A/N: This is a story that is basically an AU I've had on my mind for a while now, where Kairi is far from useless or defenseless and actually has her own role to play. Don't get me wrong. I love Kairi. She's my favorite character (and I'm incredibly happy that she's going to be playable in Re:Mind), and I hope that Nomura knows what he's doing with her in the next games.

Now, before anyone asks: I took the last incarnation of this story down because of a review I got. The review wasn't the nicest thing I've read (I said constructive criticism was welcomed, but there was nothing constructive about it – it was just all criticism; called me a 'basher', even though I never said I hated any character in the franchise), but they were right about the fact that I didn't exactly give Eraqus a fair hand of cards to play (he was massively OOC, and I deeply apologize for that). The previous idea I used was not my idea – it was a Tumblr user's (they demonized Eraqus, as well as DiZ, in their rewrite ideas – no, I will no longer be using any of this user's ideas) – and before you say 'that makes you just as bad as that user', this time I rewrote Eraqus to better match the canon. The reviewer also mentioned that I was also bashing Kairi and Aqua because I "called them plot devices". So, let's get this off the table – I don't hate any character (not even Xehanort). I have my favorites and my un-favorites, but any bashing in this fic is unintentional and I deeply apologize for it. Also, to address their complaints about me changing Kairi too much, all the changes involving Kairi is the entire gist of this story – I gave her more time with Aqua, more connections, and a clearer backstory. In my opinion, Kairi is a great character, but she has a lot of potential that has not been tapped in by the writers (yet, at least).

Also, to the reviewer I'm referring to (you know who you are): Do you leave that kind of review on every rewrite story or did you single me out because I made Eraqus OOC? Also, if your intention was to drag me down, nice try. I'm still here. As I explained above, you were right about my unfair treatment of Eraqus and I'm very sorry about that (and now, I'm changing my story to atone for that mistake), but your criticism about my treatment of Kairi, I feel, is unfair. So, if you're going to call me a Kairi basher for writing an AU where Kairi has more to do and is more explored than in canon (and in this chapter, she really doesn't impact the plot, just the characters a small bit), then I really don't know why you're here, reading this story in particular.

This story is still Kairi-centric, which means most changes will revolve around Kairi (and Namine and Xion when their stories begin – I have my own ideas about them). So, if you are a Kairi hater (or any kind of hater really), please leave as peacefully as you possibly can, and please don't leave flames in the comments. This is a negativity-free safe zone. But Constructive Criticism is welcome (just give it to me via PM).

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Disney in any way, shape, or form! I only own an OC who will appear much later in the story (about KH3-ish).

Sorry for the long introduction, and I'm sorry I had to rewrite it in the first place. Now onto the (revised) first chapter (if you've read this story before, most of the scenes are the same except for one).

!~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~O~A~T~H~K~E~E~P~E~R~~A~U~~!

Kingdom Hearts: The Oathkeeper

Chapter 1: Birth by Sleep

~Radiant Garden~

Kairi cowered in fear behind the mouse and the blue-haired women as her saviors fought off the monsters that wanted to hurt her, tightly clutching the flowers she had picked moments earlier to her chest.

She placed a hand on the woman's weapon – which was instantly surrounded by a dim white light – to catch herself. The woman glanced down at her, as if feeling something from the girl, before turning back to the creatures, ready to fight.

Her grandma always told her to be careful by herself, advising that the girl always have someone with her. She was the Princess after all.

This is what she gets for sneaking out of the castle, without permission. But she was trying to find her grandma, who was currently nowhere in sight.

But as the monsters were defeated one by one, Kairi eased up – both mind and body – and she felt in her heart that she was safe with this woman.

She was strong, yet graceful. She had a sense of authority, yet a gentle, kind heart.

Kairi wanted to be just like this woman when she grew up.

But now the monsters were gone, and the mouse had become a shooting star – quite literally. The woman was kneeling in front of her, all traces of aggression gone.

"Hi! I'm Kairi!" She greeted. "It's nice to meet you! Thank you for saving me, Miss...uh..." She trailed off, just realizing that she didn't know the woman's name.

