Kairi walked down along the beach, enjoying the mid-morning warmth.
Breakfast had been short and pleasantly quiet, save Riku's mother's talk of
her moving into the family, but she did that every morning. No one
mentioned marriage, which seemed like too large of a leap, even now.
Looking up at the sun, Kairi thought about the last time she saw Sora.
It was through the fog that seemed to keep Kairi from going to Sora. It muffled noise and made her senses feel dull and her body feel heavy and weak. Sora was quickly falling away from her as she watched. He had yelled something, but she never heard.
Then, water sprang between them, making her look down in surprise. When she looked up again, Sora was gone, but she heard the voices of Wakka, Tidus and Selphie.
Kairi jumped as cold water began to swirl around her ankles and go inside of her shoes, soaking the inside.
"Oh no!" Kairi wailed, hopping away from the water. She heard someone laugh and she turned, seeing two girls watching her. One girl had long, black hair done in braids, and wore a black dress, while the other had short brown hair and a white priestess dress.
LuLu and Yuna.
Kairi sucked in a breath, smiled and waved to the two. Yuna smiled and ran to Kairi. She forced to keep her smile; she really didn't want to have to talk with either of the girls. Unfortunately, she didn't really have a choice. Yuna's father was the one who had found as rescued her while LuLu's father, the Governor, found a home for her to stay at on Destiny Islands and made a welcoming for her.
Kairi was jealous of LuLu; she had a gorgeous body, a wealthy father, a man she fell in love with (who she would marry in a few years as soon as Wakka got the Governor's blessing (good luck Wakka!)) and she had magic.
Yuna was lucky as well. She had her own charm about her, once you got past the fact that one eye was blue and the other was green. Yuna was soft spoken, but had amazing healing and summoning powers.
"Kairi, you've been daydreaming again." LuLu lectured, holding a moogle doll in her arms. For the life of her, Kairi could never figure out why a woman like LuLu would carry around dolls.
"Do you remember the day when you found out how Wakka liked you?" Kairi asked innocently, holding her hands behind her back and tilting her head innocently. Yuna giggled and LuLu smiled at the possible change of subject.
"Yes, wasn't he playing with your dolls?" Yuna asked. LuLu let out a rare laugh.
"Yes, he went into my room and forgot to close the door. When I went back, forgetting my charm bangle, I found him using a cacutar as him and a moogle as me." She paushed, laughing again. "'Oh LuLu, kiss me!' " she said, trying to mimic Wakka's voice. Kairi laughed along with Yuna. That story never got old, no matter how many times it was heard. Wakka still denied that it ever happened, but turned a deep red every time he head it mentioned. He still insisted that he was going to leave a paopu fruit in the arms of one of her dolls and LuLu had caught him.
"'Ey, I thought I heard my name, ya?" Wakke called, holding a blitzball under an arm and walking to the girls. Tidus was behind him, walking slower and smiling sheepishly at Yuna. He paused for a moment, then waved her over. Yuna ran over to him and waved to LuLu and Kairi. LuLu was busy teasing Wakka, allowing Kairi to sneak away.
'They get to be with the men they love...wait, I can't think of that. What about Riku?' she wondered. What about Riku? Did she truly love him?
Sora and Riku had been gone for three years, and every day they were gone, Kairi went to Yuna's father, Lord Braska, and begged him to help her scry for her two friends. He relented to her every day and for hours they would use the power of their hearts to look for them. One day, Braska pulled Kairi from their scrying early.
"Kairi, we must accept their deaths..." he had said.
"No!" Kairi screamed. She didn't mean to scream, but she was so amazed that he was thinking like everyone else on the islands—just to give up on them. "They would never give up one me!" she yelled. Braska sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Kairi fell forward into Braska and cried. "They—they can't be gone! I can still hear their voices...they're far away but I can still hear them! Can't we keep searching?" she begged. Brasks held her close and shushed her.
"No...the closest is in a world called Twilight Town. There is so much darkness there, that if we pursued their voices, we would be too far from our bodies to protect us from all of the darkness there and our bodies here would perish. I am so sorry Kairi." He whispered into her hair. Kairi cried to hard she was shaking, and then fled from Braska's home.
The secret place. That was where Kairi always went to when she was troubled. Kairi turned and headed back to the shore and got into her boat and went to one of the smallest islands in the small nation.
The water was calm and crystal clear and reached the island in no time. Selphie was juggling a few seashells, but dropped them when she saw Kairi.
"Kairi! Hi!" yelled Kairi's childhood friend. Kairi smiled and waved. "Riku said that when your done, to talk to him. He's really worried about you Kairi." Selphie said, picking up her shells and not looking at Kairi. Kairi thanked Selphie and headed to the Secret Place.
