Today was like any other day. I woke up, put on my black pants with zippers halfway undone around the knees, leaving my knees exposed, a white tank top, my favorite green hoodie around my waist and my sword belted to my hip. I hugged my brother Isa and his friend Lea as I ran out of the house, throwing my bright turquoise hair into a sloppy ponytail as I left to go meet Kairi. Speaking of, we were out picking flowers to take home to our respective families today. Kairi's grandmother and father, and my brother Isa and his best friend Lea. Naturally I wanted to be a warrior just like the knights at the castle, so everywhere I went, I carried a blunted sword. Isa gave it to me last year when I decided I was going to be a knight of Radiant Garden.

At the moment I was using my sword to cut down flowers around me, pretending they were imaginary foes as Kairi watched and laughed.

"You're so silly Azaria!" I stopped mid-swing and turned to her with a pout.
"Am not! You're just jeal-" I started to tease back when this weird blue-black creature popped out of thin air behind Kairi.

"Kairi look out!" I yelled as I ran forward, sword in hand. Kairi confused, turned to look and screamed as the creature lunged at her. Luckily she ducked down to cover her head, so I easily leaped over her and bonked/sliced it on the head with my sword. Turning around I looked at Kairi who had tears in her eyes, more importantly though were there was more creatures coming up behind us.

Grabbing Kairi by the arm, I hauled her up shouting "Run!", and run we did, all the way to the castle hoping the guards would save us, but no one was in sight. Kairi and I screamed as we were cornered against the castle wall. In the distance a girl with blue hair, much lighter than my own, shouted for us to run. Nodding, I charged forward, determinedly slashing my sword through the creatures so Kairi could get through.
"Go Kairi! I've got your back!" Unsure of herself, Kairi didn't want to leave until I reassured her with a smile.
"I'm going to be a knight! I can do this! Now go find somewhere safe!" This time Kairi nodded determinedly and dashed off to reach the other girl with blue hair. Well...She does have a weapon at least, safe enough I suppose. I thought as I turned to face my enemies.

"Oh dang it, now how do I do that spell again?!" I thought out loud, panicked as they closed in on me. Focus on the heat! I remembered Lea's lesson right as one leaped for me. Pointing my hand at it, I shouted,
"Fire!" and watched as the creature fizzled out of existence from the blast. Ahead of me, a mouse-like person appeared with a strange weapon, just like the blue haired girl, saving them as one of the creatures leaped to attack. Breathing a sigh of relief I focused on my own fight, as the girl took Kairi away, and was soon joined by the mouse-like man and blue haired girl once more.

Together we finished them off in no time and I fell back on my butt exhausted. The girl laughed a bit at my expense so I whined.
"Gimme a break, I'm only six." Suddenly Kairi rushed over and tackled me further into the ground.

"Ow! Kairi watch it!" I griped at her. Blushing she said,

"Don't ever make me worry like that again! I was so worried you would get hurt Azaria!" Easing myself back up I said,
"I could say the same to you." I said with a small grin, "But I'd gladly fight all those creatures again if it meant I could protect you." I told her with my hands behind my head with a smile. I almost fell over again as Kairi hugged me. Giggling I hugged her back and then let go so we could thank the mystery blue haired girl.

She and the mouse-like man were talking, something about being apprentices, and Kairi having a light inside her and that's why we were attacked. By the look on Kairi's face, I knew she was thinking of her grandmothers story.

"If you ask me, she must be somebody pretty extraordinary." The mouse man, Mickey said. The girl, whose name we learned was Aqua, then spoke.
"Yes, I'm quite certain she's someone we're supposed to protect."
"Darn straight!" I piped in, trying my best to look serious. Apparently I failed though as the girl laughed at my expense once more.

"Right, lets join forces!" Mickey said, holding his hand out to us, when he suddenly started glowing.

"Oh no! Not now!" Suddenly he was engulfed in the light and shot into the air, "I'll be okay! See you real soon!" He said before vanishing altogether.

