CHAPTER 11

END OF THE WORLD

another key

THERE WAS THE CORE OF THE WORLD. THE PLACE where darkness gathered, the deep darkness that sought to consume everything.

“…So Ansem must be there somewhere.” Sora stared out at the darkness floating in the distance.

“The king’s probably there, too,” said Donald, gripping the control stick tighter.

“And Riku,” Goofy added.

The journey they’d set out on in search of people had become a journey to save them—and to save the worlds. And of course they hadn’t given up on finding the ones they searched for, but now the trio were of one mind—one heart.

“Don’t forget about me now!” said Jiminy Cricket, perched on Donald’s hat.

“’Course not!” Sora replied. “We’ve come all this way together!”

“But from here on out, it’s only gonna get more dangerous,” said Donald, trying to look up at Jiminy. “So you better stay hidden!”

“Right. I won’t come out, unless you need me.” Jiminy slid back into Donald’s pocket.

“Let’s go, Donald!” said Sora, and Donald pulled on the control stick. The Gummi Ship plunged into the darkness.

They emerged from a small cave into a mysterious boundless space. The lavender sky seemed to go on forever, an eerie color hinting at twilight, as if the sun had just set.

“Can we walk here…?” Donald tiptoed out, and the surface beneath him rippled like water, but it wasn’t. It was like they had to walk atop nothingness.

“There’s something off in the distance,” said Sora, staring at the far-off shape. Something out there floated like a cloud, and stone pillars stood in a line.

“Gawrsh, is this all that’s left of the worlds the Heartless destroyed?” Goofy squinted a little at where Sora looked.

“Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right?” said Sora.

“You betcha!” Donald replied, unquestioning.

We have to believe if we’re going to beat Ansem, Sora thought. But…

“If we do beat him and the restored worlds are all disconnected, what’s gonna happen to this place? And to us?”

“Well, uh…” Donald folded his arms, thinking.

This was the world of the Heartless, made of the fragments of shattered worlds. So what would happen if this world itself disappeared?

“…Maybe we’ll just disappear,” Goofy said reluctantly.

Sora looked at him uneasily.

“But no worries,” Goofy went on, trying to bolster his spirits. “Even if this place goes poof, our hearts ain’t goin’ nowhere. I’m sure we’ll find our pals again. Yup, I just know that we will!”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Sora nodded and opened his hand. There on his palm was Kairi’s thalassa shell charm.

I know it. Because we believe.

Peter Pan showed me that if I believe, I can fly.

Aladdin showed me that I’ve got to keep my promises, no matter how hard it is.

And Tarzan showed me that I’m with friends I can really believe in.

Everyone’s taught me so much. Our hearts are connected.

So I’m going to give it back, no matter what. I’ll come back, no matter what, Kairi.

Sora put the charm in his pocket and started to walk. Donald and Goofy followed him.

“I guess we should just head for that cloud, huh?”

“Sounds about right…”

Then the Heartless appeared.

“This’ll be the last of ’em! C’mon!” Goofy raised his shield.

Sora nodded and flung himself at the Heartless.

In that lavender space that looked like it would never end, finally they came to the stone pillars they’d seen before.

“Is this where we’re supposed to go…?” Donald worried. Then an uncanny dark sphere appeared in front of them, glowing with black energy.

“That’s…,” Sora began.

Goofy looked back at him. “Sora, have you seen one of these before?”

“Yeah—look out!”

“Waawawaaaak!”

In front of Donald there was a Heartless like a huge bull.

“Didn’t we beat this fella back in Hollow Bastion?!” cried Goofy.

It was the same as the Heartless that had appeared when they went to close the Keyhole in Hollow Bastion—the Behemoth.

“So, we can do it again! C’mon!” Sora rushed in and leaped up to strike it under the chin with the Keyblade.

“Wah-hoooey!” Goofy jumped at it.

“Fira!” Magic shot from Donald’s wand. They were definitely hurting it.

“Here goes!” Sora ran up behind it and climbed up onto its back and dealt a heavy blow on top of its head. It let out a terrible roar.

“Piece of cake!” Donald puffed out his chest. The Behemoth turned to light that floated up into the sky. A crack appeared in the enormous stone in front of them.

“Gawrsh… Where could Ansem be?” Goofy wondered.

