Note to Disclaimers: I do not and never will own Kingdom hearts, because if I did…let me tell you…hehe. Anyway, since I don't own this, please don't sue me as I have nothing to give you. I am a struggling college student as it is. But do enjoy the fic.
(A/N: I realize some of you are going to hate me since this took so long to finish. And undoubtedly, no matter how I wrote this chapter, some of you will hate it and be completely disappointed so…read it, review it, flame it, it's okie either way. I'm just glad to have gotten it out. There will be an epilogue however, to inform you all of the events of the sequel, which is being worked on now.Oh yeah, and sorry about the various mistakes I made on the way while writing this story, like Squall being from a different world fromYuffie--he's from the same one; and Anastasia being Disney--cause she'sNOT!Anyhow, there it is. After the epilogue, it's really over. Enjoy.)
Word Coding:
'Thoughts'
"Speaking"
Occasional non-existent person speaking
Flashbacks
Everything Else
Thoughts of Zephyr (Chapter 21)
It was a standard showdown. Both young women faced each other, staffs in hand and in fighting stance. Cyra's antennae twitched as Kairi's surprise face melted to one of preparation; the Queen of Darkness smirked. "Are you really ready for such an epic battle?"
At first Kairi was unsure, her mind swirling with the outcomes, the consequences of their actions. 'Do I save the world?' It seemed like a rhetorical question, but she knew; either way, she and her friends would die but the rest of humanity would live. 'I'll…I'll do it.' Her mind settled with her decision, and though she decided with a heavy heart, Kairi knew that it was necessary. "I'm ready Cyra. Are you?"
"Pathetic girl, you still persist? Do you wish to die?"
Kairi smirked. "I will die either way, so why not die trying to kill you in the process?"
Cyra threw her a withering look. "Foolish mortal, you shall die faster, sister!"
"How dare you call me your sister, you filthy animal," Kairi replied as she took another step forward, staff aimed at Cyra's throat. "My sister could never be associated with the likes of you!"
Cyra cackled; her heartless eyes glowing as her long hair swayed back and forth from the motion. "Your words have no harm on me, Princess. You're ridiculous if you think that you can even inflict a scratch on me!"
"I don't think this Cyra; I know it," Kairi spat. "I am more powerful than you think."
"And I possess power you could never fathom, human!"
At this point, Kairi had decided that she'd had quite enough of Cyra's babbling. She knew what she had to do, and she proceeded with their battle. Each fateful step that Kairi took she knew was closer to her death. And yet, the thought didn't bother her as much as it had prior to her previous battle. Thoughts of Sora filled her head and happy tears sprang to her eyelids as she accepted the challenge Cyra presented. 'I have to win,' she smiled, 'and even if I win I will die. But,' her smile broadened. 'I'll be with you forever, Sora—always.' She glared at her former sister as she lowered the Day staff. "Well, it seems we shall end it here; but I intend to take you with me in death, you witch!"
Cyra blanched as Kairi released a cry of anger and ran at her. The Queen of Darkness barely had time to block the attack as the Day Staff slammed against her own, the two weapons aching to become one. However, each Princess willed their weapons not to comply. Kairi attacked again, this time utilizing Riku's training as she put all her weight into throwing off her attacker. Needless to say, Cyra fell back in utter surprise as Kairi smashed her staff into Cyra's left arm, successfully shattering the bones from within. Cyra let out a deafening howl of pain as she dodged Kairi's next assault of lunges and parries, stumbling to stay upright and ignore the fire coursing through the veins of her damaged limb. She growled as Kairi began to approach her again. 'I can't lose to this weakling! She is inferior, and I cannot be defeated!' As Kairi's advance continued, Cyra reached out to their father. 'Where are you, servant? I demand your power!' Kairi stopped mid-stride as the figure of her father stepped to block her path.
She froze as he stared at her. "Father…"
"Deal with her! She must not disrupt my plans any further! Destroy her!" Cyra fell back into the shadows.
Kairi did not have a chance to dodge her father's crushing blow as his fists slammed into her abdomen, no remorse behind the powerful blow. She fell backwards, the wind knocked out of her as she hit the stone ground with a resounding thud. She tried to sit up, albeit painfully, as she forced her eyes to register where her father had moved to. 'No, he's not my father…not anymore.' She saw him walking towards her, a good twenty feet away—and she gasped at the sheer amount of space between them. 'I can't believe he…knocked me away so far!' She did not bother to dwell on her awe as he began picking up speed. She managed to stand, placing her staff between them as some form of protection. She had thought that Cyra would be her real worry, but after shattering her sister's bones, she realized that she was barely in the beginning of the hard stages of the battle. She braced herself against her staff as the shimmering figure of her father flashed before her eyes, throwing a fist aimed towards her head. She threw herself forcefully to the side as he flew past her. She noted that he wasn't quite finished as he spun around, issuing a roundhouse kick towards her neck. Kairi fell back as she pushed away from him. Her back crashed against the ground for a second time as he brought his free hand down, fist tightened, to her stomach.
