Prism Hearts
Chapter 12
Angelus Errare: Where Angels Lose Their Way
by Amazoness Duo
amazonessduo@hotmail.com



She was out there. Somewhere. Being chased by the Heartless and
whoever else wanted what lay inside of her heart. Lost out in a world
slowly being consumed by darkness. Torn between reality and nightmare
and whatever was in between. And the one man he had counted on to
protect her was now incredibly far away, unable to keep the darkness
at bay for her. Wherever she was, he knew she was in danger. He could
feel it resonating throughout his soul, a cosmic cord that had been
struck, hitting him like nails on a chalkboard. He could tell himself
that it was only his own worry, but he didn't believe that. There was
a connection between them, something that being worlds away wasn't
going to sever. After all, she was the only reason he lingered in
this world of the living.

The concern he felt was reaching a crescendo, crashing around him
like an angry sea. It was maddening. He was powerless to save her,
trapped behind the door at the center of all the universes, Kingdom
Hearts. Riku pounded on the inside of the door, frustration eating
him alive. He'd heard Kairi on the other side of those large doors
not so long ago. So close yet so far. If only he'd been able to get
through them to her... He hated leaving her alone. Sora was supposed
to be with her. But where was the other boy?

Leaning against the door, Riku crossed his arms and sighed. He was
trapped here. He couldn't go to Kairi's rescue. Not this time. He
wanted to believe that Sora would reach her in time, but Sora felt so
very far away. Well, Riku wasn't exactly trapped. There was one other
place he could go. "But I can't do that. Not yet. Not until I see her
again." When he had lost his body to Ansem, he had technically died.
With no body, he was only a soul. He could leave this plane, could
escape to the afterlife. Farplane. Lifestream. Whatever one wished to
call it. He could feel it calling to him, but he pushed it off with
force of will. He couldn't go yet. Even if that left him locked
behind a door at the center of all creation. "Kairi..." he whispered.

Again, that feeling of cold dread sent shards of ice through his
blood. She needed him and he couldn't go to her. "Sora... Hurry...
She needs you." But somehow, he had the horrible feeling that Sora
was lost himself at the moment. Neither of them could save her.
Neither of them could reach her. It was up to Kairi. Or Fate. "Hold
on, Kairi. Please hold on. You don't need to be meeting me in the
afterlife. Not yet."

Locked away at the heart of all that was, a silver haired boy closed
his eyes and prayed to whoever would listen to him to let the girl he
loved be all right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yuna!"

Yuna pulled away from the kiss she had been entagled in with Rikku,
the world slamming back down around her. Her cheeks flushed a dark
red as her flustered heart spun dizzily. She tried to step away from
the catgirl, but Rikku was only pulled closer. She could feel tiny
pinpricks against her hips. It took her a moment to realize it was
the blonde girl's claws through her skirt. They were still snagged on
the fabric. Blushing more, Yuna quickly cast her gaze for the source
of the voice.

Rikku blinked confusedly, still staring up at the pretty brunette.
The voice had vaguely reached her ears, but she was too lost in a
world alone with Yuna to case. "Mew?" The curious cat sound she made
didn't register to her as anything strange. It was as close to a
question as she could muster at the moment. Holding onto Yuna, the
catgirl nuzzled her neck, purring happily as she reached up to kiss
the other girl again. She paused when she saw the horrified look on
Yuna's face. That look on the brunette's beautiful face broke the
spell Rikku had been under, sending her tumbling back to the earth
from the heavens she had been dwelling in. "Yunie, what's wrong?"

"Tidus!" Yuna pulled away from Rikku, running forward on the beach.
The previously comfortable wet sand against her feet now felt
difficult and unpredictable, impeding her effort to reach the blonde
boy.

