AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Hey… so… um… remember when I said that I would try and pick up the pace a little when it comes to posting? No? Good, me neither!

On a more serious note though, whilst I am trying to get things on to some sort of schedule, I am unfortunately not only being held hostage by my muse but also dealing with a lot of Real World Stuff™ at the moment which is messing with my free time.

I recently managed to work through a couple of chapters, so I'm hoping to get them up sooner rather than later. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy today's chapter!

CHAPTER TWELVE | HEART TO HEART

She was standing on a small swathe of beach that emerged from the surrounding darkness. Waves lapped their way in to existence, taking shape in muted blues and vibrant foam that seemed to glisten like diamonds as it danced around her toes. She shuffled awkwardly, purple shoes dusted with golden grains of sand. The water receded again; a bright light up ahead made the loam dance.

"Kairi!"

He looked so young, dressed in his red romper suit and his yellow sneakers. The crown pendant glinted against his chest as he sprinted towards her, bounding effortlessly through the surf. She closed the gap between them, his name on her lips, but as her toes touched the water the ground beneath them gave a jolt. She lurched forwards with a scream but he was there, his hands gripping hers and keeping her upright.

"Kairi, remember what you said before?" He had to shout to be heard over the ominous rumbling underfoot. A rift was snaking its way between them and Sora's grip on her hand tightened as she felt their worlds slowly drifting apart. Sora smiled, straining the keep their fingers laced together. "I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you, I promise."

I know you will. The words were on her lips, waiting to be spoken, but they caught in her throat. He wasn't coming back for her. She would have to go to him, though it would be over a year until she could. She would forget him, haunted by the impossible memory of him. If she could just hold on to him… Their hands were slipping, fingers barely holding on to each other as the two mounds drifted further apart. Sora was staring at her, blue eyes wide and filled with light, and Kairi felt her stomach drop as his fingers fell away.

"NO!" she screamed, stumbling forwards. "Don't leave me again!" He had drifted further, a sad sort of bravado plastered across his face as he continued to reach for her, and it made Kairi's heart pound furiously. She took several steps backwards, heels hanging over the edge of the mount of sand, and with a deep steeling breath she sprinted forwards, throwing herself towards Sora.

It wasn't enough. The sand gave way underfoot, stealing precious power from her jump, and as soon as she was airborne she knew she wasn't going to make it. Sora was reaching for her, calling her name, but his voice didn't reach her. She looked up, blinded by the light behind him, able to see little more of his silhouette as he reached out, too far to save her-

"Kairi!"

His voice was deeper. His fingers rougher as they snared her wrist. Her shoulder burned as she came to a sudden stop. From below the brink of his patch of silt the light was dimmer; dim enough for her to see black gloves, a flash of plaid, and haunted blue eyes.

"Sora!"

His name came out as a sob and he grinned his goofy grin. His other hand appeared, reaching for hers, and she took it gratefully. Slowly he began to lift her up over the edge, only releasing her once she was able to push herself up and over and scramble towards him, away from the darkness that nipped at her heels.

"Kairi, what are you doing here?"

The question caught her off guard. She stared at him, watching warring emotions as they played across his face. Regret and fear mixed with thinly-veiled happiness. Kairi swallowed thickly.

"It's really you?" she asked. "You're not a dream?" He nodded, reaching out and taking her hand. His fingers were warm in hers and his thumb traced comforting circles across the back of her hand.

"I'm not a dream." She reached out, her silt-dusted fingers tracing the scar that lined his temple and running down across his cheek. He leaned in to her touch, eyes clenched shut as his hand cupped hers fiercely, and for a moment she felt more than saw him kneeling beside her. He felt warm and comforting and inviting in a way that she couldn't describe. A sob rose in her throat and she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. He held her close, crying tears of his own, their hearts sharing feelings that words could never truly express.

Too soon Sora pulled away, his calloused hands cupping her face as their eyes met again. He was searching for something, studying her in detail, and his keen focus made her stomach churn.

"Kairi, what are you doing here?" he asked again.

"Sora-"

"This is the Realm of Sleep, you shouldn't be here." Her heart skipped a painful beat.