“Maybe if we jump into this crack we’ll find him.” Donald looked down into it. He could see a hole at the bottom where light poured out.

“Let’s go!” Sora went ahead and jumped into the fissure. It was a dark cave with strange rock formations here and there—and all sorts of colorful Gummi blocks were embedded in them.

“Looks like there’s something down at the bottom…” Goofy peered down from his foothold.

“Waaak! Heartless!” Trying to do the same, Donald was taken by surprise when Heartless appeared behind him and lost his footing.

“Donald!” Sora grabbed ahold of his shirt. A Heartless like a large ball attacked them. “Whoa!”

Still holding on, Sora fell, too.

“Donald! Sora!” Goofy lunged to catch him and plummeted down headfirst.

“Hey, Donald, you okay?”

Sora stood up, warily looking around. It looked like they’d fallen all the way to the bottom.

“I think so… Ow, ow, ow…” Donald got up, too, just in time for Goofy to fall onto him headfirst. “Quack!”

“Oh, hey, Donald… Sora! I sure am glad you guys are okay.”

“Get off me and then I’ll be okay!” Donald tried to push Goofy’s behind off him.

It seemed to be a rule that whenever the three of them fell from somewhere higher up, someone had to land on someone else.

“Where are we…?”

Nearby it was pitch-dark. A little ways off, they could see a blue light.

“…What’s that?” Sora went closer and touched it. The moment he did, they were flung somewhere else.

“Wawawaaak!” Donald squawked.

Sora had closed his eyes against a dazzling brightness, and when he opened them again, he saw the familiar streets of Traverse Town.

“How’d that happen?” said Goofy, looking around. And then more Heartless appeared. “Shucks, they just won’t let us be!”

He sent them flying with his shield.

“Look, there’s another blue light over there!” Sora ran to it and touched it.

“Now we’re in Alice’s world!” shouted Donald. At least, it looked just like the green courtyard where that trial had taken place.

“Another blue light!” Goofy went closer and touched it, and then they were in Tarzan’s Deep Jungle.

They touched the blue lights and traveled through one world after the next. Agrabah, then Neverland—each one a world where they had locked the Keyhole. All the worlds they had been to were scattered here as if to greet them.

“Gawrsh, what’s happening?” In Neverland, Goofy cocked his head.

“I think these are all pieces of the worlds that the Heartless invaded,” said Sora. He touched the blue light, and they were whisked off to the next world.

“We haven’t been to this place before…” Donald peered at the strange surroundings, now a corridor in a building somewhere.

“Look, there’s some kinda funny emblem over there.” Goofy ran closer to the red-and-black emblem at the end of the hall. “It looks like that thing where the Keyhole was in Hollow Bastion…”

Sora looked up at it from beside him. It was like a big heart shape, but there was something eerie about it.

“Here’s a door!” Donald exclaimed. They went to the door he spied in the middle of the hall and opened it.

In the middle of the room inside, there was a big hemisphere of glass or crystal. Pipes ran into it, infusing it with something.

“What…is that?” Sora stood in front of the machinery supporting the hemisphere. It had something that appeared to be an instrument panel.

Donald looked closely at Sora. “Are you gonna touch it…?”

“Maybe we better not… What if a buncha Heartless come flying out?” Goofy worried.

“C’mon, let’s see what it is!” Sora flipped what looked like a switch.

“Oh, those born of the darkness, devoid of hearts…”

“It’s talking!” Donald jumped. The voice that came from the machine chanted as if reciting a poem.

“Shh!” Sora held a finger to his lips, shushing Donald.

“Ravage all worlds and bring desolation. Seize all hearts and consummate the one great heart. All hearts to be one and one heart to encompass all. This is the realm of ‘Kingdom Hearts.’ The great darkness, sealed within the great heart. Progeny of darkness, return to the eternal dark. For the hearts of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one keyhole, one key to the door. The Door of Darkness bound by two keys. The Door to Darkness, which seals the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness. Oh, those born of the heart, those with no hearts, fallen children of the dark, devour every heart until the Door of Darkness opens!”

“What the heck is ‘Kingdom Hearts’?” Sora muttered.

“Well, he said it’s ‘all hearts.’” Goofy cocked his head.

“Progeny of darkness… That must mean the Heartless, right?” Donald looked up at Sora.