Tidus was still smiling. He'd finally found Yuna on the other side
of the island and she seemed to be talking to Rikku about something.
They were hugging and whispering, he thought. Running to them, he'd
called out to Yuna. He wanted to ask her if she wanted to go with him
to the festival that night. She would be fun to go with and he did
like her. And Selphie was right, she was an excellent dancer. For
some reason, Yuna had blushed when he'd called her name. They must
have been talking about something private. When she finally caught
sight of him, he grinned and waved. "Yuna!" He ran across the beach,
his sandles mashing against the wet sand. He was nearly out of breath
but he didn't care. They were having the festival that night. He'd
get to go with Yuna and they'd all have fun. They could forget about
holes that led to nowhere and friends disappearing and...

"Tidus!!" Yuna screamed, reaching out for him. Strong arms wrapped
around her waist, yanking her back. The wind was knocked out of her
as she was dragged back. Someone's voice yelled to her, but it was
drowned out by the roar of the water. Water poared around her like a
spring storm, but it all came from the sea around them, soaking her
in salt water. She struggled to get free, but Rikku's claws held
tight in her dress, pulling her further back even under the
relentless shower. She cried out unintelligibly straining.

Something immense broke throught the water's surface, sending water
spraying everywhere as waves crashed against the beach. The creature,
some cross between a whale, coral, and a nightmare, raised up above
the beach, casting the already cloudy day into shadow. Water and sand
were actually getting sucked upwards, high into the air in some sort
of vortex above the creature. It watched them, even though it had no
eyes. But in particular, it seemed to be watching Yuna.

For a moment, Yuna was disoriented. A huge wave had crashed around
her and Rikku, sending them tumbling. She couldn't tell if she was
still on the beach or in the ocean. She spat out seawater, hunched
over. The wind tore at her drenched clothes, making her shiver and
the wet cloth slapped against her. She scanned frantically for any
sign of Rikku or Tidus. She finally caught sight of the blonde boy.
He was floating in the water in front of the monster. "Tidus!!" she
cried out, slowly getting to her feet. The boy stirred, starting to
move in the water. She had to get him away from it. "Rikku?" She
couldn't tell where the catgirl was. Deep in her heart, she knew this
creature. It sang to her, a horrible, brutal lullaby. It dizzied her
senses, leaving her barely able to concentrate. She struggled to
reach Tidus in time, stumbling through the knee deep water. Tripping
on a rock in the water, her heart lurched as well as her body as she
crashed painfully into the waves. She was running out of time. It
wouldn't pause forever. She had to drag him away from it. She had to
find Rikku and run. They all needed to get away. Far, far away.

Gazing through the water that burned her eyes, Yuna could barely
make out the vague blur that she hoped was Tidus. "Tidus!" She tried
to get out around a mouthful of water. She pushed herself forward the
last few steps. The boy began to get up on his own. Good. Now she
wouldn't have to drag him. They could run. Before she could search
for Rikku, she could tell that something was wrong. No, he wasn't
getting up on his own. The water was moving him. Pulling him up. Up
into the air. "No!" Yuna ran forward, slowed by the surging waves.
"Tidus!" She screamed. She reached for his limp hand, her fingers
brushing against him. Her heart nearly collapsed when she realized it
was too late. His wet fingers slipped past hers as the water and sand
and leaves were sucked up into the air. And she was about to follow.
Her feet were no longer touching the ground. The water around her was
starting to get pulled after her. She was going to be devoured.
This... Thing was going to devour Tidus and then her. It was like a
monster from fairy tales her father had told her. But this one was
hideously real.

Yuna stopped in midair. A wet paw clung tightly to her skirt,
yanking her away from the funnel of water and debris getting sucked
into the vortex up above. The hand nearly lost it's grip again and
again, but it kept grasping at her, finally pulling her away. The
water around them was still trying to lift into the sky, but not as
strongly as the tornado of objects being pulled into the air where
Yuna had just been. Rikku held onto Yuna's hand tightly, the claws
cutting into her skin as the wind whipped at them, trying to drag
them after Tidus. 'I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to
you. I won't let it hurt you,' Rikku's mind raced. She didn't know
what this was, but she knew she couldn't let it have Yuna. She'd
promised to protect the girl. She'd do anything to protect her.

