Prism Hearts 

 Chapter 17

 Hikari 

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 "Imaginary"

 by Evanescence

 

 I linger in the doorway

 of  alarm clock  screaming monsters calling my name

 let me stay

 where  the wind will whisper  to me

 where the raindrops as they're  falling tell a story

 

 in my field  of paper flowers

 and  candy clouds of lullaby

 i lie inside myself for  hours

 and  watch my purple sky fly over me

 

 don't say i'm out of  touch

 with  this rampant chaos - your reality

 i know well what lies beyond  my sleeping refuge 

 the nightmare i built my own world to escape

 

 in  my  field of paper flowers

 and candy clouds of lullaby

 i  lie inside myself for  hours

 and watch my purple sky fly over  me

 

 swallowed up in the sound of  my screaming

 cannot  cease for the fear of silent nights

 oh how i long for  the deep  sleep dreaming

 the goddess of imaginary light

 

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

 

 The darkness encompassed all. Any light that had been within Kingdom

 Hearts had been extinguished. Standing in front of the imposing

 doorway that led into the heart of the universe, Kairi paused for a

 moment. This was it. This would lead her to Hikari, to her other

 self. And if she didn't do something to stop Hikari, the Heartless

 would consume the heart of the universe and tear apart the beautiful

 dream. And then, she would die. Alone. She couldn't let that happen.

 So much had already been lost. There had to be a way to save

 everything. Somehow. 

 

 Closing her eyes, Kairi took a moment to feel Riku within her. His

 heart, strong and dedicated, rested next to her own. She could feel

 his thoughts and feelings flowing through her as if they were her

 own. “I'm worried about him, too,” she whispered at last, feeling his

 thoughts go to Sora. When she had awoken from the Darkness, she had

 been all alone with the exception of Riku's spirit. Wherever Sora

 was, she hoped they weren't too late. 

 

 Collecting her strength, the princess stepped through what had once

 been the Doorway to the Light. 

 

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

 

 Inside the Doorway, all was dark. She could see herself, but

 everything else was the deepest black. It was as if the world around

 her was painted in shadows. And yet, even in that absence of light,

 it didn't feel empty. There was something lurking in the shadows.

 They were alive. Pulsing with the cold, pained cries of broken

 hearts. Soon, this blanket of tears would encompass everything. The

 princess hastened her step into the eternal night. 

 

 No matter how far Kairi traveled, nothing seemed to change. The

 darkness was constant. Shivering in the darkness, she hugged herself

 to try to keep warm. Her outfit may have been fine for island life,

 but in these blackened depths, it offered little protection. From the

 shadows came echos of crying, mocking laughter, angry voices, and

 other noises Kairi couldn't quite make out. They all came from the

 darkest part of the heart. There was no spectre of the light that had

 once been there. Kairi feared that she was too late. But she couldn't

 just sit and wait for the universe to collapse. If there was any

 chance that she could make things right again, she had to take it. No

 matter what the cost. “So Ansem's still alive. I should have known it

 was him in your body,” Kairi said at last, growing wary of the

 strange noises in the distance. “I guess he had reason to stick

 around in this life like I did. He seems to be trying to stop Hikari,

 too. The Light must have awakened the part of him that had been such

 a great ruler before he started researching the Heartless,” Riku's

 voice rang through Kairi's head. It was so strange. After he'd sold

 his heart in order to save Kairi's, she had eventually been the one

 to save him. Now his heart was in her body. She had always been

 special to him. He and Sora had spent so much of their time vying for

 her attention. But it was more than that. It ran deeper. He had been

 willing to do whatever it took to save her. He had no idea she'd be

 just as willing to do the same for him. “Thanks, Kairi.”A small smile

 played of Kairi's lips. “I may not be able to fight like you and

 Sora, but that doesn't mean I'd ever give up on you two.” Her tone

 changed more serious as she rested her hand over her heart, imagining

 his heart. “I promised I'd find you. This isn't over until we're all

 together again.”“Kairi...” Riku smiled inwardly. “You're more amazing

 than you know. Whatever Hikari said, don't let it get to you. You've

 proven you're more than an illusion. However you started out, no

 matter what world you came from, you're the strongest person I know.”

