Chapter 2: Cast in Pale

"Sorry," Kairi apologized as she got her crying under control.

"Take all the time you need," Hope said gently.

"No, I'm, I'm okay now," Kairi said, wiping away the last of the tears. She gave a polite bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hope."

Hope smiled back, then looked around a bit. "Is this, everyone? You mentioned others when we spoke."

"Oh, right!" Kairi gave her hood a slight shake. "You can come out, guys."

The quizzical look on Hope's face quickly popped into surprise as the two chipmunks clambered out, one on each side of Kairi's shoulders.

"Hiya!" Dale said with a wave. "I'm Dale."

"And I'm Chip!"

"Woah," Hope exclaimed. "You're, talking animals?"

"Yeah! What, you never seen one before?" Chip said.

Hope actually took a moment to think that over. "Well, unless Mog counts, then no, not really."

"Mog?" Kairi tilted her head quizzically.

"Mog is a moogle," Hope explained. "They're, well…"

"Oh, I know what moogles are," Kairi said. "And, I'm glad some of them survived."

That elicited a gentle smile from Hope. "Your kindness does you great credit, Kairi. But please, come. You must be tired after your journey, and it would not do to keep you standing about."

As Kairi followed, Chip and Dale dove back into her hood, though their heads popped out to let them watch the passing crowd. A few people even waved at them, which the chipmunks were more than happy to respond to in kind. From some of the cooing sounds that elicited, their cuteness was winning them as many fans as Kairi's heroism.

The trio followed Hope in boarding a very comfortable car, which took them to a towering structure that seemed to lie at the heart of the ark. From there, Hope further personally accompanied them to what appeared to be a medical ward, where Kairi and the chipmunks were given a quick checkup to make sure they were okay. There was a slight delay as someone actually qualified to examine non-humans was brought in though.

"Look here please," the examining doctor said, shining a light.

Kairi followed the light as it moved back and forth, her eyes tracking its motion. Seemingly satisfied with the response, the doctor moved onto taking her pulse and blood pressure, took a look inside her mouth, as well as checking her reflexes.

"Ow," Kairi reacted as her knee was tapped.

A slight look of concern flickered across Hope's face, and the doctor's as well.

"Alright Kairi, I'm going to listen in on your lungs," the doctor said, putting on the stethoscope. "When I ask you to, please breathe deeply."

"Umm, o-KAY!" Kairi hiccupped slightly at the cold metal touching her skin.

"Ah, my apologies," the doctor said with a kindly smile.

"No, it's okay," Kairi said, blushing ever so slightly.

Noticing the reddening of the girl's face, the doctor glanced back to give Hope a pointed look. The young man got the hint and turned about, letting Kairi have her privacy.

"Now, breathe," the doctor instructed.

Kairi obeyed and inhaled slowly before letting out the air. She repeated the act a few more times before the doctor withdrew the scope.

"You're showing very slight signs of malnutrition," the examining doctor said. "I recommend a hearty meal before getting a good night of sleep."

Kairi's stomach growled, as if to emphasize the doctor's prognosis. The girl's cheeks colored slightly as she gave a sheepish smile.

"That, sounds like a good idea."

Hope chuckled. "We can certainly arrange that." He glanced over at the man examining the chipmunks. "I presume these two are in similar condition, Dr. Gysahl?"

"Just about," the veterinarian said. "Whatever they've been eating, it's not been nearly enough."

"We had to save as much as we could!" Dale said.

"Yeah! We didn't know when we'd ever find someplace to land!" Chip added.

"I see," Hope said with a slight grimace. "I had not known your situation was that dire. And yet, grave as it was, you still came unhesitatingly to our aid."

"That's our Kairi for ya!" Chip said. "She's not a princess of light for nothing!"

Hope's form stiffened ever so slightly as he adopted a more formal poise. "Princess of light? I was not aware I was in the presence of royalty. My apologies if I have overstepped."

Kairi quickly shook her head. "No, no! That's, just an honorific! I'm not a princess or anything at all."

Hope gave a playful chuckle at Kairi's quick denial. "Well, from what we witnessed of the battle, it seems to be a fitting one. Now then, Your Highness, would you care to accompany me to your meal?"

Kairi's cheeks puffed out in a pout. The others in the room all looked away to hide the grins the expression elicited.

"I'm not a princess," Kairi insisted.

Perhaps recognizing that this was something of a sore point for the girl, Hope gave a slight bow of apology. As quick as Kairi had been to irritation however, she was even quicker to forgive and followed the youth to another room. Awaiting them was a table upon which a simple selection of food was set. Simple, albeit tantalizing as the aroma caused Kairi to pause a step when it hit her.

"Oh boy!"

Chip and Dale on the other hand were far more expressive in their appreciation of the food on offer and made for a mad dash for the table. Whomever had set the table had taken the consideration to providing plates and even small cutlery to accommodate the two chipmunks. There was of course also a set placed for Kairi.

"While the doctor did recommend a hearty meal, it was judged that we should start you slow so that your stomach is not overwhelmed by too heavy a food right away," Hope explained, pulling out the chair for Kairi.

