A/N: This is a story that is basically an AU I've had on my mind for a while now, where Kairi is far from useless or defenseless and actually has her own role to play. This story is Kairi-centric, which means most changes will revolve around Kairi, and since we've arrived at KH2, some will also revolve around Naminé and Xion.
Also, please review! Tell me what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Disney in any way, shape, or form! I only own an OC who will appear much later in the story (about KH3-ish).
Note: Remember that if I don't add a scene (or don't write out the whole thing; same goes with the designs), it means that it's the same as in canon. Just FYI.
Next chapter will focus on the role Kairi has in Dream Drop Distance, an arc of chapters a long time in the making. This arc will be rather long (though not as long as KH3 will be), because unlike Coded (which also canonically did not have Kairi in it), this is when the story truly diverges from canon. This arc needs to be long because it leads directly into KH3 (which itself has been drastically rewritten). So, please bear with me.
Also, most of what Kairi does in this arc is inspired by Tumblr user paopumilkshake and their take on what Kairi could've done in DDD in canon. I've also taken inspiration from 's Ultraobsessivenerd and rarmaster.
!~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~O~A~T~H~K~E~E~P~E~R~~A~U~~!
Kingdom Hearts: The Oathkeeper
Chapter 15: Dream Drop Distance, Part 1
~Mysterious Tower~
King Mickey's letter had brought the four to the Mysterious Tower, having been picked up by Donald and Goofy in the Gummi Ship.
And so far, Shion was handling everything alright. She had immediately taken a liking to Donald and Goofy, and vice versa (who knew Goofy was so good with kids?).
Now, the three were standing in front of Yen Sid's desk, with Shion, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey standing on the sidelines, listening to what Yen Sid had to say to the trio, which definitely pertained to King Mickey's letter.
"As a Keyblade Master, Xehanort had a gift like few others," Yen Sid was saying. "But such great minds are often plagued by a single great question: What is the essence of the human heart that weakens us, or empowers us? The answer, he believed, would be found in the 'Keyblade War'. What if the challenges of our past were, in fact, a map to the light and darkness that battles within us all? Xehanort had to know, so he renounced his duties as master and chose the Seeker's life. Since then, in many a guise, he has clashed with protectors of the light—Keyblade wielders like yourselves. And mark my words—he will trouble us yet again. We must be ready. Which is why you, Sora, Riku, and Kairi, are to be tested for the mark of a true Keyblade Master. No doubt you fancy yourselves masters already, but it takes years of training. Only a true master can teach you the proper way. All three of you are self-taught Keyblade wielders—an impressive feat. However, the time has come for you to let go of preconceived notions, forget what you know about the Keyblade, and begin your training again with a clean slate."
"Huh?!" Most of his audience were surprised by this.
"But that's a formality, right?" Sora asked "I already proved myself. Me and the King, and Riku and Kairi—we can take on anything." He turned to the two beside him, "Right, guys?"
But his smile wasn't returned. Both Riku and Kairi were frowning, almost depressed.
"I don't know," Riku replied, as he summoned Oblivion. "I think that, in my heart, darkness still has a hold." He dispeled the blade, continuing, "Walking that path changed me. I'm not sure if I'm ready to wield a Keyblade. Maybe I do need to be tested."
"Riku..." Sora softly muttered in surprise, but before he could say anything, Kairi spoke up.
"He's right," she agreed. "I'm here because I want to help those that are lost, but...I'm not as strong as I need to be. I accept the test as well, Master Yen Sid."
Sora took a moment to digest the words of his two most important people.
He knew that Riku was unsure about returning to the world he plunged into darkness, but he didn't know that Riku's insecurities extended to this. He honestly didn't care that Riku still belonged to the darkness, as long as Riku still remained as Riku, the one who had unbreakable loyalty to his friends.
Nor did he know that Kairi had such concerns. He thought she was plenty strong. He'd seen her fight first-hand more than once, and a few times, she even saved him from certain death. He was glad she had a way of defending herself if she ever got into trouble, but he wanted her to know that she didn't have to have a Keyblade to be strong and useful.
But he didn't like seeing his two best friends so down on themselves. If doing this exam cheered them up, so be it.
