I may or may not have written two chapters in one day and I'm totally posting them quickly because I'm so excited!

We're in the end game now guys!

And I think I will finish this before MoM comes out!

Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!

My OCs © to me!

Other OCs © to their respective owners!

Chapter 32: Dreamwalkers

"Think this will work?"

Aegis pushed up his glasses. "I don't know. This is outside my area of expertise. But I hope it does, for both of them."

They sat down in two chairs, facing the two medical beds where Yozora and Kairi lay. Magia glanced at the clock on the wall. One in the morning.

He pushed his hat over his eyes. "Well, I'm tired and there's nothing better to do than sleep ourselves."

"Agreed." Aegis pulled off his glasses and leaned back in the chair.

Nothing to do but wait.

Kairi opened her eyes to the clean view of The Final World.

"It's been a while."

"This place is so much brighter than I remember it." Yozora stood beside her.

Chirithy walked out in front of them. "That's because your side, the place closer to the door, is darker. It sides more toward death. But the lighter place sides more toward sleep."

"This place is endless." Yozora huffed. "How are we supposed to find them?"

"Follow your hearts."

Kairi closed her eyes, but she felt nothing… her heart didn't want her to go anywhere?

Yozora on the other hand- "This way!" He jogged across the rippling landscape, Kairi and Chirithy behind him.

It almost felt like they weren't moving at all. The sky and the sea never changed.

But they kept going.

"Do you feel anything, Kairi?"

"No… not even a little."

Yozora stopped. "You can't feel Sora?"

"No. I'm not sure why."

"Don't worry," a sweet, gentle voice said, "he'll find you. He's waited long enough." They turned.

A figure stood before them. A young woman, at least the outline of her. She seemed there, but not quite.

She looked at Yozora, her gaze softening. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Yozora?"

"I-it's you!"

The maiden.

He stumbled toward her. "You're really here."

"Almost. I don't think I'll fully form until you remember me. Tell me, Yozora, what have you forgotten?" Her hand came up, gently cupping his face, or trying to, as her hand went right through him.

"Your name."

"Now that is troubling, isn't it? A name is an important thing. But I know it's somewhere in that head of yours. So, how about a hint." She giggled. "Starts with an M(1)."

"I already knew that mu-" He gasped, stepping back. His hands went to his head. Kairi watched from the side, watched as his red eye flashed completely silver for a moment. He stood up, his hands shaking as they lowered. "M-M-Ma-Maris..?"

"Yes." The girl breathed out, her voice watery.

Color began creeping up her legs. A silvery white dress and shoes glittered in the gentle light. It traveled up, to the white-gloved hands, silver star necklace, chestnut brown hair that fell in gentle waves around her violet eyes.

"Maris!"

Yozora leapt forward, wrapping his arms around her. Maris returned the hug, tears flowing from her eyes. "Yozora… I've missed you so much."

"And I you."

They pulled back, Maris taking his face in her hands. "You look so different… I guess the change fully happened when I passed." She touched a lock of his hair. "I can't deny this cut looks good on you, but I liked the old color."

"I agree." He smiled. "I-I think I remember everything now. Who I used to be. What was I like. I'm not that person anymore though, and because Frode's heart and mine are one, I may never be him again."

Maris took his hands. "You may never be the very same, but I still see the same friend, the same man I grew up with. And fell in love with." She giggled. "At least we can dye your hair back if we need to."

"Yeah." Yozora laughed, a real laugh. One Kairi hadn't heard once since she'd known him. "The hair can be fixed. And we will bring you back, I promise."

"I believe you. If there's one thing I've learned since meeting him, it's that believing in someone can make impossible things happen."

"Him?"

"Sora. He's been my companion here for some time now." She glanced over at Kairi. "Don't you worry. He'll find you. And thank you, Kairi. Thank you for helping my dear Yozora."

"It was no trouble at all."

Ok, maybe a little trouble at points, but whatever.

Kairi stood there, watching as the two talked, holding their arms around one another.

So happy.