"Then why are you here?" she asked. He lowered his hands, sitting back on his heels with a tight smile.

"I come and go," he answered with a barely concealed grimace. "It helps a little."

"What's happening to you? Where are you?" The corners of his eyes tightened and his smile fell away, replaced with exhaustion. He raked his fingers through his hair.

"I don't know. I wish I had the answers." He glanced at her, eyes travelling from her face to her limbs and back again. His face crumpled, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. "Kairi, what happened to you?" She bit her lip, dropping her gaze to the grains of silt between them. Sora's fingers found hers in the silence that followed and he laced them together before asking gently: "What did you do?"

His voice pitched dangerously and it shattered the fragile wall around her emotions. They poured out in a tidal wave and she snatched her hands from his, buying her face in them as the sobs came in earnest. He murmured her name and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in to his lap where she buried her face in to his chest and clutched at his shirt.

"I'm s-sorry," she sobbed. "I tried to save you but I couldn't…" He rested his chin on his head, arms tightening around her. She wished he would never let go.

"It's okay, Kairi." His voice rumbled in his chest. She held him tighter, afraid to let him go.

"It's all my fault," she whimpered. "If I hadn't let him trick me-"

"He fooled both of us," Sora interrupted. He pulled away, lifting her face towards his. He was crying too, silent tears sliding down his cheeks. "He even fooled Xehanort. We didn't stand a chance against him. I'm just sorry I couldn't be there when you needed me." She shook her head.

"I wouldn't be anywhere at all if it wasn't for you." The corner of his lip twitched in to a half smile.

"Well I wouldn't have been there to save you if you hadn't been there to save me," he countered. "Even when I felt hopeless, you were still there to bring me back." She smiled too, though it was small and delicate like glass. Still he seemed to appreciate it; he reached out with a smile of his own, wiping a tear from her cheek and tucking her hair back behind her ear.

"And I was only there because you had saved me." His head tilted, eyes pinched curiously.

"Which time?" She giggled.

"The fact that you even have to ask…" It took a moment for him to smile, but when he did – tentative and half-formed though it was – her heart soared. It didn't last long; his face quickly crumpled and he pulled away. Her fingers fell from his shirt; they felt cold and empty in her lap.

"Kairi… whatever he told you to do, whatever he made you think, he's wrong. You don't have to do this alone."

She wondered how much he knew. Had Luxu made him watch her slow descent towards self-destruction? Had he felt as helpless as she had? Was that why he was dipping in and out of the realm of sleep; to keep from seeing what she had done? How much had Luxu told him?

"I wish I'd realised it sooner, but I know that now." She smiled and reached for his hand, taking it in both of hers and pressing it over her chest. She remembered sitting by the fire, holding his hand over her heart as she shared all the things she couldn't say. It wasn't long until he'd started doing it back; they hadn't really needed words much after that. It was so instinctive now that she didn't even realise she'd done it until she saw him wince, his eyes bulging.

"Kairi, your heart! It's… it's…" His eyes glistened as they darted from their entwined hands back up to her face and she couldn't bear the pain she found there. "Is this was he did to you?" She tried to pull back, to keep him from feeling the true extent of the damage she had caused, but his hand followed her, close enough for him to reach out to the bond that connected them. Her heart sang for him – ached for him – and it welcomed him gladly against her mind's objections.

If he had been angry, it would have been understandable. If he had been disappointed, it would have been reasonable. Instead when their hearts connected she found only pain, sadness and no small amount of understanding as he continued to explore every crack and crevice. She shouldn't have been surprised; if there was anyone familiar with sacrificing their own comfort in the hopes of saving someone else, it was Sora. When at last he pulled back, lowering his hand slowly, his eyes never left hers and she found a fierce understanding burning back at her. He knew, and he understood.

"Kairi, I-"

"It's okay," she said softly, forcing a smile. "It will heal. It feels like it's early starting." He nodded. Perhaps he'd felt it too; a warmth seeping between the cracks.