 Kairi blushed, all too acutely aware that Riku could feel her

 thoughts. It made it impossible to hide her embarrassment. She acted

 hastily to cover it up. “I hope that means you won't be calling me

 lazy anymore,” she joked.“Oh, I don't know about that,” the once

 silver haired boy teased. “You and Sora still like to leave me to do

 the hard work.”Giggling softly, the brunette nodded. “That's just

 because you're better at it. And I hope that means you don't plan on

 building another raft to go see other worlds. I think I've had enough

 travel for a while.”“I learned that traveling isn't worth it if you

 can't be close to the ones you love. I never wanted to go by myself.

 I wanted to go with you and Sora. Everything would have been fine

 then,” Riku explained. “I'm sorry, Riku. I wanted that, too. And I'm

 sorry for what happened to you because of me. You tried to save me,

 but you lost your body because of it. If there's anyway I can get it

 back, I will,” Kairi promised,guilt washing over her for the silver

 haired boy's predicament. “No, don't feel sorry, Kairi. I did what I

 had to. I'd have done anything to get you back. I sold my heart to

 try to do that. I lost my body in the bargain. But getting you back

 was more important than any of that. I can accept what happened. As

 long as I'm with you, I'm happy.” 

 

 The conviction in Riku's thoughts coursed through Kairi. She smiled

 faintly. “As long as I'm with you...” she echoed. 

 

 “Watch out!” Riku's voice called out to her. Kairi stopped herself

 right in front of a developing shadow. It shifted and grew, achieving

 a shape. Because of the darkness around it, the shadow itself was

 difficult to make out, but it became easier and easier as its form

 became more defined. Kairi took several steps back, but already she

 could feel more of them. They were surrounding her. The one in front

 of her finally stepped forward, the shadowed hair shifting from side

 to side. It's long sleeves nearly touched the ground. It looked up

 with a horribly familiar face. “Yuna...” Kairi got out breathlessly.

 It looked exactly like the other girl painted in shadows. Beside the

 shadowed Yuna stood a rapidly forming shadow of Rikku. Kairi turned

 to spot the others, but there were rapidly becoming more than she

 could count. Kuja. And Ultimecia. And Kefka. And Seifer. And Celes.

 And more and more. They all watched her with their blind, dark,

 accusing eyes. The Keyblade was in her hand without thinking. It took

 the princess a moment to realize Riku had taken control and was

 preparing to fight. But even with how good a fighter she knew Riku

 was, they were terribly outnumbered. There were simply too many of

 them. They appeared in droves, surrounding them. So many faces that

 she could recognize in those awful shadow faces, all damned. “No! I

 unlocked your heart!” Kairi turned to Yuna, practically shouting in

 panic. “You should be free. You should all be in the Lifestream by

 now. You should be safe from the Heartless!”“And they are,” a voice

 said. The path of shadows opened for the darkly clad, silver haired

 SOLDIER. Sephiroth nodded to Kairi, watching her intently as he began

 to step forward. “You unlocked their hearts. And the others are dead.

 They're far away. Much too far away to help you, my princess. But

 their shadows, on the other hand... Those are more than happy to tear

 you apart. Bit by bit. Princess Hikari was running out of Heartless

 so she took the shadows of the dead. Now they have gathered here,

 ready for the endless night that she will bring.” 

 

 “Why are you doing this? She's wrong. She'll destroy everything,”

 Kairi insisted. Part of her could remember Sephiroth. He had been her

 loyal guard, always there to protect her. How could he be doing this

 now? “I don't ask questions, your highness. I do as Princess Hikari

 commands me. I would lay down my life for her. I'm sure the ghost boy

 with you understands what I mean.” He raised the Masamune, his

 glowing green eyes fixed on Kairi's.

 Deep within Kairi, she could feel Riku's grudging agreement. Riku,

 too, would do the same thing for Kairi. Sephiroth was protecting

 Hikari in the same way, regardless of where that led the universe.

 Kairi felt her hands tighten on the Keyblade as Riku prepared to try

 to fight off Sephiroth. And the mass of shadows that was surrounding

 them. The princess wasn't ready to give in, but she couldn't see a

 way out. “But if you have to protect her, you have to protect me,

 too,” Kairi insisted. “I'm the princess. You swore you'd protect me

 from all harm.”Sephiroth shook his head, still a few meters away. He

 would be on them in seconds. “I'm afraid it isn't that simple. You

 are only a dream that Princess Hikari had. She wishes the dream to

 end. So I will be your executioner for my highness.” His single dark

 wing unfurled. It would be a shame to have to kill even a facsimile

 of the princess, but he would do whatever she asked of him. Spinning

 end over end, a shuriken whistled through the air. The bladed weapon

 sunk deep into shadow Rikku, felling the dark version of the catgirl.