Once again it found its desired target as he knocked Kairi further into the pavement as the Day Staff flew from her hands, which were no longer able to grasp it. She coughed small trickles of blood as her father moved away, as if surveying the display before him. Kairi's head swam from slight dizziness and pain as she tried to reorient herself. Her vision swam as she attempted to sit up again, making out the blurry figure of her father. She cringed as she forced herself into standing position. Vague sounds—much like Cyra's laughter—echoed in her ears as she reached for the weapon, taking it in her hands and wiping the bloodstains from her mouth with the back of her hand. She knew that the real hell was just about to start, and she knew she was going to have to give it her all to defeat just her father. 'And I still must defeat Cyra…' Her mind hit a blank as her father charged again, this time a glowing orb the color purple held in his hand. 'Magic!'' Kairi remembered the brief teachings of Aerith. 'I have to raise a shield! What was it called? Oh lord, please, I need to know this now more than any stupid time at practice!' She panicked. 'Shit…come on Kairi! This is crucial!' Just as the blast flew from her father's hands, Kairi raised the staff in front of her, shouting the much forgotten words in the last instance.
"AEROGA!" She watched in awe as the attack bounced almost completely off of her shield. She hissed as a few slivers managed to penetrate her protection to singe her skin ever so lightly. However, for the most, part she was unharmed. She shot a nasty, venomous glare at her father as she pointed the staff at his head. "And now, it's my turn, you useless puppet! You'll never be my father!" Calling on the power within her, she unleashed her first real magical attack since practicing with Aerith and Merlin in Traverse Town. "FIRAGA!" She watched in awe as red energy flew at her father from the tip of the Day Staff, surrounding him in a bright red light of flames that leapt about him, hungering to kill him. When they died down, she wasn't shocked that he was still standing; but she was satisfied that it had seemed to have some negative effect on him. He was trembling in slight anger, pain and rage at having been hit—she knew.
She did not need to see the attack before she knew it was coming, barely managing a quick duck in order to avoid the cool, windy blast that sailed past her head. She let out a heavy sigh as she rolled to her left side, barely missing another oncoming blast—it felt vaguely like fire. Raising herself up, she managed to block the next attack of lightning as her father hurled bolts at her in attempt to at least do some damage. Luckily for her, she had done a decent job at blocking while training with her deranged friend, Riku, and successfully blocked about 90 of her father's attacks with relative ease. Inhaling deeply, she dodged his next attack, once again evading him; but she had not been able to land an attack on him since the battle had started, which was beginning to tick her off, needless to say. 'How am I supposed to even get close to defeating him if I can't even land a scratch on him?' Frustrated beyond all reason, Kairi was even more disheartened when he teleported—much to her dismay and discovery—and slammed her squarely in the back with his fist. She coughed violently as she hit the floor a few feet away, sputtering in anger and annoyance as she arose to face him yet again, Oathkeeper in front of her for protection.
She was thankful that, at least for the moment, he seemed to sense that it'd be polite to wait for her to gather her wits—or he was just being asinine, which seemed less likely. Of course the other seemed utterly ridiculous as well, and she figured he was just being sadistic, playing with her. Ignoring that little fact, she stuck Oathkeeper out before her as she shouted a spell, sending magical red flames at him. It bounced off his shield with incredible but unsurprising accuracy as she realized she'd tried firaga on him previously. Infuriated by her apparent lack of sense and what he considered games, Irving began shooting repeated bolts of gravira at her. Knowing that gravira was practically asking for death, she broke into a hasty run as she tried not to get flattened like road kill. Once he'd stopped, she charged him with Oathkeeper, not exactly precise when it came to the element of surprise but succeeding in landing a blow on his shoulder. She placed more pressure on Oathkeeper's razor sharp tip, digging it into his shoulder and splintering the matter where his collarbone would normally be. Instantaneously, pools of a purple fluid, which she assumed was his blood, erupted from the injury as he staggered back in pain. Her satisfaction was short lived when he did not howl in pain as Cyra had done, and somehow appeared even more enraged that she'd hurt him.
Heaving another breath, Kairi prepared herself for yet another barrage of attacks that held no positive results for her, not immediately. She knew it would earn her more pain and injury than anything else. And in the end he would end up wearing her down instead of the other way around. She didn't like that idea too much, but she didn't see that she had another choice, at least not a good one. Everything was going to go as expected; except when he didn't attack her. They both stood there, staring at each other; Kairi was confused, and Irving looked plain out bothered by something. Thinking it was a chance to attack, she began to advance in her fighting position only to be knocked to the ground from behind. Irving hadn't moved, seemingly firmly planted in place. 'What could have…' her thoughts trailed as she concluded who it was. Recovering from the unexpected happening, Kairi whirled around swiftly as she glanced around for any sight of the deranged Queen of Darkness; she saw no one. 'Who in the world could have hit me?' She turned around just in time to see Irving charge at her. His endless barrages of attacks were beginning to tire her out, and she felt her energy level dropping too fast for her to recover. Her worry heightened as she made to dodge another one of Irving's powerful magic attacks, not entirely successful as a ball of heat hit her square in the back. She let out a howl of pain as the fire burned away the thin material of her shirt until it reached her soft flesh, causing it to redden.
