AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Hello everybody! How are you all doing? I managed to leave the house for more than groceries this week, and I even took some time to work on my tan. Spent a day sitting in the sun reading and writing and it felt so good.
Shout-outs as always to last chapter's reviewers: Thank you to crestoflight3, thank you to YumeTakato and gracias to KairiPendleton. And, as ever, a huge thank you to everyone who has followed and favourited. I am bowled over by the love that everyone has shown this story and I can't wait to take you with me in to the final showdown.
My current target whilst I'm not working full-time is to try and post a new chapter every 4-5 days. If you'd like to stay up to date with the latest writing updates, please check out my bio for a couple of handy links where you can follow me and find out more (and also doodles!).
I hope you enjoy today's chapter, and please do let me know what you think!
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE | SHADOWS IN THE SANDS
Agrabah was like nothing Kairi had ever experienced before.
They had disembarked in to the middle of a heaving market. It was so busy that nobody seemed to have even noticed that four bodies had appeared seemingly from nowhere, and they received little more than disgruntled looks (and a few sharp elbows) as they made their way through the crowd. More than once Kairi had felt someone squeeze through the midst of their group, and she had taken to clutching Naminé's hand tightly to keep them from being separated.
It was a stark contrast to the market in Radiant Garden where the mismatched stalls were arranged in neat rows and everyone seemed to have their own little plot. Here the stalls were practically piled on top of each other, wedged in so tightly that they were closer to barricades than booths, and the vendors were hollering their wares in to the chaotic din of the crowd. Smells assaulted them from all sides, from spice vendors and perfume merchants to the salty smell of brine from a fish vendor that made Kairi's heart yearn for home.
They came across Aladdin by sheer coincidence. Naminé, sweltering in the midday heat, had been the first to spot the watermelon stand tucked in to a shaded corner of the marketplace, and together she and Kairi had made a beeline towards it with Donald and Goofy following close behind. As they arrived they spied the merchant red-faced and spewing curses as he tried to wrestle a plump watermelon back from a small monkey. It was a challenge not to laugh, especially given that the monkey was dressed in a little fez hat and a tattered jacket, and if it hadn't been for the risk of the vendor's rage she might have taken out her phone to take a picture.
"Abu!" A voice cut through the crowd, sharp and stern, and the monkey flinched as a figure came to stand behind him. Dark eyes were narrowed down at the monkey as the man folded his arms with a stern frown. "What did I tell you about coming to the market today? We're just here to look." The monkey glanced up at the man, making a series of conversational chitters, but at the man's disapproving stare he quickly fell silent. He reluctantly let go of the melon and it fell back on to the vendor's stall with a heavy thud.
"Gah! My melon! You stupid monkey – how am I supposed to sell a bruised melon?!" He turned to the boy and waved a dangerous finger under his nose. "I'll have your hand for this, street rat-" The younger man held up his hands as the monkey leapt on to his chest, scrambling up his tattered vest to settle in around his neck.
"Whoa, easy! We can figure this out!" he said with a charming smile. The vendor folded his arms and glowered, watching as the man reached in to the pocket of his billowing pants. He withdrew several large gold coins which he passed to the vendor. "There, enough for five melons." The vendor swiped the coins and raised one to his mouth, biting down firmly. He inspected them each in turn before slipping the coins in to his pocket.
"That only buys you one," he said, rolling the battered melon across the counter. It quickly veered off-course and Kairi dove forward to keep it from splattering on to the ground.
"That's not fair!" Donald squawked. All eyes turned to them, and while the vendor's face turned from red to puce the young man's face lit up with a bright smile.
"Donald! Goofy! What are you doing here?"
"Well hey there, Aladdin!" Goofy greeted warmly. "We were comin' to see you!"
"You dare tell me how to run my stall?!" the vendor exploded.
"He paid for five melons!" Donald shouted back. "He should get five melons!"
"Really, Donald, it's okay," Aladdin said with a laugh, placing a hand on the frazzled duck's shoulders. "I couldn't eat them all anyway. I think a few extra coins are enough to apologise for Abu." Abu narrowed his eyes, folded his arms, and let out a stream of angry chatter. Aladdin laughed and reached up to knock his hat to the side.
