Revenge of the Hearts

Chapter XXXVI

"If nobody cares to accept you and wants you in this world, accept yourself and you will see that you don't need them and their selfish ideas." ~Alibaba (Magi)
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We continued up the castle to find King Mickey standing beside another man. I recognized him as DiZ from the robes he wore, but seeing his face I realized he was Ansem the Wise from the pictures we saw in the computer at Hollow Bastion. They stood beside a machine with a laser pointer, aimed at Kingdom Hearts as a green beam came out from the laser. The machine was shaking, green sparks being emitted from the machine, as if it was on the verge of blowing up. "Your Majesty!" Sora cried.

"Sora, Sakura, the rest is up to you two..." Ansem the Wise sighed. "And Roxas-I doubt you can hear me-but...I am sorry."

"Ansem!" The King begged.

"My heart is telling me what I must do. Please allow me to do what it says!" Ansem the Wise begged.

"No!" The King tried to run up and stop Ansem the Wise, but Riku restrained him with his free hand. "Riku!" He pleaded.

"His heart's decided," Riku told the King. "We can't change that."

A Corridor of Darkness appeared and Xemnas stepped out of it. "I was wondering who would dare interfere with my Kingdom Hearts," he muttered, turning to face all of us. "And look-here you all are. How convenient for me. Ansem the Wise...you look pathetic."

"Have your laugh," Ansem the Wise replied bitterly. "I deserve as much for failing to see you for the fool you are."

"Students do take after their teachers," Xemnas retorted. "Only a fool would be your apprentice. After all, none of this would of happened without you. YOU are the source of all Heartless. It was your research that inspired me to go further than you ever dared."

"I admit...my disregard brought chaos to more worlds than one," Ansem the Wise stated. "But what we're YOU seeking? You erased me from the world, only to take my name and continue research better left forgotten...is this the answer you've been looking for?"

"All that and more," Xemnas nodded. "I'm carrying on what you yourself began, and I'm creating a brand new world, one heart at a time. I thought you'd praise me, but all you ever did was hold me back. I understand, though. Unlike me, you have a heart. And you're powerless to control it. Consumed, by the jealousy you feel toward the student who surpassed you."

"Xehanort," Ansem the Wise said. "Foolish apprentice of a foolish man. You have surpassed nothing-only proved how little we both know. We may profess to know the heart, but it's essence is beyond our reach. We're both ignorant-as oblivious as when we began. I'm afraid that any world you try to create...any world of yours...would be an empire of ignorance. That is why you and your creation are destined to fall! We've said enough!"

Ansem the Wise glanced at Riku. "Riku, you know what to do." Ansem the Wise lowered his head in shame at the King. "King Mickey, my friend, forgive me!" The machine even more violently, green sparks flying. "Farewell!" He cried.

The machine blew up and light engulfed us. The King and Sora attempted to run and try to save Ansem the Wise, but Riku shielded all of us with his body and Kairi retrained the King. As the machine blew up, it created a vacuum vortex of swirling light. Riku turned around and the light pushed us back, causing us to fall over.

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I awoke on the cold ground. Looking around, I could see we were still in the same spot. As I came to, I slowly got up and saw Riku. Only, he wasn't Ansem anymore. He was the real Riku. The long silver-haired, blindfold-wearing Riku. "Riku!" Sora yelled, running over to him and kneeling down. Riku groaned as he got up slowly. "Riku!" Sora sighed.

Riku slowly stood up as he turned his head to face us. Donald and Goofy had a look of awe on their faces and Kairi cried, "Riku!"

"How did you revert back?" I asked.

"Ansem did say 'anything could happen'..." King Mickey muttered.

We all turned where Ansem the Wise and that machine of his once stood. Neither were anywhere in sight and Xemnas was gone as well. "Riku, you going take that off?" Sora asked.

Riku get a confused look before it clicked. "Oh..." Riku nodded idly as he untied his blindfold and let it drop to the ground. He blinked and squinted through his long silver bangs. I could see his beautiful aquamarine eyes blinking at the sudden light.

"What was that?" Sora said.

"His eyes couldn't lie," King Mickey explained.

"Lie?" Sora questioned. "And just who were you trying to fool? Huh? Huhhh?"

"Myself," Riku replied.

"Riku...c'mon man!" Sora cried. "Why did you try to do so much on your own? You got friends...like us!"

Goofy smiled as he rubbed his nose and Donald gave an approving nod as he crossed his arms. King Mickey, Kairi, Sora and I smiled and gave Riku a nod.

"Have you forgotten?" Riku asked as he came up to Sora. "I'll tell you why. 'Cause I'm not a total sap like you."

"Say that again!" Sora snapped.

We looked up to see thousands of heart float up to the damaged kingdom Hearts. The moon had a black heart and a pink heart inside of that one while light siwlred around the entire thing. "Uhhh-oh!" Donald gulped.

We bent over the ledge the Heartless began to swarm, entering the castle. "What should we do, Riku?" Sora asked.

"We must defeat Xemnas," he replied. "He's the Organization's last survivor."

"Right!" Sora nodded.

Riku tore off his coat and revealing his clothes underneath and threw the coat someplace else. "C'mon!" He yelled as we went on ahead down the stairs.