'That's going to need some serious healing…but I'm running low on energy!' She winced in pain as she tried to recover fast, not wanting another blow from Irving before she could at least retaliate. Forcing the urge to cry down her throat, Kairi pushed herself forward as she lunged at Irving. Her element of surprise worked wonders as her staff slammed straight into his middle, coming out through the other side. It was his turn to release a howl of pain and anger as black liquid pooled at his feet. Kairi stepped away in disgust, aghast at the sight, pulling her staff with her. 'He bleeds?' She wasn't sure whether to scream with joy or throw up in sickness at the sight of the thick, ebony fluid oozing from his middle. She jumped back quickly, sure that he would take the wound as a mere scratch and attack her again, perhaps with more malice than before. Needless to say, Kairi was flat out puzzled and flabbergasted when Irving fell to the floor in the pool of his own blood. She turned away, somewhat shaken at the fact that she'd survived a battle against such a strong opponent, not to mention her father. Tears stung her eyelids as she tried to stay strong. erH
However, when she whirled back around to see her fallen father, her eyes met the sight of Cyra, whose arm was still hanging at her side like dead weight. The Queen of Darkness was smiling maliciously, and Kairi resisted the urge to throw up at the sight of the blood spread all over Cyra's face—her father's blood, and Cyra's own. Knowing that the deranged princess had most likely zapped their father's energy by consuming his life force, Kairi knew she was in for an even harder battle than before. Yet, it seemed that the maniacal queen had many surprises up her sleeves, leaving Kairi baffled as she continued to stare at Kairi, lips in a crazy smirk. Cyra's deranged look only grew as she raised her blooded hands to the heavens. "Darkness, I call upon you! Open the keyhole and reveal your truest form!"
Kairi fell back as the pillars that held Selphie and Tidus collided together in a violent crash of blinding light and deafening sound. The stained glass circles holding Sephiroth and Cloud began to spin wildly until they melded together, becoming one spinning ball of electricity as sparks flew everywhere. Selphie's screams echoed around them as Cyra's maddening, sadistic laughter filled the air, ringing in Kairi's ears. Wind whipped about Kairi as she raised Aeroga for protection, fear dancing across features as the spinning ball burst into white-hot flames, revealing a lone figure in its aftermath. Kairi took in the appearance of the being as it levitated to the pillars where her friends still lie, bound and trapped to the stone structures. It had spiked blonde hair, piercing green eyes, like emeralds, and two unique wings; one was that of a bat, scaly and leathery; the other was that of an angel, feathery light and soft. 'Cloud and…Sephiroth?' Kairi thought in amazement. Too in awe at the transformation, she didn't notice the being grasping Selphie and Tidus' wrists until Selphie screamed, again. Cyra was twirling madly as the wind heightened and lightening struck the pillars, successfully creating a tornado-like picture as a black hole erupted from the center. Immediately Selphie's screams ceased as the pillars crumbled to pieces and three figures fell to the floor while Cyra was swallowed up by the black hole.
"Is she gone?" Kairi whispered to the silence surrounding her. Ignoring the missing Queen, she ran to her fallen friends, lifting Selphie into her arms. Bruises and cuts, bloodied scrapes, too, ran the length of her friend's face, arms, neck, legs and any other visible piece of skin on her body. Kairi choked back a sob as she carefully shook the brown haired girl. "Selphie? Selphie, are you in there? Answer me, please!"
The girl in question coughed, blood trickling from the corners of her chapped lips. "Kairi…I…" Selphie's fingers managed to curl around Kairi's shirt. "I'm sorry…so…sorry. Living is…too hard…sorry…"
Kairi's eyes watered with unshed tears as the young woman went limp in her arms, hand falling to her side like deadweight. She buried her face in Selphie's blood-matted locks, sobbing as she reached for Tidus' hand as well, which was also limp and distinctly cold. The newly combined figure of Sephiroth and Cloud shimmered purple and black beside them, causing Kairi to look up, momentarily, from her loss. She watched, in awe, as the figure glowed a bright, magnificent purple hue before fading completely from her view. She felt shock stun her as she still gripped her friends' lifeless bodies in her hands. Her heart hammered in her chest as she looked from her friends, then, to the black hole looming ominously to her left. Gently lying her friends down on the cold, dirtied ground, eyes full of tears, Kairi raised herself from her crouched position. She was angry that she had not the time to grieve for her friends. 'But if I'm lucky…I'll be joining them soon…and so will that witch!' She slowly brought the Day Staff to her, cradling it against her chest as she willed a connection with Oathkeeper. 'I want you Sora…not this,' she pleaded with the weapon held tightly within her grasp. And suddenly she could feel it, sweet, ethereal warmth that filled her arms and entire body as the Day Staff transformed into the shiny metal of Oathkeeper.