"We'll take one," said Kairi. The vendor glanced at Aladdin's melon cradled in her arms. "For us," she quickly added, tilting her head towards Naminé. The vendor's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Oh no you won't," he spat. "His money was for one."
"We have our own money," Kairi countered. Naminé reached in to her pocket and revealed several large gold coins which the vendor eyed hungrily.
"Fine, fine, fine," he finally blustered. "Choose one and be quick." Kairi had never actually chosen a watermelon before, and she was grateful when Aladdin reached forwards to point to a particularly dark melon with a creamy yellow spot. The vendor's face fell and he quickly tried to encourage her to choose another – a paler, smaller melon with a white circle – but Kairi stuck firm and the vendor finally conceded (though she was fairly certain he swindled her on the price). He thrust the heavy melon in to her arms and ushered them on their way with a seething glare. Aladdin took the lead and Abu twisted, standing on Aladdin's shoulder to tip his hat to the merchant who looked like he might just explode at the gesture.
"So what are you doing here?" Aladdin asked as he led them away from the market. "And… where's Sora?"
"That's why we came to see you," Goofy answered.
"Sora needs your help," Donald added. Aladdin frowned.
"My help?"
"And Jasmine's," Goofy added. "Oh, and Genie too, if he's still here-"
The ground trembled underfoot. Kairi held tightly to the watermelons and Naminé held tightly to Kairi as a thick blue smoke began to roll around them, bringing with it an explosive display of thunder and lightning.
"Did somebody-" CRASH "-call for-" FLASH "a genie?"
The voice was all-encompassing, reverberating through Kairi's chest as the smoke bubbled at their feet. There came a sudden rush of magic that made the hairs on the back of her arms stand up as the smoke began to take form. A towering figure emerged, blue from head to toe as he loomed over them – taller than the buildings on either side of the alley. Kairi swallowed thickly, pulling Naminé behind her as the being continued to radiate power.
"Behold!" it boomed, it's voice thrilling and terrifying all at once. "I am the great and powerful genie! Master-less and free!" Aladdin chuckled and folded his arms.
"Genie," he chided fondly. The genie tilted forwards slightly, peering down his hooked nose at them, and when his eyes landed on Kairi and Naminé he seemed to jump, pressing his hands against his mouth as his eyes bulged. He disappeared in a puff of smoke that left Kairi's stomach in knots, and when he reappeared next to Aladdin (at a much more reasonable size) Kairi felt her heart jump to her throat. Genie's large eyes were still fixed on Kairi and Naminé as he leaned in towards Aladdin.
"Gee, Al, d'ya think I might have overdone it with the intro?" he asked in a dramatic whisper. Aladdin grinned and rolled his eyes before lightly shoving him away.
"Just a little," he laughed.
"Well aren't you gonna introduce me?" He drew himself up tall, puffing out his big, blue chest as his face split in to a grin. Aladdin's cheeks filled with colour and he scratched the back of his head nervously.
"I… uh… Well-" Genie gasped, hands flying to his chest.
"Aladdin! Don't tell me you don't even know their names?!" Genie smacked his head dramatically and disappeared. Kairi felt the rush of magic as he appeared behind her, squeezing his way between her and Naminé.
"My apologies, ladies, I don't know what came over me and don't even try and ask me about what came over him. Let's start again – Hi! Where're you from? What're your names?" The microphone appeared from nowhere, hovering in front of Kairi's face. He spoke so quickly that it took Kairi a moment to catch up, and she stared blankly at Genie who was watching her expectantly.
"K-Kairi," she finally answered. Genie beamed.
"Kairi! Oh what a lovely name. Nice melons. And what about you?" He plucked the microphone from the air and quickly pointed it towards Naminé.
"Naminé," she answered, the uncertainty in her expression tempered by a nervous laugh. The microphone disappeared and Genie clapped his hands together, appearing in front of them faster than Kairi could blink.
"And where are you from?" He disappeared again, popping up beside Kairi to lift a strand of her hair, then beside Naminé to tug at her dress, and then he was lying on his belly at their feet to poke at their shoes with a thoughtful frown. "You're definitely not local-"
"They can't tell you!" Donald exclaimed, folding his arms with a huff. Genie twisted his head all the way round until he was looking backwards.