The woman giggled, before replying, "Aqua. My name is Aqua. It's nice to meet you, too."

Kairi picked out a flower from her small bouquet and held it out to Aqua.

"Is this for me?" Aqua asked.

Kairi nodded, "Mm-hmm. As a thank you for saving me."

Aqua took the flower and gently held it to her chest, "Thank you. It's beautiful." 'This girl,' Aqua thought, 'has a pure, yet strong heart.' "Where are your parents?"

Kairi's face immediately fell. "Gone," she sadly replied. "I only have Grandma."

"Oh," Aqua felt a bout of sympathy for her. She knew how Kairi felt. For the longest time, it was just her and her Master – the one she had before Eraqus. But now...

Now, Master Eraqus was acting more and more like his view, that light was the only good thing in the universe, was the only opinion worth having, Terra was falling to darkness, and Ventus was being specifically targeted by Vanitas.

She didn't want to lose any of them. They were important to her.

"Where is your grandma now?" Aqua asked.

Kairi shrugged, becoming a little more frightened. "I don't know. I snuck out to look for her, but I haven't found her yet."

"Don't worry," Aqua said, smiling as she stood up and offered a hand to the girl. "We'll find her together."

Kairi let slip a small smile before taking the woman's hand.

The two spent the next few minutes looking throughout the world, looking for an elderly woman in a purple dress and white apron. Aqua asked around, and while the people instantly recognized little Kairi and greeted her with extreme fondness and welcomed Aqua with such kindness that the Keyblade Master felt bashful receiving, unfortunately, no one had seen Kairi's grandmother since sundown yesterday.

Her grandmother could be in the castle, some people said, but Kairi was vehement and insistent about her grandmother being in town.

Now, Kairi was depressed with all the negative responses, and Aqua knew she had to do something soon. She didn't like seeing this girl so sad.

But her concentration was broken when someone yelled out, "What is that?!"

Kairi and Aqua both looked up to see a piece of large armor floating through the streets. Aqua immediately recognized it.

"An Unversed," she muttered, before kneeling before Kairi once again. "Listen, I have to go after that thing. This is most likely the last time we'll see each other, so let me give you something."

Kairi nodded, worried and scared. She didn't like the changes that were going on. She had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Aqua reached out and gently touched Kairi's necklace, which glowed a moment before the light died down. "There. I've just placed a spell on you. When you're in trouble, your light will lead you to the light of another. A light to keep you safe."

Kairi smiled, and Aqua was glad she did. This was where the two would most likely part ways, and Aqua got to see the girl's smile one last time.

Aqua smiled back at her, before telling her, "Now, hide somewhere. I'll take care of that thing soon. Okay?"

"Okay...bye-bye, Miss Aqua."

"Goodbye, Kairi."

And with that, Aqua stood, summoning Rainfell and chasing after the Unversed.

!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!

They had just defeated the Trinity Armor, and Ven had just given them all passes to Disney Town. And for a moment, everything felt alright. Everything had gone back to normal. The three were laughing again.

But then the moment was ruined.

Terra couldn't place the blame on any one person. The argument just...started and it didn't seem to stop, because every question, every response, seemed to anger somebody – didn't matter who.

But Terra was mad, mad at Aqua for spying on him, mad at Eraqus for ordering Aqua to do so, mad at Ven for being so stubborn. Most of all, he was mad at all three of them, because he was fighting the darkness and they didn't seem to believe in him.

They were the three most important people in his life, and he needed their support to get through this. And he wasn't getting it.

Terra was done with this world. It had done absolutely nothing to improve his mood. He was about to summon his armor when he heard a small voice call out to him.

"Mister?" Kairi asked, coming out of her hiding place.

Aqua told her to hide, and this man just so happened to come to exact place she chose to take cover at.

The man, who was wearing the same type of clothing and gear as Aqua, turned around, hands up in a defensive position, as if he was ready to fight. This causes Kairi back up immediately, scared that he would hurt her.

But his expression changed. He became gentle and surprised.

"Um, hello," he said. "Can I help you?"

