Chapter 2

Dreaming of Other Worlds

"Ready? Go!"

On Kairi's cue, Sora and Riku shot to their feet and raced across the beach. Kairi and Kara watched as the boys ran nearly neck-in-neck, albeit with Riku just ahead of Sora. The boys switched between keeping their eyes on the finish marker and glancing at each other, offering a friendly and competitive grin. Sora pushed himself as fast as he could go, hoping to edge into the lead, but Riku had slightly longer legs and was just as agile as him. A few seconds before they reached the finish marker, they saw a blue and red blur blow past them, accompanied by a strong gust of wind. Faster than they could blink, Kara was standing past the marker, her hands on her hips and a mischievous smile on her face.

"Come on, Kara! No fair!" Riku complained after he passed the marker and came to a stop. Sora came to a stop immediately after and began laughing at Riku's expense.

It had been four years since Kara had arrived on the island, and in the time since discovering her powers, she had developed full control over her new abilities. Along with super strength, super speed, super durability, and flight, it was discovered that she could: see through walls; hear sounds that were very far off, very quiet, or on a pitch that most others could not register; fire heat blasts from her eyes; and breathe strong and also freezing cold winds (though she did not care to use that last one too much and thus was not very potent with the ability). Now, she was happy to participate in activities with her friends on a human level, but she was not above showing off her powers for fun.

"Sorry, Riku. Sometimes I just can't resist," Kara said with a laugh. The fifteen-year-old Kryptonian girl wore a white t-shirt, a red skirt over blue shorts secured by a blue belt with a yellow buckle, short socks, red running shoes with yellow laces, and a red headband that pushed her bangs up. A custom-made pin in the shape of the crest of her birth family, the House of El (the diamond with the "S" in it), was attached to her shirt next to her left shoulder.

"Man, lighten up. It's just a game, after all. Right, Riku?" Sora teased, jabbing Riku with the same line that he would throw at Sora when he would cheer triumphantly at beating Riku in a sparring match or a race. The fourteen-year-old boy wore a sleeveless red waterproof jumpsuit with puffy shorts and a zipper that ran all the way from the neckline to the crotch, a black short-sleeved hooded jacket with white sleeves ending in gray edging and a blue inner lining which he left unzipped, a blue belt with a grey buckle that he left loosely secured, yellow and black waterproof sneakers with grey soles and yellow belt straps, a pair of white fingerless gloves with blue straps around the palms secured by thin metal discs on the backs as well as black and yellow straps around the wrists, a chain necklace with a three-pointed crown-shaped pendant, and a chain with crown-shaped links that hung from his belt over his left leg. The chain was looped around a wooden toy sword, holding it at his hip like a makeshift scabbard. He was slightly taller than Kara, but, despite their vast difference in strength, had roughly the same musculature as her.

Riku scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You were gonna lose, anyway," he retorted. The fifteen-year-old boy wore a tank top that was yellow on the front and black on the back with white-trimmed black straps that wrapped over his shoulders and crossed at his chest and upper back. He also wore dark blue pants secured by a black belt with a silver rectangular buckle, a lighter blue baggy set of chaps that were held up with white-studded suspenders hooked to the belt and secured around his ankles with small black belts. His white-and-blue shoes had white-trimmed black horizontal straps, gray soles, and yellow strings on the inner sides. He also sported a pair of black gloves with matching black wristbands. He was visibly more muscular than Sora, and he was a few inches taller than him as well.

"Okay. Calm down, you two," Kairi said, giggling. The fourteen-year-old girl wore a white top with purple shoulder straps over a black tank top, both of which slightly exposed her navel, purple bike shorts underneath a lighter purple skirt, a blue belt, white-and-purple slip-on shoes with white elastic strings at the top secured by a black ball that managed tightness, a black choker, a yellow wristband and a purple armband on her left arm, a pair of bracelets on her right wrist, and a string necklace with a silver bead attached. She was slightly shorter than Kara, and was not as well-built as either her or Sora, due to a comparative lack of interest in sparring.

