AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Look at me! Two chapters in one day! It'll never last…

My aim is to have anywhere between 3,000 – 5,000 words per chapter, but a lot will depend heavily on the overall flow. Some things need to happen together, whilst others need time between them. Longer chapters often mean more action, but shorter chapters commonly leads to more frequent updates so it's a trade-off.

What do you prefer when you read? Do you like shorter chapters with more updates, or are you happier to have a longer wait for a longer chapter? When you're done with this one, smash that review button and let me know.

(I know I probably sound like some kind of social media 'influencer', but it's been so long since I've attempted to post any of my own work that the world of fanfiction has changed. I had to spend 40 minutes figuring out how to upload my first chapter, and a further 15 minutes trying to fix the formatting! Still, we got there in the end.)

Enjoy!

CHAPTER TWO | SHATTERED

The sun was still creeping over the horizon when the docks came in to view. It should have been a surprise to see them all standing there, but it wasn't. Somehow Riku expected them to be there; Xion was standing with her toes over the edge, blue eyes watching them carefully as they veered towards the rickety wooden walkway while Axel and Roxas stood beside her, confused and concerned.

Not a word was spoken as Riku pulled the boat alongside the dock. He cast the mooring rope towards them and Roxas caught it. He and Axel began pulling them in as Xion teetered on the edge of a particularly rotten plank; her eyes searching the boat and its passengers. Naminé was hauled up first, and she collapsed in to Roxas' arms with a whimper as Axel knelt to help Riku unload their unexpected passenger. Together with Xion they lifted Kairi out of the boat and let her rest in Axel's arms. He ran his long fingers through her tangled hair and along the hollows of her cheeks with several low curses.

"What happened to her?" he asked, his eyes never leaving her face. Riku wished he knew, and yet… the sleeping woman in front of him was such a far cry from the girl he remembered that he didn't want to even imagine. Xion knelt beside her, taking one of Kairi's limp, bony hands in her own and clinging to it like a lifeline. Naminé sniffled, pulling her face out of Roxas' chest and wiping her cheeks.

"I think her heart is sleeping," she said softly.

"Riku, you can wake her up, right?" Xion asked, her tone almost pleading. Riku's stomach churned – he hadn't performed a Dive in so long that he wondered if he still could. He closed his eyes, searching for the power. It answered when he called, flickering faintly as he probed towards it, and after a moment he opened his eyes.

"I can try, but I can't do it here. If someone were to find us, it would be impossible to explain." And if something were to go wrong… he shook the thought from his head and searched his pockets, wrapping his fingers around the gem that would take him back to the ship.

"Where are you going?" Roxas asked, his eyes landing on the pulsing green gem.

"The Land of Departure. Aqua and the others should be able to help."

"Then we're coming too," Roxas said, fists clenched tightly at his sides. Naminé's hand found his and she entangled their fingers together, red-rimmed eyes fixed on Kairi's sleeping face.

"I'll take Kairi," said Axel. Slowly he rose to his feet, keeping her cradled close against his chest. A tightness flashed across his face, an expression Riku hadn't seen for over a year, and he knew there was no point in fighting him. He would not be separated from her again.

"I don't know if we'll all fit," Riku muttered. Their ship was fairly small – cozy enough for him and a passenger (especially when that passenger was as small as Mickey or as unobtrusive as Naminé).

"Naminé can come with us," Xion offered, moving to Naminé's other side. "We'll be right behind you." Axel nodded at them.

"You'd better be."

Riku had been to the Land of Departure several times since Xehanort's defeat. Aqua had requested his presence on several occasions to impart knowledge that was his right as Keyblade Master. He had spent several months there once, working with Terra to help him understand the lingering darkness in his heart, and he had been there when Terra had taken his exam. It was a formality at that stage; one that Terra was keen to see to completion (more so than Aqua who freely admitted she would have given him the title based on deeds alone had he not been so damn stubborn about the whole thing).

The trio were waiting for them when they disembarked. Riku arrived first, with Axel and Kairi at his back, and the others weren't far behind. Roxas had called ahead to make sure they would be welcome (another formality) and to fill them in on what had happened. The predictability of their reactions was a comfort: Terra's stalwart silence, Aqua's quickly-smothered shock, Ven's outright horror.

"Has she woken at all?" Aqua asked, closing the distance between them in several graceful strides. She brushed her fingers over Kairi's hair and the fabric of her cloak before coming to rest over her heart where she closed her eyes and waited.

"No," Riku answered. "Naminé thinks her heart is sleeping. I want to Dive, to see if I can find out what's going on, but…" He was grateful that the rest could be left unspoken; Terra rested a hand on his shoulder and offered a small, reassuring smile.

"We'll all be here, for both of you," he said. Riku nodded. Aqua pulled her fingers away at long last, but her expression was unreadable as she turned to the others.

