Chapter 2

"The girl's right, Sora, Riku…the answer IS love." the great wizard said in a booming voice, walking over to them in a steady, measured pace, his great wizard's cap shining in

the sunset. "Love? B-but…that's not a power! That's a feeling!" Sora blurted. "How can love be the answer? Love is light!" Riku agreed. The great wizard Yen Sid sat daintily

on the paupu tree trunk, his wide eyes softening a bit at their innocence. "Love is everything that light stands for, it is true, but love is so strong, it is a power all on it's own. No

one can fully understand love itself. Not even the king fully understands and accepts it. But you don't need to understand it to feel it." Yen Sid turned to Riku. "You have such a

strong heart, that you felt love before you knew of darkness. You had a love for Sora, and an even stronger love for Kairi. You still do. But this love drove you so far into

desperation, that you sought the only power that promised it to you. Darkness. It is a thing only love can do to a person. It blurs their reasoning, and makes them do things they

would never do normally." Riku bowed his head in shame. It was true. Sora went over and raised Riku's head with a finger on his chin. "Don't be ashamed, Riku! We're all still

proud of you! You're braver then any of us, since you would even enter darkness to keep us safe." Riku smiled. "Thanks…" he whispered. Yen Sid then turned to Sora. "You

are light's friend, young Sora. You hold all the keys to everything that is and was. That is a powerful thing to hold within one's heart, and there is no one else strong enough to do

so. You know a love as well, for all your friends, and it is this love that helped the key blade in it's decision to choose you as the Keyblade bearer. Loyalty, friendship, love…

they're all the weapons you'll ever need to defeat any enemy in your path. Remember this is true." Sora nodded, a determined look on his face. Yen Sid then looked at Kairi,

with a kind smile on his otherwise fearsome face. "And then there is you, Oh Princess of the Heart…it is you that holds the key to the great power of love. And you are the key

to wielding it. You may not know how presently, but the power rests within your heart. When the time comes…it will come to you. You will use it for good, and our enemies will

be forever vanquished. You are no mere girl, never think that." he held out his large calloused hand and Kairi rested her significantly smaller one in it. "People like you are the

reason we have anything to fight for, my dear." He patted her hand and stood up. "Now then. A wizard needs his nourishment! If you would direct me to the sustenance,

please?" Everyone laughed and headed for the hut. Yen Sid had to bend nearly in half to fit in the door. "What exactly brings you to the islands, master Yen Sid?" Goofy asked,

sipping from his cup of lemonade. Yen Sid likewise sipped and cleared his throat. I received a correspondence from his majesty, and saw fit to act immediately. I thought it folly

to send you back into the battlefield so soon without knowledge of what has gone before. And what you are to be fighting against. But I've no doubt you've told them." Goofy

nodded. "Sure did! Gawsh, they weren't too happy." Yen Sid chuckled. "I'm not surprised!" Sora tried to keep the nervous jittering of his leg to a dull twitch. Something was

bothering him. "Erm...Master? The letter said we're to bring Kairi with us. Is that wise?" he asked before the twitching overtook his struggling leg. Yen Sid frowned. "Yes, I had

heard of that as well. It is true, I'm afraid. Kairi isn't safe even here. Dark and Light can create portals to all worlds, near and far. Our spies have also discovered part of the

enemy's ultimate plan, and it involves Kairi most deeply. No, it is better if she stays with you at all times. No doubt, she will be doing her share!" Yen Sid waved a hand and

Kairi's Keyblade emerged in her palm. Again, she was taken in by the beauty and the power she felt emanating from it. "Fight?" Both Riku and Sora yelped, jumping from their

seats. Yen Sid nodded. "She is not-as I have said-a mere girl. She will defend herself, thank you very much." Kairi smiled, that willful look returning, her fears forgotten, if only

for a little while. "It may have been chance that granted her this gift. But it will be fate for her to fight. She may even be the strongest fighter you have, you'll never know unless

you give her the chance!" Sora and Riku settled down at this sobering prospect. Sora could manage Riku being better then him, but KAIRI? "Now. Back to business." Yen Sid

set down his lemonade and steepled his long fingers. "Where to start…you would think that after destroying Kingdom Hearts it would have released the captive hearts back to

their owners. Not so. The hearts have for so long been held captive within the heartless and the nobody's have for so long been without Hearts, that they can never properly

rejoin. So when they did make an effort to, NotQuites were created. They have hearts, and have minds, but no knowledge on how to use them properly. They have an

appearance such as thus." with a wave of his hand, a hideous creature appeared, with a Nobody's head, and a neo-shadow's body, with neo-shadow antennae sprouting from

the Nobody insignia on it's head. "These things have all the abilities of a heartless AND a Nobody. And as an added disadvantage, they are unsure of their purpose, which does

not allow for clear cut attacks. But as you encounter stronger ones, you will find that they have decided which side to ally with, and will then become simply Heartless or

nobody's once more. We know who seems to be leading them, however, a NotQuite named Haznortex. He allies himself with both sides of dark and light, which may prove

difficult to distinguish. His light side may aide you in battling the NotQuites, but his dark side wishes only for your destruction. "Well, if I wasn't confused before, I am now!"

Sora sighed, slumping down on the couch. Yen Sid smiled. "You could destroy only his dark side, but then his light side would dissolve into the kingdom of darkness, and obtain

more power then ever before. You must meet fire with water. You must use love to vanquish this enemy." Yen Sid seemed very solemn, almost like the very idea of using such a

power filled him with hope. "You are best prepared for the journey. The NotQuites were unable to successfully overrun all the worlds you restored, through lack of organization,

and so, they only exist in the enemy's stronghold, an island in the middle of the Nowhere, beyond even the World that Never was. "I see…" Sora said to himself. Kairi lunged

with her Keyblade, and Donald's feathers burst into the air. "Owch! Watch it with that missy!" he cried, holding his behind and moaning in agony. Kairi giggled. "I'm sorry

Donald!" she snickered. "The King is sending your good friends from the Radiant Garden to retrieve you, I heard, in two days time. Best to rest up before then. And help that

girl refine her fighting technique!" Sora smiled and nodded. "I'm afraid I must depart. Only remember that love is everywhere you never think it would be, and in every heart, as

long as you look in the right places." With that, he vanished.