"It's almost too easy now", Kairi thought as she dodged a wild sword swing from Tidus.  Kairi had gotten stronger than Wakka, Selphie, and Tidus over the last three months and beating them was a cinch, even together.  Her keyblade granted her newfound strength and the practice she had with her friends honed her skills. 

She smiled as Wakka threw his blitzball at her, thinking she was too preoccupied with Tidus.  She wasn't.  Just as the ball was about to hit her in the back of the head, Kairi sidestepped, ever so gracefully, to her right.  Tidus eyes widened as he realized his fate. 

"Aaarrggghh!!!" he cried as the ball hit him square in the nose.  Kairi saw her chance and hit him across the chest with her wooden sword.  Tidus fell to the ground and stayed there. 

Wakka scratched his head, "Sorry, man, she's a little too fast." 

"Not fast enough to dodge me!!", Selphie yelled as she swung her nun chucs toward Kairi.  Kairi smirked and grabbed Selphie's nun chucs in midair.  She pulled Selphie towards her, while swinging her sword low, towards Selphie's stomach.  Selphie let go and jumped back just in time to miss the quick swipe of Kairi's sword.  Wakka threw his blitzball again only to have it kicked back at him by Kairi.  The blitzball hit Wakka in the chest and he collapsed to the sand groaning. 

"Give up yet…?", Kairi taunted switching her sword from hand to hand. 

Selphie, weaponless and partnerless, nevertheless attacked Kairi with her bare hands.  Kairi dodged the punches with ease and pushed her mockingly.  She then dropped down and tripped Selphie as she ran towards her. 

"Alright I give…", Selphie pouted as she got up from the sand. 

"Yeah man, you're way too strong for us.", Wakka grumbled.  Tidus just held his head up to stop his nose from bleeding. 

Kairi grinned.  "Maybe it's you guys who need to practice."

Wakka began to walk toward the dock, "No need to rub it in, man."  Tidus and Selphie followed.  They got in their boats and began to row back home. 

"See you later, Kairi!", "Bye-bye!", "See you tomorrow!" they all yelled. 

Kairi waved and walked toward the Secret Place.  While walking, she summoned her keyblade, christened the Promise Keeper, and began swinging it back and forth.  She reached the entrance of the Secret Place and peered in. 

As always a chill traveled down her spine.  This is the place where it all started, where Sora met Ansem and where the door to other worlds was.   She crawled in. 

Normally when visiting the Secret Place, Kairi would admire the pictures on the walls, especially the one of her and Sora.  This time, however she felt drawn toward the door.  The door that transported them to other worlds and adventures.  Kairi raised her keyblade and it began to glow.  A keyhole appeared on the door and disappeared.  The door opened and Kairi looked through.  All she saw was darkness.  She hesitated for fear that she would be swallowed by this darkness, but she thought of Sora and jumped through.

Kairi slowly came to on the cold ground of an unknown place.  She looked around. 

"Where am I?", she shook her head groggily.  It seemed as if she were in a grassy plain, but everything was so dark. 

"Keyblade master…"

Kairi turned to find a figure dressed in a cloak that seemed blacker than the night sky.  He wore a hood and his silverfish hair covered his eyes, but the rest of his face was still visible. 

"Who are you?" Kairi summoned the Promise Keeper and held it between herself and the figure. 

"Why should I give you my name so readily, keyblade master?" the figure asked.  "You haven't yet earned the right to know it."

Kairi bristled, "You, you arrogant…bastard!  She tightened her grip on the Promise Keeper. 

The figure smirked and summoned two keyblades, "So you want to fight me, huh?" 

Kairi gasped, "You're a keyblade master too?!"

The smirk on the figure's face widened into a smile and, with a swiftness that stunned her, he attacked.  Kairi jumped back and unleashed her own attack to counter that of the figure's.  The sound of the three keyblades clashing together sounded like thunder and, as if on cue, the heavens parted and rain began to fall. 

Although Kairi would never admit it, she was terrified of this hooded figure.  As she dodged one of his attacks, she thought about how strong he was.  She could feel his strength through her keyblade and feared it.  The figure swung one of his keyblades towards her legs and she instinctively jumped.  Big mistake.  He slammed his fist into her gut and sent her flying to the ground.  He then jumped into the air and brought the keyblades down toward the ground for the final attack.  Kairi knew she couldn't defeat this being and closed her eyes to accept her fate. 

"You're just going to give up, after all of that?" 

That voice…so familiar. 

"Sora?", Kari whispered.  "Give me your strength."  She felt different, more…powerful.  She opened her eyes and saw the figure dropping from the sky.  She got up and performed a move she had seen Sora do before.  She threw her keyblade at the figure with lighting speed and jumped into the air.  The Promise Keeper hit its mark and the figure's attack was stopped and she flew past him, propelled by her powerful jump.  She grabbed her keyblade and threw it again at the falling figure's back.  It slammed into him and sent him crashing to the ground below.  She dived and grabbed the Promise Keeper on the way down.  She landed and stood in her fighting stance ready to go again. 

The figure got up and smiled.  "My name is Yuyami, Yuyami Tsubasa.  I came because I sensed the power of another keyblade." 

Kairi began to relax, "I'm Kairi, I'm here looking for two more keyblade masters named Riku and Sora…you haven't seen them have you?" 

"No, you're the only keyblade master I've sensed here."  Kairi looked down. 

"Don't worry, my mission is to find the keyblade masters, all of them, and form an attack against the ultimate dark force." 

Kairi looked at him, "The ultimate dark force…?"