"Then let me help you," he said. He closed his eyes, pressing both hands over his chest, and after a moment a small light emerged – no bigger than a rosebud waiting to bloom. Kairi swallowed thickly.

"Sora, you can't," she breathed, balling her hands in to fists. "Don't tear your heart in to pieces for me." He only smiled in response, holding the small blossom of light in his palm.

"It's only a little piece," he said with a half-laugh. Kairi frowned at him which only made him chuckle more. "C'mon, Kairi, I carried your heart around for a year when this all started. Least you could do is take a little bit of mine for a while." He pouted, eyes wide and glassy and filled with so much hope and love that it made her head spin. He knew full well the effect it had on her; he had used it to his advantage several times to keep her moving when all she wanted to do was give up. She swatted his shoulder. "Careful!" he cried, holding the glistening fragment of his heart close.

"What am I going to do with you?" she asked. He grinned.

"Well first you're gonna take this, and then you're gonna come rescue me. My own knight in shining armour!" He laughed at that, head tilting from side to side in a show of mock thoughtfulness. "It's different being the damsel in distress this time. Maybe I should get a dress. I'm sure the Good Fairies would make me one if I asked…" She reached for his shoulder again but he was too quick; his eyes flashed, his lips split in to a victorious grin as he snared her wrist with his free hand, and before she could stop him he had pulled her towards him and plunged the shard of his heart in to her chest.

The warmth was instant, rushing through her body from her fingers to her toes and swelling around her heart. It wasn't enough to completely cover the damage but the fragment worked its way in to the largest cracks, pulling them together and filling them with light.

But the connection was a two-way street, and it didn't take long for Kairi to figure it out. With a fragment of his heart in hers she had more access to his heart than ever before, and what she found scared her.

Bubbling darkness, the kind that didn't seem possible within him, was pressing at the edges – wearing him down like water wears at a cliff edge; slow and persistent. It seeped in to the hole that he'd made within himself, pressing against the raw edges with renewed hunger, and before Kairi would push the fragment back towards him the darkness had swooped in to take its place.

"Sora," she whispered, opening eyes that she didn't remember closing. He was watching her carefully, no trace of a smile left. Instead there was only pain, sorrow, and a sense of understanding, longing and respect that rushed towards her across their renewed connection.

"I'm always with you," he murmured, pressing a hand over her heart. She pressed hers on top, holding him close. Despite the feeling of his hand in hers there was a new sensation; a feeling of insurmountable distance between them.

"I'll come back to you," she said. "I promise." A ghost of a smile played across his lips.

"I know you will."

Axel's body jerked; the sensation of falling jolting him from the edge of sleep. He blinked his dry eyes and sat up taller in the chair, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on his bouncing knees. He knitted his fingers together under his chin, eyes never straying from Kairi's sleeping form as she lay in the small cot bed, silhouetted by the bright light from the Cornerstone.

He had lasted a week hiding out with Isa before he'd been found. He'd let all his calls go to voicemail, listening to each one and reading every message in the hopes that someone had news about Kairi. Mostly they were just worried about him; it seemed news of Kairi's fate and his subsequent outburst had spread amongst the other Guardians. His phone never seemed to stop, and just when he thought it would drive him mad Isa snatched it from his hands and locked it in a cupboard where he took to checking it three times a day on Axel's behalf, making the occasional snide remark about the simpering desperation in all of their messages. Axel found it infuriating and touching in equal measures.

Roxas would eventually be the one to draw him out. He turned up at Isa's door, unannounced, with nothing more than a note for Axel. It read: Clocktower, whenever you're ready and enclosed coupons for four ice creams. Axel had stared at them for hours before finally giving in, dragging Isa with him. He was convinced that Roxas would have left by then, but he redeemed all four coupons anyway and was pleasantly surprised to see both Roxas and Xion waiting patiently. They didn't say a word as they made room for Axel and Isa to clamber over the wall and sit between them, silently accepting the ice cream with a nod of thanks. Axel was halfway through his ice cream before Roxas finally spoke.

"They're taking her to Disney Castle," he said. "Mickey thinks the Cornerstone of Light might help to protect her while her heart is healing."

"How long do they think it will take?"

