Hey, everyone! Hope you are happy and healthy! Enjoy this new chapter!

Hollow Bastion, Grand Hall

The heavy doors slid open as Sora led Philia, Donald, Goofy, and Beast walked through, greeted to the hallway that led to the Grand Hall. As they entered, blue flames ignite from torches, possibly activated upon their arrival.

The small group held their guard up as they entered, examining the place, only to stop as they noticed something. Six capsules were lined in the hallway, three on each side. Each of them contained a young female inside, looking as if they were asleep.

"Belle!" Beast gasped, racing to a capsule, where a young lady in a golden ball gown was asleep within.

As the boys and girl looked to Beast, they looked to the other capsules, and Philia and Sora noticed a pair of familiar faces.

"Jasmine!" Philia noticed one of the encapsulated characters.

"And there's Alice!" Sora added, seeing the youngest of the group of girls.

"So this WAS where they were taken!" Goofy realized, as Donald rushed over to one of the capsules, containing a beautiful woman with long blond hair, wearing a blue royal-looking dress.

"Hey, wake up!" Donald shouted, banging on the glass container sealing them in.

Philia looked to another woman, who had blond hair tied in a bun, wearing a white ball gown. "I bet they are all the Princesses of Heart." She muttered, "But it is strange…I can't feel anything from them."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, as she moved over to Alice, focusing intently on her.

"That feeling I got from them before. The feeling like they were filled with light… I can't feel it anymore. I don't feel the light or darkness within them. They feel…blank." Everyone looked to her, confused at what she meant. "I can't really explain it." She continued, "It's like…I can't feel their hearts. The last time I felt this blank feeling was in Neverland, when I saw-."

"Kairi!" Sora gasped, running into the Grand Hall, where the large machine with the sparking energy within the Heartless emblem-shaped door was at. He ran up the flight of stairs, with Donald, Goofy and Philia behind him. Beast chose not to go, staying with Belle at this time. He made it to the top, where he saw Kairi lying there, in the middle of the floor. Donald and Philia joined his side, though Goofy suddenly slammed into an invisible wall upon trying to join them, knocking him onto his back. This drew the attention of Donald, though Sora and Philia were too fixated on Kairi to notice.

"Kairi!" Sora cried, racing to her side, and lifting her up by her back. He shook her as he cried, "Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!"

"Sora…" Philia muttered as she and Donald joined their side, "I…I can't feel anything from her, either."

"What do you mean?!" Sora demanded, looking to her with a worried expression.

"It means that girl has lost her heart." Said a double-toned voice, and the two looked up to see Riku sitting on top of the machine, glaring down at them, "She cannot wake up."

The two looked to the boy in concern, then Sora lowered Kairi to the ground again as he stated, "You… You're not Riku."

"You can tell?" Philia questioned, glaring at the boy she hated, now being used by another person.

'Riku' leapt off the machine, floating to the ground via magic as he stated, "The Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the last princess of heart still sleeps."

"The princess…?" Sora looked to Kairi before he gasped, "Kairi's a princess?!" This news even surprised Philia, too.

"Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete." 'Riku' answered, "It is time she awakened."

"Whoever you are, let Riku go!" Sora demanded, "Give him back his heart!"

'After everything, you still want to save Riku, huh?' Philia mentally asked, looking to Sora, 'You are so forgivable, Sora.'

"But first, you must give the princess back her heart." 'Riku' answered, pointing his Keyblade to Sora. All of a sudden, Sora felt something grasp his heart hard as it glowed with energy, and he fell to his hand and knees.

"Sora!" Philia and Donald cried out in shock. Philia glared to 'Riku' as she demanded, "What did you do to him?!"

"Don't you see yet?" 'Riku' prodded, descending towards them, "The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"

Philia looked to Sora, putting the pieces together as she gasped, "You mean…all this time…her heart was inside Sora?!"

As hard as it was to believe, she felt something from Sora just now. It was as if there were two lights now resonating from Sora; one from his own heart, and one from another. How did she not notice this? Surely, compared to anyone else, she could feel that he was far more different compared to other people. Then she came to the realization of something; She had been so use to Sora's presence, she didn't even stop to consider that. And it wasn't as if she knew she had this ability to detect the hearts of others. She had only started to realize this gift.

"I know all that there is to know." 'Riku' stated.

"Tell me. Who are you?" Sora asked desperately, struggling through the aching feeling he had in his heart.

"It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness." He answered, spreading his hands out.

"Ansem?!" Donald squawked in shock.

"The one who wrote these reports?!" Philia questioned, pulling out the page she discovered after they defeated Maleficent, "But…how?"

Ansem walked towards Sora, who was still unable to move. Donald tried to charge at him, but got sent flying to the other flight of stairs with a simple backhand, passing through something as he did so. When he got back up and tried reach the top of the stairs, he ended up blocked by a barrier, just like Goofy.

Philia got in between Sora and Ansem, who readied his Keyblade, swinging it at her. She blocked it with her dagger, though the attack was far stronger than how she remembered, and she struggled hard. "Stay away from Sora!" She grimaced, barely able to hold on.

Ansem glared at Philia for a moment, then used his free palm to blast Philia away into the control unit behind Sora and Kairi, causing her to crumble to the ground. "I'll deal with you later, anomaly." He told Philia, then pointing to Sora, "Now, I shall release you, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!"

Ansem swung his Keyblade high. Donald and Goofy looked scared at what was gonna happen to Sora. Philia squinted, struggling to get back up. Sora was motionless for a moment, but as the possessed Riku brought down his blade, he heard someone. The voice of the person who's heart he held. "Sora!" Kairi cried out. The voice gave him the strength to not only move, but produce his Keyblade, and block Ansem's attack.

"Forget it!" Sora growled, rising back up onto his feet, pushing the seeker of darkness back, "There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!" Ansem glared at Sora, taking the same fighter's stance as Riku would.

"Sora, I got Kairi's body here." Philia told the Keyblade wielder, crawling over to Kairi, and grabbing her back, "You just focus on stopping that guy!"

"Thanks, Philia." Sora answered, looking from her to the possessed Riku, "I'm gonna stop him!"

Ansem scoffed as he attacked Sora, who countered, and struck him. He backed off and unleashed a helm splitter move, which Sora backed off from. It was fortunate, as it created a small shockwave of darkness from where he landed the attack. They continued their dance of blades, Sora getting struck a couple times, but coming back with a vengeance. Sora did back off and tried to unleash a Fira spell at Ansem. However, he shook it off, saying, "Foolish boy." And retaliate with a dark version of the fire spell, which Sora got burned from.

"He's completely different to how I fought him last." Philia noticed, keeping Kairi close to her to avoid the battle, "Sora, you gotta be careful…"

Sora was able to fight well against his possessed friend so far, but he could easily tell that this guy was toying with him. Ansem was capable of dealing with Sora, but was able to block and counterattack anything he delivered.

"When are you planning to get serious?!" Sora demanded.

"You want me to get more serious with you?" Ansem questioned, "Now witness true power!" He suddenly caused dark energy to encase his free hand, and his body sparked with dark energy. "Is this better for you?" He questioned Sora, moving so quickly to Sora's side, throwing his Keyblade in a Strike Raid style, like Sora's, encasing it in dark energy, striking him away. Ansem moved towards a different angle, and did it again, forcing Sora to go down after he tried to get back up.

