Kairi awoke slowly, taking her time before opening her eyes to the light of the morning. Her body felt weightless as if she were floating in clouds, which she attributed to her exhaustion. It was in wiggling her fingers and toes that she realized something was off. There were no blankets beneath her hands, no pillow supporting her head, and no soft mattress cushioning her body.
She really was floating!
In a panic, her eyes snapped open to find only unending darkness around herself. Either she was floating, or she'd been falling so long that the sensation had worn away, unable to tell down from up. Suddenly, a strong chorus of voices reached her ear:
"Awaken!
"Hold out your hand."
Kairi complied and reached her right hand in front of her. The dark around her was then replaced with a flash of blinding light, causing Kairi to shield her eyes with her left arm. When the light faded, she found herself standing on a large platform whose floor was made of stained glass. An image of herself formed upon it. On it, Kairi appeared to be floating upwards, with her face directed above her and her eyes gently closed. Surrounding herself were small circles containing portraits of the people Kairi held most dear: Sora, Riku, and Namine.
Kairi took in her surroundings. Save for the platform she was on, there was only darkness like before. She approached the edge and peered over, but the tower extended infinitely with no ground in sight.
"Where...am I?" Kairi asked. Last she recalled, she was laying down to sleep in Aerith's home after a long first day in Radiant Garden.
The chorus of disembodied voices echoed once more:
"Awaken.
"The time has come.
"Awaken."
Kairi turned around to see a figure on the other side of the platform, facing away from her. Her blonde hair and white dress made her stand out against the dark environment.
"Namine!" Kairi cried out. She ran to her and reached out to touch her Nobody's shoulder, only to have her hand pass through the girl's body. "An illusion?" Kairi asked herself.
The Namine turned to face Kairi and gave her a gentle smile. "Tell me, Kairi, what is it you want from life?"
Kairi opened her mouth to speak, but a powerful gust of wind swirled around her. She held up her hands to brace against the force while Namine's illusion remained unaffected. When the wind died and her vision cleared, Kairi's surroundings had changed. The stained glass and empty darkness was replace by her familiar islands. She found herself sitting upon the large horizontal Paopu tree, facing out into the sunset. On each side of her stood her closest friends. To her left, Riku gave her a signature smirk, as if to say "Welcome back." To her right, Sora gifted her with a bright grin, the kind he gave when he couldn't control his happiness. Kairi's heart was free of burden, and all felt at peace.
To Kairi's dismay, the dream faded almost as quickly as it had formed, and she once again stood on the glass floor before Namine. The mirage's expression seemed genuine, however, as she awaited Kairi's reply.
"I want...peace. I want to end this war and live happily on my islands," Kairi said.
Namine folded her hands behind her back and nodded with a smile. She faded from sight and a path of floating stained glass tiles formed behind her.
Kairi reached her hand to where her hallucination once stood, but the space was empty.
"What is this about?" Kairi asked herself, "Some kind of test?" She placed her foot on the first floating tile and pushed down. It remained stationary. Confident in its steadiness, she proceeded forward.
The path led upwards to a tower identical to the first one, save for the image formed by the stained glass. Kairi appeared on it like before, only this time beside six people she recognized: Belle, Aurora, Snow White, Jasmine, Cinderella, and Alice. All seven Princesses of Heart side-by-side. How long had it been since they were all together, preventing the spread of Darkness to all worlds? Though they'd only met once, Kairi had truly felt a connection to them.
It was a position of immense responsibility, containing a heart of pure Light, and Kairi wasn't sure that she was ready to bear it. She'd had so many questions: how was she chosen? Why was she chosen? Was it even a choice by some sentient being, or was it random?
She'd been so transfixed by the colorful glass that she'd failed to notice a new figure appear on the circular platform. Kairi immediately recognized him, for who else could pull off long, silver hair but Riku? His back faced her, forcing her to circle the platform to meet his gaze.
"Are you...another illusion?" Kairi asked.
The silver-haired young man lifted his head, his hands remaining in his pockets. "What are you afraid of, Kairi?"
