Chapter 4--Shadows

Kairi woke the next morning to find her husband still sleeping soundly next to her, his arms wrapped loosely around her. She could feel the muscles from years of practice enveloping her comfortably, but she knew couldn't stay in them. She was concerned with Sora and his nightmares, how they were affecting him. Still, she couldn't bring herself to wake him, especially when he looked so peaceful.

She managed to wiggle herself away from his grip and stand on her feet. Memories brought by her soreness caused her to blush, the heat rushing to her face. She had no idea what came into her—she was never normally that forward. She still felt like Sora cast a magic spell on her sometimes.

She walked silently toward the closet, picked out the best outfit for travelling—a rose-pink dress magically enhanced to resist injury that Aqua made for her some time ago. It saved her life in more than one occasion against Xehenort. For some reason, she felt she would need it now.

It's better to be cautious.

She moved toward the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the water heat up for a moment before stepping in. She let the water fall onto her body before washing up. She let her mind wonder to the past; how she fell in love with Sora, the adventures she had when she was in training, Riku—

Her chest felt heavy for a split second on the last thought. Riku confessed to Kairi first, after they returned to Destiny Islands from he and Sora's battle with Xemnas, Xehenort's Nobody. She was confused at the time, but after about a week, she realized she was trying to spare Riku's feelings. She loved Riku; she could rely on him, help her understand things when she couldn't. But she couldn't see him as more than a brother—she could love him, she could rely on him, but she couldn't see herself with him.

It was different for Sora. He was a goofball, always able to see the bright side of things. She couldn't really remember a time when he couldn't make her smile. And when it came down to it, Sora was the one who literally carried her heart back to her when she lost it, and killed himself and give it back to her, turning him into a Heartless. She knew in her heart then that she had falling in love with him.

She could rely on Riku—both of them really. She couldn't live without them in her life. But her heart wouldn't beat without Sora.

She turned off the shower after rinsing off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her body and drying her hair with another towel. She dried the rest of her body and got dressed before stepping out into the cold air, shivering a bit to the change in temperature. She moved back towards the bedroom to see Sora already dressed—he normally showered at night. He was in black, similar to what he was dressed in when she saw him in the Castle That Never Was. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at Keychains he collected over the course of his travels. She admitted that she was jealous at one point, but now she could see the beauty in her flowery Keyblade.

"Looking through memories?" She asked, sitting next to him.

"Not really," he answered, shaking his head his head at the Metal Chocobo Keychain. "I'm trying to see which I should take—I'm always pretty unprepared when it's time to fight. I want to make sure I'm ready this time."

She smiled at him, but she was despairing inside. Sora had his serious moments, but the look in his eye was too serious, like he was dreading the worst.

She held his hand and kissed him on his cheek. "Sora, I'm sure it's nothing horrible. We're just going to make sure."

She didn't believe that really—last time he had strange dreams like this, their island was sucked into the Realm of Darkness. Instead of voicing this, she grabbed a couple of Keychains and looked through them herself. "Which ones would you choose?"

"For you?"He asked. He continued as if he already knew the answer. "It depends on what you want to focus on."

She thought for a moment. She was originally only talking about this to cheer Sora up, but now she was genuinely interested. "I think I'm pretty well-rounded. Maybe something with a little more attack power would be nice."

He didn't hesitate, immediately grabbing what looked like a medallion with a lightning bolt across both sides. "Hero's Crest would be good. It won't affect you magic, but it'll increase your power. That one's kinda heavy though." He put it down and grabbed another, this one a black crown. "Oblivion maybe? It'll increase attack and magic, but not by much."

She summoned her Keyblade into her hand and took off the flower-shaped Keychain before attaching Oblivion. The blade changed with a small flash of light, changing into the black blade. It was slightly heavier than what she was used to, but she could feel the slight increase in her magic as she held it. She reattached her original Keychain and put Oblivion into her pocket.

It was then that she heard a crash in the direction of the kitchen. She looked at Sora wordlessly, standing quickly to her feet. Sora took the lead, Kingdom Key in hand, but not before grabbing all of the Keychains and jamming them into his pocket.

Before they reached the kitchen, they both saw a Shadow scurry across the floor. Without hesitation, the two rushed forward, both cutting the creature and ending its existence. The heart was released and floated into the air before disappearing.

They both really into the kitchen to see a small group of Shadows and Soldiers. The Soldiers were carrying glass plates, hoping around with them before throwing them to the ground.

"Oh, come on!" Kairi exclaimed. "I just bought those!"

This gained the Heartless' attention. Several of them attacked at once, but Kairi disposed of them quickly with a series of quick slashes. Before the other five could react, she cast a Thunder spell and dispersed of the rest.

"Jeez, Kairi," Sora said, standing as if he were in the middle of an attack himself. "Don't take all of them from me."

She smiled at him. "Gotta be faster than that."

Sora dropped his Keyblade to his side, looking around the kitchen. "Think that's the last them?"

Kairi nodded. "I think so."

Sora nodded in agreement. Then a thought occurred to him, almost as an afterthought. "Wait, if they're here, they can be all over the island!"

Kairi ran for the door, Sora following suit. She hoped Sora was wrong, but if he was, the rest of the island was in trouble.

Outside with Keyblade the in-hand, she saw the world she loved turned into a black abyss. Heartless we're out in droves, many breaking anything they could get their claws on. Kairi and Sora lunged forward, taking many of them out with single swings.

After a countless of amount of Heartless we're killed, Sora turned to Kairi with a nearly desperate expression. "How many are there!?"

Kairi destroyed another Soldier before answering. "I don't know! Do you think Riku is okay?"

Sora destroyed a Fat Bandit with a Blizzaga spell. "He's a Keyblade Master; I'm sure he's fine. We should try to find him, though."

Kairi nodded in agreement, though her heart started beating harder in fear at the thought. Riku took the rejection easy, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Still, she felt guilty. She managed to quell the feeling by launching a Firaga spell at a group of Blue Rhapsody. Ballads that happened to bounce a little too close to each other.

They both ran in the same direction, hoping their boats would still be there. It was the only place they could think of when it came.to Riku's location; The island where they all played as innocent youths. The place where all of this started.

Both Kairi and Sora knew what this meant deep down, though neither said a word for fear of it coming true.

A/N: Extremely sorry for the long wait! However, know that I am working on the next chapter as we speak-- er, read. Anyway, I sincerely hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. Be sure to leave a review and a like, as well as some advice for the story. Love you all and keep the light alive!