The two girls reached the beach, soaked and out of breath, aching
and afraid. Behind them, the steady roar began to die down. Splashes
could be heard as objects that hadn't reached the vortex plummeted to
the sea below. Yuna turned slowly, dreading what she would see. Where
the creature had stood was now only chaos. Debris floating
haphazardly in the ocean. And Tidus was gone. Gone. "No..." she
whispered, as if denying that it had happened would bring him back,
would deny the very event itself. "No!" She stumbled forward, wanting
to search for him, but she knew it was pointless. She collapsed to
her knees in the wet sand. That creature... It was her nightmare. The
thing that haunted her dreams. She knew it. Her personal boogeyman.
It had many forms, but it was always the same. And now it was real.
It had come out of her nightmares and it had found her. And it had
taken away one of those closest to her. And she knew it would be back
for more. She burst into tears. They had always told her that her
father had merely drowned at sea, but she could never believe that.
She'd had a dream about that creature taking her father away the
night before he'd died. She'd seen it. She'd been unable to stop it.
Now it had taken Tidus away. "Tidus... I'm so sorry..." She had
failed once more to protect those she cared about. Her father hadn't
listened, had told her it was only a nightmare and had sailed off to
his death. Tidus had been so close. So very close. She'd nearly had
his hand. "I'm so sorry..." she repeated between sobs.

Wet, furry arms wrapped around Yuna, pulling her close. The crying
girl curled up weakly in Rikku's arms, shaking. "Yunie..."
Swallowing, Rikku buried her face against the brunette's soggy hair.
What was that thing? In all of her travels, she'd never met anything
so terrifying. It had seemed so focussed on Yuna. How could she
protect Yuna from that demon? She had to try. Somehow. She'd
promised. She wouldn't let it take her. No matter what.

"Sin..." Yuna whispered, resting limply in Rikku's arms. She
shuddered violently, breaking into a fresh batch of sobs.

"What? Yunie, what's sin?" Rikku asked worriedly, pulling Yuna closer.

"That... that was Sin..." Yuna whispered. "Sin's come to punish
us..." She knew it. Knew it like she knew how to breathe and how to
laugh. It was ingrained in her. That was Sin. It was a nightmare. And
it had come for the Destiny Islands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hikari nibbled on her lower lip, waiting anxiously for the bell to
ring. She shuffled the beautiful, multicolored papers on her lap,
watching the clock in the classroom tick inexorably towards
dismissal. Her heart pounded excitedly in her chest as she waited.

Taking a pencil, she began to scribble on the top sheet. She smiled
as a familiar figure began to take shape on the page before her. It
happened without thinking, as if he wanted to see her. It was silly,
she knew, but she couldn't help it. Riku slowly came into being on
the paper in front of her in the form of a hastily drawn picture.
Sighing inwardly, she smiled. He was so cute. But he was probably so
lonely there by himself. By now completely phasing out whatever the
teacher was saying, Hikari drew in Sora next to the other boy. And,
after a moment's thought, herself between the two boys. There. That
was better. By now, drawing the boys was second nature. She'd drawn
hundreds of pictures of them and their island. They were her best
friends. Even if they weren't real.

The bell finally rang, cutting into Hikari's distant thoughts. The
girl quickly got up, nearly dropping her lapful of colored papers. A
boy behind her laughed as she struggled to keep a grasp on the
handful of them. Finally pulling them into a hug, she hurried to pass
them out. They were invitations to her thirteenth birthday party. Her
mother had made each of them by hand the night before. Her mother's
art still amazed her. The older woman could draw such beautiful
things. It was she who had spent hours upon hours teaching Hikari to
draw. And now the younger girl spent as much time as she could
drawing her dreams, that far off world she loved so very much. It
seemed to come to life in the drawings.