"Umm, thank you," the girl said, though the tilt of her head indicated she was not quite sure how to interpret the courtesy.

"Don't think of this as treating you like royalty," Hope said with a slight smile. "Think of it as just another meager attempt to show how grateful all of us are for your coming in our hour of need."

Kairi returned the smile, albeit hers looked a bit more tired. "You've already said your thanks, Hope. And I have accepted it. Any more would be, excessive."

"Perhaps so," Hope said as he took a seat opposite Kairi at the cozy table.

Kairi's stomach growled again, a demand that she do something about the alluring smell wafting beneath her nose. Reaching out, she lifted the spoon with a helping of porridge and took a careful sip so as not to burn her tongue. The smile that suffused her face now was far more relaxed.

"Delicious."

"I am glad to hear it," Hope said.

"Oh boy, it feels like forever since we had fresh vegetables!" Dale cried out. "You can taste the difference from the frozen stuff!"

"We have a large hydroponics facility to grow the food we need," Hope said. "Academia is entirely self-sufficient, so long as we can keep all the systems powered."

"So whaddya guys use for fuel then?" Chip inquired in between packing his cheeks with diced carrots.

"Hydrogen, mostly," Hope answered. "It fuels the miniature sun at the center of Academia. We draw energy from the light it shines and use it to power the rest of the Ark."

"Hydrogen, huh," Dale remarked. "Lotsa that floating around the lanes inbetween, or least used to."

"Yes, we've noticed a considerable decrease in the amount of particulate matter in the void," Hope said. "While our reserves will suffice in the short term, we too need to find some sort of safe harbor to collect more matter eventually." The edge of Hope's lips quirked upward. "Though, if our scans are to be believed, the aftermath of our skirmish with Bhunivelze created a great deal of debris that if we're able to gather should measurably increase our reserves."

At that Kairi just stared blankly back at Hope. "Umm, that's, good, then?"

After a moment Hope let out a wry chuckle. "My apologies, I suppose if you are not familiar with our systems then this all probably sounds like gibberish."

"Well, I'm just not that, technically inclined," Kairi said. "Chip and Dale were the ones responsible for keeping the gummi ship running."

"Really," Hope said, regarding the two chipmunks with a degree of incredulity tinged with admiration. "I will be honest, I was not expecting this. The, gummi ship, is a rather fascinating construct. I hope you would not mind discussing its design with our own engineers?"

"No problemo," Chip said. "We're gonna need some help fixing 'er up after the banging we took from the battle anyway."

Hope regarded Kairi. "I hope this does not offend, but there is special interest in the weapons system your ship mounted. Its power and effectiveness against the cie'th far eclipses anything we possess."

"Oh well…"

Kairi tried, but found herself not quite able to explain the rather special circumstances behind that.

"Surprised the heck outta us too!" Chip however was more than happy to fill in. "The guns don't normally have that much juice in them, but ever since Kairi supercharged the ship with her light, it's been doing all sorts of stuff it couldn't before."

"Oh?" Hope said, regarding Kairi thoughtfully. "Is this an ability inherent in being a, princess of light?"

"I don't, think so?" Kairi said uncertainly. "It was never brought up before at least."

"Hmm yes, Chip, was it, did mention also being taken by surprise," Hope said, looking back at the chipmunks. "That actually explains a few things, including how the gummi ship does not appear to be a proper warship from its design."

"Nope," Dale said. "It was built to explore."

"Though the guns were added on just in case," Chip added. "The lanes in-between aren't always safe."

"So we have been finding out ourselves," Hope remarked. "Though, is your ship's ability to traverse it also because of Kairi?"

"Nope," Chip answered. "The gummi ship's always been able to fly around between worlds."

"Interesting," Hope said. "The Ark is able to traverse the void because of the shielding we have in place, but our smaller craft have much more limited endurance and need to stay relatively close by."

As Hope continued chatting engineering and technical details with the two chipmunks, Kairi turned into a passive observer of the conversation even while she worked away at the porridge. It really was tasty, and it was an equally satisfying feeling to actually be able to eat until she was full.

"Would you like another helping?" Hope asked as he noticed the now empty bowl.

"Oh, no thank you," Kairi said. "I honestly couldn't eat another bite." She offered a smile. "It was delicious."

"I am glad to hear it," Hope said, then regarded the two chipmunks whom also seemed satiated. "Let me take you to your room. We can talk more after you've had a night of proper rest."

Reaching out, Kairi let Chip and Dale climb up on her arm to dive back into her hood before rising. The room she was guided to was, in a word, palatial, so much so that Kairi was at first taken aback by the apparent luxury. When her mouth opened to decline such treatment however, she saw the kind smile on Hope's face and recognized that, in his own way, the young man was simply trying to accord her the kindness he felt she was warranted. And to reject it out of hand, would be unkind on her own part.

"Thank you," she said instead.

Hope bowed his head. "I hope you find a restful sleep, Kairi. Until tomorrow."