Kairi shook her head, letting a smile back on her face, feeling deep in her heart that he wasn't meaning to hurt anybody. "No. You seemed to be in a bad mood," she replied, before holding out another flower to him. "I just wanted to cheer you up. Everything will be okay, Mister."

The man kneeled in front of her – like Aqua had – and took the flower. Normally, those words 'everything will be okay' would not do anything to make him feel better, but this girl...

She was a Princess of Heart. Which meant, she could sense his emotions and how much light he had.

And her smile was making him feel better, making him feel like he had someone by his side throughout this painful journey, like he would always have her by his side.

So he smiled back at her, "Call me Terra." He gently patted the top of her head. "Thank you. For everything."

Her smile broadened, "I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you, Terra!" She then remembered why she had met this guy and Aqua in the first place: her grandmother. "I have to go now, but I hope to see you later."

Terra shrugged. "We'll see."

And he watched her leave.

When she was gone, he stood back up, feeling much better than he did before, and was about to summon his armor, but was stopped again, this time by somebody he knew.

"Terra! Wait!"

He turned to face Ven, knowing that what Ven was about to tell him would be exactly what Kairi told him.

Thanks to Kairi, he knew deep in his heart that when he really needed someone, Aqua and Ven would be there.

!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!

How had things turned out like this? Just last night, Ventus was watching the meteor shower with Terra and Aqua.

And now they didn't want him around.

Terra had rejected his company, claiming that where he was going was too dangerous for Ven.

Aqua had rejected his company, claiming that she still had some errands to run for Master Eraqus.

Why did he have to be much younger than them? He wanted to go with them. He wanted to be useful, and not treated like a child.

Kairi's journey, meanwhile, had led her to the gardens. As if by fate, she met someone else who was in a bad mood. A blonde boy, wearing the same gear as Terra and Aqua, was sulking.

Ventus looked up at the little girl who had walked up to him. She looked worried and a little sad.

"Can I help you with something?"

Kairi gently smiled at him, before offering him her last flower, "This is for you. Everything will be okay."

Ven let slip a small smile as he took the flower, before the smile disappeared as quickly as it came. "Thanks," he said, "but you can't fix this."

Kairi pouted, not willing to admit defeat just yet. This person needed her help.

Her heart lifted when she heard two familiar voices coming closer.

"Kairi," It was Isa. "There you are."

"Where have you been?" Lea asked as Kairi turned to face the two older kids. "You do realize that you have the entire town out looking for you, right?"

"I know. I'm still looking for Grandma," Kairi replied, before turning back to the blonde boy. "But this boy needs some cheering up."

Lea took notice of the boy's wooden sword. He picked it up and balanced it in his hand. "You still play with toy swords? That's cute." Lea held it back out to the boy, who simply turned away, still in a bad mood.

Kairi watched on in worry. What if Lea couldn't cheer him up?

Lea threw the wooden sword at the ground. "Now this right here–" he pulled out his two Frisbees, and Isa rolled his eyes. "Tada! Whaddaya think?"

"Not a whole lot, to be honest," the blonde boy replied.

"You're just jealous," Lea taunted. "I'm Lea, the boy in blue is my best friend Isa, and the girl here is Kairi. Got it memorized? What's your name?"

"...Ventus..."

"Okay, Ventus. Let's fight!" Lea said.

Ventus turned his head to Lea, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Fight? Why would I wanna do that?"

"What? You scared of losing?" Lea taunted, before stepped back and getting into a fighting position. "Hope you're ready!"

Ventus looked on the fence about it. Until Kairi picked up his wooden sword and held it out to him, smiling.

She wanted him to trust her.

So, Ventus smiled and took his wooden Keyblade from Kairi, before assuming a fighting position in front of Kairi – as if protecting her from the 'bad guy' Lea.

"Yeah! Now we're talkin'."

"You're gonna be sorry."

Isa only smiled. He didn't know Kairi could be so devious. He never knew she had it in her. Must be a side effect of being babysat by Lea every Saturday.

Besides, there was never any danger of Lea actually winning these fights. Why would that change now?

