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Both Sora and Melody had completely lost track of time sitting in the library. Neither of them knew how long it had been, though both would have been surprised at how long it was taking the others to search the library. Melody had insisted that Sora start from the very beginning, from the first time he met her. He told her all about the islands, about their lost friend Riku, about the Secret Place and the mysterious door that lay within it. He told her about their raft, and about the strange storm, about the Heartless crawling all over the island, and about him finding her like a ghost in the Secret Place. He told her how the Islands were destroyed, how he met Donald and Goofy, how he stumbled across Riku in Traverse Town, without her. He told her about Maleficent poisoning Riku's mind, about traveling the planets in search of her and the missing King, locking the worlds on their way. He told her of monkeys and mermaids and of a bear of very little brain. He told her about having to fight Riku, even if that was the last thing he'd ever wanted to do. He told her of the End of the World, and Ansem, and Riku being locked in the darkness. And, he told her how her heart had been stolen, and how he'd given his to save her. Melody was astonished.
"You…really did that…for me?" She asked, scarcely breathing. Sora nodded, muttering something about it not being that big a deal. She sighed. "I wish I had been there to help you lock the worlds. I wish I hadn't been so helpless." She decided, looking out over the dark campus. Sora grinned.
"That's what you said last time I found you again." He told her, deciding afterwards that the comment made very little sense.
"The last time you found me…again?" She asked. Sora nodded.
"This is the third time I've been separated from you in less than likable circumstances, and the third time we've managed to find each other again." He answered. She knew that the first time they were separated was when the Islands were destroyed, and the second time was when the Islands were rebuilt and Sora disappeared. But he hadn't even told her how they found each other again after the second time. She had assumed this was how they'd found each other again after the Islands were rebuilt, but apparently not.
"We'll tell me what happened after that." She urged him. He grinned.
"Alright. See, Donald and Goofy and I ended up on a planet we'd never seen before. It was on the outskirts of the Kingdom, and had managed to escape the Heartless attack. As it turned out, the place was inhabited by dwarves. They said a villainous woman in a castle had tried to kill them, but they'd managed to take care of her themselves. And there was a woman there who called herself Snow White. Anyway, the dwarf called Doc pointed us in what he said was the right direction to get back to the Islands, but he pointed us the completely wrong way. It took us a long time to figure out how to get back again. Once we did though, you were already gone through that door in the Secret Place looking for me. You said you found Riku in there, and that he took you to a door, saying that there were people on the other side who would get you to me. You ended up in the city called Zanarkand, and met up with Yuna, Rikku and Paine there." He told her about what he knew of the adventures in Zanarkand and finding Tidus there. He also told her about him ending up in Luca, and about him dreaming about her in the city. He told her about meeting up with Gippal, Nooj and Baralai, and about Donald and Goofy having to leave. He told her about the distress call from LeBlanc, and about finding her and the girls already there and surrounded by bandits hired by Logos and Ormi. He told her about her fight with Logos, and about how, because she had the mercy to leave him alive, he'd shot her. He talked about Luca some more, and he talked about going back to Traverse Town to find it empty. He told her about how they found Leon and Cloud and Areith, and about how, when they found out Yuffie was missing, they went looking for her and about how she, Kairi, had been the one to save her. He told her about Nooj's injury, and about how they'd gone to the Castle to see Donald and Goofy, and to give Nooj, Leblanc, Leon, Yuffie, Cloud and Areith a safe place to stay. Then he told her about the King's prophesy about her voice, and about going to Fa'Diel, and the big explosion that had set them on course for their latest big adventure. He told her about meeting the Jumi and helping them hunt the Jewel Hunter, about becoming caught in a demon's plan to return to the land of the living, about Emma appearing out of a dream, and about finding their way to the Heartless Goddess.
"We beat her, right?" Melody asked anxiously. Sora shrugged.
"I really don't know. She was still alive – weak, but still alive – when I died, or whatever it was," he answered. Melody stared at him.
"You died?" She asked.
"Well, not quite, but it definitely felt like I was dying at the time." He told her. She sighed.
"Then I guess I'll have to ask one of the others about what happened to her." She decided. Sora shook his head.
"No one else will know. After I fell, you were the only one left. You were singing, and the rest of us fell protecting you, because your voice was the only thing that seemed to have any effect on her."
"Oh no…" Melody whimpered. "If it was only me left, I have no doubt she's still alive and at large."
"Why?" He asked curiously.
"Because how could I have ever fought a goddess? I couldn't hurt a fly, even if I tried." She answered. He crossed his arms.
"I think you'd be surprised." On every table was a little box of pencils and scraps of paper, the kind of thing you use to write down a book number at the library. Sora picked up one of the pencils and tossed from hand to hand before giving it to her. At the end of the few bookshelves that were there were numbers posted to show which books were in which shelf. Sora pointed out one of the numbers, a good distance away from them.
"I bet you that you could hit that with your eyes closed." He told her. She sighed.
"Please, I don't think I can even throw that far." She answered.
"Just try it, like I said, I think you'll be surprised. I can recall you bragging a while back about how you were the best shot on the Islands." He told her with a smile. She shrugged disbelievingly and looked at the posted number in question. 1500. She decided she would aim at the first zero. It was right in the middle, it would be her bulls-eye. Then she smirked. That is, if she even managed to hit the bookshelf. She held the pencil experimentally in her hand. She knew she wasn't going to make it, but she had to make some effort. She personally didn't care very much if she missed, but she didn't want to let Sora down. He was grinning at her.
