(Harmony's) POV:
"Oh, great, another Heartless?" Okita asks with a sigh, referring to the Chimera Heartless.
"Wait...I think we can trust this one," Luke says, also recognizing this Heartless.
"Are you crazy?!" Nagakura questions.
"How dare you! All Heartless are supposed to obey me!" Mohs yells.
"Sucks to be you, because this one thinks for itself," says Asch.
"This one is actually Madison's friend, mieu!" Mieu exclaims with a bright smile, earning a bark of agreement from Chibi.
The Chimera Heartless slowly walks up to me, and gestures for me to get on.
"...Are you...telling me to get on you?" I ask. The Chimera Heartless nods its head. Deciding to trust it, I hop on its back. "All right. Hopefully, you know what you're doing."
The Chimera Heartless then breaks into a run, while I grip onto its fur, making sure not to fall off. Mohs tries to grab us, but the Chimera Heartless is too fast for him. It's then that I come up with an idea.
"Get me as close as you can to him," I say to the Chimera.
The Chimera does as told. Once we get close enough and are behind Mohs, I jump off the Chimera and attack Mohs from behind, causing him to scream in pain.
"He's slow!" I yell out to my friends, drawing their attention towards me. "I'm guessing he only just got this power recently and doesn't know how to completely use it, making his movements and overly sized body too slow to control. Think about it, he's only using his magical power to attack us, otherwise, he would've overpowered us by now!"
My friends thankfully catch on to what I'm saying. "Split up into groups, everyone! If he's that slow, then he obviously can't come at us all at once!" Asch exclaims.
Everyone splits into groups of two or three, making it difficult for Mohs to figure out who he should attack first. We all use this to our advantage as we attack Mohs with everything we got, while also being careful to avoid his attacks. Eventually, we soon win the fight, despite how difficult is was.
"Together now!" I exclaim.
With perfect teamwork and coordination, my friends I all deliver the final blow on Mohs. Mohs screams in pain and collapses, his body soon fading away into nothing, showing that he is gone for good. I'm not sure when but the Heartless Chimera from before disappeared when none of us were looking.
Wonder if this means he went back to Madison...wherever she is right now.
(Madison's) POV:
I swipe my Keyblade down on the last Heartless that was brought to this world. Once that's done, I notice just in time to see that Harmony and the others have defeated that villain, Mohs. I smile, glad that everything worked out.
"Looks I made the right choice in lending them a hand," I say, stroking Kuro's head. Kuro has been accompanying me during my time here in Auldrant. I only came here because I could easily tell my mother had some evil plan in mind for this world. But now that those plans have been thwarted, there's no longer any need for me to be here. The Chimera Heartless I sent to help out Harmony and the others disappears into a shadow, and then reappears next to my side. I then stroke its fur. "Thanks for helping out, as always. But I have one last request to ask of you," I grab a rolled up paper, and attach it to the Chimera's neck. "Be sure to give this to them. Then meet back up with me as soon as you can, okay?"
The Chimera nods its head and disappears into a shadow. I'm not sure how or why, but that one Heartless still remains loyal to me, even though I now wield a Keyblade. There might even come a day when I might have to get rid of it, if it ever attacks anyone. But even so, I'm glad to have a little extra help.
(Harmony's) POV:
I'm not sure where that Chimera Heartless went off to, but once the fight is over, we make sure to do what we can to help around the city, only to learn that the Heartless have completely cleared out. Later, we return back to the castle, to see what King Ingobert has decided on, especially considering everything that has happened today. Just as I begin to think that we failed in convincing him, his words prove me wrong.
"Although I still find this all hard to believe, I can see that what you've told me is without a doubt the truth," says the King.
"So that means..." Goofy starts.
"You believe us?!" Donald finishes.
King Ingobert nods his head. "Yes," he says, then turns to the Emperor. "And on behalf of Kimlasca, I apologize for the misunderstanding of placing the blame on Malkuth."