"Donald! Goofy!" He appeared between them and threw an arm around each of their shoulders, dragging them in to a tight hug. "It's been too long! Gimme some feathers and fur!" He jostled them both from side to side, taking one of each of their hands and using them to perform a complicated handshake.
"Good to see you too, Genie!" Goofy exclaimed. Genie frowned then, appearing next to Aladdin with a frown wearing a black beret and a stained artist's apron.
"Wait a second," he said, waving a paintbrush wildly. (Where had the paintbrush come from?) "There's something not right about this picture…" He lifted his hand to his face, drawing his fingers thoughtfully down his cheeks and leaving smears of sparkling paint along his jaw. After a moment his jaw fell and the costume disappeared as he cried: "Where's Sora?!"
"That's why we're here!" Donald squawked, folding his arms and tapping his foot furiously.
"Sora needs our help, Genie," said Aladdin. Genie's mouth snapped shut and he disappeared in a flash of smoke, reappearing between Donald and Goofy wearing another new outfit. This one was black from head to toe, with thick black boots, a heavy-set utility belt, armoured chest piece and a gleaming black and white helm with a protective visor. In his hands he held a sleek black weapon which he cocked once before hunkering down.
"You just say the word and I'm there!"
"Not like that," Donald groaned. Genie glanced down to his hands and grimaced.
"Of course. You're right!" Another puff of smoke and Kairi nearly choked at the sight of Genie – now barely as tall as Goofy – dressed in an all-too-familiar outfit. Black and yellow gloves, a cropped black jacket trimmed in white, and loose pants with red pockets attached by criss-crossing yellow belts. Genie's round, blue face peered out from beneath spikes of brown hair with a serious expression.
"Like this!" he said, holding out his hands. A keyblade appeared – a purple handle surrounded by an ornate golden guard, with a short shaft that faded from broad blue to narrow gold from which the blade erupted in gleaming golden swirls.
"Or maybe this?" Another burst of smoke appeared at Goofy's side and suddenly there were two Genies; the second was shorter – less than a head taller than Donald – and dressed in Sora's old red romper and yellow sneakers. The second Genie also had a keyblade, though this one was much simpler by comparison – a dull wooden handle with a bronze pommel protected by a ruddy-brown guard. The tip of the blade curved back on itself in a series of gleaming bronze swirls. It was still Genie's face beneath the wild mop of hair, but it was somewhat disconcerting to see that he'd gotten rid of his swirling goatee in favour of a smaller chin and rounder cheeks.
Kairi felt her head begin to spin.
"Not that either, you big palooka!" Donald scolded.
"Sora needs your memories," Goofy added. The Genie-Soras disappeared and Genie reappeared beside Aladdin.
"Our memories?" Aladdin asked.
"Naminé needs to strengthen your memories of Sora so that you can help us get him back," said Donald. Aladdin frowned, glancing quickly to Naminé and then back to Donald and Goofy.
"You said you needed Jasmine's help too," Aladdin began. "Does that mean her memories?" Goofy nodded.
"Every memory helps."
"Then there's no time to lose!" Genie exclaimed. He clicked his fingers and everything disappeared behind a wall of blue smoke. When it faded, the world around them had changed. The narrow streets and tall buildings of the city had been replaced by a beautiful colonnade; a smooth sandstone walkway between two ponds lined with ornately carved pillars supporting a domed, stone roof. Their sudden arrival startled the flock of flamingos that had been lounging in the water, and they ruffled their feathers and squawked in disdain. The sudden change in scenery left Kairi's head spinning, and it took Goofy's hand on her shoulder to keep her on her feet.
"Here, Kairi, let me hold them for ya," he offered, taking the watermelons from her arms with a smile.
"C'mon, this way," said Aladdin. Genie held him back, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Say, Al, d'you really want Jasmine seeing you like that?" he asked, raising a knowing eyebrow. Aladdin glanced down at his weatherworn attire and grimaced before glancing bashfully up to Genie.
"Genie, would you mind-" Genie clicked his fingers and Aladdin disappeared behind a wall of smoke, emerging moments later clad in gleaming cream and gold. He shrugged his way out of his jacket and draped it over his arm with a grateful murmur before leading them down to the courtyard below. It was lined with carefully trimmed trees and bushes on all sides, with a square of smooth sandstone set around an ornate fountain. A peacock sat near the bottom of the stairs between two clay vases of tumbling jasmine and honeysuckle blossoms; it lifted its head as they arrived, assessing them with a beady eye before rising to its feet and fanning its tail with an impressive shiver that made the golds and greens glisten like gems as it stalked away from them.
