Just like Xehanort had promised, no one was able to find him nor did he appear again. Searching for him was once again at square one. There were no more dusk leaves anywhere, at least not for a while. Even if the Darkness Riku offered would have sufficed for the spell, there was still that missing ingredient that would make the perfect location spell worthless. Once again they were no closer to anything and had taken a punch for their efforts anyway.
The gears were stuck. Two pieces were grinding against each other even though they wanted to move. But it was so hard to find what was jamming them. If they did see something promising it was just out of reach to pull out.
Every ear and feeler they had was out and keeping watch for Xehanort. But still nothing promising came back. And as far as anyone could tell there was no unusually out-of-the-ordinary behaviors or happenings anywhere. The first time the Heartless roamed free in the worlds they were searching for Keyholes and the villains of each world were gathering the Princesses of Heart to open the final Keyhole. The second big adventure had Organization Thirteen (or at least what was left of it) trying to steer Sora into releasing hearts to access great power. There was nothing like that this time. The Keyholes of every world they knew about had been sealed. If they found new worlds on their travels they would make sure to seal that Keyhole too. The Princesses were all known but currently safe and hidden. The Organization was gone and there were no obvious villains or shady happenings anywhere they looked.
Feeling particularly worried about the current state of things, Kairi found herself walking in a big circle around the grounds of the Tower. It was becoming more and more difficult to stay positive and view the problem just as a challenge to overcome. Kairi didn't like the feeling of losing hope and feeling stuck. She scolded herself frequently for those thoughts. Yet it was so easy to feel lost at a time like this. The only thing she never doubted was the faith that no matter what lay ahead it could be overcome so long as she and her friends stayed together, fought for each other and never gave up. The belief never wavered but there was still the problem of finding the beginning to go with the ending. A middle wouldn't go amiss either.
Just as she was about to finish her lap, Kairi saw that she wasn't alone. Bryan was sitting on the grass while leaning against the base of the Tower. He had his knees up, head back and eyes closed. White lay coiled on one side and Seger stood watch on the other. The wolf turned his head and stared her down with an unpleasant glare.
"Hi," She said.
"Hi," His eyes stayed shut. "And you, leave her alone." Bryan gave Seger a push.
"How did-?" Kairi began. Bryan still had his eyes closed, how did he know how Seger was looking at her?
"He's been looking at everyone like that."
"How're you feeling?"
"Today has been mostly okay. Are Sora and Riku back yet?"
"No. I haven't seen them since yesterday morning."
"Maybe they plan on not coming back until they find something to report."
"I hope not."
"Me either, just throwin' it out to keep talking. I'll take it your last run with Lea and Rachel didn't yield much either."
"No, it didn't. We'll try again tomorrow." Kairi was quiet for a second. "So what're you doing?"
"Listening to the Tower."
"Even the Tower has a song?"
"Well, yeah."
"How long have you been out here?"
"If the soreness in my butt and spine is anything to go by then it's been a while."
Kairi laughed. "You've been listening to the same thing for that long?"
"I don't get tired of it. There's so much to listen to. You know how much this place has seen since it was first built? Even Master doesn't know how old it is. He's not the only person to inherit the Tower."
"Inherit? You mean he didn't build it for himself?"
"Oh no. I guess a really long time ago a lot of top sorcerers and wizards lived here. They were apart of like a supreme magic council. They'd appoint other wizards or their best apprentices to eventually replace them. But eventually the magic community produced less and less great sorcerers. Nobody knows why. I guess as a result of the decline they appointed the best of the best to be The Sorcerer. That's the way it's been ever since."
"And each one lived here?"
"Sometimes for centuries, if stories are to be believed."
"You can learn a lot in that time."
"Exactly. The magic cast, the lessons learned, the love, the hate, the failures, the successes and all kinds of other things that happened here all left impressions and shaped the song of the Tower. I'm sure even what we've done here has added to the song."
"Talking really helps you, doesn't it?"
Bryan had to give it a thought before realizing the value of what had been happening. "It does."
"If…if you don't mind me asking, what does the Tower sound like? Actually, what does anything sound like? Is it like a song on repeat? Or does the music just keep going but stays unique to whatever you're listening to?"
"A little of each. But it depends. Some things are on a loop that can last several minutes or longer. Other things are on a loop but sometimes the beginnings or endings are always different while the rest remains the same. And there are some things, like the Tower, that just keep singing."
"Is there a way you could play it so I could hear it? Like how you did in the maze for me and Sora?"
"Not and do it justice, I can't. For a while most of all I could hear was the percussion line and a little bit of music. But over time my gift got stronger and I could hear more. What I played on the Bass Blade for you and Sora was actually a simplified version of what I heard in your hearts."
"Simplified? But it was beautiful!"
"Yeah, I only play the drums so that's all I could share with you. Imagine what the true song in all its pure complexity is. The Tower sings almost as complex a song as a human heart."
"Now I really wish I could hear it too. It must be amazing to hear the world all the time."
"Well…" Bryan looked thoughtful. "Here." He gestured for her to sit down beside him. "Move." He gave White a nudge. The serpent uncoiled then re-coiled a few feet away. "I think I can show you."
"Really?" Kairi asked a little breathlessly. She sat down next to Bryan.
