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1 Prism Hearts
2 Chapter 17
3 Hikari
4 by Amazoness Duo
5 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
7 "Imaginary"
8 by Evanescence
10 I linger in the doorway
11 of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
12 let me stay
13 where the wind will whisper to me
14 where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story
16 in my field of paper flowers
17 and candy clouds of lullaby
18 i lie inside myself for hours
19 and watch my purple sky fly over me
21 don't say i'm out of touch
22 with this rampant chaos - your reality
23 i know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
24 the nightmare i built my own world to escape
26 in my field of paper flowers
27 and candy clouds of lullaby
28 i lie inside myself for hours
29 and watch my purple sky fly over me
31 swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
32 cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
33 oh how i long for the deep sleep dreaming
34 the goddess of imaginary light
36 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
38 The darkness encompassed all. Any light that had been within Kingdom
39 Hearts had been extinguished. Standing in front of the imposing
40 doorway that led into the heart of the universe, Kairi paused for a
41 moment. This was it. This would lead her to Hikari, to her other
42 self. And if she didn't do something to stop Hikari, the Heartless
43 would consume the heart of the universe and tear apart the beautiful
44 dream. And then, she would die. Alone. She couldn't let that happen.
45 So much had already been lost. There had to be a way to save
46 everything. Somehow.
48 Closing her eyes, Kairi took a moment to feel Riku within her. His
49 heart, strong and dedicated, rested next to her own. She could feel
50 his thoughts and feelings flowing through her as if they were her
51 own. “I'm worried about him, too,” she whispered at last, feeling his
52 thoughts go to Sora. When she had awoken from the Darkness, she had
53 been all alone with the exception of Riku's spirit. Wherever Sora
54 was, she hoped they weren't too late.
56 Collecting her strength, the princess stepped through what had once
57 been the Doorway to the Light.
59 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
61 Inside the Doorway, all was dark. She could see herself, but
62 everything else was the deepest black. It was as if the world around
63 her was painted in shadows. And yet, even in that absence of light,
64 it didn't feel empty. There was something lurking in the shadows.
65 They were alive. Pulsing with the cold, pained cries of broken
66 hearts. Soon, this blanket of tears would encompass everything. The
67 princess hastened her step into the eternal night.
69 No matter how far Kairi traveled, nothing seemed to change. The
70 darkness was constant. Shivering in the darkness, she hugged herself
71 to try to keep warm. Her outfit may have been fine for island life,
72 but in these blackened depths, it offered little protection. From the
73 shadows came echos of crying, mocking laughter, angry voices, and
74 other noises Kairi couldn't quite make out. They all came from the
75 darkest part of the heart. There was no spectre of the light that had
76 once been there. Kairi feared that she was too late. But she couldn't
77 just sit and wait for the universe to collapse. If there was any
78 chance that she could make things right again, she had to take it. No
79 matter what the cost. “So Ansem's still alive. I should have known it
80 was him in your body,” Kairi said at last, growing wary of the
81 strange noises in the distance. “I guess he had reason to stick
82 around in this life like I did. He seems to be trying to stop Hikari,
83 too. The Light must have awakened the part of him that had been such
84 a great ruler before he started researching the Heartless,” Riku's
85 voice rang through Kairi's head. It was so strange. After he'd sold
86 his heart in order to save Kairi's, she had eventually been the one
87 to save him. Now his heart was in her body. She had always been
88 special to him. He and Sora had spent so much of their time vying for
89 her attention. But it was more than that. It ran deeper. He had been
90 willing to do whatever it took to save her. He had no idea she'd be
91 just as willing to do the same for him. “Thanks, Kairi.”A small smile
92 played of Kairi's lips. “I may not be able to fight like you and
93 Sora, but that doesn't mean I'd ever give up on you two.” Her tone
94 changed more serious as she rested her hand over her heart, imagining
95 his heart. “I promised I'd find you. This isn't over until we're all
96 together again.”“Kairi...” Riku smiled inwardly. “You're more amazing
97 than you know. Whatever Hikari said, don't let it get to you. You've
98 proven you're more than an illusion. However you started out, no
99 matter what world you came from, you're the strongest person I know.”