After a short struggle, Lea fell backwards onto the ground, panting heavily.

"You...had enough? 'Cause I'm willing to...call it a draw if you are," Lea pleaded.

'That wasn't a draw, Lea,' Isa thought. 'You lost.'

Ventus only chuckled, easing up his body, feeling in a much better mood than before.

Isa walked forward, "From where I stood, the only thing you drew was a big L on your forehead for 'Loser', 'Lame', 'Laughable'..." Kairi giggled. This was her favorite part of hanging out with Lea and Isa. Their friendly banter was the best.

Lea groaned in disbelief. "Wha–? Isn't this the part where ya cheer me up or somethin'? 'You're just havin' a bad day', or 'That's what you get for pullin' your punches'! Some friend."

"Oh, you mean I was supposed to lie," Isa replied with deadpan straight face.

Lea rolled his eyes. "Ya see what I gotta put up with?" He lied down on the ground. "Sure hope you don't have friends like him," Lea sent a smile at Ventus.

Ventus just laughed, and soon they all joined in.

After, Ventus turned to Kairi and leaned down to her level. "So, your name is Kairi."

Kairi nodded, "Mm-hmm. It's nice to meet you, Ventus!"

Ventus held up the flower she gave him. He could feel her light within it.

Her light, her heart, was so much like his. So pure, with no darkness whatsoever...

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too, Kairi," Ventus said. "Just call me 'Ven'."

"Come on, guys," Isa said. "We have to find Kairi's grandmother before dark."

"Right," Lea said, before standing up. Kairi grabbed both of their hands, placing herself in the middle of the two.

"Bye, Ven!" Kairi called back.

"Goodbye, Kairi, Lea, Isa," Ven waved as the trio walked away.

As they walked through town, Isa asked Lea, "Seriously, what is it with you and picking up stray puppies?"

"I want everybody I meet to remember me," Lea replied. "Because, inside people's memories, I can live forever."

"I know I won't forget you," Isa sassed. "Believe me, I try all the time."

"See? I'm immortal!"

"You're obnoxious, is what you are."

Kairi giggled. She felt safe with these two.

But she also felt safe with Ven. His heart was pure just like hers. But it felt...incomplete. Like a piece of it was missing.

She hoped that nothing bad happened to him. He was good, as were Terra and Aqua, and her grandmother always told her that "you don't waste good".

!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!

"Are you alright? Do you have a name?"

"...Xehanort..."

It was sunset now, and Kairi's grandmother was still nowhere to be found. Kairi's heart ached, because she had this feeling that she was never going to see her grandmother again.

Lea and Isa were still with her, but she felt alone. And she found that being all by herself was scary.

But a sudden influx of darkness made her turn around and face the opposite direction, to where she felt the darkness coming from.

Lea and Isa noticed that the girl had stopped walking. "What's wrong, Kairi?" Lea asked.

Kairi was quiet, feeling overwhelmed, like she suddenly couldn't breathe. "Nothing will ever be the same again..."

The two boys were confused by her cryptic answer, but as they got older, they didn't deny the truth in it. They couldn't, because she was right.

!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!

~Realm of Darkness~

Aqua leaned against a rock to rest for a moment, letting Master Defender rest at her side for a moment as she gathered her strength again after fighting another wave.

She didn't know how long she had been in the Realm of Darkness, probably only just an hour, but she felt like she had been there for days already.

She didn't know everything turned out the way it did. She couldn't blame anyone except for Xehanort – he's the one who laid the trap, various pieces of a much larger puzzle that trapped all four of them.

Now, Eraqus was dead, Terra had fallen to darkness, Ventus was asleep, and she was trapped here, with enemies on all side.

They were all split up, and Aqua's heart felt broken because of this. They were the most important people in her life, but the fact that they all made sacrifices, just like her, made her feel a little better. They just proved that the other three were just as important to them as they were to her.

Eraqus' death, however, was confusing to her, to say the least. Yen Sid had told her that the guilty parties indicated Xehanort and Terra as the ones involved, and Terra confirmed himself as guilty as well.

But why would Terra kill Master Eraqus? The two were like father and son.