Kairi reached into her duffel bag and took out a sheet of paper, on which were written a list of materials, then pulled an 11"x17" paper from Riku's duffel bag, on which was drawn a schematic of a traditional sailing boat. Riku took the schematic and laid it out on the sand.

"Do we have all the supplies we'll need for today?" Riku asked.

Kairi nodded. "I brought the cloth," she said.

"Sora and I brought the logs and boards," Kara added.

"She carried them and flew. I mostly talked to the guys and supervised," Sora admitted.

"We all do what we can," Kairi assured him, adding a giggle.

Riku nodded. "And I brought the rope and twine, and the tools." He opened his duffel bag up to show the materials and the toolbox to his friends.

"Okay! Let's get to work!" Kairi said energetically.

Sora yawned. "Hey, Kara, can you hand me my…" He did not need to finish his request, as Kara took a thermos out of his bag and passed it over to him. He removed the lid, poured coffee into it, and drank. He let out a satisfied sigh before putting the lid back on and handing the thermos back to Kara.

"Will you be able to keep up today?" Riku asked. He recalled how, a few days ago, Sora had become so exhausted while helping out that he had laid down for a nap when he had gone to talk to Tidus, Wakka and Selphie.

"I'll be fine. Thanks," Sora assured his friend. He had dealt with people calling him a "lazy bum" for a few years due to the number of naps he would take However, doctors determined that his mental processes simply run unusually fast, so he wears himself out mentally faster than usual. The caffeine and sugar are not a perfect solution, but they keep him awake well enough when he drinks enough coffee and cannot sneak away for a nap.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kairi asked. "Let's get to work!"

The four teens passed through a small tunnel in the rock to the other side of the island, where they had been building their boat. They were still in the early stages, and it was little more than a skeleton of the Wayfinder sailing boat that their design was emulating. Two piles of long logs and boards sat several feet away, each set wrapped up in tape and rope. Riku brought out his tools, including a hand saw, measuring tape, and a knife. Kairi unrolled one of the sheets of cloth that she brought, then pulled out a marker with which to measure the size they would need to cut. Riku and Kara measured and cut the logs while Kairi cut pieces of cloth and Sora tied the logs together and into place. When all of the logs had been cut for that period of time, Kara sanded the edges to eliminate risk of splinters and helped Sora put them together.

After a few hours of working, they took a lunch break and went back to the other side of the island to chat with Tidus, Wakka and Selphie. After lunch, Sora sparred with Tidus, clashing his toy sword with Tidus' wooden stick, while Riku sparred with Wakka, wielding his toy sword and hitting Wakka's volleyball back when the latter threw it. While they had their dueling rounds, Kara, Kairi and Selphie played together using Selphie's jump rope. After those matches ended, Sora, Riku and Kara rotated: Kara picking up a stick and dueling with Tidus, fighting at his level of strength and rolling with the hits that he did land so that she did not make unfair use of her durability; Sora going up against Wakka; and Riku challenging Selphie, who carried and swung her jump rope like a mix between a whip and a nunchaku, all while Kairi simply watched. They rotated again, and Kara and Wakka bounced his volleyball back and forth, Sora went up against Selphie, and Riku crossed swords with Tidus. Afterwards, the four teens went back to working on the boat until sunset.

"I'll take the tools back for you," Kara offered. "Might as well save you the hassle." She hoisted Riku's bag over her shoulder. "I'll be back in a minute." She leapt into the air, flying over the trees and straight to the main island.

"And I'll put the materials in a safe place," Kairi said. She carried the unused cloth and rope off to do just that.

Sora grinned and crossed his hands behind his head as he watched her work on the clean-up for the day. His focus was drawn away as he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Riku pointing his toy sword at him.

"How about a quick round?" the silver-haired boy challenged.

Sora drew his sword from his chain loop and deflected Riku's in a single motion. "You're on!" He planted his feet down firmly and held his sword out to the side with both hands.

Riku smirked. He separated his legs into a firm stance. He drew his right arm back and up, pointing his sword at Sora, and extended his free arm toward his rival in a daring manner. "This one decides the champion."

