Prism Hearts Chapter 12 Angelus Errare: Where Angels Lose Their Way by Amazoness Duo amazonessduo@hotmail.com She was out there. Somewhere. Being chased by the Heartless and whoever else wanted what lay inside of her heart. Lost out in a world slowly being consumed by darkness. Torn between reality and nightmare and whatever was in between. And the one man he had counted on to protect her was now incredibly far away, unable to keep the darkness at bay for her. Wherever she was, he knew she was in danger. He could feel it resonating throughout his soul, a cosmic cord that had been struck, hitting him like nails on a chalkboard. He could tell himself that it was only his own worry, but he didn't believe that. There was a connection between them, something that being worlds away wasn't going to sever. After all, she was the only reason he lingered in this world of the living. The concern he felt was reaching a crescendo, crashing around him like an angry sea. It was maddening. He was powerless to save her, trapped behind the door at the center of all the universes, Kingdom Hearts. Riku pounded on the inside of the door, frustration eating him alive. He'd heard Kairi on the other side of those large doors not so long ago. So close yet so far. If only he'd been able to get through them to her... He hated leaving her alone. Sora was supposed to be with her. But where was the other boy? Leaning against the door, Riku crossed his arms and sighed. He was trapped here. He couldn't go to Kairi's rescue. Not this time. He wanted to believe that Sora would reach her in time, but Sora felt so very far away. Well, Riku wasn't exactly trapped. There was one other place he could go. "But I can't do that. Not yet. Not until I see her again." When he had lost his body to Ansem, he had technically died. With no body, he was only a soul. He could leave this plane, could escape to the afterlife. Farplane. Lifestream. Whatever one wished to call it. He could feel it calling to him, but he pushed it off with force of will. He couldn't go yet. Even if that left him locked behind a door at the center of all creation. "Kairi..." he whispered. Again, that feeling of cold dread sent shards of ice through his blood. She needed him and he couldn't go to her. "Sora... Hurry... She needs you." But somehow, he had the horrible feeling that Sora was lost himself at the moment. Neither of them could save her. Neither of them could reach her. It was up to Kairi. Or Fate. "Hold on, Kairi. Please hold on. You don't need to be meeting me in the afterlife. Not yet." Locked away at the heart of all that was, a silver haired boy closed his eyes and prayed to whoever would listen to him to let the girl he loved be all right. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Yuna!" Yuna pulled away from the kiss she had been entagled in with Rikku, the world slamming back down around her. Her cheeks flushed a dark red as her flustered heart spun dizzily. She tried to step away from the catgirl, but Rikku was only pulled closer. She could feel tiny pinpricks against her hips. It took her a moment to realize it was the blonde girl's claws through her skirt. They were still snagged on the fabric. Blushing more, Yuna quickly cast her gaze for the source of the voice. Rikku blinked confusedly, still staring up at the pretty brunette. The voice had vaguely reached her ears, but she was too lost in a world alone with Yuna to case. "Mew?" The curious cat sound she made didn't register to her as anything strange. It was as close to a question as she could muster at the moment. Holding onto Yuna, the catgirl nuzzled her neck, purring happily as she reached up to kiss the other girl again. She paused when she saw the horrified look on Yuna's face. That look on the brunette's beautiful face broke the spell Rikku had been under, sending her tumbling back to the earth from the heavens she had been dwelling in. "Yunie, what's wrong?" "Tidus!" Yuna pulled away from Rikku, running forward on the beach. The previously comfortable wet sand against her feet now felt difficult and unpredictable, impeding her effort to reach the blonde boy. Tidus was still smiling. He'd finally found Yuna on the other side of the island and she seemed to be talking to Rikku about something. They were hugging and whispering, he thought. Running to them, he'd called out to Yuna. He wanted to ask her if she wanted to go with him to the festival that night. She would be fun to go with and he did like her. And Selphie was right, she was an excellent dancer. For some reason, Yuna had blushed when he'd called her name. They must have been talking about something private. When she finally caught sight of him, he grinned and waved. "Yuna!" He ran across the beach, his sandles mashing against the wet sand. He was nearly out of breath but he didn't care. They were having the festival that night. He'd get to go with Yuna and they'd all have fun. They could forget about holes that led to nowhere and friends disappearing and... "Tidus!!" Yuna screamed, reaching out for him. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, yanking her back. The wind was knocked out of her as she was dragged back. Someone's voice yelled to her, but it was drowned out by the roar of the water. Water poared around her like a spring storm, but it all came from the sea around them, soaking her in salt water. She struggled to get free, but Rikku's claws held tight in her dress, pulling her further back even under the relentless shower. She cried out unintelligibly straining. Something immense broke throught the water's surface, sending water spraying everywhere as waves crashed against the beach. The creature, some cross between a whale, coral, and a nightmare, raised up above the beach, casting the already cloudy day into shadow. Water and sand were actually getting sucked upwards, high into the air in some sort of vortex above the creature. It watched them, even though it had no eyes. But in particular, it seemed to be watching Yuna. For a moment, Yuna was disoriented. A huge wave had crashed around her and Rikku, sending them tumbling. She couldn't tell if she was still on the beach or in the ocean. She spat out seawater, hunched over. The wind tore at her drenched clothes, making her shiver and the wet cloth slapped against her. She scanned frantically for any sign of Rikku or Tidus. She finally caught sight of the blonde boy. He was floating in the water in front of the monster. "Tidus!!" she cried out, slowly getting to her feet. The boy stirred, starting to move in the water. She had to get him away from it. "Rikku?" She couldn't tell where the catgirl was. Deep in her heart, she knew this creature. It sang to her, a horrible, brutal lullaby. It dizzied her senses, leaving her barely able to concentrate. She struggled to reach Tidus in time, stumbling through the knee deep water. Tripping on a rock in the water, her heart lurched as well as her body as she crashed painfully into the waves. She was running out of time. It wouldn't pause forever. She had to drag him away from it. She had to find Rikku and run. They all needed to get away. Far, far away. Gazing through the water that burned her eyes, Yuna could barely make out the vague blur that she hoped was Tidus. "Tidus!" She tried to get out around a mouthful of water. She pushed herself forward the last few steps. The boy began to get up on his own. Good. Now she wouldn't have to drag him. They could run. Before she could search for Rikku, she could tell that something was wrong. No, he wasn't getting up on his own. The water was moving him. Pulling him up. Up into the air. "No!" Yuna ran forward, slowed by the surging waves. "Tidus!" She screamed. She reached for his limp hand, her fingers brushing against him. Her heart nearly collapsed when she realized it was too late. His wet fingers slipped past hers as the water and sand and leaves were sucked up into the air. And she was about to follow. Her feet were no longer touching the ground. The water around her was starting to get pulled after her. She was going to be devoured. This... Thing was going to devour Tidus and then her. It was like a monster from fairy tales her father had told her. But this one was hideously real. Yuna stopped in midair. A wet paw clung tightly to her skirt, yanking her away from the funnel of water and debris getting sucked into the vortex up above. The hand nearly lost it's grip again and again, but it kept grasping at her, finally pulling her away. The water around them was still trying to lift into the sky, but not as strongly as the tornado of objects being pulled into the air where Yuna had just been. Rikku held onto Yuna's hand tightly, the claws cutting into her skin as the wind whipped at them, trying to drag them after Tidus. 'I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to you. I won't let it hurt you,' Rikku's mind raced. She didn't know what this was, but she knew she couldn't let it have Yuna. She'd promised to protect the girl. She'd do anything to protect her. The two girls reached the beach, soaked and out of breath, aching and afraid. Behind them, the steady roar began to die down. Splashes could be heard as objects that hadn't reached the vortex plummeted to the sea below. Yuna turned slowly, dreading what she would see. Where the creature had stood was now only chaos. Debris floating haphazardly in the ocean. And Tidus was gone. Gone. "No..." she whispered, as if denying that it had happened would bring him back, would deny the very event itself. "No!" She stumbled forward, wanting to search for him, but she knew it was pointless. She collapsed to her knees in the wet sand. That creature... It was her nightmare. The thing that haunted her dreams. She knew it. Her personal boogeyman. It had many forms, but it was always the same. And now it was real. It had come out of her nightmares and it had found her. And it had taken away one of those closest to her. And she knew it would be back for more. She burst into tears. They had always told her that her father had merely drowned at sea, but she could never believe that. She'd had a dream about that