She smiled in relief as she hugged it close to her heart, glad to have some piece of the fallen Keybearer. "Sora," she whispered, "I know you'll guide me, won't you?"
I'm always with you, Kairi…always.
She felt a tear slip from her eye as she heard his heavenly voice. "I thank you Sora, I thank you." She raised her head to peer into the void in which Cyra had disappeared. The black hole gave of negative, foreboding vibes as she approached it, hands clutching Oathkeeper firmly between her hands, which were shaking. At first glance is appeared quite menacing, big and black, as though it possessed a suctioning ability. But up close it was a still void, fully dimensional and not nearly as intimidating—if one didn't know its true purpose. Kairi gulped as she took another step closer to the swirling mass, tentatively reaching out so that her fingers barely entered the whirlwind of black, purple and gray. She didn't have time to react as she was sucked in by something that felt vaguely like fingers, grabbing. She let out a squeak as she was pulled into the black mass, which she discovered was particularly icy in temperature. Her teeth chattered as a thin gray mist wrapped itself around her, trying to infiltrate her skin. She clenched her teeth as she attempted to war it off. 'Is this one of Cyra's tricks?' She had no time to ponder the actions as the queen appeared before her looking more horrific by the second. Cyra's antennae were twitching wildly as she raised a now clawed hand to Kairi's face. The auburn-haired woman blanched as Cyra's finger raked over her eyes, successfully slicing her eyelid and leaving a star like marking on her skin. Kairi winced in pain, trying very hard not to cry—but Cyra noticed.
"In pain, are you, pathetic mortal?" Cyra's ruby eyes glistened brightly as she sank her sharpened nail into Kairi's cheek, drawing blood. Kairi flinched, too shocked to move. "Now you shall see the true power of darkness!" She brought her free hand to Kairi's chest, smirking at the Princess. "Witness this, girl," she replied venomously as she plunged her claws through the other woman's ribcage. "It shall be your end." Kairi released a strangled cry as Oathkeeper clattered to the floor. Her hands, suddenly revived, flew to cup her wounds. Cyra laughed as she held Kairi's head back, ignoring her prying hands as they flailed about to free herself. "Your struggling amuses me, mortal." Cyra dug her nails deeper. Kairi screamed; her chest was in extensive pain as Cyra stretched her backwards upon the deadly claws. The restrictive force of the scream ripped through her chest like wildfire, searing and burning her insides. "It seems pathetic and easy that I kill you now. But…perhaps I will torture you more."
'Oh, my heart!' Kairi's eyes swam with tears, red blinding her vision. She could feel the blood seeping through her clothing. It slid down the edge of her damaged eye, pooling at her neck before sliding down the rest of her skin. 'I'm going to die!' Her frantic thoughts heightened as she felt the tip of Cyra's nail carving painfully into the area above her left breast. 'What the…?' Kairi bit her lip to take away from the excruciating heat caused by the pain flowing throughout her entire body. "What…are you…doing to me?"
"Binding you, permanently, to the darkness, Princess!" Cyra cackled as she finished emblazoning the symbol, which resembled Ansem's cloak clasp, into the soft, pale flesh above Kairi's breast. "With this carved into your skin, you shall always know the darkness, Purest Princess of Heart or not!"
Kairi was about to protest when she felt Cyra's claws ripped from her body. She moaned in agony as the demented queen tossed her away like a piece of useless trash. Her body was battered, mauled, marred—everything negative she could think of. Her mind drew a blank as she lay still on the floor, her breathing extremely shallow and blood still flowing—though slowly—from her open wounds. 'I need to heal myself…but I have no energy left…' Her thoughts ceased as she realized that she was going to indeed die from her injuries. 'And I didn't even get a chance to lay a finger on this witch…at least not in her true form.' Her bleak thoughts only increased as she stared up at the space around her, the world inside the Void. Her vision beginning to dim faster by each passing second, Kairi gathered her strength enough to reach out to Oathkeeper, hoping to take it with her as she died. 'I guess I failed you…Sora. I'm so sorry…I couldn't be the Princess and hope you all wished for.' Her fingers barely touched the metal surface when she felt a warmth flood her fingertips. 'What's going on?' Her body felt as if it was rejuvenating, slowly healing from the inside—Kairi inhaled sharply, her ribcage still in pain, but feeling warmed and soothed. 'Sora…is this you?'