Kairi's environment transformed once again, but this time her new surroundings were unfamiliar. She appeared in a vast desert, mostly flat with various plateaus jutting from the ground. The most disturbing aspect, however, were the hundreds of Keyblades protruding from the sand around her.
"What...happened here?" she asked, turning about, "I don't recognize this place." This world was so barren and empty, as if it had been laid asunder by a great war. If a war had taken place here, then were all these Keyblades...the casualties?
Kairi spotted a person in the distance, and her heart leapt with joy. She knew that brown spiky hair anywhere. Without hesitation, she took off sprinting towards the friend who she missed so dearly.
"Sora!" she shouted as she ran, "Sora, it's me!" He stood facing away from her. He either couldn't hear her or was ignoring her. Sora wouldn't ignore her, though, would he? The closer she came to him, the more something seemed off. Sora had always been on the leaner side, but here his muscles had grown substantially. Her pace slowed to a walk as she recalled the question previously asked to her:
What are you afraid of, Kairi?
"Sora?" she asked, "Are you alright?" Kairi was only feet away from his turned back, within arms reach. She extended her hand forward, hoping he was just another illusion, but her fingertips grazed the fabric of his shirt. His body turned to face her first, then his head. He looked down sorrowfully, avoiding her gaze. Kairi placed both hands on his shoulders and gently spoke, "Sora, it's okay. You're safe. You don't have to hide anything from me. I'm just happy to see you again," she smiled.
As his gaze shifted upwards, it sent Kairi stumbling back in shock. The bright sea that was once Sora's eyes had turned to a yellow haze. When his eyes met hers, his expression changed from sorrow to one Kairi had never witnessed from him before.
Anger. Raw, unfiltered anger.
"No," he spoke. His hand shot forward, catching Kairi unexpectedly by her neck. The grip around her throat tightened as he lifted her from the ground. "You're too late," he said. His voice had deepened, and his strength had multiplied; this wasn't Sora. Kairi struggled to breathe as she attempted in vain to loosen his calloused hand. Unable to speak, all she could do was search his eyes for the boy she knew; the boy who found her washed ashore so many years ago. All that met her were yellow daggers that may as well have pierced straight to her heart. Tears formed in her eyes, though not for herself. These were the stakes if Sora were to be lost to Darkness; if Kairi failed him.
Kairi kept her gaze on Sora even as her strength weakened, and prayed that the Sora she knew was still there. His grip was unrelenting, as if no part of him was fighting this. Then, just as her senses began to fade completely, he vanished, leaving her to fall to the ground. Kairi fought for breath as she grasped her throat, her lungs not prepared for the sudden entry of air. Tears, however, still came forth, demanding to be released. Lacking any strength, Kairi collapsed on her side and allowed them to stream down her face and onto the dirt beneath her.
"Sora…" she repeatedly muttered between hyperventilated breaths.
It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real
Kairi echoed those words to herself over and over, but her inner fear replied.
It could be.
A part of her hoped that, somehow, the Sora she knew would appear in her nightmare to tell her that this would never happen; that it'd all be okay. Kairi lay by herself for what felt like an eternity, but he never showed.
The dream eventually faded, and Kairi found herself curled on the glass before the illusion of Riku. The strain on her throat had left, as if nothing had occurred in the past few minutes. Tears continued to fill her eyes, however, as she processed what had happened. She slowly stood and faced the boy who expected an answer.
"Do I have to say it?" she glared into the eyes of her illusion, who gave no acknowledgement. "Fine," she jabbed. "I can't…" she stopped herself. "I couldn't bear it...if Sora or anyone I care for...was lost to Darkness."
Riku regretfully looked down, and Kairi realized the irony of saying this to him, even if he was fake. This had already happened before with Riku. Though his strength brought him back, Kairi knew that Riku shared her fear - that Sora would experience the same fate.
Riku faded just as Namine had, and another path opened before her. She hesitated in moving, fearing what else this place would subject her to. Her resolve pushed her forward as the path led her farther up, though it wasn't as if any direction really mattered.