"Sora!" Philia cried out, causing the Keyblade wielder to look to see Ansem leap up to do another helm splitter. Sora rolled out of the way to avoid the attack, which unleashed streams of dark energy from the sides upon impact. Sora got back up, and charged at Ansem, slashing him a few times, only for him to counter with a spinning slash, before flying past him with a slash that harmed Sora. He struggled, but used Cura to heal himself before continuing his assault.

Philia, Donald and Goofy continuously watched as Sora struggled at this next stage of strength the possessed Riku was unleashing. His speed and strength were far stronger thanks to that dark power. His sword swings, strike raids, and helm splitter were much more dangerous, keeping Sora on his toes. He did notice that Ansem was keen on keeping the fight away from Philia or Kairi, but it didn't stop the relentlessness he had on Sora.

"Give up!" Ansem called out, unleashing his energy Strike Raid once more at Sora, who sidestepped to one side, before unleashing his Fira spell at him. He took it, and retaliated with dark flames, which Sora quickly struck back at him. Irritated, Ansem leapt up, and slammed his weapon into the ground. Sora suddenly felt something from underneath and instinctively leapt up as dark energy bursted from the ground underneath him. Fortunately, Sora used his Glide technique to keep himself in the air long enough for the attack, and land back onto the ground.

"I won't give up!" Sora barked back, launching forward and unleashing Ars Arcanum at Ansem, "Kairi's heart doesn't belong to you, and neither does Riku's! Give him back his body!" He unleashed one final slash, knocking Ansem into one of the control systems, causing it to break, and the dark energy around Riku to die down for a moment.

Ansem got back up, grimacing in pain, but ticked off. He roared as he activated the energy around his body, and he raised his Keyblade high. "Behold the power of darkness!" He roared, floating into the air, emanating dark energy far stronger than what he had unleashed before. He suddenly charged forward at Sora, who leapt out of the way. However, Ansem started teleporting, continuing the Sonic Blade like attack, over and over across the battlefield. Sora barely recovered from the first one, nearly got impaled from the next one, and leapt into the air to try and avoid the others. Philia was not attacked, but held Kairi close just in case. After the succession of the attack, the possessed Riku stood in the middle of the battleground, shouting, "Farewell!" And slammed his Keyblade onto the ground, causing almost all of the area to be consumed by explosions of dark energy. Sora had only landed onto the ground, and got blasted back up again. Philia took the blunt of the attack to protect Kairi, crying in pain from what she took.

Ansem looked to see Sora get back up again, damaged, and Philia with her back turned to him. "Don't tell me you're giving up already!" He scoffed.

Sora panted, looking to Philia as he asked, "Are you and Kairi okay?"

"Kairi's fine." Philia answered, using a healing spell that healed herself, Sora, and anything Kairi's body took, "But that hurt like hell."

"Thanks…" Sora thanked her for the healing, "Don't worry. I got this!"

"You still don't get it…" Ansem told Sora, "I far exceed you, little boy. You will not win this fight."

"That's where you're wrong!" Sora responded, "I will win, and I will save Riku, Kairi, and everyone else! That's a promise!"

"A promise from a boy like you means nothing!" Riku declared, raising his Keyblade high over his head, "Accept the power of darkness, once more!"

"Bring it!" Sora declared, channeling everything he had into this next attack.

Ansem launched forward as Sora unleashed Sonic Blade, crossing paths with him. Philia gasped at the reckless attack he was about to do. The possessed Riku continued his attack, while Sora continued the Sonic Blade technique, dodging and striking at him. Sora's perseverance helped him push through all of the attacks.

Ansem appeared in the middle of the field, about to create another powerful wave of dark energy. He was grinning at first, but it soon turned to shock as Sora was actually in front of him, his expression serious as pointed his Keyblade directly at his body, the tip his Keyblade shining as it built up energy, which created a sphere that encased around Riku's figure. "Get lost!" Sora roared, unleashing a salvo of light projectiles that blasted him, any other shots spinning around and homing in on his body, causing him to be paralyzed in the air, taking an intense amount of damage.

"My skills…failed me…" Ansem grimaced, falling to the ground, dropping his Keyblade as he did so. He suddenly faded into darkness, vanishing from existence.

"Sora…what did you do?" Philia asked, putting Kairi down on her back, rising back onto her feet again.

"I…I think I just gained a new move." Sora answered, looking at his Keyblade, then at spot Ansem vanished, "Ragnarok…that was the name…" He looked sad as he muttered, "Riku…" He vanished before he could do something to save him.

"Sora!" Donald cried out. The barrier that blocked him and Goofy from joining the fight before was gone, and the raced over to join them as the duck pointed out, "Sora, look!" He was pointing to the energy within the machine, which was the Keyhole.

Philia looked to Sora, who pointed his Keyblade at the sparking energy, trying to close it. However, nothing happened.

"It won't work! The Keyhole's not finished yet!" Goofy pointed out.

"Well, we have to do something!" Philia cried out, "Who knows what'll happen if we leave it alone like this!"

"What can we do?" Sora asked, putting away the Keyblade, looking about, hoping to find an answer.

"Maybe we've gotta go wake Kairi up." Goofy suggested.

"But she can't. Not while her heart is within Sora." Jiminy retorted, hopping out of Sora's clothing.

"But…" Sora intervened, placing a hand to his chest, "If we can free her heart, she might wake. But how?" He then looked down, and saw the Keyblade that Ansem wielded. He then recalled what he had said before when explaining the weapon.

(Flashback) "Yes. A Keyblade. One forged from the crystallization of all the princesses." Riku answered, holding the weapon aloft, "But unlike yours, this Keyblade holds the power to unlock people's hearts." (Flashback ends)

"A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts…" Sora echoed, "I wonder." Philia looked to the weapon, then back to Sora, and realized what he might be planning.

Sora wandered down to the Keyblade, and picked it up. Philia raced down the steps, calling out, "Wait, Sora! Think about what you're planning on doing!"

"If this Keyblade can unlock people's hearts, then I can free Kairi from mine, right?" Sora asked, looking up the shaft of the weapon he held, "It's the only way to save her."

"But…do you realize what'll happen?!" Philia questioned him, "It'll not only free Kairi's heart, but releases yours, as well! That means…you'll disappear." She started to tear up as she stated, "Please, Sora! There has to be another way to seal the Keyhole besides this!"

Sora looked to her, then at Donald and Goofy, then at Jiminy on his shoulder. All of them feared what Sora wanted to do, and didn't want him to do it. However, he saw he had no choice. To save Kairi, he had to make the sacrifice to do so. He gave one happy grin at the group, saying, "As long as you guys are around, there'll be a way. Take care!"

Philia cried out to him, as he grabbed the shaft of the Keyblade, pointed the tip to his heart, and stabbed himself with the very tip. The energy forced Jiminy off of his shoulder, making him fall to the ground. Light shined from his heart as light and darkness poured out of his heart. Sora instantly felt the strength leave him as he released his grip on the Keyblade, which suddenly acted on its' own, pulling itself out of Sora, floating into the air, before disappearing into darkness, leaving behind six balls of light. They flew out towards the hallway, where Beast was still at. He looked to see the six lights suddenly enter the six princesses. They were the hearts of the Princesses, now returning to their owners.