And took his leave. Once the doors closed behind him, Kairi looked about the room once more. In addition to the bedroom proper, there was the sitting room she currently stood in and what looked to be a bathroom off to the side. Feeling the weariness of the day catch up to her, Kairi let out a long sigh. A nice long bath, a soft bed, in retrospect these things did not seem that luxurious after all. They were just things circumstance had deprived her of after the darkness consumed all the worlds. Now, in this seeming oasis of light, perhaps she could finally rest.

As Hope entered the command center, a larger, gruffer looking man flashed a smile of a greeting.

"Yo. How's the little princess doing?"

"She claims to not be royalty," Hope responded. "Indeed, she seems perturbed when referred to as such, so you might want to watch your language, Snow."

"I'll keep that in mind," Snow Villiers, one of the commanding officers of the Guardian Corps, responded. "So, back to my actual question, how's she doing?"

Hope's lips thinned. "She's, tired. Mentally as well as physically. Whatever happened to bring her to us, it was not pleasant."

Snow snorted. "In case you've forgotten, Hope, nothing's been especially 'pleasant' since the freaking sun went out on us. As it is, we're lucky to still be around for her to find in the first place."

"Lucky, yes," Hope agreed reluctantly. "But she did find us. And if even just half of what's been hinted at is true, Kairi might well hold the key to our continued survival."

Snow grunted. "You talking about how she cut through those cie'th like a knife through butter?"

"And more," Hope said. "The, engineers of her ship seemed to consider its ability to travel long distances through the void as a given."

"No shit? Damn, if we could make ours do that, we could take the fight to Bhunivelze instead of waiting to get jumped whenever the bastard gets worked up, especially if we can get those souped up guns too."

"Hopefully the damage done to Bhunivelze will forestall further attacks in the short term," Hope said. "As for the weapons, it seems their effectiveness was because of Kairi's own power, so replicating it may be decidedly nontrivial."

"No shit? Huh." Snow rubbed his chin. "What is this power, anyway?"

"From what has been said, I can only insinuate that it has something to do with light," Hope responded. "A more detailed explanation will again have to wait until she is rested."

"Fair enough," Snow allowed. "The least we could do is give her a soft bed after she saved our asses like that."

Hope nodded, then regarded the projection of the Ark. "Any signs of infiltration during the skirmish?"

"Fang's out leading the search parties. We haven't found anything yet," Snow grunted, "but the bastards're definitely lurking around somewhere. They've tried to sneak into the Ark every other time Bhunivelze hit us, not likely this time was any different."

"That's not entirely true," Hope pointed out. "This time we were able to fight them off with far greater ease than in the past."

Snow allowed another grunt, though this one with a touch more satisfaction. "Suppose you're right. Still, wouldn't want to let down our guard just cause we thought we got lucky this one time."

"Fair enough," Hope agreed, looking at the display alongside Snow. "Fair enough."

A soft, warm light shone upon Kairi, drawing the girl out of her peaceful slumber. With a hearty, yawn, she opened her eyes slowly and let them adjust to the brightness. Looking around, it took the girl a few moments to recall where she was.

"Right," Kairi whispered to herself. "This, is the Ark."

A rustling sounded from her bedside. Peeking over, Kairi smiled as she looked at the pair of baskets that served as makeshift beds for Chip and Dale. The two chipmunks were still asleep, in varying postures that could only be termed comedic. While Chip was laid sprawled with his chest rising and falling in time with his breathing, Dale was flat on his stomach with one leg propped up on a bunched up pile of blankets. Careful not to make too much noise and awaken them, Kairi climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom to freshen up. She found a change of clothes ready in the closet, and while it likely did not fit perfectly was good enough for now.

When Kairi emerged once more, the two chipmunks were themselves rousing. Walking over, she gave Chip a scratch on the head.

"Good morning guys," she greeted.

"Morning Kairi," Chip responded. "Get a good night of sleep?"

"Yep. And you two?"

Dale gave a wide yawn. "Slept like a log, I did."

Kairi chuckled. "That's good to hear. C'mon, you need to wash your faces before we go get some breakfast."

"Alright," Chip said, though the way he teetered and tottered the chipmunk was still working on fully engaging his brain.

While the chipmunks got themselves sorted out, Kairi finished dressing. The blouse and skirt that had been laid out for her were simplistically elegant, the latter accented a mild shade of red that complemented her hair quite nicely. Whomever had prepared her wardrobe, sparse as it was now, obviously had good taste. As Kairi put on the matching jacket, she heard something dunking into water.

"Chip? Dale?" she called out. "You too okay?"

"Fine! Just fine!" Chip called out. "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

Kairi allowed another giggle. It certainly sounded like Chip had fallen into the sink on account of his drowsiness, which of course the water immediately cured him of. When the chipmunks came out, there was certainly a slickness to Chip's fur that was absent from Dale's at least.

"Ready to go?" Kairi asked, bending over slightly.

"Roger dodger!" Dale said.

Turning about, Kairi knelt down to let the two chipmunks climb up into the jacket's pockets, what with the absence of a hood. As she opened the door, Kairi was at first taken aback at the sight of a sentry. The woman in question bowed respectfully.