 “You will not degrade the memory of my little sister! I don't care

 who the hell you think you are!” Yuffie yelled out, rage burning in

 her eyes. 

 

 Turning in a daze, Kairi was shocked. Yuffie was there? The ninja

 had followed her? But how? But it wasn't just Yuffie. There stood

 Relm, already drawing a fire to light the darkness. Aerith stood with

 them, chanting a spell. And there stood Cloud with his own wing

 unfurled. And Squall and Rinoa. And the Turks. And there were Quistis

 and Selphie. They were all there. They had come for her. She wasn't

 alone. 

 Before the shadows could get to Kairi, the group began to fight

 their way into the mass of living shadows. Yuffie slashed her way

 through with another shuriken, fighting with all the pain she had for

 her lost sister. Relm drew vicious dogs, letting her paintings attack

 the shadows nearest her. The Turks opened fire, fighting their way

 through the mob of darkness. Quistis and Selphie fought together, for

 their Island, for everyone's future. They all fought back the growing

 darkness as best they could. They all knew the stakes of this final

 battle. And they were all willing to give their hearts to try and

 stop the end from coming. “Didn't think we'd just live you to do it

 all alone, did you?” Yuffie asked, breaking through the shadows to

 reach Kairi. 

 

 Relm followed closely behind Yuffie. “You shouldn't have ran off on

 your own. We got worried about you.” The light in Kairi's heart grew

 as she watched her two companions. Even in darkness, there is always

 light. Even now, at their very darkest hour, her friends had come for

 her. Hikari was wrong. She couldn't let this end. “I guess I just

 thought it was better to do it alone,” Kairi admitted. Yuffie

 smirked. “Without the universe's greatest ninja?” She shook her head.

 “You're crazy, princess.” Kairi couldn't keep from smiling. “I guess

 I am.” 

 

 “Goodbye, Princess.” Kairi's heart froze as she heard Sephiroth's

 voice. There was genuine sorrow in it for what it was about to do,

 but she knew it wouldn't slow his blade at all. The wind knifed

 against her back as his blade descended. He had managed to make his

 way through the shadows to fulfill his mission, to eliminate the

 princess's dream. Metal clanged loudly against metal. Cloud held back

 the Masamune with his Buster Sword, keeping it inches away from

 Kairi. Kairi hurried out of the way, near Yuffie and Relm while Cloud

 stepped in Sephiroth's way. “Too many have died already, Sephiroth.” 

 

 Sephiroth shook his head, silver hair swaying about. “By morning,

 everything will be dead.” Pulling up his sword, the two warriors

 clashed. Yuffie grabbed Kairi's shoulder, yanking the princess

 further back. “Aerith said we're running out of time. You're the

 Keyblade Mistress, so it sounds like you're the only one who can stop

 all this.” She turned Kairi to look at her, holding both of her

 shoulders. The ninja looked deep into the princess's eyes. “Kairi...

 You have to stop all this. I... I believe in you. You have to end

 this. For Rikku. I can't let her die in vain. Please.” “And for

 Celes. For everyone who's died because of this, Kairi. You can't let

 their sacrifices be pointless,” Relm said. “Everyone's counting on

 you. You have to save tonight or there will never be another

 tomorrow.”“And for Riku. And Yuna. And Kuja. And everyone.” Kairi

 nodded. “I will. I'll save everything. Somehow. I'll close the

 door.”Yuffie smiled faintly, nodding. “Then get going. We'll hold off

 the Heartless. You make your way there.”

 

 “Thank you. All of you,” Kairi said, blinking back tears. Just

 knowing that they'd all come to help her like that meant so much to

 her. She hugged her two companions, clinging tightly to them for a

 long moment. “It's been fun...” she whispered. Stepping away, she

 turned towards the waiting darkness.“Kairi... Good luck. No matter

 what happens, don't forget us,” Relm called after her.“I won't. I

 couldn't.” Kairi ran into the darkness.