Inside the cave was exactly the same as she had left it, after carving a paopu fruit in her hand that she and Sora had drawn ages before. Kairi sat cross legged in front of the drawing and sent her senses out.
Suddenly, she saw herself being lifted rapidly from the l\island and saw it disappear as she rose to other worlds. She saw a world made entirely of water, then saw on that looked like a garden. She was forced to stop over a castle almost slamming into Heartless Aura. It lay just beyond the castle that King Mickey had resided in and was beginning to close in.
'Sora?' she asked, then suddenly everything changed.
She was following a man in a red trench coat as a woman behind her screamed. In her hand she felt the weight of a KeyBlade, but the Heartless in front of her drew her full attention. Suddenly a blue light filled her vision....
...Kairi screamed in pain and barely saw the outline of Riku trying to shake her awake...
She had run from Braska's home in tears and ran to their secret place. It held so many memories of their past that it was the only place she found comfort. People had parted for her, allowing her to run by and felt pity for her, but went on with their own lives.
Kairi didn't want to get in her boat, but it was the fastest way there and she fussed with the knots until they came undone. By the time she had gotten to the cave, she had made her way by memory, because her eyes were filled with tears and the way was blurred to her. She found the old drawing she and Sora did together and placed a hand on Sora's face...
The scene shifted before Kairi's eyes. She was still in the cave, but Rikuwas now holding her up. She heard Lord Braska's voice through the fog.
"Kairi, wake up! You must return to your body! You need to wake up from your dreams! I told you not to leave your body too far behind! You aren't strong enough for it! Kairi---!"
She was gone again, but walking with Riku along the beach. He had emerged from the doorway when she placed her hand on Sora's portrait on the cave wall. He didn't seem terribly bad off, and was allowed by Braska to go for a walk with her that evening.
"Kairi, I have always thought of you, even when we were children." He said, looking ahead. His hair was so much longer now and his skin was a deathly white. "Your face in my mind was the only thing keeping me alive for three years." He paused and looked down when he noticed Kairi had stopped talking. She had placed a hand on her throat and looked amazed.
"Have you seen Sora?" she asked, trying to change the subject. What he was saying disturbed her somehow.
"No. The only face I saw was yours. In a way, I am glad." He bent down and kissed Kairi softly, then pulled away. "Kairi, I love you."
Three days later, Lord Braska made a sending ceremony for Sora's mother. From that day, Riku had been at Kairi's side.
Kairi opened her eyes and tears flowed freely.
"Sora...he's not dead...I saw him.." she passed out into a dreamless sleep and Riku looked off, furious.
Looking up at the sun, Kairi thought about the last time she saw Sora.
It was through the fog that seemed to keep Kairi from going to Sora. It muffled noise and made her senses feel dull and her body feel heavy and weak. Sora was quickly falling away from her as she watched. He had yelled something, but she never heard.
Then, water sprang between them, making her look down in surprise. When she looked up again, Sora was gone, but she heard the voices of Wakka, Tidus and Selphie.
Kairi jumped as cold water began to swirl around her ankles and go inside of her shoes, soaking the inside.
"Oh no!" Kairi wailed, hopping away from the water. She heard someone laugh and she turned, seeing two girls watching her. One girl had long, black hair done in braids, and wore a black dress, while the other had short brown hair and a white priestess dress.
LuLu and Yuna.
Kairi sucked in a breath, smiled and waved to the two. Yuna smiled and ran to Kairi. She forced to keep her smile; she really didn't want to have to talk with either of the girls. Unfortunately, she didn't really have a choice. Yuna's father was the one who had found as rescued her while LuLu's father, the Governor, found a home for her to stay at on Destiny Islands and made a welcoming for her.
Kairi was jealous of LuLu; she had a gorgeous body, a wealthy father, a man she fell in love with (who she would marry in a few years as soon as Wakka got the Governor's blessing (good luck Wakka!)) and she had magic.
Yuna was lucky as well. She had her own charm about her, once you got past the fact that one eye was blue and the other was green. Yuna was soft spoken, but had amazing healing and summoning powers.
"Kairi, you've been daydreaming again." LuLu lectured, holding a moogle doll in her arms. For the life of her, Kairi could never figure out why a woman like LuLu would carry around dolls.
"Do you remember the day when you found out how Wakka liked you?" Kairi asked innocently, holding her hands behind her back and tilting her head innocently. Yuna giggled and LuLu smiled at the possible change of subject.
"Yes, wasn't he playing with your dolls?" Yuna asked. LuLu let out a rare laugh.
"Yes, he went into my room and forgot to close the door. When I went back, forgetting my charm bangle, I found him using a cacutar as him and a moogle as me." She paushed, laughing again. "'Oh LuLu, kiss me!' " she said, trying to mimic Wakka's voice. Kairi laughed along with Yuna. That story never got old, no matter how many times it was heard. Wakka still denied that it ever happened, but turned a deep red every time he head it mentioned. He still insisted that he was going to leave a paopu fruit in the arms of one of her dolls and LuLu had caught him.