"Impossible to tell."

"Naminé has gone with them," Xion added. "She's the best way we have to try and keep an eye on Kairi's recovery."

"How is she coping?" Isa asked. Roxas shrugged.

"I mean, she's a mess but she's keeping it together."

"We were all so shocked when we heard the news," Xion murmured.

"Did you know?" Axel asked. Xion shook her head.

"I didn't even suspect…" She paused, twirling the empty popsicle stick between her fingers absently. "I think Naminé might have guessed something wasn't right, but it's hard to tell. She hasn't said much."

Roxas and Xion brought them up to speed as best they could. Mickey had been distraught at the news. Minnie had done her best to comfort him while Donald and Goofy had set off to see Yen Sid. They had spent several days discussing the matter, during which Mickey had eventually joined them. The Cornerstone was a last resort; there was no guarantee that it would do anything to help, but it was a fairly safe guess that, as an entity of pure light, it wouldn't make things worse.

The four of them had squeezed in to the Gummi Ship, arriving mere moments before the others. Micky, Donald and Goofy were waiting in the gardens along with Minnie, Daisy, Chip, Dale, Merlin and Yen Sid. Axel wondered if Sora had ever warranted such a turnout. Aqua, Terra and Ven had flown ahead of Riku's ship – a sort of guard of honour as they traversed the lanes between – and they landed in the gardens. He was grateful when they didn't attempt to talk to him. He certainly regretted his actions, but he wasn't yet ready to apologise. He offered them a silent nod which they returned.

Riku emerged from the hanger moment later with Kairi in his arms and Naminé at his side. The Good Fairies fluttered close behind, clutching their wands nervously and watching after Kairi with sad frowns. Riku's eyes met Axel's and he slowed slightly. Axel saw it for what it was – an invitation – and he folded his arms and shook his head a fraction. Let Riku be the one to carry her, he decided; let him feel the full weight of his actions (or lack thereof). After a moment Riku tilted his head in the smallest of nods before carrying on, following Micky and Minnie as they lead the silent procession through the regal corridors. They moved in to the throne room where Minnie flipped some secret switch that made the throne move aside to reveal a bare stone staircase that descended in to the bowels of the castle.

The Hall of the Cornerstone was a vast, empty room inhabited only by its namesake – a huge glowing orb of light resting on an ornately carved stone pedestal – and a small cot bed placed at its side. Riku made his way over, placing Kairi gently on the bed before stepping back, his shoulders slumped and shaking. Naminé made her way to his side, linking her hand with his.

The Cornerstone had pulsed with light, filling the room with a wash of warmth that slowly became a glowing tendril that reached out from the orb and connected with Kairi's chest. Everyone had turned to Yen Sid for explanation, but he could offer little more than a theory that the Cornerstone and Kairi's heart – two entities of pure light – were reacting to each other and that the Cornerstone was healing her broken heart. Naminé had nodded but had offered one small correction: the Cornerstone wasn't healing Kairi, it was giving her the strength she needed to heal herself.

Axel had remained by her side since. The others had returned to their various homes, with Naminé being the only other off-worlder allowed to remain. The world was too small to support them all, Mickey reasoned, but he would keep them updated with any news. He had offered Axel and Naminé rooms in he castle and suggested that perhaps they would be more comfortable taking it in turns. Axel had refused, opting instead to remain in the uncomfortable chair that Merlin had summoned for him (he had refused Axel's request to summon a bed for him in the hopes that it might encourage Axel to make his way upstairs, and had vastly underestimated Axel's stubborn determination).

The others visited often, though Axel rarely saw them. He only knew of their visits when Naminé came down to join him, bringing food and water that often went untouched. She never pressed him about it. He wondered if she had lost her appetite too. She spoke more than she ate, and speaking was rare enough. The occasional update on the comings and goings of various guests upstairs (most of whom, it seemed, were avoiding visiting Kairi in order to avoid a potential clash with Axel). Aqua came down once to invite them both up to a meeting; the other Guardians had gathered and were making a plan to figure out whether Luxu's claims were true. A small scouting mission, she promised, nothing more. Axel refused. He refused to do anything without Kairi. He'd made a promise.