"Hey, Malkuth is just as at fault for thinking Kimlasca was behind this whole mess. But thanks to these guys, I think we can finally settle down. So, let's just let bygones be bygones," Emperor Peony suggests.
King Ingobert nods his head, then turns his attention towards me.
"As for my daughter, I'll be sure to give her a good talking to for lying to me about her and Asch's engagement," the King says.
"Thank you, but...try to go a little easy on her," I say.
"Harmony..." Asch says, speechless.
"Your not angry for what she did?" Saito asks.
"Oh, I am, believe me. But...It's because I went through a similar situation like this before that I just can't bring myself to hate her. A childhood friend of mine, Riku, he always had feelings for me, ever since we were kids. But I was completely ignorant of those feelings and saw him as nothing more than a friend. Because of that, he ended up doing a lot of bad things that he started to regret later on," I explain. "Even now, I can't help but blame myself for what happened, thinking that it's my fault for not noticing how he felt about me sooner. Maybe if I did, none of those things would've happened. That's also why I can't bring myself to blame Natalia, even though what she did was uncalled for, I feel like I'm repeating those same mistakes all over again that happened with Riku."
"Reckless, selfless, kind, honest, and a strong person. She's exactly how you described her to be, Asch," Duke Fabre says all of a sudden. "If nothing else, I believe I can now see why you would choose her over the princess," his words take us completely by surprise. I'm not even sure what to say. "You love her that much, don't you?"
"If it weren't for Harmony, the thought of coming back never would've even crossed my mind," Asch answers. "I only came back here because of her."
"Then I won't stop you from continuing your journey with her, just as long as you and Luke promise to come back. Your mother gets easily worried, so it would be nice if you boys would at least visit from time to time," says the Duke.
At first, Asch and Luke are speechless by their father's words. They're not the only ones. I'm actually shocked myself.
Does this mean that I've gained their father's approval?
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I decide to just go with it. My friends I soon explain everything else we know about the Heartless, including whatever information we know about Maleficent and Organization 13, even though it's so little info. We even explained how we're looking for Madison, Riku, my dad and King Mickey as we travel to other worlds.
"The Heartless aside, there's an even bigger threat that we've got to deal with," says Luke.
"What sort of threat might that be?" Emperor Peony asks.
"Well, for starters, there's this group called Organization 13," Harada answers.
"When a person with a strong will becomes a Heartless, they leave behind a shell of what they used to be. That shell is called a Nobody, a being with no heart and no feelings," Saito explains.
"Organization 13 is a group of Nobodies themselves. But unlike lesser Nobodies, they have a human appearance. We've seen it ourselves in one of the worlds we've been to. They also wear black coats, while lesser Nobodies look more like bizarre white monsters. We've only encountered them a couple of times now, and don't know what they're capable of. But one thing's for sure is that we definitely need to keep our guard up around them. Whatever their plans are, we've gotta find out quick before something bad happens" I say.
"All right, I think I understand the situation," says Emperor Peony.
"Agreed. If these ruffians should appear, we will let you know," says King Ingobert.
"That really means a lot. Thanks," Luke says.
All of a sudden, my Keyblade appears in my hand.
(3rd) POV:
The fonstones in space that surround Auldrant all shine brightly, creating a new pathway for Harmony and her friends to unlock.
(Harmony's) POV:
Knowing full well what this means, my friends and I nod our heads towards each other. As the familiar heart symbol appears underneath my feet, the Keyhole also takes form. I aim my Keyblade at it, shooting out a beam of light from the tip, and unlock a new pathway. Once the Keyhole disappears, everyone else is shocked by what they say, while my friends and I are unfazed, completely familiar with this routine.
"What was that?" King Ingobert asks.
"A new pathway to another world has opened," I say.
"Which means it's time for us to get going," Heisuke says.
"Already?" Emperor Peony asks.
"There are a lot of worlds out there who are going through similar problems, just like what happened today in Auldrant," Luke answers.
"Then you'd best get going. Be safe, all of you," says Duke Fabre.