"'Ey, I thought I heard my name, ya?" Wakke called, holding a blitzball under an arm and walking to the girls. Tidus was behind him, walking slower and smiling sheepishly at Yuna. He paused for a moment, then waved her over. Yuna ran over to him and waved to LuLu and Kairi. LuLu was busy teasing Wakka, allowing Kairi to sneak away.
'They get to be with the men they love...wait, I can't think of that. What about Riku?' she wondered. What about Riku? Did she truly love him?
Sora and Riku had been gone for three years, and every day they were gone, Kairi went to Yuna's father, Lord Braska, and begged him to help her scry for her two friends. He relented to her every day and for hours they would use the power of their hearts to look for them. One day, Braska pulled Kairi from their scrying early.
"Kairi, we must accept their deaths..." he had said.
"No!" Kairi screamed. She didn't mean to scream, but she was so amazed that he was thinking like everyone else on the islands—just to give up on them. "They would never give up one me!" she yelled. Braska sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Kairi fell forward into Braska and cried. "They—they can't be gone! I can still hear their voices...they're far away but I can still hear them! Can't we keep searching?" she begged. Brasks held her close and shushed her.
"No...the closest is in a world called Twilight Town. There is so much darkness there, that if we pursued their voices, we would be too far from our bodies to protect us from all of the darkness there and our bodies here would perish. I am so sorry Kairi." He whispered into her hair. Kairi cried to hard she was shaking, and then fled from Braska's home.
The secret place. That was where Kairi always went to when she was troubled. Kairi turned and headed back to the shore and got into her boat and went to one of the smallest islands in the small nation.
The water was calm and crystal clear and reached the island in no time. Selphie was juggling a few seashells, but dropped them when she saw Kairi.
"Kairi! Hi!" yelled Kairi's childhood friend. Kairi smiled and waved. "Riku said that when your done, to talk to him. He's really worried about you Kairi." Selphie said, picking up her shells and not looking at Kairi. Kairi thanked Selphie and headed to the Secret Place.
Inside the cave was exactly the same as she had left it, after carving a paopu fruit in her hand that she and Sora had drawn ages before. Kairi sat cross legged in front of the drawing and sent her senses out.
Suddenly, she saw herself being lifted rapidly from the l\island and saw it disappear as she rose to other worlds. She saw a world made entirely of water, then saw on that looked like a garden. She was forced to stop over a castle almost slamming into Heartless Aura. It lay just beyond the castle that King Mickey had resided in and was beginning to close in.
'Sora?' she asked, then suddenly everything changed.
She was following a man in a red trench coat as a woman behind her screamed. In her hand she felt the weight of a KeyBlade, but the Heartless in front of her drew her full attention. Suddenly a blue light filled her vision....
...Kairi screamed in pain and barely saw the outline of Riku trying to shake her awake...
She had run from Braska's home in tears and ran to their secret place. It held so many memories of their past that it was the only place she found comfort. People had parted for her, allowing her to run by and felt pity for her, but went on with their own lives.
Kairi didn't want to get in her boat, but it was the fastest way there and she fussed with the knots until they came undone. By the time she had gotten to the cave, she had made her way by memory, because her eyes were filled with tears and the way was blurred to her. She found the old drawing she and Sora did together and placed a hand on Sora's face...
The scene shifted before Kairi's eyes. She was still in the cave, but Rikuwas now holding her up. She heard Lord Braska's voice through the fog.
"Kairi, wake up! You must return to your body! You need to wake up from your dreams! I told you not to leave your body too far behind! You aren't strong enough for it! Kairi---!"
She was gone again, but walking with Riku along the beach. He had emerged from the doorway when she placed her hand on Sora's portrait on the cave wall. He didn't seem terribly bad off, and was allowed by Braska to go for a walk with her that evening.
"Kairi, I have always thought of you, even when we were children." He said, looking ahead. His hair was so much longer now and his skin was a deathly white. "Your face in my mind was the only thing keeping me alive for three years." He paused and looked down when he noticed Kairi had stopped talking. She had placed a hand on her throat and looked amazed.
"Have you seen Sora?" she asked, trying to change the subject. What he was saying disturbed her somehow.
"No. The only face I saw was yours. In a way, I am glad." He bent down and kissed Kairi softly, then pulled away. "Kairi, I love you."
Three days later, Lord Braska made a sending ceremony for Sora's mother. From that day, Riku had been at Kairi's side.
Kairi opened her eyes and tears flowed freely.
"Sora...he's not dead...I saw him.." she passed out into a dreamless sleep and Riku looked off, furious.