Chapter 1: A Mysterious Vision
" The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. "
--Robert Frost, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Kairi sighed as the sun started slowly setting in the west. She was lying down on the beach, having had another fitful nightmare about Sora. A loud argument started as Wakka and Tidus sparred, as usual. It seemed like only yesterday they had been building that raft to see and visit other world. How ironic it had been when other worlds had found them!
All of that was over. After the revelation that she was a princess of heart, she went to Hollow Bastion, to help the other princesses of heart. They arranged for the return of its occupants, and the removal and rebuilding of the Heartless made portions of the castle. Leon helped out, but before long, he jumped into a ship and headed to the Balamb Garden to train and become a SeeD member. Selphie went with him too, but decided to go to Trabia Garden first. Tidus and Wakka dreamed of traveling to Spira, but were returned to Destiny Islands before they could journey there. Cloud and Aerith dated for awhile, and ended up getting married. They now track down the ever-elusive Sephiroth. Their journey has lead them to a world with Mako reactors, though they never mentioned the name.
And Kairi dreamed of visiting other worlds, meeting new people, and finding Sora. Riku and King Mickey were also on her mind, but she never thought about the role they still had to play yet. She slowly got up, brushed herself off, and walked down the beach.
"Look out man!" Wakka cried. A Blitzball streaked toward her as Wakka missed his target. She ducked down, and kicked it back to him, hitting him square in the face.
"Good...kick...man..." he gasped. Birds flew around his head as he sat there, dazed. Tidus gaped in awe. That had been some move! He would tweak it a bit, make it able to be done in water, and would name it Sphere Shot.
As she walked on, she noticed their Secret Place tucked away in the underbrush, much like a hidden Easter Egg. She climbed in and walked around the cave. Drawings of Chocobos...Donald and his staff...even a castle! As if destiny had foreshadowed it. She came to their portraits and started weeping. She missed Sora so much! Words couldn't express her anguish. His mom was in terrible shape too, having lost her son. And now it had been three years since they had parted. Three years since their anguish had started.
She walked out into the twilight of the evening, the warm night air puffing around her. She headed toward the cove. A raft stood there. She had designed it after the one they had made long before. It was how she got home now. She climbed aboard, and pushed off, letting the current take her back to the mainland. She lied down on the deck of the raft, closed her eyes, and went into a fitful sleep.
"Sora!" she yelled. He was running away from her, with Donald and Goofy by his side. "Wait!" she cried again, running after them. As they rounded a bend, she sighed with relief. They weren't running from her, but chasing Pluto the dog. She sprinted ahead, and jumped in Pluto's way. "Aha!"
But Pluto simply ran right through her, as though she was ghost, as did Sora and everyone else. Sora jumped and tackled Pluto, wrestling a letter from his mouth. He opened it and read it aloud.
" 'To Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I know this journey has been hard on you, both physically and emotionally, especially you, Sora. But don't fret. Your hearts are all strong. Goofy, your heart is righteous. Donald, your heart is justice and vigor. And Sora, your heart is perseverance, purity, and above all, love. That's what made the Keyblade choose you over Riku in the end. And remember Sora. You are the one who will open the door to the light.' "
"What do you suppose it means?" Sora asked as he folded the letter and place it in his pocket.
"Who knows. Wait- remember what King Mickey said? 'There will always be a door to the light'? Does that mean you haven't opened it yet, there's more than one Kingdom Hearts, or that the door to the light is something completely different?"
Sora was deep in thought when the ground beneath Kairi turned to water. She plummeted down and down, falling away from Sora and the gang. She stopped, facing an Ivory door, with elegant and intricately craved designs on it. It was so white and bright, it was as though it were made of pure white light. She looked away, the light hurting her eyes, wishing she knew where it was. A cold slap hit her face and she woke with a start.
A cold wave of sea water had hit her face. She sputtered on it, coughing and wheezing. The sea grew violent as the storm grew, with the mainland nowhere in sight. She desperately groped for the mast, and clung to it for dear life. A loud boom, and the clouds parted, revealing a meteor shower or bright orbs.
"Oh God no! It can't be happening!" She looked back and saw, where there was once just water, the End of the World, where the highway between worlds lay. She braced herself, closed her eyes, and waited, as her raft drew nearer.