"What? What's this? What's happening?" Cyra's voice held distress as Kairi began to rise from the ground, her body still covered in her own blood but much healed than before. Cyra's eyes widened in anger as she watched the once fallen Princess return to, sorting herself out until she was in full standing position. "This is impossible! I nearly killed you!"
It was Kairi's turn to throw her sister an evil, defiant smirk. Her violet eyes glittered revenge as she raised her head to see the Queen, her posture showing pure hostility. "I've been given a second chance…" Kairi trailed as she gripped Oathkeeper. And just as before, Cyra had no chanced to dodge Kairi's sudden attack as she charged at the Queen. Cyra gasped as she found Oathkeeper's tip barely digging into the flesh of her neck; a dirty, russet colored liquid seeped from the cut. Kairi granted her sister a twisted smile. "And I intend to use it to the best advantage possible, you heartless witch." Cyra's mouth opened and closed as she tried to form coherent sentences. She was still too stunned. "Now then, how about we make a deal? Since you've already murdered all my friends and oh, I don't know, pretty much destroyed my entire life, how about this: if you kill yourself right now and allow the Light of the Universe to restore, then I will let you live. If not, I'll kill you right now."
Cyra seemed to come to, a nasty scowl on her face. "What makes you think that I'd even consider such a preposterous proposal?"
"The fact that I can kill you now," Kairi replied confidently.
Cyra threw her head back in laughter, allowing the tip of Oathkeeper to cut her—she didn't appear to care one bit. "It matters not, stupid girl. It is already too late. The keyhole, the portal to the darkness has already been opened, and opened it shall stay! Besides," Cyra narrowed her eyes as Kairi's focused on her. "Did I already mention the fact that this body is of no used anymore? Cyra is about to die anyway."
Kairi's grip on Oathkeeper tightened as she dug the point deeper into Cyra's neck, sure not to sever the major artery as she pried for answers. "What are you saying? You aren't Cyra, the Queen of Darkness?"
"I am True Darkness, its purest form, the one who will take over the world and obliterate the Light. Cyra has always been a tool. She is Darkness itself, much like Irving, your father. But where were they born of Darkness? Did you not question this? Did you not question who they descended from?" Cyra's face was wound up into a scary smirk that contorted her face, hideously, in Kairi's opinion. "I was their true master; I am True Darkness, The Darkness, the Ruler of Darkness, Darkness itself. And you, Princess, have no idea how powerful I am. With this body I can only do so much…but with YOUR body, I shall have the Universe!"
Immediately Kairi brought a hand to her chest, feeling the tattoo above her breast burn and pulsate. She flung herself away from Cyra as she covered it with her palm. "No…NO! You cannot have my body! I am too pure for your Darkness! My body is made up of the Entities of Light! I cannot be possessed!"
"We'll just see about that!" Cyra lunged at her, bloodied claws coming back into claim her neck as she tried to choke the life from the Princess. Kairi kicked at her, swinging Oathkeeper wildly until it hit a target. The sharp edges of the metal shaped key embedded themselves in Cyra's back; the Queen merely winced at the contact. "This body is not my own…and Cyra is practically dead—she no longer feels pain. You are wasting your time, girl."
Nevertheless, Kairi fought as hard as she could as Cyra's hold on her began to deteriorate, steadily, until the body of her sister had collapsed to the floor. Kairi gasped for air, inhaling large, deep breaths of oxygen. She blinked curiously at the figure of her sister lying inanimately on the floor. But her pondering time was short lived when she felt invisible arms wrap around her body, suffocating her from outside as well as within. She let out a wild cry, clawing at her own skin. 'She…no…IT is trying to steal my body!' She could feel the entity of Darkness crawling inside her, trying to settle completely into her body—trying to take complete control. 'No,' Kairi thought, panicked. 'I can't let this thing win! I have to win, to save me, to save…' She looked back to her sister's fallen body, which looked as though it was breathing again. 'I have to save Cyra! We both have to make it out of here, alive…and I…need her help!' Kairi was about to move towards her unconscious sister when her own hands came up to surround her neck, choking her. 'NO!' She collapsed a few feet away from Cyra's body, fighting with all her will to take her hands away from her own neck. "I'll be my own demise if Cyra doesn't wake up!' She fell to the floor, her vision becoming hazy as she felt her lungs emptying by each passing second. 'Oh god…someone please…I can't do this on my own! Someone please…HELP ME!'
Cyra stared out at the fields around her, fields of corn, rolling hills with people fishing—an encampment not far out of her line of vision. She sighed as she dangled her foot in the cool water of the river before her. She laid her head on her arms, which rested neatly on her one knee. "This is so peaceful…so peaceful. I wish I could stay here forever."
"But you can, if you'd really like to, my dear daughter," a voice said from behind her.