"You're so stubborn," Xion had scolded later that afternoon after the meeting had ended. She helped herself to his stale sandwich. "You're not helping anyone by hiding out down here, y'know."

"I want to be here," he answered, "in case she needs me to wake up."

"You'd be less than a minute away if you went upstairs," Xion countered.

"Where's Roxas?" he asked. Xion's teasing smile fell and she shifted uncomfortably.

"He won't come down," she answered. "He's hurting, Axel. A lot of people are. She knew where Sora was and knew that he was in trouble, and she didn't tell anyone."

"She had her reasons," he answered curtly.

"I'm not saying she was right or wrong, but that doesn't change how people feel. You know that."

He did. In truth, the longer he lingered at her side the harder he found defending her secrecy. Why hadn't she told them? Did she really have so little faith in them? He had to force himself to remember the swirling emotions within her heart – the absolute conviction even as she was tearing herself apart that she was doing the right thing – but he found himself left with a burning question: how had Luxu convinced her that this, of all things, was the right thing to do?

The rustling of sheets drew his attention and he glanced towards the cot where Kairi's face had furrowed in to a grimace. The tendril of light from the Cornerstone had retreated and Axel's heart leapt to his throat as her eyes slowly opened.

"Kairi!" He rushed to her side, taking her hand in his and holding it tightly. It took a moment for her eyes to focus, and when they found him it took too long for them to settle on his face. Eventually there came a flash of recognition as the wheels in her brain began to turn.

"Axel…" The sound of his name made him smile, if only a little, as he helped her sit up.

"Easy, you've been out for a while. You might be a little stiff." He reached for the pitcher of water that Naminé brought down each morning and poured her a glass. She sipped it tentatively.

"How long?" she asked.

"Three and a half weeks."

"Weeks?" The single word carried such a note of disappointment. Axel wondered how long it had felt to her.

"Honestly we thought it would take longer," he said, though the words were far less comforting than he'd hoped they would be. He pulled back to drag the chair closer, too stiff to kneel beside her. "How are you feeling?"

It took her a long minute before she answered, as though she were taking the time to truly chest herself over. Her hand came to rest over her heart and her eyes slid closed as she took several deep breaths. At long last she lifted her gaze to his and she nodded slightly, her eyes sharp.

"Better. A lot better than I have been for a long time." Her hand lingered over her chest a moment longer before falling back in to her lap.

"I'm glad," he murmured, sitting back heavily in the chair. She nodded, her gaze falling slowly until it was back in her lap again, staring at her hands. She curled her fingers as though holding something before letting out a heavy breath.

"I'm sorry." The corner of Axel's mouth twitched slightly.

"Hey, what did I say about you apologising to-"

"This doesn't count," she said firmly. "I betrayed your trust, Axel. I took advantage of you and let you believe that I was okay. I've hurt so many people…" She trailed off, tangling her fingers in the blanket. Axel gave her a minute, but when she said nothing further he cleared his throat.

"Kairi, what happened to you after Xehanort…" He still couldn't say it, even with her sitting here in front of him. He swallowed thickly. "What did he do to you?"

"I don't know. Really this time," she added hastily, her eyes meeting his. "The last thing I remember, we were fighting Isa. Roxas had just come back and then Xemnas… he pulled me through the portal. Xehanort was waiting for us on the other side but he wasn't interested in me, he just wanted to use me to get to Sora."

"What happened?"

"I remember darkness and then I was sleeping. Not like just now, more like… like I was just taking a nap only I couldn't wake up. Then I felt… pain. All over. I think I went somewhere but I don't know where. I didn't feel whole… like parts of me were missing, and then Sora was there."

"So he found you?" She nodded.

"He helped me find all the pieces so I could put myself back together. My heart… my mind… I still don't know exactly what Xehanort did to me…" She shifted her weight, fiddling with the blanket with one hand as the other came to rest over her heart. She closed her eyes with a grimace.