"Lady Kairi, I trust you had a good rest?"

"Umm, yes, I did," Kairi said, instinctively returning the bow.

The guard seemed mildly surprised by the returned courtesy, but smiled after a moment.

"I presume you would like some breakfast?" she asked.

"Yes, that would be nice," Kairi said, smiling back in turn.

"Please, follow me."

As the two began walking, the woman also spoke into something that Kairi presumed to be some sort of radio, notifying others of her status. As such by the time they reached the dining hall, Kairi's entrance was mirrored by that of Hope himself, along with several others.

"Good morning, Lady Kairi," Hope greeted.

Despite herself, Kairi puffed her cheeks out. "I'm not a princess. Or a lady."

To that Hope gave an apologetic smile before exchanging a look with his companions. They in turn nodded, a motion Hope returned in kind before regarding Kairi once more.

"Then, just Kairi," he said.

The pout disappeared from Kairi's face. "Better."

A few chuckles sounded before Hope waved at the table.

"Please."

Picking a seat at random, Kairi was mildly taken aback as a servant emerged and set a place before her, along with some smaller utensils that were presumably for the chipmunks. Next came the food, all this happening in such a whirl that left Kairi almost winded from the efficiency of motion.

"I hope you do not mind a few introductions while you eat?" Hope asked.

"Umm, no, that's fine," Kairi said. "Though, what about all of you?"

More chuckles there.

"We've already eaten," Hope said, "and it is still a tad early for lunch."

"Oh," Kairi said, blushing slightly. "Umm, did I oversleep?"

"Just a little bit," Hope tried to assure her.

Or at least tried to. Kairi was far from convinced, but for the moment comforted herself that she really had been tired after everything that happened and that this would be a one-time thing. Hopefully. Just as Kairi was gathering herself, her stomach growled as if to remind her of the other thing that she had been rather short on. The girl's cheeks flushed, not at all helped by the hearty laugh that sounded.

"Ah, don't worry about it little lady," a gruff but kindhearted man said. "And don't hold back on our account, have your fill. S'least we could do after you saved my boys and girls yesterday."

Kairi tilted her head quizzically. "Your, boys and girls?"

"The name's Snow," the man said with a wide grin. "Snow Villiers. I'm the captain of the Guardian Corps, the ones that fought alongside you against Bhunivelze."

Kairi's eyes widened as the words registered. "Oh! Umm, you are welcome. And, you have my thanks as well. Your, Guardian Corps also saved me when they showed up when they did."

To that Snow actually tilted his head as he regarded Kairi, then glanced over at Hope.

"You weren't kidding," he said to the youth. "She really is humble." Then looked back at Kairi. "Kinda reminds me of her, in a way."

Kairi just stared at Snow. "Umm, pardon?"

"Naw, forget about it," Snow said with a wave of his hand. "And shouldn't you start chowing down? Food's best when it's hot after all."

"Oh, right," Kairi said, picking up the fork and took a bite. "Hehe. It's delicious."

"I'm glad you think so," Hope said. "Now, as for those introductions. Snow here has already introduced himself." The youth gestured to the young woman seated to his right. "This is Alyssa Zaidelle, my able right hand."

"A pleasure," Alyssa said.

"Likewise," Kairi responded after swallowing.

"And this lady here," Hope nodded towards a towering tanned woman, "is Oerba Yun Fang, captain of the Guardian Corps' ground contingent." With an added clarification. "Snow there is the captain of the Guardian Corps' air contingent."

"Ain't as good a pilot as Sazh though," Snow added, not that that helped clarify anything for Kairi.

Hope cleared his throat, a subtle nudge to get Snow to stop yapping for a moment and keeping him from confusing Kairi further.

"Just call me Fang. My but aren't you a precious one," the woman in question said with a wide smile. "Hard to imagine it was you blasting away with such abandon yesterday."

Kairi gave a wry smile. "Well, I did have some help."

Following the girl's gaze, Fang regarded the two chipmunks, cheeks stuffed with food. That only caused a merry laugh to ring from her.

"Well I'll be, I've seen stranger things, but this is certainly up there." She directed a warm smile at Kairi. "Still, if it weren't for you, we'd have had a much rougher time of it, so thanks."

"You are very welcome," Kairi said with a slight dip of her head.

"Speaking of firepower," Snow said. "Do you mind telling us just how your guns were so powerful?"

"That's really more a question for Chip and Dale," Kairi said. "They're the ones that designed the gummi ship."

Snow's gaze fell to the chipmunks, back up to Kairi, then back down to Chip and Dale again.

"Okay, gotta admit, I thought Hope was pulling my leg yesterday when he said these two pipsqueaks were the designers."

"Hey, who ya calling pipsqueaks?" Chip squeaked in mild indignation.

"Whoa, mean nothing by it," Snow said. "Just, talking chipmunks? And mechanics to boot? I mean, how do you guys even hold up a wrench, much less work on a ship that big?"

"That's what the mops are for!" Dale responded. "The king enchanted a bunch of them to help with the lifting and hitting."

That saw confused looks crop up all around.