At the same time, Sora released Kairi's heart from his now-opened heart, which flew back into her body once more. The moment it entered her, Kairi's eyes snapped open. She had now woken up. The Keyhole shined as well, now that the seventh Princess of Heart was awakened.

Philia rushed to Sora, who's body was emanating a light as he was slowly fading away. He could only smiled, glad he was able to save Kairi, but sorry he couldn't be there to see her again. Donald cried out for Sora as he and Goofy rushed down the stair, wanting to save him. Kairi rose herself up, realizing what Sora had done, and raced to him. "Sora!" She cried attempting to catch him as he fell backwards. She and Philia reached him together, but the moment their hands touched him, his body vanished from existences. The light rose into the air about them, and disappeared from sight. Sora was gone.

Philia looked to the lights disappearing, then fell to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes. The person she cared for the most had now disappeared right before her eyes. Even as Donald cried out for him to come back, there was no sign of him returning. "Sora… How could you just leave like that?" She sobbed, placing her hands over her face, crying for the person she lost.

Kairi looked from Philia, then to the ceiling, and asked, "Sora, are you really… No. He can't be! I won't let him go!" She looked to Philia, and placed her hands on her shoulders, shaking her into looking up at her, "I know you won't let him go, either, Philia. Don't give up on him!"

Philia paused as she gazed into Kairi's eyes, seeing the serious expression she held. She had not lost hope. She wanted to save Sora. No, she was gonna save him. She knew she could save him. Philia was the one too quick to believe that he was gone forever. She had to know that this was not the end of Sora.

She rubbed her arm across her eyes, wiping away the tears, then responded with, "Yeah…I know Sora isn't gone for good. There has to be a way to save him, even now." She stood up to her feet, looking down at Kairi as she answered, "Let's go find a way to save him, Kairi. Let's ALL find a way to save him!" She looked to Donald, Goofy and Jiminy, who all nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Philia felt a strong darkness suddenly appear as they heard a voice say, "So, you have awakened at last, Princess." They turned to see someone appear out of a dark portal. It was a middle-aged, tanned-skinned man, with orange eyes, and long silver hair, He wore an open black, high-collared, leather coat that reached his ankles, which had gold trimmings and a red interior. He had black and silver pauldrons on his shoulders, held by black straps, a white coat underneath that was buttoned around the naval area, and black belts around that same spot, with the emblem of the Heartless on his chest. He wore black pants, black boots, white gloves with black buttons that reached his arms, and black bands around his wrists.

"The Keyhole is now complete." He told Kairi, "You have served your purpose. But now it's over. Just disappear."

"You're…Ansem." Philia realized, looking at the man that was approaching them. She then gritted her teeth as she produced her dagger, as Donald and Goofy produced their weapons, as well. Jiminy and Tink both dove into Philia's clothing to keep themselves safe.

"Don't make another move!" Donald declared.

"Do you think we can stop him all by ourselves?" Goofy asked.

"We have to." Philia answered, with Jiminy hopping onto her right shoulder, while Tinker Bell flew onto her left, "We didn't come THIS far just to lose now. We won't let you beat us!"

Ansem looked to Philia and Kairi, huffing a smile as he did so. Something about this was rather amusing to him. However, before he could continue on this thought, he suddenly felt his body lock up. Something was preventing him from moving. "Impossible…" he stated, struggling to move.

Suddenly, someone appeared, or rather the silhouette of someone, encased in light, appeared in front of Ansem. It was Riku, who growled, "No. You won't use me for this!"

"Riku!" Kairi cried out.

"What're you-!" Philia questioned.

"Philia! Take Kairi and run!" Riku called out to the treasure hunter, "The Heartless are coming!" As he said this, Shadows started to appear around them, about to circle the heroes.

Philia looked to the Heartless, then at Riku, who nodded in approval. He was counting on her to lead the others out. "Let's go!" She told the group, and she grabbed Kairi's hand, pulling her along as they raced down the stairs, leaving the scene. They soon noticed that Beast was no longer there. In fact, he had disappeared entirely. They had no idea where he went to.

"What about the Keyhole?!" Goofy asked.

"Let's just get out of here!" Donald squawked.

"Our priority is saving Kairi!" Philia told the group, "Then, we'll try to save Sora and seal up the Keyhole!" Her thoughts went back to Sora, as her mind replayed the moment Sora vanished from existence in front of her eyes. The feeling of grief was about to take her from seeing Sora vanish. However, she chose to keep telling herself, 'Sora's not gone. I know he's still around! We will save him again!'

They charged through the castle, trying to escape outside. They avoided any unnecessary fights, though Philia punctured right through any that truly got in their way.

It took some time, but they finally found themselves back at the entrance hall, with Donald and Goofy in the lead. Philia stopped as Kairi stopped for a moment, looking back at the Heartless-emblem door they just came through.

"What's wrong?" Philia asked.

"I was wondering…about the other princesses?" Kairi asked, "We have to do something for them, too. We can't just leave them behind!"

"Trust me, I know." Philia assured her, "But right now, after everything we had just gone through, we can't do anything for them at the moment. Let's head to our ship, regroup, and think of what to do next."

"Hurry up, you girls!" Donald squawked to them.

"Look out! There's a Heartless comin'!" Goofy exclaimed. The two girls turned to see a Shadow Heartless suddenly appear from the library, waddling towards them. Philia and Kairi instinctively ran down the stairs to join Donald and Goofy. The Shadow came down the stairs close to it, and ended up right in front of them, where it stopped, staring at them.

"I'll take care of it!" Donald declared, whacking his staff on its' head, "Confounded Heartless! Get lost, will ya?!"

Kairi and Philia looked to the Shadow. For some reason, it was much more passive than any other Heartless they've seen so far. What's more, it was acting in a way that made them feel that it wasn't gonna cause harm to them. However, upon looking to the two girls, they felt something. Deep within their hearts, they seemed to feel as if they should know this Heartless. As a matter of fact, they knew who it was, just from gazing into its' eyes.

"Sora?" The girls asked, surprising Donald and Goofy.

"Is that you?" Kairi asked, approaching the Shadow.

"I'm not sure, but I can tell, as well…" Philia stated, coming to her side, as they both gazed at the Heartless, "This little guy…it's without a doubt Sora."

"Uh-oh!" Goofy cried out, and the girls suddenly realized they were surrounded by other Shadow Heartless, who were not so passive as Sora's. Donald and Goofy readied their weapons, and went to fighting them off. Philia and Kairi looked to each other, nodded in agreement at what had to be done, and got to either side of Sora's Shadow.

"This time, I'll be protecting you." Kairi assured the Heartless.

"I've got your back, just as you have always had mine." Philia added, readying her dagger. She raised it high, and unleashed a Thundara spell, electrifying the Heartless around them, and destroying them. "I won't let anything come to harm you or Kairi!" She declared.

Kairi smiled at Philia, appreciating her assistance in protecting them. However, she suddenly sensed something, and looked up. More Shadows had appeared from the upper level, and they came down in a large swarm, about to land onto the two girls and the good little Shadow. Kairi covered the Shadow, while Philia shouted, "Get down!", and she covered the pair as the Shadows fell on top of them.

