Yuna, Tidus, Kairi, Rikku and Paine were all walking out of the stadium, filling the entire breadth of the huge archway, when they stopped abruptly. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people gathered outside the stadium. The smaller group seemed very surprised, especially Rikku, Paine and Kairi.
"Oh?" Kairi said, staring in disbelief. "These people weren't here before…" Before anyone else could say anything else, people in the crowd started yelling. They all seemed to begin at the same time, so none could understand what they were saying.
"Stop yelling! One at a time!" Paine shouted, though her voice was drowned out by the racket.
Kairi, who was standing between Rikku and Yuna, leaned over to the thief and said, "I would certainly like to know if this is a welcome party or an angry mob." Rikku nodded, her hands moving discreetly to her weapons. Kairi, whose hands were behind her back to hide her claws, flexed her fingers, tensing her muscles to be ready for a fight. The yelling continued, and Paine continued to attempt to shout over the noise, though her efforts were still very unsuccessful. It was becoming very clear that the people had no intention of quieting down any time soon. Kairi sighed. She had an idea, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to risk it. Come on Kairi, you're the best shot on the islands, you can't miss! she thought, convincing herself to do it. She stepped forward, whipping her right claw out from behind her back and aiming carefully. No one seemed to pay her any mind. The crowd shut up pretty quickly though, when they found a sharp metal disk whizzing over their heads, turning around and coming flying back to Kairi. Everyone stared at her, including Yuna, Tidus, Paine and Rikku. Avoiding the eyes of her friends, she smiled at the audience.
"Now, would someone, and only one person, kindly explain what's going on here?" She asked, letting her voice resonate through the streets. An older man with his grey hair cropped short, a shaved beard and a very long moustache spoke.
"We are here concerning the monster." He said calmly. It was odd to see a frail old man speaking so calmly about a raging fiend.
"The fiend is dead." Paine said, swinging her blade absently.
"We are aware of that." The man replied shortly. "We wish to see and thank our famed blitzer and hero." The man said, his eyes on Tidus. There was complete silence for a moment.
"…Me?" Tidus asked finally, sounding incredulous. The man nodded. Tidus raised his eyebrows. "Let me get this straight, you think I just jumped out of the crowd and killed the fiend with my bare hands?" A few people nodded. Tidus almost laughed aloud. "I'm sorry, but you've really got your story wrong. Firstly, I had a weapon. This is my Brotherhood. The only reason I have this is because Yuna gave it to me." He lifted the impressive blade over his head and took Yuna's hand, smiling at her. Turning his attention back to the audience, he continued. "To be honest, I really didn't take much of a part in the fight. Yuna, Paine, Rikku and Kairi were the ones who really took the fiend down." The old man looked skeptical.
"You can't honestly expect me to believe that four little girls outfought you." He said airily. Tidus' eyes narrowed.
"Hey! Call them what you want, but they've all done amazing things! Rikku was one of Yuna's guardians, along with myself, and the only girl I know who can take out a machine in a single well placed hit in a fight! Yuna's the High Summoner, the one who saved us all from Sin, ready to give her life for her people!" Tidus shouted angrily. Yuna stepped forward too.
"Paine was part of the elite Crimson Squad, fighting along side fighting alongside the likes of Nooj, Gippal and Baralai!"
"Not to mention Rikku, Yuna and myself fighting and destroying the Vegnagun, a feat most people thought was totally impossible." Paine added.
"Yeh! I'd like to see you take on a fiend like that anyways!" Rikku cried angrily. The old man clearly saw his mistake. He was silenced for a moment, trying desperately to find a way to salvage his pride. His eyes settled on Kairi.
"Maybe you three have done those things, but what had she done?" He asked, confident that he could use Kairi to take the people's minds of his mistake. Everyone looked at Kairi. Rikku furrowed her eyebrows, whispering.
"Yeh, Kairi, how did you get here anyways?" Kairi's group of new found friends seemed curious, but the stares of the crowd seemed cruel. Kairi sighed.