Master Defender lightly trembled in her hand, bringing Aqua's attention to some Master Eraqus told her after she became Master. He had told her that their Keyblades held memories, but wouldn't show them to just anybody, only to those they found worthy – as the memories they held were often valuable or painful (or both).

So Aqua felt an entire range of emotions from the fact that it accepted her – worthy, anticipation, sorrow, loneliness.

So, she formed a barrier around herself before she began meditating, Master Defender resting on her knees.

The first memory it showed her was the first time Aqua had reported back to Master Eraqus, after she had cleared the first three worlds, from his perspective.

"I'm sorry, Master," Aqua remembered finishing her report with this. She had told him about Maleficent and what she said about Terra, and about Ventus running away.

"Don't blame yourself, Aqua," Eraqus replied. "I am disappointed about Ventus and Maleficent, but I agree with you about taking what the self-proclaimed Mistress of All Evil says with a grain of salt."

"I know you're worried about Terra and Ventus both, Master," Aqua said, "so I'll keep trying."

"Be careful, Aqua," Eraqus warned her as she turned to leave. She stopped and turned to face him. "I don't like where all of this is going."

"Yes, Master."

The scene changed to the next time Aqua reported in, after Radiant Garden – during which the trio had their falling out that Aqua felt guilty about.

Aqua's face and posture clearly showed her guilt and sorrow as she apologized again for failing her Master. Another Princess of Heart was safe from the Unversed for the time being, but Terra and Ventus...

"Don't apologize, Aqua," Eraqus replied. "There's a reason I made you Master. You have great inner strength. I know you'll succeed."

Aqua paused, not sure if she was worthy to accept his praise. "Thank you, Master." But he had expressed his faith in her, and she knew she couldn't let him down.

Eraqus continued, "I know you're worried about Terra and Ventus, especially now you've had a falling out, and I'm worried as well." A brief moment of his own falling out with Xehanort came to his mind. "Good luck, Aqua, and watch your back, especially around Xehanort."

"Xehanort, Master?"

"He has a rather unhealthy obsession with the darkness," Eraqus explained. "Just be careful."

"I will, Master."

As Aqua left, Eraqus felt his stomach twist into knots. Who was behind this? And what was their intentions? What did Terra have to do with it? Ventus? Aqua? Whoever behind this would pay if they hurt any of his students.

The scene changed again, this time to the third and last time Aqua reported in.

"With all due respect, Master, I don't think we need to worry about Terra so much," Aqua brought up.

Eraqus was intruiged at her choice of words, and confused, but he let her explain herself. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, from what I've seen since Radiant Garden, Terra's done nothing but help people," Aqua replied. "At Olympus Coliseum, Hades tried to use a boy name Zack to make Terra a pawn of darkness, but Terra saved him, without using darkness." Before Eraqus could reply to that, Aqua continued, "I'm still worried about Terra and Ventus, but not as much as before. I know Ven can handle himself and Terra's surrounded by darkness, yes, but he's still Terra. I trust them. But I know you're still concerned, Master, so I'll keep looking for them."

"Thank you, Aqua," Eraqus appreciated Aqua and her inner strength. He watched her leave, but she was right. He was still worried about all three of them, because he had a feeling this was just the beginning.*

The scene changed to the memory Aqua was looking for. Ventus had just gotten home, but he knew the truth about him being half of the person needed to create the X-Blade.

Aqua watched as Master Eraqus very reluctantly summoned his Keyblade, and pleaded with Ven, "Forgive me."

Aqua watched as Terra literally came out of nowhere and blocked a shot for Ven. "Has the darkness taken you, Terra?! Why do all my attempts to reach you fail? If you do not move out of the way, then you will have to share Ventus' fate." A tear fell down Eraqus' cheek. He did not want to do any of this.

Why did it come to this? How did this happen? Where did everything go wrong? Eraqus was wondering, just as Aqua, Terra, and Ventus were.

The last scene change was Terra and Eraqus fighting, but Eraqus just stopped, and Terra respected that, and stopped as well. Neither of them wanted to do this.