"Kairi!" Goofy called out in fear.

"Philia!" Donald panicked. Both feared their safety as the darkness emanated from the swarm of Heartless.

However, as things looked grim, a miracle happened. Light shined from within the pile, and pushed all the Heartless off. Donald and Goofy shielded their eyes, then were introduced to a sight they never expected. Philia had her eyes closed, but was able to tell her arms were wrapped around not just Kairi, but someone else. She opened her eyes, and looked at the person she had only lost a moment ago. Sora was no longer a Heartless. He was back to normal, his arms wrapped around Kairi.

"Kairi, Philia, thank you." Sora told the pair, who looked at him with both shock and joy.

"Sora!" The two girls gasped.

"Sora!" Cried out Donald and Goofy.

The girls released him as he looked at his hands and body, making sure he was all there.

"But…how?" Philia asked, tears starting to form on her face.

"I'm not sure…" Sora answered, deciding, for the moment, to not think about how it happened, but to smile and continue, "But I'm glad I'm back."

"It's good to have you back, Sora." Kairi replied, smiling back at him. Philia nodded in agreement, more than happy to have the person she cared for so much back in their lives.

Suddenly, more Heartless started to appear around them. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Philia all got their weapons at the ready, prepared to fight off the darkness, as they did before.

Suddenly, there was a roar from the second floor. They looked to see Beast had returned, standing on the top of the fountain statue. He leapt down and fended off the Heartless that were in the way, and roared, "Go! Now!"

"But what about you?" Sora asked, "Come with us!"

"I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle!" Beast reminded them, "Now, go! The Heartless are coming!"

The group looked to each other, then Philia told him, "Keep yourself safe. We'll leave things here in your hands, er, claws!"

"Alright. Let's get out of here!" Sora told the team, and they raced out of the castle. When they were out there, they found a place to activate the transporter, and teleported back to the Gummi Ship.

Kairi wandered about the Gummi Ship, examining things as Donald asked, "What now? Where should we go?"

"How 'bout we head back to Traverse Town?" Goofy suggested, "I reckon we should tell Leon and the others about what had happened."

"Good idea." Sora agreed, looking to Kairi as he added, "It would also be the best place to keep Kairi safe at."

Philia approached Kairi, though was heading to the main computer, as she asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just…this is my first time seeing this vessel personally." Kairi stated, looking back at the treasure hunter, "Before, I only saw it through Sora's eyes."

Philia looked confused for a moment, then realized, "Oh, right. If your heart was in Sora's, then I guess you were able to witness everything he had been through." Kairi nodded in response to this. Philia had pulled out the Ansem Report she got from Maleficent before, though her mind was on something else. All this time, she had literally been within Sora's heart. While it shouldn't have been, it was almost romantic that the one person that Sora had been looking for all this time was within his heart, seeing everything he had been doing to save her, every moment he had shown how dedicated he was to protecting others, and finding her. She couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

"Aren't you gonna place in that Ansem Report into the computer to be recorded?" Jiminy asked, hopping out of her clothing.

"Hey, let her take her time." Tinker Bell retorted, flying right next to him, "She just gone through a lot, and now she's got a new rival to contend with."

"Rival?" Philia echoed, looking to her.

"Um, yeah? With Kairi in the picture, you got a rival to Sora's affection." She explained.

Philia blushed at this, then looked away from Tinker Bell and Jiminy, shadowing her eyes from view. The two small characters waited for a response to deny what Tink said. However, she chose not to respond, and placed the Ansem Report into the computer to be scanned. Tink and Jiminy looked to each other, the former not expecting the lack of response. The computer showed what was written on the report, and everyone read it.

"To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence."

"It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?"

"…I can't believe the person we thought was a good guy was actually bad." Donald grimaced.

"He was interested in the Heartless." Sora assumed, "What if they turned him into being the bad guy?"

"Well, he would've put an end to us, had it not been for Riku." Goofy pointed.

"Riku…" Kairi muttered, a twinge of regret at leaving him behind after his sacrifice.

Goofy noticed Philia was still looking downward, having not moved since she placed in the Ansem's Report. "You okay, Philia?" Goofy asked.

"Huh?" The treasure hunter wasn't paying attention, and didn't hear the question at first.

"You look pretty worn out." Jiminy pointed out. The others looked to her, wondering what was up with her.

"Yeah…I guess everything I went through in that castle left me both physically and emotionally drained." She stated.

"Emotionally?" Donald echoed, confused.

"I guess we should rest and recover at Traverse Town." Sora stated, looking a bit worn himself, "Let's get back there as soon as possible so we can talk to Leon and the others." With the plan set, they activated the warp system on the Gummi Ship, and flew right back to Traverse Town once more.

Traverse Town, Small House

"Tell me what happened." Leon asked Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy.

The moment the team returned to Traverse Town, the team decided to go and report to Leon. Philia was rather exhausted, so Kairi told the group she would help her go get some rest. Yuffie arrived in time to also joined in to help Philia out, and they guided her to the hotel rooms. This left the rest of the boys to go report about everything that happened in Hollow Bastion to Leon and Aerith.

"So the darkness is flowing out of that Keyhole…" Leon understood, after hearing their story.

"No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere." Aerith grimaced, "The only way to stop them is…"

"Seal the Keyhole, right?" Sora asked, producing his Keyblade.

"Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it's sealed." Leon pointed out.

"Well, we can't just stay here. We have to do something." Sora argued, "I've got a friend back there."

Leon paused for a moment, then answered, "You're right. You have one more friend to worry about. Riku's Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses' hearts, just like that Keyhole you saw. Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete. Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should have been freed. Don't worry, Sora. If anyone can save your friend, you can."

Sora looked to his Keyblade, thinking on Leon's words. He knew he could do it, but only if he had the others with him. That included Philia, who was recovering at this moment.

Red Room

Philia had been asleep for a while, but only just started to come around. She slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the familiar red ceiling. She tilted her head to one side, and saw a familiar face. Yuffie's face. "Wake-e, wake-e, sleepy-head." she called to her.

Philia groaned, then slowly got up into a sitting position, yawning as she stretched her arms up. "Hey, Yuffie. How long was I out for?"

"Not too long. Maybe a half hour or so. Way shorter than the last time you were in this bed." She answered, "Boy, does this scene feel familiar, doesn't it?"

Philia paused at what she meant, then realized, "Oh, yeah…we met each other in the exact same way…"

"Yep. It seemed like for-ever ago since that day Aerith and I found you conked out on the ground." Yuffie recalled, looking up at the ceiling, "And when you woke, you had no memory to you apart from your name."

Philia looked at the sheets her body was under, recalling that day. "A lot happened since that day, didn't it?" She crawled out of bed, with Yuffie backing off to give her some space.

"You looked freakin' exhausted when you came back." The ninja pointed out, "You must've gone through a hell of a lot in that short period of time."

Philia went over to the shelf, noticing her dagger and sheath were there, as she replied, "Well, you can say my friends and I were put through the ringer. Although…I think this entire adventure has worn me down and shaped me up so much, I guess I haven't really had any time to gather myself up."

Just then, Tinker Bell flew out of her pocket, yawning deeply as she stated, "My goodness. That was a short nap. You okay now, Philia?"