"Riku said that it looked like… like you were shattered," he said. "Xehanort struck you wish his keyblade and… he said it was like you were made out of glass, but your back…"

"Ugly, isn't it?" To his surprise the corner of her lip twitched upwards in to a ghost of a smile. Her eyes met his. "Sora's got one too – right here." She prodded herself in the chest, right over her heart. "He says mine looks a lot like his." She pushed the smile too far and it shattered, falling away completely to reveal the exhaustion beneath. Axel sighed heavily.

"I wish you'd told us about that you knew where he was," he murmured.

"So do I," she said. "I was just so convinced that I was doing the right thing that I didn't even think to question it… Looking back now it all seems so obvious, but I'd spent so long without him in the labyrinth that I was getting desperate."

"The labyrinth?"

"It's where we ended up once Sora had found enough pieces of my heart that I could take form again," she answered. "There was one piece left but we couldn't find it anywhere in the Final World so we came back, right back in to Xehanort's labyrinth, only this time Luxu was controlling it."

"And the missing piece of your heart?"

"Luxu had it. He stuck around after losing to Sora and he took it before it could make its way to the Final World."

"So he was there the whole time, just watching?" Kairi nodded.

"Seems like he's been doing that for a long time," she answered. "He's been around for a long time, way back to the Master of Masters who made the first keyblade." Axel frowned and sat back heavily in the chair.

"See, that's been buggin' me ever since Xig- since Luxu mentioned it in Radiant Garden," he said. "He was just a lackey. An arrogant little lackey who did whatever Xemnas asked of him, and now I find out he's got his own keyblade-"

"It's not his, it's his Master's. He was tasked with keeping it safe."

"So what does his look like?" Axel asked. She shook her head.

"He doesn't have one," she said. "His Master gave one to to his other four apprentices, but Luxu didn't get one. He wanted Xehanort to do it, because then the keyblade would have truly been his, but Sora defeated him before he could perform the ceremony."

"But isn't just holding it enough? That's how you got yours, right?" She shrugged.

"I guess not," she answered. "Either that or maybe his heart isn't strong enough." Axel pursed his lips at the thought. Something about it didn't sit right… Sure he'd mostly known Xigbar as a heartless Nobody during their time in the Organsation, but you only became a Nobody – especially a walking, taking, capable-of-autonomous-thought Nobody – by having a strong heart to begin with. He saved that particular train of thought for later; that conversation would be more fruitful with someone who knew more about hearts.

"So Luxu has a piece of your heart?"

"Had," she corrected. "He said he had a score to settle with Sora. We thought he meant their last fight but he meant something much bigger. When Sora brought us all back he used the Power of Waking to restore all of your hearts. He should have faded away but I refused to let him go. He caused a huge imbalance that the only way the worlds could fix it was to do a big reset on the whole fight, but that broke all the rules."

"Rules?"

"He never really explained them properly," she answered. "His Master has something to do with the rules and Luxu was supposed to help him maintain order. He was supposed to hand Sora over to his Master so he tried to bargain: the fragment of my heart in exchange for Sora."

"And he agreed?" he spluttered. She shook her head.

"Not at first. I wanted to leave – I figured we'd made it that far without the final piece that I didn't need it – but Luxu…" She stopped with a violent shudder, curling in on herself and wrapping her arms around her knees. "He could use it to hurt me. I tried to make it stop but it hurt so much… Sora pleaded with him and he offered us a deal. If we could fight our way through the Labyrinth and take back the fragment, we could both leave together."

"So you chose to fight."

"We thought we knew the odds, but as soon as we agreed he introduced us to his friends."

I'd love to introduce you to my friends and they're just dying to meet all of you… Luxu's taunt echoed in Axel's mind and he sat forward with a frown. Talk to poppet, Luxu had teased. She knows all of my friends very well…

"Who are they?"

"Invi, Gula, Ira and Aced. They were all apprentices together with Luxu under the first Master. They followed us through the Labyrinth, setting up traps, testing us. We had no choice but to fight."

"For how long?"