She wrapped her arms around herself, closing her eyes, if only someone would hold her like that right now.

"Kairi?!"

She opened her eyes to see the world swimming before her. "What!?"

"Don't worry." Chirithy said. "You're being pulled to someone's dream right now. That's alright. I figured it might happen. Let it happen."

The sky and sea vanished, replaced with a soft blanket all around her. She pushed it back to reveal…

"My bedroom."

Her childhood bedroom from Radiant Garden. She pushed back the covers of her bed, looking around the small room.

"Not just that." Chirithy said. "Look at yourself." He pointed toward a mirror.

Kairi gasped. She was five. Five years old again.

"I don't think this is Sora's dream."

"I don't either, but I'll go look for him, and I'll bring him here." The dream eater poofed away as Kairi slipped out of bed. Everything looked so strange from this height.

She felt so small, and a little helpless as she pushed the bedroom door open.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the back of a blonde woman. The woman, turned around, freezing as she saw the girl.

"M-Mother?"

"Kairi?"

The woman, Clover, dropped to her knees as Kairi came closer. She reached out and pulled Kairi into a warm hug.

This.

This is what Kairi wanted. This is why she'd been pulled into this dream. She wanted someone to hold her.

"Kaimu! Kaimu!"

At his wife's call, the red-haired man ran in. Gasping as he saw his daughter. "Kairi!?" He dropped down, pulling both girls into his arms. "How are you here? Are you… dead like us?"

Kairi shook her head, still taking in the warmth of her parents. "No. This is a dream. I felt lonely… and I wanted someone to hold me, so I ended up here."

Clover giggled. "Well, we're here for you. But if you're not dead…"

"Mom, this isn't what I look like now." Kairi looked up. "I'm seventeen, but I guess the dream just made me look like this."

"Seventeen… It's been twelve years…"

Kaimu picked up the little girl and set her on the couch between him and Clover. "Do you want to tell us how your life has gone and why you were lonely?"

"Well, alright…"

Kairi sat between her parents. She told them about her parents on the islands, and they seemed so happy that she'd found such wonderful and loving people to care for her.

And her mother- "You live by an ocean!? I've never seen one before. I've always wanted to though."

Kairi told them about her friendship with Riku and Sora.

About the adventures across worlds. And how she mostly took a back seat in all of them. And then, she told them about what happened at the Keyblade graveyard.

Her father nearly burst into tears. And her mother looked ready to punch someone.

But she told them more. About Sora. What he did for her. How he saved her and sacrificed himself to do so.

And why she was here, on this journey to find him. To save him.

"I've now dug myself into a hole… I lost my Keyblade because I was too stubborn to ask for help. I'm close now to fixing it, but I don't think my heart is ready. I came here to talk to Sora, to try and get my heart set right, so I can reforge my weapon and save him."

Clover took her daughter's hands. "Kairi, it's never wrong to rely on someone for help. Your father and I had you when we were young, and we needed someone to help us."

"That's right," Kaimu smiled, "and my mother helped. She gave us a place to live and helped raise you too. Of course, we didn't freeload. She agreed to help us as long as we worked or went to school. And that's the thing; even if someone helps you, that doesn't mean you sit on the sidelines and do nothing. Then they're doing the work for you. Asking for help means you work together to solve a problem."

Kairi looked at her father. "I just feel like I'm always a burden. Every time I do something on my own I just screw it up. I'm worried that even if I fix my Keyblade I won't save him. I feel like I'll just mess it up again."

"You don't have confidence in yourself…"

"I don't see anything to be confident about. I'm nothing special."

A new hand suddenly took hers.

"That's not true. You're the most special person in all the worlds."

She gasped, looking into the deep blue eyes of the one she'd come for.

"Sora!" She stood up, barely registering that she stood at her full seventeen-year-old height.

Sora wrapped his arms around her. "Don't talk about yourself that way… please."

"Huh?"

"You're not a burden. You're not a screwup. You're a bright, special person. You make the world brighter just by existing."