"I guess I really don't belong in the company of heroes." She said quietly. No one heard her, however. She sighed again, raising her voice a little. "What have I done? Well, I was there when the Heartless attacked my home, destroying it and taking me prisoner. I was there when one of my best friends tried to save me, and fell into darkness. I was there when one of my other best friends locked all of the worlds and destroyed the Heartless to save me. I guess I really haven't done anything, I was just there for everything." She paused. The old man looked triumphant. He was about to speak, but Kairi spoke first, deciding that maybe she was better than she was giving herself credit for. "Well, if I've done anything, I've spent a long time in the darkness, and I came back. I needed help, and I don't deny that. But I can say that no one else has spent longer in the darkness, with their heart stolen from them, and been able to come back to the light. After that, I vowed never to be as helpless as I was before the attack, and if it counts for anything, I've become the best shot on the islands. And I've been inside Kingdom Hearts." Everything stopped. There was silence. Everyone seemed to be stopped in time. It took a moment for Tidus, Yuna, Rikku and Paine to realize that time was indeed stopped, and that they were exempt from it. The Fayth appeared in front of them, smiling.
"Well done. You found him faster than I had anticipated. Ah well. I do suppose it's about time we brought the four of you back to Spira." He said. The group seemed to relax. It was Yuna who noticed it first.
"What do you mean, the four of us? There's five…" As she spoke, she saw that Kairi was frozen in time, too. Her jaw dropped. "What?! You mean to say Kairi's not coming back to Spira?"
"No. I said I was going to bring the four of you back and I will fulfill that promise, but no more."
"What?" Rikku cried, grabbing Kairi's frozen shoulder and shaking her. Everyone had expected that moving Kairi would be impossible, because she was frozen, but instead, Kairi stumbled backwards, landing hard on the steps. Rubbing her back, she stood up.
"Ahhh… dizzy…" She mumbled, stumbling again. This time, Rikku and Paine caught her before she fell. She shook her head to clear it, and took a look around. "What's…going on?"
"The Fayth's here to take us back to Spira." Yuna said, frowning.
"What? Right-right now?" Kairi asked, visibly shaken. Do I trust Riku or do I go with everyone else? Decide, now Kairi! "Umm..o-okay. If it's time to leave already…"
"You seem to be mistaken, Kairi." The Fayth said. Kairi looked at him, slightly confused.
"Hey, where'd you come from? And why is everyone else not moving?"
"Time is frozen." Paine explained. She turned her attention back to the Fayth. "And she's coming with us." She said forcefully.
"Who, me?" Kairi asked, still absolutely lost. Yuna touched Kairi's shoulder.
"The Fayth brought us here, and he promised to bring us three Gullwings and Tidus back to Spira, but your arrival…well, we seem to be having a disagreement on whether you should stay here or come with us." She explained sadly. Tidus shrugged.
"Why don't we let her decide? When it all comes down to it, it'll be her who is the most affected by the decision, so let's make it her decision." It seemed logical, and while the Fayth tried to argue, he found no argument. He also knew of Kairi's indecision. He knew that Kairi was unsure of whether or not to trust Riku and stay or to go with Yuna, and he could tell that she wanted to believe him. He gave into the request, knowing what Kairi would say.
"Alright. We'll let Kairi decide." He said, resignedly. Everyone was watching her intently. Kairi was dumbfounded. Oh no, what do I do? I have to choose! I should trust Riku, he's been one of my best friends for years. But, he was lost in the darkness and I of all people should know what that could have done to him…Her mind turned to moment she saw him. She remembered it vividly. She'd already been feeling upset, and then when he showed up…but what was it that she was so upset about again? Those blocks, the ones with mine and Sora's name on them. There were so many of them…with Paine's name on it! And Yuna's and Rikku's and Tidus'! And Riku told me on the other side of the door I'd meet people who'd take me to Sora! Of course!
"I'm coming with you!"