"Relax a little, you look really nervous." He said, still grinning. Melody sighed and did as she was told. Sticking her tongue out a little, she took aim and threw it as hard as she could. As if it was an arrow the pencil whipped through the air, turning end over end. With a thud, the tip of the pencil drove itself into the wood – right in the middle of the 0 she'd been aiming for. She gaped.
"I can't believe I just did that…" She muttered. Sora was looking very smug.
"I told you so." He said airily. She frowned at him.
"You know, it's kind of awkward when another person knows more about you than you do." She said sharply, though barely hiding her smile.
"We'll find a way for you to remember." He promised. Then he shrugged. "But I don't know how you could have expected any less from yourself, after just hearing all of the things you've done." He paused, watching her intently. "Isn't there anything you remember at all?" He asked after a long while. She sighed, then, to his surprise, she nodded.
"Every time someone calls me Kairi, I'm reminded of something from when I was really little. All I remember is a little bit, but it's clear as a bell. There are shadow creatures everywhere, hideous things, eating up all the tall buildings, like the ones in Zanarkand, only these are so covered in the shadows that they don't glow. There's a woman, I think she's my mother, and she has my hand and we run down the streets, trying to find a place safe from the shadow things. There's a man who we meet, and he and my mom work together to find a way out. I think he's my dad. It's very dark outside, and the shadow creatures catch up to us and start to close in. Then, a cloaked person appears out of nowhere and says that there is still enough time to take us to safety. He says we have to trust him. My dad says we shouldn't and that he's probably one of the shadow things. My mother says that we don't have any other choice, so they agree to trust him. The cloaked person takes my hand, and then there is a ring of white fire rising out of the ground around us. Though, it's not a ring, exactly, because it has odd shaped corners, but I don't know what shape it is. All the shadow things seem to be afraid of the fire, and they all back away, screaming. Then there's a flash of bright light, and all I can remember is finding myself swimming upwards, looking for air. I can never quite remember what I saw when I reached the surface. And I can remember trying to hold on to thoughts of my mother, and crying when I couldn't remember what her face looked like." '
"Your home…" Sora murmured. "That's where you came from. A planet swallowed by the Heartless. When I first met you, you'd already forgotten it. I wonder what made you forget so fast?" He asked. Melody shrugged.
"I've stopped questioning. I'm never going to know the answers to those kind of questions when I can't even remember killing a goddess a couple months ago. That is, if I did manage to kill her."
"Sounds like sound advice." Someone said. Turning around, they say Baralai approaching them. "Now, what's this about you not remembering what happened with the Mana Goddess?" He asked. Melody sighed.
"I don't remember anything. When Sora started calling me Kairi, I thought he'd gone crazy." She replied. Baralai blinked at her.
"That's odd. Everyone else remembers." He said. Melody frowned.
"I know. I'm the only one who still can't remember. The only thing that I can remember is…seeing my home being eaten by the heartless." she said quietly.
"We'll take you home, Kairi, and we'll find a way to fix it." Sora told her resolutely. Baralai nodded.
"I think we owe it to you to do this." He agreed. There was a distant 'ping' sound, and then some voices. Everyone else was getting off the elevator to come find Melody, Sora and Baralai. Yuna and Tidus were the first ones to appear out of the rows of bookshelves, hand in hand. Melody smiled at Yuna.
"So, is he the one?" She asked. Yuna grinned, nodding. Melody sighed. "Well, that's a relief." Tidus looked confused.
"Uhhh, what are you talking about…?" He asked slowly. Yuna turned a little red and whispered that she'd tell him later. Finally, everyone ended up sitting in a circle, watching Emma expectantly. Paine cleared her throat.
"I'd like an explanation now." She ordered. Emma nodded.
"Okay, well, I've been having these dreams recently, but every time I woke up, I couldn't remember them." Then she paused, sighing. "Okay, scratch that. I'm going to start from the very beginning. This planet is the planet that I was born on. I've never told anyone this before, but I was born with the ability to dream myself into different times and places. I've dreamt myself into Medieval France, and all sorts of places. Anyways, a couple of months ago, I dreamt myself into a dark place, and I met someone there, named Riku."
"You met Riku!" Sora asked, surprised. Baralai nudged him.
"Don't interrupt." He ordered, but even as he spoke, Melody started talking.
"Is that the same Riku that you said I met?" She asked Sora quietly. Before he could reply, Emma answered.
"It is. He showed who you were in his crystal, and told me about what happened to you guys, at Destiny Islands. Anyways, We saw a door that wasn't there before, and I fell through it by accident. I ended up in this strange cave, where I found a Sproutling thingy. It gave me the Sword of Mana and then I ended up in Fa'Diel with you guys. You guys know what happened after that. Anyways, not to long ago, I started having my dreams again, and I kept dreaming myself into that place with Riku. We ended up figuring out that I wasn't supposed to be with you guys when you fought the goddess. You were all destined to die fighting, but something about me being there with that sword made something change. All our destinies are broken now, and we think it's because we're supposed fight the Fates. You guys know the prophesy: four worlds, ten hearts, one fate. Ten of us, from four different worlds, all to destroy the Fates. This is kind of scary sounding, but we're the only ones who can do this, because our destinies are broken, so the Fates don't have control over us anymore." At this, there were questions coming at her from every direction, and she tried her best to answer them, but most of the time she ended up simply saying that she didn't know. Finally, Paine stood up and ended the QandA session.
"Enough questions, they're not going to get us anywhere. We have to figure out how to get off this planet first." She said. There was a long silence. No one knew how they'd manage it. Rikku frowned.
"Looks like we might have a teensy-weensy problem here."