A/N: Well, here's my next update (whoopie :D). Anyway, this one is more of a story-line type deal, where it sets up some things, explains others, yada yada yada, lol. Anyway, please do enjoy all the same, oh, and be sure to leave a review, too :D.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Chapter 8: The Powerful Bonds of the Heart

Castle Avalon, the following morning:

Sora, after a long night's sleep, finally woke up. "Oh…my head…wait! Where am I?" The young Keybearer looked around as he realized that he was in an unfamiliar place.

"Oh relax, Sora. You're in castle Avalon. You had us all very scared, my lad; especially a certain princess. Why, it took me nearly all night for me to get her to agree to finally get some sleep." A familiar voice chuckled; he turned to see that it was Merlin, sitting in a comfortable wooden rocking chair, pipe in hand.

"What happened? Why are we here?" Sora inquired as he got up and stretched the knots from his muscles, taking note of a slight "twinge" in his back between his shoulder blades.

"Well, according to your friend Terra, you had a very…nasty encounter with an apprentice of a man named Xehanort, and you appeared to have taken the worst beating of them all, so we brought you here to administer proper care. I see that that Elixir Donald gave you has done the trick, that scar on your back is barely noticeable now." The elderly wizard examined as he caught a glimpse of Sora's back.

"A scar? Sora realized that he was without his favorite shirt and jacket, then turned his back towards a mirror off in the corner to try and look at the wound. It was pretty big, stretching from in between his shoulder blades, going diagonally down all the way to just above where his right kidney would be. His blue eyes winced as his mind recalled how he had received the cut. "Yeah…that guy…Xehanort's Apprentice…he's far more powerful than anything we've ever faced before. If he's this strong, one can only imagine how powerful his Master is…" Sora mumbled as he rubbed his forehead in frustration, but then he remembered what had happened to him during the fight. "Hey, Merlin, I think I may have discovered a new ability…"

"A 'new ability', you say? Tell me what happened." Merlin twisted his beard in curiosity.

"Well, during the fight with Xehanort's Apprentice, I tried to find where he was moving…so I closed my eyes. Then all of a sudden, my other senses became so powerful, that I knew almost, if not everything that was around me. I couldn't see anything…but I knew it was there, but when I opened my eyes, everything went back to normal." Sora explained as he sat back down.

"My goodness, lad! That is a rare talent indeed. Why, I do believe you have a skill known as 'Aura Perception'." The wizard chuckled.

"'Aura Perception?'" Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it's an ability that allows one to know every little detail about their surroundings, allowing them to take very precise action in response. Only those whose hearts are very pure with Light can tap into it…and rumor has it, that with practice, it can be used even with your eyes opened, allowing you to truly 'understand' everything about where you are." Merlin mused as he put his pipe to his mouth. "Tell me, did you manage to detect your adversary with it?"

"Yes, and he felt like a deathly chill, void of any kind of life." Sora nodded his head.

"I see…you appear to have a very strong depth to this perception. It appears that you associate people with certain sensations while using it, this may even allow you to see intentions, perhaps. At any rate, I recommend you hone your skills in this, Sora. It will serve you well through your journey. Oh, and your clothes have been mended, they're on the table near your bed." With that, Merlin dismissed himself, leaving Sora to think.

"Hm…I wonder…" The brunette Keybearer pondered as he closed his eyes and focused on his other senses in an attempt to repeat what happened last time. Just as before, he felt a rush throughout his senses. Now, he tried to single out the people from the environment. In the hallway, he felt a presence that seemed like a fresh summer rain complimented by what he would feel if he were standing next to a camp fire, smoke and all. "That must be Merlin…" Sora thought as he continued to explore. Next door was a presence that felt like the cool breeze that only comes with an unhindered sunrise, or the dawn "Riku…" He didn't know why, but somehow he just knew that was who it was, and a door beyond that, he felt an essence that felt like a torrential downpour of rain, as if it were a storm "That must be Terra." Finally, across the hall, he felt something that reminded him of the times he would just lay down in the warm sand and allow the ocean waves to gently caress his body, there was only one person in the worlds he would imagine to feel like that to him. He opened his eyes (his senses once again returned to normal), put on his muscle shirt, left his room and went to the door across the hallway. He knocked on the door, receiving no response.

