Chapter 12 – The Princess and the Witch
Sora wandered aimlessly through the remains of his heart. He was lost in the depths of sleep, a dull, throbbing sensation his only companion. All sense of time was gone; whether mere moments or an eternity had passed, he didn't know. His only reality was the slow, pained beating of his own heart and the ruined landscape around him.
Disjointed memories. The waters of the pool by the Secret Place were red. So were the waves by the shore, crashing crimson against the blackened sand. The paopu tree had splintered, its fruit scattered all over the ground. When he tried to pick one up, it rotted away in his hands. Not even the little shack could offer him shelter. Lightning had struck it, cleaving it in two. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but chaos and destruction.
He collapsed onto the ground, and the sand dug into his back, much sharper than he had expected. He cried out, and the tears that escaped his eyes stung his cheeks.
What's happening to me?
He sank, deeper and deeper still, till the sand had completely engulfed him. He fell down a dark pit before landing on a cold, hard surface. It was covered with colorful pieces of jagged glass. Shards of it cut into his skin, but he was too exhausted to move. His heart ached, and he just wanted the pain to end.
In his loneliness, he cried out to his friends. But there was no response. It was cold, and he found himself wishing for warmth.
Just when he'd nearly given up hope, there was a quiet whisper that echoed deep into the depths of his heart.
"Sora," a familiar voice called.
Heavy lids fluttered opened. Before him stood a girl in a simple white dress and blue shoes. She held a sketchpad in one arm, and her golden hair was draped over one shoulder. Big blue-violet eyes gazed down at him, and the mere sight of her moved him deeply.
"Naminé? Is that really you?" he asked. He sat up to make sure. The gentle warmth from her smile filled his heart, and it was so good to see her again that his eyes watered.
Now. Now was his chance. He could finally say the words he'd waited so long to tell her.
"Naminé," he said. "I just wanted to—"
She put a finger over her lips. "Sorry, It'll have to wait. I'm here because I wanted to warn you."
"Warn me?" Sora asked, frowning.
Warn me? Don't tell me, did Ventus—
Her eyes were filled with a deep sadness, and she paused before she spoke again. "Yes, Sora. Kairi's in danger."
His heart froze. A million horrible possibilities flooded his mind. No no no. She was supposed to be safe. Merlin was taking care of her, wasn't he? What had happened?
This is my fault. They'll always be after her, all because I—because I—
"She's fighting very bravely, but her attacker is relentless."
"Naminé, please," he begged, grabbing her hands as her sketchpad clattered to the ground, "Where is she? What's happening? Who's attacking her?"
She shook her head. "I don't think you'll be happy to—"
"Tell me."
She sighed and closed her eyes. "It's Vanitas."
A horrified cry escaped his lips. It wasn't enough that Vanitas had attacked him and sabotaged his attempt to rescue Ventus; now he was after Kairi too. This really was his fault. Intentionally or not, he was the one who had set Vanitas free. The lump in his throat tightened, and more tears threatened to spill out at any moment. What would he do to her if—
Naminé's soothing voice interrupted his panicked thoughts. "Don't worry. She has it in her to defeat him, I know she does. But there's something only you can give her, something I think will help."
"Something only I can give her?" he asked. He wished Naminé would speak more clearly. He could barely focus on her cryptic words in his current state of mind.
Something only I can give her… something only I can give her…
Her expression grew very serious as she prepared to deliver the next part of her news. "Yes. But Sora, it won't be easy. Your heart is badly injured, so much so that you've fallen into a deep sleep. It's your heart's way of protecting itself from further damage."
Sora was silent as the implications of what she said sank in. "I have to wake up, don't I?"
She nodded.
"I woke Ventus up. That means… I should be able to wake my own heart up too, right?"
"But don't you see?" Naminé cried. Her lip trembled, her eyes filling with tears. "What I'm asking you to do is terribly dangerous. I don't know what forcing your heart awake will do to you. It should be possible, but I don't think it's been done before."
He smiled sadly. "It doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does. You'll be in unimaginable pain—"
"I don't care."
Naminé was silent for a moment. She struggled to bring her emotions under control, her voice forced when she finally spoke again. "I thought you might say that.