After saying our farewells to everyone, we soon leave the city. Once we reach the city's entrance, however, we see that same Chimera appear on our way out. From the looks of it, he seems to have been waiting for us.
"Hey, it's that chimera!" Donald exclaims.
"Maybe now you can explain as to what's up with this Heartless?" Hijikata asks.
"We're not really sure, ourselves, to be honest," Asch answers. "All we know is that this Heartless is different from all the rest."
"He fought alongside us against Maleficent. There's a lot we don't know about him, other than that he's Madison's friend," I say, stroking the Chimera's fur.
I soon notice that he's got something tied around his neck. I grab the item, curious of what it is.
"What's that?" Saito asks.
"Not sure," I say as I unroll the paper to examine it's contents. "Looks like a letter. Dear, Harmony, glad to see that you and the others finally woke up. As you might've guessed by now, I did send my Chimera Heartless to lend you a hand, which should be a big enough hint for you to figure out that it's me. I also took care of all of the Heartless here in the city, so you don't have to worry about that. I even took care of the ones that were attacking Malkuth to make things easier for you."
My eyes widen in shock.
"Wait a minute! Her Heartless?" Nagakura asks.
"It's Madison!" Goofy exclaims with a smile.
"You think this letter might be from Madison?" Mieu asks.
"...Does it say anything else?" Luke asks.
I nod my head. "Sorry that I couldn't come meet you in person. A lot has happened during the year you were asleep. Most of it involves Organization 13. I've been working together with Riku, your dad, and King Mickey to figure out what the Organization's motives could possibly be. You could say that we're just as clueless as you are right now about the situation," I say, reading what's written in the letter.
"So, they're trying to find out what they can about the Organization..." Hijikata says, putting some thought into this.
"Looks like it. But they don't seem to be making much progress," Okita points out.
"Also, and this is for anyone in your group who thinks we aren't making any progress, here's what I got to say to that. We're doing the best we can, but it's not easy when the Organization's base is very well hidden, and they have the Nobodies hunting us down, so shut it!" I read off, which makes Okita frown.
"She's not even here, yet she got you on that one, didn't she, Souji?" Nagakura asks, laughing.
"Shut it," says Okita.
"We only discovered a small piece of the puzzle of what their plan could be when we somehow ended up in one of their bases, C.O. But all it did was add more questions to our confusion. I can't tell you exactly what's been going on during the time you were asleep because 1. it would take too long, 2. there's not enough time to explain everything when I'm being tracked down by the Organization, and finally, like I said before, there's a lot we don't know ourselves, so I couldn't explain it all even if I wanted to. All I can tell you is that you should try not to worry about us. Although we're being tracked down by the Organization, we've got our ways of losing them. Just keep doing what you do best, helping innocent people who need to be saved. We'll see each other in person someday soon. Till then, later. Signed, Madison. P.S. Hope you like the adjustments I've been making on the Gummi Ship lately. Even though we can't meet in person right now, it's the least I can do to help out," I say, reading the remained contents in the letter. I soon smile. "Thank goodness. They're alright. All of them."
"And from the looks of things, they're not any closer than we are on figuring out what's going on," Harada points out.
"That, and whatever they found out about at C.O., the Organization is after them because of it," says Nagakura.
"Doesn't look like we'll be meeting up with them anytime soon," says Asch.
"But at least they're okay. Besides, Madison said so herself in this letter that we'll definitely see each other again. Once we do, we can ask them on what it is they've found out about the Organization. Hopefully, we'll be able to resolve things by then," I say. I bend down to the Chimera. "Thanks for this."
The Chimera then fades away, becoming a shadow, and disappearing somewhere. My guess is that he must've gone off to meet up with Madison. I'll admit, hearing that her and the others are being tracked down worries me, but this letter gives me all the encouragement I need to keep moving forward, looking forward to the day when we will meet again.
We will see each other again. Just a little longer.
(3rd) POV:
Back on the Destiny Islands, in a certain house, a young girl lies in bed, unconscious. After a second or two, her eyes open. She moves her head slightly, taking in her surroundings.
