A/N: A bit of a disclaimer so you know what to expect. This will be a story focused heavily on Kairi as she comes to understand her destiny as a Keybearer and wielder of the power of light as one of the Princesses of Heart, and what better way to get her up to speed than to throw her in the meat grinder? Yep, her first introduction to the worlds beyond will be the Norse lands from God of War(2018).

Not a typical world by any means, but if our girl can make it there, she can make it anywhere.

Similarly, the point of this story is to expand on Kairi as a character. We see precious little of her in canon and what we do see mostly relegates her to being tucked away somewhere in the back. She has potential and deserves better than that and I hope to give her that much. I will also touch a bit more on her abilities and powers as one of the Princesses of Heart-yet another opportunity the games seemed to have tossed by the wayside.

Basically Kairi will be more or less like Sora was at the beginning of the series-a fish out of water, completely out of her depth, and figuring this all out as she goes along. I will say this much though... all the experience and different opponents she'll be facing will make her a much smarter, craftier, capable fighter than she was in KH3/MoM. Because the way she just hung there like a limp fish when the Norts grabbed her was... disappointing.

See you soon.


Kairi stepped into the light and a sharp spike of pain throbbed in her head. Squinting at the afternoon sun, she reached into the pocket of her skirt and withdrew a slim bottle which rattled with pills. She downed two of them before placing the container back. She joined the throngs of students eagerly making for the gates of Sunset Terrace High School and into the sweet release of freedom.

"Oi, Kairi!"

She turned to see a waving hand rise among the sea of students, and a girl bounded forward, her black hair which had been tied into a ponytail swaying with each energetic step. "Good thing I caught you before you left," she said with a cheerful smile.

"Can I help you, Tomoe?"

The black-haired girl withdrew a planner from her bookbag, opening it to a marked tab. "I wanted to see when we could fit you in for practice. You know, what with the upcoming tournament against the other schools, we need our best runners in top form."

"Right, right," Kairi muttered, casting a longing glance at the school gates. "Listen, this week really isn't gonna work for me. I got stuff going on and..."

Tomoe nodded. "Gotcha, no worries. Next week then. We have a few slots open for..."

"That's not gonna work either."

"Oh. The week after, then?" Tomoe said, flipping to another page. "Schedule should be wide open for the most part, so you got your pick for the best time slots and..."

"You know, Tomoe, I think I'll be taking a break from club activities for a while."

Tomoe looked up, her eyes wide. "But... we have the tournament coming up."

"Yes, you said that."

"I... don't understand," she said slowly. "You're one of best members. You love track, remember? You've never missed a day of practice."

Kairi sighed. "Yes, well. Like I said, I have other things going on."

"But..."

Kairi had half-turned by this point, making for the school gates. "Sorry, it really isn't a good time. I'll let you know if I'm free later, okay?" she said with a half-hearted wave of the hand and left the gobsmacked Tomoe behind.

Some twists and turns later saw her walking down the main street of the island, where dozens of her fellow students had splintered off in little groups of their own. Many of them had made a habit of frequenting the island staples, crowding to get fresh, piping hot malasadas or blended fruit smoothies or ducking inside the air-conditioned cinema to catch the latest movie.

She passed these all and more, looking forward at the prospect of locking herself in her room, drawing the curtains shut and binging her favorite shows until sleep claimed her.

Sleep...

The mere thought brought a fresh yawn to her lips. But even as she lost herself in fantasies of snuggling down under the covers in a chilled room, she felt her phone vibrate twice, telling of a message. Flipping it open, she saw it came from Selphie.

hey, can you come over?

why, what's up?

i need your help with something

can it wait? i have something going on right now

Pleeeeaaaase? :(

Kairi smiled in spite of herself.

k, be there soon

She adjusted course and headed for the residential district where Selphie lived. She knew the path well, having spent many a night past sleeping over. The house was a two-story affair, with a white porch in which a swing chair big enough to fit three people lazily rocked in the gentle breeze. Selphie's parents had left the day prior to visit family in the mainland, yet Kairi still knocked twice before entering. The inside was as clean and tidy as she remembered. Kairi stepped into the living room, where all the windows had been opened to allow a refreshing cross-breeze.

"Selphie?" she called out.

"Upstairs," came the response, muffled.

Kairi climbed the steps and gave a brief knock before entering her friend's room.

"Now then," Selphie said as she gestured to the foot of her bed. "Why don't you take a seat, right over there?"

"Selphie, what are you doing?"