Suddenly Kairi held out the flowers she had picked earlier, for the girl Aqua to take. She smiled and asked,
"Oh, are these for me?"
"Yep, I picked you some flowers. Thank you for saving me." Aqua took them and looked them over.
"Oh they're lovely, you're so sweet."
"My names Kairi, and this is Azaria." she motioned to me, "Nice to meet you." We chorused.
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Aqua. Kairi, about that light.." She started, but was cut off as Kairi's grandmother showed up.
"Oh Grandma!" Kairi turned to run to her.
"Wait Kairi, just a minute." Aqua said and reached towards her necklace and a small pulse of light appeared and vanished just as fast.
"I just cast a magic spell on you. One day when you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another. Someone to keep you safe." Aqua said and glanced at me as she said it. I felt pride, this woman was trusting me to keep Kairi safe.
"Thanks! Come on Azaria, lets go!" Kairi said, eager to talk to her grandma, probably to ask for another story. I smiled and shook my head.
"You go on, I'll catch up!" I said as I waved her off. She waved back and shouted "Bye" to both Aqua and I.

Aqua was looking at me, as if inspecting me and trying to find something.
"You were very brave back there." I blushed and shrugged, kicking at the ground with one foot.
"Aww it was nothing. I'd do anything to protect Kairi. Its why I asked my brothers to train me all the time. So I can fight to protect what matters...The people I love." Aqua smiled and said,
"You know, I think I can help you with that." Suddenly her sword appeared in her hand and I stared at it in awe. She offered the hilt of the blade in my direction.
"In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be, and you will find me, friend. No more borders around, below or above, so long as you champion the ones you love." Feeling a new found purpose I reached out and grabbed the hilt of this "keyblade" and smiled at Aqua with the brightest grin I could manage when it stayed in my hand...

That was the first and last time I would see Aqua for many years. Not long after she left, Radiant Garden fell to darkness. I did my best to protect Kairi, but we were separated from Grandma, Lea and Isa and were cornered by a scary man with tan skin and silver/gray hair. I pushed Kairi behind me, holding my sword at the ready as Kairi held onto me, believing we were going to die. The man had done something to me and as I fell unconscious, suddenly we were both engulfed in a bright light and the world around us fell away to darkness...

When next we opened our eyes, it was as waves of water were lapping against us on a sandy beach, with two boys standing over us with concerned looks.

"Are you okay?" asked a boy with spiky brown hair. Confused I stared numbly at him and glanced down at myself. Was I okay? I thought to myself. For that matter who am I?

"Sora! There's another girl over here! I've never seen her before!" Looking over I saw a boy with long silver hair walking towards us with a girl with red hair, wearing a pink dressed being supported by him. Something clicked in my head. Kairi… Next thing I knew I was up and running over to her, crying and trying to get her to respond. The strange boys managed to calm me down. The boy with silver hair glanced at a bracelet on my wrist. "Az..ra? Azra? Is that your name?" He asked me. Looking at the bracelet myself I saw that it spelled the name Azra, but it looked like some beads were missing. I didn't recognize the name, but I didn't mind it either so I dumbly nodded. The boys shared a look and then the boy with brown hair was tugging me along to follow him.

"Wh-what's your name?" I asked. He almost missed a step as he stumbled and rubbed his hair sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm Sora" He told me as he smiled at me, Got it memorized..? a voice echoed in my mind. Shaking it off, I couldn't help but smile back at Sora as I continued to follow him. Turning around to look at the other boy and stared at him. He stared right back as he helped Kairi and simply said "Riku."

Sora and Riku ended up bringing Kairi and I to the mayors house where we were deemed "shipwrecked" and traumatized by the ordeal. We couldn't remember what happened to us. No matter how hard I tried, for years to come, I couldn't remember anyone. Not my brother or Lea, not Aqua, or mickey, our home, or even my name. The Mayor of Destiny Islands adopted Kairi and I, and raised us. And so our journey began that night. Unknowing of the many adventures and hardships we would one day face in our battle of light against dark.