Aura's new look:
www.fav.me/d6zt7ll

Aura's weapon; Harmonic Wave:
www.fav.me/d6crpql

Marie:
www.fav.me/d6ztad8

Ryan:
www.fav.me/d700342

Stella:
www.fav.me/d6z5prr

Trinity:
www.fav.me/d6zzlvs

A/N:
I believe we will get this story done in 15 chapters, haha.

Chapter Fifteen
ȶ
Epilogue

An unnumbered amount of days had passed since Sora left The Mysterious Tower, and ever since then, Yen Sid had asked Riku to bring in Kairi from Destiny Islands, possibly at the thought of training her to become a Keyblade Master. With her, came along Ryan and Stella, who were both eager to keep training as well. Axel hurried back to Radiant Garden, whereas Marie had just come from the place. She was currently in the same room as Stella and Yen Sid, and she was incredibly glad to see her family safe.

"You were home the whole time?" Marie asked as she hugged her mother. Stella nodded, brushing her daughter's hair with her hands, and apologized for not saying anything about it. "No, it's fine! I'm just glad that you're safe. Both you and Ryan."

"You're going to become a Keyblade Master?" Stella asked. Marie nodded, knowing that she has a job of protecting Kingdom Hearts. Stella smiled, pleased that her daughter was being responsible and growing up. Marie had filled her in on what she learned while helping Riku and Aura save Sora, and Stella prepared for what Xehanort had in stores. She made things rather difficult for Xehanort, and placed many guards around Kingdom Hearts. She looked down towards her daughter, who kept warmed within her mother's grasp. "I approve wholeheartedly. When you become a master, you will learn of knowledge granted to only masters of the Keyblade. But most of all, you will become better in tune with your Keyblade, and the strength you posses with Kingdom Hearts will grow."

"While you may not be considered a guardian of light like the rest, Marie is without a doubt, the final defense for Kingdom Hearts," Yen Sid explained. Marie parted from her mother's hug, and Stella nodded in understanding. "However, you have actually been inside the world of Kingdom Hearts, and thus have a rather large advantage against the thirteen seekers of darkness."

"Yes. And I believe Kingdom Hearts has already chosen the seven guardians of light," she replied. "I have not been chosen, because I believe I've served my purpose within Kingdom Hearts."

"And it has other plans for Marie," Yen Sid finished. They both looked over to the young blonde, and she nodded her head in understanding. She finally knew what her role was in this plot, and she was going to fulfil them with everything she had. Yen Sid stroked his beard and looked towards Stella, "She will continue to train along with Lea and Kairi. Even if she has no real need to become a Keyblade Master, she will stand a better chance against the x-blade should it ever be used against her."

"I agree, and since this is Xehanort we're talking about, it will happen." After a couple more discussions between Yen Sid and Stella, Marie left the room. She took out the letter that Sora left behind for her to read. She was sad that he had to leave, but she understood his need to take care of things—she once did the same. She tore open the envelope and started opening up the letter inside, and she smiled when she saw a heart on the page.

Marie,

I'm sorry I couldn't stay behind long enough to see you, but I had to take care of things—I know you'll understand this better than anyone. I miss you. And… thank you for helping Riku and Aura out, and thank you for helping me. Mai—she was an emotion that was gone from you, and we all met her. She reminded me of when we first met, how you were so full of confidence and ready to take on anything.

I'm not saying you're not like that now, but it made me smile because it just reminded me of the memories. I heard you're training to be a Keyblade Master too, and I now that I know I have to train ten times harder so that I can still protect you, even if you don't need it. I can't wait to come back and see you as a Keyblade Master!

Even if we're still apart, it's like what you said in your letter to me… we'll always be connected, and we have each other's hearts. I do love you, and I'll always be thinking about you. Stay strong and we'll see each other in no time.

Love you,
Sora

Marie giggled to herself as she saw doodles around the letter, and knew Sora could not help himself being the silly guy that he was. Still, she was happy for him, even if she missed him more than anything. She neatly placed the letter into her pocket and came across Ryan, Donald and Goofy. She smiled at the three, and wondered what they were doing. Ryan was still training to fight with his friends, and Donald and Goofy were just encouraging him. Ryan was glad that Marie was safe, and a little bummed out that he could not help much while Riku and Sora were out doing their exam. He was stoked that Riku became a Keyblade Master, and could not wait until Marie and Kairi became one.

