Chapter 1 - Temptation
The dead and living were never meant to meet. But the border between sleep and death was a blurry one, and those who had crossed it once before found it easy to draw close to it again.
Kairi's days were a blur of grief and pain, but her nights were clear. With night came sleep, and with sleep, Sora.
It was always on Destiny Islands that she saw him. Perhaps his spirit lingered on in her memories. This place was his closest tie to the Realm of Light, where sky and sea reached above and below each other but could never touch.
The sand was soft and wet beneath her feet. A sheen of water covered the shore, perfectly reflecting the night sky filled with stars above. It was in this liminal space that Sora always met her. Not quite land, not quite sea, not quite sky, but hovering somewhere in between.
She sighed and listened to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, the tide tickling at her toes. Listened to the wind, sounding like it was whispering her name.
"Sora," she said softly, and when her eyes opened, he was there, surrounded by dark mist with the waves gently lapping at his feet. She smiled and tucked a strand of hair beneath her ear. "You came."
All he could do was smile sadly. His voice could never reach her here, only his image.
She lifted her hand and pressed it against the invisible barrier that kept them apart. He likewise lifted his hand and pressed it against his side of the barrier. He was so close, and yet, she couldn't even touch him. Death was the final separation, and for all of her powers, not even she could bring him back to life.
She'd already tried, countless times.
What she wouldn't do to hug him again, to feel his warmth. Instead, all she could feel was the chilly night wind and cool ocean waters and hot tears welling up in her eyes. Would it really be so hard for this stupid barrier to come down long enough for her to hug him for a few seconds?
She quickly wiped her eyes. No need for him to see how much she was hurting. But when she looked into his eyes again, his face mirrored her pain. His hand balled into a fist as he banged against the barrier over and over again.
She just shook her head and sniffed. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and trying again was pointless. His Keyblade, his fists, his feet, his magic – didn't matter; same outcome. That barrier always held steady. Same result whenever she tried.
"Sora, please, you'll hurt yourself—"
He stopped what he was doing, but a fire had lit in his eyes. His hand went into his pocket, and a few moments later he showed her her lucky charm. It was still in one piece, the shells from this very beach.
She gave him a sad smile. "I know you'll bring it back to me. And you know what else I know?"
He tilted his head.
"I'm looking for you too. All of us are. We won't give up until we find you."
He smiled at that and nodded, his own eyes shining with a few unshed tears.
"See you soon," she said softly.
He was already fading away again, and one final tear slid down her cheek and landed on the water after he was gone.
A single raindrop fell on Sora's hand, and he sighed deeply. Another reminder that Kairi was sad. And worse, he was powerless to fix it.
Wandering around late at night in a place as big and mysterious as the afterlife was probably not the best idea, but it sure beat sitting down and thinking too hard. All the neon lights and dark alleys were a good way to get his mind off everything.
Except when Kairi dreamed. He found his heart drawn to hers, and her flickering image haunted him when she slept. This time it had found him in a side alley as he'd searched for some clue as to how to get out of here.
He was about to tuck her lucky charm back in his pocket when he realized it was gone. Heart pounding, he reached into his pocket. Not there. He checked his other pocket. Not there, either. It wasn't in any of his pockets, and it wasn't on the ground. It wasn't anywhere at all.
He raked his hand through his hair as his stomach did flips. How could he have lost it? What would he tell her when—
"Looking for something?" came a mysterious voice.
Sora whipped around, his Keyblade appearing in his hand by instinct. In the alley behind him was a figure wearing a black coat. Eyes narrowing, Sora moved into a battle stance. He'd had enough black coats to last him a lifetime.
"Woah woah woah!" the man said as he held his arms out. "Put that thing away!"
"And why should I?" Sora asked, raising his eyebrow. "Who are you?"
The man tossed something in the air, and with a gasp, Sora realized it was Kairi's charm.
"Hey, give that back to me!" he said as he reached for it. The stranger evaded him easily, holding the charm just out of his reach. He shook his head and made an annoying clicking noise with his tongue as Sora kept trying to grab it without any luck.