creature taking her father away the night before he'd died. She'd seen it. She'd been unable to stop it. Now it had taken Tidus away. "Tidus... I'm so sorry..." She had failed once more to protect those she cared about. Her father hadn't listened, had told her it was only a nightmare and had sailed off to his death. Tidus had been so close. So very close. She'd nearly had his hand. "I'm so sorry..." she repeated between sobs. Wet, furry arms wrapped around Yuna, pulling her close. The crying girl curled up weakly in Rikku's arms, shaking. "Yunie..." Swallowing, Rikku buried her face against the brunette's soggy hair. What was that thing? In all of her travels, she'd never met anything so terrifying. It had seemed so focussed on Yuna. How could she protect Yuna from that demon? She had to try. Somehow. She'd promised. She wouldn't let it take her. No matter what. "Sin..." Yuna whispered, resting limply in Rikku's arms. She shuddered violently, breaking into a fresh batch of sobs. "What? Yunie, what's sin?" Rikku asked worriedly, pulling Yuna closer. "That... that was Sin..." Yuna whispered. "Sin's come to punish us..." She knew it. Knew it like she knew how to breathe and how to laugh. It was ingrained in her. That was Sin. It was a nightmare. And it had come for the Destiny Islands. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hikari nibbled on her lower lip, waiting anxiously for the bell to ring. She shuffled the beautiful, multicolored papers on her lap, watching the clock in the classroom tick inexorably towards dismissal. Her heart pounded excitedly in her chest as she waited. Taking a pencil, she began to scribble on the top sheet. She smiled as a familiar figure began to take shape on the page before her. It happened without thinking, as if he wanted to see her. It was silly, she knew, but she couldn't help it. Riku slowly came into being on the paper in front of her in the form of a hastily drawn picture. Sighing inwardly, she smiled. He was so cute. But he was probably so lonely there by himself. By now completely phasing out whatever the teacher was saying, Hikari drew in Sora next to the other boy. And, after a moment's thought, herself between the two boys. There. That was better. By now, drawing the boys was second nature. She'd drawn hundreds of pictures of them and their island. They were her best friends. Even if they weren't real. The bell finally rang, cutting into Hikari's distant thoughts. The girl quickly got up, nearly dropping her lapful of colored papers. A boy behind her laughed as she struggled to keep a grasp on the handful of them. Finally pulling them into a hug, she hurried to pass them out. They were invitations to her thirteenth birthday party. Her mother had made each of them by hand the night before. Her mother's art still amazed her. The older woman could draw such beautiful things. It was she who had spent hours upon hours teaching Hikari to draw. And now the younger girl spent as much time as she could drawing her dreams, that far off world she loved so very much. It seemed to come to life in the drawings. Written in her mother's careful hand on each and every paper was: 'Please come, one and all, to the beautiful Princess Hikari's 13th birthday this Friday. Whether by carriage or chocobo or airship, all are welcome for this wondrous celebration. Dinner will be served so all visiting dignitaries' parents shouldn't worry about them coming home hungry. Please call Princess Hikari's chief adviser (her mother) if you have any questions.' As Hikari passed out the last of the invitations, she felt excitement mixed with pride and anticipation. The invitations were beautiful. Her mother had spent so much time on them, surprising Hikari early in the morning with the bundle. She had said she wanted Hikari to have a birthday fit for a princess. That was so sweet. Hikari had been delighted with the beautiful pictures that adorned the invitations. Her mother had drawn them. It was like an invitation to Wonderland, wondrous and amazing. No one else had invitations like that, usually little more than explanations on paper of what party and where. No one else had a mother like she had, pretty and fun and loving. Her mind raced with thoughts of her birthday, of games and the pretty dress her mother had bought her for it and.... "Princess Hikari?" One of the girls asked, grinning. "Since when was Hikari a princess?" Hikari's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It's... Mom meant..." "So we're supposed to get off of school friday and go to 'her highness's' little play date?" A boy asked. "What types of games will they be playing? Spin the bottle?" Another boy laughed. "With who? The other four-year-olds Hikari invites? You'll be lucky if they play pin the tail on the donkey. The 'Princess' likes to keep things simple." Hikari's eyes burned brightly with tears as she listened to them laugh and joke. Each time she heard someone call her 'princess', it felt like a slap to the face. Not like when her mother said it. When she said it, Hikari felt like a real