He lunged forward, slashing his sword. Sora brought his sword up to block the strike, then swung overhead to strike Riku while he was recoiling. He went for another hit, swinging his sword like a club in a swift yet forceful motion, but Riku blocked it and knocked Sora back with a spinning attack. They clashed swords a few times, each of them getting some good hits in, before Riku jumped backward, putting distance between him and Sora.

Standing his ground, he held his sword horizontally in front of his chest. Although it appeared as though he had an opening, Sora did not move in for the attack, instead waiting for Riku to make his next move so he could respond. "What are you afraid of?" Riku taunted, beckoning him to attack. Although he knew that he was goading him, Sora still charged in and attacked, hoping that he would be able to overcome or effectively dodge the counterattack trap. However, Riku smirked as he read Sora's movements and pushed back, then retaliated with a spinning attack while he had been staggered. Sora quickly recovered and delivered a combo to Riku, dealing a finisher strong enough to knock him on his back. In his excitement, he ran to follow up on the attack while he was down. Riku expected this. As soon as he hit the ground, he drew his legs up to his chest and pressed his hands to the ground where his head was. He leaned back further, then pushed off with his hands and shot his legs forward, launching himself at Sora. Before Sora could react and get out of the way, Riku flew at him feet-first, kicking him in the chest and sending him tumbling backward.

Sora attempted to push himself back up, but he felt an ache in his ribs and slumped back down in defeat.

Riku offered his hand and helped Sora to his feet. "Good match," he said.

Sora grinned. "Thanks. Right back at you." He heard a giggle and turned to see that Kairi and Kara were standing off to the side, having watched their duel. Kara stepped over and handed him a Potion, for which he thanked her and which he downed in a gulp. As the liquid flowed through his system, he felt his aching and pain fade away, and he stood tall, revitalized.

"As advanced as my planet's technology was, the medicine provided on this world still amazes me," Kara remarked. She wished that Krypton had been able to develop a drink that could heal cuts and bruises with just a sip.

"Come on. We should head on back," Kairi said.

Sora and Riku nodded. Sora rubbed his belly as his stomach growled. "I wonder what Mom and Dad are making for dinner tonight?" he mused.

They went back to the western side of the island, Kairi and Kara going through the tunnel ahead of Riku and Sora. When they came out of the tunnel, the girls kept going, but Riku stopped and climbed up onto the elevated platform that the girls were walking around. Sora stopped and watched him in confusion as he ran across the bridge that connected to the platform and another platform out in the shallow water, which was built on a cylindrical pile of stones and filled to the top with sand and on which grew coconut trees and a tree that extended horizontally over the edge of the platform. Sora lost sight of Riku when he stepped onto the platform, and waited a minute for him to reappear on the bridge.

"Hey, Sora!" Riku called down. He tossed a yellow star-shaped fruit, which had leaves sticking out of three of the points, off of the bridge. Sora caught it on reflex and regarded it with confusion.

"A Paopu Fruit?" Sora stared at the fruit that had grown on the sideways tree, wondering what Riku was expecting him to do with it.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what," Riku said, reciting the island's old legend. He took a quick glance backward in Kairi's direction, then smirked back down at Sora and chuckled. "Come on. I know you want to try it!" he teased.

"W-What are you…" Sora stammered in embarrassment. He looked up at Riku, who laughed at the flabbergasted expression on his face, back down at the fruit, across the beach toward Kairi, then back down at the fruit again. Riku dropped off of the other side of the bridge and walked to the stretch of pier where the girls were already waiting by the rowboats. Awkwardly, Sora tossed the fruit aside, letting it land in the water and get washed away by the tide. He crossed the beach to the rowboats, trying to put on a straight face so no one else would realize that anything happened.

They returned to Hopena in their rowboats, Sora and Kara going together and Riku and Kairi going separately, then went back home and had dinner with their parents. An hour after dinner, Sora and Kara stepped out onto the balcony outside of Kara's bedroom window, where a telescope had been set up so that Kara could observe the stars.