The way to help Kairi… it's a power you've rightfully earned, little by little, with every friend you've made."
"I have?" Sora asked. He'd always known his power came from his friends, but what Naminé was saying made it sound like something more, something greater.
"Yes. It's the kind of power Xehanort desires, but can never have. You'll know what to do when the time comes." She turned to leave.
"Naminé, wait!" he cried. "I still haven't—"
It was her turn to give him a sad smile. "Save it for the next we meet, okay? Kairi's waiting."
oOo
The something only he could give her, as it turns out, was something that was already hers. It had been for a long time.
One by one, he linked the hearts of their friends to his, forming one long, connecting chain that finally reached her. The light of her heart shone as bright as ever, the same light that always called him out of the darkness.
He'd done it to encourage her, to show her that even during her lowest of lows, she was never alone. That was the promise they had made to each other, and he wasn't about to let an injured heart stop him from keeping it. Even if the pain was so excruciating that he could barely breathe.
What he wasn't expecting was her response. She shared his pain, providing some much-needed relief to his wounded heart. It was a welcome respite from all the people whose hurt he carried on top of his own.
But then she went above and beyond. All of a sudden, he was overwhelmed by a flood of memories and feelings. With a sob, he realized they weren't his own. She'd sent them his way, using the connection he'd created in a way he didn't even know was possible.
He treasured each and every one of them, taking them in until his heart was filled to the brim. Each memory filled a hole; each tender feeling repaired a gash, and the light from her heart knit the scattered pieces of his back together, one by one, till it was whole once more.
It would be difficult to find a heart that shone more brilliantly than his did in that moment. His suffering was over, the damage he'd sustained from saving Ventus, as well as his struggle with Vanitas, completely gone.
When he said her name, it was with the utmost reverence and devotion. He wanted nothing more than to see her smile again, to hear her laugh and hold her safe in his arms. He had to show her how thankful he was for what she'd done. It was with that thought that he was reunited with her at last.
oOo
This isn't a dream. This is real.
Kairi wrapped her arms around Sora and leaned against him, too overwhelmed to stand on her own any longer. He pulled her close and buried his face in her hair, his whole body trembling with emotion.
He was really here. He was safe and whole.
They rested in each other's arms, their separation over at long last. Every moment together was to be treasured, every second precious.
In the end, she was the first to pull away. She wanted to see for herself. To make sure. Looking up into his eyes, she placed a hand over his heart. The gentle thud of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips told her what she needed to know, and there wasn't even a hint of the pain and anguish from before in his eyes.
He placed his hand over hers. For once, it wasn't covered by a glove; instead, he wore a bracer, and she could feel the rough texture of his callouses as his fingers rested against the back of her hand.
"See? Good as new."
She choked back a sob. "But how? Your heart was—"
He brought her hand to his lips and brushed it against them, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. The tender gesture sent shivers down her spine.
When he looked up at her again, his expression was serious. "Y-yeah, it was. But you saved me, Kairi. Thank you."
"I-I did?" She was having a difficult time thinking straight.
He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, you did."
"Oh." Comprehension dawned on her face as she put the pieces together. "Oh." She'd experienced his pain directly, but she hadn't known for sure that the connection went both ways. Her cheeks flushed as she realized the implications of her success. "It worked! So you felt…"
Her voice, as well as her thoughts, trailed off when she noticed the look in his eyes.
"M-hmmm." The little grin on his face when she finally put two and two together was downright unfair, the way it made her insides turn to mush.
Well, two could play this game.
She lifted her hand up to his head and ran her fingers through his hair. It was surprisingly soft, and he'd changed his hairstyle, too. It looked good. She cupped his cheek in her hand, brushing his lips with her thumb. His breath hitched, and she smiled coyly, taking a certain satisfaction in how easy it had been to get a reaction from him.
What she wasn't expecting was his response. There was a thrilling sense of urgency, of desperation and longing and need, in the clumsy way he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Her stomach lurched and her heart pounded as she looked up into his eyes. He leaned in close, his breath tickling her cheek. She closed her eyes, and—
The door flew open with a loud crash. Donald was standing there, a fierce glare on his face. If looks could kill, the one Sora gave him would have left the duck dead where he stood. Kairi had to stifle a laugh, the absurdity of the situation almost enough to make up for her reunion with Sora being interrupted.