"Where are your manners, man? Didn't your mom ever teach you how to say 'please' and 'thank you?'"
Sora glared at him. "You stole something from me and now you want me to say 'please' to get it back? No way. That's mine, now hand it over."
The man looked at it more closely. "It's from your girlfriend, isn't it? Better get it back soon, or you'll be in hot water."
"G-Girlfriend? Kairi's not my girlfriend, she's my—"
Sora hesitated. Was she his girlfriend? Yeah, they'd shared the paopu fruit, but was that the same as dating? The exact label to slap on their relationship had seemed kinda unimportant compared to all the other stuff they'd had to deal with lately, so he hadn't really thought about it that much.
"Your what, Sora?" the man said.
"I—" Sora's eyes narrowed. "Hang on, how do you know my name?"
The man chuckled. "I know a lot about you. I've been watching you for a long time now."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better because…"
The man put his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Seriously, man, you need to chill out," he drawled. "You're all tense, all wound up."
"You would be too if some random stranger had just taken something important from you!"
The man gasped and lifted a gloved man to his mouth. "Oh how rude of me! I never introduced myself." He offered his hand. "Call me Ken."
Sora just looked at the man's offered hand. "Ken? Really?"
He waved his hands and laughed, a loud guffaw that echoed off the walls of the alley. "Nah, I'm just messing with you."
The laughing just kept going on and on, and Sora shifted uncomfortably. Seriously, what was with this guy?
The man cleared his throat and pulled himself up to his full height. "Alright, enough of the jokes. You at least deserve to know my name. I am… the Master of Masters."
Sora raised his eyebrow. "The Master of Masters? Yeah right. That sounds even faker than Ken."
"Believe it or not, Sora, that is my real name. Well, my real name now. It's not like my parents named me that! Can you imagine, naming your kid something like that? You'd have to have an ego bigger than Kingdom Hearts!"
Sora's heart caught in his throat. "Kingdom Hearts? You know what that is?"
"Sure do." The Master of Masters looked around. "You know what else I know?" he said, beckoning for Sora to come closer.
"What?"
The Master of Masters beckoned again, more impatiently this time, and Sora sighed and took a step closer.
He cupped his hand over his mouth and whispered, "A way for you to get back to your girlfriend."
Sora's heart pounded in his chest as the Master of Masters placed the lucky charm in his hand.
"No snap decisions," The Master of Masters said as Sora tucked the charm into his pocket. "I'll give you some time to mull it over. If you want to see your girlfriend again, who is no doubt a lovely individual, seeing as how you changed places with her so she'd end up up there," he said, pointing up, "and you'd end up down here," he continued, pointing down, "you can meet me again here tomorrow night."
Sora considered this, but before he could answer, the Master of Masters continued.
"Buuuuut, if you don't care about her and want her to die of old age, alone, never married because she never got over her jerk of a boyfriend who abandoned her and kept stringing her along with the hope that he'd come back someday—"
"Enough!" Sora snapped as he pushed the Master of Masters against the wall and pinned him there.
The Master of Masters let out a low whistle. "Ho ho ho, look at that! Have you got a lot of darkness inside of you!"
Sora froze and looked at his arm. Darkness was wafting off of it. His eyes snapped back to the Master of Masters. "You wanted that to happen, didn't you? You goaded me into it!"
"Just testing your control. You're gonna need it if you want to get home."
Sora opened his mouth to answer, but the Master of Masters put a finger over his lip. "Shhhh, you don't have to give me your answer just yet. Think it over first."
With that he was gone. How he'd disappeared so quickly, Sora had no idea. Sighing and reaching into his pocket, he pulled out Kairi's charm to look at it again.
"What if this really is the only way to get back to her?"
He was running out of options. He hadn't had any luck with anything he'd tried so far. Hadn't found any clues that hadn't fizzled out. Playing the game hadn't worked. He was still stuck down here with nothing to show for it.
In his mind he could picture Kairi's face, see her crying because of him. Knowing he was the one making her sad was too much to bear. No more tears. He'd had enough of that. He wanted to see her smile again, more than anything. And the only way to do that was to make it home like he'd promised.