Cyra whipped around, her ebony hair swishing in the wind as she made eye contact with the beautiful woman before her. The resemblance was unquestionable, not to mention uncanny. "Mother, is that…you?"
"Dearest Cyra, my beautiful daughter," her mother replied, shaking her head sadly. "Yours always was a sad fate, something your father and I deeply regret."
Cyra's eyes filled with tears. "You…so you regret me, do you?"
"Never, never…" Amaria answered, rushing to her daughter and cupping her face. "I've never regretted you or your sister, Kairi. You are my daughters, and I have loved you no matter what. Your fate, however, was always sad. You're father and I knew…that if two children were borne to us…they would be raised to hate each other, no matter what the circumstances. And as fate would have it, you grew up to your destinies—you fought, and you, my beloved daughter, died."
"I'm…dead?" Cyra's eyes watered again as she took in everything her mother said. "And…and Kairi?"
"Your sister is on the verge, I'm afraid," Amaria said. Her eyes were passive as she took Cyra's face into her hands. "But all is not lost, my child. Just as the Princesses and Mickey have said, Kairi was implanted with a seed of darkness, one meant to take root in her head and fill her with disease—and that it did. But you as well, young one, have been blessed with a seed of light, one which was to have died. I am glad to tell you it has not. Your destinies to fight have been fulfilled. But you destinies to kill one another," she smiled. "That can be changed, and now, only you have the power to do so, Cyra."
Cyra wrapped her fingers around her mother's wrists. "How can I save Kairi? I am the cause of all her pain, of you pain! I have allowed her friends to be killed; I destroyed them all! How can I fix anything?"
"Use the Seed of Light, Cyra. Though you were borne of the Darkness, nothing is impossible, not even breaking your bind to the Darkness." She turned away, walking steadily away from her confused daughter. "I have one last thing to leave you with."
Cyra stood as well, nodding patiently. "Yes?"
"Once this is over, no matter what the outcome, know that I have always thought differently about your fates, both of you. And know…and remember this: I have always loved you both, equally—no more, no less. You are both my daughters, both balanced. And so my love for you has always been and will continue to be balanced." She looked away from Cyra, knowing the young woman was now freely crying. "Now…go, save your sister, and fix the things you never wished to do. Help her…Help me…" Cyra gazed at her mother in confused as Amaria's face suddenly changed into Kairi's and her voice rose in volume. "HELP ME! HELP ME!"
Cyra was shaken from her reverie of unconsciousness as she groggily opened her eyes. She breathed in a large breath of air as she caught sight of Kairi strangling herself, her sister's face red from lack of air. She had not time to think as she jumped on her sister, hands flying to the other girl's neck as she tried to remover her hands. "Kairi, what's happening?" She was frantic as she managed to loosen the hold, just barely.
"It…The True Darkness, it's trying to—" Kairi was cut off as her hands tightened again. Cyra put more effort into removing the hands, yanking at them with what little strength she had.
"Take my body again, take it! Leave her alone!" Cyra wretched at Kairi's hands "I can't loosen them! Kairi!" The Princesses face had become deathly pale as she opened her lips for air. Cyra screamed in frustration as Kairi's breathing slowed even more, finally stopping. Cyra shook her. "Kairi? Kairi! KAIRI!"
"There is only one way to solve this," a voice echoed from her side.
Cyra's head whirled so fast that she barely had time to register who the eleven women surrounding her were. "Who—who are you people?"
"We are the Princesses of Heart, eleven of the twelve chosen to protect out worlds and keep that which should not be revealed from each world as well," Belle replied. "I am Belle." Cyra was about to ask more when Belle shushed her. "I am afraid introductions will have to wait until some other time. Princesses, we must dispatch the Darkness from Kairi's body while she still possesses enough Light to dispel it! Come, we must give her out Light, we must flood the Darkness out of her body!"
Cyra stepped back as she watched the Princesses go to work, awe filling her features as she realized she could only do that—watch. Her eyes lit up in wonder as a golden light encased her sister's lifeless body, glowing and filtering into her skin like life. And then she saw it, the True Darkness, writhing in agony as it was flooded by light. 'What's happening? This can't be the end of it!' Part of her was wondering how to defeat this Darkness, so much so that she didn't see it disappear. As soon as the glowing light faded, she ran to Kairi. She held her sister's body in her arms. "Kairi, Kairi, wake up!"
Kairi began to stir, her eyelids fluttering open. "Cy-Cyra…?"
"It's me, really me, sister." Cyra smiled weakly. "We've survived; we really made it through this."
Kairi smiled sleepily as she let out a long, tired sigh. "Finally…"
Cyra turned to the Princesses. "Thank you…thank you so much. Because of you, I now have been reunited with my family…and we can…" she trailed off, knowing that, though they were alive, no one else was. 'They're all gone…and I'm sorry.' She let the silence speak for itself.