 

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

 

 Somewhere deep within the darkness, Kairi finally reached the very

 Heart of the Universe. It had once hung majestically in the air,

 shimmering with the beauty of a thousand suns and the hearts of all

 that ever were. But now it sunk low, covered sickly with shadows. It

 looked diseased, as if the shadows were killing it. The Heartless

 were consuming the Heart of the Universe. Where everything began. 

 

 Kairi stepped slowly towards the Heart, her eyes slowly moving

 towards the girl standing next to it. Herself. Her darker half. And

 it looked like Hikari had been waiting. “I see somehow you got past

 Sephiroth.” The princess shook her head dismissively. “Though it

 hardly matters. There's nothing left to do. The Heart of the Universe

 is dying. It will be completely Heartless soon. The dream is already

 falling apart. You don't matter anymore.”Kairi shook her head,

 frustration, regret, and anger all welling up inside of her. “You

 can't do this, Hikari. I won't let you. I know why you want to. I'm

 part of you. And part of me wants this, too. But I can't let you. I

 love these people too much. I love this world.”Scoffing, Hikari

 turned her attention to Kairi. “And what of the other world? This is

 all just as much an illusion as you. The dying thoughts of a lonely,

 disturbed girl. What about that other world?”Kairi swallowed, the

 painful memories of her other life returning. But they were

 bittersweet, mixing with her memories of her mother. Of dressing up

 and dancing with her in the living room when she was a child. Of

 playing games and going on picnics and laughing as they stayed up

 late talking. “This isn't only an illusion. Everything... Everything

 is real.” Kairi smiled, understanding at last what Harle had tried to

 say to her. “Both worlds are just as real. And... And I can't give up

 that world either. I miss mom too much. I won't die in her arms. I

 won't leave her all alone.” Digging her fingernails into her palms,

 Hikari glared hatefully at Kairi. “I won't go back there. I'm tired

 of being teased and hurt. I've cried until my soul can't take it

 anymore. I won't live that life. It's over. I can't find solace in

 these dreams anymore. It only hurts even more that they can't be

 real. And I can't live that life any longer. My soul has bled too

 much. Now I'm going to escape it. And I'll take these dreams, my

 beautiful dreams with me. I want them to bleed. I want to destroy

 something beautiful. They're my dreams. And only I can destroy

 them.”“Hikari, don't do this! Please! What about Aerith, Aya, and the

 other princesses? What about their dreams? What about the Destiny

 Islands? What about Sora and Riku? You can't kill them all. They all

 mean too much. And what about mom?” Kairi pleaded, hoping against

 hope that she could get through to Hikari before it was too

 late.Hikari looked back towards the Heart of the Universe, reaching

 out and feeling the darkness coursing through it. “The other

 princesses need to grow up. You can't hide in fantasy forever. It's

 all lies. I'm doing them a favor. Mom is better off without me.

 Couldn't you see the pain in her eyes when she saw me crying? She

 wanted to help me. It hurt her so much to see me suffering and not

 knowing how to take that pain away from me. She'll never have to see

 me cry again.” Closing her eyes, she let the pain and tears well up

 inside of her, the fresh hurt reminding her of her mission. “And as

 far as Sora and Riku go, we might as well end that right now.”Sora

 stepped out of the shadows. He was holding the Keyblade, advancing on

 Kairi. His outfit had changed, the Heartless symbol prominent on his

 chest. “Oh, God, no...” Kairi whispered, frozen. “You didn't...” Her

 heart sunk deep in her chest as she saw the way he looked at her. The

 beautiful glint in his eyes was gone. It was replaced by something

 cold and menacing.

 

 “I couldn't get Sora to join me willingly. He struggled. But I was

 determined to have him by my side at the last moments. He is one of

 the boys of my dreams, after all. So I made him one of the

 Heartless,” Hikari explained, not bothering to look back. “Sora, be a

 good boy and kill her.”Sora nodded his assent, pulling up the

 Keyblade. “Yes, princess.” With that, the Keyblade Master lunged at

 Kairi.Riku blocked the blow with Kairi's Keyblade, taking control of

 Kairi's body again. “Sora, don't do this! You promised me you'd take

 care of her,” Riku reminded the brunette boy. “You have to take care

 of her for me, Sora.”Hikari shook her head, aiding the darkness

 surrounding the Heart of the Universe. “He can't hear you, Riku. He's

 Heartless now, remember?” She glanced back at Kairi, watching the

 girl return Sora's blows. “It's good to see you again, by the way,

 Riku. Interesting choice in new bodies. You always did make such a

 good bishounen.”“You bitch!” Kairi screamed at the other version of

 herself. “What did you do with his heart? Give it back!!” Her soul

 cried out as she could only watch Sora trying to comply with his

 order to kill her. Hikari had turned one of the most important people

 in Kairi's life against her.