"Mops?" Snow said blankly.

"King?" was Hope's remark.

"Yeah," Chip said, sounding noticeably melancholic.

Indeed Dale too slowed in his intake of food, slumping over slightly.

"Is, something wrong?" Hope asked gently.

Kairi began shaking her head, before stopping and slowly nodding.

"King Mickey," she said. "He was Chip and Dale's sovereign, the one that originally came up with the gummi ship. He, fell trying to hold back the darkness." Kairi's hand tightened over her heart. "Trying to buy time for us to escape."

"Sounds like a hell of a leader," Snow said wholeheartedly. "And a hell of a guy to boot."

Kairi smiled slightly. "He was."

The Ark quartet exchanged looks.

"Our apologies," Hope said for all of them, "if we cause unpleasant memories to arise."

Kairi took a deep breath. "It's okay. It, hurts, but I can't let that stop me. And it's my responsibility, to carry on everything that the others tried to do. To protect people in their place, now that they can't anymore."

Respect, something that Kairi had already earned in spades from those assembled. Sympathy, something that everyone here shared in equal measure. Hope, the name notwithstanding, something that for some strange reason seemed to flicker brighter with Kairi's mere presence. Together, it was as if Kairi were a beacon that the others were compelled to follow. The light that shone from her was just that bright.

Upon the meal's conclusion Kairi parted ways with Chip and Dale, whom were ferried off by Snow to apparently talk more about the gummi ship. Hope and Alyssa likewise headed off to attend to their other duties. That left the young girl with Fang, and despite the kindly nature of the woman Kairi felt somewhat awestruck at how Fang towered over her.

"Heartless," Fang said thoughtfully as she and Kairi walked together. "I'm afraid I've never heard the term before. It's apt though, and I can see why people would call them that. Assuming your Heartless and our Cie'th are the same things."

"I, think they're the same," Kairi said. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I was fighting Heartless yesterday. Not sure about the big one though, it felt, different."

Fang nodded. "Bhunivelze is a god, a being that can create more Cie'th. So technically he isn't a Cie'th himself."

"A, god?"

The woman tilted her head. "Do you not have gods where you're from, Kairi?"

Kairi pursed her lips. "Well, we have things we believe in, but I don't think I've ever seen a god. Personally at least."

Fang chuckled. "You're not missing much. Our gods, were kind of jerks."

"Oh, I see," Kairi said. "But, I think there are some good gods out there. Some, friends of mine ran into them once. Even helped them a little."

"That's certainly encouraging," Fang said. "Not sure I like the idea of all gods being bad, so if there are some good ones out there, more power to them."

The two exchanged agreeable smiles at that.

"So you mentioned some special way of fighting the Heartless?" Fang returned the conversation to its original point.

Kairi nodded. "Uh huh. Keyblades. They're weapons forged from the light of one's heart, and they're the strongest thing you can use against Heartless or Nobodies."

"Nobodies?" Fang said quizzically.

"Oh, right," Kairi said. "Umm, you know how I mentioned that Heartless are basically what happens when a person's heart is consumed by darkness. Their heart becomes effectively separated from their bodies. In some cases where a heart was especially strong, the body that's left behind retains some degree of will. Those are the Nobodies."

"Is that so," Fang said thoughtfully. "We really gotta get you to sit down and have a longer chat with Hope. He'd know way more on how all these things fit together."

"To be honest, there's lots of things I don't fully understand either," Kairi said. "But the gummi ship's computer has records on a lot of things."

"Hitting the books ain't exactly my strong suite," Fang said, "but this all sounds mighty important. Especially if these Heartless and Nobodies really are related to the Cie'th. Anything we can learn about them will make us that better prepared next time they attack."

Kairi frowned slightly. "Do they do that often? Attack, I mean."

Fang nodded solemnly. "More than my liking. In fact a couple usually try to sneak onto the Ark when the void ones hit us from the outside. But this time they were beaten back pretty quick thinks to your little gunship rescue," the woman gave Kairi a wink, "and we haven't spotted any stragglers, so we might just have lucked out this time around."

Kairi gave a giggle before adopting a more serious expression. "I'd like to hope so too."

"But anyway, this keyblade you mentioned," Fang continued. "You have one?"

"Uh huh," Kairi said, holding out her hand. "This one's mine."

And in a flash of light summoned the multi-hued floral keyblade.

"Whoa!" Fang almost jumped.

"Oh, sorry, I should have asked before bringing it out," Kairi immediately apologized.

"No, that's okay," Fang assured her even as she began looking over the weapon. "I probably had it coming."

The woman circled Kairi, getting a good view from all angles. Kairi patiently held the keyblade out for Fang's convenience.

"Huh," Fang said after straightening. "It looks like a key alright, even if the teeth look like they're made of flowers." She regarded Kairi. "Are all keyblades this, colorful?"

"It really depends," Kairi said. "Keyblades are manifestations of a person's heart, so they're reflective of the person that wields them."

That elicited a slight chuckle. "Well, can't say it ain't appropriate for you."

To that Kairi could only smile in return.

