Kairi took a deep breath and swallowed. Why had she allowed herself to be talked into this again?
Oh, right. Master Yen Sid's words echoed through her mind.
"Music is connected to memory. Trace the music and you will find the memories."
Well… she'd done as Master Yen Sid had said. She'd followed the clues and they'd led her here. On a stage in front of the biggest crowd of people she'd seen in her entire life. Her throat was dry and her hands were shaking, but she refused to let that stop her. If singing would help her find Sora, so be it.
The backing track started playing, and she took a step forward. The people here wanted a show, and she'd have to give it to them. Only a good performance would get her the clue she needed. She looked the part, dolled up in a dress with flowing sleeves and a ruffled skirt that was long in the back and short in the front. Now she just had to act the part and sing.
She opened her mouth, and the first words of the song came out, small and shaky and unsure. Someone at the front of the crowd winced, and she felt like running off the stage.
No. She couldn't focus on strangers in the crowd or she would lose her nerve.
She imagined Sora standing at the front of the crowd instead. Growing up, she'd taken voice lessons and dance lessons, and sometimes she would sing for him when he asked her to. Lullabies from Radiant Garden, though she hadn't known that was where they were from at the time. Sometimes traditional songs from Destiny Islands too, songs passed down to her by her adopted parents.
This song would be for him. How she wished she would reach him.
She tried singing again, and her voice sounded better. Warmer. She allowed herself a small smile. She just had to keep singing. She knew the words by heart, and she could sing them even in her sleep. She just had to put her whole heart into them.
The mood in the crowd changed. They started getting into the song, started moving and swaying to the music the more she got into it too. When she reached the chorus, it was like something had swept her off her feet and she was singing to the heavens.
"Thinking of you, no matter where you are, no matter how far, I know we'll meet again," she sang, and the crowd was singing along with her. She danced and swayed along with the music, like she really was doing this for Sora and he really was watching her.
"Trace the melody to find the memories, I know you'll be there waiting for me," she continued. The next clue was on the tip of her tongue, flitting right at the back of her mind. Some aspect of her childhood, some memory she could search next to find him… Their hearts were connected and that meant her memories were connected to him too…
There were so many things she wanted to tell him, so many things she wanted to say to him. So many words that had gone unspoken, so many silences that had gone unbroken. The lyrics of the song perfectly paralleled all the things she'd kept inside her heart, and this felt like one long confession letter to Sora.
The crowd was cheering now but she hardly paid them any mind. All she could do was hope that some way, somehow, her words were reaching Sora's heart. Maybe she wouldn't find him today or even tomorrow, but they would meet again. Of that much she was sure.
As the song wound down and the crowd burst into thunderous applause, she smiled and bowed. Maybe being a popstar wouldn't be such a bad career option in the future.
But more than that, she had her next clue. A memory to check next, another note in the melody of their song. She wouldn't stop until she found Sora. And that was a promise.
Sora sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets as he shuffled along the streets of Shibuya. It was another rainy night, and what he wouldn't give for something besides the usual sounds of traffic and people milling around interspersed with the occasional shout.
He walked past a karaoke place and paused. The door was open and some guy was waving his hands around about discounts. But that wasn't what had caught his ear, no. Music was playing in the lobby, and his heart about stopped when he realized he recognized the song… and the voice.
"Thinking of you, no matter where you are, no matter how far, I know we'll meet again…"
"Kairi?" he said. "Kairi, is that you?"
He made a beeline for the door, bypassing the guy who was trying to give him a drink coupon and went right inside. But as he stumbled through the doorway, the song changed. It was the karaoke place's usual jingle. His shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh.
Had he just imagined her voice? No, he couldn't have. It was right there, he knew he'd heard it.
"Oh, uh, welcome sir," the clerk at the front desk said. "Would you like to rent a private room? We have a special deal on hitokara, solitary karaoke, right now that you might be interested in…"
"Do you have the song 'Thinking of You?'" he asked as he dug around in his pockets for some munny.
The clerk paused and checked his computer. "I believe we do, yes."
Sora grinned. "Great, sign me up."
"For how long?"
"For however many times I can listen to that song for 1000 munny," he said as he put the cash on the money tray.
"We're running a special deal on free time this evening, so you're welcome to stay until we close."
"Perfect." Sora got his complimentary melon soda and then settled into his private karaoke room.
"Please have her singing, please have her singing," he muttered to himself as he input the song name and selected the version with video. It started to play, and he grabbed the microphone.
A huge smile broke out on his face. It was her. It was really her. And somehow, he knew her words were meant for him. He didn't know how this was possible or why he was able to see this, but he didn't care.
Someday, she'd get to sing for him again in person, and until that day came, he'd never stop searching for a way home to her.
A/N: Thank you to Rapis_Razuri for encouraging me to write this story! It was fun talking about a FFX-2-esque game with the KH ladies teaming up together after KH3, and then Melody of Memory was announced and I knew I had to write some kind of story paying homage to FFX-2.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!