What would all of this accomplish, anyways? She'd been pried over what she wanted and what she feared. Why was this place asking her such questions? Would they only get deeper and more personal as she continued?
Stepping foot onto the new tower, the mural took Kairi aback, for only she and Sora appeared within it. Both curled on their sides as if asleep, their images faced each other with their hands intertwined in the center. Kairi blushed at the mere thought of being so close to him again… She shook her head to bring her attention back, "Focus, Kairi," she said to herself, "You need to-" she was stopped in her tracks once more. The new illusion that appeared before her only elevated her bashfulness. The boy she was trying to get her mind off of in that moment was within arms reach.
Unlike the other mirages, he emerged facing her directly. Out of fear, she instinctively stepped out of his reach before remembering that this wasn't her nightmare. His appearance was of the Sora she knew and remembered. He sported a confident stance, but his vivid blue eyes looked to her with tenderness. With his gaze, her fears were washed away, for this boy who stood before her could never become the subject of her nightmare. She folded her hands behind her back and smiled at him.
"So, Sora, what's your question for me?"
"Hey, Kairi," he scratched the back of his head, "Last one, I promise. What do you cherish most?"
She already knew the answer, but needed more than anything else in the moment to live out this dream, especially after the last one. She knew exactly where she would go and who she would see. That time, she welcomed the swirling winds.
Kairi's eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, for the cave only allowed a small trickle of light to break through from above. The familiar sand moved beneath her feet as the stone walls came into focus. It amazed her that each of their sketches, from the fabled Chocobo to their random scribbles, had stayed in tact after all the years. She grazed her hand along the smooth edges until she came upon the drawing she sought. The one she'd found on her first day back on the restored islands. The one she'd made her own addition to on that same day.
It was nothing that stood out artistically, like Namine's colorful sketches had; just an innocent children's drawing at first. For years, it stood dormant and untouched, while something slowly stirred in the hearts of its creators. That "something" grew large enough to compel one of them to modify the drawing ten years later. A minute change, but with a message clearer than what words could express.
It had all made sense in that moment: his competitiveness with Riku over the years, his sacrifice, and his promise. Kairi had thought herself foolish for being so blind. Whether or not she reciprocated these feelings was without question, for where her heart always sought refuge was no coincidence.
"You've always been there, haven't you?" she asked as she ran her fingers across the chalk.
"And I always will be."
Kairi spun eagerly to the source of his voice. Though he was just a dream, her emotions still overcame her at his sudden appearance. The distance between them quickly disappeared, and she embraced the person she truly wanted to see.
Never had a dream felt so real as her fingers ran through his chocolate hair. He returned her embrace, and they both sighed into each other in relief. His touch wasn't firm or coarse as before, but tender and warm just as she remembered him.
"I miss you," she muttered, not caring that her words wouldn't reach the real Sora's ears. They needed to be said, as did many others. She could say everything right here, right now, with no fears or consequences; just her thoughts finally articulated to the one who needed to hear them. Was she a coward for considering this temptation?
"I miss you too," his arms tightened around her waist.
She hoped he truly did, that it wasn't just her wishes being projected. She pushed out of their embrace and faced him. He gave her a bright smile and reached within his pocket. Her temptation only grew deeper, for what emerged in his hand wasn't her lucky charm she'd expected, but the fruit it was shaped after. The yellow star of legend, said to contain the ability to unite the destiny of the two who share it. If she wanted, she could make their depiction on the cave walls a reality and bring existence to her fantasy.
Everything about him looked, sounded, and felt real, but none of this was. Her mind repeated this truth, that no action here would be genuine. It wouldn't be fair for her to truly speak if he weren't truly listening, or for her to experience what he couldn't. Until the time was right, her thoughts wouldn't be put into action, real or imaginary.
"What is it, Kairi?" he asked.
She smiled back, "Oh nothing, just...taking it in." She cherished every detail of the moment: their secret cave, the sound of the small waterfall outside, the scent of seawater mixed with foliage. She cupped both of her hands over his. "Some things are better face-to face." Using her hands, she folded his over the sacred fruit. "The time will come, and when it does, it'll be worth the wait. It always is with you."