princess. But now.... She sniffled painfully, hoisting up her backpack as she left the room. "Hey, Princess, I don't think I can make it. I'm gonna be visiting the man on the moon that day. Very busy," a girl said mock seriously. Her friends burst into laughter. Hikari couldn't speak. She could barely keep from crying. She'd thought the invitations were wonderful. She loved the idea of a magically princess themed birthday party. But now she felt stupid for wanting such a thing. Stupid and childish. Another boy crumpled up the invitation, drawn brilliantly on a sky blue paper. He dropped it in a trash can as he passed, not bothering with a glance back. It was simply so much trash to him. Nothing more, nothing less. Her mother's work, the pretty invitation she had spent all night on, now left unceremoniously with the rest of the garbage. Hikari felt sick. She shook lightly, her vision blurred. She didn't even know where she was going. She wanted to collapse and cry. But then they'd be right. She would just be a dumb little girl. Tears fell silently down her cheeks as she cursed herself inwardly. She was just a dumb little girl. A little girl who wanted her mother, who wanted to be a princess. Who wanted everyone to like her. Her breath caught in her throat, wet and stinging. She pushed open the bathroom door and stumbled on leaden feet into a stall. Collapsing, she cried through most of the next period. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kairi stirred weakly in her bonds. Where was she? Oh, how she was beginning to loathe that question. Kuja... Blinking awake, Kairi glanced around the gothic looking room. The nightmare she had just had only made her present state that much more miserable. Her soul was still clouded with pain half-remembered, worried about an uncertain Fate that hung before her. "So the sleeper awakens." Kuja's soft voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was smirking now. "Or perhaps that's not entirely true. You haven't woken up just yet. Not from this dream. But that suits my needs just fine. I'll shape this dream however I see fit with the power you'll grant me, Kairi." Finally stepping into view, the lithe catboy was indeed smirking. He traced Kairi's cheek with his fingertips. "It will hurt. But then it will all be over. And I'll create a new world from your ashes." Kairi struggled as she felt his hand trailing down her neck, moving over her collarbone. But she was helpless. "I won't give up. I won't let you change this world. I'm going to save it." She had to believe in those words. She had to. For Sora. For Riku. For all of her friends who were counting on her to stop the Heartless. "You really don't have a choice anymore, Kairi. You may be the dreamer, but with the Prism Heart, I'll recast it into my dream. I'll never die. All the things that haunt me will disperse into nothingness. It will be beautiful." Kuja sighed deliciously. "It's only too bad you won't be there to see it." His hand now rested directly over Kairi's heart. He could practically taste the fear and uncertainty that washed over her. He gazed into her eyes, ready to watch the light fade from them as she died. With a swift motion of his hand, he shoved his fingers into her chest. Pain screamed through Kairi's head, bright and searing pain that instantly killed any thoughts that were swarming through her head. The scream felt endless and tore through her mind and soul. Yet her lips only trembled, unable to make anything but the tiniest sounds. She could feel his hand pushing deeper inside of her, clutching at her heart, could feel him grabbing it tenderly, ready to draw it out of her. She'd come so far. She had promised she'd save Riku. But now she would die in a far off world as someone used her heart to recreate this reality. And all she could do was wish for the pain to end. 'Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, And hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish.' No. She had promised. This wouldn't end here. Her fingernails dug into her palms as she tried to concentrate. She wouldn't die here. She couldn't die here. Her journey wasn't over. She needed to save Riku. Had to find Sora. 'I won't give up. I'm with you. Wherever you are.' Whether the thought was her own or soemone else's, she couldn't quite be sure. The pain grew, numbing her senses in an overload as she felt her heart slipping further and further away from her. 'Mom...' Her mother was a beautiful woman, her best friend. 'Dad...' Her father had been an ingenious monarch who had fallen victim to his own curiosity. Both were from different worlds. But both felt so real. 'I can't give up one and not the other. I can't choose. I can't...' Everything around her began to fade as she felt her heart giving up it's hold. 