Kairi leaned her head against him. "You're talking about yourself…"

"I'm talking about you, Kairi. Whatever made you feel this way, I'll make it go away." He pulled back, his hands on her shoulders, his eyes serious, but kind. "You are a strong, brave, and amazing person. I don't know what's made you feel this way about yourself, and if I ever had anything to do with it, I'm sorry, but know that you are not a burden."

Chirithy walked up beside them. "Looks like we made it at just the right time."

Clover stood up. "You must be Sora."

"Hm?" The boy glanced over at the couple. "I am. Who are you?"

"Sora, these are my parents." Kairi pulled back, smiling at the two.

"Your parents!?"

Clover giggled. "My name is Clover, and this is Kaimu."

"Nice to meet you Sora." The red-haired man grinned. "Now, I think this is the moment I'm supposed to give that 'if you dare hurt my daughter I'll hurt you' speech, but after all I've heard, and what I've just seen, I don't think I need to. You'll take care of her."

"Always."

Kairi smiled, resting her head on Sora. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too. But I knew you were coming to find me. You did promise after all to keep me safe."

"Yeah…" Her smile dropped. "But I broke that promise."

"So did I remember."

"But… what if I mess up?"

"You won't."

"I've never saved you before… You've always saved me."

"That's not true." Sora smiled softly. "When I turned into a Heartless you brought me back. And then there was the time when all the Heartless killed all of us and I ended up in the Final World. Remember, you were the one that kept me from fading away, and because of that I was able to bring everyone else back."

The girl shook her head. "I didn't do anything. All I did was believe that you wouldn't fade, that's i-"

"All you did was save my life and the lives of all our friends. Stop short-changing yourself. Please."

"I don't know what you see in me… I really don't. I wish I did."

Sora grabbed her hands. "What I see? What I see is a girl who, despite showing up on the beach with no memories of her past, lived each day to the fullest. What I see is the girl who followed me to the end of the world, past all those Heartless, without a weapon(2).What I see is the girl who jumped from a balcony and dove into a battle against Heartless with no hesitation. What I see is the girl who saved me from dying when the Heartless attacked. What I see is the girl who is doing everything she can to rescue me, despite what she may have to go through. That's what I see. I see you."

Kairi struggled to hold back her tears, but a few slipped through. "I don't deserve you…"

"Yes you do. You deserve the world. It's I who don't deserve you, Kairi." He leaned his head forward, touching his forehead to hers. "And… I'm sorry. I know after you saved me from being a Heartless, I told you to stay behind; I said you'd be in the way. I was wrong… dumb fourteen-year-old me was so wrong. And then, at the end of the world, I should've pulled you to me. We could've gone on adventures together. We should've."

"Donald wouldn't have been happy about it."

"Donald would've gotten over it. But don't worry, when we get back, I never want you to leave my side again. You and me. There's nothing we can't do."

"You want me with you, even though I always get kidnapped?"

"We'll protect each other. And Donald and Goofy will be there too. And don't be afraid about bringing me back. I did the impossible, and you will too. I believe in you. I believe you will succeed, and I know all our friends do too."

"Th-thank you."

"We shared the paopu remember? We're connected. We will remain a part of each other's lives no matter what happens." He pulled back. "Mr. Kaimu, do you have any tools around here?"

Kaimu scratched his head. "Yeah… why?"

"I need to borrow them." Sora pulled away. "I'll be right back." He followed Kaimu out of the room.

Clover stepped over by her daughter, adjusting Kairi's beret. "He is a keeper. Hold onto that one."

"I intend to."

Bang!

Bang!

What was Sora doing?

Bang!

Bang!

BANG!

Silence.

Sora and Kaimu came back, with Sora holding his hands behind him. "Kairi, you once gave me a good-luck charm. And now I'm giving you one."

He reached out a hand, opening it to reveal half of his crown necklace.

"Sora! You…" She looked. He'd taken off the necklace. "You didn't!?"

"I have the other half." He held it up, still dangling from the chain. He placed it around his neck. "You're my other half… so this will make sure we always come back to each other."

