Lea stepped through the dark portal to follow Marluxia. A wave of dark wisps curled around his body and enveloped every one of his senses.

God, he didn't miss the smell one bit.

Shortly after, the stench of Darkness gave way to a more refreshing scent. Sure, a swamp wasn't too pleasant either, but it was better than the alternative. His feet slushed in mud and moss as he emerged on the other side.

Hopefully this was the same world he'd left on.

He listened for anything that could signal Marluxia's presence - footsteps, a voice, anything - but croaking and squawking from nearby animals drowned out everything else.

Something did catch his eyes, however. A cloaked figure much shorter than Marluxia stood just enough within the fog to hide their features. Another Organization member? How many were visiting worlds?

There was no point in hiding. Surely Mar knew he'd been followed. He marched up to the figure and spun them around by the shoulder, only to find a startled woman staring up at him. She was older, by the strands of gray streaking her otherwise black hair.

"S-sorry!" he pleaded as she pulled her arm free. He expected her to turn and run, but she just stood a few feet away, eyeing him up and down. "I thought you were someone else."

"Oh dear," her voice was awfully soft and calm for a woman travelling alone in a dark swamp. "Are you looking for someone too?"

"You lost someone?"

"Yes," she folded her hands together, "my dear daughter, Rapunzel, has been kidnapped. Perhaps we could help each other? I do hate travelling alone."

Lea fought back a rude grumble. He really needed to find Mar, but what kind of good guy would he be to ignore the plea of an old woman?

"Couldn't hurt. What does your daughter look like?"

"Oh that's easy," she waved a hand. "She's got the longest, most beautiful golden hair you could imagine."

Lea had certainly seen such a woman, but she had hardly looked like someone who'd been taken against her will. If anything, she'd actively tried escaping the authorities who would've rescued her. Sora was with her, and he wouldn't have aided in a kidnapping. At the same time, a mother's natural paranoia could've just assumed the worst case scenario.

"Well, I've got good news and bad news for ya," he folded his arms. "Good news is that she wasn't kidnapped. Bad news is she probably ran away from home. But don't worry too much, a bunch of guards are chasing after her. I'm sure she'll be home safe in no time."

Her shoulders tensed, unrelieved at all from what he'd told her. "Oh my, that is alot to take in," she folded her hands. "Still, you have been a great help, thank you. Where did you last see her?"

"She was just - Ah!" His words were interrupted when a sudden sharp pain pierced into his back. His Keyblade instinctively appeared in his hand, and he quickly swung it behind himself. Another hand caught his wrist, and Lea glared back into Marluxia's yellow eyes.

"You're too predictable," Marluxia smirked.

Lea grumbled, frustrated that he'd let his guard down. He turned back towards the woman, fully expecting her to have run away from the conflict, but once again she just stared right back at him. The soft pitiful gaze gave way to an eerie grin that could pierce as deep as the dagger in his back.

With his free hand, Lea shot a blast of fire at Marluxia and jumped back.

"Ah I see, so you must be this 'friend' Mar said he was helping." Lea ignored the pain, knowing he still had a potion with him. He faced his former colleague. "I didn't take you for a dagger kind of guy."

"I know we're not supposed to fight yet," Marluxia's scythe materialized in his hand, "but consider this more personal." Before Lea knew it, the man rushed him and swung his blade.

Lea knew the reach of that scythe all too well and brought up his Keyblade just in time to block it. He continued to ignore the pain in his side. "What's he planning?" he strained out.

Marluxia just grumbled, and Lea utilized the close space to swing his foot around and throw the man off balance. In sync with his lower half, his blade traced more flames through the air in a circular motion. When Marluxia let up, Lea backed off further. As much as he'd love to fight and pull more information from the man, the growing warmth at his side told him he was in no state to do so. With as much magic as he could muster, he summoned another fire wall between the two and retreated into the swamp.

After a while, he spotted a hollowed out tree trunk and decided to use it as a temporary cover. As he crouched down within it, however, he spotted an unusual yet familiar painting of a yellow duckling under his feet.

The Snuggly Duckling.

He realized the wood he'd been standing on wasn't the base of a tree trunk, but a secret door. He recalled what the guard had told them at the tavern before.