So he turned back to Yen Sid, "Then, count me in, too. Put me through the test! Just watch—all three of us will pass with flying colors!"
As Mickey, Donald, and Goofy exchanged glances, Sora put his hands behind his head in a confident pose, smiling at them.
Riku and Kairi, meanwhile, were unsure, but it was Sora. So they both offered a small smile to keep him happy.
On the other hand, Mickey couldn't stop thinking about his adventure in the datascape. It was a good thing that all three had agreed to take this exam. If Data-Naminé was correct, then the trio needed to stay a trio. One could not stay behind while the other two did all the fighting. Sora, Riku, and Kairi needed to stick together.
But he was also concerned. All three still had some growing to do, which was one of the reasons for this exam. Yen Sid was right. Though indeed strong—as they had just defeated Xemnas—there was no way the three could defeat Xehanort the way they were now.
Kairi couldn't be 'The Light in the Darkness' when she didn't know the full extent of her power.
Riku couldn't be 'The Guide to the Dawn' when he wasn't comfortable with himself or his inner darkness.
Sora couldn't be 'The Key that Connects Everything' when he didn't know who or what he was supposed to connect.
Yen Sid nodded, "Very well, then. Sora, Riku, Kairi, let your examination begin." He continued, "If we are ever to strike down Xehanort, we need the individuals King Mickey spoke of in his letter. We must lead them out of sorrow and slumber, and back to our world. To do so, seven Sleeping Keyholes must be found and unlocked, and a great power retrieved. As you know, every world is walled off from the next, preventing travel between them. In the past, you could bridge these gaps because the walls were broken, or because you could open special Lanes with your Keyblades. But your new goals, the 'Sleeping Keyholes', are harder to reach. You'll recall, Sora, in your first journey, that you brought many worlds back from the darkness—but some never returned completely. They still sleep, cut off from all outside channels. Not even the Heartless can enter." He waved his hand, and it glowed with a white aura. "But these Sleeping Worlds are said to have their own manner of darkness." A small image of a black dog-like creature appeared on the wizard's desk. "They are called 'Dream Eaters', and there are two kinds—'Nightmares', which devour happy dreams—and benevolent 'Spirits', which consume the Nightmares." A lighter-colored version of the same creature appeared beside the dark one. The lighter one pawed the air cutely and rolled over. "The Dream Eaters will guide you, just as the Heartless once guided you, to the Keyhole you seek at the heart of each world. One dream is connected to another, which means we must choose in which 'Sleeping World' you will begin. I will return you three to the Destiny Islands just before they were swallowed by the darkness and plunged into sleep. Once dreams take you, you must let them guide you to the Sleeping Worlds. As there are seven pure lights, there are seven 'Sleeping Keyholes'. Unlocking these will both grant you new powers, and free the worlds from their wakelessness. Complete this task, and return here safely, and I will name you three...true masters."
"Right, let's do it!" Sora said, clearly excited. Riku was glad that one of them had enough excitement and energy for all three of them, and he was not surprised one bit that Sora was that person.
"Before we do, Master," Kairi spoke up, "I have something to give to Sora and Riku."
The two boys turned to look at her, confused, as she dug into the bag attached to her belt and brought out, not one shell-made wayfinder, but three.
"You made more?" Sora asked, as Kairi handed the one they both knew she already made, the one with Sora's face and crown emblem on it.
"Yes, to match the one I already made," Kairi explained, as she handed one to Riku, which had Riku's scowl and heart emblem on it. She held up the third, which had her own face and a star emblem on it, "That way all three of us have 'lucky charms'."
That way, Kairi mentally added, even if apart, they would always still be connected.
She frowned when neither boy replied, "Fine, I'll take them back if you two are going to be like that."
"No way," Riku replied. "It was a gift from you. Thanks, Kairi."
Sora's smile returned, as Kairi turned back to Yen Sid, "Now, we're ready, Master."
Yen Sid nodded, and as he began preparing to send them into the Sleeping Worlds, Riku turned to Shion, "Shion, stay here, okay? We'll be back soon."
Shion smiled, her hand clutched the thalassa shell tied around her neck, "I will. Good luck!"
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
~Sleeping Worlds, Destiny Islands~
Just as Yen Sid said he would, the trio had been sent back in time to shortly before Destiny Islands fell asleep. This meant, they were wearing the outfits they wore on the day their world fell to darkness.