Written in her mother's careful hand on each and every paper was:
'Please come, one and all, to the beautiful Princess Hikari's 13th
birthday this Friday. Whether by carriage or chocobo or airship, all
are welcome for this wondrous celebration. Dinner will be served so
all visiting dignitaries' parents shouldn't worry about them coming
home hungry. Please call Princess Hikari's chief adviser (her mother)
if you have any questions.'

As Hikari passed out the last of the invitations, she felt
excitement mixed with pride and anticipation. The invitations were
beautiful. Her mother had spent so much time on them, surprising
Hikari early in the morning with the bundle. She had said she wanted
Hikari to have a birthday fit for a princess. That was so sweet.
Hikari had been delighted with the beautiful pictures that adorned
the invitations. Her mother had drawn them. It was like an invitation
to Wonderland, wondrous and amazing. No one else had invitations like
that, usually little more than explanations on paper of what party
and where. No one else had a mother like she had, pretty and fun and
loving. Her mind raced with thoughts of her birthday, of games and
the pretty dress her mother had bought her for it and....

"Princess Hikari?" One of the girls asked, grinning. "Since when was
Hikari a princess?"

Hikari's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It's... Mom meant..."

"So we're supposed to get off of school friday and go to 'her
highness's' little play date?" A boy asked.

"What types of games will they be playing? Spin the bottle?"

Another boy laughed. "With who? The other four-year-olds Hikari
invites? You'll be lucky if they play pin the tail on the donkey. The
'Princess' likes to keep things simple."

Hikari's eyes burned brightly with tears as she listened to them
laugh and joke. Each time she heard someone call her 'princess', it
felt like a slap to the face. Not like when her mother said it. When
she said it, Hikari felt like a real princess. But now....  She
sniffled painfully, hoisting up her backpack as she left the room.

"Hey, Princess, I don't think I can make it. I'm gonna be visiting
the man on the moon that day. Very busy," a girl said mock seriously.
Her friends burst into laughter.

Hikari couldn't speak. She could barely keep from crying. She'd
thought the invitations were wonderful. She loved the idea of a
magically princess themed birthday party. But now she felt stupid for
wanting such a thing. Stupid and childish.

Another boy crumpled up the invitation, drawn brilliantly on a sky
blue paper. He dropped it in a trash can as he passed, not bothering
with a glance back. It was simply so much trash to him. Nothing more,
nothing less. Her mother's work, the pretty invitation she had spent
all night on, now left unceremoniously with the rest of the garbage.
Hikari felt sick. She shook lightly, her vision blurred. She didn't
even know where she was going. She wanted to collapse and cry. But
then they'd be right. She would just be a dumb little girl. Tears
fell silently down her cheeks as she cursed herself inwardly. She was
just a dumb little girl. A little girl who wanted her mother, who
wanted to be a princess. Who wanted everyone to like her. Her breath
caught in her throat, wet and stinging. She pushed open the bathroom
door and stumbled on leaden feet into a stall. Collapsing, she cried
through most of the next period.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kairi stirred weakly in her bonds. Where was she? Oh, how she was
beginning to loathe that question. Kuja... Blinking awake, Kairi
glanced around the gothic looking room. The nightmare she had just
had only made her present state that much more miserable. Her soul
was still clouded with pain half-remembered, worried about an
uncertain Fate that hung before her.

"So the sleeper awakens." Kuja's soft voice seemed to come from
everywhere at once. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was
smirking now. "Or perhaps that's not entirely true. You haven't woken
up just yet. Not from this dream. But that suits my needs just fine.
I'll shape this dream however I see fit with the power you'll grant
me, Kairi." Finally stepping into view, the lithe catboy was indeed
smirking. He traced Kairi's cheek with his fingertips. "It will hurt.
But then it will all be over. And I'll create a new world from your
ashes."

Kairi struggled as she felt his hand trailing down her neck, moving
over her collarbone. But she was helpless. "I won't give up. I won't
let you change this world. I'm going to save it." She had to believe
in those words. She had to. For Sora. For Riku. For all of her
friends who were counting on her to stop the Heartless.