"They escaped through a secret tunnel inside the tavern…"

At the very least, this led him somewhere familiar. He could find his way from there. Before risking anymore conflict with Marluxia, he pulled up the hatch and jumped into the dark, unkempt passageway.

Once he figured he was safe, Lea sat and downed his last potion. Immediately, a cool refreshing sensation travelled to the wound and began working to close it. Though the surface healed and his breathing settled to normal, a certain pain lingered where his heart was. One he knew too well. The feeling of Darkness infecting his body and his heart.

"Shit," Lea hissed.

It was like travelling back all those years ago. Like he was confined to the castle basement all over again. In the wrong place at the wrong time. He thought he'd forgotten those sensations, those emotions, but they all came flooding back.

Why had he and Isa had to sneak into the castle anyways?

The pain wouldn't go away. That hadn't been any ordinary dagger, and knowing Marluxia's specialty when it came to magic, Lea didn't want to know what would happen if left untreated. One thing was certain: he could sure use some Light magic right about now.

Gentle humming aroused Kairi from her deep slumber. To her surprise, the sun had yet to grace the morning sky, but based on what little sky she could see through the forest, it would within the hour.

As her eyes followed the trail of golden hair, she soon found the source of the humming: Rapunzel staring up into a tree just outside their camp. Inside, Sora was fast asleep against Maximus, and Flynn was in a similar state tucked under his bedroll.

Quietly, she emerged from her bedroll, or more accurately, Sora's bedroll. Her eyes were drawn to him once more, recalling their conversation the night. She became lost in thought, admiring his peaceful sleeping form. Her eyes didn't want to tear from him despite her mind telling her she'd been staring for too long. All the dreams she'd had of him throughout her training and journey, had he been having them as well? Eventually, he stirred in his sleep enough for her to panic and break the trance.

Kairi didn't waste time with introductions as she approached Rapunzel. "Sora didn't make you take watch in his place, did he?"

Rapunzel startled but relaxed once she realized who was talking to her. "Oh no, I volunteered. I'm used to waking up early, anyways."

"Want company?" Kairi got close enough to see what had captured her attention. On a branch just out of reach sat a small bird nest, and a tiny egg peeked through the top.

Rapunzel nodded, "So much company is nice, for a change." Together they sat beneath the tree and just listened to the waking forest.

It was clear that Rapunzel wasn't just any ordinary girl. She knew so little about the world she lived in and lacked experience socializing with other people. Her excitement to see the world reminded Kairi of her own when she first left Radiant Garden. Whatever journey she was going on wasn't just any ordinary adventure quest.

"What are you running away from, Rapunzel?" Kairi asked.

She sat up, as if surprised at her question. "Oh, I'm not running from anyone! I just wanted to see the lights and the festival. Now, I guess there's this whole other mess with Flynn being wanted and whoever that other guy was yesterday."

"You don't have to worry about that; let us deal with him," Kairi smiled, "still, you seem awful worried."

Rapunzel folded her hands in her lap, "It's a complicated story. I might have...snuck out without my mother's permission. I know it sounds like I ran away, but I intend to go back!"

It all made sense now.

She continued, "You see, she's very strict. I'd never been outside my tower, or even met anyone else in my life. But I need this," she looked back up at Kairi, "I hope you understand."

If only she knew the half of it. "I do," Kairi touched her hand, "more than you know."

Rapunzel smiled back, "I know she means well, though, my mother. She says I'm special, that I need to be protected."

Kairi had to hold back laughter from the irony. She wondered if the other Princesses of Heart had been given the 'you're special and require protection' lecture.

"People have told you the same, haven't they?" Rapunzel read right through her.

"How could you tell?" Kairi giggled. It looked like she wasn't the only one looking deeper into the other's words and expressions.

"You're the only one who hasn't tried to convince me to go back yet," Rapunzel smiled. "So what do they say you need protection from?"

From the Organization, Xehanort, Darkness, the Heartless, being used again. She could take her pick.

"Everything, I guess," Kairi sighed.

"Well, from what little I've seen so far, you don't seem to need any protection." Her eyes grew with determination. "And if you can do it, so can I." She stood and clenched her fists. "If mother met you, I'm sure it'd convince her to let me out more."

Kairi laughed, "I'm not sure I should meddle in your relationship, but I will help you get to where you're going."

