going. Seems like we still have a few things

 to do before we get our nice, well deserved vacation.”

 Kairi giggled, nodding. “A very long vacation.”

 

 The two followed after Aerith.

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

 

 

 

 At the large port behind the castle, Squall, Rinoa, and Cloud

 waited. “She's ready!” Aerith called as she stepped up to the rest of

 them. She smiled brightly at them before poking Cloud playfully.

 “Cheer up. It's almost over.”

 “Well... Yeah... But is it wise to bring the princess if we'll be

 dealing with her former private guard? Sephiroth isn't going to leave

 her alone,” Cloud admitted.

 “That's why we're coming, silly. She won't be alone on this,” Aerith

 reasoned.

 

 The rest of the girls finally arrived behind her.

 

 Kairi glanced around at the huge ocean open in front of them. “How

 are we going to get to the Destiny Islands?”

 

 “With the Invincible. It was King Ansem's personal Gummi ship. He

 was preparing it before he left. Cid fixed it up for us.” With that,

 a giant mechanical airship soared into view. The wind whirled about,

 but none seemed to notice as they stared in awe.

 

 The boarding ramp opened, settling on the side of the dock.

 “Everyone on board!” a blonde haired woman dressed in a black

 business suit called.

 

 “Well, well. If it isn't the gorgeous Princess Hikari,” a spikey

 haired brunette man said, wearing a similar buisiness suit, albeit

 untucked.

 

 “What are you doing here?” Cloud asked, crossing his arms.

 “The Turks work directly for the royalty of Hollow Bastion. With

 King Ansem gone and Princess Kairi newly returned to us, we decided

 we'd keep her company to the End of the World and beyond. You know,

 company policy and all that.” Reno winked, eliciting only a sigh from

 Cloud.

 

 Cloud nodded at last. “Is everyone ready for this? It's only going

 to get worse from here on out. If anyone wants to stay, now's the

 time to say it.”

 

 Yuffie shook her head. “I lost my home once. I'm not letting them do

 it again.”

 

 Relm clung to Yuffie's arm, nodding assent. “And I'll go anywhere

 with Yuffie.” Yuffie blushed darkly.

 Aerith laughed.

 

 Kairi shook her head. “Riku and Sora need me. The Destiny Islands

 need me. I have to go.” She smiled, looking at those gathered around

 her. “All of you... Thank you so much.”

 

 “You don't think we'd give up on you now, do you Kairi? You've

 wounded my pride.” Yuffie winked at the princess.

 “Are ya comin' or aincha?” Cid yelled from the ramp.

 “We're coming, Cid,” Squall said brushing his hair back from his eyes.

 “Then let's go,” Rinoa said, smiling at the gunblade bearer.

 

 “To the Destiny Islands,” Kairi said, gazing out to the sea. Destiny

 waited out there. And she would be returning to it, whatever the

 consequences.