"Yeah…" she answered, placing her weapon and sheath back on her person, before looking to Yuffie as she stated, "Thanks for looking over me like that."

"Not a problem!" She answered, "You know, you're kinda adorable when you were sleeping. I did hear you say things in your sleep."

"R-Really?" Philia stammered, looking a bit embarrassed, "What was I saying?"

"Oh, nothing too great. But I did hear you mention Sora a couple times."

Yuffie's words caused Philia to look down at the ground, her mind thinking on things. Deciding to change the subject, she asked, "So, where is Kairi? She did bring me here."

"She decided to explore the town." Yuffie answered, "I told her not to, but she insisted."

"Let's go check up on her." Philia suggested, "I'll go to the Second District. You go to the Third."

"Copy that, treasure hunter." Yuffie mock-saluted her, "Never expected you to be the one to give me orders." With that, she disappeared, like the ninja girl she was. Philia and Tinker Bell exited the room soon after

They eventually made her way to the Second District. Philia stopped as she looked at the area near the fountain. Tinker Bell stopped as well, looking to her as she looked at that area. 'It all really started there for me…' she told herself, 'The day where Sora and I first met one another, along with everyone else…'

(Flashback) With the Heartless gone, Philia turned to Sora, who was amazed at the display of combat. "You doing okay?" she asked, walking up to him, "Those Heartless can be a bit dangerous to face on your own."

She reached out to Sora, who took her hand. "Thanks." he responded as he was pulled to his feet, "You saved me there."

"But I couldn't save that other guy in time." Philia stated, looking at the spot where the man was before.

There was a pause between the two, then Philia turned back to Sora, gazing at his weapon. "So that's the Keyblade everyone was talking about, huh?" she questioned, "How did you get it?"

"I don't know." Sora answered, "It just…appeared."

Philia then walked around the boy, examining him closer. "When I heard about how picky the Keyblade is about choosing a wielder, I was expecting someone more…matured." she stated.

"What do you mean by that?!" Sora asked, slightly wounded by the words.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." she defended herself, "Let's start this over. My name is Philia. And you are?"

"I'm Sora." the boy answered.

"Nice to meet you, Sora." Philia stated, "C'mon, I'm sure there are a few more Heartless about. Let's clean them up before we get back to the First District."

Third District

It took about maybe three seconds after this moment before Sora and Philia heard to screaming voices fly from one of the balconies. They turned in time to see the two fly out, falling towards their exact location. "Oh, no!" Philia cried out as she and Sora attempted to run away from the landing spot.

There was a crash as all four people hit the ground. Sora was on the bottom, his Keyblade out in front of him. Philia was right next to him, and Donald Goofy were piled on top of the two. Sora and Philia moaned in pain while Donald and Goofy were seeing stars.

"Who landed on top of us?" Sora asked.

"Clearly, my next victims." Philia answered, blushing in humiliation from the awkward position the dog of the two put himself in on top of her.

When the stars faded from Donald and Goofy, they looked at who they landed on, and at the weapon in Sora's hands. "The key!" they cried out in unison, beaming with joy. They had finally found it.

Leon stepped forward as he stated, "Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends." Sora looked to Leon, then down, worried about the consequences of the adventure.

Leon turned to Philia and added, "You go with them, too, Philia."

"Me?" the girl in question asked, perplexed.

"This might be your best chance to discover who you are." Leon explained, "You might even discover where you are from. Plus, they might need all the help they can get." He pointed to the other three when he said 'they'.

"Donald Duck." the duck introduced himself as he raised a hand.

"The name's Goofy." the hound added, placing his hand on Donald's.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Philia." the girl greeted, placing her hand onto Goofy's.

"I'm Sora." the Keyblade wielder introduced himself, and he placed his hand onto their's.

"All for one, and one for all." Goofy declared. (Flashbacks ends)

Second District

Philia stood there, looking at the spot, giving a half-smile as she did so. "Who would've thought I would be in for such a crazy ride after meeting those guys…" she muttered.

"Are you talking about Sora and the others?" Tink asked.

"Yeah. Even before meeting you, the crazy ordeals we had to deal with were insane. Dealing with court trials, fighting in a coliseum, getting tossed around by gorillas… You'd think an adventure would make more sense than what we had to deal with."

"True…" Tinker Bell agreed, "I STILL haven't really figured everything out, either. But even so, you did have Sora and those other guys with you."

"Yeah, that's true." Philia agreed, and they continued walking around, looking for Kairi, "We were all good friends, but we still didn't really have a similar goal. Sora wanted to find Riku and Kairi, Donald and Goofy wanted to find their king, and I wanted to find my memories. When we came back here, we did meet Riku at last. However…"

(Flashback) "So what you're telling me is that you're only with him because of that Keyblade, and not to help him find Kairi." He summed up.

"What? No!" Philia argued.

"But you don't consider Kairi your top priority while out there, acting all friendly with him." Riku pointed out, "You're just being a distraction for him."

Philia seemed hurt and confused as she approached him, demanding, "How am I a distraction?! I've been helping Sora fight off the Heartless all this time. And thanks to him, I've remembered pieces of my past, too!"

"Yeah, but who's to say that you can't figure it out on your own later down the line." The silver-haired boy replied, "Meanwhile, Kairi is important to both me and Sora. And with you wanting one thing because of his Keyblade, and those other guys wanting something completely different because of that thing, he will never focus on what is important to him. Trust me, I know Sora."

He walked past Philia, who was stock-still in her place, with Riku's words circulating in her mind. "If you really are a friend of his, like you claim to be, then you would know what is important to him. Do yourself a favor, and don't be in the way of what he is trying to find." (Flashback ends)

"Riku almost made me leave Sora and the others." Philia continued, now reaching the rooftops, looking down back at the main area of the Second District, recalling how they fought the Opposite Armor in this place, "However, Sora didn't want to give up on me…"

(Flashback) "Philia, you don't have to worry about caring about your memories more than Kairi." Sora finally started to speak, "I mean, you don't know her, and I don't know about your memories or their king. But that doesn't mean I don't want to help. And I will make sure you get to meet Kairi. Trust me, you'll like her."

Philia looked at Sora, who smiled back at her, and continued, "And the guys are right, too. You're more level-headed than the rest of us. Especially Donald."

"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?!" Donald squawked at him, causing Goofy to chuckle.

"What I'm trying to say is that you not only are a strong fighter, but you're smarter than us, and help us when we're unsure or at odds with one another. I don't know if we could've made it this far without you. So don't say you want to leave us now. I want you to stay with us until we all find what we're looking for."

Philia looked down, and from the four boys point of view, they could see small beads starting to form around her eyes. "You guys...really don't think I'll slow you down? You don't think I'll prevent you from finding Kairi or your king?" Her voice croaked as she held back the urge to cry.

"No way. I know you won't stop us from finding them." Sora replied.

"I bet we can find them even faster together." Donald assumed.

"All for one, and one for all, right?" Goofy declared, giving a big smile at her.

Philia tearfully looked up, the waterworks dripping down her face as she looked at the four greatest friends she had. Sora reached out to her, giving her a welcoming smile.