"Aladdin? Is that you?"
Jasmine was unchanged, as though no time had passed since Kairi had last seen her in the bowels of Hollow Bastion. Her thick black hair was bound by strips of teal that were fastened by a gleaming sapphire perched atop her head, and her vibrant clothes set off the rich russet-brown of her skin. She appeared from behind the fountain and quickly froze as she laid eyes on the group. "Donald! Goofy! And... can it be… Is that you, Kairi?" Kairi's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her name and her voice disappeared, leaving her to nod silently. Jasmine's face split in to a smile and she hurried around the fountain, quickly closing the distance between them and taking Kairi's hands lightly in her own. "It is so good to see you again!"
"Wait, Jasmine, you know her?" Aladdin asked. Jasmine turned to him with a firm nod.
"Of course," she answered. "Kairi is a princess, just like me."
"A princess!" Aladdin exclaimed. Genie wrung his hands nervously, comical beads of sweat dripping down his face.
"Oh – well – uh, geez – I – I'm sorry for talking about your melons back there," he said, lifting his fingers to his neck and loosening an imaginary collar as his other arm held a watermelon tight against his chest. Kairi shook her head.
"I'm not a real princess," she corrected. "Not like you." Jasmine turned her attention back to her and her expression melted a little.
"You're right," said Jasmine with a kind smile. "A Princess of Heart is far more important than a would-be Sultanah." She turned to Naminé then and took one of her hands too. "Are you one of the new lights?" Naminé quick smothered her surprise with a gentle smile and a shake of her head.
"No, I'm just here to help," she answered.
"Help?" Jasmine asked with a frown. "Is something the matter?"
"Not with us," Aladdin answered. "C'mon, we'll explain it inside."
They made their way back up the stairs and in to the cool shade of a grand room decorated with swathes of fabric and huge plush pillows set around a small wooden table. Jasmine invited them all to sit as Genie summoned a small tray of cups and saucers and an ornate kettle which Jasmine set atop a small burner. Her fingers searched the tray for a moment before she sat back on her knees with a small huff.
"Now where have they gotten to..." A shadow shifted behind her, and from beneath a blanket of heavy velvet emerged a great tiger. Kairi felt her heart skip a beat as it walked slowly over to them, scooping something off the floor with its mouth and dropping it in to Jasmine's lap. She smiled and turned to scratch the tiger behind the ear. "Thank you, Rajah." The tiger let out a small chuff and collapsed heavily behind her, nearly knocking the box of matches from her fingers as he rested his back against hers.
While Jasmine prepared the tea, Kairi and Naminé gave a few brief details about what had happened to Sora before explaining what they were here to do and how it would help. When they were done, Jasmine pursed her lips and glanced to Aladdin.
"Of course we'll do everything we can to help," she said. Aladdin agreed with a firm nod.
"I'll go first," he said. "What do you need me to do?"
Together they reshuffled themselves and the pillows so that Aladdin and Naminé could sit facing each other. Naminé took Aladdin's hands in hers and they closed their eyes, falling in to a trance-like state, still as statues. Jasmine watched them closely.
"It is safe, isn't it?" she asked. Kairi nodded.
"Very safe," she promised. "All Naminé is doing is looking for Aladdin's memories of Sora, and strengthening the connection between Aladdin's heart and Sora's." This seemed enough to soothe Jasmine who took another sip of her tea and turned fully to Kairi.
"So tell me what's happened with you," she said. "You look so different! But then, you were so young when we first met."
"Well I… I've been learning how to fight, like Sora," she said. Jasmine's eyes went wide.
"How incredible," she breathed. "And do you have a keyblade too, like him?" Kairi twisted away, holding her hand to the side and summoning Destiny's Embrace which she offered to Jasmine. The princess set her tea aside and handled the keyblade as though it were made of glass, turning it over in her hands and examining every detail.
"What of the others?" Jasmine asked as she handed the keyblade back to Kairi who dismissed it. "Are the other princesses all right?"
"We haven't been to see them yet," Kairi answered. "You're the first."