 

 Sora launched into a stream of blows, trying his hardest to get to

 the seemingly fragile girl before him. Riku struggled to parry the

 other Keyblade. The two were evenly matched, but Riku was at a

 disadvantage both in a new body and in that he didn't want to hurt

 the other boy.

 

 “It's gone,” Hikari said simply. “He's nothing more than my puppet

 now. If he wouldn't stay with me to watch the end, then I had no use

 for his heart. I cast it aside and made him another Heartless,” she

 explained, turning to watch the fight.“No!” Kairi's heart wrenched

 inside of herself. “Sora...” He couldn't be gone. She couldn't have

 lost him. Her hands ached as the Keyblade was slammed around in their

 grasp. Sora was attacking more and more fiercely. “Kairi, she's

 lying. Hikari's in pain. She's been suffering. She wants her

 suffering to end. And she's self-destructive enough to want to kill

 herself and her dreams. But she still loves Sora. She wouldn't just

 discard his heart. It has to still be here,” Riku explained, slashing

 at Sora to keep the other boy back. 

 

 Laughing, Hikari placed her hands behind her back. “I love you, too,

 Riku, but I still asked Sora to kill you. I think your logic's a bit

 off.” She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “It's strange.

 I've always had this love affair with the light and the dark. I lived

 my life in darkness, yet I fantasized about the light. I can't live

 without the darkness. It sustains me. At the same time, I longed for

 the light as well. And so there was you and Sora. My light and my

 darkness. I loved you both because I could never choose one over the

 other. I needed you both. And now that I've reached the end, I have

 the boy of the light while Kairi, the light from my heart, is sided

 with the boy of the dark. Fascinating how these things turn

 out.”“Absolutely fascinating...” Riku replied sarcastically, grunting

 as he blocked a downward cut from Sora. 

 “What if I unlock his heart? Will that set it free?” Kairi asked

 hopefully.“Nope,” Hikari shot down Kairi's idea. “Remember what

 happened with everyone else you've unlocked? Their heart is unlocked

 from their body. Sora would die. That's of course saying he has his

 heart inside of him right now.”Riku hopped back, inches away from

 Sora's frenzied swipes. He needed to end this quickly or Sora would

 kill Kairi. There had to be a way. There had to! Kairi thought

 desperately while Riku tried to keep them alive just a little longer.

 She dove through her memories, trying to find something, anything

 they could use. Then it hit her. Not just her own memories, but

 Riku's as well. Wasn't her Keyblade the Keyblade that Riku had owned,

 after all? The one that could unlock hearts. “No... You're wrong.

 When I unlocked Seymour's heart, he didn't die. The darkness was

 unlocked and it transformed him. The same thing happened when Riku

 unlocked Maleficent. When I unlocked those people, I was unlocking

 their hearts themselves, just like when Sora unlocked his heart to

 free me when I was stuck inside of him. But with Seymour and

 Maleficent, they had the darkness in their hearts unlocked. Which

 means...”“That if Sora's heart is still there, we can unlock the

 light inside of it,” Riku finished for her. He gave a quick nod. This

 would be close. Sora was battering away at Riku's defenses now. He'd

 only get one chance. Riku left an opening for Sora, blocking low.

 Sure enough, Sora took the chance, slamming the Keyblade into Kairi's

 shoulder. Pain exploded in the injured shoulder, shooting throughout

 Kairi and Riku. But there it was. Riku's chance. With Sora's attack

 leaving him open, Riku lunged forward, plunging the Keyblade deep

 into the spikey haired boy's chest, right through the Heartless

 symbol. Praying she was right, Riku and Kairi turned the key. If they

 were wrong, either Sora would be dead, or they would. Sora slumped

 forward on his knees, his heart unlocked from the turning Keyblade.

 He held his chest, clutching his heart. Light cascaded over him, his

 clothes returning to normal. He lay there, breathing heavily. 