'I'm sorry...' she thought dimly as everything plunged into blackness around her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Kuja!" Garnet stood at the last of the steps, watching in horror as pulled a shimmering, crystalline heart from Kairi. The chestnut haired girl slumped in her bonds, her eyes dull and glassy. Simply a body. They were too late. "Kairi!!" Relm ran past the silver haired catboy to the chained up Keyblade Mistress's side. If she'd been with her instead of playing her stupid games with Yuffie... Celes had sacrificed herself so they could escape. But now... Without Kairi, how could they hope to stop the Heartless? "Kairi... Kairi, please wake up..." Relm held onto Kairi's shoulders, but the other girl couldn't hear her. "I'm afraid you're too late. I already have what I was looking for. Go ahead and take her body if you want. I have no further use for it." He shrugged, grinning wildly as he held his prize. The Prism Heart. "This world will soon be born anew. Do as you like until then." Not even Sephiroth or Princess Hikari could stop him now. He was the master of reality itself. Now his perceptions, his dreams would all resonate throughout all the existed. "How could you do this?" Garnet asked, disbelief making her dizzy. How could this have happened? How could anyone do that? She stepped forward in a haze, barely feeling Eiko clinging to her side. "He's doing this at my behest," a voice said from further up the steps. Queen Brahne walked down the steps, followed closely by Harle. "The kingdom is in danger. I'll do whatever it takes to protect it. And if a few peasant girls' lives are needed to stop the Heartless, I'll gladly sacrifice them." Garnet turned, the world tipping on its side. Her mother had known what Kuja was doing? She had let him do these horrible things? They would have done this to Eiko. "No! You can't sacrifice others! You can't use them like toys!" "I'm the Queen of Alexandria. I will do whatever I see fit. And you will not speak back to me again, Princess." Brahne's eyes grew cold and distant, not at all the mother Garnet had once known. Laughter broke out through the torture chamber, drawing everyone's attention. "I'm afraid you have it all wrong, Queen Brahne. I don't care what happens with the Heartless. I think you're confused about just who was using who. You gave me the resources I needed to find the girl with the Prism Heart. Your pathetic Alexandria won't even exist in the world I create." "Kuja... I'll have you executed," Brahne growled. She wasn't about to let him betray her. She'd have Harle finish the rest of it. Her harlequin knew enough about magic and relics to use the Prism Heart to make Alexandria the most powerful nation in existence. More laughter erupted from the silver haired man. "You don't know who you're speaking to, Brahne. I'm a god now. I will never die. Certainly not at your capricious whims. My life... No, all lives are mine to do with as a please." He held out the shining crystal heart in his hand. "Starting with yours." Before Brahne could even move, the world shifted around them. The Queen stood where she was, frozen. She was made completely of polished marble. "A statue fitting of a queen. They can put you in the center of your palace and worship you until the palace falls in on itself. But I don't feel like waiting that long." With another wave on his hand, the statue shattered, the head rolling amidst the scattered pieces. "Mother!" Garnet fell beside what had been her mother, her heart seized in her chest. She was gone. Even if she had been killing innocent girls, she was still her mother. And now she was gone. In an instant. Tears dripped to the broken marble beneath her. "Mother..." "Garnet..." Eiko held onto the taller girl from behind, keeping a wary eye on Kuja. They needed to get out of there quickly. There was no telling what he'd do next. "Garnet, we have to go. Please." But Garnet wasn't listening. And Eiko couldn't leave without her. Though she was starting to worry none of them would be leaving. "You bastard! Give Kairi her heart back!" Relm ran up to Kuja, slamming her small fists into his chest. "Bring her back!!!" Tears burnt at her eyes. So many useless sacrifices. They couldn't be in vain. They just couldn't. Bringing his hand up, Kuja slapped the bandanna wearing girl viciously. Staggering back, Relm was disoriented. Kuja grabbed her neck, lifting her until her toes were scrabbling at the floor. "Useless little artist. I would have let you stay around to give me something to look at, but you hardly seem worth the effort. Don't worry. I'll let you join Kairi. If you don't want to be part of my world, I'll let you be part of hers. The world of the dead." Squeezing tightly, he felt her throat constricting under his hand. How long until the light faded from her eyes as well? Relm struggled to keep her feet on the floor, but they were feeling further and further away. Her lungs burned and her vision began to get spotty. She wanted to scream, but nothing could come out without the air she desperately needed. Her hands fell limply to her sides. She could almost hear Celes at the edge of her mind. But what was she saying? She'd know soon enough. At least... At least she'd be joining Celes and Interceptor. That was some comfort. "Leave her alone, you asshole!" Kuja let out a gasp of pain. A splume of red filled Relm's vision before she fell to the floor, air rushing back to her aching lungs. Kuja clutched his slashed arm, the Prism Heart floating next to him. Yuffie sat crouched in front of Relm, her giant shuriken bloodied. 