"We're gonna head to the watchtower!" Sora shouted down to his parents.

"Okay. Take care!" Rosetta called back.

Sora and Kara nodded to each other. Sora wrapped his arm over Kara's shoulder while Kara looped her arm behind his back. Kara lightly pushed herself off of the ground and hovered a few inches above the floor. Sora felt his feet leave the floor as well. Kara ascended until she and Sora were floating higher than roof of their two-story-plus-an-attic house. Turning to face east, she flew over the neighborhood, the duo's velocity and the air resistance causing them to take a horizontal position. Sora grinned as he felt the wind whip his face. Flying with Kara was always an exhilarating experience.

They soon approached a three-story stone tower which could be ascended via a ladder. At the top of the structure, a skeletal wooden frame was built above it, elevating to extra levels which could be scaled by way of a ladder in the very center. The three levels of the watchtower were utilized long ago to watch for ships coming into port, but had long since been abandoned. Over time, it became a site where teenagers would hang out and watch the waves ebb and flow.

Riku and Kairi were already there, sitting on the top floor, both leaning against the safety railing. Riku stared up at the stars while Kairi faced land, watching the skies for when Sora and Kara would arrive. When she saw them, she giggled and waved, at the same time letting Riku know that they had come. Once they were above the tower, Kara lowered herself and Sora down, landing gently on the platform. They separated and walked over to the edge of the tower next to Riku and Kairi.

"All of those stars up there, each one is another world. A piece of a fractured whole," Riku mused, recalling the old stories of the worlds.

"What could have happened to this planet to divide its regions like this?" Kara wondered. "Towns, cities, countries, separated from each other by an entire sector of space."

"I've heard many stories, but I don't know if any of them are the truth," Kairi added.

"Whatever happened in the past, this is what it's like now. So many worlds, just waiting to be explored. What would it be like to see them all?" Riku continued. "What would we find?"

"I wonder if we'll find the world Kairi came from," Sora said. Kairi sighed, musing about how she had been found barely conscious on the beach of Hopena nine years ago, as if she had washed ashore (and newspaper reports which made sure to point out the indentations in the sand around her indicated that she had done exactly that). It was determined that she most likely came from another world, but she could remember nothing from before her arrival. She wondered what was out there, where she had come from, as well, possibly even more than Riku and Sora, but she was also apprehensive of the idea. She became more accepting of the idea of being an "outsider" when Kara appeared, and she developed a kinship with the alien, even if she had no stories of her past life to tell.

"Could be. Maybe we'll see what it's like," Riku replied. "And maybe on one of those worlds, we'll find where Kara's cousin really ended up."

A tear rolled down Kara's face as she thought of her lost infant cousin. She was supposed to protect and raise him, but events beyond her control caused them to become separated, and Kal-El was nowhere to be found. Riku's suggestion that he had simply landed on another world gave her hope that he might still be alright.

"Could we really do it?" Sora asked. "The Wayfinder boats haven't been used in a long time. How far would it actually take us?"

Riku slumped, realizing that Sora was right. The plan was a long shot. The use of Wayfinder boats had been phased out over a century ago, and there was no one alive who could teach them to sail the dark sea between the worlds, only in local waters, so they would have to prepare all on their own. The ferries were a more reliable method of transport, but they would not be ideal for getting where he wanted to go. Plus, they would all have to save up money for the fare on each trip, which was not a part of his plan. With their own boat, they would be able to go where they wished, free as the wind… assuming that it worked.

He sighed. "I wish we could make a plan that's more reliable. But…"

Kara frowned and looked at him sympathetically. "But we can't use my pod," she reminded him. "It might be able to soar through the space between worlds without damage, but it's only for one person, and we won't be able to refit it or its technology for the four of us with this island's resources."

Riku shook his head. "I know. I just… I really want this to work. I want to go to the other worlds, see what's beyond this island."

"Well, suppose it did work, and we did make it to another world," Kairi chimed, hoping to cheer Riku up with some of her endless optimism. "What would you do there?"

