Traveling via darkness was just as bad as Sora remembered it. Claustrophobic, dark, unbearably so in both cases. But it wasn't as bad as last time, since Kairi's light pushed against the darkness more. It was now more like traveling through a small pipe, rather than being squeezed from all sides while you hurtled through nothing.

Take us to Ansem. Sora thought repeatedly, still not grasping the concept of how to travel in these things. He hoped and prayed that he didn't just doom them to a life in darkness.

His prayers were answered as they both tumbled out onto sandy ground, taking in lungfuls of air.

Wait... Sand? Sora ran his hands through the small grains, starting to recognize the pristine white color. He raised his head, and felt his entire self shatter.

It was... It was HOME.

Yes, there were the tropical plants, and the pristine sea! The endless summer sky and salty smell that lingered on the breeze! Sora heard a voice vaguely yelling at him, but only continued to clutch at the sand beneath him. It was home, unblemished and welcoming. Nothing had happened at all.

But home is gone! Something yelled in his mind. Yet there was a serene stillness about everything. Nothing was wrong. Nothing. Sora slowly smiled a disturbed and demented grin.

Kairi shook his shoulder "Sora! Sora what's wrong?"

Sora looked at her, wearing a broken smile "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." He said in a giggling voice. Kairi recognized the signs of a mental breakdown and looked around for whatever was triggering him. She noted softly "This... This was your home?-"

She was suddenly jerked onto her feet and Sora laughed dementedly "Come on! Let's play!" He let go of her hand and raced ahead "Race you to the Paopu tree!"

Kairi lightly stumbled on the sand, stopping to watch Sora run. There was broken dissonance in his laughter, fakery lined his smiles. He looked back at her, running backwards childishly as he yelled back "Get running or I'm gonna beat you!"

Kairi shook her head "Sora! We have to find Ansem-"

Sora stuck his fingers in his ears, saying loudly and grievously "LA LA LA LA LA~! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER HOW FAR AHEAD I AM~!" There were tears streaming down his face, rolling past his shattered smile callously as if they weren't there.

Kairi ran after Sora, trying to snap him out of it, but he ran out of her reach. He ducked into some bushes, saying "Oh? Hide-And-Seek now? I can do that!"

Kairi grabbed his hand and jerked him in front of her. "SORA! PULL IT TOGETHER!" she yelled.

Sora's delirious grin finally faded away, and he suddenly buckled into a weeping mess. Kairi did her best to keep him standing, but eventually fell onto the sand with him as he wept in her arms "Kairi... It hurts... It hurts so much..."

Kairi held him close, reassuring him while she looked around. The island now seemed to be crumbling, cracks in the ground and bits of land pushed uneven. It looks so much like him.

"I see you enjoy the change in scenery." Ansem's voice surrounded them. Sora weakly raised his head and screamed "YOU BASTARD!" His voice was hoarse and full of torment. A creature wanting to be put out of its misery.

The islands melted away, Sora frantically lunging at the fading colors with an anguished gasp. What was revealed was barren darkness, a small set of islands holding a eerily glimmering white door.

Sora bolted to his feet and straight at Ansem, bellowing "IT'S PERSONAL NOW!" Ansem raised a shield, but Sora merely shattered it with one powerful stroke of his Keyblade. Bits of darkness started wafting off of him. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" He screamed as claws formed on his hands and began tearing open wounds.

Kairi watched in horror as they fought, darkness versus darkness, feral instincts running rampant. Sora eventually became a shilouette with glowing yellow eyes, losing legible yells into shrieks of battle. Inhuman speed and claws became his weapons. She didn't know where this darkness within Sora came from, not when it was so potent and violent.

"Sora..." She said weakly. She then said louder "Sora stop!"

The thing that was assailing Ansem flipped off of the old Heartless, backing away on all fours towards Kairi with a throaty growl. Kairi said firmly "Get out of this darkness."

The half-heartless boy looked at her, then blinked slowly as the darkness faded away from him. Soon Sora stood, looking dead.

They watched as Ansem slowly raised a bloodied hand, gasping "This... isn't over. Kingdom Hearts, the ultimate darkness, is mine!" He raised his voice, commanding the doors to open "KINGDOM HEARTS! FILL ME WITH THE POWER OF DARKNESS!"

The doors began creaking open, but Sora took a step forward, saying "Ansem, you're wrong. I may have my doubts, but... Kingdom Hearts, is LIGHT!"

Ansem shook his head, but then gaped in fear as light began pouring out of the gateway to the Heart of all Worlds. Sora and Kairi raised a hand to their eyes, also overwhelmed in the bright power that was escaping. After a minute or two, they saw Ansem fading away. The ghost lunged at them, hissing one final curse as he died "You shall pay hell for this...!"

Sora shook his head "You're an even bigger idiot then, Ansem." His eyes started closing

"I've already been through hell..."

As the last bits of Ansem faded away, Sora collasped back into Kairi's arms, unconscious. Kairi had barely any time to react to this before she saw the Heartless inside of Kingdom Hearts. She set Sora down and rushed to the door, trying to close it on her own. Another hand latched on from the inside

"That's it Kairi! Keep pushing!"

She stopped, seeing Riku pulling the doors closed. He snapped at her "I can't do this by myself-WOAH!"

Kairi yanked him through the door, saying "I am NOT leaving you in there."

"But King Mickey-"

The very same mouse dispatched more Heartless, then rushed over to seal the door "Riku, I'm fine, just get the door closed-"

"Dad! No! You can't!" Kairi cried, but Riku then pushed her away "Kairi! seal the doo-"

"Not when my DAD is in there-"

"Kairi, close it please!" A woman cried from inside. She was unseen among the Heartless, but the sparks of combat signaled she was fighting for her life. She then added "Riku! I give you mastery of the Land of Departure!"

Riku looked confused, but then nodded in agreement with her earlier statement "The Heartless will destroy everything! Only a Keyblade of Light can seal the door from this side."

"Why don't you do it then?!" Kairi yelled, tears breaking down her face.

Mickey gently held her hand through the door, saying "Kairi, there will always be a door to the light." He squeezed it reassuringly "I'm not going to be lost forever."

Kairi squeezed it back, then let it go and backed up. The doors shut, and Kairi raised her Keyblade to the sky as light gathered around it. A beacon shot into the darkness above, and the door to Kingdom Hearts vanished. Riku caught Kairi as she buckled with grief, then asked "Hey, where's Sora-"

"Over there- what is that?" The reminants of the light from Kingdom Hearts was washing over the landscape, engulfing the remains of destroyed worlds in a healing wave. Kairi tried to at least grab Sora's hand so they wouldn't get separated, but Riku held her back as the light consumed them all.

They felt themselves being pulled away to a new world.

WE ARE DONE WITH PART ONE! (Magic sparkles go everywhere.)

stay tuned for part two guys!

EDIT: part two is up and under the title of "Broken Heroes"