"Sora! Don't scare us like that again!" Donald shouted. He was panting for breath, and as Sora took in his distressed state, his expression softened. He leaned down and pulled Donald into a hug.
"Sorry. I'm okay now, see?"
Donald scowled at him. "One moment you were lying on the ground, and the next you were jumping out of the ship! What was I supposed to think?"
Kairi raised an eyebrow. "You jumped out of the Gummi Ship?"
Sora set Donald back on the ground. "I couldn't wait to see you. Don't worry, I'm fine."
She chuckled and shook her head. "Now who's being reckless?"
"A-hyuck, Kairi's right. It's better to wait till we land before jumpin' out."
"Goofy!"
"Oh, hey there Kairi! Boy, I sure am glad you're okay."
She smiled at him, but Sora rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break. The Gummi Ship was about to crash anyway," he muttered.
Goofy hadn't come alone. Next to him was the same blond-haired boy who'd cheered her on during her fight with Vanitas. He leaned against Goofy for support, his eyebrows knit with worry. But when his eyes rested on Sora, his entire face lit up. He stumbled towards him, and Sora caught him and pulled him into a hug.
"Y-you're okay."
"Y-yeah. You too, Ventus."
Ventus laughed. "You can call me Ven, you know." When he pulled away to look at Sora, he was beaming with pride. "Thank you, Sora. For everything."
Goofy pulled up a chair for Kairi, and she gave him a grateful look and sank into it.
"So that's Ventus, huh?"
"Yup. He was in Sora's heart for a very long time."
As Kairi watched them interact with each other, she smiled. "I can see it. He's got Sora's mannerisms."
"Or maybe, Sora's got his mannerisms."
Kairi let that sink in for a moment, thinking through the implications of what Goofy had said. Was it possible Sora would change without Ventus's heart inside of him?
As she thought about what that might mean, Sora brought Ventus over to her.
"Kairi, there's someone I'd like you to meet," he said, a big smile on his face.
"Nice to meet you, Kairi! I'm Ven." He held out his hand, and she shook it.
"Nice to meet you too, Ven." She liked him already. He had a different feel than most people, and she was trying to put her finger on what it was.
In the meantime, Donald had located another chair. He brought it over for Ven, and Ven thanked him and sat down. As Sora watched, he crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, the way he always did when he was thinking. His face lit up soon afterwards, a sure sign he'd come up with a solution.
"I've got it! Ven, why don't we get you some crutches? At least until you've got your strength back."
Ven was very pleased with the idea. "That'd be great. It'd be nice to be able to move around on my own again."
"Then it's settled. We'll find some for you."
Kairi smiled at Sora, his consideration for other people one of the things she liked the most about him. Some things would never change, it would seem. But there was something else on her mind, something that Sora had said earlier which had gotten lost amidst all the hustle and bustle. She was curious, though, about how that particular set of circumstances had come to be, and in the end, curiosity won out.
"I hate to ask, but, um, why was the Gummi Ship crashing?" she asked him.
Donald and Goofy exchanged nervous glances.
"Well, you see, Xehanort and his cronies attacked us as we were tryin' to leave Master Yen Sid's tower—"
"He attacked you?!"
Donald nodded. "I flew the ship up to the window—"
"I'd already gotten Ventus onto the ship, but I had to jump to get Sora and I on there too—"
"We barely got away—"
"If Sora hadn't woken up when he did and insisted we come here, we would've been captured. Xehanort was after him." Ven said. He looked at Kairi and knit his eyebrows together, his eyes filling with guilt as he looked down at the floor. "And you, too. I'm sorry, Kairi."
Kairi tilted her head, not quite sure what to make of his words. Vanitas had attacked her, of course, but what that had to do with Ven, she had no idea. "What do you mean?" she asked him.
Ven was about to answer her when Donald cut in. "Wak! Where's Merlin?"
Kairi gasped. How could she have forgotten about her missing teacher? "I haven't been able to find him anywhere! I was looking for him when you came in, Sora."
"Somethin' musta happened. He wouldn't just leave you alone like that," Goofy said.
"We've gotta find him," Sora said.