"I don't know. I stopped counting. We were fighting every day and then running, always running…" She clenched her eyes shut and rested her chin on her knees. "Eventually they… We couldn't fight them anymore. Luxu came to us again with his offer: Sora for the fragment. He used it against me and I couldn't… I couldn't stop Sora when he agreed." A tear rolled down her cheek and she scrubbed at it angrily before raking her fingers through her hair.

"So that was when Luxu sent you back to us?" Axel asked. Kairi shook her head.

"They took Sora and left," she said. "I thought I was going to die in that maze. I couldn't find my way out… I just kept going in circles, making up all these crazy plans to try and save Sora. I remembered Roxas… Remembered how he could come back because there was a vessel waiting for him, and I thought about how Xehanort had travelled through time because he had freed his heart from his body. I thought if… if I could do that, then maybe I could go back and save Sora or save myself. Go back and stop it all from happening."

All of a sudden Luxu's riddles began to make sense. Axel had hoped that he'd been lying – that he'd somehow tricked Kairi in to thinking she was on the right path – but by letting her figure it out for herself the lie had somehow become even stronger.

"Luxu found out what I was doing," she continued. She paused for a moment before huffing out a dry, humourless laugh. "When he figured it out he looked so afraid, like I was about to ruin everything. I overheard him talking to the others, telling them that I was a threat. If I could free my heart then it would all be over for them. They agreed that my friends would stop me, so they would send me back to where I'd be protected."

"Luxu said that they sent you back to us," he murmured. She shrugged slightly.

"I don't really know what happened," she said. "I was too busy trying to… trying to free my heart. I didn't realise anything had changed until Riku appeared to me. At first I thought he was some trick so I tried to hide, and when I realised he was real I knew I had to push him out before he figured out what I was doing." She lowered her gaze. Trembling fingers tugged at the blankets around her knees. Axel swallowed thickly.

"You told Riku we couldn't help you," he murmured. His gaze locked with hers and he saw the shame lurking deep within them. "You weren't talking about helping you recover." Her ears flushed but she didn't drop her gaze.

"I thought I was doing what had to be done," she answered. "I thought I was the only one who could save Sora."

"So what Aqua promised to train you, to make you stronger…"

"I thought it would help me. I thought I could free my heart faster and stand a better chance when I went back to do it all again." She closed her eyes and let our a jagged, broken sigh. "I was so stupid."

"No, Kairi." He took both of her hands in his, holding them tightly. She buried her face in her knees. "You're… you're a lot of things, but you're not stupid."

"You were right." The words were muffled and barely audible through the blanket. They were punctuated by a sniff. "It felt so good to finally feel in control of my destiny for the first time that I didn't stop to think it through."

"Kairi, I-"

"Kairi!"

Her head snapped up at the sound. Naminé stood in the doorway, eyes wide and watering. The pitcher of water fell in to the ground with a thud, sloshing water over her feet. Axel stood, taking several steps back and letting Kairi's hands fall from his as Naminé ran towards her. She barrelled in to Kairi's chest, throwing her arms around the other girl's shoulders and burying her face in her crimson hair.

"I was so worried!" she sobbed. Kairi hugged her back fiercely.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. Naminé sniffled and nodded against her shoulder.

"Me too." Axel cleared his throat and stretched.

"I'm gonna head up and get some air," he said. "I'll catch you later." He caught Kairi's grateful smile peeking at him from behind the curtain of golden strands and he smiled back at her before making for the stairs, picking up the now-empty pitcher as he passed. With his free hand he pulled out his phone to write a short message to Xion. She could always be counted on to spread news like wildfire-

He bumped in to something soft that send him staggering sideways. He landed heavily against the wall (when had he reached the top of the stairs) to find Aqua several paces away, rubbing her elbow awkwardly.

"Sorry, Axel, I didn't see you there," she said softly. He tried to wave it off but only succeeded in sloshing a dribble of water over the plush carpet.

"Don't worry about it," he answered. She forced a smile and he nodded, clicking his tongue to fill the silence that followed. After a moment he cleared his throat. "Kairi's awake." Aqua's face lit up instantly, a hopeful smile spreading across her lips.

"Really? That's great news."

"Naminé's with her right now. The two of them have some catching up to do." The smile fell a little and Aqua nodded stiffly.

