Of Wishes and Waypoints

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A canvas of midnight cradled the countless tiny stars above. Slowly, they had been winking out of sight one-by-one- a flicker in her cerulean eyes as they remained fixated upward. Night seemed to be ever-present in Traverse Town, forever stationed within the facade of a summer night. The tops of the buildings were angled with flat and pointed tops, made of moon-kissed stone and brick. It was entirely different from the islands, so urban that it made her almost nostalgic- for a place she couldn't remember.

When her feet touched the stone cobbled roads of the square, after riding in a space-ship of all things, Kairi still couldn't still her beating heart. Everything was so new, so vivid, so out of place and surreal. One moment she was on the island, seeing it fall apart, feeling her heart leave her chest and being enveloped in warm light. The next- she was opening her eyes to the image of Sora fading from existence. The utter panic, agony, and fear that coursed through her veins then still lingered on the tips of her fingers. Although deep down she knew Sora would be fine, somehow, that fear still dimly lingered.

Even when he had reappeared as a heartless, devoid of self, Kairi knew all would be fine. The heartless, it's bright yellow orbs devoid of expression, held within them a warmth so acutely familiar her own body had ached to reunite with it. With a wordless gesture, her arms had reached out, held it close and fiercely willed within to keep him safe. A light, brighter than she ever dreamed, enveloped their hearts. Then as if he had never faded away in the first place, Sora was once again whole, real, and safely returned.

From here, the exodus from Hollow Bastion was frantic and left her in a whirlwind of dizzying emotions. Thankfully, Sora's hand never left hers until they reached the gummi ship. She found her eyes lingering on their interlocked fingers, desperately wishing that he would never let go. When he did, and they arrived at this waypoint between worlds, Kairi found herself still staring at his hand. Even as others spoke her mind would go back to the thought of his hand, and crave that connection.

Kairi even now found herself still looking down at her hand. She could vividly remember the hot and almost sticky feeling of her hand in his. When did it first begin? This intense desire, almost uncontrollable and unwavering…it felt like it could consume her whole. Was it when he first held her hand after helping her up from a sort nap on the beach? Or was it when he pulled her along after Riku left them in the dust during their usual races? Was it….when he first offered his hand to her, on the night when her own star blinked out, and she was stranded in a world unknown to her…

Maybe it was always there. Forever imprinted in her heart, a part of her soul inextricably linked to his, craving his light- wanting to nestle itself in the warmth it bore. The safe, comforting lull she felt being in his heart. It would never leave her, she knew that. Kairi placed a hand over her heart, letting the lingering sensation bloom in her chest. She quietly looked at Sora, ever since they arrived in the First District, he had been conversing with Donald, Goofy, a cricket named Jiminy, and a woman who had come to greet them, Aerith, who Sora had said was a friend. They had been eagerly explaining to her how they had found all of "Ansem's reports." Reports on what, she didn't really know, but it had to be about the heartless- she was sure of it.

Sora had seemed so vibrant as he conversed with Aerith. There was little to no concern showing on his face, no sign that he had been "gone" for a time- his heart almost lost to the deepest darkness. Kairi swallowed, she worried that he didn't care about himself enough. Sora, she kept repeating his name in her mind, as if saying it would keep him tethered to this world- safe and sound.

"What a wonderful friend." Aerith cheerfully stuck out a finger for Jiminy to shake. The little Cricket handed over a small leather-bound notebook to her. As it came into contact with her hands, the notebook became larger- and almost spilled out its pages. Aerith looked slightly surprised but gingerly gathered the pages up in her arms with a smile. "Alright, let's head to the Second District Hotel. Leon and the others are there. We can do recon to see what's next."

Sora gave a loud hum of agreement then began trailing after a highly anxious dog and duck. They almost pounded down the cobbled streets, tearing them up as they went. Kairi felt almost bewildered at the sight- Sora had become much faster now. She shook her head and quietly followed them. Once they entered the second district, the sky seemed to light up.

"Oh no, another star is going out." A soft, almost pillowy voice rang out behind her. Kairi looked behind her to see Aerith, looking up at the sky, her mouth agape. Kairi followed her line of sight to see multiple stars, blinking fiercely before falling into light streaks stretching across the horizon. The worlds, they were each falling to darkness, one by one. Ansem had begun the world's decent into darkness with a force that tore apart the very fabric of all they knew. How could one man cause so much pain? What could anyone even do to stop him?

"I have to keep Sora safe. Somehow." Kairi muttered, a unyielding sense of worry had borrowed into her heart. She had to go with him, somehow. After all, they had journeyed this whole time together, even if it was just through her heart.

"You will."

Kairi flinched at the sudden sight of Aerith bending down to speak close into her ear. The taller woman stood up straight, and put a finger to her lips. "There's more than one way to keep each other safe. Journeys are strange things, we don't know when they start or end- but we can prepare ourselves to handle whatever comes at us all the same." Aerith smiled brightly then moved past Kairi to begin her walk to the next district. "There's someone I'd like to meet and find out how he's doing. But I know that my feelings and wishes for him to be safe can always make their way to him, somehow. It's just a feeling." And with that Aerith bounded through the wide double doors of the second district, leaving Kairi to ponder her own thoughts.

"Making sure they always find their way…" Kairi pondered to herself for a moment. She needed a sign, a waypoint, but didn't she already have something like that? Kairi slipped her hand into her pocket. Her fingers gingerly brushed against the star shaped bundle of shells in her pocket. The wayfinder, a legendary charm that bespoke an unbreakable connection and wishes for a safe voyage.

"Hey Kairi! Are you coming?" Sora called out. He had a hand pressing on one of the large wooden doors. He seemed out of breath and almost relieved once he locked eyes with her. Had he come back to find her? Her ears tinged pink, feeling ashamed she was so far behind.

"Coming!" She called out, and ran to catch up to the boy. Despite her mind's spiraling uncertainty, she knew that maybe, just maybe there was something she could do to keep him safe. After all, wishes are powerful things, and the items that contain them can go farther than anyone would expect.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! if you liked this and want to see more, a review or favorite means the world.