Awakening the Heart

Note: Well here's 7. I'm still not 100% sure I'm happy with it. It was a really hard one to write despite knowing where to take it. I can't guarantee a day or two til the next update as the next chapter's going to be a doozy. What with figuring out how all the organization reacts, how Sora and Riku do, what all is going to happen next with who and who's going to go where, etc. I will add another note after this chapter to explain some more thoughts without giving spoilers away here.

Chapter 7

“What is uttered from the heart alone, Will win the hearts of others to your own.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The hooded figure merely gave a nod before exerting force on his weapon and sliding Sora back along the floor a bit more, away from Kairi. Riku wasn't necessarilly too keen on putting his back to four organization members however saving Kairi was the priority. That, at this moment at least, meant he had to block Sora and keep him back til whatever was going on was straightened out. Sora looked at the figure pushing him backwards, after a moment he withdrew his keyblade.

"Riku, Is it really you?" He asked, tears coming to his eyes as the figure nodded once, it's hood still up. "Take off your hood, Riku," Sora pleaded, "I've looked for so long for you. Now we can save Kairi together."

The figure remained silent, confusing both Kairi and Sora as it merely shook it's head in negative and lowered it's blade. It turned and with a silent, unseen glare seemed to demand answers from Kairi and the men behind her.

"Sora.. Riku...," Kairi began, trying to figure out what to say, how to explain all this, her keyblade at her side now as she had lowered her arms. "I... I want to help them regain their hearts. I want to help them be somebodies again. I think it's possible, no I know it's possible," She tried to explain. Sora didn't believe any of this and stepped forward, his eyes on Kairi.

"It's a trick Kairi," Sora said, his voice quiet as he tried to explain to her how wrong she was, "It's just a trick they're convincing you of to use you. They can't feel anything, They don't care if they get hearts back because they're nobodies, they don't even exist."

Luxord and Xigbar shared a glance before Xigbar muttered, "As if..."

"It's just like them calling me Roxas," he continued to explain, "They're just trying to confuse me, to mess with my mind and get me to follow thier whims. Roxas isn't real, he never was he's just some manipulative story they made up to confuse me." Here he looked at Xemnas with a glare, "And it didn't work Xemnas. I'm not going to fall for the lies you tell Kairi and what you and your flunkies told me. You guys can't feel so just give it up. You're nobodies! You don't even exist!"

"Sora.." Kairi whispered, sadness taking over her heart at how bitter her friend had become. What had happened to the old Sora that she used to play with on the islands. This was not him now, no this Sora was twisted by anger and bitterness. Where along the path had he fallen into the same darkness he professed to fight. Riku looked away, as if lost in thought. He knew who they meant when they said Roxas, obviously Sora did not.

"I'm sorry Sora," Kairi explaiend patiently, "I'm going to help them. They've shown to me that they do really mean well. They may not have had the best methods at times but it was for a goal they believed in, wholly and completely. Something that they've wanted to badly they would go to any length to fulfill it and I can understand why. I can't imagine going without feeling love, happiness, sadness, even anger at times. I can't imagine an existence devoid of all things a heart can bring you."

She looked down, her keyblade in her left hand as her right clenched above her heart. "I can't let them keep suffering," She exclaimed, "I don't know what you've been through Sora. Somewhere along the way though you've changed. You've... become less like the Sora I used to know."

"It's all just lies Kairi," Sora shouted again, "Just like the Roxas crap. Lies made up by them to manipulate people."

"Actually," Riku interjected, his voice coming out slightly muffled from the hood still hiding his appearance, "Roxas did exist."

Here RIku turned to look at Sora as he finished, "Sora... Roxas is your nobody."

"What?! I never became a..." Sora exclaimed before his voice died down to silence.

"You see?" Xemnas interjected, "You are proof that their is a chance for us to become somebodies again."

"It's totally different though," Sora exclaimed as he brandished the keyblade again, glaring at Xemnas.

"That may be," Xemnas said, as his arms gestured to those around him, "But what choice were we left with but to try?"

"Give it up!" Sora shouted, "You nobodies don't have a right to exist."

"SORA!" Kairi yelled, "Stop it. I'm going to help them. Before you left the islands you would have understood why. Somehow along your trip you've lost sight of yourself. Maybe you stepped into the darkness you fought so valiantly. I don't know, but I do know that whatever it takes I WILL help them."

"Riku..." She said, turning to face the hooded figure, "You.. you understand right?"

"I do Kairi," he said quietly with a nod, "I may not agree with your reasons but I know you and your heart. Do what you need to do."

Sora looked between the two like they'd each grown a second head. "What.. What's wrong with you guys?" He asked, confusion in his voice, "Do they have you under some spell? I'll have to break it."

With that Sora charged back towards Xemnas, keyblade out. Before he even got halfway there though Riku was between them, his weapon out, blocking the keyblade yet again. After a murmured apology to Sora Riku's boot met with Sora, sending him flying backwards to the top of the stairs.

"I'll keep him busy Kairi," Riku said as he stepped toward the fallen friend, "Do what you need to do."

"Right," she nodded with a smile, "Thank you Riku. And... I'm sorry Sora."

With that she turned and walked a few steps closer to Kindgom Hearts. Somehow, she knew to hold her keyblade in both hands as she pointed it to the large heart in the sky before her. Closing her eyes, still flanked by the remaining Organization members she made her silent wish.