"Where did you take that weapon out from anyway?" Fang asked. "It just, appeared in your hand."

"Honestly? I have no idea," Kairi admitted. "That was a part of my studies that we didn't get to before, well, everything happened."

"I see," Fang said with a sympathetic smile.

"But there are also lots of records on the keyblade in the gummi ship's systems," Kairi said. "I'd only started digging into them, and I'm sure there's an answer in there."

"So how does one get a keyblade in the first place?" Fang asked next.

Kairi's eyes flickered again as she pondered the question. "There's supposed to be some sort of bequeathing ceremony, where a keyblade master can choose a successor. But, I don't recall ever having actually performed it, so there might be another way as well." The girl sighed. "Sorry, I was really just starting out, so there's a lot of things I don't understand. A lot of things I couldn't help with."

"Hey, that's not on you," Fang comforted her. "We all gotta start somewhere, there's no end to a journey without a beginning. And you're not walking it alone, you've got all of us here on the Ark right there beside you now."

To that Kairi offered a grateful smile. "Yeah, guess I do."

"That's better," Fang said. "If there's more to learn about this keyblade, we'll be right there helping you figuring it out." The woman regarded the keyblade again. "Can I take a look?"

Glancing at the extended hand, Kairi smiled wryly. "It, doesn't quite work that way."

Even so she offered the keyblade to the quizzical looking Fang. The woman took it and gave it a swing, before the blade disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in Kairi's hands.

"I see what you mean," Fang said after a beat. "Something to keep a keyblade from being stolen?"

"Not exactly," Kairi said, dismissing the keyblade. "The keyblade can only be held by its chosen wielder, and that wielder must also possess a strong heart to begin with. Both conditions must be met for you to be able to pick up a keyblade." She hefted hers. "This keyblade is mine, so only I can wield it."

"Handy," Fang said, examining the weapon in Kairi's hand once more. "Though unless we can get more of them, the rest of us'll just have to keep fighting the Cie'th, or Heartless, the old fashioned way."

The spear worn on Fang's back shifted as if to emphasis what that way might be. For a moment Kairi's thoughts wandered to the armory locked away in the gummi ship, and within it all the keyblades that once belonged to Sora. Could those be used by the Ark's defenders? As quickly as the question arose however she dismissed it. Kairi still did not understand the full nuances of how the keyblades worked, what would happen if someone tried to use another's willy-nilly, even if the former wielder was gone. And the last thing she was prepared to risk was outright losing any of those keyblades. Not yet at least, not until she knew for certain there was no other way.

Before Kairi could muster any sort of response however Fang's head jerked aside. Kairi stared at her blankly even as the older woman's expression shifted from surprise to grim determination.

"Sorry Kairi, looks like we'll have to continue our talk later," Fang said after a moment. "Looks like we did end up with a few stowaways after all."

Kairi's eyes widened, then. "Umm, I can help!"

Fang's movements stuttered as she stopped herself mid-step to look back at Kairi. "What?"

Holding out her hand again, Kairi called forth Destiny's Embrace. "I can help!"

Understanding dawned in Fang's eyes, but so did a flicker of hesitation. It did not go unnoticed by Kairi as the girl too took a step forward.

"Please."

Despite her clear hesitation, Fang gave a resigned sigh. "Alright, but stay close to me. I so much as let a scratch happen to you, I'll never hear the end of it."

Kairi gave a tight smile and nod. "I can take care of myself."

Fang chuckled wryly. "Yeah, I just bet you can. C'mon."

The pace the older woman set was not a flat out sprint, but it was certainly brisk. They did not have long to run either, as the two arrived at some sort of terrace that was quickly revealed to be a landing pad. Hopping into the awaiting vehicle, Kairi had just enough time to buckle in before it zipped off and she was made devoutly grateful for the seatbelts. The pilot responsible for ferrying them was certainly prioritizing speed over the comfort of his passangers.

In a far shorter time than she could have believed, the airship slowed and descended to the ground. Despite her shaky knees Kairi did her best to keep pace with Fang as the woman met up with several soldiers in armor and carrying guns.

"Report," Fang said.

"We've made contact with at least a dozen smaller Cie'th," the soldier said, "along with one of the big ones. They're contained, for now, but no telling when they'll try to make a break for it." He then glanced over at Kairi before looking questioningly back at Fang. "Ma'am?"

"She's with me," Fang responded, as if that explained anything. " One squad with me. Rest of you keep the perimeter tight while we go take a look."

"If you're sure ma'am," the soldier said, obviously still worried about the presence of what by all appearances was a girl barely in her teens.

"I'm not, but she seems to be," Fang said, then to Kairi. "C'mon, kiddo."

"Not a kid," Kairi responded, and to the surprise of the gathered soldiers summoned her keyblade.

"No," Fang agreed. "No, don't suppose you are."

The assembled group made their way past the ring of soldiers securing the area and entered into the collection of metallic structures. The dim light barely pierced the darkness within and only seemed to cast even more shadows for things to lurk under. Fang took out a flashlight and swept it before them. Kairi on the other hand held out her keyblade, from which a soft glow began emanating.