100 Kairi blushed, all too acutely aware that Riku could feel her
101 thoughts. It made it impossible to hide her embarrassment. She acted
102 hastily to cover it up. “I hope that means you won't be calling me
103 lazy anymore,” she joked.“Oh, I don't know about that,” the once
104 silver haired boy teased. “You and Sora still like to leave me to do
105 the hard work.”Giggling softly, the brunette nodded. “That's just
106 because you're better at it. And I hope that means you don't plan on
107 building another raft to go see other worlds. I think I've had enough
108 travel for a while.”“I learned that traveling isn't worth it if you
109 can't be close to the ones you love. I never wanted to go by myself.
110 I wanted to go with you and Sora. Everything would have been fine
111 then,” Riku explained. “I'm sorry, Riku. I wanted that, too. And I'm
112 sorry for what happened to you because of me. You tried to save me,
113 but you lost your body because of it. If there's anyway I can get it
114 back, I will,” Kairi promised,guilt washing over her for the silver
115 haired boy's predicament. “No, don't feel sorry, Kairi. I did what I
116 had to. I'd have done anything to get you back. I sold my heart to
117 try to do that. I lost my body in the bargain. But getting you back
118 was more important than any of that. I can accept what happened. As
119 long as I'm with you, I'm happy.”
121 The conviction in Riku's thoughts coursed through Kairi. She smiled
122 faintly. “As long as I'm with you...” she echoed.
124 “Watch out!” Riku's voice called out to her. Kairi stopped herself
125 right in front of a developing shadow. It shifted and grew, achieving
126 a shape. Because of the darkness around it, the shadow itself was
127 difficult to make out, but it became easier and easier as its form
128 became more defined. Kairi took several steps back, but already she
129 could feel more of them. They were surrounding her. The one in front
130 of her finally stepped forward, the shadowed hair shifting from side
131 to side. It's long sleeves nearly touched the ground. It looked up
132 with a horribly familiar face. “Yuna...” Kairi got out breathlessly.
133 It looked exactly like the other girl painted in shadows. Beside the
134 shadowed Yuna stood a rapidly forming shadow of Rikku. Kairi turned
135 to spot the others, but there were rapidly becoming more than she
136 could count. Kuja. And Ultimecia. And Kefka. And Seifer. And Celes.
137 And more and more. They all watched her with their blind, dark,
138 accusing eyes. The Keyblade was in her hand without thinking. It took
139 the princess a moment to realize Riku had taken control and was
140 preparing to fight. But even with how good a fighter she knew Riku
141 was, they were terribly outnumbered. There were simply too many of
142 them. They appeared in droves, surrounding them. So many faces that
143 she could recognize in those awful shadow faces, all damned. “No! I
144 unlocked your heart!” Kairi turned to Yuna, practically shouting in
145 panic. “You should be free. You should all be in the Lifestream by
146 now. You should be safe from the Heartless!”“And they are,” a voice
147 said. The path of shadows opened for the darkly clad, silver haired
148 SOLDIER. Sephiroth nodded to Kairi, watching her intently as he began
149 to step forward. “You unlocked their hearts. And the others are dead.
150 They're far away. Much too far away to help you, my princess. But
151 their shadows, on the other hand... Those are more than happy to tear
152 you apart. Bit by bit. Princess Hikari was running out of Heartless
153 so she took the shadows of the dead. Now they have gathered here,
154 ready for the endless night that she will bring.”
156 “Why are you doing this? She's wrong. She'll destroy everything,”
157 Kairi insisted. Part of her could remember Sephiroth. He had been her
158 loyal guard, always there to protect her. How could he be doing this
159 now? “I don't ask questions, your highness. I do as Princess Hikari
160 commands me. I would lay down my life for her. I'm sure the ghost boy
161 with you understands what I mean.” He raised the Masamune, his
162 glowing green eyes fixed on Kairi's.
163 Deep within Kairi, she could feel Riku's grudging agreement. Riku,
164 too, would do the same thing for Kairi. Sephiroth was protecting
165 Hikari in the same way, regardless of where that led the universe.
166 Kairi felt her hands tighten on the Keyblade as Riku prepared to try
167 to fight off Sephiroth. And the mass of shadows that was surrounding
168 them. The princess wasn't ready to give in, but she couldn't see a
169 way out. “But if you have to protect her, you have to protect me,
170 too,” Kairi insisted. “I'm the princess. You swore you'd protect me
171 from all harm.”Sephiroth shook his head, still a few meters away. He
172 would be on them in seconds. “I'm afraid it isn't that simple. You
173 are only a dream that Princess Hikari had. She wishes the dream to
174 end. So I will be your executioner for my highness.” His single dark
175 wing unfurled. It would be a shame to have to kill even a facsimile
176 of the princess, but he would do whatever she asked of him. Spinning
177 end over end, a shuriken whistled through the air. The bladed weapon
178 sunk deep into shadow Rikku, felling the dark version of the catgirl.
