Ansem was right about one thing. Darkness does sprout within the heart, consuming where it is left unchecked. It's as much a part of every one of us as our emotions, our desire to live.

Every world I go to, I see war. People know so much hatred and anger, and it seems the only way they know how to let it out is through violence. I help where I can, healing the wounded, rebuilding homes destroyed in the chaos. Four years have given my body a strength I never had before, my face no longer sunken and my bones not so sharply defined through my skin. I feel healthy, perhaps even at peace even with the suffering around me. To see them smile when I offer fruits I've gathered or a loaf of bread I baked myself makes me feel that much more alive.

Still, nothing can ever completely fill the aching hole in my heart.

There's nothing more I can do for the soldier laying before me. He found his peace long before I ever got to him. I pull a tattered blanket over his body and get back on my feet, feeling old despite my newfound health. This world is the worst of them all, torn by civil war for hundreds of years, each side forbidden to waste resources by healing their fallen enemies. The healers of the eastern region took me in when I arrived here, and I repaid them by learning their craft so I could aid in their work. But I don't play favorites. I help anyone I can, no matter what side they're on. Not even the scolding of the healers can dissuade me, and they need me too much to banish me.

I pour a sip or two of water down the throat of the next man, offering a half-hearted smile when he whispers his gratitude. He's just exhausted and will be fine in a day or two with good food and rest. Further down the line, another youth isn't so lucky. Even from here, I can see the burns covering his body, only the outline of his flat chest through his torn shirt proving that he's even male. The protective wrapping around his head has come loose, falling over his face to all but cover the awful wounds there. Quickly, I hurry to his side, knowing that even a moment could mean losing him.

The healers shout at me not to bother with the foreign soldier, but I can't stand to see such pain. I fall to my knees beside him, knowing that I can't use my healing magic... to do so would violate the "world order" rule I'd been reminded of so much in my first life. But the healer's elixirs and salves won't do anything for this poor man. He chokes, blindly reaching out for someone to comfort him as he dies. Swallowing the sick feeling in my gut, I take his hand, leaning forward to whisper words of comfort.

From under my shirt and cloak slips my pendant, catching the hazy sunlight and throwing it across his eyes in a warm amber splash.

His eyes flicker open, beautiful pale green, confusion slowly giving way to dim recognition.

My heart stops, the world around me stopping with it.

I pull the wrappings from his face, the dirty cloth slithering away to loose a spill of lovely silver hair, streaked with ashes.

Yggdrasil sings within me, the reflected sunlight within my pendant drowned by its own inner brilliance. Unbidden, my healing magic swells forth, stronger than I ever remembered it. The green and gold light flows across the battlefield, and everyone who can watch it does so in awe. But its magic is only for him, pouring into his veins, dead and burned skin sloughing off to reveal healthy flesh beneath it. I pull him to my chest even as my keyblade finishes working its spell on him, a choked sob of unbelieving joy finding its way from me as I feel his arms wrap tightly around my back.

This time, I'm not too late. As we've served the keyblades, we now have the one reward we've both longed for. Years of searching, of never losing hope, and our faith in love has finally borne the sweetest of fruits.

"I promised we'd find each other...."

And so quickly, I find myself forgetting the emptiness, the darkness.

Within us, there is only light.

We were strangers
Starting out on a journey
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through
Now here we are
And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you

No one told me I was going to find you
Unexpected, what you did to my heart
When I lost hope
You were there to remind me
This is the start

Life is a road, and I want to keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
Life is a road, now and forever
A wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
At the end I want to be standing at the beginning
With you

We were strangers
On a crazy adventure
Never dreaming how our dreams could come true,
Now here we stand
Unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you

And life is a road, and I want to keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
Life is a road, now and forever
A wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
At the end I want to be standing at the beginning
With you

I knew there was somebody somewhere
Like me alone in the dark
Now I know my dream will live on
I've been waiting so long
Nothing's going to tear us apart

And life is a road and I want to keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
Life is a road, now and forever
A wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I want to be standing at the beginning
With you

And life is a road, and I want to keep going
Love is a river I want to keep going on
Starting out on a journey
Life is a road and I want to keep going
Love is a river I want to keep flowing
In the end I want to be standing at the beginning
With you

Owari

Song is credited to Donna Lewis & Richard Marx: "At The Beginning" from Anastasia

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