"Oh how I wish I could see them all again," Jasmine sighed. "After I chose to pass along my power… I didn't realise how much of a comfort it had been. You didn't choose to pass your power on, did you?"
"I needed to hold on to it for a while," she answered.
"Do you think you ever will?" Kairi sipped at her tea to buy herself time. In truth she hadn't really given it much thought – she'd fought with it for so long, using the light to her advantage, that she wondered how much of her strength came from that power and how much came from her own. The lines were too blurred to tell.
"I'm not sure," she finally answered. "Right now I want to get Sora home and safe. Then I might decide." Jasmine smiled sadly and rested her hand on Kairi's knee.
"It is a burden, but giving it up… there is a sense of loss," she said softly. "I don't regret it. But then, I suppose I haven't had much need of it."
She turned her attention to Donald and Goofy then, asking after each of them before the conversation circled around to Sora again. Kairi turned and focused on her tea, glad to be out of the spotlight. She drifted in and out of the conversation, but there was nothing that she hadn't heard before.
A flicker of movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. At first she thought it might have been Rajah, but then the tiger gave a great, sleepy sigh as he nuzzled in against Jasmine and Kairi's stomach twisted. She stared down at her lap, her attention focused on the edges of her vision, and she quickly caught it again. She turned her gaze towards it, watching closely as the shadow crept in to the light. The unversed sat there for the briefest moment, red eyes fixed on Kairi, before it turned and darted out in to the garden. Kairi quickly drained her tea and set the cup back on the table.
"Jasmine, would you mind if I explore the gardens?" she asked quickly. Jasmine looked up at her with a smile.
"Not at all. Is everything all right?" Kairi forced a smile of her own and quickly rose to her feet.
"I just didn't really get to see them before and they look so beautiful," she said. It wasn't technically a lie. "Naminé might be a little while so I thought I would take a look around."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Goofy asked, already halfway out of his pillow. She waved her hand.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," she said, flashing them her best smile before she made for the door. Genie was basking in the sun outside, holding a tall glass filled with ice in one hand as he lay back on a brightly coloured recliner. Kairi had to keep herself from staring at the sight beside him – a brightly coloured rug standing on two tassels while the other two tassels had come together like hands to grip a huge palm leaf which he was using to fan Genie. Neither of them seemed to notice the unversed (or her, for that matter) and she slipped past them to head down the steps towards the garden where she spied the unversed peeking out from behind the fountain. As she approached it darted off again, zooming towards the shadow under the trees. Kairi glanced back over her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear before following, ducking out of the sun and into the bushes where the unversed sat waiting for her.
The flood was larger than most of the ones she remembered, but unlike its counterparts this one had white paws. It sat back on its haunches, eyeing her somewhat nervously as she approached. She closed the distance slowly, step by step, until the flood flinched away and she sat down on the grass.
"Vanitas?" she called softly. "Are you there?" She was met by silence. The unversed continued to stare at her, tilting her head this way and that as it watched her closely. She sighed. "Do you know where he is?"
The unversed remained silent, not that she had particularly expected it to give her an answer. After a while it slowly crept forward until it was close enough to nudge her fingers with its nose. She waited, unsure of what it was trying to achieve, and the unversed nuzzled its head under her hand and looked up at her from between her fingers.
"Do you want me to change you?" she asked. The unversed darted out from under her hand and made several tight, excited circles before coming to sit infront of her like an excitable puppy. Its beady eyes watched her hand closely as she slowly reached out towards it, and after giving it a moment to change its mind she finally reached out with her heart too.
The emotions she found waiting for her were complex, and it took her several moments to try and decipher them. There was… anxiety, a bubbling nervousness, accompanied by a sense of longing. For what? She dug a little deeper, trying to see if she could find any kind of context. The fear… the longing… they were both for the same thing. Something Vanitas wanted… but was afraid to have… no, not just have. He was afraid to receive…
"Don't go. Stay."
The voice was warped and distorted, but oddly familiar. The fear and the longing seemed to spike at the sound. Was that it? The feeling of being wanted? It would certainly fit the bill…
She went with her gut, latching on to the core of the unversed and filling it full of love and confidence and the feeling of giving and receiving acceptance. She poured in the feeling of being invited to Selphie's ninth birthday party, and of Sora pestering her to join him and Riku out on Play Island, and of Riku coming to collect her from the islands, of telling her that she would be joining them in the great war against the darkness – the nervous excitement of finally being included after years of watching them from afar.