179 “You will not degrade the memory of my little sister! I don't care
180 who the hell you think you are!” Yuffie yelled out, rage burning in
181 her eyes.
183 Turning in a daze, Kairi was shocked. Yuffie was there? The ninja
184 had followed her? But how? But it wasn't just Yuffie. There stood
185 Relm, already drawing a fire to light the darkness. Aerith stood with
186 them, chanting a spell. And there stood Cloud with his own wing
187 unfurled. And Squall and Rinoa. And the Turks. And there were Quistis
188 and Selphie. They were all there. They had come for her. She wasn't
189 alone.
190 Before the shadows could get to Kairi, the group began to fight
191 their way into the mass of living shadows. Yuffie slashed her way
192 through with another shuriken, fighting with all the pain she had for
193 her lost sister. Relm drew vicious dogs, letting her paintings attack
194 the shadows nearest her. The Turks opened fire, fighting their way
195 through the mob of darkness. Quistis and Selphie fought together, for
196 their Island, for everyone's future. They all fought back the growing
197 darkness as best they could. They all knew the stakes of this final
198 battle. And they were all willing to give their hearts to try and
199 stop the end from coming. “Didn't think we'd just live you to do it
200 all alone, did you?” Yuffie asked, breaking through the shadows to
201 reach Kairi.
203 Relm followed closely behind Yuffie. “You shouldn't have ran off on
204 your own. We got worried about you.” The light in Kairi's heart grew
205 as she watched her two companions. Even in darkness, there is always
206 light. Even now, at their very darkest hour, her friends had come for
207 her. Hikari was wrong. She couldn't let this end. “I guess I just
208 thought it was better to do it alone,” Kairi admitted. Yuffie
209 smirked. “Without the universe's greatest ninja?” She shook her head.
210 “You're crazy, princess.” Kairi couldn't keep from smiling. “I guess
211 I am.”
213 “Goodbye, Princess.” Kairi's heart froze as she heard Sephiroth's
214 voice. There was genuine sorrow in it for what it was about to do,
215 but she knew it wouldn't slow his blade at all. The wind knifed
216 against her back as his blade descended. He had managed to make his
217 way through the shadows to fulfill his mission, to eliminate the
218 princess's dream. Metal clanged loudly against metal. Cloud held back
219 the Masamune with his Buster Sword, keeping it inches away from
220 Kairi. Kairi hurried out of the way, near Yuffie and Relm while Cloud
221 stepped in Sephiroth's way. “Too many have died already, Sephiroth.”
223 Sephiroth shook his head, silver hair swaying about. “By morning,
224 everything will be dead.” Pulling up his sword, the two warriors
225 clashed. Yuffie grabbed Kairi's shoulder, yanking the princess
226 further back. “Aerith said we're running out of time. You're the
227 Keyblade Mistress, so it sounds like you're the only one who can stop
228 all this.” She turned Kairi to look at her, holding both of her
229 shoulders. The ninja looked deep into the princess's eyes. “Kairi...
230 You have to stop all this. I... I believe in you. You have to end
231 this. For Rikku. I can't let her die in vain. Please.” “And for
232 Celes. For everyone who's died because of this, Kairi. You can't let
233 their sacrifices be pointless,” Relm said. “Everyone's counting on
234 you. You have to save tonight or there will never be another
235 tomorrow.”“And for Riku. And Yuna. And Kuja. And everyone.” Kairi
236 nodded. “I will. I'll save everything. Somehow. I'll close the
237 door.”Yuffie smiled faintly, nodding. “Then get going. We'll hold off
238 the Heartless. You make your way there.”
240 “Thank you. All of you,” Kairi said, blinking back tears. Just
241 knowing that they'd all come to help her like that meant so much to
242 her. She hugged her two companions, clinging tightly to them for a
243 long moment. “It's been fun...” she whispered. Stepping away, she
244 turned towards the waiting darkness.“Kairi... Good luck. No matter
245 what happens, don't forget us,” Relm called after her.“I won't. I
246 couldn't.” Kairi ran into the darkness.