The Princesses seemed to understand as one by one they introduced themselves to Cyra. "I am Jasmine, Princess of Agrabah, and this here is Jane Porter of The Deep Jungle; Alice of Wonderland; Cinderella; Snow White; Mulan of China; Pocahontas of the New World, who I'm sure you've seen and met before; Aurora; Anastasia of Russia; Ariel of Atlantica; and lastly, Belle." Each Princess gave a courteous nod and curtsy as she was spoke of, much to Cyra's surprised. Jasmine continued once the intros were finished. "I'm afraid to say that…the Darkness is not done yet. It was merely pushed from Kairi's body. It will seek another host, if you must know."
Cyra was about to ask what the princess meant when she sensed something odd. She whipped her gaze behind her, managing to duck just in time, successfully avoiding a fireball meant to hit her head. She raised her wide eyes to see the figure of their father staring at them, still purely black and sparkling. The Princesses let out a collective gasp as their eyes fell on him, not necessarily surprised, but indeed dreadful. They backed away a little as Cyra began to stand, her arm around Kairi as she did so. Kairi's eyes watered as she, too, noticed her father. "It's not over yet…is it?" She asked meekly as she searched for Oathkeeper. Cyra nodded to her as she looked around, desperately, for her Night Staff. Kairi seemed to sense this and answered, coughing as she did so. "It's cough most likely inside cough your body. You must cough call upon its power."
Cyra looked curiously puzzled as she tried to figure out what Kairi meant. Their time, however, was short lived as Irving charged at them, successfully knocking the two apart. Kairi went flying to the ground, her skin tearing as she did nothing to save herself from skidding to a halt a few feet away from Oathkeeper. Cyra could only watch in horror at her sister's terrible state, knowing that she'd somehow participated in rendering the other girl helpless—to a point. Without Kairi's Day Staff, Cyra didn't know how she would stop their father. Not to mention that the darkness was calling to her, pulling her towards Irving as she tried to stay back. 'I don't want to be there again…never!' She fought against it, calling for the Night Staff as she resisted the powerful beckons of the Darkness. And to her surprise, the Night Staff materialized in her hands as Irving inched closer and closer to her. Feeling renewed, Cyra turned on him, pointing the tip to his face as she threatened bloody murder if he came any closer to her. "Stay away father or I shall dispose of you!"
"I am not your father, silly girl," he replied. "And you are my tool. No matter how much you want to resist, you know that the Darkness dominates you, and it will have you!"
She shook her head defiantly, secretly willing for Kairi's Oathkeeper to become the Day Staff once again. "I will not! My destiny is no longer in your hands, as I have seen to that! When you rid yourself of my body, I became my own again! I no longer need to heed such a false prophecy!"
He laughed at her, an empty, hollow laugh that sent a chill down her spine. "I don't need your body, necessarily. I only need your powers. Your body is something that, unfortunately, comes with your powers, and therefore I must use it since I have no body of my own. As for the rest of this so-called prophecy, it matters not. You cannot, no matter what alteration you speak of, resist the darkness, which is your true nature." He pointed to her. "Now, become a part of me so that I may rule the world with the powers of Darkness!"
She let out a shrill scream as her body began to move against its own will. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kairi sitting up, though feebly, and tossing something in her direction. She prayed. 'Is it…the Day staff?' She almost cried for joy out loud as she saw Oathkeeper change into the Day Staff. Now sensing the Night Staff's presence, the Day Staff flew at the suspecting Princess of Darkness, clashing with the Night Staff in a burst of familiar golden white light. Temporarily blinded, Irving dropped his pull on Cyra, shielding his sensitive eyes from the bright, ethereal light. Cyra could only smile in relief as she brought her eyes to the sight of the Nodia resting safely within her own hands. Once the brightness had cleared, she brought the staff to Irving's neck, smiling maliciously as she pushed it at him. "I don't believe you will be succeeding anytime soon."
He chuckled, seemingly unfazed by what she had said. "We shall see about that!" With a mighty cry he reared upward, bring his foot down in a swift kick that sent the Nodia flying across the floor. Cyra gasped as she felt the wind knocked from her, realizing moments later that his knee had embedded itself in her abdomen. She cringed as he took it out, allowing her to sink to her knees in pain. 'I didn't…know…' The ringing in her ears only intensified as his laughter echoed around her, sending her head into a spiral of dizziness. 'I wasn't trained for this…and now…it shall be my downfall.' She cursed the fact that Ansem had never taught her hand to hand combat, knowing that she would have sensed his attack had she some prior knowledge of intimate combat. She looked up in time to see him with something resembling a sword pointing straight down at her heart. He seemed to sense her fear, and in doing so, began to laugh menacingly, just as she had before. Her heart beat wildly as he inched it closer and closer, at first. Eventually it tore through the fabric of her clothes and had barely hit her skin, which is where it stopped. She looked up, bewildered.