They began a thorough search of the little house. Sora offered to let Kairi rest, but she insisted on helping. Together with Donald and Goofy, they looked everywhere, leaving no corner unchecked.
Nothing. Merlin wasn't anywhere to be found.
"Where is he?" Sora wondered. He looked to Kairi, who shook her head. With every passing moment, she was more and more worried about Merlin's safety.
"Everyone, come here, quick!" Ven shouted.
Sora brought her over, and Donald and Goofy gathered around. Ven pointed to a curious sight in the corner of the wall next to him. Engraved in the gnarled knots and ridges of the wood were the vague outlines of a man's face.
"Wak!"
"It's Merlin!"
"How did he—"
Ven aimed his Keyblade at it to see what would happen. Sure enough, it glowed with a faint golden light. It was clear the wall was enchanted, but now what? Simply using the Keyblade hadn't been enough to free Merlin. They all inched closer to inspect it. Maybe there was some button they had to push or a magic spell that would—
"Hang on!" Sora said. He turned to Kairi. "I think he's asleep. I've gotta wake him up." He carefully lowered her to the ground. "Guard me, will you?" She nodded, and he sat down next to her. With that, he summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the wall.
oOo
"Merlin! Can you hear me? You've gotta wake up."
Nonsense, my boy. I'm not asleep.
"Don't you remember what happened? No one just up and turns into a wall!"
There was a long pause.
"Okay, never mind. Kairi says that's something you might actually do. But you wouldn't abandon her like that, would you?"
Abandon? Don't be silly.
"Fine. I guess I have no choice."
There was another pause, and then a loud banging outside on the door.
Merlin glowered at it. He just wanted his peace and quiet, thank you very much. He waved his wand at it, and the door was sealed shut. There. He had turned his attention back to his eggs and toast when—
BANG BANG BANG. The intruder was quite persistent.
"Merlin, it's Kairi."
What about Kairi?
"She's exhausted. She just fought Vanitas. She used all of her magic to heal my heart, and now she's guarding my body so that I can wake you up! C'mon, stop being so stubborn!"
The door opened. "She did what?"
Sora entered the little room. "Finally," he muttered, briefly taking in his surroundings before holding a hand out to Merlin. "C'mon, you gotta come with me."
"Not until you answer my question, boy."
Sora groaned. "I already said, I connected our hearts together, and—"
"Well, you didn't say that part before."
"I – now you're just messing with me!"
"It's remarkably easy to do, I might add. What did Kairi do?"
Sora grew very serious. "My heart was hurt really badly, and she fixed it."
"How?"
"Well, Naminé warned me she was in danger while I was asleep, so I forced my heart awake. I… I was in a lot of pain, but I wanted to encourage her. One by one, I linked the hearts of our friends together and asked them for help. She used that connection to heal me."
Merlin pounded a hand on the table, causing Sora to jump. "She's done it! By George she's done it! Sora, my boy, do you know what this means?"
Sora looked confused. "What?"
Merlin smiled. "She's discovering the extent of her powers. I can see now what she was missing during all of her training. Just you watch her. She's fighting for the right reasons now. She'll be unstoppable."
Sora returned the smile. "Oh, believe me, I know."
Merlin stood up at last. "Well then, shall we?"
Sora nodded, and with that, they left the little room and woke up, returning to their waiting friends.
oOo
"Merlin!" Donald and Goofy cried in relief.
"Merlin?" Kairi asked, happiness and confusion warring on her face. "How—"
Merlin straightened his spectacles and smoothed out his robes, brushing off pieces of bark onto the floor. "She got me again, I'm afraid. I don't know how she came here, of all places, or why she turned me into a part of the wall, but I'm hopeless against her magic. I taught her everything I know, you see."
"Who?"
Merlin waved his arms in dismissal. "Never mind about that. Thanks to my foolish mistake, you were in terrible danger. How will you ever forgive me?"
"It's not your fault," Kairi said. "Please, don't blame yourself."
Merlin looked as if she had just lifted a great weight off of his shoulders. While he hadn't really answered her question, she was just relieved to see he was okay. There had been too many near misses today already, and thinking about all of them reminded her of how very tired she still was. She was about to ask if there was somewhere she could rest when Sora intervened. He picked her up, cradling her gently in his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder, and the tender look in his eyes made her heart melt.