248 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
250 Somewhere deep within the darkness, Kairi finally reached the very
251 Heart of the Universe. It had once hung majestically in the air,
252 shimmering with the beauty of a thousand suns and the hearts of all
253 that ever were. But now it sunk low, covered sickly with shadows. It
254 looked diseased, as if the shadows were killing it. The Heartless
255 were consuming the Heart of the Universe. Where everything began.
257 Kairi stepped slowly towards the Heart, her eyes slowly moving
258 towards the girl standing next to it. Herself. Her darker half. And
259 it looked like Hikari had been waiting. “I see somehow you got past
260 Sephiroth.” The princess shook her head dismissively. “Though it
261 hardly matters. There's nothing left to do. The Heart of the Universe
262 is dying. It will be completely Heartless soon. The dream is already
263 falling apart. You don't matter anymore.”Kairi shook her head,
264 frustration, regret, and anger all welling up inside of her. “You
265 can't do this, Hikari. I won't let you. I know why you want to. I'm
266 part of you. And part of me wants this, too. But I can't let you. I
267 love these people too much. I love this world.”Scoffing, Hikari
268 turned her attention to Kairi. “And what of the other world? This is
269 all just as much an illusion as you. The dying thoughts of a lonely,
270 disturbed girl. What about that other world?”Kairi swallowed, the
271 painful memories of her other life returning. But they were
272 bittersweet, mixing with her memories of her mother. Of dressing up
273 and dancing with her in the living room when she was a child. Of
274 playing games and going on picnics and laughing as they stayed up
275 late talking. “This isn't only an illusion. Everything... Everything
276 is real.” Kairi smiled, understanding at last what Harle had tried to
277 say to her. “Both worlds are just as real. And... And I can't give up
278 that world either. I miss mom too much. I won't die in her arms. I
279 won't leave her all alone.” Digging her fingernails into her palms,
280 Hikari glared hatefully at Kairi. “I won't go back there. I'm tired
281 of being teased and hurt. I've cried until my soul can't take it
282 anymore. I won't live that life. It's over. I can't find solace in
283 these dreams anymore. It only hurts even more that they can't be
284 real. And I can't live that life any longer. My soul has bled too
285 much. Now I'm going to escape it. And I'll take these dreams, my
286 beautiful dreams with me. I want them to bleed. I want to destroy
287 something beautiful. They're my dreams. And only I can destroy
288 them.”“Hikari, don't do this! Please! What about Aerith, Aya, and the
289 other princesses? What about their dreams? What about the Destiny
290 Islands? What about Sora and Riku? You can't kill them all. They all
291 mean too much. And what about mom?” Kairi pleaded, hoping against
292 hope that she could get through to Hikari before it was too
293 late.Hikari looked back towards the Heart of the Universe, reaching
294 out and feeling the darkness coursing through it. “The other
295 princesses need to grow up. You can't hide in fantasy forever. It's
296 all lies. I'm doing them a favor. Mom is better off without me.
297 Couldn't you see the pain in her eyes when she saw me crying? She
298 wanted to help me. It hurt her so much to see me suffering and not
299 knowing how to take that pain away from me. She'll never have to see
300 me cry again.” Closing her eyes, she let the pain and tears well up
301 inside of her, the fresh hurt reminding her of her mission. “And as
302 far as Sora and Riku go, we might as well end that right now.”Sora
303 stepped out of the shadows. He was holding the Keyblade, advancing on
304 Kairi. His outfit had changed, the Heartless symbol prominent on his
305 chest. “Oh, God, no...” Kairi whispered, frozen. “You didn't...” Her
306 heart sunk deep in her chest as she saw the way he looked at her. The
307 beautiful glint in his eyes was gone. It was replaced by something
308 cold and menacing.
310 “I couldn't get Sora to join me willingly. He struggled. But I was
311 determined to have him by my side at the last moments. He is one of
312 the boys of my dreams, after all. So I made him one of the
313 Heartless,” Hikari explained, not bothering to look back. “Sora, be a
314 good boy and kill her.”Sora nodded his assent, pulling up the
315 Keyblade. “Yes, princess.” With that, the Keyblade Master lunged at
316 Kairi.Riku blocked the blow with Kairi's Keyblade, taking control of
317 Kairi's body again. “Sora, don't do this! You promised me you'd take
318 care of her,” Riku reminded the brunette boy. “You have to take care
319 of her for me, Sora.”Hikari shook her head, aiding the darkness
320 surrounding the Heart of the Universe. “He can't hear you, Riku. He's
321 Heartless now, remember?” She glanced back at Kairi, watching the
322 girl return Sora's blows. “It's good to see you again, by the way,
323 Riku. Interesting choice in new bodies. You always did make such a
324 good bishounen.”“You bitch!” Kairi screamed at the other version of
325 herself. “What did you do with his heart? Give it back!!” Her soul
326 cried out as she could only watch Sora trying to comply with his
327 order to kill her. Hikari had turned one of the most important people
328 in Kairi's life against her.