As they stared out at the vast ocean, their completed raft beside them, Sora wondered, "But how far could a raft take us?"
"We won't know just standing around here," Kairi replied.
"Kairi's right," Riku said. "And if we have to, we'll think of something else."
Now, on the raft, the three were sailing into dark waters, with the clouds overhead beginning to churn.
"A storm's coming," Kairi noted.
Sora knelt and looked at the water, as Riku replied, "I know. The waves are getting steep. Sora, furl the sail."
"Right," Sora replied, before rushing off to do just that.
Then, something large jetted out of the water and ripped the mast clean off the raft. Sora and Kairi looked up to see Riku in the water, holding onto the mast for dear life.
"Riku!" Sora called out.
"I'm fine!" Riku called back.
The waters began to churn, lightning flashed, and a figure rose up out of the deep.
"What is that?" Kairi asked.
A gigantic cacaelia turned to face Sora, who recognized the face it was wearing immediately, "Ursula?!"
"He was right," Ursula said. "Those wretched guppies are here. Well, it's about time we settled the score."
"But how—Is this the test?" Sora asked, confused.
"Come on!" Riku called out. "You can work it out later!"
"He's right," Kairi agreed. "Bigger issues!" She had already determined that she would just go about her journey as she normally would, and not worry about which was part of the exam and which wasn't.
(A decision that would come back to haunt her later...)
"Right!" Sora said.
Ursula noticed Riku standing on top of the floating mast, "Sorry, dearies, but I won't fall for that trick!" She then slammed a tentacle into the water, but Riku used this chance to jump back aboard the raft. "You dare toy with me! You insignificant fools! To the depths with you!" She blew large bubbles at them, but all three just dodged out of the way. "Time for my revenge!" She then summoned lightning bolts, but the three all escaped unscathed.
Sora moved in to attack, but Ursula easily snatched him up into her hand. Kairi quickly jumped into action, an attempt to free Sora, only for her to be snatched by Ursula as well.
"There, I have you now!" Ursula cried with glee.
Fortunately, when Riku attacked, he was successful in getting Ursula to let Sora and Kairi go.
After several attacks, Ursula faded out rather eerily.
Meanwhile, the waves were getting rougher and one tossed about the raft, sending the three underwater.
As the storm raged above, complete with thunder and lightning, Sora, Kairi, and Riku dropped down through the water. A keyhole appeared and their respective Keyblades flashed into their hands. Almost with minds of their own, the Keyblades aimed at the keyhole and shot beams of light toward it, engulfing everything.
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
~Sleeping Worlds, Traverse Town~
Kairi's eyes opened, her body slowly coming to. Already on her feet, she glanced around at her surprisingly familiar surroundings.
"Is this...Traverse Town?" Kairi asked herself. It was, the Second District, to be more precise. She remembered this place, not only from her time as a heart within Sora's, but also when she was training and had gained Oathkeeper.
Though surprised at first, she should've suspected this. Traverse Town was a world in th Realm Between, the middle of both light and darkness, serving as a safe haven for those fortunate enough to survive the destruction of their worlds. So it made sense that this world would be partially asleep.
She then looked down at herself, finally taking in her new appearance. Her short hair was back, her face looking more like it did at age fourteen, but her outfit was a cross between her previous outfit and her current one. Almost as if a gap was being bridged.
But she shook it off, deciding not to worry too much about how she looked, instead choosing to focus on the fact that she was alone.
Panicking slightly, she ran to the nearby stone railing and stood on top of it, cupping her mouth with her hands as she called out, "Sora! Riku! Are you two out there?! Hello?"
"Shiki, watch out!"
Out of nowhere, along with the unfamiliar voice came the feeling of being pushed down to the ground by someone who was now on top of her, as she faceplanted into the ground. "Ow..." she muttered, aching all over, though only for a few seconds.
"Oops, sorry," the stranger said, before quickly getting off of her.
Once Kairi got to her feet, rubbing her head where it hit the ground, "It's okay. But my name is Kairi, not Shiki."
The stranger was a broad-shouldered and muscular young boy in a white tank top, khaki pants, and a black beanie with a skull on it. His back was to her, and in front of him was a panda that was colored black and blue, with red eyes and a strange symbol on its chest.
