EDITED 6/26/2010

Author's Comments: Last chapter. Hope you enjoy it! It's kind of sad, though.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted with an *). I own Imani.

The sorcerer entered the room, bowing to the queen. "You called for me, Your Majesty?"

"Yes," she said, gesturing to the girl. "King Mickey rescued this girl and brought her here. Do you know who this is, Master?"

Master Yen Sid only took a moment to look over the girl before nodding gravely. "I am afraid I do. She is Imani, formerly known as Maxiin."

"How do you know her? Does the king know her?"

"I believe he does. She came to me earlier today with a request, but she left before I could fulfill it. I suspect her impatience landed her in some sort of trouble. The king must have rescued her and brought her here."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Master Yen Sid's eyes landed on the dark cloak lying on the comforter. "I cannot say for sure, but it must have left her quite powerless."

Suddenly, a moan came from the girl. She tossed her head back and forth as if being tortured by a nightmare. "R…Rox…"

"Oh dear." The queen gripped her hand tighter in some effort to comfort her. "She's been mumbling the word 'Roxas' over and over. I think she's trying to apologize to someone named 'Roxas'…"

Unbeknownst to the queen, the sorcerer's eyes narrowed. "I see."

Imani slowly awoke, her eyes unfocused. "W…Where…am I…?"

"You are at the Disney Castle," Master Yen Sid told her quietly. "You were saved by His Majesty, King Mickey. Queen Minnie has been watching over you since you first came."

"Are you feeling alright?" the queen asked her worriedly.

"I…I feel weak…" she mumbled, "…and cold…"

The queen searched around the room for something more to cover her with when she spotted the dark cloak. "Here, put this on," she said, taking the cloak and moving to help the girl sit up.

Imani's eyes widened. "No! Keep that away!"

She paused. "B-But you're cold…"

She shook her head. "Anything but…t-that…"

Another bout of sobs shook the girl, alarming Queen Minnie. "Imani, what's wrong?" she cried. "What's troubling you?"

"H…" She breathed heavily and squeezed her eyes tight, but no tears poured out. "He's…I…"

The queen and the sorcerer exchanged glances. "What should we do, Master?" the queen asked.

He thought carefully. "If it won't trouble you, she should rest here for a few days. She seems deeply troubled, and it would be unwise to move her anytime soon."

"Of course she can stay here," Queen Minnie nodded earnestly.

"N-No…"

They both returned their attentions to Imani.

"Please…just finish it all," she barely whispered. "I-I can't take this anymore…"

"You're being rash," Master Yen Sid said. "Give yourself a few days—"

"I can't take this guilt," she interrupted him in a broken voice. "It keeps replaying in my head…I knew…I knew…"

The queen shook her head helplessly. "Imani…"

"A-And now I see him," she whimpered, "and I see his dreams of Sora and how he's struggling and I was the one who threw him in there and—"

"Imani," the sorcerer's voice cut in. "You wish for me to end it all?"

She took in a deep, shaky breath. "Y-Yes…"

"Very well," he murmured with a reluctant sigh. "Your Majesty, I must ask that you let go of her hand."

Queen Minnie turned to him, startled at the request. "B-But why? What are you going to do to her?"

"My only option is to send her away to a different, more safe universe and to lock away her memories. That's all I can do for her."

"Another universe?" she cried, promptly tightening her grip on Imani's hand. "Are you sure that's safe? What about her family? Won't she be lonely? What do you mean, 'lock away her memories'? What—"

"Your Majesty," Imani's soft voice interjected. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine. I want this."

The queen's face fell. "B-But…Imani…"

"I'll be fine." She offered a small smile. "Let go of my hand."

She didn't want to. Oh, how she wanted to refuse, but one long look in Imani's eyes told the queen she had no power over the situation. Halfheartedly, her hand slowly slipped out of hers, a tingly sensation lingering from the lost contact.

Master Yen Sid began chanting a complicated incantation, and to the queen's silent horror, Imani's body began fading. Queen Minnie balled her hands into tight fists, telling herself she could not reach out for her, no matter how badly her vision was blurring with tears.

"Your Majesty?"

She blinked rapidly. "Y-Yes?"

Imani's smile grew. "The king thinks about you every day. He was really reluctant to leave so soon. I just thought you should know…"

As the last of the girl faded, the queen broke down, throwing herself onto the edge of the bed mere inches from the dark coat.

"Imani."

She groaned, burying further under the covers.

"Imani, seriously, wake up."

Try as she did to ignore the voice, she begrudgingly poked her head out to see the intruder. A teenaged boy with dark, side-swept hair grinned crookedly at her, a plate of miniature waffles and strawberries and whipped cream in his hands.

"Happy birthday," he said.

A giggle bubbled in her chest. "Aden!"

Author's Afterthought: This has got to be the saddest piece I've written. I think I will change the genre. What did you think? Did this answer a few questions? Did it pose more? Reviews are always welcome!

And now that you've read the prequel, if you haven't already, check out the main story: The Kismet Scribe. It's almost finished-just a few more chapters. Thanks for reading!