"I'm sorry, Terra," Eraqus said, sounding completely exhausted. "I have wronged you, I have wronged Ventus, and I have placed Aqua under stress that she doesn't deserve. I'm sorry, all of you. Please, forgive me."

"We forgive you, Master," Terra said, speaking for all three of them, and Aqua appreciated it. She knew that she and Ventus would forgive him. He was like a father to all three of them, and he was important to them. "Aqua and Ventus are both safe, and I know they're willing to hear you out if you just explain your actions."

Eraqus was about to respond to that when he was suddenly hit by a blast of darkness.

As his Master faded into light in his arms, Terra looked up to see Xehanort standing there, his hand raised, and an evil smirk on his face. "Thank you, Terra, for letting Eraqus drop his guard."

Aqua felt a surge of anger immediately rise within Terra as the Land of Departure suddenly broke around him.

Aqua opened her eyes. She was right. Terra had nothing to do with Eraqus' death. It was all Xehanort, taking advantage of a moment of weakness that Terra let their Master have.

Aqua released her barrier and rose to her feet.

"Don't worry, Master," Aqua vowed. "I'll save Terra and wake up Ventus, and all together, we'll make sure you didn't die in vain. We'll bring down Xehanort no matter what it takes."

And Aqua charged at the next wave of Heartless in front of her.

!~~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~~!

~Destiny Islands~

It was one year after his heart had connected with that boy who was sad. Sora was with his best friend Riku on the play island, like always, watching the stars, before witnessing a meteor crash land on the beach.

"Riku! Come on! Let's go see!"

Riku had no choice but to follow Sora to where the meteor had landed. But it wasn't that hard – Riku was curious too.

But they stopped upon seeing that the meteor was no meteor at all.

It was a girl.

Kairi felt heavy as her eyes fluttered open. She managed to lift her head as she heard a boy with brown spiky hair ask, "Hey, who are you? Where did you come from?"

"Back off, Sora," the silver-haired boy warned. "Give her some space."

Who was she? Where did she come from? She was missing something, or rather someone, but she couldn't remember who.

All she could remember was her name.

"K-Kairi..."

"Huh?"

"My name...is Kairi," she muttered, clearly exhausted and very out of it.

She tried to remember, but all she could recall was black.

She sniffed, tears flooding her eyes, and Sora and Riku immediately started panicking when the redheaded girl started wailing. What were they supposed to do? Did they offend her?

Fortunately, Riku was smart and went to go get his parents, leaving Sora with the girl – with Kairi.

"Don't worry," Sora told her. "Riku's going to get someone."

The girl sniffed again, nodding to show that she understood him, trying to keep her tears in check. She wanted to cry. She didn't remember anything. Her heart ached, as if missing someone dear to her, but being unable to remember who that person was really broke her heart.

But she was calm, because she felt safe with this boy, and she couldn't explain why...

To Be Continued...

!~~K~I~N~G~D~O~M~~H~E~A~R~T~S~~O~A~T~H~K~E~E~P~E~R~~A~U~~!

If you want to know what I imagine Kairi to look like, then go to my DeviantArt page, titled "SepticAbzies", and go to the piece titled "Kairi ~ Oathkeeper AU (Full Color)". I will update the cover image to match Kairi's appearance as I update each chapter, but keep in mind, Kairi's design in this AU matches how I imagine her growth to be.

Note: There you go. I hope this rewrite was better than the previous version. Now, the purpose of all the changes in this chapter was to add a bit of world building but mostly to establish Kairi as someone who is nice and just wants everyone to be happy, even at the cost of her own happiness. And the Keyblade-memories thing, I didn't just add that for no reason. It will come into play much, much later.

A/N: While I am a big fan of Kingdom Hearts, I just recently got into the fandom, which means I still don't understand most of the lore. So if I get anything wrong, I'm sorry. Please, no flaming. Instead, just politely inform me in a PM or a review, so I can correct any mistake I make.

Next chapter is the first Kingdom Hearts game (I'm going from a timeline standpoint), which will be at least three chapters long.

If you have any ideas or questions, please let me know.