 

 “Sora!!” Kairi through her arms around him, clutching him as tightly

 as her injured shoulder would allow. They hadn't lost him. She could

 feel Riku in their hug as she held onto Sora. “Sora, you're okay...”

 Burying her head against his shoulder, she felt relief blossoming

 within her. For the first time in so long, they were all together.

 The three of them. Just as it should be. “Kairi...” Sora held the

 other girl, feeling her hair against his cheek. She was real in his

 arms. She had saved him again. What had he been about to do? He

 shuddered at the thought. How could he ever harm her?“And?” Kairi

 asked, raising an eyebrow.Sora laughed. He knew that gesture wasn't

 Kairi's. “And Riku. It's good to see you, too. Even if you look...

 ummm... cuter... than you did before.”Laughing as well, Kairi sat

 back, gazing at Sora. “I thought he was plenty cute before. But I'm

 just glad we're all together again.”Quite enraged that the light from

 her heart was thoroughly turning the boys she loved against her,

 Hikari summoned the darkness around her into razor sharp daggers. An

 illusion wasn't going to take even the boys she loved away from her.

 She had lost everything as it was. This was the final insult.

 “Kairi!” Sora turned just in time to see the blade ended shadows

 rushing towards them. His body ached too much to give him the

 strength he needed to get up and get Kairi out of the way in time. 

 When Kairi turned to look, she could only see a dark figure standing

 before her. 

 The blades cut deep into Ansem's cloak, causing the body that had

 formerly belonged to Riku to stagger back. Blood dripped down the

 cloak from the jagged wounds. The blindfolded boy grit his teeth,

 trying to fight back the pain. “No... No, Hikari... The Heartless are

 using you..” He coughed. Blood spattered his lips as he stepped

 forward. “I'm sorry, Hikari... You never should have followed me... I

 never should have forgotten... how much I loved my dear little

 princess... I failed you... But I can't let you do this...” Drawing

 his dual winged blades, he summoned the last of his strength. 

 

 When the Light within Kingdom Hearts had hit him, it had awakened

 something Ansem had forgotten had ever existed. The love for his

 daughter. How he had wanted his baby princess to be happy, how he

 wanted his people to live happy lives. That was why he had originally

 studied the Heartless. But he had lost himself in his work somewhere

 along the way. Still in Riku's body, his own having died when he had

 become one of the Heartless, he had decided to help Kairi along her

 journey. Maybe she could put write what he had done wrong. But now he

 had to kill Hikari in order to end the cycle. This was his fault. If

 he hadn't been consumed by the Heartless, she never would have done

 the same. At least they'd be together in death. Far away from the

 Heartless.Dashing forward, Ansem brought both his swords to bear on

 the fragile looking princess. His swords were blocked by her swiftly

 moving shadows. Raising her hand, Hikari summoned all of the power of

 darkness at her disposal. Ansem understood then that he had been too

 late. Hikari was completely lost to the darkness. Her tortured soul

 had found solace with the Heartless. And she wasn't going to leave

 until everything was dead. “Foolish old man. The Heartless isn't

 using me. I'm using it.” Narrowing her eyes, Hikari sent the

 gathering darkness out, watching as it destroyed her father. His

 tattered, bloodied cloak fell uselessly to her feet. 

 

 “Dad...” Kairi's heart lurched as she saw him die. In one world, she

 had her mother. In this world, she had just lost her father. He had

 tried to protect her, to make up for his sins. And her other self had

 simply killed him. How could she be so cold? How could she have ever

 gotten so dark inside? What had happened to her soul? That thought

 horrified her. That was her. She was only a small part of that girl. 

 

 “If she killed Ansem that easily...” Riku whispered.“Then how are we

 supposed to stop her?” Sora continued, watching in horrified awe.

 Even Ansem hadn't been that powerful when he had fought the other

 man. All the darkness that existed was at Hikari's fingertips. “We

 have to try,” Riku said, clutching the Keyblade. Between himself and

 Sora, there had to be something they could do, right? He had to do

 something. But part of him held back. Could he really put Kairi in

 harm's way like that?“You don't have a choice,” Kairi answered Riku's

 thought. “Whether I get killed here or when she destroys everything,

 there's no difference. I want to try. All three of us.” She turned to

 Sora. “Can you distract her? Don't do anything that'll get her to

 kill you outright. Be careful. Just distract her. I know she loves

 you. I think she'll keep from seriously hurting you unless she has

 to.” Sora nodded. She swallowed. “Riku, can you get me close enough

 to her? I'm going to do what I did to Sora. I need to unlock her

 heart. There has to be light in it. I'll unlock it just like I've

 unlocked the others. I'll set her free.”“I'll get you there, Kairi,”

 Riku promised. 

