AN: I'm definitely going to be publishing the chapters for this out of order. Riku's actually the last in the lineup chronologically; I just got his done first, and I was really proud of how it turned out, so I wanted to go ahead and publish it, along with the intro.
As I update this fic, be sure and check the chapter index for whatever the new chapter is. It might not be the last one listed.
The void was nothing.
It didn't have light, it didn't have darkness. There was nothing to look at, and it almost hurt your eyes to stare in one spot for too long, because the black abyss was the absence of everything.
It wasn't good, and it wasn't bad. It just was. And what it was, was empty.
Except for Kairi.
She woke up here, barely conscious, after the Demon Tide swept her up. She assumed she died in that cloud, and she was right. But her strength and light had led her heart here, to this in-between non-place.
Not too long after opening her eyes and realizing what her situation was, she felt Riku and then Sora die, as well. Her heart's connection to them, though tenuous after her own death, was still present, and she knew.
She made the hasty decision to channel her powers into willing Sora to stay together, just together enough to give him a second chance. Right then, it was all she could do for him, for anyone, and it exhausted her immediately.
She hated not being able to do the same for Riku and the others. She felt tears prick at her eyes, and sucked in a shaky breath.
If anyone could save them all, it was Sora. It had to be him.
This was one of the tough decisions that came with being a Princess, she supposed. All she could do was wait.
Over the next bit of time, she felt Sora's heart become stronger and stronger, and her tears quickly became ones of relief. Not too long after that, Riku's heart was restored, and she felt like cheering.
It had to be Sora. Of course.
One by one, quicker and quicker, she could tell the others' hearts were also coming back; at least, she could tell they were appearing here in the void with her. She hadn't spent enough time with people like Ventus and Aqua to recognize their hearts immediately, but they were familiar enough.
Seven other hearts had popped up now, and she could tell that the closest was Axel's; his had shown up just minutes before. Almost everyone was here now.
Kairi wondered, could Sora get everyone's hearts back to their bodies? Would they return on their own?
Then, an eighth heart: his. He was here with them, now.
Alright, then. It was up to Kairi, she guessed.
You've done plenty, Sora. Let me handle the rest.