Kairi took the broken half. "You didn't have to do this…"

"I wanted to, Kai."

"And you'll need something to carry it on." Clover walked over to Kairi. "You should add it to the necklace I gave you."

Kairi paused. "You gave me this…?"

"It was my mother's. It's a rare metal called mithril."

The mithril she needed…

"I'll put it on when I wake up."

Sora smiled. "I'll be waiting for you for when you come. I look forward to seeing you again outside of a dream."

"I do too." Kairi turned to her parents. "I wonder if there's a way to bring you back too."

Kaimu shook his head. "Kairi… we've been gone a long time and made peace with it. We're content knowing that you are safe, loved, and happy. Our time is past. Focus on what's ahead, not what's behind."

"But…" The girl teared up. "I want you to come back."

"Darling," Clover put a hand on her daughter's cheek, "we're not coming back. And it's alright. We're at peace. That's how this place works. The Final World is for those who still cling to something living: a parent, a sibling, a friend, a child, a lover. We clung to you; our last memories were of Xehanort dragging you away. Now, we're free. We know you're well. Our time in this side of death is over. When you leave, I doubt we would manifest in the Final World."

Chirithy sighed. "She's right. People who cling to something in life remain as stars here. Sora and Maris still had forms though, but your parents, no. They will fade from this place. Still accessible through dreams if one is close to the door, but not by other means."

Kaimu smiled. "We got to see you. We heard of your life, and we know you are well cared for, not just by those who have raised you but by this young man here."

"And now you have this memory of us." Clover kissed Kairi's forehead. "This wonderful memory."

Kairi clenched her fists. "But I…"

"Kairi. You have to let us go. You want your heart to be ready… you must accept the truth and let us go." Kaimu hugged his daughter. "Know that we love you. Always have, and always will. Now, go be a hero and save Sora."

Kairi threw her arms around her parents, trying her hardest not to cry. "I-I will… I promise. And I love you too. I'll make you proud."

Her parents pulled back, holding hands. "You already have, Kairi."

"We couldn't be more proud of you."

"Goodbye."

The room around them faded, revealing the sky and sea of the Final World. Her parents stood there for a moment before their forms faded into stars.

The stars glowed for a moment before they shot off into the endless sky, vanishing in a blink of light.

"Goodbye…" Kairi whispered.

"Kairi?" Sora placed his hand on her back.

The girl drew in a deep breath. "I think… I think I'm ready. Even if I'm not, I have to try. Please, keep believing in me, Sora."

"I always will."

"Then… I guess the next time I'll see you is when I save you."

"Yes. And I can't wait."

"See you soon…"

"See you soon, Kairi."

Kairi's eyes opened slowly. Back in the medical ward.

"Good morning!" Magia cheered. "So, how'd it go? Yozora said you vanished after he found her, Maris."

The girl sat up. "Yeah… I talked with my parents and Sora." She glanced around. "Where are Yozora and Aegis?"

"They headed to the tower. Yozora wanted to tell his father, Hoshiko, Dylan, and Fitz the news right away. It would also fix their memories. The moment he called her by her name, I could suddenly remember everything. So, he's going to tell them." He laughed. "Betcha twenty gil the whole engagement thing we were so worried about before will get called off totally."

"Yeah."

Kairi paused at the strange feeling in her right hand. She unfurled it.

"The necklace…!"

The half of Sora's necklace lay in her hand.

"What's that?"

"Sora's necklace, or half of it. He gave it to me."

She looked at it.

And she knew exactly what to do.

"We need to talk to Phinehas. I have the mithril. So we can forge the Keyblade."

"Great! But you do need a keychain for it too, right?"

She had that covered.

Her hand closed around her half of the necklace.

This.

This would be the keychain for her Keyblade.

This chapter made me cry so much!

Hope you enjoyed!

Footnotes:

(1) This is a reference to Sora's line "Starts with an S." in KH2.

(2) At the end of KH1, Kairi shows up at the end of the world.