Riku pondered the question, then shrugged. "Well, I haven't really thought about it," he admitted. "It's just... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. I look up at the stars, and I think that ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could've just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

Sora shrugged. "I dunno."

"And Kara especially," Riku added. "She flew across the universe and landed on this island. Out of probably hundreds of worlds, and that's not even counting all of the other planets that she could have landed on, she lands here. That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."

Kara smiled softly. "You've been thinking a lot about this, haven't you?" she asked, admiring his dedication.

Riku smiled. "Thanks to you, and Kairi. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this." He turned to Kairi, then Kara. "Thank you."

Kairi giggled. "You're welcome."

Sora turned so that he could lean back against the railing and crossed his hands behind his head. "I'd like to see where Kairi came from, too. Along with any other worlds we can reach. I wanna to see 'em all!"

Kara looked at him, and he met her gaze. "Me too. I want to see what the other worlds of this planet have to offer. I want to experience their beauty and wonder." She sighed wistfully. "But most of all, I want to see Kal-El again. I want to be able to hold him in my arms and never let go."

Sora stepped over to her and wrapped his arm over her shoulder. "I'd like to meet him, too," he said.

The following day, they did some more work on constructing the boat. After lunch, they divided tasks. Riku and Kairi stayed to test and make sure the base of the boat would be secure, while Sora and Kara went around the island to gather provisions, both so that the group would have a stockpile of their own foodstuffs for the journey and to practice in gathering them should they wind up in a place where they would need to do just that.

Kara used her powers for the more difficult or dangerous tasks. She flew up above the trees and collected seagull eggs from one of the palm trees. She also collected coconuts, punching trees to shake them loose and trusting her invulnerability to protect her from the falling shells while Sora stood at a safe distance. They filled bottles up with water from the spring up against the rock wall. Sora swam through the shallow water and caught some fish by hand, then brought them back to shore and dropped them in a bowl that Kara had filled with seawater. Lastly, they split up to forage for vegetables and mushrooms from around the island.

"Hey, Kara." Kara paused in clipping berries off of a bush and turned to see Riku calling out to her. She dropped the berries into the pouch that she was carrying around and approached him and Kairi.

"Hey. Is something the matter?" Kara asked.

"Can you give us a hand with this?" Riku held up a frayed end of rope, and Kara immediately knew what he wanted her to do, having done it a few times in the past. She pinched the frayed ends and used Riku's knife to cut the ends off. She then twisted the new end tight, and Riku wrapped twine around it. When he was finished, Kara took the rope out of his hand and focused her heat vision on the end of the rope. She had gotten control over her special vision powers to the point where she could use her x-ray vision on several different levels and adjust the focus and power of her heat vision. She stared at the rope with such a low power that the only indication that she was using her power was a shimmer in the air between her eyes and the rope, rather than the red lasers that normally appear, and the rope melted as if it were held over a small flame.

"Thanks," Riku said. He blew on the rope to cool it down, then went back to tying the boat together.

After a minute of continued work, Kairi noticed that Kara was still sitting there, staring at the boat. "Are you alright, Kara?" she asked.

Kara blinked and turned to address her. She shrugged. "I'm… apprehensive, I guess," she admitted. "Whenever I look up at the stars, I think about how Krypton isn't among them. And at the thought of leaving this world for another one, I think of the day of Krypton's destruction, when I was sent off in the pod, even though I guess in this case it's more like taking the aircar from Kryptonopolis to Argo City than flying to another planet altogether. But I lost everything that day. And now, I'm kind of worried that if I go, I could lose the home and family I have now."

Kairi nodded, understanding the alien's concerns. "Do you not want to leave?" she asked.

Kara thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No. I want to see what else is out there, and I want to do it with you guys. But I'm kind of afraid of what might happen."

Kairi frowned, empathetic. "I've actually been thinking the same thing. All my life, for literally as long as I can remember, I've been just as much an alien as you, but I don't even remember where I'm from. I don't know what my old home was like, and I don't know why I was brought here. Because of that… I'm afraid that I might get lost again, and I might not be able to find you guys again. I might not even remember any of you."