She wiped away the tears on her face as she stifled, "How...how did I end up with such great friends like you guys?" (Flashback ends)

Philia and Tink wandered into the alleyway, done searching the Second District, as Tink stated, "They really were faithful friends to you, weren't they? I'm almost jealous."

"They were, but something changed in me that day, as well." Philia pointed out, coming to a halt for a moment, "Whenever I was around Sora since then, a sense of warmness formed in my heart. I was more than comfortable around him. More like…I cherished his presence more than ever."

"So that's when you were falling for Sora?" Tink asked with a grin.

"Maybe…" she replied, "I don't know what it really means to fall in love with someone, but there were a lot of hints that told me that, along with a bunch of awkward scenarios…"

Agrabah

(Flashback) "Maybe…it's because you trust him to do the right thing." Jasmine answered, causing Philia to turn to her, "What I want out of a person I will be married to is trust. Trust to do the right thing. Trust to not think about himself, and to consider my feelings. Trust to love me for the person I am..." She looked to the area where Aladdin's house was at, her expression filled with worry for the resident.

Philia looked to where she gazed, then a smile formed on her face as she asked, "And I assume Aladdin has those qualities, huh?"

Jasmine looked back at her, her face blushing a bit as she answered, "Well, it is a bit too soon to give any clear answer. But he has been selfless, noble and kind. Something I can see in Sora, too. I can tell you see the same..."

Now it was Philia's turn to blush, looking away as she stammered, "O-Oh, please! You think he and I... That's ridiculous! I mean, he's a great guy and all, but still..." She paused, as Jasmine gave her a mischievous smirk, catching her off guard. After all the blunt comments she delivered to the princess, now it was Philia's turn to get struck down in embarrassment.

After leaving Monstro

Sora noticed, unfortunately, the condition of Philia's garments in the back, and blushed horribly. "Ph-Philia! Your clothes!"

The treasure hunter suddenly realized where Sora was looking at, and her face reddened in embarrassment. She screamed as she sat back in her seat in a blink of an eye. She covered her face as she felt bad for exposing herself like that to Sora. However, her expression changed as she glared at Sora, producing her dagger. "You mention what you saw, I'll gouge your eyes out!" She threatened, grabbing Sora's shoulder to prevent escape, and pointed her weapon at his eyes.

Sora's face paled in fear, while everyone backed away from the pair. "I-I didn't want to see, honest!" He panicked.

Traverse Town

Philia reached down to Sora with her hand, and answered, "Fill Riku with the same kindness you filled my heart with. Be honest with him. Help him remember your friendship, and let him know that Kairi is just as important to you as she is to him. And while we're at it, stop Maleficent and the Heartless from having their way."

Sora took a second, then smiled at her. She was right. Riku was still his friend, deep down, and he had to be saved from the poisoned words that Maleficent leaked into his heart. He had to rekindle their friendship, and no Heartless, evil witch, or any other being of darkness was gonna get in his way to stop him. Although there was a lot on his plate, what with sealing the Keyholes of each world, stopping the Heartless and Maleficent, finding Kairi, King Mickey, and Philia's memories, he was still adding 'Save Riku' to that list. And with Philia, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy at his side, he knew he could succeed in all of those tasks.

He took Philia's hand, and she pulled him up onto his feet. "Thanks, Philia. I needed that." He told her, "You know, I don't care what Riku says. I'm really happy that I met you, and I'm glad you're around to help me when I'm down."

Philia smiled and blushed in response to this. "H-Hey, I'm not the only one who would help you. Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy would say the same thing...well, I'm not sure about Donald, but still…"

Atlantica

He suddenly saw a Search Ghost Heartless appear, coming at her with brandished claws. "Look out!" He shouted, pulling her out of the way. She had her eyes closed from being startled, but felt herself being flung into Sora's bare chest. Sora instinctively had his arms around her, but didn't realize the kind of mistake he made. The two paused for a moment, looking at each other for a moment. Then Philia, blushing horribly, pushed Sora out of the way in a girlish squeal, and slapped him across the face, causing him to spin in the water.

"Sora! I can't believe you would do that!" Philia barked, "And after what you promised me before!"

"Ow! I was just trying to pull you out of the way of an attack!" Sora defended, "I didn't mean for us to be in that position!"

"But you didn't have to wrap your arms around me. That was unnecessary!"

"It was a reflex. I didn't know what I was doing until I did it!"

"I really hope we don't go through another dramatic change like that again…" she muttered, "I mean, I was able to finally get use to having that look, but it was still uncomfortable being that skimpy around you guys."

"Well, you certainly didn't have any problems when Sora caught you before." Goofy chuckled, thinking back to how Sora caught Philia in a princess hold after beating Ursula.

Both Sora and Philia's faces reddened, looking at one another, before averting their gaze. They hadn't realized it, but Goofy was right. In that one moment, even after everything was calm, neither one of them had an issue with the lack of modesty. Neither one wanted to even speak or question why that was the case.

Neverland

"Is there anything in your life that makes you happy? More than what you don't know?" Tinker Bell questioned, "Surely, you must have more than those memories you keep mentioning."

Philia's eyes flashed, as what the pixie said sparked something. All this time, she was thinking about what was unknown to her, and the only memories of that time she didn't know were fearful ones. However, there was more than those memories. The memories when she woke up in Traverse Town. The memories of her adventure throughout many worlds. The memories of her times with Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and Sora.

Sora…those memories were the ones she enjoyed the most. Sure, there were times it was hard, and times she was tired of his childish behavior, but the times they had together, from the laughter, the arguments, the fighting as one against all odds, were ones she couldn't forget. The words he shared with her, and the actions that moved her. She could feel something strong in her heart when thinking about Sora. A feeling that brought her something she didn't have for a while; unbelievable joy.

"You really don't want any other girl close to that guy, do you?" Philia asked the pixie, "Is that why you were always irritated with me?"

"Well…yeah!" Tinker Bell admitted.

Philia sighed at the pixie's attitude to her in the past, and stated, "Listen, I do not have ANY interest in Peter. He's yours. After all, my happiness…" she looked to Sora, who caused Pirates to fall like bowling pins as he flew, "…is born from the feelings I have for someone else."

Hollow Bastion

"Damn you!" Riku growled, lunging at Philia, who leapt back to avoid the tip of his wing blade, "You were always such a nuisance. Why choose to go around with a total weakling like him? What made you constantly stay with him?!"

"Sora is just someone I can't help but stay right next to!" Philia answered, leaping forward, and clashing with Riku, "His care for other and his willingness to help, even if no one asked for it, makes him such a likable person. I wanted to help him out like he has been helping me and everyone else. We grew stronger and stronger, and our hearts became stronger and stronger. I have been looking for memories for so long, but thanks to him…" She sent Riku's sword upwards, making him fumble back, "…My heart is brimming with bright memories thanks to being by his side!" (Flashback ends)

Philia looked into the secret waterway, thinking on every moment that she had involving those feelings towards Sora. "The flow of memories I had…since the day I met Sora. When I think about it, I realize just how far I have come since meeting him." Philia stated, touching her heart, "While I know what this feeling is, I don't wanna follow through with them, yet. Not until…I speak with her about it."

She wandered into the waterway, swam a bit when it became deep, and saw Kairi there, standing at the rocky shoreline. She looked to see Philia arrive on shore, magically drying herself before approaching her. Tinker Bell flew about the cavern just to investigate.