Sora slowly cracked the door and whispered, "Kairi, are you in here?" He heard soft, rhythmic breathing from the inside, so he opened the door just a little further. It was indeed Kairi, but she was asleep. Her delicate figure was sprawled out over her bed, silken sheets covering all but her head and hands, being as she was hugging her pillow. Not wanting to disturb her sleep, Sora slowly backed out of the doorway, only to be halted by a faint whisper.

"Sora?" Kairi lifted her body up from the bed. The Keyblade Master walked back in as he used a weak Fire spell to light a candle on a desk.

"Yeah, I'm here, Kairi." He examined her now illuminated body, she was wearing a delicately knitted nightgown that appeared to be made of a lush material, but the feature that Sora noticed most were the tear-stains that covered her face. "Are you alright?" He asked as he gently rubbed his hand across Kairi's cheek, her only response was to give him a very tight, relief-laden hug.

"I'm fine, I was just worried sick about you. There was a moment where I thought I…we lost you." Kairi's eyes began to well with tears as she tightened the hug.

"I'm fine, Kairi…I'm so sorry I worried you." Sora tried to soothe the princess as he returned the hug. The two teens let go of each other, their faces giving a very apparent blush.

A few moments of nervous silence passed before Kairi spoke up. "Sora…I have a question."

"Yeah?" The brunette Keybearer turned his head in curiosity.

"Where did you get your scar?" She asked.

"Uh…from my fight with Xehanort's Apprentice." His voice was now laced with a subtle nervousness.

"No…this one…" The auburn-haired girl placed her hand over the left side of Sora's chest.

"Oh…well…I got it…back when Radiant Garden was Hallow Bastion. Remember when Riku was being controlled by Xehanort's Heartless?" Sora stammered, Kairi just nodded her head in response.

"Well…he had a dark Keyblade, or an Anti-Keyblade, if you will; being as it unlocked peoples hearts, rather than locked them like mine. Your heart was in mine, and the only way to release it was to sacrifice mine. So…I did, and I suppose that's where I got the scar." Sora finished as he placed his hand on top of Kairi's, whose hand was still over his heart.

"You know…you never did tell me why you went through all you did." Kairi's eyes locked with Sora, to Sora they felt like they bore into his heart, but in a good way.

"I did it…for you. I…love you, Kairi. That's what kept me going…what still keeps me going." Sora spoke with a certainty that shocked even himself, but what he said was true, so he was glad for it. The next thing he knew, Kairi's lips were pressed against his. Once he absorbed the moment though, his body relaxed as he returned the favor. A few seconds later, they broke apart.

"I love you too, Sora. I suppose I always knew, deep down. That may have even been the reason why my heart went to you; actually, I'm sure of it. Here, I want you to take this." Kairi solemnly spoke as she grabbed something from her satchel which was laying off the foot of the bed. She then handed a familiar star-shaped charm to Sora, gently closing his hand over it with her own. "It was with you last time, perhaps it will help you again."

"Yeah…thanks Kairi. To me though, the most important thing I could ever have is you. Don't forget that." Sora smiled as he gently kissed Kairi's forehead. "Well, you'd better get dressed; it's almost time for breakfast." Sora laughed as he helped Kairi out of bed, and left so she could change into her clothes for the day while he went and grabbed his "trusty" jacket. "I need to have a word with Terra soon though…why would he wield the same Keyblade that the armored figure did?" Sora thought he slipped on the rest of his clothes.

A/N: Phew...this was by far my longest chapter to date for this story, but I enjoyed writing every word of it, lol (hope you enjoyed reading :D). WHOHOOO! The cat's (FINALLY) out of the bag (if you get my meaning, lol). Hm...the conversation between Sora and Terra should be...interresting to say the least, lol. Oh, and the fact that Sora sees people as "feelings" is someone interesting as well, it might even be important :O. Well, be sure to leave a review and let me know what you think.

~KBMP