"I got that when I saw your shorter hair," the boy replied. "But this thing was about to attack you."
Oh, that's why he tackled her onto the ground below the railing.
"Thank you," she smiled, before summoning Oathkeeper. "I can handle this."
She then charged toward the panda, and after a jump and a few quick strikes from Oathkeeper, the thing was defeated.
As she de-summoned the white Keyblade, she noticed that the boy was looking at her in awe. "Wow. What did you say your name was again? I'm Beat, by the way."
"Kairi," she replied, before sticking out her hand. "It's a pleasure to you, Beat."
But he didn't shake her hand. He just stared at it in confusion. "You're not a player."
"A player?"
"In the Reaper's Game," he replied. "It's-" he cut himself off. "Forget it. You can't help."
He started to walk away, but she stopped, "Maybe I can't help you with this Game, but I can help you look for that girl, Shiki."
"Actually, Shiki's not who I'm looking for. You just looked like her. I'm looking for my little sister, Rhyme. Maybe you've seen her. She's about this tall," Beat motioned her height by using his hand, "and she's wearing an orange shirt, white shorts, and a hat that looks like mine."
Kairi shook her head, "Sorry, I haven't seen her. I just got here."
"So, what's your story, then?"
Kairi wondered if she should tell him that she was being tested because she and her friends were preparing to fight someone that was obsessed in starting a war much like the one that happened in ancient times, a fight they may not survive.
Yeah, that's understandable...
She instead resolved to say, "It's, uh...rather complicated..."
"Fair enough," Beat said.
"What was that thing you were fighting before?" Kairi asked something that just came to mind.
"You don't know? That was a Dream Eater."
"A Dream Eater?" Kairi asked. She was asking because it sounded familiar. Yen Sid had told them what Dream Eaters were and even showed them what one looked like.
"The Dream Eaters will guide you, just as the Heartless once guided you, to the Keyhole you seek at the heart of each world."
But Beat thought she'd never heard of them, which was why he continued to explain, "Creatures of this world. There are two kinds, Spirits and Nightmares. The one you defeated was a Nightmare. They're enemies, but Spirits are allies."
He then reached his arm out to the side, as if a bird was sitting there. In the next moment, there actually was, in the form of a brightly coloured giant furry and smiling bat. It just sorta poofed into existence, much like a Keyblade. For a moment, Kairi wanted to squeal over how cute it was, but she didn't, because this was an exam, which meant that the Masters were probably watching her at all times.
So she just resorted to smiling at it.
"Don't worry," Beat said. "There's a lot more Spirits out there. They come in all shapes and sizes."
He summoned another one, this one having the form of purple cat. It had eight legs and a musical note as its tail. Kairi knelt down and began petting it, and it started purring along with smiling at her.
"Looks like you and Necho Cat are already bonding." Necho Cat must've been its name. "You can keep it, if you want."
"'Keep'? No, I can't..."
"Consider it a gift," Beat replied, "as thanks for helping me defeat that Nightmare. You can find a lot more of them around, and they're pretty helpful. You can summon them by-"
Suddenly, Necho Cat poofed away. "Don't worry," Kairi said, smiling. "I got it." She had quickly figured it out. It was just like summoning a Keyblade.
"Great! Now, let's go find Rhyme."
Beat then jumped towards a brick wall, light flashing around his body as he started jumping from building to building.
"What the...?" Kairi gaped.
"It's called Flowmotion!" Beat replied. "Come on, try it!"
Kairi was skeptical, but intrigued. She ran towards the same wall, jumped against, and the same light started flowing around her. Then she jumped off the wall in an enourmous leap.
It was weird. Yuffie's speed training had already given her quick reflexes, but she'd never been this agile before. She almost felt as if she was flying.
She and Beat traveled through the town like this, jumping from buildings, flying through the air, and surfing on railings, until the two reached a courtyard.
The moment the duo's feet touched the ground, Kairi suddenly got the feeling that she had been led into a trap.
Because Beat suddenly shouted out, "We had a deal, hoodie! You said if I brought her to you, you would send me and Rhyme back to our world!"