“But didn’t we close all the doors?” said Sora.

“There’s gotta be another door we have to close to seal away the darkness…,” Goofy replied. “The Heartless are still around, after all.”

“Aw, man, none of this makes any sense…,” Sora sighed. They went back out to the corridor.

Goofy looked back at the strange emblem. “Huh?”

“What, Goofy?”

He ran to the emblem and picked up a piece of paper. “Sora… It’s more of Ansem’s report!”

“I thought the part we found in Hollow Bastion was the end of it?” Sora peered at the page in Goofy’s hand.

“Jiminy!” Donald called, and the little cricket hopped out of his pocket.

“Hmm… Well, it certainly looks like this is the last page of Ansem’s report.” Jiminy took the page from Goofy and began to read.

“It’s just more stuff that doesn’t make any sense…” Goofy frowned.

“There’ve been an awful lot of things we don’t understand in Ansem’s report, but I’ve been able to figure it out here and there. This part, though…” Jiminy Cricket shook his head. “It’s really above my head, too.”

“The true paradise…”? “The world between…”?

“Nobody”…?

“There’s that ‘Kingdom Hearts’ stuff again,” said Sora.

“I wonder just what he’s trying to say.” Jiminy cocked his head and retreated back into the pocket.

“Whatever! It just means we gotta beat Ansem!” Donald said ferociously.

“Yeah…I guess you’re right.” Sora nodded and gripped the Keyblade. “Let’s go.”

“Right!”

The three jumped into the black glow at the corner of the hall.

They came out into another cave. Purple sandy stuff covered the floor, and there were strange markings on the walls like the ghosts of dead trees. Fragments of buildings and pieces of wood were strewn about, wreckage from an otherworldly storm.

The trio passed slowly through the cave.

“Gawrsh, this place gives me the willies…,” said Goofy, shivering.

“Yeah, but we’ve got to keep going,” Sora replied. Donald and Goofy both nodded.

The branch-like markings on the walls grew more twisted. It was impossible to tell what they were supposed to be.

“So this is the end of it…maybe?” Donald looked up at the exit. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

The moment they moved on to the next floor, the Heartless attacked.

“Wha-hooey!” A vicious blow knocked Goofy back.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?!” Donald waved his wand and hit the Heartless square in their (probably) faces.

“They’re over here, too!” yelled Sora. He defeated one after another, but more kept appearing.

“Hey, Sora! Look at that!” Goofy pointed to a heart-shaped emblem in the back of the cave.

“That…looks like the one we just saw in that room…doesn’t it?” said Donald as he fired off spells.

“Yeah, but not just that! See?” Goofy gave the Heartless in front of him a good whack with his shield, and then a crack appeared in the heart emblem.

“So it’s a door that’ll open if we beat the Heartless?!” said Sora.

“I think so!” Goofy replied and rushed another Heartless.

“Okay, let’s get rid of them!”

One by one, the trio took out the Heartless that came at them.

“…This has to be the last of ’em, right? Firaga!” Donald blasted away the last Heartless and the heart emblem crumbled to reveal a hole that led onward.

“We did it!”

They ran to the hole in the wall. Through there, it was calm and silent.

Fine sparkling sands flowed out of the walls, making little dunes. Unlike in the places they’d been through so far, a few plants grew here.

“Looks like there aren’t any Heartless in here…” Donald stepped forward, glancing around warily. In the quiet, the sand gritted beneath his feet.

“There’s a door.”

They walked closer to it.

“…Huh?” Sora’s head tilted.

Donald looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you hear something? There!” Sora cocked an ear toward the voice he heard.

“Careful… This is the last haven you’ll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But don’t be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember—you are the one who will open the door to the light…”

“I don’t hear anything,” said Donald.

“Strange… That voice was so familiar…,” Sora murmured. “Maybe it’s just my imagination.”

But he knew he heard it.

The voice he had heard on Destiny Island… That voice from his dreams.

“Maybe you need a break!”

“Let’s take it easy for a bit… I’m tired, too!” Goofy sat down on a pile of sand.

“Hmm… I guess so.” Sora sat beside him and flopped out on his back.

“Oh yeah… Aerith gave me some goodies.” Beside him, Donald took a little bundle from his pocket.