"Hi, Philia." She greeted the treasure hunter.

"What are you doing all the way out here, Kairi?" Philia asked.

"Just saw this mural." Kairi answered, looking to the mural on the far side of the waterway cavern. It was a picture of a sun and a moon blended together, with a blue sky background. "It's so mysterious, it's hypnotizing." She described it.

"You know, Cid told me he actually hid something within it." Philia pointed out, "I never bothered to ask or inspect what it was, but he did tell me not to look into it."

"I see…" Kairi understood.

The two remained quiet for a moment, then they both spoke up, "Hey-." They stopped after saying something at once.

"You go first." Kairi told her.

"No, you go." Philia retorted.

"I insist."

"You haven't spoken for a long time, so you go."

"But I want to hear what you have to say first."

Philia paused for a moment, then gave up the insistency, and began, "I…I just want to understand your feelings towards Sora. I know he cares about you. He was always searching for you, even though your heart was really inside him. Of course, you knew that, right?"

"Yes…" Kairi admitted, "I've watched how hard he's been working to not only find me, but helping others. He's so selfless and childish, you can't help but like him."

"Yeah…" Philia agreed, "You really can't help but like the guy. I guess that's why you love him, don't you?"

"You feel the same as I do about him." Kairi pointed out, "I can tell…"

Philia's cheeks grew rosy, but she nodded in agreement. "I…I don't wanna say I want to steal him away from you. I know that you guys have been together longer, but… I can't help it." A smile grew on her face, and her expression showed signs of affection as she finished, "I love him. I am completely enamored by him."

Kairi giggled at Philia's expression, who looked away as she continued, "I'm sorry. I guess you must hate me for loving the same guy you do."

"No. I don't feel that way." Kairi stated, surprising Philia, "I don't get why, but whenever I saw you, I felt a sort of connection to you. You and I are completely different, but at the same time, we have a similar heart."

"I doubt I'm a Princess of Heart. I know that I am nowhere near pure of heart like you are."

"I mean we both have feelings for Sora, and both of us want what's best for him, too, right?" Kairi asked, which Philia nodded in agreement to, "Then there's no reason for us to dislike the other. I want us to be friends, and not rivals."

Philia looked really confused at this point, as she said, "You do realize I love the same guy as you do, right?"

"Yeah." She answered.

"Well, usually when two girls are interested in the same guy, they end up becoming rather resentful or competitive against one another."

"Who says I'm not?" Kairi retorted, "I'm just saying that whoever Sora chooses, I don't think we should hate one another. After all, we know each other as good people. Do you think of me as a good person for Sora?"

Philia didn't even need a second to respond as she answered, "Well, yeah. You care for Sora a lot. But that doesn't mean I won't show Sora my love for him is better than yours."

Kairi gave a rather competitive smirk as she stated, "Then let's agree to this; we'll show Sora our feelings towards him in our own ways, without interference from the other. Whoever he picks, no regrets. Deal?"

Kairi raised a hand to Philia, who looked to it for a moment. Only a Princess of Heart with no resentment or jealousy could make such an intense, yet respectable competition for the affection of another person. She couldn't help but admire the young girl for her way of thinking. She smiled as she took her hand, and they shook as she answered, "It's a deal. Let's win his heart and protect him in our own ways."

Tinker Bell came out of nowhere, floating above the two held hands as she stated, "And here I thought I would see a rivalry between you two. I never thought girls could be this respectable to one another."

"Perhaps maybe you could think about showing the same kind of kindness to other girls who are near Peter, then?" Philia questioned the pixie, who looked stubbornly away.

"What did she say?" Kairi asked, not understanding Pixie language.

"Oh, she's just not able to comprehend a little friendly rivalry." Philia explained, causing the two girls to giggle.

Just then, the two heard the sounds of swimming, and they turned to see Sora, Donald and Goofy swim onto the scene, Sora getting out first, followed by Donald and Goofy. Donald was perfectly fine, being an anthropomorphic duck. However, Goofy shaking himself like the dog he was caused Donald's clothing to become even more soaked, leaving him a bit more drenched.

"There you are, Philia, Kairi." Sora greeted, "What were you talking about?"

"Oh, girl stuff." Philia answered.

"Stuff you shouldn't know about." Kairi added.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"It's a secret." The two girls answered, placing a finger to their mouths in a hushing position. Tinker Bell folded her arms, looking to side with the girls. Sora looked to Donald and Goofy, who shrugged back at him, not sure what happened.

"So…what brings you by?" Philia asked.

"Just here to collect a navigation piece." Sora answered, "Cid said there was one inside this place."

"Why do you need one?" Kairi asked.

"So we can get back to Hollow Bastion." Donald answered.

"The pathway we took before has way too many Heartless for us to handle." Goofy pointed out, "So we have to find another way there instead of the way we took before."

"Gotcha." Philia understood, "Well, nothing here except for that mural on the wall over there." She pointed to the painting.

"Then let's see if something is there…" Sora stated, wandering through the shallow water. The moment he approached the mural, it started to shine. He looked up to see something pop out of the mural, which changed the mural from the sun part shining more, to the crescent moon shining in a night sky. Sora caught what came out of the mural, which was revealed to be a Navigation Gummi. "Got it!" Sora cheered, raising it to the other from far off.

He raced back to the group as he told them, "Let's go back and join the others. We should rest up."

"I already rested up, but okay." Philia agreed, looking to Kairi, who looked to the mural. Donald and Goofy were going up the stairs, while Tinker Bell flew back into Philia's pocket, leaving the trio alone.

"A light at the end of the tunnel…" Kairi muttered, looking at the moonlit painting.

"Oh, your grandma's story, right?" Sora asked, which surprised Kairi, though it confused Philia.

"That's right. We were together." Kairi understood.

"I'm sorry, but what about your grandmother's story?" Philia asked.

"It's a story my grandma told me. It's the earliest recollection of my life before meeting Sora and Riku." Kairi explained, "Let me see if I remember the story…"

She cleared her throat, then began, "Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared."

'The darkness that swallowed people's hearts.' Philia echoed in her mind, 'Could that be the Heartless?'

"However, small fragments of light survived in the hearts of children." Kairi continued, "With these fragments of light, children rebuild the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return. So, even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide us. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat us. Our hearts will shine with its' power and push the darkness away."

There was a brief pause after Kairi finished the story, before Philia said, "That is a wonderful and interesting story. I can't believe I didn't hear about it until now."

"Me neither, until I learned through Kairi's heart." Sora admitted, "You know, it's funny. I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along. Finally, we're together, Kairi."

"Yep. You two certainly are." Philia agreed, kinda stepping to their sides, wanting to feel like she was part of this.

"But now…" Sora looked at his hand, curling it into a fist, "…it's time to get Riku back."

"You think it'll ever be the same again between us?" Kairi asked, a little worried, "Riku's lost his…"

"When I turned into a Heartless, you two saved me, remember?" Sora told the two girls, "I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things; my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then, I heard a pair of voices; your voices. You brought me back."

Philia and Kairi looked to each other, then back at Sora as Kairi started, "I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't."

"Me, neither." Philia agreed, "It was thanks to you that I have so many wondrous memories, even though I have forgotten most of my past. You're my light, Sora. You help me to keep going."