Their gazes met as Kairi's hands lingered over his. "That a promise?" he half-smiled and lifted an eyebrow.
She could at least ensure to herself. "Promise," she replied as the winds returned and her dream faded.
Cast out of her fantasy, Kairi stood once more in the strange, elegant setting before a dream of Sora. Only, that illusion she couldn't touch. Her heart sank at the sudden pang of loneliness. How much longer would this place torment her, diving deeper into her heart?
Kairi looked the mirage in his eyes and swallowed heavily as he awaited her reply like the others. She acknowledged him with authenticity:
"Sora...your heart, your friendship, it means more to me than anything," she said softly. He appeared genuinely astonished at her words, causing her face to flush red.
Oh, god, you ARE fake, right?
Her nerves calmed as he settled into a smile before vanishing. Was she selfish for thinking this? She questioned her worthiness of bearing pure Light if she put her friendships before the fate of the worlds.
No path stood before her, but a large door materialized on the far side of the stained-glass tower. Botanic designs weaved along the dark wood from its base to its almond-shaped top. Kairi approached it and ran her fingers down the smooth finish.
Two things concerned Kairi. Firstly, this door didn't seem to lead anywhere, for it stood on its own with no walls or room attached to it. Secondly, it didn't have a handle or knob. No where it led, and no way to open it.
Realization came to her later than she'd liked to admit. Holding her right hand in front of her, Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace to her fingertips. With it, a keyhole revealed itself upon the door. Following her intuition, she directed the tip of her Keyblade towards it. A beam of light shot from the blade and pierced the keyhole. The floor quaked as the doors slowly eased open towards her. Light poured in from the room ahead, forcing her to shield her darkness-adjusted eyes.
"Please be the end," Kairi prayed. Keyblade in hand, the princess slowly proceeded forward. This new "room", however, couldn't really be referred to as such, for it appeared as if she were above the clouds. Several paces forward stood a pedestal, on which a white flame danced merrily. Kairi unsummoned her Keyblade and approached the strange radiance. Instinctively, she reached her hand towards it. Though her skin was mere inches from it, no warning was given that it would burn her. No heat crept up her hand, and the blaze continued to swirl carelessly upon its pillar.
"Oh heart of pure light", a deep, vivid voice called out to her. Kairi jumped back from the flame and glanced all around. The voice held omnipotence, stemming from no singular source. She didn't know whether to be terrified or awestruck.
"Who are you?" she asked in return, simply directing her gaze upwards. "Where am I?"
"Reach into the flame, to find the answers your heart desires," was the only reply she received.
The princess obeyed and slowly submerged her hand in the white kindle. Her mind was immediately filled with visions that were not hers; visions of a great war taking place upon a familiar land. She experienced several conflicting emotions—pain, pleasure, joy, sorrow, guilt, peace, anger, serenity—Kairi fought the urge to recoil her hand back.
The voice rang out again:
"When Darkness overtook the land, the worlds became isolated from each other. Under the threat of eternal Darkness, Kingdom Hearts dispersed the purest of Light into the hearts of seven young maidens. Immune from the pull of Darkness, they kept Light alive and protected the Door."
Kairi's vision sang with the voice, depicting the heart-shaped moon shedding Light onto the world below. The Door must have meant the one Ansem had opened in the ruins of Hollow Bastion. The voice continued:
"They were not immortal, however. When the time came for their hearts to return to the source, Kingdom Hearts reincarnated the Light into a new body and soul, continuing the cycle and maintaining the seal over the Heart of all Worlds. With each generation came seven Princesses of Heart. Though not all were royalty, they held immense power, and their hearts drew many close to them."
One by one, a line of women appeared to Kairi's left, all of diverse ages and appearances. Some dressed in elegance and grace, while others displayed readiness for battle.
"Who stand beside you are the previous vessels whose hearts bore pure Light: the Light within your heart now, and the very same that glows before you."