"We're sorry that we haven't had time to prepare rooms for everyone," she said with a slight bow of her head.

"But it's the first thing on our list!" Ven cheered, though his bravado fell short. "Y'know… after…"

Aqua led the way to the main chamber where Axel set Kairi in the centre throne. Ven made a quip about how it wasn't as uncomfortable as it looked which earned a short-lived titter of awkward laughter as Riku knelt before her. Kairi's body had tilted to the side, propped up against the gleaming armrest, and the golden light of the chamber bounced off her pale skin. She'd always taken the sun better than he had, and while neither of them could beat Sora's olive tan her skin had always been the colour of sand; gold and rich. Now it was pale as milk – paler even than his – and it unsettled him in a way that it shouldn't have.

He closed his eyes, taking each of her hands in his and trying to ignore how her fingers felt fragile and sharp, like they could snap if he held them too hard. He took several breaths, collecting his thoughts before finally reaching out to her heart and diving in.

All of Riku's previous Dives has been in to Sora's heart, and whilst he knew better than to expect everyone's heart to be the same he was left reeling by just how different Kairi's felt. Sora's heart had felt warm and full; no doubt a side effect of having so many hearts crammed inside it. He distinctly remembered being able to feel the light and the dark, how they existed side by side in perfect balance.

He had expected for Kairi's heart – filled with nothing but light – to be a comforting warmth, or perhaps even a tropical heat without any cool darkness to temper it. The icy-chill came as an unexpected shock, as though he had plunged in to the ocean in the dead of night, and the light was blinding. It took him a moment to gain his bearings, and once he could think straight again he dove deeper, following the pull towards her heart station. Sora's was a glimmer of light in the darkness, easy to find even without the bond that tied Riku's heart to his. Kairi's by contrast was like trying to pick out a lonely bird as it flew infront of the sun – a smudge amongst blinding light – and it took enormous strength to find his way towards it.

Even before it came in to focus, Riku could tell something was wrong. The circular platform was marred with patches of shadow, and the light from beneath it was flickering dangerously. He reached out with his senses, wondering if perhaps he might have missed some lingering darkness battling to take over her heart, but as he drew closer he realised with a horrified jolt that the pieces of her heart weren't dark at all.

They were missing.

The cracks spread across the station like a spiderweb, slicing through the mosaic and leaving it in pieces. Her likeness was stood in the centre, dividing the station in two. On the left were the shores and trees of the islands, bathed in gold, whilst the right bore the castle of Radiant Garden. The outer ring was a series of flowers, paopu fruits and bursts of light, though several were shattered and two were missing. Around her head sat three circles, one bearing the likeness of Naminé, another showing a portrait of Riku, and a third that was missing entirely though it wasn't difficult to imagine who should have been there. Kairi's head – positioned between the three – was bowed, her face hidden behind her hair. It wasn't hard to miss the way that all the fracture lines lead to her hands, clasped over her heart, as though even in sleep she was trying to hold herself together.

Riku touched down by her feet on a patch of unbroken glass. The station tilted dangerously with an ominous shriek and he was hit with such a wave of despair that he felt his knees tremble under the weight of it. He grit his teeth, tearing his eyes away from the hole where Sora's face should have been as he summoned his keyblade, pointing it towards her heart.

Nothing happened.

He waited for several minutes – beyond the point of knowing it wouldn't work – before finally dismissing Brave Heart and shouting in to the endless light.

"Kairi!"

His answer was the faint thud of a heart beating; something he felt more than heard. It resonated in his chest with a painful jolt and he winced, clutching his chest as a wash of icy agony coursed through his veins. He swallowed his panic and ventured forwards slowly, careful to avoid stepping on the cracks that creaked and splintered as he passed. She was falling apart.

"Kairi, please! I know you can hear me!"

He was standing near her heart now, following the fissures that raced towards her fingers. She had gathered up what remained of her heart, keeping a tight hold on what little of herself she had left. It was a wonder it hadn't fallen to darkness; no doubt the lack of anything for the darkness to take hold of had been what had saved her long enough for her to make her way back to them.

"Kairi-"

"Go away."

Her voice was hoarse and flat as she appeared in the corner of his vision, standing precariously on the edge of a jagged shard of glass, her toes hanging dangerously over the edge. She kept her back to him, allowing him to see the tattered remains of her too-small dress. The ruffles had been shredded and covered in dirt, the hood had been split clean in two, and a long gash in the fabric revealed a scar – white and knotted and angry against her skin as it made her way from her shoulder to her hip. Riku swallowed bile, remembering too well the sight of her shattering like glass and revealing Xehanort's victorious grin.

"Kairi…" He took a step towards her but was met with the sound of splintering glass as the cracks underfoot shivered dangerously. He froze. She did not turn to look at him.

"Leave me alone."