"You really don't have a choice anymore, Kairi. You may be the
dreamer, but with the Prism Heart, I'll recast it into my dream. I'll
never die. All the things that haunt me will disperse into
nothingness. It will be beautiful." Kuja sighed deliciously. "It's
only too bad you won't be there to see it." His hand now rested
directly over Kairi's heart. He could practically taste the fear and
uncertainty that washed over her. He gazed into her eyes, ready to
watch the light fade from them as she died. With a swift motion of
his hand, he shoved his fingers into her chest.

Pain screamed through Kairi's head, bright and searing pain that
instantly killed any thoughts that were swarming through her head.
The scream felt endless and tore through her mind and soul. Yet her
lips only trembled, unable to make anything but the tiniest sounds.
She could feel his hand pushing deeper inside of her, clutching at
her heart, could feel him grabbing it tenderly, ready to draw it out
of her. She'd come so far. She had promised she'd save Riku. But now
she would die in a far off world as someone used her heart to
recreate this reality. And all she could do was wish for the pain to
end.

'Thinking of you, wherever you are.

We pray for our sorrows to end,
And hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.'

No. She had promised. This wouldn't end here. Her fingernails dug
into her palms as she tried to concentrate. She wouldn't die here.
She couldn't die here. Her journey wasn't over. She needed to save
Riku. Had to find Sora. 'I won't give up. I'm with you. Wherever you
are.' Whether the thought was her own or soemone else's, she couldn't
quite be sure. The pain grew, numbing her senses in an overload as
she felt her heart slipping further and further away from her.
'Mom...' Her mother was a beautiful woman, her best friend. 'Dad...'
Her father had been an ingenious monarch who had fallen victim to his
own curiosity. Both were from different worlds. But both felt so
real. 'I can't give up one and not the other. I can't choose. I
can't...' Everything around her began to fade as she felt her heart
giving up it's hold. 'I'm sorry...' she thought dimly as everything
plunged into blackness around her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kuja!" Garnet stood at the last of the steps, watching in horror as
pulled a shimmering, crystalline heart from Kairi. The chestnut
haired girl slumped in her bonds, her eyes dull and glassy. Simply a
body. They were too late.

"Kairi!!" Relm ran past the silver haired catboy to the chained up
Keyblade Mistress's side. If she'd been with her instead of playing
her stupid games with Yuffie... Celes had sacrificed herself so they
could escape. But now... Without Kairi, how could they hope to stop
the Heartless? "Kairi... Kairi, please wake up..." Relm held onto
Kairi's shoulders, but the other girl couldn't hear her.

"I'm afraid you're too late. I already have what I was looking for.
Go ahead and take her body if you want. I have no further use for
it." He shrugged, grinning wildly as he held his prize. The Prism
Heart. "This world will soon be born anew. Do as you like until
then." Not even Sephiroth or Princess Hikari could stop him now. He
was the master of reality itself. Now his perceptions, his dreams
would all resonate throughout all the existed.

"How could you do this?" Garnet asked, disbelief making her dizzy.
How could this have happened? How could anyone do that? She stepped
forward in a haze, barely feeling Eiko clinging to her side.

"He's doing this at my behest," a voice said from further up the
steps. Queen Brahne walked down the steps, followed closely by Harle.
"The kingdom is in danger. I'll do whatever it takes to protect it.
And if a few peasant girls' lives are needed to stop the Heartless,
I'll gladly sacrifice them."

Garnet turned, the world tipping on its side. Her mother had known
what Kuja was doing? She had let him do these horrible things? They
would have done this to Eiko. "No! You can't sacrifice others! You
can't use them like toys!"

"I'm the Queen of Alexandria. I will do whatever I see fit. And you
will not speak back to me again, Princess." Brahne's eyes grew cold
and distant, not at all the mother Garnet had once known.

Laughter broke out through the torture chamber, drawing everyone's
attention. "I'm afraid you have it all wrong, Queen Brahne. I don't
care what happens with the Heartless. I think you're confused about
just who was using who. You gave me the resources I needed to find
the girl with the Prism Heart. Your pathetic Alexandria won't even
exist in the world I create."