"I can try." Bryan offered her his hand. She took it. "Now sit back and let your mind go blank. I don't know if this will even work but we can give it a shot."
Kairi squeezed his hand excitedly and leaned back comfortably against the Tower wall. She tried to let her mind go as blank as she could. For a few minutes she heard nothing but their breathing. Then…there was something. Even when listening and waiting for it…it took her a second to recognize the change. Between their combined concentrations, the barrier came down. When Kairi began to hear it, she nearly let go of Bryan's hand from surprise.
"Is that-?" She gasped.
"Yeah. This is what I can hear all the time."
There was an explosion of sound. The air was filled with all kinds of instruments. But just like in Fantasia, they didn't sound like the instruments she was used to hearing. An entire symphony chorused all around. It was hard to name the instruments that made up the invisible orchestra. For example, there were different horns but they sounded too-too…perfect for the trumpet, tuba or French horn. Everything was like that. Even the music as a whole was hard to describe. It was upbeat and preppy like a marching band in a parade but somehow it was more…more, elegant.
Kairi couldn't believe it. These strange, perfect sounds painted such beautiful feelings. She gripped Bryan's hand tighter; perhaps doing so would make the sound clearer. Her heart swelled as she listened to the story of the Mysterious Tower. It felt like they were there for forever. Every sound had its own deep emotions it brought with it or made the tangible audible. The sound was a feeling. The sound was an image. It sounded like…what did it sound like?
It was the smile when you see a friend you haven't seen in a long time. The sun blazing down on a cool fall day. Then it changed to a warm gust on a sunny summer afternoon. It was the determination in a childs' grip to keep a hold of their kite. It was the joyous tear sliding down the cheek of an old man as he is handed his first grandchild for the first time. It was a fuzzy caterpillar minding its own business in the grass. It was two children on a swing set soaring higher and higher and-and…birds shrieking at each other. Metal tearing. A woman screaming. The crunch of glass as it's stepped on. The scurries of something trapped. The footsteps of someone approaching with malicious intentions. Wails of despair. Something breaking. Walls closing in. No way out. A terrified shriek cut short-
Kairi screamed and leapt to her feet.
"Kairi! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Bryan was on his feet too. Seger bristled and White raised himself from his coiled position.
Kairi felt a cold chill over her skin. Her heart beat fast but gradually slowed as the initial panic passed. She held her right hand as though it had sustained an injury. She couldn't see it but she was very pale.
"Kairi? Kairi! Are you okay? I'm so sorry. You weren't-I would never have done that on purpose."
Bryan made to reach for her but she stepped back, perhaps afraid of what might happen if he touched her. Seeing this, he too stepped back. He already blamed himself for her current state and didn't want to make it worse.
"Kairi…please. I swear to you I didn't mean it!"
"What WAS that?!" She demanded. She spoke louder than she meant to but didn't care.
"I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to hear that. I-I thought I had it under control. It just slipped. I swear I didn't-."
"Was that it?" Kairi gasped quietly. She looked a bit calmer now but still shook a little. "Was that…his song?"
Bryan looked at her, his eyes full of regret. That was answer enough. That…that was what Xehanort's heart song sounded like? Bryan was right. There was no discernible pace. The instruments sounded like the worst possible versions of themselves. And then there were just noises. Noise. That was it. No names existed to describe what she'd heard. But it came with so many foreboding feelings. And that was all in the span of a few seconds before she broke the connection.
"Bryan…" Kairi said softly. Her eyes welled up with tears.
"I would never have let you hear that on purpose. I-."
"I am so sorry!"
Bryan couldn't have looked more bewildered if she had thrown a shoe at him. "-what?"
Before he knew it, Kairi had Bryan in a tight hug and was crying into his shoulder.
"Kairi…" Bryan said, very surprised. "No, you don't have to be sorry, you didn't do anything."
"I'm sorry you have to hear that! I'm sorry that it's in your head! I'm sorry none of us know how to help you!"
Kairi never saw it because she never looked up, but, for a moment Bryan's eyes misted over as the gratitude in its purest form swelled in his heart at her concern.
"I really wish you hadn't heard that." He said after a minute.
"Well, I'm not." She said defiantly. Kairi stepped back and wiped her eyes. "Now I understand. Before I didn't. I couldn't. I had no idea how you heard things or how anything could sound and feel so terrible it hurts. I saw that it hurt you but I couldn't understand how. Now I can. Now I do. Not only does it sound bad, but it feels bad. I only felt it for a few seconds and I was never so scared in my life! And-and you're stuck hearing that? Feeling that? All the time? Before I wanted you to stop hearing it because you said it was bad and it hurt you. Now I want you to stop hearing it because no one should be burdened with something so terrible."
Bryan looked at her for a long time. They'd gotten along as friends from the get-go when Master Yen Sid sent him and Rachel to the Destiny Islands to meet her, Sora and Riku. But until now…now he felt a new kind of respect for Kairi. He appreciated her words more than he could say. Even though it bothered her too, Kairi was glad to have heard even a fragment of the twisted song. Even though it bothered her she was still worried about him. Now she could empathize with his pain, not just sympathize. Even his sister, whom he had described in detail what it was about the song that bothered him so badly couldn't claim that. He didn't know what to say or if he'd be able to if he tried. All he could manage was,
"Thanks, Kairi."
And she understood all the things he didn't say.