Sora heard what they had to say, then realized, "That's it! Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. I guess it's more than just a fairy tale."

"Then, we'd better light Riku's path back." Philia decided, "I may not have been on best terms with him, but he saved Kairi and I. Now, it's our turn."

"Yeah, let's go." Kairi cheered.

"You can't go." Sora told his childhood friend.

"Why not?"

"Because it's way too dangerous."

Kairi folded her arms behind her back as she stated, "Come on, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone."

"Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?" Sora told her.

"And he's not gonna be alone as long as I'm around." Philia assured her, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'm gonna make sure he's A-okay. Trust me, I'll keep him safe. You're not a fighter, so you're better off here."

Kairi looked to Sora and Philia, then asked, "I can't help?"

"You'd kinda be in my way." Sora stated bluntly, causing Philia to punch him in the shoulder for such a straight-forward statement, "What?!"

"That was pretty rude!" Philia argued.

Kairi laughed at the pair, before answering, "Okay. I'll leave Sora in your care, Philia."

"Right." She replied with a nod.

Kairi then took Sora's hand, and pulled something out of her own pocket. She placed it in Sora's hand, revealing it to be a sort of ornament. Five pink and yellow seashells formed a star, with the top shell having a face and brown hair on it, a crown in the center, and a white rope attached to the top.

"Take this." She told Sora, leaning forward into his face, "It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me."

"Don't worry. I will." Sora assured her.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Kairi paused before telling him, "Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

Philia looked to her, then to the charm in Sora's hand, and mentally stated, 'A sly maneuver by you, Kairi. Well, I guess I'll just have to prove myself stronger and more caring than a simple charm.'

The moment these words finished in her mind, the charm shined, and Sora's Keyblade came into his other hand. Sora looked to it, then to the charm, and placed the two together. It shined, and transformed. The charm had now become the keychain and medallion to the new Keyblade, which was mostly white, with wings for the guard around the silver handle, and a heart in front. The shaft was two white stems ending into a white and yellow heart, and the teeth was gold, blue, violet, and white, forming the Kanji word 'Light'.

"Kairi's charm…became a Keyblade?" Philia asked, amazed.

"Yeah…" Sora answered, raising it up, "I can feel it telling me its' name: Oathkeeper."

"Hey, what's the holdup?!" Donald squawked angrily, as he and Goofy came back down to join them.

"Nothing much." Sora answered, putting his Keyblade away, "Just telling Kairi to stay behind while we seal up the Keyhole."

"Hey, fellas. Look at that." Goofy pointed something out on the floor nearby. It was another trinity emblem, but this one was white.

"That's a Trinity symbol!" Philia recognized, "But it is white. How do we work this one?"

"I'm pretty sure after what we went through before." Donald stated, "I think I know how to do this."

Instructed by Donald, the four heroes stood around the symbol. "Now, raise your weapon up high, and concentrate the power of our bond to the tip of our weapons." Donald instructed. Raising his staff high. Sora raised his Keyblade, as Goofy raised his shield, and Philia raised her dagger. The tips of their weapons glittered, and Trinity symbol shined to reveal a hidden treasure box.

"Whoa!" Sora gasped.

"Treasure acquired!" Philia cheered, immediately opening it up before the others eyes, and pulling out an Orichalcum, "And a neat bit of material, too."

"Let's make our way to Merlin's house." Sora suggested, "Remember, we did get a summon gem back after beating Maleficent."

"Right. Why don't you come with us, Kairi." Philia suggested, "Best to go topside, right now."

"Right." She agreed, and followed the group up the stairs, and took the hidden path towards Merlin's Study.

When they arrived, they handed the Fairy Godmother the Fireglow summon gem, and after debating a bit, they decided Philia should have this summon. As it turns out, the summon was a small red dragon named Mushu, a who used fire magic. And, as a reward for bringing so many summon gems to her, the Fairy Godmother even presented Donald with a new staff, called Lord Fortune, which Donald decided to start using, so as not to use the scary Heartless staff he had.

Shortly after, they said farewell to Kairi, who went to join Aerith and Leon in the house, while they went to see Cid in the First District.

"You found it?" He asked, seeing the Navigation Gummi they acquired, "Alright, I'll go fix up your ship. This time, it shouldn't take long." With that, he led the group towards the Gummi Ship. It took a few minutes, but he manage to get in and out the vessel, taking care of installing the gummi piece.

"All set! You can get going any time." Cid informed the group.

"Well, that certainly took a lot shorter than some other times." Philia pointed out.

"Hey! I end up finishing the installations on time. You fellers just take too long getting to it." Cid argued, "Still, I gotta say, I wish you kids didn't have to face all this danger."

"We know, but we're the only ones who could seal the Keyhole." Sora stated.

"And we're the only ones who have the strength to take care of this." Philia added, "Trust us. We're fine with the danger, as long as we make a difference and save many lives." Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Welp, can't argue with that." Cid stated, "You kids stay safe out there. Make sure you take care of everything so we can return home."

"Roger." Sora answered, turning to his friends, "Let's make our way to Hollow Bastion."

"Agreed. Though I'm pretty sure there are some areas where we can use our new Quartet ability. I'm sure we'll find some treasures that'll be darn useful for the final battle."

"Is that your treasure hunter's instinct?" Goofy asked.

"Pretty much." Philia answered, as they went up one at a time into the Gummi Ship, "Let's get moving!" Once they were all inside the ship, Cid backed off and waved goodbye as the ship took off, heading off into space.

(Insert 'Butter-Fly' Tri Version)

As they flew off, Philia sat as she watched the trio, who spoke about what world they were about to go first. Jiminy hopped out of Sora's clothing to join in on the conversation, while Tinker Bell sat on Philia's shoulder, looking to her best friend as she went through her mental monologue.

(Philia Speaking) My name is Philia. A long time ago, I ended up waking up as a girl with no memories. I ended up joining Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy in order to find my lost past. However, thanks to them, I ended up gaining memories I cherish deeply. I still don't know who I was before, and I don't fully understand what my life was like. However, if I follow Sora, and stay by his side, I'm sure I'll find out.

But right now, we have more important matters at hand. We may have stopped Maleficent and Riku, but now there is a new threat in the form of Ansem, as well as the Keyhole where the Heartless are sprouting out from. If we don't stop it, everything will be swallowed by darkness. We have to seal it, as well as stop Ansem for good. We're the only ones who can do it. We're gonna save the worlds, with our hearts united as one.

(Song ends)

Hollow Bastion

Within the secret room where Sora and the others fought Maleficent as a dragon, a black portal opened up, as someone was about to appear.

At the same time, standing in the middle of the bottom floor of the Entrance Hall, someone was standing there. Hidden in the shadows, he was clearly wearing armor, a red cloth piece covering his chest area up, with a horned hood, while carrying a naginata in one hand. He hummed as he looked about the area he was in.

"I have finally been freed." He stated, "I am no longer within the confines of the Rift. The journey has not been easy, but I have arrived once more. Now, where is he? The one I have been awaiting my reunion with…"

From outside Hollow Bastion, and from every living being within the castle, one name was called out by this man.

"BAAAAAAAARRTZ!"

Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom: Heart's Origin

Wandering Rival?! And the Cloaked Confrontation!