Warm morning sunlight filtered through the trees as everyone slowly awoke. Almost as soon as Flynn had cracked his eyes open had Rapunzel insisted they begin travelling immediately.

"Woah, blondie, calm yourself," he yawned. "We'll get there well before sundown, I promise. Plus, now that you have…" he paused, counting their party, "three bodyguards, things should go much smoother from here on out."

Max snorted at Flynn.

"Okay, four bodyguards."

Sora yawned and stretched his arms out. Max stood from behind him, sending him tumbling back onto the grass.

"Woah!" he called out.

Kairi giggled. It reminded her so much of when she'd woken him up on the beach so long ago. Their eyes found each other, and he smiled, scratching his head. She was grateful she'd woken up before him, that way he wouldn't have to see her in a messy, half-awoken state.

"Good morning," she said, only directing her eyes at him.

He chuckled, "Good morning. How was it?"

She assumed he meant his bedroll he'd let her use. "Perfect, thank you." His smile only brightened, and she wasn't sure she could become anymore bashful.

Rapunzel was hard at work breaking down their impromptu campsite. "Come on, guys! Let's go, the lanterns are tonight!"

Flynn put a hand on her shoulder. "Easy now, don't work too hard on your birthday."

"Birthday?!" Sora and Kairi exclaimed at once.

Rapunzel laughed, "Mhm, the lanterns float in the sky on the same day each year - my birthday!"

"Well, happy birthday, Rapunzel," Kairi smiled.

"Let's go," Sora said, "no one wants to be travelling all day on their birthday."

The journey through the forest yielded the Keyblade wielders many opportunities to converse, though they still needed to be cautious of dangers lurking around them.

Sora was eager to hear every detail of Kairi's journey, and she was equally eager to relay them to him. Careful of the prying ears behind them, she told him everything, from her training, to Lea's apology, to the attack that drove her to leave. When she told him about Moana and her people, a sense of pride welled in her for traversing a world Sora hadn't been to yet. Maybe one day they could travel back together.

Finally, she got to the most important detail - a clue on how to save Roxas and Namine. Sora's bright smile and wide eyes didn't surprise her. She knew he'd be just as excited to help them.

"You've been doing so much, Kairi," he said. "I'm...really proud of you."

"I'm just glad I could be useful," she folded her hands as she walked. "Ienzo needs time to figure out how to decrypt their data, of course, but it's a good start."

"It's a great start," he corrected her, "much further than I've been getting us."

Sora took his turn to fill her in on his side. He'd been travelling to different worlds as well, trying to regain his lost power. Though much of it had returned, not all of his strength and spells had come back yet. When he heard of the attack and found Kairi's letter, he'd refocussed to try and find her. In the meantime, Donald and Goofy returned to Disney Castle to look after it in King Mickey's absence. Mention of the King brought another person to mind.

"Riku…" she muttered. How long had it been since she last saw him? Through the portal to the Realm of Darkness.

"Yeah," Sora hung his head too. "I'm trying not to worry. I know time passes differently in the Realm of Darkness, but I can't help it. He's always been my rock, you know?"

"I feel like the moment you returned, I lost both of you again just as quickly. I don't think I'll be able to rest well until we're all together again."

As wonderful as it felt to be with Sora again, to have this time with him, a big part of her heart still felt missing with Riku away. Riku, Aqua, Ventus, Terra, Roxas, and Namine. So many vulnerable pieces, it was overwhelming to think about all at once.

"I'm sorry, Kairi," he looked to her with sincerity.

"It's okay," she smiled, "we-I'm here now."

"And I'm glad."

The soft look he gave her just made her want to dart into the trees. Afraid where the conversation was going, she quickly changed it.

"I don't know where Lea is, but I know he's excited too. Once he meets up with us again, we can talk more about what to do next."

Sora nodded, his expression unchanging before Rapunzel ran up next to Kairi. She'd been especially skittish and in a hurry all morning, jumping at every sudden noise from the forest.

"You okay?" Kairi asked her.

"Oh, yeah!" Almost too easily, a bright smile formed on her face. "Just, y'know, worried about ruffians and all."

"Relax, you're safe with us, right Sora?"

His demeanor was the complete opposite of hers - carefree and joyous. "Of course!"