"Kuja... I'll have you executed," Brahne growled. She wasn't about
to let him betray her. She'd have Harle finish the rest of it. Her
harlequin knew enough about magic and relics to use the Prism Heart
to make Alexandria the most powerful nation in existence.

More laughter erupted from the silver haired man. "You don't know
who you're speaking to, Brahne. I'm a god now. I will never die.
Certainly not at your capricious whims. My life... No, all lives are
mine to do with as a please." He held out the shining crystal heart
in his hand. "Starting with yours." Before Brahne could even move,
the world shifted around them. The Queen stood where she was, frozen.
She was made completely of polished marble. "A statue fitting of a
queen. They can put you in the center of your palace and worship you
until the palace falls in on itself. But I don't feel like waiting
that long." With another wave on his hand, the statue shattered, the
head rolling amidst the scattered pieces.

"Mother!" Garnet fell beside what had been her mother, her heart
seized in her chest. She was gone. Even if she had been killing
innocent girls, she was still her mother. And now she was gone. In an
instant. Tears dripped to the broken marble beneath her. "Mother..."

"Garnet..." Eiko held onto the taller girl from behind, keeping a
wary eye on Kuja. They needed to get out of there quickly. There was
no telling what he'd do next. "Garnet, we have to go. Please." But
Garnet wasn't listening. And Eiko couldn't leave without her. Though
she was starting to worry none of them would be leaving.

"You bastard! Give Kairi her heart back!" Relm ran up to Kuja,
slamming her small fists into his chest. "Bring her back!!!" Tears
burnt at her eyes. So many useless sacrifices. They couldn't be in
vain. They just couldn't.

Bringing his hand up, Kuja slapped the bandanna wearing girl
viciously. Staggering back, Relm was disoriented. Kuja grabbed her
neck, lifting her until her toes were scrabbling at the floor.
"Useless little artist. I would have let you stay around to give me
something to look at, but you hardly seem worth the effort. Don't
worry. I'll let you join Kairi. If you don't want to be part of my
world, I'll let you be part of hers. The world of the dead."
Squeezing tightly, he felt her throat constricting under his hand.
How long until the light faded from her eyes as well?

Relm struggled to keep her feet on the floor, but they were feeling
further and further away. Her lungs burned and her vision began to
get spotty. She wanted to scream, but nothing could come out without
the air she desperately needed. Her hands fell limply to her sides.
She could almost hear Celes at the edge of her mind. But what was she
saying? She'd know soon enough. At least... At least she'd be joining
Celes and Interceptor. That was some comfort.

"Leave her alone, you asshole!" Kuja let out a gasp of pain. A
splume of red filled Relm's vision before she fell to the floor, air
rushing back to her aching lungs. Kuja clutched his slashed arm, the
Prism Heart floating next to him. Yuffie sat crouched in front of
Relm, her giant shuriken bloodied. 'Yuffie!' Relm thought, fighting
to clear her thoughts. 'She... she saved me...' She could only gaze
at Yuffie's back, her heart burning anew for the ninja girl in front
of her.

Kuja grinned, running his hand over the wound on his right arm. The
arm was instantly better. "You fool. You should have ran. Or did you
want to die with the artist? That can be arranged."

"I don't plan on dying for a good long time. And neither is she as
long as I have any say in it." Pulling up her shuriken in front of
her, Yuffie grinned herself. "I can't say the same for you." Her aura
lit up, blazing in a beautiful array of colors. The shuriken began to
spin in front of her as she focussed. If he could heal himself, she
had to end this with one hit before he had a chance to. This had to
be everything she had inside of herself. For Relm. She couldn't let
him hurt the younger girl. She couldn't live with herself if she did.
And she could live with herself doing quite a bit, so that was saying
something. "All Creation!!" She called out, energy lashing out
blindingly. It slammed into Kuja, illuminating the entire room.
Pushing herself, she tried to force out every ounce of energery she
had inside of herself into the attack.  Yuffie stumbled onto one
knee, the shuriken fell to the floor, clinging next to her. Her body
felt drained, nothing left to push forward with. Slumping forward
onto the cold stone floor, she passed out.