While his friends expressed their fears and concerns, Riku listened intently. He understood why they were worried, and he felt guilty. He was the one who roped Kara, Kairi, and Sora into his plan to travel to other worlds. He knew that Sora was almost entirely just along for the ride, but he had not thought of how the girls might be conflicted. He did not want them to be afraid that they would lose the people and things they cared about.

He climbed off of the boat and walked over to them. "Don't worry. None of us will get lost," he assured them.

"How can you be sure?" Kara asked.

Riku smiled and shook his head. "I won't let that happen. We'll stick together through thick and thin." He wrapped his hand over Kara's and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Kara smiled softly. She felt better now. "Thanks, Riku."

Sora pushed through the vines and leaves covering the cave entrance and entered the cavern that was cut into the rock wall. He placed his hand on the wall to guide him along the winding path, so that he did not walk straight into rock on his way through the pitch black tunnel. Soon, he saw a faint light and stepped out into a round chamber, which he and his friends had called "The Secret Place". The mountain was broken open at the top, allowing sunlight to shine down through the hole high above Sora. Due to occasional heavy rainstorms and monsoons, which poured massive amounts of water into the hole in the roof, some trees had grown in the soil, even managing to rise over ten feet up, but due to large gaps between such storms and normal rainfall being insufficient for their location and size, the trees began to grow weak and die after some time, leaving only some small plants and fungi. The most unusual feature, which none of them had been able to understand as kids, was a wooden board mounted vertically at the back of the cave, which had a yellow outline around the edge with a design at the top. It very closely resembled a door, but there was no doorknob, nor were there any apparent hinges, so they were not sure how it was supposed to be opened, and the mystery spooked them enough to never try.

The walls were covered with chalk drawings, which Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie had made when they were kids. They had largely outgrown it by the time Sora was eight, but some time after Kara arrived, they brought her in so that she could see their past work and add some cave art of her own.

Sora could not help but smile as he looked around at all of the drawings, basking in the nostalgia. Among the drawings were dragons, wizards, rocket ships, one of those strange otherworldly creatures called "Chocobos", and caricatures of the islanders as kids. Kara had found some empty space to draw what had come to her mind: images of Krypton, her family's crest, a sketch of her family's robot servant Kel-Ex, and the cityscape from her favorite movie on Destiny Islands, The Wizard of Oz. He gave a light chuckle as he reflected on everyone's wild imaginations as children, then returned to his business.

A few feet to the right of the door, Sora saw some mushrooms against the wall. He crouched in front of them and began to pick them and put them in his pouch. When he collected the last of them, he looked up, and his eyes fell on a particular drawing.

Sora and Kairi, age five, knelt at the wall, scratching rocks against the stone surface. When they finished their respective drawings, they looked at each other's work. Kairi had drawn a fully-colored-in profile of Sora's head, while Sora had drawn a more scribbled take on Kairi's head in profile. After a few months acclimating to the new environment after arriving on the island, Kairi had been insecure about being the outsider in a place that she feared she did not belong. Sora brought her to the small island and into the Secret Place so that they could mark each other on the walls decorated with the children's hearts and minds, so he could assure her and she could assure herself that whatever happened, whatever their destinies held, they would always be the closest of friends, and that she had nothing to be afraid of. They laughed, both feeling that everything will be just fine.

Sora picked up a rock and began scratching a new drawing between the heads. When he finished, he took a moment to stop and study the art, an arm passing a star from Sora's head to Kairi's head. He smiled, considering the prospect, but frowned as he wondered if Kairi would actually feel the same.

Hearing footsteps echo from the entrance tunnel, Sora stood up quickly and positioned himself so that his legs blocked the drawing. Facing the entrance, he waited until the newcomer came into view, and saw that it was Kara.

"Oh, hey," Kara said when she realized that he was in the cave as well.

"Hey," Sora greeted with a wave. He stooped down to pick his pouch up. "I was just getting some mushrooms."