"Hey, Master of Masters?"
Just like that, the Master of Masters was back, casually lounging against the wall. "Yeah?"
"We don't have to wait till tomorrow. Tell me how to get home. Please."
He patted Sora on the head. "Atta boy. I'll have you home in no time."
The next time Kairi dreamed, Sora was the one who met her at the shore.
"Sora?" she asked as she waded into the shallow surf, the water and sand tickling her toes.
His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled as he lifted his hand to the barrier. "Kairi."
A lump built in her throat as she lifted her hand to meet his. The barrier was still between them, but hearing his voice for the first time since he'd— since he'd—
She swallowed the lump and smiled. "You can talk."
His face lit up. "Wait, you can hear me now?"
"Yes," she said, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Yes, I can."
"Kairi," he said again, his smile getting bigger. "Kairi. Kairi."
She giggled, her face flushing. "Is my name the only thing you know how to say anymore?"
"Gosh, it's the only thing I want to say." He rested his forehead against the barrier and sighed, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment before opening again. "You don't know how badly I wanted to talk to you."
She ducked her head and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I wanted to talk to you, too."
He opened his mouth to reply, then glanced down at his hands. They were already fading again.
He looked up, an anguished expression in her eyes, and the lump returned to her throat. "Sora—" she said, reaching for him only to feel the barrier again.
He put his hand against the barrier near hers. "I won't give up, Kairi. Whatever it takes to reach you, I'll do it."
She gave him a sad smile. "I know you will. And you know what else I know?"
"What?"
"I'm looking for you too. All of us are."
He smiled at that. "I know. See you soon, Kairi."
"See you soon."
With that, he was gone, leaving Kairi alone again.
"I did it! Kairi can hear me now!" Sora said as soon as he ducked into their usual alley.
The Master of Masters was waiting for him there as always, lounging on a bunch of crates. At Sora's words he straightened and clapped. "Well done, Sora! Anything else to report?"
Sora hesitated. "Well, the barrier's still there, but… Kairi hearing my voice is progress, right?"
"Sure is. But you have to figure out how to get that barrier down, or you won't be able to cross back over into the Realm of Light."
Sora sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm stumped. How am I supposed to do it? The Power of Waking doesn't work. Kairi's light magic doesn't work, either, and she's a Princess of Heart. I don't know what to do."
"Soooo, what you're telling me is, you've tried light," the Master of Masters said, holding up his right hand, "and you've tried the power that killed you in the first place…" he added, holding up his left. He brought his hands together in the middle and looked at Sora. "Now... why haven't you tried darkness yet?"
Sora jerked back. "Darkness? I can't use the darkness."
The Master of Masters shrugged. "Why not? You used it all the time when you were alive."
"Yeah, but… only when I was really angry. It sort of took over and I lost control when that happened. I'm not like Riku, I can't use it safely."
"Listen to yourself. 'I'm not like Riku, I can't do what he can,'" the Master of Masters said, imitating Sora's voice.
Sora raised his eyebrow, and the Master of Masters sighed dramatically. "Sora, come on. You saved all of your friends. You brought your girlfriend back from the dead. You've saved the worlds over and over again. If you're not a hero, then I don't know who is."
Sora frowned. "Sure, I guess, but that doesn't mean I'm like Riku."
"Doesn't mean you're a Master like Riku, you mean," the Master of Masters corrected, holding one finger in the air. "Man, Sora, don't you ever think it's all a little… unfair?"
Sora tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
The Master of Masters just shook his head. "Sheesh, they've got you brainwashed. You sacrificed everything for your friends, and this is your reward? Death?"
"My… reward?"
Xigbar's words echoed through his mind. Had he known all along that death lay ahead of Sora? Had he been trying to warn him?
"I'm telling you, Sora, a guy like you is a hero," the Master of Masters said, really emphasizing the last words. "You deserve to be a Master."
"Maybe, but I failed my Mark of Mastery."
"Yeah, you failed because you didn't have control of your darkness. But this is the perfect chance to learn how! I can help you."