330 Sora launched into a stream of blows, trying his hardest to get to
331 the seemingly fragile girl before him. Riku struggled to parry the
332 other Keyblade. The two were evenly matched, but Riku was at a
333 disadvantage both in a new body and in that he didn't want to hurt
334 the other boy.
336 “It's gone,” Hikari said simply. “He's nothing more than my puppet
337 now. If he wouldn't stay with me to watch the end, then I had no use
338 for his heart. I cast it aside and made him another Heartless,” she
339 explained, turning to watch the fight.“No!” Kairi's heart wrenched
340 inside of herself. “Sora...” He couldn't be gone. She couldn't have
341 lost him. Her hands ached as the Keyblade was slammed around in their
342 grasp. Sora was attacking more and more fiercely. “Kairi, she's
343 lying. Hikari's in pain. She's been suffering. She wants her
344 suffering to end. And she's self-destructive enough to want to kill
345 herself and her dreams. But she still loves Sora. She wouldn't just
346 discard his heart. It has to still be here,” Riku explained, slashing
347 at Sora to keep the other boy back.
349 Laughing, Hikari placed her hands behind her back. “I love you, too,
350 Riku, but I still asked Sora to kill you. I think your logic's a bit
351 off.” She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “It's strange.
352 I've always had this love affair with the light and the dark. I lived
353 my life in darkness, yet I fantasized about the light. I can't live
354 without the darkness. It sustains me. At the same time, I longed for
355 the light as well. And so there was you and Sora. My light and my
356 darkness. I loved you both because I could never choose one over the
357 other. I needed you both. And now that I've reached the end, I have
358 the boy of the light while Kairi, the light from my heart, is sided
359 with the boy of the dark. Fascinating how these things turn
360 out.”“Absolutely fascinating...” Riku replied sarcastically, grunting
361 as he blocked a downward cut from Sora.
362 “What if I unlock his heart? Will that set it free?” Kairi asked
363 hopefully.“Nope,” Hikari shot down Kairi's idea. “Remember what
364 happened with everyone else you've unlocked? Their heart is unlocked
365 from their body. Sora would die. That's of course saying he has his
366 heart inside of him right now.”Riku hopped back, inches away from
367 Sora's frenzied swipes. He needed to end this quickly or Sora would
368 kill Kairi. There had to be a way. There had to! Kairi thought
369 desperately while Riku tried to keep them alive just a little longer.
370 She dove through her memories, trying to find something, anything
371 they could use. Then it hit her. Not just her own memories, but
372 Riku's as well. Wasn't her Keyblade the Keyblade that Riku had owned,
373 after all? The one that could unlock hearts. “No... You're wrong.
374 When I unlocked Seymour's heart, he didn't die. The darkness was
375 unlocked and it transformed him. The same thing happened when Riku
376 unlocked Maleficent. When I unlocked those people, I was unlocking
377 their hearts themselves, just like when Sora unlocked his heart to
378 free me when I was stuck inside of him. But with Seymour and
379 Maleficent, they had the darkness in their hearts unlocked. Which
380 means...”“That if Sora's heart is still there, we can unlock the
381 light inside of it,” Riku finished for her. He gave a quick nod. This
382 would be close. Sora was battering away at Riku's defenses now. He'd
383 only get one chance. Riku left an opening for Sora, blocking low.
384 Sure enough, Sora took the chance, slamming the Keyblade into Kairi's
385 shoulder. Pain exploded in the injured shoulder, shooting throughout
386 Kairi and Riku. But there it was. Riku's chance. With Sora's attack
387 leaving him open, Riku lunged forward, plunging the Keyblade deep
388 into the spikey haired boy's chest, right through the Heartless
389 symbol. Praying she was right, Riku and Kairi turned the key. If they
390 were wrong, either Sora would be dead, or they would. Sora slumped
391 forward on his knees, his heart unlocked from the turning Keyblade.
392 He held his chest, clutching his heart. Light cascaded over him, his
393 clothes returning to normal. He lay there, breathing heavily.