Kairi followed Beat's line of sight and saw a hooded figure in a familiar black coat.
The figure replied coldly, "Do you really think you and your sister carry even one little piece of my interest?"
"You said you wouldn't hurt her! Bet you ain't even a Reaper!" Beat said.
Kairi immediately summoned her Keyblade, "You Organization members are despicable!" Beat's darkness held no threat to her, she could feel it. So she wouldn't hold this against him. "All he wants is his sister and a way home!"
The figure laughed, "It matters not what you think, Princess. The only thing that matters is that you come with me." He then held out his hand and summoned a Nightmare, a big one, a cross between a monkey and a jack-in-the-box. The Hockomonkey Nightmare.
"Not gonna happen!" Kairi immediately protested. "Beat, run!"
"What?!" He was surprised.
"This man is too dangerous," she quickly explained. "He's way out of your league. Run, now!"
Though bewildered that she would show him any amount of mercy after he tricked her, Beat did as she said, and ran away from the ensuing fight.
Once Beat was out of sight, Kairi turned back to the Nightmare. The Organization member had disappeared (for now, at least), which made her feel a little better. She could handle herself, but she remembered how both Axel and Saix were able to easily overpower her, so she didn't believe she would be able to win against that stranger.
This Nightmare, though, was a different story.
Kairi charged, this time dodging attacks and flying around the Nightmare with her newfound Flowmotion ability and sending her Necho Cat companion to distract it. She was using her anger and frustration at being tricked as her fuel.
She was breathless and exhausted by the time the Nightmare was defeated, but she had also felt more proud of herself than she'd been before.
"That was pretty impressive."
Kairi turned around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. There, watching her, was a boy with platinum blonde hair, a white shirt, and dark grey trousers. "Um...thanks, I guess."
"Almost on the same level as Riku, though definitely better than Sora. You definitely have a lot of anger to get out," the boy continued.
"You know Sora and Riku?! Do you now where they are?" she asked.
"They're in this world, though not the same world."
"You're not making sense," she told him. "Who are you?"
"My name is Joshua. I watch over the players in the Reaper's Game," Joshua explained. Kairi's mind went to Beat. He said he was a player in the Game. "You must be Kairi. Sora mentioned you, a lot. He must really like you, judging by how never seems to keep quiet about you."
Kairi blushed, "But you know where he is?"
"Follow me."
Kairi followed Joshua to a clearing full of springs, the Fifth District. Judging by his prescence, this must've been where Beat ran off to. There were also other people there, but they looked like ghosts.
Sora and Riku were there, and Kairi immediately smiled when she laid eyes on them. However, they were also with other people. Sora was with a boy with spikey orange hair wearing a pair of headphones. Riku was with a girl with long red hair, who, judging by what Beat told her, must be Shiki.
However, also with Sora, there was a little girl whom Kairi quickly recognized, again based on Beat's description.
"Rhyme!" Beat called.
"She can't hear you, Beat," Joshua quickly said. "They can only hear me. I'm the link between the three worlds."
"You mind elaborating?" Kairi asked.
"Everyone, calm down. I'll field your questions one at a time," Joshua replied. He looked like he was talking to everyone. "Let's start with Rhyme. I'm hanging onto her dreams for her. They're my portal. Let's just say her dreams are a gateway between worlds. Next question, how could I possibly know your names right? This town has a little secret. It only appears when someone out there has need of shelter. I'll spare you the details, but right now they're made up of my dreams. So of course I know you, I dreamed you up. These projections you're seeing are other events happening in the other versions of this world, which is trapped by the Dream Eaters. As for how the world got split into three, well, I have a feeling you're going to have to ask this guy."
Joshua pointed to Riku, and Kairi immediately noticed that he was speaking with the Organization member from earlier. He took off his hood to reveal a young man with white spiky hair and ominous golden eyes. Kairi knew something was wrong; that man looked familiar.
But where had she seen that face before?
Soon, there was a flash of light, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi were standing in front of Joshua, who continued his explanation of who the other kids were.
"In their world, something happened that brought their existence to an end. To keep them from fading altogether, I gathered up the very last remnants of their dreams and looked for a place to give them refuge. It was then this world appeared to answer my call, and Rhyme's dreams allowed us to reach it. Here, I thought they might have a chance—that the pieces of their dreams could make them whole again. Imagine my surprise when I realized dreams take bodily form in this world. It struck me—by linking their dream pieces back together, maybe I could make them exist again. Maybe I could give them another chance."