The inversed was white from head to toe by the time she was done, and violet eyes blinked up at her several times as she finally pulled her hand away. It raced up her arm and along her shoulders, nuzzling at her neck before darting back towards the grass and disappearing in to the bushes.
"Wait!" She scrambled to her feet, taking off after it. The inversed was easy to spot amongst the shadows, and she followed it through the gardens until she reached the back wall where it darted up a tree and clambered over the wall. Kairi followed as quickly as she could, embedding chunks of ice in to the tree which she used to climb up and over before using a small aero spell to cushion her fall. The inversed was some distance away now and she set off at a sprint in a desperate attempt to keep up. If Vanitas was here, she was not going to let him get away from her.
The inversed took her around the outskirts of the city, following a great stone wall until they arrived at the city gates. A vast desert lay beyond and the inversed quickly slipped out in to it. Kairi made to follow, but a thick hand around her wrist made her yelp in surprise.
"Running out of the city? I think we found ourselves a thievin' little street-mouse!" She span around to face her assailant. He was a tall burly man with a broad face and a rich black beard trimmed in to a fine point. Two beady eyes peered down at her from beneath a fierce, furrowed brow as his lips split in to a hungry grin. "What did you steal, little mouse?"
"I didn't steal anything," she said, trying her best to wriggle out of his grasp. His fingers tightened around her wrist and she grit her teeth.
"Then why were you running out of the city?" he demanded. She blanched; how could she tell a stranger what she was up to without letting slip about all the things he wasn't supposed to know.
"I - I was just – I was trying to-"
"You were trying to get away!" he bellowed. "I will show you the penalty for stealing, little mouse. You won't be able to keep what you took!" His free hand was reaching towards the gleaming curved sword at his hip and she saw her opportunity. The man was no taller than Axel, after all, even if he was a bit broader. She quickly stepped in towards him and wrapped her free arm around his chest; the move caught him off guard and she felt his fingers loosen just enough for her to tear her other arm free and wrap it around him, fingertips grazing each other as she tightened her grip. She tucked her leg behind him and twisted, dragging him off balance by tipping his weight over her hip and dropping him in to the dirt where he lay stunned.
"I'm sorry!" she called over her shoulder as she set off towards the desert. The sand shifted underfoot, but she had been brought up running on beaches and it took a mere second for her to make the shift in her gait. She heard the chaos of the city melt away behind her as she continued to run, her eyes sharp for a glimmer of white amongst the golden sands, but as she crested a small dune she was met with a sight that made her heart plummet. Shadows were clawing their way out of the sand – heartless of all shapes and sizes.
She wouldn't be able to fight all of them on her own, but the heartless could not be allowed in to the city. There was the Captain and his guards, who might be of some assistance, but their weapons would do little against the rapidly advancing shadows. Too late she thought of Donald and Goofy, but there was no time to get her phone now; the shadows were hurtling towards her. Kairi raised Destiny's Embrace high overhead and planted it in to the ground, sending out a burst of light that raced out on either side before exploding upwards in to a wall. It was enough to push back the first wave of heartless, though spread over such a large area it was thin and quickly overwhelmed. Her stomach churned and she grit her teeth as the first of the heartless lunged towards her, its beady eyes glued to her keyblade. It leapt and she ducked beneath it, thrusting the keyblade up in to its belly. Another heartless leapt through the fading shadow and caught her off guard, its claws gripping her shoulder and dragging her down in to the sand where she rolled, spitting sand and cursing under her breath.
"I wish I had some backup," she muttered as she scrambled back to her feet. She turned towards a lumbering neoshadow just in time to see it disappear behind a rolling curtain of blue smoke.
"Doth mine ears deceive me?" said Genie as he emerged, a hand cupped comically around his pointed ear. "Or do I detect the desperate cries of a damsel in dis- Ho! Wow! That is a lot of heartless!"
"Genie!" she cried. "I need Donald and Goofy!"