“Hey, when did she give you that?” Sora sat up and stared at the bundle, wrapped up in white paper and tied with ribbon.

“When we said good-bye in Hollow Bastion!” Donald unwrapped it. There were cookies inside.

“Oh, boy!” Goofy took one and tossed it into his mouth. “Mm, it’s yummy!”

“I want one!” Sora grabbed another and chomped.

“Nice and sweet!” said Donald with his mouth full.

“Those cookies at the tea party in Alice’s world were tasty, too,” said Goofy.

“They sure were!”

Donald and Goofy nodded.

“Oh, and the bananas in Deep Jungle—those were really good!”

“When did you find bananas?!”

They sat there cheerfully remembering things from their journey. There, before the final door…

Refreshed after their break, they opened the door, and what lay beyond was…a brilliant blue sky and sea and a white sandy beach.

“Is…is this my island?!” Sora ran out to the beach. It was definitely the same beach. He wasn’t seeing things.

Except…there were no cocoyum trees. And…the waterfall was dried up, too.

The bridge to the little islet was gone.

“How…” Sora jumped to the islet, where he’d always talked with Riku. Donald and Goofy followed him.

“Riku!”

The other boy was there, dressed in black.

“This world…has been connected.”

It was Ansem’s voice.

Riku slowly turned, and at the same time, the islet vanished. He and the trio were left floating in the air.

“Tied to the darkness… Soon to be completely eclipsed.” As he spoke, the other islands were disappearing.

“Wa-wa-whoooa!” Goofy jumped, startled to see the ground gone.

“There is much to learn.” With Ansem’s words, the sea turned to darkness. “You know so little. One who knows nothing can understand nothing.”

Cracks split the sandy shore. Rocks and trees melted into darkness and congealed again into something mineral and purple black. Sora was riveted, watching the twisted changes taking over his home.

“Take a look at this tiny place.” Riku, speaking with Ansem’s voice, spread his arms, his face turned upward to the sky. “To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison surrounded by water. And so this boy sought to escape from his prison. He sought a way to cross over to other worlds. And he opened his heart to darkness.”

Before Sora’s eyes, Riku transformed into Ansem.

“Riku!”

“Don’t bother. Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness. All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, it grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came.”

Ansem’s shadow stretched long over them.

“You see…darkness is the heart’s true essence.”

“That’s not true!” cried Sora. “The heart may be weak. And sometimes it may even give in. But I’ve learned…that deep down, there’s a light that never goes out!”

“Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away—the power to bring happiness.”

“So you have come this far, and still you understand nothing. Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness.”

With a sweep of Ansem’s hand, the island began to rumble and shake.

“Wa-waaak!” The ground split open beneath Donald’s feet, and he fell, as if the chasm sucked him in. The crack split further and Goofy tried to run from it, but he fell in, too.

“Donald! Goofy!” Sora reached down, desperately trying to help his friends, but before his eyes, the whole island broke in two and a dark cloud boiled up.

“Behold, the endless abyss! Within it lies the heart of all worlds—Kingdom Hearts!”

Darkness burst out of the crack and ate away at the earth, devouring the world, and then Sora.

“Look as hard as you are able. You’ll not find a single speck of light. From those dark depths are all hearts born—even yours! Darkness conquers all worlds!”

Ansem’s voice echoed through the dark. In front of Sora an enormous mass of darkness materialized—an even deeper darkness within the darkness.

“You’re that thing…!”

It was the huge shadow that Sora had fought back on Destiny Island.

With a terrible roar the shadow brought its fist down to crush him. But Sora raised the Keyblade and blocked it.

“I’m not giving in to the darkness…!”

In the swirling dark his Keyblade shone brightly, cutting through the great black shadow. The shadow screamed.

“I won’t—I won’t give in!”

Darkness clutched at his feet, swallowing him up.

And the shadow was consumed in the greater darkness, which then took some dire form, something like an enormous ship… Atop it, the upper half of a horrible dark monster writhed. Tubes sprouted from the monster’s belly and connected to Ansem’s back.

Floating there, Sora stared him down. And then he heard a shout.

“Soraaaaa!” Waving his wand wildly, Donald was sinking toward the monster as if through quicksand.

“Donald!” Sora swam down through the darkness, calling to him.