'Yuffie!' Relm thought, fighting to clear her thoughts. 'She... she saved me...' She could only gaze at Yuffie's back, her heart burning anew for the ninja girl in front of her. Kuja grinned, running his hand over the wound on his right arm. The arm was instantly better. "You fool. You should have ran. Or did you want to die with the artist? That can be arranged." "I don't plan on dying for a good long time. And neither is she as long as I have any say in it." Pulling up her shuriken in front of her, Yuffie grinned herself. "I can't say the same for you." Her aura lit up, blazing in a beautiful array of colors. The shuriken began to spin in front of her as she focussed. If he could heal himself, she had to end this with one hit before he had a chance to. This had to be everything she had inside of herself. For Relm. She couldn't let him hurt the younger girl. She couldn't live with herself if she did. And she could live with herself doing quite a bit, so that was saying something. "All Creation!!" She called out, energy lashing out blindingly. It slammed into Kuja, illuminating the entire room. Pushing herself, she tried to force out every ounce of energery she had inside of herself into the attack. Yuffie stumbled onto one knee, the shuriken fell to the floor, clinging next to her. Her body felt drained, nothing left to push forward with. Slumping forward onto the cold stone floor, she passed out. "Yuffie... Yuffie!" Relm crawled over to the ninja, checking to make sure she was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt Yuffie's weak heartbeat under her hand. She was alive. Yuffie had saved her. She clutched onto the fallen ninja, burying her face into Yuffie's hair. "Yuffie..." "That... hurt..." Kuja stumbled forward. "I'm going to keep you alive for that, you little bitch. And you'll pray for the day that I'll kill you. That would have killed me. But the Prism Heart filters all reality. Even your pathetic attacks. I told you. I can't die." He walked towards them clenching his fist. "No. You will ruin everyzing. I will not allow it. Zis is not ze way things should be." Harle crossed her arms, watching Kuja turn to face her. "Zat girl is ze dreamer. You are not. You will plunge everyzing into chaos. You do not have ze will to be a god. She is integral to zis world. I won't let you make it all fall apart. Not now." Dragon wings unfurled behind her, her face elongating. Her fingers became deadly claws. A tail appeared behind her. Her harlequin costume tore apart as she grew, shifting into something not in the least human. Her voice changed into a deep roar as the dragon stood before Kuja. "I am Bahamut, the Dragon God. I won't let your madness spread throughout reality like a virus." The dragon's mouth opened, light spraying forth as he showered Kuja with Megaflare. And then nothing. The world spun around the Dragon God. Harle watched as Kuja stepped out of the dissipating explosion. She stepped back, realizing she was naked and no longer a dragon. This was much more trouble than she had expected. "So you're Bahamut. I thought there was something strange about you. But the legendary Dragon God isn't very frightening when you're sealed away inside that body. I think I'll keep you around just to show you what power I have. You can be there by my side as I unleash my 'madness' upon reality. And what better servant than Bahamut?" Kuja laughed. This was turning out perfectly. Everything was his to command. Nothing could stand against him. All would be as he wished it to be. "I told you not to harm Kairi." Kuja spun around at the sound of Sephiroth's voice. Could this day be any better? He had thought he'd have to go to Sephiroth and tear apart Princess Hikari's upside down palace right in front of his eyes. But now his former boss had come to him. This would be immensely satisfying. No one controlled him anymore. Everything was his. "I changed my mind. You gave me power, yes. The power of the Heartless. But I want more than that. The power of a god. The power to stop life and death. Letting you have her wouldn't have been any fun." Sephiroth narrowed his eyebrows, stepping forward. A young girl, a mirror image of Kairi wearing a gorgeous midnight black dress, stepped from behind him. "So you brought Princess Hikari with you? Thank you so much, Sephiroth. You're making this so much easier. Now I can get you both out of the way before creating my beautiful dream." "Kairi still has further to travel. You're complicating things, Kuja. You weren't supposed to harm her for a reason. You're fears and insecurities are making you erratic. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you." Princess Hikari stepped over to Kairi, lifting her chin and gazing into lifeless eyes. "It's a little too late for that, your highness. Maybe if you beg, I'll let you exist in my world. As something suitably ironic. Like a prostitute or a homeless girl. Yes, those both sound interesting. And you, Sephiroth, I'm just going to kill you. I'm sick of taking orders from you." Kuja watched the two of them, his thoughts spinning delightfully. So many possibilities. He raised his hand. He frowned. He hadn't really expected Sephiroth to show any fear, but it was still disappointing. "Die!" The world shifted around Sephiroth, becoming razor sharp to cut through the warrior. But nothing happened. The SOLDIER unfurled his single, black wing, looking back at Kuja. "What the hell?" It wasn't possible. "The Prism Heart controls all reality. All of it! Even you, Sephiroth! Die!!!" Again, nothing happened. Princess Hikari stepped in front of Kuja, looking very displeased. Suddenly, Kuja began to feel the fear and desperation that had driven him to this in the first place. He was going to die. And he could do nothing to stop it. His plans were falling apart in front of him. "Kuja, that heart is mine. If Kairi is my shadow, then why would you be able to stop me with her heart?" Princess Hikari asked, beckoning Sephiroth over. "Prism Hearts isn't simply her. She's only a small part of it. Yes, you could shape reality with it. If I allowed it. And I most certainly will not." She held her hand out, Kairi's heart floating to her. Walking over to Kairi, she gently placed it back inside of the other girl. "Now go, Kairi. You need to unlock his keyhole. Riku needs you," she whispered in Kairi's ear. "Hurry to him." Turning, she motioned for Sephiroth. "We should go. I don't want to leave Sora for long." Kuja shook his head, watching Sephiroth advance. He could feel the power he'd been given by the Heartless dissolving as he called for it. It was over. He was going to die. All of his preparations to prevent that had been for naught. He shook his head again as Sephiroth pulled out the Masamune. "No... No!!!" Raising his hand, he cast Ultima. "I'll kill you all!! You'll all die with me!" he screamed. Magic shot out, tearing into the palace, destroying everything in its path. But it was too late. The pain was sharp and brilliant. Looking down, he could see the hilt of Sephiroth's blade. The SOLDIER looked into his eyes, their brilliant mako green glow looking like that of death itself. Pulling the blade out, Sephiroth walked after the Princess, the palace collapsing all around them. Only half awake, Kairi stumbled towards Kuja. She could see that he was bleeding heavily. Her mind whirled. The Keyhole... Riku... Darkness, deep and ancient where she'd been lost while her heart had been stolen from her. She lifted the Keyblade in front of her with what strength she could muster. The world felt like it was falling out from beneath her feet. She had to stop it now. And this was the only way. Lunging forward, the pressed the Keyblade into Kuja's chest, into the Keyhole that existed in his heart. The roof began to fall in around her, the palace getting ready to crush this basement. The entire world was about to fall on top of them. Closing her eyes, she unlocked his heart. Light spilled out of the dying man, filling the room until there was nothing else. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kairi found herself once again floating amidst light. It reminded her far too much of the darkness she had been surrounding her when she'd lost her heart. 'Maybe light and dark aren't so different after all.' She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. All that existed was light. Her body was an anomaly in this world of light. She felt that if she stayed her for too long her physical form would fade away. She floated in this tranquil sea, searching. "You have unlocked the light in the heart of Desperation." The voice that existed everywhere in the light echoed through her. "I was supposed to save my world. I was created as a puppet to save a long dead planet by letting it repopulate another. But I wasn't what they wanted. So they created another to replace me. I was a tool, something to be used until it was no longer necessary and then thrown away. I was created to die. And there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was... afraid. I didn't want to die. So I tried to stop it. To do anything to live. And if I couldn't live, then I didn't want anyone to live. It wasn't fair. Life and death... Why? My desperation filled me until I saw nothing else. But now... I am dying. It... It will be all right? Won't it?" Kairi smiled softly, nodding in the glow of the light. "It will be all right. Death is only the beginning. I... I learned that a long time ago. You won't ever have to fear again." 'I'm making Riku wait for me. He's... He's dead, too. I have to hurry to him. He's staying in this world for me. I couldn't stay in that other world. I couldn't live there. So I....' She shook her head. No. She couldn't accept the other world where she'd killed herself. Not yet. "If you see someone named Riku there, please give him my love." As the light faded, Kairi lost herself in the layer between worlds.