"You were magnificent, Kairi. Absolutely magnificent," Merlin said. "Sora told me all about what you did."
Her cheeks turned red at her teacher's praise. "I couldn't have done it without your training."
"Yes, well, while I'm sure it helped, that's not what let you win." Merlin's eyes twinkled. "Surely you know what did?"
She looked at Sora and smiled. "Yeah, I do."
"Then my job as your teacher is complete. I've taught you everything I can."
Kairi looked at him again in disbelief. Surely he didn't mean—
But he didn't even seem to notice her surprise. Instead, he cast a series of spells over the house, muttering words under his breath. He frowned when he spotted the broken portal to the Time Chamber and raised his eyebrow at Kairi. She winced, but he just shrugged and cast magic on it. It opened to several different mysterious realms before she spotted the familiar hallway with its series of doors.
"There. Your room should be back to normal. You can rest there, if you'd like."
Sora frowned. "Isn't that dangerous? It's where she was attacked, right?"
"Don't worry, I adjusted the flow of time before I fell asleep," Merlin said. "And I just put new protective spells on the house. We should be safe here."
Kairi's eyes went wide. Suddenly, it all made sense. The mystery of how Sora was able to reach her so quickly was solved. "You did? Is that why—"
She was interrupted by the sound of the front door flying open. Her eyes went wide with shock at the sight of who was there.
"Sora! Kairi! Are you alright?"
"Riku!" Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Ven all cried out at once.
"Riku, my boy, would you do me a favor?" Merlin asked. "Would you prop the door open for me? You will not be the last of my guests today."
Kairi looked at Sora. The sheer look of relief in his eyes made her wonder what sort of danger Riku had been in. She nodded at him, and he set her down. Together, they made their way towards Riku. He threw his arms around the two of them in a rare show of physical affection.
"Y-you okay there buddy?" Sora asked, surprised by his friend's sudden hug. But he didn't waste any time hugging him back, and neither did Kairi.
Riku pulled away to look at them. She couldn't help but notice the worry lines etched into his face and the dark bags under his eyes. He had to be exhausted. She wondered when was the last time he'd gotten some sleep.
"You had me worried sick," he said to Sora.
"I could say the same to you," Sora replied, a pained look in his eyes at whatever incident he and Riku were referring to. Kairi was growing increasingly alarmed by their exchange. It was bad enough that Sora had gotten seriously injured. What on earth had happened to Riku?
"I'm fine. Next time, though, you better give me more warning than just 'Riku, cover me!'"
His impression got a weak chuckle out of Sora. "You knew I was gonna do it anyway."
Riku glared at him. "Which is why I told you not to." When he turned to Kairi, though, his expression softened. "Kairi, I'm glad you're safe. You fought well."
Kairi smiled. The bandage was still wrapped around his wrist. Her magic had worked, just like she'd promised. They were all together again, at last.
"Thanks, Riku."
She pushed the nagging thought out of her mind that wondered how long it would be before they were separated again, and what sort of trials they would have to go through to be reunited. She brought them all together again for another hug in an attempt to banish it for good.
Afterwards, Riku started to explain all that had happened on his mission to rescue Aurora and Snow White. The two princesses were safe now, but he and Mickey had run into trouble on Snow White's world when Young Xehanort himself had shown up. Before he could finish his story, though, Ven him asked a question.
"How about Aqua? Has she come back yet? Is she okay?"
Riku stopped speaking. His expression turned grim, and a sense of dread filled the room.
"R-Riku?"
"She – she's back, Ven, but—"
"But what?"
Riku paused, and Kairi feared the worst.
"Tell me. Please." Ven begged.
Riku sighed. "I guess there's no use in hiding the truth. When she and Lea were rescuing Cinderella, they found Terra."
Hope, that most dangerous of emotions, overtook Ven for a fleeting moment. "Is he with her now? Can I see him?"
Riku shook his head. "He – he's not himself, Ven. I'm sorry. Xehanort still has him."
oOo
A/N: Thank you for reading! Hope you liked the chapter.
:grabs Donald and runs for the hills:
