(A/N: This was co-created with the writer from Archive of Our Own Aemeditor)
In the skies above the Land of Departure, a bright light shone for a split second before the Gummi ship soared towards the castle. The afternoon sun was shining beautifully on the castle grounds, a picture fit for a storybook. As the ship headed for a landing in the castle forecourt, Kairi looked out the ship's window at the green grass below. She saw a keyblade with a wreath sticking out of the grass on the top of a cliff to the other side of the castle. The ship gently touched down.
"Alright," said Mickey Mouse, who was piloting the ship, "Terra, Aqua and Ven should be returning from the Realm of Darkness anytime now. Let's head inside and wait for a bit."
"Okay," Kairi responded.
Mickey began turning some knobs and powering down the ship.
The two friends walked off the ship and headed up the long flight of stairs leading to the castle doors. Upon entering, they reverently walked through the great hall and up a flight of stairs to a throne room. Three thrones sat at the front of the room. As they entered, a large ball of blue energy appeared in front of the thrones. Kairi was about to summon her keyblade when Mickey put his hand up for a moment, telling her to cool her jets. Three resplendent armored figures walked through, each with flowing capes. The energy field shrunk and disappeared, leaving the three figures remaining in the throne room. A bright light emanated from each figure for a moment and when the light subsided, Terra, Aqua and Ventus were left.
"Good to be back home," Terra said.
"Yeah, but where's…" Ventus started.
"Kairi! Your Majesty," Aqua finished.
"Heya everybody," Mickey said as he and Kairi both walked towards the three friends.
"Donald and Goofy told us you'd be here," Ventus said. "It's good to know Sora's not in the
Realm of Darkness."
"Do we know where he is?" asked Aqua.
"Riku and I believe he's in a place called Quadratum, which is in another realm. Not ours," Kairi answered.
"Where's Riku?" Terra queried.
"Riku…is in Quadratum now," Kairi responded. The three friends looked at each other.
"Alone?" Terra continued.
"For now, yes. I was going to go with him, but I need to finish my training. Which is why I'm here," Kairi said, looking at Aqua.
"I thought you were studying with Merlin," Aqua said.
"I was, but I want to study under you. Master Yen Sid approved," Kairi replied.
"Master Aqua," she continued, "please let me be your student and teach me to be a master of the keyblade. I know I trained with Merlin, but I want to learn more. Please, to save Sora, teach me."
Aqua was shocked, to say the least. She never had a student before. 11 years had elapsed since she passed the Mark of Mastery. While she had never even thought of teaching others the ways of the keyblade in all that time, Aqua knew it was her responsibility. Not just to Master Eraqus, but to the way of the keyblade, for her to be a teacher. It would be an undertaking, but Kairi would be the perfect first student.
"Of course I will," replied Aqua. Kairi smiled a big smile reminding Aqua of that little girl she once knew.
"So what else has been going on while we've been gone?" Ventus asked.
"I'll be happy to fill ya in, fellas. But I've gotta head out to Scala Ad Caelum first." Mickey said. "Expect a call from me real soon!"
Mickey turned and headed back to the gummi ship.
"It's been a while since we've had another student here, but we have plenty of room," Terra said. Ventus' stomach began growling.
"And plenty of food too," Ventus said as he raced toward the kitchen. Terra chased after him.
"Let's go get some dinner. We'll set you up with a room once we're done," Aqua said to Kairi. Kairi nodded as they both walked to the kitchen.
"Again," Aqua said, circling around Kairi.
Kairi was sweating bullets. It had been unusually hot at the Land of Departure the past few days, much different than the first two weeks that Kairi had been there. Ventus and Terra would constantly tease the girls, wondering why they would be training on such a warm day, rather than join the two of them down at the lake below the castle. They paid the boys no mind.
She had arrived and hit the books for the first week, re-learning both offensive and defensive magic spells. It was page after page of spells. The book held the basic spells - Fire, Ice, Water, Thunder, Zero Gravity, Magnet, Air and Stop. Before the fight at the Keyblade Graveyard, Merlin had shown her the basics, letting her build at her pace. The first days in the Land of Departure were a refresher course. The first real test would be producing each spell, which she was able to do, but didn't control very well. A year of dormancy after a battle with Xehanort had scrambled a lot of what Kairi had learned.
Aqua thought it may do good to practically apply these spells, so they were out on the lawn in front of the castle, working with boulders. Sometimes Kairi would be able to pick up the boulder using the Zero Gravity spell, but then she'd lose focus and drop it. The Aero spell wasn't that much better since she couldn't produce fast enough wind to lift the boulder. All the while, she was complaining about not getting where she wanted to be quick enough. Aqua was trying to be patient, but she was reaching her limit with the bratty teenager.
"Come on. From your gut. Hold your hand out with confidence." Aqua reiterated, who was standing a distance away.
"Why?" Kairi complained under her breath.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and held out her hand.
"Drift," she commanded. The boulder didn't budge. Angrily, she tried again.
"Drift!" she shouted. A thin purple disc appeared below the boulder, holding it two inches off the ground.
"Good, now bring it over," Aqua said. Kairi walked up to the boulder just in time for the disc to vanish, sending the boulder down on her foot.
Later that day, Aqua took Kairi to one of their other training grounds - a rocky underground cavern. There were a lot of crags and rocks lining the inside of the massive cave. Beneath them was lots of sand. Aqua knelt down next to Kairi and kicked off with tremendous force. The force carried her to a rock that was 50 feet away. Aqua turned around to face Kairi.
"Clear your mind and focus. Airstepping is something that needs your full attention." Aqua stated. Kairi knelt down, her hands poised at the edge of the rock she was on. She looked dead ahead and determined at the same rock Aqua was on, about 50 feet away. Kairi closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply. She jumped forward about five feet and landed face first in the sand below. Aqua shook her head. Kairi's pride was more hurt than her body.
"Try again," said Aqua as Kairi dusted herself off and tried again. And again. And again. And again. And flailing forward, she tried one more time. No luck.
As the sun began going toward the afternoon, Aqua brought Kairi to another training ground. It was an obelisk standing 30 feet in the air with a curve that jettisoned out on the lower five feet. You could place a bottle rocket at the bottom of the curve, launch it and it would follow the curve to the top of the obelisk. Aqua stood at the bottom.
"Wall climbing isn't easy. This requires confidence and balance more than anything else." the blue-haired girl said. Kairi started running up the curve but stopped when she felt herself going backward. She tumbled backward, landing on her back at the bottom.
"Kairi, don't be afraid of failing. That's what's holding you back right now," Aqua stated.
Kairi had heard just about enough. She'd been running, falling, and everything except using a keyblade. Kairi felt like she was training for a track meet. She tried running up one more time. Again, she stumbled backward. She groaned as she ended up on her back. This time, Aqua was looking down at her.
"Come on. Again," Aqua said.
"This is stupid. Why am I even doing this?" Kairi said from the floor as Aqua rolled her eyes
at the dramatic princess.
"You asked me to train you, so I'm training you. Building physical endurance and stamina is important. You've been sleeping for a year, so you need to build your muscles again," Aqua shrugged in an indifferent way. Kairi's emotions got the best of her. She was hot, sweaty, frustrated, and tired.
"This isn't training! I'm not even using my keyblade!" Kairi said frustratingly. Aqua had been willing to excuse that first outburst, but not this one.
"Being a Keyblade Master is more than just using the keyblade. If you rely solely on that, then you don't deserve it," Aqua said authoritatively.
"Don't deserve it? I am a princess of light! Who is more worthy than me?! And what about you? You've been in the dark this whole time with no keyblade. It's been 11 years since you were taught," Kairi complained.
Aqua's patience had run out.
"You asked for my help! If you don't want it, you are free to leave! Let everyone protect you and they can all save Sora themselves! You can just wait at home like you always do!" Aqua yelled.
Kairi took a step back. The blue-haired keyblade master realized what she said and guilt rippled through her as Kairi ran off toward the castle.
With a sigh, Aqua ran a hand through her hair and sat on a nearby bench.
"Ugh, what am I going to do with her?" she said out loud to herself.
"Trouble in paradise?" Aqua looked up to see Terra smiling down at her. He was in his swim trunks, with a towel hanging from his neck. How she missed that smile.
"I don't know how to do this. I'm not really good as a teacher. She's being really sensitive about everything," Aqua explained. Terra sat down next to Aqua pulling her into a side hug. As Aqua held on, she felt the stress melt. Terra was always able to do that to her. To calm her down, make her forget why she was mad in the first place. One of his greatest traits.
"It's gonna be ok, Aqua. Just give her some time to cool down. I bet she's still processing everything about Sora," Terra soothed.
"He's been gone for over a year," Aqua replied.
"True. But someone being gone leaves a big hole in your heart." Terra answered. Aqua nodded.
"You apologize for what you said, she apologizes for what she said. Then poof! You go back to training. Everything is gonna be fine," Terra squeezed her a little tighter. Aqua sighed contently into Terra's arms knowing he was right.
"Thanks, Terra," Aqua said. She looked toward the castle and sighed.
"Come on, it's been a long day and I think we could all use some dinner," Terra helped Aqua up. At that moment, Ventus ran up beside them.
"There's my towel!" Ventus said, trying to snatch it from Terra's neck. Terra sidestepped and let Ventus fly by him and trip over a rock.
"Come get it then!" Terra teased. He laughed heartily as he ran off toward the castle. Ventus was in hot pursuit. Aqua shook her head and rolled her eyes. She had enjoyed having those two goofballs back in her life. All that time in the dark realm made her realize how truly special the bonds of friendship she had with those two were. Aqua wasn't going to trade that for anything. She knew Kairi felt the same way. Aqua took her time walking back to the castle, letting her mind clear. Before long, she walked into the clearing on the cliff below the castle. There stood the keyblade of Master Eraqus with the flower wreath and the Wayfinders hanging from the handle. Aqua knelt in front of the hallowed ground and stayed there for a while, almost praying for wisdom and guidance.
Inside her room in the castle, Kairi sat up in her bed, clutching her pillow. Her eyes were red and puffy, having finished the crying fit she just had. After wiping the tears from her eyes, she stood and walked to the window in her room. A wide-open window, with the western sky showing the amber tint of sunset and birds flying through the clouds above. Kairi took time to just breathe. She knew what she said was wrong. Her outburst stemmed from her impatience at not getting as much experience as fast as she hoped. She wanted Sora back badly. The frustration was mounting, but she knew she couldn't let it get to her again like that. The most important thing was getting the best chance to bring him back. Kairi leaned her elbows on it staring into the western horizon and began to sing.
If I could find the way, I'd run to him today
And somehow I know he's on his way to me
Through the dimensions, somehow the words were reaching Sora. He was unable to move, but his mind was able to hear her words.
Sora, you and I were meant to be
Far longer than forever
I'll hold you in my heart
It's almost like your here with me
Although we're far apart
Kairi stopped her singing, hearing the birds chirp outside her window. Suddenly, Sora's voice was singing back to her.
Far longer than forever
As constant as a star
I close my eyes and I am where you are
Kairi, pleasantly stunned, sang back. Somehow, they were able to hear each other. Neither of them knew how or why. Just that they were happy to hear the other one.
Sure as the dawn brings the sunrise
We've an unshakable bond
Destined to last for a lifetime
And beyond
Far longer than forever
Far longer than forever
I swear that I'll be true
I swear that I'll be true
I've made an everlasting vow to find a way to you
Far longer than forever
Like no love ever known
And with your love
I'll never be alone
Far longer than forever
Much stronger than forever
And with your love, I'll never be alone
"Sora? Are you still there?" Kairi asked.
Nothing.
"Sora?"
The birds were the only thing she heard. He was gone. Again. Kairi closed her eyes, drowning in all her emotions. Unknown to her and Aqua, who had stood in the doorframe listening to her sing, Kairi began to glow. Aqua gasped.
Kairi slammed her fist down on the ledge. Her outburst sent a shock wave through the room, cracking the ledge and the wall next to the window. Aqua's eyes widened in the power that was behind that punch. It was pure and raw light. Dangerously powerful. Kairi opened her eyes to see herself glowing. She immediately lost her focus and the glow faded. She stumbled backward onto the bed and saw Aqua standing there, aghast at what she had seen.
"I didn't mean to do that," Kairi quickly said.
"Are you okay?" Aqua asked.
Kairi looked at her hand. No blood, no broken bones. She was fine. Kairi nodded at Aqua, who closed her mouth and walked over to Kairi. She braced herself at the upcoming discipline. Instead, Aqua sat down next to her and put her arm around her.
"That's why I made you train without the keyblade," Aqua started. "Each of the princesses of heart has something special inside them. Pure, raw light. If someone ever took your keyblade away from you, you can look inside you and tap into the power you have. Believe that you can, and you will," Kairi looked at Aqua, amazed and shocked at what she had done.
"Kairi, I'm sorry for what I said," Aqua continued. "You helped more than you know at the last battle with Xehanort," Kairi looked down, ashamed of what she had said too.
"No, I'm sorry. You're right. I did ask you for help and I had no right to say anything about the darkness. Please forgive me," Kairi pleaded.
"We're both to blame. I have never taught anyone before, so I am as new to this as you. How about we say we are even and start over," Aqua said. Kairi smiled and nodded to the older girl.
"I'd like that," Kairi said as she smiled.
"Good. We'll worry about the ledge later. Dinner's ready, so let's go eat," Aqua said.
Crickets chirped in the darkness. Kairi turned out her light and got comfy in her bed. She had more than had her fill with sleep over the past year, but she knew she needed to rest up for what was sure to be another rigorous day of training tomorrow.
She couldn't.
All night long, rolling, tossing, and turning. Even when she thought she stopped moving, she could feel time passing. Maybe it wouldn't happen tonight, she thought to herself. Finally, she drifted to sleep.
In her dream, she was back at Destiny Islands. The waves were gently crashing on the shoreline. The amber-gold sun cast its warm forgiving light along the sandy shoreline. Laughter rang out along the beach as the sounds of her good friends met for a party. Above the festive gathering, Sora and Kairi sat on the trunk of a paopu tree, staring at the ocean and the beautiful sunset. Sora's hand was holding Kairi's. They looked at each other. He squeezed her hand and gave her the big goofy smile she loved so much.
That smile.
Suddenly she was a little girl again. She got lost in those deep blue eyes of his. She could remember the two of them in the secret spot on the island. A rocky cavern below the trees, where the two would scribble on the walls with rocks. The memory of a younger Sora drawing that picture of her. The boy turned to her with that same big smile, same blue eyes and said one word.
Kairi.
Sora had changed so much since that day all those years ago. The battle with the darkness had been long and hard, but he had always remembered her. How he fought to come back home. How they promised they would be there with each other and keep each other safe. Sora again said her name. This time was not like the others. Not with that big goofy smile, but a genuine soft loving smile. A tear ran down Kairi's cheek, illuminated by the shimmering reflection of sunlight on the water below.
Kairi's tears were making her vision blurry. She gently wiped her eyes, but she still saw blurriness.
It was Sora. He had started to fade away still keeping that smile on his face.
"Sora! No! Come back!" Kairi yelled in vain as he continued to fade. Suddenly he was completely gone. The sun had disappeared behind a cloud, casting a small shadow on the spot they were both sitting at.
"SORRAAA!" Kairi yelled, sitting up in her bed reaching out with a start, catching her breath.
A dream. That's all that had been. No. Sora wasn't here, it was a nightmare. Kairi had that same nightmare every night since that fateful day. The restless nights were becoming unbearable.
Kairi looked out her window. The wind was rustling in the trees as the stars and the moon shone brightly. You could almost mistake it for the daytime. Tears welled in her eyes. She clutched the closest pillow to her and plopped back into bed. How many more days would she cry, she wondered.
That was the day Sora used the power of waking to save her but sacrificed himself. No one could make sense of what happened that day. Everyone at the party didn't know what to do or say as Riku tried to comfort his childhood friend. Maybe she shouldn't have had the party to begin with. While it was fun seeing everyone that day on the islands, she knew something, someone was missing. The one who connected them all.
Sora. Her Sora.
Kairi put her pillow down, rose up from her bed, and walked over to the window. She was thankful that Aqua had fixed the ledge and had even created a small nook to sit on. She climbed up and sat, clutching her legs close and placing her chin on her knees. She just watched the night for a moment.
This couldn't keep happening. She needed to calm down. Her mind was racing, her heart pounding, wondering when she would ever see him again. Nothing seemed to work. It was a tough training regimen Aqua had her on. Despite how exhausted she was, there was no escaping these thoughts in her head. Maybe writing a letter would help distract her? She hadn't tried that in a while.
She walked over to a chair and desk. She knelt down to grab a pink backpack. Unzipping it, she pulled out her teal notebook and a pencil. She placed them both on the desk directly in front of her. The only other thing on the desk were some matches and a candle that was mostly used up. Kairi lit the candle and sat down. She pulled out her notebook and started flipping through its pages. All of them had letters to Sora. He'd never seen any of them, but it made her feel better. She finally got to an empty page and started writing.
Do I miss you?
Count the stars, multiply by ten.
Of course I do.
More than now and then.
I could paint a rainbow, shine the sky, set the stars in space,
Faster than explain how much I miss your face.
Watch the moon, someday soon, you will start to smile.
When I say I'll see you in a while.
But till then I'll miss you.
Dry my tears, hide my fears away, until that happy day
To the rainbow's end is where I would go.
My friend, I do miss you so.
Kairi put her pencil down and leaned back in her chair. She looked over at her nightstand. It had her gummiphone, a picture of Sora, Riku and herself from when they were kids on the islands and her star-shaped lucky charm bracelet. The memory of her giving the bracelet to Sora all those years ago made her crack a small smile. She reached over and touched it.