Kairi saw Riku say something, but she couldn't hear him.
Joshua answered, "Well, why can't it? By ourselves, we're no one. It's when other people look at us and see someone—that's the moment we each start to exist. All they needed was for someone to see them, connect with them. And the three of you were a big part of making it happen."
"Joshua, just...who are you?" Kairi asked, and she felt Sora and Riku speak with her.
"Let's say...a friend," Joshua replied.
Angel wings then sprouted from his back. He smiled at the three, before flying elegantly up into the sky. The three separated friends were all looking up at the sky, bedazzled and bewildered.
But they had no time to dwell on it, since the keyhole had emerged from the stone wall in front of them.
The trio looked at each other and nodded. They each summoned their respective Keyblades and locked the keyhole together.
After a pause and one more glance at each other, the three then went their separate ways.
"Are you going now?" Beat asked her.
"Yeah," Kairi replied. "I still have work to do, but I'll be back, I promise." She then quiet added, "And I forgive you. You only wanted to see your sister again."
Beat gently smiled before saying, "Good luck. I'll see you later."
Then she and Beat went their separate ways, but before she could go very far, Kairi suddenly felt her body moving faster than her feet. She felt very dizzy, and her world went black before she even hit the ground.
In the midst of the darkness, a memory started playing.
"You ready, kiddo?" Lea asked her.
"Yeah!" five-year-old Kairi replied, slipping her hands in both Lea and Isa's, letting them lead her. "Where are we going?"
"To the beach," Isa answered. "If we can."
"I've never been to the beach before," Kairi said. "Is it fun?"
"Of course it is," Lea said, as the three walked through the main square's flower garden.
"Promise?" she asked.
"We promise, kiddo," the redhead boy answered.
Unfortunately, they never made it, their path being suddenly blocked by a tall menacing figure.
The new scientist under Ansem the Wise's command.
Before the current Kairi could get a look at the scientist's face, everything returned to black, before six familiar figures began to faintly shine.
Cinderella, Snow White, Alice, Belle, Jasmine, Aurora...
All six of them had their backs to her and where hanging their heads as if depressed. But what really captured Kairi's attention was how quickly their respective lights were fading, as it caused her to begin suspecting that something was wrong.
When Kairi finally awoke, she was back in Traverse Town, in the same spot she passed out in. She got to her knees, asking herself why she suddenly felt so exhausted, why her body felt so heavy now. She took a few moments to catch her breath, and once she did, she finally managed to get to her feet. She still felt tired, but she could still fight.
"Kairi! Kairi!" King Mickey suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Your Majesty?" she asked. This was the real Mickey in front of her, judging by his abundance of light. He was just an apparition, an image being projected straight into her dreams.
"Sorry to interrupt your exam, Kairi, but this is an emergency," Mickey explained. "Master Yen Sid and I have just been notified that the other six Princesses of Heart are in danger. They've been put to sleep by someone with a powerful darkness and placed into the nightmares. They are unable to wake up, which is serious, because if they can't, their hearts will eventually shatter."
"Which leaves the Realm of Light vulnerable," Kairi finished.
"Precisely," Mickey said. "After quick, but careful, consideration, Master Yen Sid and I have decided to entrust this task to you. As a fellow Princess of Heart, you have a unique connection with them that no one else can match."
"But what about the exam?" Kairi asked.
"We have decided to count this task as your exam," Mickey explained. "But please do try not to fail."
"Would never dream of it, Your Majesty." Which was the truth.
"I knew we could count on you," Mickey said. "Trust your heart," he said, before fading away.
Kairi decided to recruit a second Dream Eater companion to help her, this time choosing Aura Lion, before heading on to whoever of the six heard her voice first.
!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!
~Mysterious Tower~
Mickey opened his eyes and lowered his Keyblade, standing in front of a sleeping Kairi, and turned to Yen Sid, "The message has been delivered, Master. She seemed to understand the urgency right away."
"Good," Yen Sid said. "Let us hope she is successful."