Flynn met up with them. "This isn't another one of those mood swings like the first day, is it?"

"No," she giggled, and her cheeks turned a mild shade of pink.

She needed help calming down, and just talking wasn't going to cut it anymore. Luckily, the forest around them was filled with beauty and life. Every step revealed something new and different. Up ahead, dandelions in full bloom formed a small cluster in the grass. Kairi devised a quick plan in her head and whispered it to Sora, who was all too eager to participate.

Kairi grabbed Rapunzel's arm, "Come with me," and ran her to the middle of the field. As soon as Rapunzel saw them, her eyes lit up, and she didn't need anymore coercing. Kairi knelt in the field and picked one of the flowers. Just the gentle force of lifting it caused a few heads to fly off. She gestured for Rapunzel to follow her lead.

"On three, blow, okay?"

On queue, they set loose the dandelion heads with a gentle puff of air. The breeze caught them, sending them further to scatter their seeds elsewhere in the forest. Rapunzel followed them with her eyes, laughing with glee the whole time.

Kairi took the moment of distraction to shoot Sora a glance. He had a joyous yet mischievous look about him. She merely smiled and nodded to tell him she was on the same page. No words were needed. The Kingdom Key appeared in his hand, and he centered a wind spell right in the middle of the flower bloom.

All at once, every flower around them erupted into thousands of tiny clouds. They circled around the two girls in harmonic movement. Kairi had been watching Rapunzel have fun, but she couldn't take her eyes from the beauty of their dance. Even Flynn stopped in the moment and muttered a sound of awe.

"Wow," Rapunzel said, "I've painted my walls all my life with what I could see from my tower, but I never imagined anything as beautiful as this."

"Well, now you have more to draw inspiration from," Sora smiled.

Sora approached Kairi, and his eyes shifted to the side of her head. In one gentle motion, his hand came up and brushed the side of her hair. Kairi froze, unsure what the sudden action was for until she saw puffs of white between his fingers.

She ran her own fingers through her hair and pulled out a few more dandelion heads. She giggled, "I'll be pulling these out for days, but it was worth it. Thank you."

"We gotta teach you new spells, because you owe me a couple now," he joked.

"Oh?" she tried to mask her insecurity with a smirk. "I didn't realize we were keeping score. In that case, you still owe me for the canyon."

"The can-? Oh," He rubbed the back of his head, "right, that was you."

"Consider us even," she giggled and began walking away. When he didn't follow, she turned and beckoned. "You coming?"

For a moment, he gave her the same look as before, both lost in thought yet peering deep into her at the same time. In the blink of an eye, however, he snapped back and smiled. "Yeah, course." Quickly, he fell in stride alongside her, and they picked up right where they left off in conversation.

That hadn't been their last opportunity to enjoy the wildlife. It certainly hadn't been the last patch of flowers they'd come across. As eager as Rapunzel had been to get to the Kingdom, the anxiety all but left her as she stopped to smell every new flower.

Soon, a new sound accompanied the chirping birds and rustling leaves. Kairi recognized it as running water easily enough, for she'd seen enough of it on Motunui.

The sound grew louder with each step. When they finally cleared through the trees, the source revealed itself not to be a creek, but a small waterfall.

"Wow," Kairi muttered.

Rapunzel turned to Flynn with her hands clasped in front of her chest. "Flynn, can we stop to swim for a bit? Pleeeeeease?"

He chuckled. "Why are you asking me? It's your journey."

"Yeah, but you're our leader."

He seemed quite taken aback by her words, folding his arms and tucking in his chin. "Oh, so I'm the responsible adult here?" When she somehow managed to make her eyes even bigger, he sighed, "Just be careful."

She squealed in delight, to everyone's amusement, and pulled Sora and Kairi along with her towards the water.

It looked waist-deep at the most, so how bad could it be? Kairi kicked off her boots and socks before dipping her toes in. The temperature was perfect, and the water held a beautiful crystal hue that just invited her in. She could tell Sora hadn't been in water in ages, for he was already half-submerged by the time she stepped in. The utter joy on his face was mesmerizing.

Rapunzel scooped up a handful of water and threw it into the air.

"Ah! This is so fun!" she yelled.