"You want to know why I haven't plunged this sword through your heart, am I right?" he asked, his sparkling black face emotionless as he stared at her. At her numb nod, he continued. "It's simple, really. The only reason I haven't killed you yet it because I didn't want you to die without knowing why stabbing your heart is so crucial." When she gave him a questioning look, he smirked. "Once I stab your heart, Darkness will be released, and I shall have the power I need to rule this world…and as a bonus, I will not be bothered by your simple, useless human body."
She let her head down in defeat. 'I guess this is it then…I'm sorry Kairi…I'm sorry mother. I've failed you both.' Her last thoughts were interrupted as she felt the tip of the sword edging through her skin. She winced as it cut through, too slowly in her mind, and began to penetrate each layer of skin. She had lost all hope when she noticed the sword's progress had paused and it began shaking painfully in her skin. She lifted her gaze to see Irving standing above her, a sharp, bright ended staff sticking through his middle. And behind him stood Kairi, her hands holding onto the Nodia tightly, her face tear-stained and eyes tired as she pushed the hilt further into his body. Cyra could only gaze at her wordlessly as Irving's body began to disintegrate before their eyes, 'It's over now…truly over…' Cyra thought as she watched the bottom half of his body begin to disappear. She was about to rejoice when his other half smirked, and she didn't have enough time to heed Kairi's pleas before she felt stabbing pain sear through her body, burning underneath her skin. Her eyes fell to her chest, realizing that as a last present, Irving had indeed stuck the sword through her heart. She gasped as she looked up at Kairi.
"Well…" She managed weakly. "What do you know? I guess he got the last laugh, huh?" With that said, she fell backwards onto the ground.
Kairi ran towards her but fell back when her body convulsed, a stream of dark purple, blue, green and black lights shooting up from the wound in her chest. 'The darkness!' Kairi grabbed the Nodia and backed away from the lights as the Darkness began spreading around her. She turned to look behind her. She discovered, to her dismay, that her fellow Princesses had fallen to the ground, consumed by the Darkness. She no longer could make out the forms of her fallen friends or her sister, as the Darkness had become too thick. And there it was, between the space where the pillars had collided and crumbled to the ground. 'The…keyhole?' She pushed her way towards it, using the Nodia as a way to ward off the Darkness lest it try to consume her as it did with everything else around her. When she arrived at the place, she gasped again, realizing that the keyhole wasn't a keyhole at all.
"Cyra's heart…?" She could only stare at the glowing light before her in Cyra's exposed body, the wound in her chest revealing a keyhole shaped opening where her heart used to be. "Then…you were the keyhole all along?"
And you know what you must do Kairi; otherwise, the world will be consumed by the Darkness of Cyra's heart. Her heart is that last keyhole in the Universe. Curpiona, the only world, the world where you were from, is the one place where the heartless were never rid of. They consumed your planet, and therefore they consumed Cyra. When she was brought to Nebula, the only reason they did not hurt her is because they knew what she was and knew she was their queen. Now, you must seal her heart. It will end the conspiracy.
Kairi glanced around, knowing she could not see the person whose voice was telling her such wise words. But she couldn't stop herself from asking one last question. "What will become of…my sister?"
That will be decided only by the fates. Now do what you must. This must be ended.
Nodding, Kairi felt tears slip down her cheeks as she pointed the Nodia at Cyra's heart. 'I wish you luck…and love…my sister,' she thought as she saw the stream of golden light shoot from the Staff and into Cyra's heart. As she watched everything become engulfed by the blinding white light, she caught one last glimpse of Cyra's face. It was turned into a peaceful smile as her ruby eyes opened, gracing Kairi with one last shining smile.
'Thank you, Kairi.'
At once the blinding light that Kairi had seen, prior to hearing Cyra's relieved words, swept over them as she too, closed her amethyst eyes, welcoming the light as it washed over them, encompassing the world. And for once, her life felt like a fairytale and she felt like the Princess that she was known as—and the light flowing over her was Sora, her Prince. But as she felt embraced the light, sleep over taking her, Kairi knew her reality. 'I've saved this world…but Sora is not here. What's to become of this world, of me, of everything now that I have won?' She had indeed saved the world, won, become the hope that the earth unconsciously needed. Yet what her newly built fate was, she could not see it. As her eyes glazed over with the victory of the light, she fell to its awesome power.
Her last thought was swept away by a simple zephyr.
OWARI
(OMG...HOW LAME WAS THAT LAST LINE! Anywayz...And it's done…well, until the epilogue, and yes, that is how it was supposed to end! I'm sorry if you hated it, really I am. But I like it ending this way. Endings are always really hard to write too, cause no matter how hard you work on them, someone hates them. Oh well. Please R&R, flame if you want, criticize…do whatever. I'm out until the epilogue.)
Chocomintswirl