"...Where...am I?" the girl asks, slowly sitting up.
"Oh, good. You're awake," Kairi says, entering the room. "Sora! She's awake!"
Sora rushes to Kairi's side and gives the girl a smile. "Hey, there. You feeling okay?" he asks.
"Where am I? And who are you?" the girl asks, a little scared.
"I'm Sora."
"And I'm Kairi. What's your name?"
"...Chizuru. Yukimura Chizuru," the girl answers.
"Well, Chizuru, as to where you are; you're on the Destiny Islands, our home," Kairi answers, giving Chizuru a kind smile.
"Destiny...Islands?" Chizuru asks, confused.
"Never heard of it?" Sora asks.
Chizuru slowly shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but no. I don't even know how I got here."
"Sorry. All I can tell you is that we found you near the beach, washed ashore," says Kairi.
"We figured you could use some help, so we carried you back to Kairi's house and have been looking after you. You were unconscious for an entire week," Sora explains.
"Thank you very much, but I need to get going," says Chizuru. "Although I don't know how I got here, I need to go home."
"Do you even know where to start looking?" Sora asks.
His words makes Chizuru put some thought into it, only to realize that she definitely doesn't know in the slightest of where to begin to travel back home. Taking Chizuru's silence as an answer, Kairi decides to speak up.
"Well, if it helps, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want," Kairi says with a reassuring smile.
"I don't want to be a bother," Chizuru says, feeling guilty.
"It's fine. Besides, this is actually my sister's, Harmony's, room, but she hasn't been home in over a year. So, feel free to use it," says Kairi.
"Is she missing?" Chizuru asks.
"No. It's more like she's traveling, to go find our friend, Riku. A lot of bad stuff happened that she decided to go find him. It's been a year since then, but she definitely promised that she'd come back home one day. Since then, Kairi and I have been making sure this room stays nice and clean, just so she can feel more at home when she comes back," Sora explains.
"I hope that she does come home, her and Riku," Chizuru says, not wanting Sora or Kairi to be sad.
Kairi's smile widens. "Thanks. That really means a lot. Now then, what do you say we all go downstairs and eat something. It is time for dinner and I'm guessing you must be hungry by now," she says.
As if to respond to that, Chizuru's stomach growls, making the said girl flush with embarrassment.
Sora chuckles a little. "Guess that answers that. Come on."
"I really am sorry for all of the trouble," Chizuru apologizes.
"Don't worry about it. I actually know how you feel because Harmony and I used to be in a similar situation ourselves when we were both little girls. Besides, everyone in town is really nice, so you don't need to worry about anything," Kairi reassures.
Chizuru was still unsure about a lot of things, lots of questions plaguing her mind. She doesn't even know how she got here. All she could tell was that Sora and Kairi are definitely people she could trust. As for Sora and Kairi, they could already tell that by judging the clothes Chizuru is dressed in, she is without a doubt from another world. For now, though, they both thought it would be best to take it slow on earning Chizuru's trust before they could explain what they possibly knew about her situation, so that they don't accidentally freak her out.
(Harmony's) POV:
After leaving Auldrant, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic. If nothing else, this adventure made me start to miss my own family and friends.
Maybe I should pay a visit to Mom and Leon soon, so that they don't have to worry so much about my well being. It has been a while since I last saw them, after all.
"So, any idea on where we're heading to now?" Nagakura asks.
"I think I see a new world coming into view," Mieu says.
In front of the ship, we see a new world coming closer and closer as we fly towards it.
"Let's see...According to the book, this place is called Port Royal. It's surrounded by an ocean known as the Caribbean, which is full of mysteries and all sorts of islands to explore out in the open sea," Luke says, reading what was written in the book.
"Sounds like fun," I say with a smile.
"This isn't a game, you know. We need to find the Keyhole to open up a new pathway to another world and find out what we can about Organization 13, while we're at it," Hijikata reprimands.
"Yeah, I know. But we can still enjoy ourselves while we're here, right?" I ask.