"That reminds me, I should check up on Kairi," he said. Marie asked how they were doing, and he blushed heavily at her question. "Uh, we're fine. She's been watching me train with Stella, and we've been talking…"

"Talking, hmm? Well, then you guys must have done a lot of talking because she couldn't stop talking about you and your training," she replied. Ryan scratched the back of his head—he had been getting along with Kairi quite well, but he was not sure if anything could come out of it, so he kept his slight differences. Of course, he caught glimpses of her beauty whenever she was looking around. Marie just giggled, and was glad for her cousin that he found beauty in something. She walked out of the area after saying a quick goodbye to the three characters and started heading outside, however, she looked out the window beforehand, and saw Riku and Aura sitting by the steps of the entrance. Her eyes softened at the sight, because Aura was sitting in between Riku's legs and leaned her head back into his stomach. His hand was lightly brushing her hair, and Marie smiled—she always knew there was something between them. She sighed and decided to leave them alone, wandering off into another location within the tower.

Aura giggled as Riku started pinching her shoulders, and she playfully slapped his hands away. Earlier on, she was able to tell him what was going on in her heart, and he was pleasantly surprised and quite happy with what she told him. He looked up towards the sky and kept his smile from when she told him.

-Earlier-

After Sora left The Mysterious Tower, Donald and Goofy went back inside with Mickey to discuss a couple of things with Yen Sid. Aura moved out of their way, and eventually sat down on the steps. When the three of them were gone, it was just her and Riku. The boy sighed, and quietly sat down beside the brunette, who had her chin in her palms.

"What are you thinking of?" he asked, hoping it would bring up what he wanted to find out from before. She motioned her eyes and looked at him, and she automatically knew where he wanted to go. Therefore, she sat up straight and placed her hands on her lap as she took in a deep breath.

"A lot of things, but I did say I was going to talk about where my heart was," she replied. She smiled to herself—she was making the right choice. She turned her body slightly towards the silver-headed boy, and grabbed his hand as she held it. "I thought… my heart belonged to Roxas, but then I figured that we were meant to be the greatest of friends. I thought of Axel—or Lea, but you know… he was another great friend. Then my thoughts turned to you, and… well, I found a lot comfort and sincerity in the fact that I could share my heart with you."

Riku was taken back a bit, as he was surprised that Aura felt this strong about him. She held back a lot throughout the journey, and it was obvious to him—but he thought it was because she was hung up on Roxas. Little did he know that she was just trying to figure out her feelings, and which person in her life was the one she wanted to be with. He was actually thrilled—first he passed the Keyblade exam, and now Aura was confessing to him. She told him that they did not really start out as friends like she and Roxas or Lea did, but something in her heart directed it towards him—as if it already chose him on first arrival.

"So… you really chose me over Roxas and Lea?" he asked. She smiled at him and nodded, adding that even if she were to choose either of them, her heart would go back to Riku. He gave a short out of breath laugh, and a huge grin appeared on his face. He held her hand tighter, and she pulled it away from him. He looked down and wondered what was going on, but he felt her arms wrap underneath his, and he quickly took the hint and hugged her back. She rested her head on his chest, and he rested his on top of her head. He was ecstatic, but he still had to ask—still had to be convinced, "Why me?"

"When I was a Nobody, you tried so hard to make me smile or laugh," she said. She hugged him tighter, and for a moment, she had a sad look on her face. "I was so miserable back then… nothing went my way, and I was going to disappear soon. However, you didn't give up on me; you didn't accept that I would disappear… you fought for me."

"Aura…" he whispered. She shook her head, and continued saying that Axel and Roxas both fought for their own selves, but Riku really fought for her. He followed her every wish, and protected her along the way. He let her be the strong woman she wanted to be without changing her—that was something she did on her own. He supported her, just not when she accepted that she was going to disappear, because he wanted her around.