 

 Kairi smiled vaguely. “All three of us. This is how it's supposed to

 be. If it's going to be the end, I'd want it to be with the two of

 you. I'm sure she feels the same way.”“It's not the end, Kairi. We'll

 stop this,” Sora argued. 

 

 “Whatever happens, we're together,” Riku said softly. “Together,”

 Kairi agreed. She slowly got up, Sora standing up beside her. 

 

 Rushing forward, Sora threw his Keyblade, magic swirling around it

 as it whipped through the air at Hikari. The princess looked up,

 shadows swirling to protect her. As predicted, the Keyblade crashed

 into her shield of shadows. 

 

 Riku through all of Kairi's strength into running to Hikari. He had

 to catch her off guard. He could feel every pain in Kairi's body

 acutely, but he tried to force more strength out of it. Just a little

 more... Soon this nightmare could be over... There! Reaching Hikari,

 Kairi shoved the Keyblade into Hikari's chest. Now she could unlock

 Hikari. She could feel the other girl's pain. The torment that raked

 over Hikari's soul was her own pain as well. But she had hope. That

 was the big difference between them. She could believe in a brighter

 tomorrow. She hoped she could prove it to Hikari. Turning the

 Keyblade, Kairi waited for Hikari's heart to come unlocked. Nothing

 happened. Switching the Keyblade inside of the other girl again, cold

 dread spread throughout Kairi's heart and soul. Hikari turned to look

 at her. The other girl was smiling. 'No...' Kairi thought, trying

 again and again. Nothing. It was like there was nothing there.

 “Didn't I tell you I planned for this? I cast out the light in my

 heart a long time ago. I am the Heartless. I have nothing to unlock,

 Kairi. I sent you away for this exact reason. There is absolutely no

 light in my heart. I won't be defeated the way my father was.”

 Raising her hand, Hikari summoned dark lightening, sending Kairi and

 Sora flying back. “I have all of the Darkness in the universe at my

 control thanks to you. And there's no light in my heart to exploit.

 You're powerless, Kairi. You always were. You are nothing more than a

 dream. A dream that's about to end.” She tilted her head back, tears

 dripping down her cheeks. “Can you hear that? The universe is crying

 out. It's dying. It's finally over. Nothing will ever hurt us again.

 No more false hopes. No more painfilled days. Thank God, it's finally

 over.” Her shoulders slumped with the relief of a girl consigned to

 her death. This was her relief. She was finally ending it all. 

 

 The Heart of the Universe finally collapsed. The light in it was

 extinguished. The entire universe trembled as its heart stopped. The

 fabric of reality began to twist and writhe sickly as it began to

 die, like the structure of a building finally succumbing to too much

 stress and tearing itself apart. 

 

 Kairi had failed. The part of her that hoped for a brighter future,

 that couldn't leave her mother, that needed Riku and Sora and her

 dreams had failed. Hikari had succeeded. The part of her that

 lamented every day, that cried herself to sleep at night, that found

 each day a grueling exercise in pain, who could find no comfort in

 dreams had succeeded. And so existence began to be plunged into

 darkness. In darkness there was nothing. There was only the abyss. 

 

 Pain bit into Kairi's wrists. With a moan, the brunette doubled

 over. Red hot pain was flaring through her mind. Now that everything

 was falling apart, she didn't have this other world to protect her

 from the fact that she was in her bedroom bleeding to death. Blood

 dripped down her wrists as she lay on the cold shadows at the now

 dead Heart of the Universe. “Kairi!!” Riku's voice cried out in her

 mind. 

 

 “It's over,” Hikari whimpered, relief evident in her shaking body.

 She cried tears of relief. Finally. She could finally die. After all

 this time. No more purgatory in this world of dreams. No more days in

 that intolerably cruel world where she was an outsider. Finally.

 Blood dripped down her own wrists, but she hardly noticed. 