“Soooooraaaaa! Hey, Sora!” From another side came Goofy’s voice.

Both his friends were about to be swallowed up by the darkness. What could he possibly do?

Just as he was nearly taken over himself by the thick darkness of despair—someone spoke to him.

“Giving up already? Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that.”

It was Riku’s voice, ringing inside him.

“Giving up? No way, not me!”

Sora flew out of the black cloud.

Ansem’s laughter echoed in the abyss. In a ball of dark red haze atop the enormous ship-like thing, something shone.

“Heeeeeelp!” It was faint, but Sora definitely heard it—Goofy’s voice.

“Goofy?!” He plunged into the haze.

“Sora!”

“Goofy!” He was there in a cavernous hole, fighting Heartless alone. Sora flew in to knock them down. “Where’s Donald?!”

“I can’t find ’im…!”

“He must be around here somewhere!” Sora and Goofy flew out of the hole.

“Maybe he’s in another clump of this red mist?” said Goofy.

Sora ran up the creature’s back and jumped off from the front—where a huge, hideous face was waiting for him.

“Soooooraaaaa!”

There he could just barely hear Donald calling him from inside its mouth.

“C’mon, Goofy!”

“Right! Here we go!” Goofy rushed at it and Sora followed him.

The thing’s eyes narrowed and suddenly shot out lightning. Sora winced.

Goofy spun like a tornado, hitting the face with his shield. “Hold on, Sora!”

“I’m okay!” Sora flew up and struck its eyes with the Keyblade.

The creature opened its mouth and let out a terrible shriek. Sora and Goofy flew into its mouth.

“Sora!”

“Donald!”

Sora hugged him. “You’re okay?!”

“Aww, phooey, this is nothin’!”

“Gawrsh, you kinda sounded like you were about to cry,” Goofy remarked.

“Well, now we’re all together.” Sora looked at the other two.

“And that means nobody can beat us!” Goofy struck a brave pose.

“Right!” Donald nodded.

They flew out of the creature’s mouth.

“Ansem!” Sora called out.

Ansem slowly rose, taking up a weapon like a double-ended sword, with a long blade at either end. He roared.

“We won’t give in to darkness!”

Ansem seemed to be laughing at Sora’s declaration. He whirled the double sword.

“Wa-waaak!” Donald jumped to avoid it and let his magic fly. “Hey—what’s that?!”

Where the magic struck, deep black darkness gushed out and gathered into an enormous sphere above their heads.

“Aaah-hooey!” The sphere was about to drag Goofy into it. Sora caught his arm and held him back.

“Gawrsh, that scared me…” Goofy wiped cold sweat from his face.

“Donald, Goofy! It’s time for our formation!”

“Right!”

Sora barreled at Ansem. Behind him, the sphere shot out beams, but they were deflected by Goofy’s shield. And from behind the shield, Donald waved his wand.

With a ferocious yell, Sora struck at Ansem with the Keyblade. Ansem thrashed about and screamed in agony.

“Firaga! Thundaga! Blizzaga!” Donald waved his wand, pelting out magic with all his might. Where the spells hit, there were huge explosions.

“All right! One more time!” Sora flew at Ansem again and brought the Keyblade down on his head.

They couldn’t hear anything but Ansem’s scream. Ichor erupted from the enormous monster. And then—light shone from Ansem’s chest and engulfed the entire creature with a colossal explosion.

“Did we beat him?!” Sora landed and looked back at the monster. But it was gone—only Ansem stood there, leaning forward on his knees and groaning.

“Ansem…!”

Sora ran at him with the Keyblade ready.

“It is futile. The Keyblade alone cannot seal the Door to Darkness.”

“The Door to Darkness…?”

Ansem stretched his hand out behind him, where there was a white door. “Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness…”

The white door barely began to open. Darkness spilled forth from it.

Was this the Door to Darkness?

“You’re wrong!” cried Sora.

All hearts are born in darkness? I don’t believe that.

Hearts are born in light.

Even if there is darkness in our hearts, there’s light to drive it away.

With every person we meet, our hearts are connected, and the connections turn to light.

“I know now without a doubt—Kingdom Hearts is light!”

The darkness twining around them became beams of light that struck Ansem. “What—?!”