"Then you kissed me, and I think…" she was interrupted when she felt a soft, not rough this time, pair of lips on her own. She wasn't really caught off guard, and instead eagerly returned the favour. She grabbed his collar and he held her tighter, knowing that this kiss was the seal to the deal they had been trying to figure out. She knew whom she wanted, and he did not mind that he belonged to her, because she belonged to him. When they both parted from the kiss, their foreheads connected, and their eyes hazily filled with emotions.

"It was that kiss that made me choose you," she told him.

-Present-

They both stared up into the sky as they thought back at that moment, and Riku was happy—genuinely happy. Aura was as well, and it was nice that they both could make each other that happy. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder, and the warmth she got from it was comforting, she knew those arms would keep her safe. Thinking back on it, they both came a long way, and they both survived a lot. They helped each other through the darkest of times, and were there when they both had something to celebrate—in this case, Riku's acceptance as Keyblade Master. She was going to do everything in her power to help him continue to grow, because if there were anyone she could idolize it would be him—coming from the darkness, to controlling it, to finally accepting the light. She looked at herself; she was no longer the girl who she started as, she changed so much from being a puppet, to a broken doll, to a complete being. She could truly feel, and the one thing she wanted—which was a heart, was finally hers. She grabbed Riku's arms and started rubbing them, and he looked down as she looked up.

"All our hard work came down to this," he said. She smiled and agreed, whatever came their way they were prepared. She looked down towards the grassy field, and she smirked at the oncoming adventures she would have, but this time they were going to be adventures with the people she cared for. She used one of her hands to flick her hair back, and gave a slight chuckle.

"Xehanorts got something coming for him, that's for sure," she said. With everything changing so fast, she knew time was finally ending. There were still so many things they needed to do, the people sleeping inside Sora's heart, as Riku explained, still needed to wake up. Marie still needed to find Dante, and they had to stop Trinity, who was definitely plotting with Xehanort. Aura closed her eyes, and a small form appeared on her forehead—a blue heart. She opened her eyes and the colour changed from a sea green to sea-blue. Of course, Aura could not feel any of these changes, and when she blinked, her eyes went back to normal. "Not only do we have Keyblade Masters, we have someone who was in Kingdom Hearts and the last defence for it. We're not exactly pushovers, either," she continued.

Riku agreed, and the both of them continued to stare into the sky. They knew it was not over just yet, but they had each other and their friends. They had support and they were determined.

-x-

Somewhere, in the deepest parts of the darkness, stood Trinity, who lingered over her baby brother's body. She was not able to stop Riku from completing his exam, but it was all right, because Organization XIII got what they came for. Their awareness of each other and the arrival of Master Xehanort. He sought to use Dante as their thirteenth vessel, but he was preventing the darkness enter him, and Trinity was not so keen on the idea of using her brother. She had even offered herself, but Xehanort explained that he had other plans for the ginger.

Stella was still alive, and was still active in her fighting capabilities. Xehanort thought the bloodline from the house of Hill would perish with Marie, but he underestimated their prowess. Of course, meeting a woman such as Anne Bailey made him realize that the family was more tenacious than he thought. He often thought back on the woman, and how she treated him with such kindness and warmth, and of course, how she explained the Keyblade and everything with it. She was already a Keyblade Master when they met, and it could have been her immense power, but he wanted it. He would never know why she was so strong, since the woman foolishly married and created a bloodline of Keyblade wielders, but perhaps he would find the answers.

When the time came, both the powers of light and the powers of darkness would face off in a final clash. The questioned that remained unanswered was going to be revealed. Who would win?

Light or the darkness?

ȶ

The End

This was a nice, short break from my other long stories. Only 15 chapters! That is a goal, haha. Although to be honest, I was sad to end this story, because the game was awesome. It did not end the way my usual stories do, but eh, maybe it might some anticipation for when KH3 comes out, which will be soon and not in 10 years.

Thanks for those who stuck with me when this series started. I hope that we will keep on going, but for now, I got some editing to do with Game Over: The rewrite and I still have to finish off Yours Truly, which is another story that should not take long.

Thanks for reading!

Dracula X:
Thank you so much! It's totally fine as well, I barely get time to do the things I want. I really can't wait for KH3 and I really hope it doesn't take that many years or I will be devastated! I can't wait that long, haha.