"On it!" He disappeared, leaving behind a wash of smoke that left her blind to the shadow which made a leap for her head. She barely twisted out of the way in time, but the creature still managed to scrape its claws across her shoulders. She hissed and span quickly on her heel, firing a blast of ice from the tip of her keyblade as she pressed a hand over her shoulder for a rudimentary healing spell as the heartless dissipated in to smoke.
She felt the pulse of magic that accompanied Genie's return and she was greatly relieved to hear Donald and Goofy joining the fray.
"I'll get it!" The cry was accompanied by a burst of lightning that fried several nearby heartless. Goofy came spinning towards her then, a whirling blur that knocked back several heartless and gave them enough of a chance to regroup.
"Genie, can you shield the city?" Kairi asked.
"Leave it to me!" he called, rolling up imaginary sleeves before doubling back on himself towards the gates.
"The heartless will follow the keyblade," said Goofy as his shield collided with a nearby soldier. Kairi nodded.
"Then we lead them in to the desert." She lifted her keyblade and fired a pulse of pure light in to the air. She felt a chill as the heartless that had been rushing towards the city suddenly turned their attention towards her, and after firing another blast to make sure they would follow she turned and ran through the clearing Donald had made behind her.
The shifting sands made it difficult to achieve any kind of real speed, but they managed to put a fair amount of distance behind them before the heartless were close enough to strike. Kairi felt the pull of something approaching rapidly from behind, and as she dove aside she saw Goofy dive in to intercept it. She rolled back to her feet, recalling Destiny's Embrace and sweeping it in a wide arc to give herself room. The shadows were low in strength but high in numbers – an all-too-familiar scenario – but the feeling of calm control that had settled in her chest was a welcome change to the last time she had been outnumbered like this.
"Kairi!" Goofy's cry cut through the noise of the fight and she turned to him, finding his shield glowing and gleaming. She nodded and raced towards him, grabbing his outstretched hand and launching him high in to the air where he hung, motionless, before plummeting shield-first in to a cluster of heartless and banishing them in a single strike.
"My turn!" Donald exclaimed, catching Kairi's eye. She felt his heart reach out towards hers and she flooded the connection with light. His eyes gleamed as he thrust his staff in to the air. "Duck flare!" The magic exploded out like fireworks, obliterating several nearby shadows and sending the others staggering and scrambling away from the attack.
It was just the opening Kairi needed. She targeted several neoshadows and waited for her magic to flare in response before leaping high in to the air. She threw her arms wide, filling the sky with pearls of light before swooping down and bringing the pearls with her. They raced ahead of her, clearing several knots of tangled, frazzled shadows. The wave of heartless was thinner now, spread further apart by the force of her attack. She wound her arm back and threw her keyblade hard, sending it spinning towards a lumbering novashadow and quickly warping after it, plucking it from the air as it rebounded off the novashadow and following up with a series of blows until it finally succumbed.
At long last the wave of heartless finally began to ebb. Kairi wiped the sweat from her face on the back of her arm and sent several blasts of ice to eliminate a trio of approaching shadows.
"You okay, Kairi?" Donald asked as he took out another heartless to her left. She nodded.
"Just thirsty," she wheezed. She fired a weak blizzaga and quickly snared one of the icicles, melting it in between her hands and drinking it whilst it was still cool.
"Gwarsh, that sure looks refreshin'," Goofy panted, eyeing her palm hungrily. Kairi smiled and lifted her keyblade in to the air. This time she fired the blizzaga in to the air where it exploded in to crystalline fragments that quickly melted under the Agrabah sun and fell down like rain. Goofy tilted his head back and stuck out his tongue with a grin.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Donald asked, holding his hand out as the last of the raindrops fell in to the sand. Kairi dismissed her keyblade, watching the last of the heartless as they scarpered back out in to the desert.
"It was Sora's idea," she said. "He can do it with waterza, but my water magic isn't strong enough. It's better when he does it."
"I say it's pretty awesome when you do it!" Goofy exclaimed with a grin before shaking droplets of water from his ears and showering Donald who grumbled and stomped his foot. "Say, Kairi, were you teleportin' back there?"
"Teleporting?"
"You kept throwing your keyblade and disappearin'," he said. Realisation struck and she shook her head.
"Not really," she answered. "Sora called it warping. He was trying to teach me strike raid and I threw my keyblade too far. I panicked and tried to recall it, but instead of it coming to me I went to it."