'Kingdom Hearts, I know they may have used questionable methods at times and I know some may not be the best people, but they deserve a chance to have what they longed for,' she prayed with her heart, 'Please, please have mercy on them and their fallen comrades. They just want hearts and the ability to be somebody again. Please, if it's at all within your power, bring them back and give them the hearts they wanted so badly. Please, I beg of you.'

As she stood silently facing Kingdom Hearts, her keyblade pointed at it nothing seemed to happen. A moment later a soft pink light collected at the end of her keyblade and shot up to Kingdom Hearts, illuminating it.

'Princess of the heart, Kairi,' the soothing voice flooded her mind, 'Your wish is pure and unselfish. While we do not have the ability to grant them their past hearts, or full ones we can grant them a growing heart. One they will have to learn, experience, and feel with to blossom it into a full heart. We will grant your wish to spare them and give them that which they desire.'

Kingdom Hearts, still lit by the light from Kairi's keyblade pulsed in the sky, brightening in color til it was so bright it was blinding. Everyone had to shield their eyes and when the light faded they opened them to survey any changes. Small red balls of light flew down from Kingdom Hearts to hover in semi circle around the platform. One by one the fallen members of the organization faded into view around the little red balls. Demyx, Axel, Xaldin, Zexion, Lexaeus, Vexen, Larxene, Marluxia all stood in shock. Some looked around in confusion, others examining themselves and the now present warmth in their chest. Namine appeared next, beside Kairi as a small red ball flew down and entered her chest. She looked in shock at her somebody before turning to look at the rest. Xemnas, Saix, Luxord and Xigbar were each receiving red orbs as well. This led Kairi to believe they were the hearts that her wish had granted. Sora and Riku stood in shock, watching this unfold, Donald had long since passed out and Goofy merely watched with a wisdom in his eyes no one would have suspected.

Sora glowed for a moment after and everyone watched as Roxas' image stepped out of him. It materialized to become whole as a red orb entered his chest as well.

"...Roxas..?" Sora asked, unsure as he looked at the now solid and breathing form of his nobody.

"Hey Sora," Roxas greeted, "I was given a choice to stay with you or become my own person. I really wanted a chance to meet you and I got to. I'm glad I did. You are, er were a good other... but I have friends here who need me too."

Sora looked down at his chest then back to Roxas as the boy in white continued, "Don't worry you didn't lose anything. You're still you. I'm just.. well I'm me now, finally."

Sora looked to Kairi first, then Riku in confusion. Kairi was smiling, her eyes held tears of joy. Riku still had his hood up however he seemed a tad shorter than he'd been before the light. Slowly the 3rd member of the Destiny Islands trio lowered his hood revealing his choppy silver hair and face wearing a blindfold.

'I'm no longer in the image of Ansem,' he thought, 'Wow.. Kairi really did fix it all.' He slowly removed the blindfold and looked around. Everyone was there, literally everyone.

"We... we have hearts," Xemnas said as he looked around at his now returned organization members, then to Kairi, "And everyone is here again."

"You've done it Kairi," Saix said, walking over to her a rare smile on his face, "We have hearts again."

"It told me," she started to explain, "That they aren't full hearts though."

At this all the former nobody's faces fell so she quickly continued, "But they will be. You just have to go out and experience feelings with them. Learn, feel, experience. Then you'll have full hearts again, full of what you make of them."

She smiled at Saix, then turned to Xemnas and in turn all the other organization members.

"I'm glad I was able to help you," she said with a smile, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to do anything more, or sooner." She closed her eyes and smiled wider at them before wavering for a moment and from exhaustion collapsing. She never reached the ground though as much to the shock, and horror of Sora and Riku Xemnas and Saix were right there to catch her, one on each side supporting her.

Second note: Okay.. So they're all alive again. With 'chia hearts' as they've been jokingly dubbed. Including Roxas and Namine! I just couldn't leave the two of them out, especially as Axel wants his friend back no doubt. No, Sora and Kairi lose nothing from not having them rejoin them. Roxas and Namine are now their own full fledged somebodies. With hearts! As are all of the organization members. On that note I won't be switching them back to 'pre nobody' names because they technically have NOT joined with their old hearts/sombodies so they're still who they are as of the games. Just with hearts now, and half of them, ok 3/4 of them not dead. o_o; I know I've kind of written Sora into being a huge jerk. I'm going to try and find a way to redeem him a bit, more than just him being convinced it's all a con job. However even based on his game lines he does kind of come across as a 'kill first ask questions later' type. Especially with 'smack the crap outta Xemnas' 'wait til he's fading then ask if he doesn't feel stuff other than hate' mentality. Given his 'you're nobodies, you don't even exist' speech before having watched Demyx/Saix/Axel etc. die in depressing ways revealing they just wanted simple things (hearts/seeing friends/etc.). Regadless I'm still not sure I'm 100% happy with the flow of this chapter. I may tweak it later but it is standing as is for now. I don't think I did any glaring errors, other than perhaps a bit of ooc ness. Though that'll happen A LOT more inadvertently as well.. they have hearts now. So some will be showing feelings, and others more than they had previously. Please do let me know what you think though. I'd love to see opinions on it. And if anyone happens to do any fanart for this I would love you forever. XD