Amid the dazzling brightness, Ansem’s gaze was fixed on the door. The seeker of darkness was enveloped in a burst of light.

“Light… But…why…”

And then, with the light, Ansem faded away…

“We’ve gotta shut the door!”

At Donald’s cue, they ran to the white door. On the other side, darkness was pulsing there about to rush out.

Sora pushed at the door. “Ngh… It’s so heavy…”

The huge door didn’t move. Goofy peeked inside and jumped. “Whoa!”

“Stop staring and keep pushing!” Donald snapped, but then he looked inside, too. “The Heartless?!”

In the gloomy space inside, innumerable black shadows writhed.

“Qua-waaak! Hurry!” yelled Donald. But the door simply wouldn’t budge.

“Don’t give up!” The voice came from the dark inside, and another hand appeared on the door.

“Riku!” It was him—he was on the other side, trying to pull the door shut.

“C’mon, Sora! Together, we can do it!”

“Okay!” Sora pushed with every ounce of strength he had. Donald and Goofy were trying with all their might, too.

“There…just a little more!” Riku murmured, but behind him the shadows twisted. They gathered and grew and began to take form.

“It’s hopeless!” But the moment Donald shouted that, a light cut through the clustering shadows.

“Huh…?” Donald and Goofy peeked inside again, and silhouetted against the light was a very familiar figure.

“Your Majesty?!” Donald cried.

Their king, Mickey Mouse, was standing right there, holding a golden Keyblade aloft. “Now, Sora! Let’s close this door for good!”

“But…” With the door still open just a tiny crack, Sora hesitated.

If they closed it now—what would happen to the king? …And Riku?

“Don’t worry,” said Mickey, as if he could hear Sora’s thoughts. “There will always be a door to the light!”

“Sora, you can trust King Mickey!” Goofy told him. Sora nodded.

Riku glanced back for a moment. “Now! They’re coming!”

Mickey looked at his two retainers—and his very dear friends. “Donald, Goofy… Thank you.”

There was hardly any time left…

“Take care of her, Sora,” Riku said softly.

Whatever reply he might have made stuck in his throat, but Sora nodded firmly and sniffled a little bit.

And then with everything he had, Sora pushed.

Inch by inch, the door closed. He couldn’t see Riku anymore.

“Sora! The Keyblade!” Donald shouted.

Sora raised his Keyblade. On the other side of the door, in the darkness, King Mickey raised his Keyblade, too.

The two Keyblades locked the Door to Darkness.

They could hear that sound, the click of a lock—then the door glowed with brilliant light and vanished.

“Sora…”

He heard a small voice from behind him and turned. “Kairi!”

She was standing there alone. “Sora!”

He ran to her and clasped her hand in his. Just then, with a terrible rumble, the realm of darkness began to collapse beneath their feet.

“Kairi! Remember what you said before? I’m always with you, too! I’ll come back to you. I promise!”

“I know you will!”

The drifting ground pulled them apart. They held on to each other as long as they could—and they had to let go. They called each other’s names, one more time…

And then a rain of light poured down, obscuring everything in its glow. The rain was shards of light and darkness, too. Shooting stars streaked up into the sky, and with a warm, gentle rushing, the worlds returned to how they were meant to be.

Separate. The worlds flew apart, and Kairi stood alone on the shore of the blue sea.

It was Destiny Island. Kairi walked over their beautiful island. It hadn’t changed a bit from when Sora and Riku were here. The sunlight sparkled on the water and stung her eyes.

But Sora wasn’t here, and neither was Riku. As if to make sure all of the island was still there, she headed to the cave.

There was the doodle on the wall, where Kairi and Sora had drawn each other.

Light poured into the cave and illuminated the drawings.

And she saw Sora, adding something to the doodle. He was sketching his own hand, holding up a paopu fruit to the drawing of Kairi.

If two people share one, their destinies will become intertwined… There was a legend like that about the paopu fruit.

Kairi said his name, and he turned to look at her with a grin—then he flashed into light and vanished.

It was only a dream…or some kind of mirage. A tear slid down her cheek.

Kairi picked up a stone and added more to their doodle—her hand holding a paopu fruit up to Sora’s mouth.

Sunlight streamed down into the cave. She could just barely hear the soft whisper of the waves.

You’ll come back, Sora. I know you will.