"I see," she answered, though the spark in her voice was gone as quickly as it had come. They lapsed in to silence again. Aqua tucked her hair behind her ear. Axel shifted his weight. His knee popped. Aqua straightened her skirt. The silence was becoming thicker by the minute until Aqua finally murmured, "I should probably get going." She ducked her head and skirted around him. The action was so meek and timid that it made Axel's chest ache. He bit his tongue and rolled his eyes and turned slowly on his heel until he was staring at her back.

"Aqua, wait." He was grateful when she did; turning back to him with a nervous furrow in her brow. He sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it-"

"Yes, you did," she said softly, "and it's okay. You were right; Riku and I should have noticed something. After Xehanort we spoke a little about it, about how difficult it was to tell the darkness outside our hearts apart from the darkness within. I think we were both too scared to do anything about it and now we've paid the price."

Kairi paid the price. Axel bit his tongue and swallowed the thought before he could speak it aloud.

"We've been speaking with Master Yen Sid and he's agreed to help us." She paused slightly, knitting her fingers together. "Master Eraqus didn't really have much time to teach me the true meaning of being a Master, and I've done my best to pass on what I know to Terra and Riku, but I barely know more than they do."

"So Yen Sid's finally coming out of retirement?" he chuckled. Aqua shrugged and smiled slightly.

"Kind of," she answered, "just to teach us more about the precepts of being a Keyblade Master."

"Precepts?"

"The basic rules, like how to maintain order and how to assess a potential candidate for succession and how to train them…" She paused, eyeing him carefully before continuing. "You could join us. The information might be useful to you, and you are entitled to it. If you want it, that is."

Did he? Kairi was awake now. She hadn't needed his help coming back to them, so he still hadn't used the Power of Waking to do any actual waking, but it seemed even in spite of his little outburst that Riku's assessment held true. He was a Master now; at least, he could be if he wanted to be.

"Not just yet," he answered slowly. "I want to help Kairi get back on her feet first. After that… we'll see." She nodded, a small smile on her lips, and he was grateful when she didn't push him further on the matter.

"Now that she's awake again, Mickey will want to head to the Keyblade Graveyard as soon as she's strong enough," Aqua said. He tilted his head.

"We're going back?" Aqua's brow furrowed.

"I thought Xion had told you," she said. She probably had but Axel hadn't been listening. "It seems Luxu was telling the truth and that is where he's keeping Sora. It looks like it's just him and four others but we don't want to underestimate him. We're all going together to get Sora back." It did sound somewhat familiar… He could vaguely recall Xion saying something about them waiting for Kairi so she could be with them when the time came. He nodded.

"I'll get Mickey to fill me and Kairi in on the details." Her shoulders sagged and her smile tightened and he winced. He hadn't meant to deflate it, but he couldn't deny that the situation still irked him. It was a nice touch that they hadn't left without Kairi, but they'd still made their plans without her. She knew what they were facing better than anyone, and nobody had waited to ask her opinion.

He might have mentioned it if he hadn't been so tired; instead he simply smiled and nodded as Aqua bid him a terse farewell before heading down the hall. Axel headed in the other direction, his mind intent on finding Mickey but his feet leading him elsewhere. Before he knew it he found himself in an empty guest room, and with what little energy he had left he trudged towards the bed and fell in to it face first, asleep before his head had touched the pillow.

Whew! That was a lot of exposition. I'm a huge fan of the show-don't-tell method of storytelling and try to use it whenever I Can, but unfortunately there was no way for me to show this much information without it becoming a side-story in its own right (which isn't completely off the table) – hence the huge info-dump. Hopefully Axel helped break it up a little!

A quick note for anyone left wondering about Kairi's story, specifically the part about Luxu and the Foretellers: Kairi only knows what Luxu has told her, what she may have overheard from the other Foretellers (who may or may not have known she was eavesdropping), and the assumptions she's been able to make based on her limited knowledge. She may or may not have the full story, that's all I'm saying…

Theories, thoughts and comments are always welcome in your review (or shoot me a DM – I'd love to chat with you!)