Kara nodded in comprehension. "I can see that." She stepped further into the cavern and looked around at all of the cave drawings. "This place really is special, isn't it?"

"Sure is," Sora replied.

"I know I didn't make as many memories in here as you, Riku and Kairi, but this place holds a place in my heart." Kara looked up, squinting in the light, and spun around until she found a specific drawing on the ceiling. It depicted the House of El symbol side-by-side with a sketch of the crown shape of Sora's pendant. She pointed up at the drawing. "That one is my favorite."

Sora crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. That's where we marked our bond as brother and sister," he recalled. Shortly after Kara had been adopted, she and Sora had gone to the Secret Place to mark the occasion. Kara had flown up to the ceiling with him to mark their personal sigils.

Kara turned to her brother. "You know, anything could happen out in the worlds," she mused.

"Yeah. But everything on these walls, every drawing, every memory, is permanent," Sora asserted. "None of this, and particularly not this…" he placed his hand over his heart to emphasize what he was referring to "…will ever change."

Kara smiled and nodded. "You're right. Thanks." She went over and hugged him, and Sora returned the embrace.

Kara noticed something in her lower peripheral and glanced down, seeing that there was something different about a certain drawing. She separated from the hug and shifted around him to take a peek. "Isn't that the drawing you and Kairi did of each other?"

Sora blushed at the comment. Realizing that he could not hide it, he stepped aside to let Kara take a look. She looked down at the drawing to see what had been added to it. "Huh. Is that…" Her face lit up as she realized what it was. "Is that you sharing a Paopu Fruit with Kairi?" she asked, delighted. She turned to Sora and, seeing that his cheeks were now a bright red, determined that it was exactly that. She grinned. "Aw, that's so sweet." She then began to laugh at his blushing face. Sora gave her a playful punch on the arm, then started laughing too.

Suddenly, Sora felt his hairs stand on end. Sensing a presence, he stopped laughing and spun around to face the intruder. Kara looked at him in confusion, wondering what was wrong, then peeked past him and saw a bizarre figure. Where did he come from? How did I not hear him come in? she asked herself.

The newcomer was like no one that either of them had ever seen before. He had a masculine figure, but that was all that could be determined about him at a glance. His entire body was covered, head to toe, in bandages, making him look very much like a mummy. He stood in the shadows back against the wall, and there was also an odd ghostly aura about him, making him seem like some kind of phantom.

"Wh-Who's there?" Sora asked, the fear in his voice.

"I've come to see the door to this world," the stranger said. His voice was deep and gravelly. Although there was no obvious menace in his tone, it still creeped the teens out.

"Huh?" Sora was confused by what the man was saying. He traded glances with Kara, but she was just as confused, and they both shrugged before turning their attention back to the stranger.

"This world has been connected," the stranger continued. "Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely… eclipsed."

"What are you talking about? Who are you? Where did you come from?" Sora asked, becoming more freaked out by the second.

"Those are not the questions that should be asked. This world, this door, they hold many secrets. Even more than the others

"You're not from around here, are you?" Kara guessed. "You're not from this world."

"No more than you are, child," the stranger replied. Kara blanched. What does this creep know about me?

"I must ask, what is it about this world? What would bring you here?" the stranger continued. "What secrets hide here?"

Sora and Kara looked over at the door, wondering if there was really anything so special about it, and what would pique the ominous man's interests so much. When they turned their gaze back to where he stood, however, he had vanished, much to their bewilderment.

"Where'd he go?" Sora asked in disbelief.

"We should have heard him if he walked out," Kara muttered. She stepped into the center of the cave, then launched herself into the air, hoping to find the escaping stranger. Sora stumbled briefly as the ground shook under his feet. Kara scanned the island with her x-ray vision and listened for any sign of the man, but she found nothing. She dropped back into the cave on a three-point landing and, facing Sora, shook her head.

"I don't get it. It's like he was never here in the first place," she remarked.

Sora shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe we should tell Riku and Kairi about it," he suggested.

Kara nodded in agreement, and they left the Secret Place together.