" The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. "
--Robert Frost, Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Kairi sighed as the sun started slowly setting in the west. She was lying down on the beach, having had another fitful nightmare about Sora. A loud argument started as Wakka and Tidus sparred, as usual. It seemed like only yesterday they had been building that raft to see and visit other world. How ironic it had been when other worlds had found them!
All of that was over. After the revelation that she was a princess of heart, she went to Hollow Bastion, to help the other princesses of heart. They arranged for the return of its occupants, and the removal and rebuilding of the Heartless made portions of the castle. Leon helped out, but before long, he jumped into a ship and headed to the Balamb Garden to train and become a SeeD member. Selphie went with him too, but decided to go to Trabia Garden first. Tidus and Wakka dreamed of traveling to Spira, but were returned to Destiny Islands before they could journey there. Cloud and Aerith dated for awhile, and ended up getting married. They now track down the ever-elusive Sephiroth. Their journey has lead them to a world with Mako reactors, though they never mentioned the name.
And Kairi dreamed of visiting other worlds, meeting new people, and finding Sora. Riku and King Mickey were also on her mind, but she never thought about the role they still had to play yet. She slowly got up, brushed herself off, and walked down the beach.
"Look out man!" Wakka cried. A Blitzball streaked toward her as Wakka missed his target. She ducked down, and kicked it back to him, hitting him square in the face.
"Good...kick...man..." he gasped. Birds flew around his head as he sat there, dazed. Tidus gaped in awe. That had been some move! He would tweak it a bit, make it able to be done in water, and would name it Sphere Shot.
As she walked on, she noticed their Secret Place tucked away in the underbrush, much like a hidden Easter Egg. She climbed in and walked around the cave. Drawings of Chocobos...Donald and his staff...even a castle! As if destiny had foreshadowed it. She came to their portraits and started weeping. She missed Sora so much! Words couldn't express her anguish. His mom was in terrible shape too, having lost her son. And now it had been three years since they had parted. Three years since their anguish had started.
She walked out into the twilight of the evening, the warm night air puffing around her. She headed toward the cove. A raft stood there. She had designed it after the one they had made long before. It was how she got home now. She climbed aboard, and pushed off, letting the current take her back to the mainland. She lied down on the deck of the raft, closed her eyes, and went into a fitful sleep.
"Sora!" she yelled. He was running away from her, with Donald and Goofy by his side. "Wait!" she cried again, running after them. As they rounded a bend, she sighed with relief. They weren't running from her, but chasing Pluto the dog. She sprinted ahead, and jumped in Pluto's way. "Aha!"
But Pluto simply ran right through her, as though she was ghost, as did Sora and everyone else. Sora jumped and tackled Pluto, wrestling a letter from his mouth. He opened it and read it aloud.
" 'To Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I know this journey has been hard on you, both physically and emotionally, especially you, Sora. But don't fret. Your hearts are all strong. Goofy, your heart is righteous. Donald, your heart is justice and vigor. And Sora, your heart is perseverance, purity, and above all, love. That's what made the Keyblade choose you over Riku in the end. And remember Sora. You are the one who will open the door to the light.' "
"What do you suppose it means?" Sora asked as he folded the letter and place it in his pocket.
"Who knows. Wait- remember what King Mickey said? 'There will always be a door to the light'? Does that mean you haven't opened it yet, there's more than one Kingdom Hearts, or that the door to the light is something completely different?"
Sora was deep in thought when the ground beneath Kairi turned to water. She plummeted down and down, falling away from Sora and the gang. She stopped, facing an Ivory door, with elegant and intricately craved designs on it. It was so white and bright, it was as though it were made of pure white light. She looked away, the light hurting her eyes, wishing she knew where it was. A cold slap hit her face and she woke with a start.
A cold wave of sea water had hit her face. She sputtered on it, coughing and wheezing. The sea grew violent as the storm grew, with the mainland nowhere in sight. She desperately groped for the mast, and clung to it for dear life. A loud boom, and the clouds parted, revealing a meteor shower or bright orbs.
"Oh God no! It can't be happening!" She looked back and saw, where there was once just water, the End of the World, where the highway between worlds lay. She braced herself, closed her eyes, and waited, as her raft drew nearer.