"I've never seen anyone do that before. It was impressive." The compliment sent a flush of heat rushing to her face and she tugged at the hem of her shorts.
"I can only do it over short distances, and only by using my keyblade," she said. Goofy folded his arms and gave her a fond smile.
"I bet Sora couldn't do it."
"Well, no, but-"
"But nothin'! Oh, look!" She was glad when he pointed over his shoulder and she had an excuse to turn away and try to quell the burning in her cheeks. (Sunburn. She would blame it on sunburn.) A dot in the sky above the city was quickly growing bigger and Kairi felt Naminé's heart reaching out towards her as the dot became a shadow which resolved itself in to an unusual sight – Naminé, Aladdin and Jasmine barrelling towards them atop a flying carpet with Genie close behind.
Before she had time to wonder at it, the carpet had come to a stop several paces away and it bent itself this way and that to make steps for its passengers to disembark.
"Is everyone all right?" asked Jasmine. "Genie said there were heartless."
"We took care of them!" Donald boasted.
"At least for now," said Goofy, "but you should be careful." Naminé frowned and knitted her fingers together nervously.
"If it's heartless, does that mean Maleficent might be nearby?" she asked. Jasmine paled.
"Maleficent? I thought Sora defeated her." Donald and Goofy shared an uncertain glance.
"It's a long story," Donald said at last, which did nothing to soothe Jasmine's uncertainty. Kairi forced a smile.
"Don't worry. She won't come after you again, I promise."
"But what about you?" The concern caught Kairi off-guard and she found that she didn't quite have an answer for the princess. An awkward silence settled over them and Kairi felt the flush creeping back up her neck.
"What happened with Razoul?" Aladdin asked. "He said something about some thief running in to the desert."
"Who's Razoul?" Donald asked.
"The Captain of the Guard," he answered. Kairi felt her face burn again and she quickly recounted what had happened at the city gates. To her surprise Aladdin merely laughed. "You'll have to teach me how to take him down like that. I think you put his shoulder out." Kairi felt her stomach drop.
"Oh no, I didn't mean to hurt him!" she said. "I should head back and heal him-"
"No, no, leave him be," Aladdin said with a dismissive wave and a mischievous grin. "Maybe he'll learn a thing or two about jumping to conclusions."
"Aladdin," Jasmine chided, though Kairi didn't miss her barely-concealed smile as she wrapped her hands around his elbow.
"Naminé, were you able to sort through both their memories?" Kairi asked. She nodded.
"We're all done," she said, "but I didn't get a chance to sit with Genie." Genie merely shrugged.
"I wouldn't bet on getting too far with this ol' noggin," he said, rapping his knuckles against his head. It made a hollow, wooden sort of sound. "This mind's made of magic, and my memories don't work like yours do. But I might be able to work a little bit of genie magic on my connection with Sora." Naminé smiled and rested a hand on his elbow.
"Thank you, Genie."
"We should get a move on," said Donald. Goofy nodded firmly.
"Yeah, and we'd better tell everyone else to be on the lookout for heartless." Donald folded his arms with a firm nod. Jasmine crossed to Kairi then and took her hands lightly in her own.
"You will come and visit, won't you?" she asked. "You and Sora, and you can tell me all about the others." Kairi glanced at Donald and Goofy, but neither of them looked like they were about to intervene. She supposed there was no point trying to protect the world order with Jasmine anyway.
"I… I'll try," she said. Jasmine smiled and pulled her in to a tight hug.
"Stay safe, Kairi."
I take it back. I take back everything I ever said about finding any part of this story difficult to write. This chapter – this chapter – was simultaneously the best and worst one. Trying to capture Robin Williams' chaotic energy and put it down on paper is near-impossible. I grew up loving him in so many different films, and I sincerely hope that I have done him justice.
Also was anyone else just thoroughly confused by how the "Seven Lights" situation was handled in KHIII? I had to go back and refresh my memory to see if we were given any more detail, but nope – just told that all but Kairi had 'passed on their power', whatever that means.
(Also also, I am still obsessed with Kairi's moveset.)
Supportive Dad!Goofy for the win! We love him. He is too good.
Let me know what you thought! Smash that review button, and I'll see you in the next chapter. Ciao for now!