So this is the first fanfic that I've ever written. It entails a rather unusual situation which takes place after Kingdom Hearts 3. What sort of situation, you may ask? Well, read on to find out! Note that the OC/self insert isn't in this chapter, as this chapter focuses on Kairi.

Chapter Theme: Destati (Dive to the Heart)

Kairi was running.

She ran as fast and hard as she could, but she just wasn't fast enough. She wasn't running away from anything… In fact, she was running towards someone. Another girl, blonde-haired and dressed in white. She had the same face and eyes as Kairi…

The place was dark, seemingly blank save for the stained glass platform upon which she and the other girl were trying to reach each other. Upon the face of the stained glass, or rather worked into the floor, was an image of Kairi, sleeping, with portraits of Sora, Riku, Axel, and Mickey around her head. Upon this massive plateau, Kairi and the second girl were running as fast and hard as they could, trying to reach each other.

The second girl said something, though Kairi could not hear even a single word. She had tears in her eyes and looked horribly afraid, trying to reach Kairi in order to save herself from some fate worse than death.

But no matter what each of them did, the two young women drifted further and further apart. Kairi was getting desperate, and even summoned her Keyblade, holding it out to the girl in the hopes of extending her reach. The second girl, in a last-ditch effort to be rescued, dove for the Keyblade… But to no avail. As Kairi and the second girl looked into each other's eyes, the second girl gave one final, silent cry, and though Kairi could not hear her, she knew exactly what she was saying.

I don't want to be forgotten!

With those words, the second girl fell, disappearing into the empty blackness of the void…

"NAMINÉ!" Kairi gasped, sitting up with a start. She looked around herself, catching her breath.

She was at home, in her room on the world known as Destiny Islands. To her left sat her dresser, with her Wayfinder atop it, sitting between photos of her with her pals Riku and Sora. To the right, her bed met the wall. On the far side of the room was the door that led into the rest of the house. It had all been a dream… A horrible dream. She had been plagued by the same nightmare for several nights now. But it couldn't have been any ordinary dream… As a Princess of Heart, Kairi normally did not experience nightmares, let alone ones as vivid as the one she had been having about Naminé.

Kairi put a hand to her cheek. Just like the past several nights, there was a damp streak there. She had been crying in her sleep. Of course she had been. Naminé was part of Kairi, and therefore it stood to reason that she could influence Kairi at times.
Getting up, Kairi decided she had better ask some of the others for advice. She had a feeling Sora would want to help but wouldn't be sure what to do, and Riku would just point her to that confusing Master Yen Sid guy. That left Ventus, Master Aqua, Terra, Axel - sorry, Lea, she always thought of him by his old name at first and was still getting accustomed to the change - and King Mickey.
Maybe I should try Lea first, she thought. Naminé acted like she knew him before she and I merged, and he was once part of Organization XIII so he might know of a way we could find out for sure…

It was a good thing school was out for the summer. Kairi would have to find Lea first, and these days, he could be anywhere from Twilight Town to Radiant Garden to even his old room in the Castle that Never Was.

I hope he's not there of all places, she thought. The World that Never Was is a place I'd rather not ever go back to.

Taking her handmade Wayfinder, Kairi left her room. Grabbing a quick breakfast in the kitchen, she headed for her boat to head out to the island where she and her closest friends had always played as kids…

So What do you think? I know this chapter ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I want to keep you guys coming back for more. The next couple of chapters are already written and are just waiting for publication. Tune in next time to find out about the OC insert!