395 “Sora!!” Kairi through her arms around him, clutching him as tightly
396 as her injured shoulder would allow. They hadn't lost him. She could
397 feel Riku in their hug as she held onto Sora. “Sora, you're okay...”
398 Burying her head against his shoulder, she felt relief blossoming
399 within her. For the first time in so long, they were all together.
400 The three of them. Just as it should be. “Kairi...” Sora held the
401 other girl, feeling her hair against his cheek. She was real in his
402 arms. She had saved him again. What had he been about to do? He
403 shuddered at the thought. How could he ever harm her?“And?” Kairi
404 asked, raising an eyebrow.Sora laughed. He knew that gesture wasn't
405 Kairi's. “And Riku. It's good to see you, too. Even if you look...
406 ummm... cuter... than you did before.”Laughing as well, Kairi sat
407 back, gazing at Sora. “I thought he was plenty cute before. But I'm
408 just glad we're all together again.”Quite enraged that the light from
409 her heart was thoroughly turning the boys she loved against her,
410 Hikari summoned the darkness around her into razor sharp daggers. An
411 illusion wasn't going to take even the boys she loved away from her.
412 She had lost everything as it was. This was the final insult.
413 “Kairi!” Sora turned just in time to see the blade ended shadows
414 rushing towards them. His body ached too much to give him the
415 strength he needed to get up and get Kairi out of the way in time.
416 When Kairi turned to look, she could only see a dark figure standing
417 before her.
418 The blades cut deep into Ansem's cloak, causing the body that had
419 formerly belonged to Riku to stagger back. Blood dripped down the
420 cloak from the jagged wounds. The blindfolded boy grit his teeth,
421 trying to fight back the pain. “No... No, Hikari... The Heartless are
422 using you..” He coughed. Blood spattered his lips as he stepped
423 forward. “I'm sorry, Hikari... You never should have followed me... I
424 never should have forgotten... how much I loved my dear little
425 princess... I failed you... But I can't let you do this...” Drawing
426 his dual winged blades, he summoned the last of his strength.
428 When the Light within Kingdom Hearts had hit him, it had awakened
429 something Ansem had forgotten had ever existed. The love for his
430 daughter. How he had wanted his baby princess to be happy, how he
431 wanted his people to live happy lives. That was why he had originally
432 studied the Heartless. But he had lost himself in his work somewhere
433 along the way. Still in Riku's body, his own having died when he had
434 become one of the Heartless, he had decided to help Kairi along her
435 journey. Maybe she could put write what he had done wrong. But now he
436 had to kill Hikari in order to end the cycle. This was his fault. If
437 he hadn't been consumed by the Heartless, she never would have done
438 the same. At least they'd be together in death. Far away from the
439 Heartless.Dashing forward, Ansem brought both his swords to bear on
440 the fragile looking princess. His swords were blocked by her swiftly
441 moving shadows. Raising her hand, Hikari summoned all of the power of
442 darkness at her disposal. Ansem understood then that he had been too
443 late. Hikari was completely lost to the darkness. Her tortured soul
444 had found solace with the Heartless. And she wasn't going to leave
445 until everything was dead. “Foolish old man. The Heartless isn't
446 using me. I'm using it.” Narrowing her eyes, Hikari sent the
447 gathering darkness out, watching as it destroyed her father. His
448 tattered, bloodied cloak fell uselessly to her feet.
450 “Dad...” Kairi's heart lurched as she saw him die. In one world, she
451 had her mother. In this world, she had just lost her father. He had
452 tried to protect her, to make up for his sins. And her other self had
453 simply killed him. How could she be so cold? How could she have ever
454 gotten so dark inside? What had happened to her soul? That thought
455 horrified her. That was her. She was only a small part of that girl.
457 “If she killed Ansem that easily...” Riku whispered.“Then how are we
458 supposed to stop her?” Sora continued, watching in horrified awe.