Sora crossed his arms. "I don't see how. I failed because my heart almost fell to darkness. I can't risk that happening again. I've gotta stay in control."
"Don't see how?" The Master of Masters sighed again, this time sounding irritated. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're kinda dense, sorry."
Sora bristled at that, but the Master of Masters just held his hand up. "Think about Riku for a second. He got his Mark of Mastery because he got control of his darkness. He didn't run from it. He didn't lock it up. He channeled it into something better and turned it into light. Who says you can't do the same?"
"I mean… I guess I could try, I just don't see how this will help me get out of here."
He just didn't see the connection between using darkness and getting home. He'd never been able to traverse realms by using darkness, only light.
The Master of Masters patted the spot next to him, and Sora sat down. The crates were kinda soggy from the rain, but it couldn't really be helped.
"Sora, think back to your final battle with Xehanort. What happened when he stole your light?"
"I… I turned into a Heartless. Well, kinda. I wasn't a Heartless exactly. I was more like… a human Heartless."
"And how did you fight in that form?"
"With my Keyblade."
"And before that?"
Sora scratched his cheek. "Well… I couldn't fight with my Keyblade at first in that form. I was more like a wild animal, just scratching and clawing and kicking at stuff. It wasn't until later that I could use my Keyblade."
The Master of Masters slapped him on the back. "See? You're improving. You're evolving. You're getting better control. First you fought like a monster, and now you're fighting like a man. What do you think the next step will be?"
"A hero?"
"Wrong!" the Master of Masters said, making a loud buzzing noise afterwards like they were on a game show and he was the host. "The next step is…" he paused and stretched his hands out. "...A god."
Sora laughed at that. "A god? Really?"
The Master of Masters nodded, and Sora gave him a weird look. "You can't be serious. My friend Hercules is a god. I'm just an ordinary guy. There's nothing special about me. Without my friends, I'm nothing."
"Wrong again! You are the most powerful Keyblade Wielder of your age. Destined for greatness."
"I… I am?"
"Yup." The Master of Masters rested his chin on his hands. "Tell me, Sora, have you ever heard a little voice speak to you?"
Sora frowned. "Like… my conscience?"
The Master of Masters waved his hands. "No no no, during your awakenings."
"Oh." Sora thought long and hard. The memories from his awakenings were always sort of blurry, but…
Wait. There was a voice. There was always a voice. It helped him and guided him. Reassured him and eased his fears.
"I guess I have, actually," he said.
"And what did it say?"
Sora thought again. "That I'll... open some kind of door?"
"A-ha! There it is!" The Master of Masters jumped to his feet and let out a whoop like it was Christmas morning. It echoed throughout the alley, and it was a wonder no one else found them with all the racket he was making.
Sora sighed and rested his face on his hands. "I don't get it."
The Master of Masters whirled around. "You don't get it? Haven't you heard all the legends about the person who will open the door?"
"No? Should I have?"
"Sora, the one who will open the door will be reborn as something greater than human! He, or she, will have the power to remake the worlds!"
"Remake the worlds?"
With that kind of power, Sora could get home, easily. No, better than that. He could… he could make it so that the Heartless all became people again. The Nobodies could all get their hearts back, too. And then… with the threat gone, he could finally go home. He could be with Kairi again. With Riku. With all his friends.
"You really think… I'm the one who will open the door?"
"I do. But to get to the door, you have to be in control of your darkness. You have to be the best version of you."
The Master of Masters gently poked his heart, and Sora thought. Thought about all the people he could help if he got power like that. Thought about seeing all his friends again. Thought about making Kairi smile.
"Show me how, then. Show me how to control my darkness."
"Gladly."
A/N: This was written for Days 5 and 6 of SoKai Week, and the prompts were Separation and Light and Darkness/Nightmares and Daydreams. Day 4's prompt, the Royalty AU, is a part of a longer story that I'm going to wait to start posting to FFN and AO3 till I'm finished with more of the story. As for this story, there will be one more chapter after this one for the final day of SoKai Week. Hope you enjoyed!