Her limbs were bruised, marred with splashes and black and blue and green and yellow. Her hands hung limply by her sides, fingers red and raw and dripping crimson that splashed against the shattered panes at her feet. Riku risked another step, ignoring the pain that lanced through his chest as the station shuddered with a deafening screech. He reached a hand towards her.

"Kairi, please… I'm here to help." She lifted her head, staring up at the blinding void above them. Her hair was longer now – almost reaching her hips when she tilted her head all the way back. It was long enough to hide her scar.

"You can't help me."

There was a cold resignation in her words; a sense of defeat so overwhelming it cut him to his core. His throat ran dry and he had to bite his tongue in order to find his voice.

"Let me try-" The entire station shook and shards of glass fell in to the vast space below with a delicate tinkling sound. Kairi bowed her head, bringing her hands over her heart.

"Go away." A light began to shine beneath them. It was blinding – bright enough to almost hide the cracks – and Riku's heart swelled.

"Kairi-"

"GO AWAY!"

The light blinded him. A force hit him square in the chest and he was overcome by the feeling of flying – or perhaps falling. Something heavy struck his back (or did his back strike something heavy?) as a chorus of voices called his name. He blinked his eyes open, bringing the audience chamber and its inhabitants back in to focus. He was on the other side of the room, some hundred feet or more from where Kairi still sat in the throne, lying listless against the armrest.

"What the hell happened?!"

Axel's rage was almost tangible, and only Roxas and Xion's quick intervention kept him from pulling Riku to his feet by his shirt collar. They each took one of his hands and pulled him off-course, allowing Aqua to quickly close the gap and kneel at Riku's side (directly in Axel's path, which Riku was sure was no coincidence).

"Riku, are you okay?" she asked. She took his arm and carefully helped him sit up, leaning him carefully against the marble bannister. He lifted a hand to carefully poke the new pain in the back of his head and was relieved when he didn't find any blood, though the area felt incredibly tender. He sat up a little taller, grateful for Aqua's assistance.

"She… she kicked me out…"

"Maybe she was trying to protect herself," Ven suggested. "She might have thought that she was under attack." Riku shook his head, though he immediately regretted the action as the world began to spin. He swallowed bile and reached around to prod the newly-tender spot on his ribs. Nothing felt broken.

"No, she knew it was me." Ven sat back on his heels with a sad frown.

"But why throw you out?" Terra murmured. "Surely she would know that you were there to help."

"I think… I think something bad has happened. Her heart… it's broken." Aqua's brow furrowed and her eyes flashed with something dark and unreadable.

"Broken?" she asked. "Broken how?"

"Shattered," Riku answered, shuddering at the word. "It looked like pieces of her heart were missing."

"Like me," Ven murmured, a hand coming to rest over his own heart. Riku nodded (slowly).

"But unlike you, there's nobody who can make up the difference."

"I could," Naminé exclaimed, her eyes watering. "I could do it. Just tell me what to do-"

"Let's not rush in to anything," Terra advised. Naminé looked like she wanted to object, but Roxas took up a place behind her and gently placed an arm around her shoulders. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze to the floor, leaning heavily in to Roxas as Terra continued. "Riku, you should rest. Once you're recovered, I think you and Aqua should both perform a Dive together. Maybe the two of you will be able to get through to her and let her know that she's safe now." Aqua nodded and slowly rose to her feet.

"Ven, can you get the rooms ready? I'll see if there's anything I can do to try and heal Kairi's injuries. It may be that she's using her heart to hide from the pain."

"And there's a lot of it, inside and out," Riku murmured, offering Ven a grateful smile as he helped pull Riku to his feet.

"I'll take her to my room until we can get something set up for her," Aqua began. She turned to Axel, her fingers grazing his elbow. "Axel, can you help me? I don't think I could carry Kairi all the way by myself." Behind Axel's back Ven made to object, his face marred with confusion, but a hand on his shoulder and a gentle shake of Terra's head kept him quiet. Axel, oblivious, nodded eagerly and all but raced to Kairi's side, lifting her tenderly from the throne and following Aqua out of the chamber. Ven disappeared in the other direction with a promise he'd be back just as soon as the rooms were ready.

"I'm afraid the castle isn't well equipped for dealing with so many visitors," Terra offered as he led them from the chamber. "Past Masters have only ever taken on a handful of students at a time. I don't think there has been this many people on this world for a very long while."

"That's all right," Riku answered when it became apparent that the others were too lost in thought to reply. "Hopefully we won't be here too long. I'm sure we can double up for a day or two until we're ready to go."

"You really think we'll fix this so quickly?" Xion asked, her eyes pinched with worry. "What if she doesn't want to wake up?"

"Don't say that," Roxas urged. "She has all of us waiting for her, of course she'll want to wake up. We've just gotta find a way to show her that she's safe now." His cheer, forced and strained though it was, did not go unnoticed and it earned him a small half-smile in return.