459 Even Ansem hadn't been that powerful when he had fought the other
460 man. All the darkness that existed was at Hikari's fingertips. “We
461 have to try,” Riku said, clutching the Keyblade. Between himself and
462 Sora, there had to be something they could do, right? He had to do
463 something. But part of him held back. Could he really put Kairi in
464 harm's way like that?“You don't have a choice,” Kairi answered Riku's
465 thought. “Whether I get killed here or when she destroys everything,
466 there's no difference. I want to try. All three of us.” She turned to
467 Sora. “Can you distract her? Don't do anything that'll get her to
468 kill you outright. Be careful. Just distract her. I know she loves
469 you. I think she'll keep from seriously hurting you unless she has
470 to.” Sora nodded. She swallowed. “Riku, can you get me close enough
471 to her? I'm going to do what I did to Sora. I need to unlock her
472 heart. There has to be light in it. I'll unlock it just like I've
473 unlocked the others. I'll set her free.”“I'll get you there, Kairi,”
474 Riku promised.
476 Kairi smiled vaguely. “All three of us. This is how it's supposed to
477 be. If it's going to be the end, I'd want it to be with the two of
478 you. I'm sure she feels the same way.”“It's not the end, Kairi. We'll
479 stop this,” Sora argued.
481 “Whatever happens, we're together,” Riku said softly. “Together,”
482 Kairi agreed. She slowly got up, Sora standing up beside her.
484 Rushing forward, Sora threw his Keyblade, magic swirling around it
485 as it whipped through the air at Hikari. The princess looked up,
486 shadows swirling to protect her. As predicted, the Keyblade crashed
487 into her shield of shadows.
489 Riku through all of Kairi's strength into running to Hikari. He had
490 to catch her off guard. He could feel every pain in Kairi's body
491 acutely, but he tried to force more strength out of it. Just a little
492 more... Soon this nightmare could be over... There! Reaching Hikari,
493 Kairi shoved the Keyblade into Hikari's chest. Now she could unlock
494 Hikari. She could feel the other girl's pain. The torment that raked
495 over Hikari's soul was her own pain as well. But she had hope. That
496 was the big difference between them. She could believe in a brighter
497 tomorrow. She hoped she could prove it to Hikari. Turning the
498 Keyblade, Kairi waited for Hikari's heart to come unlocked. Nothing
499 happened. Switching the Keyblade inside of the other girl again, cold
500 dread spread throughout Kairi's heart and soul. Hikari turned to look
501 at her. The other girl was smiling. 'No...' Kairi thought, trying
502 again and again. Nothing. It was like there was nothing there.
503 “Didn't I tell you I planned for this? I cast out the light in my
504 heart a long time ago. I am the Heartless. I have nothing to unlock,
505 Kairi. I sent you away for this exact reason. There is absolutely no
506 light in my heart. I won't be defeated the way my father was.”
507 Raising her hand, Hikari summoned dark lightening, sending Kairi and
508 Sora flying back. “I have all of the Darkness in the universe at my
509 control thanks to you. And there's no light in my heart to exploit.
510 You're powerless, Kairi. You always were. You are nothing more than a
511 dream. A dream that's about to end.” She tilted her head back, tears
512 dripping down her cheeks. “Can you hear that? The universe is crying
513 out. It's dying. It's finally over. Nothing will ever hurt us again.
514 No more false hopes. No more painfilled days. Thank God, it's finally
515 over.” Her shoulders slumped with the relief of a girl consigned to
516 her death. This was her relief. She was finally ending it all.
518 The Heart of the Universe finally collapsed. The light in it was
519 extinguished. The entire universe trembled as its heart stopped. The
520 fabric of reality began to twist and writhe sickly as it began to
521 die, like the structure of a building finally succumbing to too much
522 stress and tearing itself apart.
524 Kairi had failed. The part of her that hoped for a brighter future,
525 that couldn't leave her mother, that needed Riku and Sora and her
526 dreams had failed. Hikari had succeeded. The part of her that
527 lamented every day, that cried herself to sleep at night, that found
528 each day a grueling exercise in pain, who could find no comfort in
529 dreams had succeeded. And so existence began to be plunged into
530 darkness. In darkness there was nothing. There was only the abyss.
532 Pain bit into Kairi's wrists. With a moan, the brunette doubled
533 over. Red hot pain was flaring through her mind. Now that everything
534 was falling apart, she didn't have this other world to protect her
535 from the fact that she was in her bedroom bleeding to death. Blood
536 dripped down her wrists as she lay on the cold shadows at the now
537 dead Heart of the Universe. “Kairi!!” Riku's voice cried out in her
538 mind.
540 “It's over,” Hikari whimpered, relief evident in her shaking body.
541 She cried tears of relief. Finally. She could finally die. After all
542 this time. No more purgatory in this world of dreams. No more days in
543 that intolerably cruel world where she was an outsider. Finally.
544 Blood dripped down her own wrists, but she hardly noticed.
546 It was too late. There was nothing left. By now, the darkness had
547 covered everything. Everything was dead. Everything was darkness. All
548 because of her. Kairi lay weakly on the shadowed floor, her eyes dim.