A strange sensation overtook her. She felt like she was falling. It was almost like the day she remembered Sora and met Roxas. She closed her eyes trying to shake the feeling of dizziness. When she opened them, she wasn't in her room.
A starry night sky above and below her. This looked like the Final world, but at night.
She looked straight ahead to see someone who looked like Riku pointing a crossbow at her. But this wasn't Riku. This boy had one red eye and one blue one. He was also wearing mostly dark clothes.
A bright light appeared below her and she felt the sensation of rising up, yet her feet were still flat on the ground. All of a sudden, she stopped and saw buildings shine and appear before her. The bright lights, colors, sounds were an overwhelming amount to take in. One moment she was nowhere, now she was on top of one of those buildings. She looked down at her hands, but these weren't her hands. They were a boy's hands. Sora's hands. She gasped.
Sora?
The Riku look-alike spoke.
"I accidentally wandered into this place and went through some trials. Then I was told to save Sora," he said.
"Huh? Then what's with the weapon?" she wondered before she heard Sora say the exact same thing.
The young man standing in front of her pulled out a weapon by his left side, which mechanically extended into a full-length sword and glowed red.
"Time to end this," he said, putting his crossbow by his right side, bringing the sword up and swinging down in front of him, in a battle-ready stance.
A strong and violent rush of adrenaline coursed through her body. She closed her eyes and held her head with her hands. Almost in an instant, the city noises stopped. This young man was gone. Kairi opened her eyes to discover she was back in her room. In her own body.
She had been in Sora's body. He was alive and he was in trouble.
The look in Kairi's eyes changed from sorrow to determination. The tears had stopped and instead of water, fire danced in her eyes. She heard a rooster crow as she jumped out of bed and rushed down the hall to Aqua's room. She knocked on the door.
"Aqua," she whispered.
Nothing.
"Aqua," she whispered a little louder.
A small grunt came from inside. Kairi cracked the door open. Aqua sleepily grabbed her gummiphone.
"Kairi, it's five in the morning. Can it wait?" Aqua groggily asked.
"I had a vision." Aqua saw the sudden change in Kairi's expression as she had a very serious face on meaning she meant business.
"What about?"
"Sora. He's alive and I was in his body," Kairi said.
Aqua's head plopped down on her pillow as her hands rubbed her forehead.
"Do you know how to make coffee?" Aqua asked.
In the kitchen, Kairi sat at the table with a mug in their hands. Both girls were wearing morning robes, Aqua's was blue, Kairi's was dark red. Aqua was working on filling her cup with some more coffee.
"So when you fought Xehanort in The Final World, it was Sora fighting, not you?" Aqua asked.
"Sort of. It was me, but I was in Sora's body," Kairi answered. Aqua poured a little milk into her coffee and walked back to the table as the first rays of sunlight came into the kitchen. She took another swig as Kairi went on. "Last night, it was the same thing, but I was about to fight against someone in a city with tall buildings. It must have been Quadtratum. He's alive, Aqua. I know it!" Kairi exclaimed.
The Keyblade master stared at the princess. Aqua's mind thought back to her blue Wayfinder and Terra's words. How she never stopped lighting his way back. It was agony for her to lose Terra and Ventus. She turned to look at the moon as it began to set on the horizon. She was reminded of those long lonely days in the Realm of Darkness. The feelings of how she would have done anything to get them back came rushing in. With Sora's help, she found her way out.
"Ok. I think this connection you have with Sora is going to benefit you in the future, but I think you should clear your mind of this," Aqua said.
"What? Why?" Kairi asked.
"Well, one thing Master Eraqus taught me is to have a clear mind when going into anything. You need to be able to process everything, but your mind is so full of these thoughts of Sora. I'm not sure you'd be ready for training today." Aqua said.
"I have to save him," Kairi began to shout. Aqua shushed her as she took another swig.
"You're not going to help anyone just rushing into the fight," Aqua said. Kairi knew she was right. "I need to focus on finishing your training first," finished Aqua. A groggy Terra walked into the kitchen.
"Ok. Ok. I think you're right," said Kairi.
"She almost always is. Annoys the crap out of me. Ooh coffee," Terra spouted. The girls giggled as Terra walked over to the cupboard to grab his mug.
"Tell you what. Why don't we eat some breakfast first? Then we'll head off to Destiny Islands for the day to decompress," Aqua said.
"Sounds good," Kairi answered.
"Hey Muscles," Aqua jokingly said to Terra. Terra straightened up a bit after pouring his coffee. "Would you be kind enough to make us some of your world-famous pancakes for breakfast?"
Terra grinned as he puffed his chest out.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Alright!" Terra said.