"Handy," Fang remarked.

"Yes, it is," Kairi responded reflexively, her own focus on trying to sense anything in the darkness.

The soldiers too had lights mounted on their guns, so it was not as if they were walking in completely blind. Still, there was a palpable tenseness to their movements, as if they were expecting to get jumped any second now. Kairi felt the hair on the back of her neck stiffen.

"Look out!"

The malformed, rocky golem's movements were more a shambling stumble, but the speed with which it moved was still enough to surprise the unwary. Kairi's warning was enough to alert the others, but it was still too late for the soldier set upon by the Cie'th. A panicked scream was cut short as the man was sent slamming into the wall by the massive backhand, the creature already charging on its next intended victim. That victim was Kairi, and the girl made no move to dodge.

"KAIRI!"

The panic in Fang's cry was hardly unwarranted, the older woman not having any idea the extent of Kairi's martial skill. Indeed if Kairi herself was asked, the girl would openly admit to still being a novice. But what little time she had been able to spend training, she had spent most diligently. And even as the sight of the roaring monstrosity bearing down on her caused her heart to quiver, her poise did not falter.

Instinctively, Kairi brought her keyblade up to block. The strength of the enemy's blow reverberated through her arm, but she kept her grip tight. Block, parry, strike. Merlin's words rang in her head as she did her best to execute the sequence. Gritting her teeth, she pushed back and shoved the creature's arm aside.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

With a cry that surprised even herself, Kairi brought the keyblade crashing down across the Cie'th's chest. She felt the slightest resistance as the teeth sank into flesh, but after that the blade seemed to glide through even more easily than if it were cutting through empty air. With a clank, the keyblade sliced completely through the creature's torso, causing the creature's form to dispel into a black mist.

Kairi's breathing was heavy and uneven, the girl hardly used to such exertions and thus not pacing herself very well. That would soon prove unfortunate as the party was quickly reminded that the scouts had encountered not one, but several Cie'th. The growling announced their presence well before they came into sight, which while nerve-wracking was arguably still preferable than being jumped from out of nowhere.

"Contact!" one of the soldiers shouted.

Gunfire erupted as the soldiers reacted. Fang was suddenly upon Kairi, one arm protectively draped across Kairi's shoulder.

"Stay close!" she ordered.

Before Kairi could react a scream sounded and another soldier fell. Fang's lance shot out, spearing the Cie'th in the shoulder and driving it off the man. From below, Kairi took the opening to slash at the creature, again dispelling it with nary any effort.

"Get up!" Kairi said, pulling at the soldier.

"Gah," the man coughed, a splatter of blood staining his lips.

Kairi winced as she caught sight of the crimson wetness spreading over his armor. The Cie'th's blow must have been far stronger than she had presumed. She did not dawdle however, instead recalling another of Merlin's lessons.

"Heal," Kairi said, the words taking on an almost lyrical undertone as a soft light enveloped the soldier.

"Wha?"

To the man's surprise, the pain he felt in his chest was disappearing. That moment was all he got however as more cries focused his attention.

"My thanks," he said, gripping his gun and taking aim at the oncoming Cie'th.

Kairi fell back, or rather was pulled back by Fang.

"It's not over yet!" the woman said.

Several still forms surrounded them, thankfully all Cie'th. How long that would last Kairi had no idea, not that she had any time to ponder such worries. With Fang as the vanguard, Kairi downed another pair of Cie'th that were pinned or otherwise distracted by the older woman. Just as Kairi thought the worst was over however, a terrifying roar deafened the chamber. The crash that followed brought down an entire wall as a massive quadrupedal beast barreled in. Kairi's jaw dropped as she found herself gazing at a horned monster, sharp fangs bared in the gapping maw of its mouth.

"What is THAT!?" she cried.

"A behemoth!" Fang responded. "Kairi! Get back!"

The girl scrambled to obey, and to her great fortune the creature did not immediately go for her. Instead it slammed a giant paw against one of the Cie'th, causing the other creature to crumble into crystalline shards.

"Take it down!" Fang shouted.

Bullets peppered the monster, but all they seemed to do was mildly irritate it. Suddenly Fang leapt into the air, kicking off a wall to gain further momentum, and came plunging down upon the beast. A thunk sounded as her spear pierced the creature's hide, but the blow was a shallow one. It was still enough to cause the behemoth to roar in rage and the monster reared back, trying to knock Fang off. In that moment, Kairi found herself presented with the exposed underbelly of the monster. Again instinct took over and she pointed the keyblade at the creature.

"Fire!"

The blossoming fire slammed into the monster and enveloped its front. The cry of pain this time was more acute and the behemoth slammed back down in an effort to smother the flames. It arguably succeeded, but the momentary distraction was all Fang needed. Pulling her spear free, she brought it down at the base of the creature's neck. A snap sounded as the blade cleaved through flesh and bone. With one last twitch, the behemoth was finally stilled.

The creature dead, Kairi suddenly lost all strength in her legs and the girl tumbled back.