Kairi laughed, "You're not supposed to splash yourself, Rapunzel. Watch." With that, she swung her arm as hard as she could through the water right at Sora. She didn't get all of him, but atleast one of his sides was soaked.

"Hey!" he shook his hair, spraying water everywhere. The look in his eyes was filled with mischief. "Watch and learn, Rapunzel. When someone splashes you," he paused to summon the Kingdom Key, "you get them back ten fold!"

With a swing of the blade and his command, the water around her erupted into a geyser and soaked her to the bone. She spit out what had gotten into her mouth and pulled her wet hair from her eyes. If it had been anyone else she might've been mildly annoyed, but she found it impossible to be upset with Sora, especially when he wore such a big smile.

"Hey, not fair!" Rapunzel cried from beside her, and Kairi saw that she hadn't been the only victim of Sora's onslaught. The girl retaliated immediately to finish what Kairi had started, which quickly turned into an every-man-for-themselves splash fight..

As Rapunzel whipped her hair at them, Kairi couldn't help but notice shadowy movement under the water. Before she could warn them, a vine burst from the surface, wrapped around Rapunzel, and dragged her back into the waterfall.

"Rapunzel!" Flynn's voice was the first to react.

Kairi dove under in an instant, having been the closest. Sora's voice called out to her from above, but it came through too muffled to make out what he'd said.

She'd never cursed her slow swimming more than in that moment. Getting to her felt infinitely longer than it should've. When she breached the surface behind the waterfall, she came upon a massive plant-like creature with several vines protruding from its body. Within one of them, Rapunzel struggled against it with nothing but a frying pan. A giant gaping mouth lined with dozens of teeth took up the majority of the monster's form. Relief washed over Kairi that she was safe, but she knew the makeshift weapon wouldn't be enough. Especially once she noticed the Heartless symbol on top of its head.

Kairi rushed the monster, aiming for the vine holding Rapunzel. As she reeled to swing her blade, however, another vine came out of nowhere and grabbed her dominant wrist. Unable to fight, she dug her heels into the mud as it slowly pulled her towards its body.

When another splash of water sprayed her from the side, she feared another vine had come to restrain her further, but instead the Kingdom Key sliced through the one holding her. She didn't need to look to know Sora stood beside her. With her arm free, she wasted no time in raising Destiny's Embrace to the spell that had yet to fail her.

"Light!" she shouted.

Immediately, the cavern lit aglow with her golden aura, and the creature recoiled. The vine holding Rapunzel unfurled, dropping her into the water. At the same time, Flynn burst through the surface.

"Flynn, get Rapunzel out of here!" Sora shouted.

The man didn't even give her a chance to protest as he hoisted her up and carried her out with the swiftness of a thief. With just the two of them remaining, Sora and Kairi could focus on the threat at hand without worrying for the others' safety. More vines sprouted from the Heartless, much faster than the pair could cut them down.

"Kairi, get close," Sora said, and he didn't give her much time to react before pulling her in.

Before she could ask why, he called forth fire that encircled the two of them, and she needed no further explanation. Lea was the master of the element, and even his fire was indiscriminate with what it burned. She leaned closer to Sora as the flames caught each tendril around them, burning them all to a crisp.

They finally got their opening.

Kairi rushed at the mouth. Intimidating as it seemed, it wasn't nearly as mobile as its appendages. She landed an upper cut as Sora struck from above, forcing its mouth closed. The stun gave them enough time to jam their weapons into each corner of its mouth and pull in opposite directions. In a disgusting noise Kairi wouldn't soon forget, the flesh of the monster ripped in two. Each remaining vine drooped and fell flaccid.

Kairi turned her face from the carnage and opted instead to look at something much more pleasant, soaked as he was and covered in who-knows-what. He met her gaze, and for a brief moment they just looked to one another. Kairi was the first to smile, but Sora soon followed her lead and laughed. It was music to her ears; she couldn't help but join.

The sound of hissing interrupted their victory, accompanied by a cloud of gas escaping from the torn Heartless body. Without warning, Sora pushed her head underwater and urged her forward, out from under the waterfall. Her lungs couldn't hold out as much from the surprise, so she broke the surface as soon as possible. Sora came up not long after, and they both gasped for the clear open air.

"What was that for?" Kairi began wringing out her hair and washing away whatever goop had gotten into it.