549 She could almost make out the image of her mother over her, but she
550 was so far away. Sora and Riku were close by, but they would be gone
551 soon, too. They would die when the universe finally collapsed. Which
552 should be in only moments. No... No, she couldn't let them die. She
553 couldn't. The Destiny Islands. Riku. Sora. Yuffie and Relm. All of
554 her friends. All those she'd met. Aerith and the other princesses.
556 That was it. The princesses. They had once been the light in the
557 darkness. They had been the children who had recreated worlds when
558 the universe had been plunged into darkness long ago. Now it was
559 happening again. Everything had been cast into darkness. But if she
560 could stop this before the universe tore itself apart, they could
561 recreate it all again. There is light even in the darkness. It only
562 needed a chance to grow. And she had to give it that chance.
564 Her body felt so weak. She was dizzy and sick from blood loss. She
565 was dying, she knew, but she wasn't ready. Not yet. Not now. Her
566 questing fingers sought out the Keyblade, scrabbling along over the
567 shadows. Nothing. Please... She begged for more inner strength. Riku
568 helped as much as he could, despite the fact that he knew what she
569 was planning. She thanked him with all her heart, her fingers finally
570 grasping the handle of the Keyblade. “Hikari...” Kairi whispered
571 weakly, pulling the Keyblade close. “You can't die. You can't end the
572 dream. Because... your mother needs you... And this world... is too
573 beautiful to die...” She breathed heavily, having trouble focusing.
574 Pulling up the Keyblade, she plunged it into her own chest. With
575 shaking hands, she unlocked her heart.
577 The Keyblade clattered to the floor as Kairi's heart rushed out of
578 her body. Hikari looked up. The princess's eyes widened in
579 realization. “No... Kairi, how could you?” She shook her head, tears
580 falling to the floor. “You idiot. You sacrificed yourself for this
581 world. You'll never see it again. Is that what you want?” But Kairi
582 wasn't out there anymore. She was within her. They were now one soul
583 again. Just as they had originally been.
585 The light in Hikari's heart had finally returned. Light burst
586 through the darkness inside of Hikari now that her heart had been
587 returned. The trembling of the universe stopped. All was still. “It's
588 up to you,” Hikari whispered. “You have to rebuild our dreams.
589 Aerith.. I hope you and the princesses can do it. I'm sorry for
590 causing all of this trouble. Rebuild them without a trace of the
591 Heartless. Rebuild this world as beautifully as you can.” Kairi's
592 body stirred, slowly getting to her feet. The cuts on her wrists were
593 gone. “Kairi?” Sora asked, looking at the girl. Hadn't she unlocked
594 her heart? Was she all right after all?Kairi shook her head. “No, not
595 Kairi.” It was Riku. He was the only one in Kairi's body now. Kairi
596 had returned to her original body. And Riku knew exactly what it
597 meant. “You're closing the door. You're shutting off the Heartless.
598 Kairi... Don't go.”
600 Hikari shook her head, trying to smile through the tears. “I have
601 to. I almost killed this world. I almost killed everything I love so
602 very much. Especially the two of you. Please... Rebuild the Destiny
603 Islands for me.”Getting up, Sora shook his head. He could let this
604 happened. He denied that it would happen. He wouldn't let it!
605 “Kairi!! No! You can't go!” He ran to her, but she was already
606 disappearing from their world. Riku walked up, his fingers brushing
607 over her fading cheek. “Kairi...” It wasn't fair. They had finally
608 been together and now she was taken from them again, whisked away to
609 another world where she was dying. Laughing tearfully, Hikari shook
610 her head. “It isn't the end. Because I won't let it be. I love you
611 both too much for that.” She began to blur, becoming more and more
612 faint. She could feel herself on the floor, her mother's arms around
613 her. There was the faint sound of an ambulance. She was now more in
614 the other world than in this one. “Remember,” she said, her voice
615 growing faint. “I'm always with you. No matter how far apart we are.”
617 “Kairi,” Riku whispered, looking through tearstained eyes at the
618 girl he loved. “I don't care where you go. Wherever you are, I'll
619 find you. I promise. I'll search every universe over until I do.”
621 “You're right, Kairi,” Sora nodded, trying to stay strong for her.
622 “It isn't over. We'll be together again. Someday.”
624 “Someday...” Hikari whispered. And with that, she was gone.