The white tendrils continued to swirl painlessly about her hand, giving off a soft aura. This wasn't a flame made of fire at all, hence why it gave off no heat. This Light didn't solely belong to her, but to many.
And if that was the Light within her heart, then that meant she was…
"I'm in my own heart?" Kairi asked, "Is that even possible?" The explanation made sense, regarding the questions, illusions, and dreams.
Judging by the number of Princesses that came before her, this Keyblade War must be ancient, passed down only in stories like the ones her grandmother told her.
Before releasing her hand from the Light, Kairi studied the faces of the women beside her. She wondered their names and searched for any sort of connection with them. With no luck, she pulled her hand from the Light, only to have it pull her back. Before confusion could dawn on her, it began inching up her arm.
Though there was no immediate danger, Kairi still panicked at the unexpected action. The Light soon engulfed her arm, her torso, her legs, and her whole body. Before her vision swarmed with overwhelming brightness, the voice spoke once more, accompanied by dozens more feminine tones:
"Embrace the Light, Kairi, for it is you."
Kairi jolted awake in her bed, drenched in a pool of her own sweat; how long had she been dreaming for? Seconds later, her bedroom door was swung open, and Aerith came running in.
"Kairi! Are you alright?"
"Um, Yeah." She pressed a palm to her head, "Just a dream, I guess."
Aerith took a seat at the edge of Kairi's bed and looked to her with concern. "A nightmare about Lea?"
Kairi rubbed the back of her head, "No,actually, he wasn't even there. It was strange, like I was seeing inside my own heart."
Aerith's expression turned curious. "... Interesting… Do you want to go find Merlin now?"
She glanced out her window, and it was clear that morning was still far off. Though Merlin likely had an erratic sleeping schedule, it would be rude to disturb him so late. "I'll tell him in the morning. I'm sure it's nothing big," Kairi smiled reassuringly at Aerith.
Her hostess pressed the back of her hand to Kairi's perspiring forehead. "At least allow me to bring your temperature down?"
"How would you do that?" the princess asked. She didn't recall any potion cabinets in Aerith's home, or at least what she'd seen of it.
Aerith smiled and gently placed a hand on each of Kairi's temples. She breathed slowly and deeply. From her peripherals, Kairi could see that the woman's hands were glowing, and she immediately felt the effects. Her heartbeat slowed, her muscles relaxed, the pulsing in her head ceased, and the chill in her body slowly dissipated. As if sensing that she had been fully alleviated, Aerith released her hands.
Kairi looked to her healer in surprise, "You're...you're a mage!"
Aerith smiled and shrugged, "Kind of. I guess you could say I'm in touch with Life."
The connection to the vast flower gardens surrounding Aerith's home came to mind. "Thank you, Aerith."
"My pleasure!" she said, rising from the bed, "I'll give you space so you can rest up. Don't hesitate to call for anything, okay?"
"Actually," Kairi stopped her, "do you have pen and paper? I think journaling will help me understand my dreams more."
Aerith nodded and happily retrieved the items Kairi had asked for, leaving her to her thoughts. Initially, the princess genuinely intended just to journal in order to prevent any memory gaps from her experience. However, the more she wrote her thoughts, the more her writing turned into… a letter. Would she send it? Likely not, lest she feel the need to embarrass herself. Regardless, if she couldn't speak her thoughts at the moment, she would at least write them. The pen flowed seamlessly along the parchment, and the sound of ink to medium became almost therapeutic. She lifted her pen to the top of the page and added a, perhaps unnecessary, header:
"To Sora..."
A/N: Hello, everyone, thank you so much for continuing to read and give feedback on this story! A smile creeps across my face whenever I'm notified of a review/follow/favorite. It really touches my heart:) My resolution is to write everyday so that I can finish this story before Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out. Wow, just saying that last phrase is blowing my mind. Did you all catch the new trailers? Kingdom Hearts 3 is really happening this year! Thank you, again, for taking your time to read my story!
Another very big thank-you to FlowerLady-Aerith for beta-reading this chapter!