"That Heartless is called a Malboro," he panted. "They can release a gas that makes you…" he paused to let out a yawn, "sleepy."

Kairi's attention snapped to him. He'd pushed her under before going himself, which meant he had a second longer to inhale the poison. He swayed in place and let out an even bigger yawn.

"No, Sora, stay with me!" she reached out and grabbed his jacket before he fell back into the water. Too late to keep him awake, he instead fell forward, right against her shoulder. Kairi let out a gasp. Of all the places to fall asleep, the middle of a large pond was a less desirable choice. Carefully, she waded back to shore, swimming with one arm and holding him above water with the other. As his breath hit her shoulder, their closeness dawned on Kairi, and she fought the blush trying to creep its way onto her cheeks.

If only you were awake for this.

Once she dragged him onto dry land and checked that he had no other visible injuries, she looked all around for their other friends. It didn't take her long to spot the trail of golden hair and follow it back to the treeline. She found Rapunzel with her head buried in Flynn's shoulder. His lack of skill in comfort showed itself, as he did nothing but awkwardly pat her back. He spotted Kairi as well, and he quickly leaned down to speak to Rapunzel and point in Kairi's direction.

Immediately, Rapunzel perked up and turned to face her. Relief washed over her face as she ran towards them.

"You're alive!" she jumped. Her eyes fell to a sleeping Sora. "Is he okay?"

Kairi nodded, "He's fine. Turns out that thing can put you to sleep." She turned to Flynn. "Good thing you guys got out of there."

Flynn turned his face away, failing to hide the blush on his cheeks. "I told you to be careful."

Even though Sora was incapacitated, they luckily had a steed to carry him. Max grunted at essentially being reduced to a pack horse, but a few pets and words of encouragement from Kairi and Rapunzel perked him up enough.

She could only hope that the magic would wear off before they reached the Kingdom.

After a while of silent recovery, Rapunzel fell in line with her, and the two exchanged friendly glances.

There was a hesitant moment of silence, then Rapunzel spoke. "I've been thinking, you and I are more similar than I thought."

"Oh?" Kairi turned to her. "How's that?"

"There's something about you. Whenever I sing and use my hair, I feel warm, but not in the normal sense. I feel it in here," she laid a hand over her heart. "Back there, when you used that spell," she paused, twiddling her fingers, "it made me feel the same. I never felt that with any of Sora's magic."

Kairi knew Rapunzel would figure it out eventually, but she still felt unprepared to have the conversation. How could she be honest without revealing too much information? Hiding the Light within her seemed impossible.

"I knew it as soon as you healed Flynn," Kairi said, "the Light that gives magic to your hair. It lives in me too, in here," Kairi gestured to her heart in the same way.

"Oh!" Rapunzel perked up, "of course! That makes total sense, how did I not realize-?" she caught herself and let out a deep breath. "Sorry. It's just so nice to finally meet someone who understands."

"Well, my powers aren't as cool as yours," Kairi laughed, "I can't even heal."

"Have you tried singing?" Rapunzel asked, "that's what activates mine."

"I don't - no, I haven't," she spoke in a hushed tone. "I don't sing."

The light in Rapunzel's eyes only grew brighter. "You should try. Right now, try it!"

"Um -" Kairi glanced around, "perhaps now's not the time?"

"Oh, alright," Rapunzel nudged her shoulder, "try it when you're alone, then."

Kairi smiled before Flynn called out from behind them.

"Rapunzel, may I have a word with our new friend, please?"

She perked up at his voice. "Guess it's his turn for a talk now," she winked.

"Hey, Rapunzel, one last question." Kairi interrupted her departure. She turned and nodded. "Your powers...do you ever wish you never had them?"

"Hmm," she put a finger to her chin, "I guess I haven't. They make my mother really happy. But if I had to, I guess I could do without them," she smiled.

"You think so?" Kairi asked.

"Yep!" she nodded with confidence, "besides, my mother loves me, not my hair."

Kairi smiled. She supposed she'd technically gone most of her life without using any of her powers. Perhaps after the conflict was over, she'd never need to use them again.

Seeing that she'd given a satisfying answer, Rapunzel walked alongside Maximus behind them and began showering him with some well-deserved affection.

Kairi turned to Flynn. "What's up?"