"Naminé?" Terra's voice was soft and tender, and it took Riku a moment to realise that Naminé was no longer with them. She had come to a halt several paces back, head bowed and hands pressed against her chest. Riku took a slow step towards her.

"Naminé?" he asked. "What's wrong?" She lifted her head, her red-rimmed eyes boring in to his.

"Kairi still has a piece of my heart," she said slowly, as though still figuring out what she intended to say. "What if… what if she used that to mend her own heart? To make up the difference?" Terra's brow furrowed in confusion.

"But I thought you had your heart," he said. "That's how you're here, isn't it? Ansem the Wise put your heart in to an empty replica so you could make it your own." Naminé shook her head, her fingers clutching the sundress.

"When Xehanort… when he…" Her voice hitched and she swallowed heavily. "After what happened to Kairi, we were separated. My heart splintered and a shard of it stayed with her. The heart I have now is incomplete, but I've barely noticed. I wouldn't even miss it – I could live without it if it gave her the strength to wake up."

"Kairi wouldn't want you to sacrifice your happiness for her," Riku said firmly. "You and I both know that everything you feel, it's only part of the story. Once your heart has been recompleted, you'll notice the difference-"

"But I don't need it," she said with a fervent shake of her head. "If Kairi can use it to save herself-"

"She's going to be fine," he pressed, pulling her hands away from her chest and holding them tightly in his. "We just need to be here for her when she wakes up." Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.

"And what if she doesn't?" The first tear ran down her cheek, glistening in the light, and her hands trembled in his grip. "I can feel her, Riku… She's in so much pain…" Riku knew; even now he could feel the shadow of her pain tightening around his chest, hanging over him like a cloud. He squeezed Naminé's hands tightly.

"We have to believe in her." He had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything further – to keep from reminding them all that they were already trying to believe in Sora, and how it became harder with every passing day. Namine nodded slightly, though she turned her gaze back down to her shoes as she followed them silently.

Ven found them some time later, sitting on the grassy verge at the Summit that looked out over the great chasm below.

"The rooms are all made up," he said, "and I'm going to start cooking some food if anyone's hungry. I know it's a bit late for food but I figure it's lunchtime in your world-"

"Is there any news from Aqua?" Riku asked. Ven's thin smile fell and he shook his head.

"Kairi's been hurt pretty badly, and it's more than Aqua's magic can handle," he answered. "She's synthesizing some potions while she figures out the best place to start. She said it'll take a while before she'll have any real updates for us."

"You should eat," Terra said as he rose to his feet. "Aqua's abilities with magic are stronger than any of ours. Kairi is in good hands." Xion rose then too, dusting the grass from her dress and offering a hand to Naminé.

"We should go and get Axel," she said, pulling the blonde to her feet. "I'm sure Aqua will work better without his hovering." Naminé laughed a little at that and Xion smiled before turning to Roxas. "You coming?"

"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up," he said with a smile. Xion nodded and linked arms with Naminé before setting out after Terra and Ven who offered to show them the way to Aqua's room.

For several minutes Riku and Roxas sat in silence, watching the sky as the first stars began to appear. Riku found himself counting the stars to keep his thoughts from wandering, and after a time he started finding pictures in the constellations. A cluster of stars on the horizon almost looked like the King, whilst a string of glimmering lights to the east looked somewhat like a Keyblade. Somewhere in the distance a bell rang, and Roxas received a message on his phone. He didn't move to check it.

"Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Kairi will know anything about Sora?"

He did. For better or for worse, the missing presence in her heart station was incredibly telling, and it didn't bode well. Riku pressed his lips together, wondering how best to answer the question.

"We'll have to ask her when she wakes up," he said at last. Roxas, still staring at the stars, nodded slightly with an uncertain hum.

They sat in silence then, watching as the sky darkened and the first of the stars began to appear. Riku found his mind strangely empty as he watched them twinkle back at him. He had questions – too many to form them in to words – but they had been pushed aside by the vision of Kairi, battered and bruised, standing on a ledge and looking as though she might fall.

Or she might jump.

Roxas' phone chirped again and he reluctantly slipped it from his pocket. The screen lit up his face, casting his features in to sharp contrast, and for a moment he looked nothing like Ven and everything like Sora. Riku's heart ached.

"Xion says food's ready," he said, rising slowly to his feet. "Terra's right, we should eat. I doubt we'll be getting much sleep tonight, so we should do something to keep our strength up." Riku nodded but made no move to follow. Roxas to his credit did not press the issue and instead headed inside without a word, leaving Riku to watch as the first of the shooting stars streaked across the night sky.

Hcbnc: Thank you for your review! I'm so glad you liked the start, and I certainly hope you will like what follows…

See you all next time!