Kind of a follow-up to 3D's Another Guardian of Light (or come-before, really), but not really canon-complicit. Oh well. Wrote this before I actually saw the secret ending, just heard about it. Uploading mostly because Kairi's "hobby" is making a strong effort to become part of my head-canon.

When Sora and Riku returned to the islands, Kairi knew it immediately. She could feel it, a sudden rush of warmth in her heart that always made her smile. Whether it was because she was a Princess of Heart or it was left from when her heart had hidden within Sora's, she didn't know, but she was grateful all the same. She was especially glad of it now, after having lost that connection somehow while Sora and Riku were doing their exam.

She hadn't been terrified like that for a while. This had rattled her enough that she'd shut herself up in her room and dug out her shells, something she hadn't done since she'd been able to remember Sora's name. But they were back now. They were safe. So she started putting the shells away, tucking them into their box and pushing that to her closet.

She was just closing up the box to slide it back in place under a shelf when Sora burst into the room. "Kairi! We're back!" His grin was bright as the sun. "Guess what? Riku's Keyblade Master now! Isn't that cool?"

Kairi couldn't help it. She started to laugh. Sitting right on the floor in her open closet, the box of shells beside her, she laughed. They were fine. They were right here, acting the same as ever. Sensing it was one thing – actually seeing it was much, much better. Relief wasn't nearly a strong enough word.

"I still can't believe you're not upset," Riku said as he walked in behind Sora, decidedly calmer but still with a wry smile.

"Riku, we went over this, like, a million times on the way here." Sora rolled his whole head along with his eyes. "I think you're going to be a great Master. Just means I've got to work harder to catch up with you." He grinned again. "That's nothing new. I'm just glad you're safe."

Riku arched an eyebrow. "You still have no idea how backwards that is, do you?"

Sora shook his head, smile wilting just a little. "I know, but... I'm still happy."

"Wait," Kairi said, looking back and forth between the boys as she stood. "You didn't both pass?"

Riku shook his head. "Xehanort hijacked the exam. He almost –" There. Just a quick glance, aquamarine eyes flickering towards Sora, and Kairi could see that same protective drive that she had over a year ago, when Riku had held back Ansem to give her precious seconds to run away. "It was close."

That settled it. She was never letting them out of her sight again.

"Hey, Kairi?" Sora said, head tilted as he peered around her, either not having heard what Riku was saying or deliberately changing the subject. The former was so unlikely and the latter so unlike him that she was caught completely off-guard. "Why's your closet full of thalassa shells?"

"What?" Glancing behind her, she saw the box that was still in plain sight, the flaps having fallen open to reveal the shells. "Oh. It... It's silly."

Riku came over as well, curious and apparently just as eager as Sora to avoid talking about whatever had happened. Kairi couldn't help but feel left behind somehow, not liking the distance that had been growing between herself and her friends. "You've got twine out, too... Were you making another charm?"

"That's a lot of shells, though," Sora said. "Wow, Kairi, you must have enough for a hundred!"

Kairi flushed. "A thousand."

"Huh?" Sora's face was that adorable puppy-dog confusion she couldn't help but smile at.

"It was something Yuffie mentioned, when I was in Traverse Town before." No point in hiding it now. And, maybe, this would be a good way to explain what she'd decided, to start closing that gap between them again. "I know I promised you, but I didn't want to just wait. I wanted to do something. So Yuffie told me about this story from her world." Kairi pulled out the box, sliding it towards the chest at the foot of her bed. "There was this legend, that if you folded a thousand paper cranes, you'd be granted a wish. She tried to teach me, but I couldn't get them right. Then she and everyone else left, you sealed Kingdom Hearts again, and I was back on the island. But you and Riku weren't."

Kairi wasn't looking at either of them as she fiddled with the lock on the chest, so missed the looks they gave each other. "And when you didn't come home... when I started to forget you... I remembered that story. And I thought, well, thalassa shells are supposed to be for a safe journey. And maybe if I made enough..." Finally she opened the chest. Inside were hundreds of the small star-shaped charms, nearly a year's worth of work. "Maybe it'd help keep you two safe."

"Kairi..." Sora's voice was soft as he put a hand on her shoulder.

She shook her head, taking his hand in hers as she stood and turned to face them. "But I don't have to do this anymore. You two are more important to me than anything. I'm not going to rely on these to keep you safe." She put as much determination in her voice as she could, trying to make them understand. She had almost lost them. Waiting wasn't good enough – it never had been. "I want to learn how to use the Keyblade. I want to be able to protect you, like you've protected me."

Sora's eyes were wide with surprise, but behind him, Riku was giving her that small, soft smile. "Actually," he said lightly, "that makes my first job as Keyblade Master really simple." At Kairi and Sora's questioning looks, he went on, smile widening. "Master Yen Sid asked me to bring you to the Tower to start teaching you."

Sora's face split with a grin. "That's great!" He hugged her tightly, then reached out to pull Riku into the hug, too. "I can't wait! You're going to do awesome, Kairi!"

And Kairi couldn't help it. She started to laugh.