"Yuffie... Yuffie!" Relm crawled over to the ninja, checking to make
sure she was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt
Yuffie's weak heartbeat under her hand. She was alive. Yuffie had
saved her. She clutched onto the fallen ninja, burying her face into
Yuffie's hair. "Yuffie..."

"That... hurt..." Kuja stumbled forward. "I'm going to keep you
alive for that, you little bitch. And you'll pray for the day that
I'll kill you. That would have killed me. But the Prism Heart filters
all reality. Even your pathetic attacks. I told you. I can't die." He
walked towards them clenching his fist.

"No. You will ruin everyzing. I will not allow it. Zis is not ze way
things should be." Harle crossed her arms, watching Kuja turn to face
her. "Zat girl is ze dreamer. You are not. You will plunge everyzing
into chaos. You do not have ze will to be a god. She is integral to
zis world. I won't let you make it all fall apart. Not now." Dragon
wings unfurled behind her, her face elongating. Her fingers became
deadly claws. A tail appeared behind her. Her harlequin costume tore
apart as she grew, shifting into something not in the least human.
Her voice changed into a deep roar as the dragon stood before Kuja.
"I am Bahamut, the Dragon God. I won't let your madness spread
throughout reality like a virus." The dragon's mouth opened, light
spraying forth as he showered Kuja with Megaflare. And then nothing.
The world spun around the Dragon God. Harle watched as Kuja stepped
out of the dissipating explosion. She stepped back, realizing she was
naked and no longer a dragon. This was much more trouble than she had
expected.

"So you're Bahamut. I thought there was something strange about you.
But the legendary Dragon God isn't very frightening when you're
sealed away inside that body. I think I'll keep you around just to
show you what power I have. You can be there by my side as I unleash
my 'madness' upon reality. And what better servant than Bahamut?"
Kuja laughed. This was turning out perfectly. Everything was his to
command. Nothing could stand against him. All would be as he wished
it to be.

"I told you not to harm Kairi."

Kuja spun around at the sound of Sephiroth's voice. Could this day
be any better? He had thought he'd have to go to Sephiroth and tear
apart Princess Hikari's upside down palace right in front of his
eyes. But now his former boss had come to him. This would be
immensely satisfying. No one controlled him anymore. Everything was
his. "I changed my mind. You gave me power, yes. The power of the
Heartless. But I want more than that. The power of a god. The power
to stop life and death. Letting you have her wouldn't have been any
fun."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyebrows, stepping forward. A young girl, a
mirror image of Kairi wearing a gorgeous midnight black dress,
stepped from behind him.

"So you brought Princess Hikari with you? Thank you so much,
Sephiroth. You're making this so much easier. Now I can get you both
out of the way before creating my beautiful dream."

"Kairi still has further to travel. You're complicating things,
Kuja. You weren't supposed to harm her for a reason. You're fears and
insecurities are making you erratic. I knew I shouldn't have trusted
you." Princess Hikari stepped over to Kairi, lifting her chin and
gazing into lifeless eyes.

"It's a little too late for that, your highness. Maybe if you beg,
I'll let you exist in my world. As something suitably ironic. Like a
prostitute or a homeless girl. Yes, those both sound interesting. And
you, Sephiroth, I'm just going to kill you. I'm sick of taking orders
from you." Kuja watched the two of them, his thoughts spinning
delightfully. So many possibilities. He raised his hand. He frowned.
He hadn't really expected Sephiroth to show any fear, but it was
still disappointing. "Die!" The world shifted around Sephiroth,
becoming razor sharp to cut through the warrior. But nothing
happened. The SOLDIER unfurled his single, black wing, looking back
at Kuja. "What the hell?" It wasn't possible. "The Prism Heart
controls all reality. All of it! Even you, Sephiroth! Die!!!" Again,
nothing happened. Princess Hikari stepped in front of Kuja, looking
very displeased. Suddenly, Kuja began to feel the fear and
desperation that had driven him to this in the first place. He was
going to die. And he could do nothing to stop it. His plans were
falling apart in front of him.