"Um, Master," Donald spoke up, "since the Princesses of Heart are the ones in danger, isn't it a bad idea to have their savior also be a Princess of Heart? Aren't we just sending Kairi into her own doom? With all due respect, Kairi is capable for the task, but wouldn't it be better in the long run to have me and Goofy be the ones to save the other six?"
"I understand your concerns, Court Mage Donald," Yen Sid gently replied. "But it's because Kairi is a Princess of Heart that makes her the only one capable for such a task."
"Exactly," Mickey explained. "The six pure hearts of light are already being bombarded with a strong darkness. Someone with even the slightest hint of darkness trying to save them will produce the opposite results. That's why we sent Kairi, instead of one of you."
Donald made a noise of understanding, as Shion quietly asked, "Is something bad going to happen to them?" It was clear that she was worried about not only Kairi, but also Sora and Riku.
"Don't worry," Donald told her. "The test just started."
"Donald's right," Goofy added, kneeling down next to her. "But if anything bad does happen, that's why you need to be here, to support them."
Shion smiled, "Right!"
Watching this exchange, Yen Sid and Mickey were thinking about Sora, Kairi, and Riku's explanation of where Shion came from. In a tidal wave, apparently, probably from another world. But what world was she from?
And why did she come to Destiny Islands instead of a place like Traverse Town?
To Be Continued...
!~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~O~A~T~H~K~E~E~P~E~R~~A~U~~!
Author's Note About Various Changes: I'm going to be completely honest: out of all the entries in this franchise, the canon DDD game is the one that I have the biggest grudge against. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the game at all (far from it, actually). I just hate how Kairi was done dirty in it. KH2 hyped Kairi up for something bigger, along with her vow of no longer staying on the sidelines, only for her to get fridged for the next adventure. They could've done so much with Kairi in this game, but they only reduced her to a cameo at the end, which, to be honest, is why so many fans (myself included) were afraid that Kairi would get shafted again for KH3, or worse, not appear in KH3 at all (hence the hashtag 'Kairi4KH3'). This is also why DDD has the second most changes in this story (the first being KH3 itself).
So, the first change that's already pretty obvious: Kairi is taking the exam alongside Sora and Riku. Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, saving the other Guardians will require all three of them to work together. Like in canon, Sora is certain they will all pass, while Riku wants to be tested due to his past with the darkness, and I've added Kairi and her insecurities of not being strong enough. Kairi here sees the test as a way to prove that she is more than capable to fight alongside her friends, both of whom she sees as stronger than her, by leaps and bounds. However, second change: Kairi is given a different mission than Sora and Riku are (to wake up the other six Princesses, rather than sleeping Keyholes), and this will pay off later, I promise. Just be patient.
Also, the drop feature here would be replaced by the Birth by Sleep story layout, because here, all three characters would be playable, and thus three different experiences, so Sora's story is played first, Riku second, and Kairi's meant to be played last. I'll explain it later, not now, but Kairi passing out in Traverse Town has an entirely different reason here. And the memory that plays is the same one that played in Chapter 11.
About the Princesses of Heart being in danger: 1) if you've read my changes to KH2, the ones that don't really involve Kairi, you'll get a picture of what I'm trying to go for here, and 2) it leads directly into KH3, solving a plothole that still bugs me to this day.
And the questions about Shion will be answered later in KH3, I promise.
Note: While I am a big fan of Kingdom Hearts, I still don't understand most of the lore. So if I get anything wrong, I'm sorry. I'm trying my best to stick to canon as closely as this AU will allow me to (but this point is where I'm starting to go my own direction). Please, no flaming. Instead, just politely inform me in a PM or a review, so I can correct any mistake I make. If you have any ideas or questions, please let me know.
If you want to know what I imagine Kairi to look like, then go to my DeviantArt page, titled "SepticAbzies", and go to the piece titled "Kairi ~ Oathkeeper AU (Full Color)", and I have collages for Naminé, Xion, and my OC now as well. I will update the cover image to match Kairi's appearance (as well as Naminé's and Xion's) as I update each chapter, but keep in mind, Kairi's design in this AU matches how I imagine her growth to be.
Next chapter will focus on the first world of Kairi's test, Dwarf Woodlands, where we meet two faces, one familiar and one new.