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.