"Kairi?" Fang called out worriedly, leaving her spear impaling the creature as she hurried over to the girl. "You alright?"

"I-I think so," Kairi said in between ragged breaths. "This, well, it was a little intense."

Fang chuckled, giving the girl a quick squeeze. "You did good. Probably saved our lives all over again."

"Umm, that might be overselling things a bit," Kairi tried weakly.

Fang met Kairi's gaze levelly.

"Who was the one that warned us about the Cie'th?"

"Well…"

"And who was the one that brought down the first one that was on us?"

"Umm…"

"And what about that healing magic you used on Jostum there?"

Kairi stopped trying to muster any sounds. Fang nodded, apparently interpreting that as the girl accepting the inevitable.

"And of course there was that fire spell you shot the behemoth with."

Though she might as well not give any wiggle room for backtracking.

By now more footsteps could be heard and soon enough more soldiers appeared.

"Ma'am," one of the newcomers greeted Fang. "Is everyone alright?"

"Looks like," Fang said, then to Kairi. "Can you stand."

Slowly, and a bit wobblily, Kairi rose to her feet again.

"Do another sweep of the area," Fang ordered. "I don't want to miss any Cie'th."

"Roger that ma'am," the soldier said, giving a curt nod before carrying on.

"So," Fang said as she looked back at Kairi, or rather the weapon the girl was still clutching. "It looks like that keyblade of yours does work on Cie'th too."

"I guess so," Kairi said.

She regarded one of the downed Cie'th, one taken out by bullets instead of her blade. It was unlike any Heartless she had seen before, more rocky and crystalline in appearance than the usual black goo and mist. Frowning thoughtfully, Kairi poked one of the broken off chunks with her keyblade. Upon being so touched, it quickly dissipated into a black mist.

"Huh," Fang said as she watched. "Never seen that before."

"Me neither," Kairi said. "These Cie'th, they're kind of like Heartless. But, they don't feel completely the same."

"But your keyblade still works on them," Fang said. "In fact, you cut through them like a knife through butter. Never seen anything like that before."

Kairi held up Destiny's Embrace, noting the flickers of light upon the teeth of the blade.

"The Cie'th are wreathed in darkness," she declared. "That much is clear. Maybe, the keyblade can free them too from that darkness." Kairi looked about. "Maybe, it can free us from all darkness."

To that Fang adopted a pensive look. There was certainly plenty of darkness about them, not just here in the bowels of the Ark, but beyond its hull as well. A darkness so total that it seemed as if all light had been extinguished. But if what Kairi suggested was true, then there might yet be hope. A hope that lay squarely within the young girl's hands.

End of Chapter 2

As I find myself nearing endgame for my ME fic, I find my head ever more filled with thoughts about my other stories. So I got this chapter out just to clear my head a bit.

I have the practice of commissioning artwork to accompany stories I write, and the one I commissioned for this story was actually finished some time ago. It technically constitutes a spoiler, but I consider it a somewhat minor one. If you are so inclined, reconstruct the following web address to check it out:

deviantart dot com slash z98 slash art slash Master-Kairi-792182200

So this might come as a surprise, but I did not actually play KH3 before starting this story. I watched enough of the story videos to get the basic beats however, so it's not like I knew nothing going in. I am making my way through the game now though, and my impressions basically boil down to, the plot's structure weighs very heavily upon its execution. KH3 is obviously an ambitious game, but it does suffer from how much they tried to stuff into it. In the case of the worlds, that meant none of them could be supplied with the degree of depth that, say, an entirely original work from the company could achieve, even ignoring the fact that Disney is the actual IP owner in this case.

I on the other hand will be focusing on fewer worlds, but I'll be going into much more depth as a consequence. If nothing else, Kairi will be spending much more time in each world she drops by, so all of you will similarly have that much more time to experience it with her.

Which worlds will show up would constitute spoilers beyond what I'm prepared to reveal at this point, so about all I can say is be patient and let the story unfold.

The game canon wasn't ever very precise about whether keyblades were singular and changed shape or were individually discrete. Nor was it very consistent, since you could argue it either way using the games as reference points. I have a specific plot reason for wanting the keyblades to be discrete, hence why I went down that route. What that reason is, again, will be revealed in time.

As an aside, the Ultima guides did explain in more detail about the keyblades and whatnot, but seeing as few if any of those were translated, I'm basically just picking and choosing what I want to reuse from canon in order to suit the needs of my story. If you've read any of my previous works, you'll know I tend to do that, but I tend to also be consistent with what I do use, which helps make for a more coherent story.

One other note, Kairi right now still doesn't know all the details about keyblades, so some of the answers she gives are correct to the extent that she knows, but which are not entirely correct in the context of the mechanics I'm using. As she and the others learn more, their misconceptions will be cleared up and they will discover new ways to correctly take advantage of the keyblade's abilities.

What happened to lead to the bad end that is this story's premise will be revealed in bits and pieces over the course of this story. I have no intention of ever writing a prelude, since I really don't have any interest in telling a Sora or Riku story. That disinterest is one of the primary reasons they were explicitly removed, well, killed off really, in the background.