 

 It was too late. There was nothing left. By now, the darkness had

 covered everything. Everything was dead. Everything was darkness. All

 because of her. Kairi lay weakly on the shadowed floor, her eyes dim.

 She could almost make out the image of her mother over her, but she

 was so far away. Sora and Riku were close by, but they would be gone

 soon, too. They would die when the universe finally collapsed. Which

 should be in only moments. No... No, she couldn't let them die. She

 couldn't. The Destiny Islands. Riku. Sora. Yuffie and Relm. All of

 her friends. All those she'd met. Aerith and the other princesses. 

 

 That was it. The princesses. They had once been the light in the

 darkness. They had been the children who had recreated worlds when

 the universe had been plunged into darkness long ago. Now it was

 happening again. Everything had been cast into darkness. But if she

 could stop this before the universe tore itself apart, they could

 recreate it all again. There is light even in the darkness. It only

 needed a chance to grow. And she had to give it that chance. 

 

 Her body felt so weak. She was dizzy and sick from blood loss. She

 was dying, she knew, but she wasn't ready. Not yet. Not now. Her

 questing fingers sought out the Keyblade, scrabbling along over the

 shadows. Nothing. Please... She begged for more inner strength. Riku

 helped as much as he could, despite the fact that he knew what she

 was planning. She thanked him with all her heart, her fingers finally

 grasping the handle of the Keyblade. “Hikari...” Kairi whispered

 weakly, pulling the Keyblade close. “You can't die. You can't end the

 dream. Because... your mother needs you... And this world... is too

 beautiful to die...” She breathed heavily, having trouble focusing.

 Pulling up the Keyblade, she plunged it into her own chest. With

 shaking hands, she unlocked her heart. 

 

 The Keyblade clattered to the floor as Kairi's heart rushed out of

 her body. Hikari looked up. The princess's eyes widened in

 realization. “No... Kairi, how could you?” She shook her head, tears

 falling to the floor. “You idiot. You sacrificed yourself for this

 world. You'll never see it again. Is that what you want?” But Kairi

 wasn't out there anymore. She was within her. They were now one soul

 again. Just as they had originally been. 

 

 The light in Hikari's heart had finally returned. Light burst

 through the darkness inside of Hikari now that her heart had been

 returned. The trembling of the universe stopped. All was still. “It's

 up to you,” Hikari whispered. “You have to rebuild our dreams.

 Aerith.. I hope you and the princesses can do it. I'm sorry for

 causing all of this trouble. Rebuild them without a trace of the

 Heartless. Rebuild this world as beautifully as you can.” Kairi's

 body stirred, slowly getting to her feet. The cuts on her wrists were

 gone. “Kairi?” Sora asked, looking at the girl. Hadn't she unlocked

 her heart? Was she all right after all?Kairi shook her head. “No, not

 Kairi.” It was Riku. He was the only one in Kairi's body now. Kairi

 had returned to her original body. And Riku knew exactly what it

 meant. “You're closing the door. You're shutting off the Heartless.

 Kairi... Don't go.”

 

 Hikari shook her head, trying to smile through the tears. “I have

 to. I almost killed this world. I almost killed everything I love so

 very much. Especially the two of you. Please... Rebuild the Destiny

 Islands for me.”Getting up, Sora shook his head. He could let this

 happened. He denied that it would happen. He wouldn't let it!

 “Kairi!! No! You can't go!” He ran to her, but she was already

 disappearing from their world. Riku walked up, his fingers brushing

 over her fading cheek. “Kairi...” It wasn't fair. They had finally

 been together and now she was taken from them again, whisked away to

 another world where she was dying. Laughing tearfully, Hikari shook

 her head. “It isn't the end. Because I won't let it be. I love you

 both too much for that.” She began to blur, becoming more and more

 faint. She could feel herself on the floor, her mother's arms around

 her. There was the faint sound of an ambulance. She was now more in

 the other world than in this one. “Remember,” she said, her voice

 growing faint. “I'm always with you. No matter how far apart we are.” 

 

 “Kairi,” Riku whispered, looking through tearstained eyes at the

 girl he loved. “I don't care where you go. Wherever you are, I'll

 find you. I promise. I'll search every universe over until I do.”

 

 “You're right, Kairi,” Sora nodded, trying to stay strong for her.

 “It isn't over. We'll be together again. Someday.” 

 

 “Someday...” Hikari whispered. And with that, she was gone.