"Kuja, that heart is mine. If Kairi is my shadow, then why would you
be able to stop me with her heart?" Princess Hikari asked, beckoning
Sephiroth over. "Prism Hearts isn't simply her. She's only a small
part of it. Yes, you could shape reality with it. If I allowed it.
And I most certainly will not." She held her hand out, Kairi's heart
floating to her. Walking over to Kairi, she gently placed it back
inside of the other girl. "Now go, Kairi. You need to unlock his
keyhole. Riku needs you," she whispered in Kairi's ear. "Hurry to
him." Turning, she motioned for Sephiroth. "We should go. I don't
want to leave Sora for long."

Kuja shook his head, watching Sephiroth advance. He could feel the
power he'd been given by the Heartless dissolving as he called for
it. It was over. He was going to die. All of his preparations to
prevent that had been for naught. He shook his head again as
Sephiroth pulled out the Masamune. "No... No!!!" Raising his hand, he
cast Ultima. "I'll kill you all!! You'll all die with me!" he
screamed. Magic shot out, tearing into the palace, destroying
everything in its path. But it was too late. The pain was sharp and
brilliant. Looking down, he could see the hilt of Sephiroth's blade.
The SOLDIER looked into his eyes, their brilliant mako green glow
looking like that of death itself. Pulling the blade out, Sephiroth
walked after the Princess, the palace collapsing all around them.

Only half awake, Kairi stumbled towards Kuja. She could see that he
was bleeding heavily. Her mind whirled. The Keyhole... Riku...
Darkness, deep and ancient where she'd been lost while her heart had
been stolen from her. She lifted the Keyblade in front of her with
what strength she could muster. The world felt like it was falling
out from beneath her feet. She had to stop it now. And this was the
only way. Lunging forward, the pressed the Keyblade into Kuja's
chest, into the Keyhole that existed in his heart. The roof began to
fall in around her, the palace getting ready to crush this basement.
The entire world was about to fall on top of them. Closing her eyes,
she unlocked his heart. Light spilled out of the dying man, filling
the room until there was nothing else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kairi found herself once again floating amidst light. It reminded
her far too much of the darkness she had been surrounding her when
she'd lost her heart. 'Maybe light and dark aren't so different after
all.' She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. All that
existed was light. Her body was an anomaly in this world of light.
She felt that if she stayed her for too long her physical form would
fade away. She floated in this tranquil sea, searching.

"You have unlocked the light in the heart of Desperation."  The
voice that existed everywhere in the light echoed through her.

"I was supposed to save my world. I was created as a puppet to save
a long dead planet by letting it repopulate another. But I wasn't
what they wanted. So they created another to replace me. I was a
tool, something to be used until it was no longer necessary and then
thrown away. I was created to die. And there was nothing I could do
to stop it. I was... afraid. I didn't want to die. So I tried to stop
it. To do anything to live. And if I couldn't live, then I didn't
want anyone to live. It wasn't fair. Life and death... Why? My
desperation filled me until I saw nothing else. But now... I am
dying. It... It will be all right? Won't it?"

Kairi smiled softly, nodding in the glow of the light. "It will be
all right. Death is only the beginning. I... I learned that a long
time ago. You won't ever have to fear again."

'I'm making Riku wait for me. He's... He's dead, too. I have to
hurry to him. He's staying in this world for me. I couldn't stay in
that other world. I couldn't live there. So I....'  She shook her
head. No. She couldn't accept the other world where she'd killed
herself. Not yet. "If you see someone named Riku there, please give
him my love." As the light faded, Kairi lost herself in the layer
between worlds.