He sighed, "Look, I was going to talk to Sora about this, but he seems," he paused to glance at the boy snoozing on Max's back, "preoccupied."

Kairi didn't respond and instead raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

He cleared his throat. "I've been around alot of places, encountered alot of different people. Royals, mercs, thieves, guards, you name it." His hands were rather animated as he spoke. "But never in my life have I met someone like you two, with your...y'know," he mimicked the swing of a blade.

"You mean this?" Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace.

He jumped, "Yes, that! And your magic too! Her magic hair alone was enough to deal with."

"What are you getting at, Flynn?"

"I know you two are not from around here. And by 'here', I don't just mean the Kingdom."

Kairi glanced down. Again, doing anything with her Keyblade or her magic practically gave away her 'otherness'. Or maybe she was just really terrible at hiding it. She wished Sora were awake to support her in this conversation.

Flynn continued, "Look, I'm not going to go telling or anything. Blondie knows nothing about the world, so to her you guys are as normal as ever. In fact, she'll probably be surprised to not find more people like you."

"So why tell me that you know?" Kairi asked.

He smirked, "Mostly, I just wanted to confirm I was right, which I always am!" He placed a confident hand over his chest. "But also, you should try to, like, not do that stuff once we get to the Kingdom. There's no telling how people would react."

There was more to his request than just that. She'd known Flynn for less than a day, and it had taken her less time than that to realize he was a man of ulterior motives. If townspeople and guards found out about their abilities, he was right that there would be a commotion. A scene. The festival would no longer take center stage for the evening.

It clicked in her head. The way he looked at Rapunzel. How he'd comforted her earlier. All of his earnest attempts to give her a fun journey.

She smiled and leaned in to lower her voice, "Thanks for keeping our secret, Flynn. You have my word that we won't cause a distraction and ruin Rapunzel's birthday."

His eyes went wide. "Now wait just a- I wasn't- I didn't mean…"

Kairi winked, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me too."

There was a grumble behind her, and she quickly moved to balance Sora as he stirred on top of Max. Her help wasn't enough to keep him from shooting up in a panic, right out of Max's saddle and onto the ground. The horse whinnied and moved aside while Kairi knelt beside the boy knocked prone. The magic wore off slowly, and he thrashed his limbs as he slowly found his bearings.

"What- where- Kairi!"

"Hey hey, I'm here," she gripped his shoulders to hold him still and force him to see her. His eyes held a look she'd never seen before, large and worry-filled. "We're safe."

He breathed a sigh of relief when his eyes finally focussed on her. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

He blinked and rubbed his head. "W-we fought that plant monster, and...it released a sleep toxin."

"Good, you remember," Kairi nodded. "You pushed me underwater, but must have inhaled some yourself. You've been out for some time."

"You didn't…?"

She shook her head and smiled, "Thanks to you. I'm sorry you had to put yourself in danger because of me."

He merely laughed, "Don't apologize, I'm fine." His gaze fell as his eyebrows furrowed ever-so slightly. "But wait, if I fell asleep in the water and you didn't, then how did I get-" he pointed up to Max's saddle before his eyes grew. "Oh," his cheeks grew a deep shade of red and his hand covered his mouth. "OH!"

Kairi giggled. Had she looked that flustered while carrying his sleeping form to shore? Regardless, seeing his face made any mild embarrassment she'd felt completely worth it. She'd never seen Sora quite so bashful, and she wasn't about to let him out of it. "I didn't mind. Lucky for you, I became quite good at swimming. Flynn did help, though. And Max. So you should thank them too."

She'd spoken about Flynn like he hadn't been standing behind her the entire time. Remembering they weren't alone, Kairi stood and offered a hand to help him to his feet.

"Are you two done thanking each other yet?" Flynn tapped a foot impatiently in the dirt. "Kingdom's not much farther."

Sora nodded, "Yeah, no more distractions." To Kairi's dismay, the blush slowly disappeared from his face.

She'd do anything to see it again.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this self-indulgence of a chapter. Writing growing affectionate SoKai and friendship between Kairi and Rapunzel has been giving me life these past weeks, so I hope you don't mind :) I head-canon that the two girls would get along and understand each other really well, and hopefully they can meet in canon one day! leave a comment if you'd like. Feedback is welcome!