"That's Doctor Selphie to you, miss," Selphie said airily as she adjusted her stylish horn-rimmed glasses. Kairi almost smiled. Her friend sat cross-legged on a rolling swivel chair just in front of her desk. She was smartly dressed in a white button-down top, a form fitting pencil skirt and tasteful dress shoes. In her hands she held a pen and clipboard.

"Doctor Selphie, then. Same question."

"Why, I'm here to help you."

"Help."

"Yes."

"Me."

"Also yes."

"Uh-huh," Kairi said as she took the proffered seat, placing her bookbag near the bed. "And what is it you think I need help with?"

"You're a smart cookie. You tell me." Kairi gave her a look. "Come now, Kai. We all want what's best for you."

"Who's we?"

"Oh, you know. A collection of concerned citizens. That's not important. We're here to talk about you, and how you... well... haven't quite been yourself lately."

"I'm still me, Selphie."

"And no one's disputing that," Selphie said quickly. "But... oh, come on. Kai, you know I love you like a sister, but you gotta admit, you've been kind of... sorta... changing lately."

"I noticed. It's called puberty."

"Not that. I mean more... personality wise. Disposition, yeah?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Let's put it like this. Up until recently you've been good, reliable ol' Kairi. Everybody loves you! You're like... like... the milk chocolate of our little circle. Delicious and enjoyable to all."

"Ooookay?"

"But somewhere along the way the smooth, velvety, finger-lickin' scrumptiousness that is you has been transitioning to a more... mouth-puckering, tongue tingling, peppermint sort of bite." At Kairi's unamused look, she said, "Are you following me?"

"You're saying I'm a bitch?"

"That is such an ugly word. Also, shame on you," Selphie tutted, wagging the pen in disapproval. "Seriously though, you have to admit. There is something going on with you. It doesn't take a mind reader to see that much." She noticed the bags under Kairi's eyes. "You've not been sleeping well, I see. Is that part of it?"

"Maybe."

"Well, why not tell your good friend Selphie all about it? Lie down, make yourself comfortable. If nothing else, it might help take your mind off things."

Kairi was silent to the point Selphie feared she might just walk out but then, the redhead let out a weary sigh. "Why not. It's not like anything else has worked out," she muttered and laid down on the bed.

"That's more like it. Now then," Selphie said once Kairi had made herself comfortable. "Let's see if we can't get at the root of the problem." She tapped the pen thoughtfully against her chin. "You say you haven't been sleeping well. How long has this been going on?"

"A few weeks?"

Selphie made a note on her clipboard. "Any strange dreams?"

Kairi hesitated. "More than some."

Another note. "Tell me about them."

"There's always this boy... sometimes two. We were friends, I think."

"Were?"

"I'm younger, in these dreams. The first few times we are hanging out in that small island, just off the coast. You know, where we used to play?"

Selphie nodded. "I remember. And what happens in these dreams? What do you and your mystery friends talk about?"

"Oh, just stuff. I don't really remember. I think we were building a raft, though." A raft that they would use to travel to other worlds, but how could she look her friend in the face and say something so... childish and ill conceived? She remembered innumerable days working on it—gathering the logs, food; fastening the sail and the queasy, fluttering feeling in her stomach the day before they were set to sail.

How silly they had been, Kairi mused with the benefit of hindsight. Their supplies would not have lasted more than a few days, and they neglected to pack any fishing line, and completely overlooked the issue of freshwater. And what if they happened upon a storm? The 'sail' they procured was little more than a piece of old cloth, and how would they have dealt with the hot sun beating down on them the whole day?

Selphie made another note. "Tell me about these boys."

Kairi closed her eyes and concentrated. She could see one of them, as clearly as though he were in the room. His silver hair, his cocky laugh, his clear blue eyes. The other though, she couldn't pin him down.

"There's Riku and another boy."

Selphie looked up. "Riku? Didn't he suddenly disappear a while back?"

"That's the one."

"I wonder what happened to him..." Selphie said to herself, recalling the fun times they all shared with the silver haired youth. "And the other boy? Who was he?"

"That's just it. I don't know. I can hear his voice, but whenever I try to look at his face... it's like trying to look past a fogged mirror. Everything's a blur."

"He's not real, then? A figment of your imagination?"

"I don't know. Probably?"

"Let's come back to that later. Tell me about the nature of these dreams."

"They don't feel like dreams, that's the strange part. These have a more... realness to them. You know how the more you try to hold onto it, the faster a dream fades? These are not like that. They linger, less like dreams and more like... like a memory. Anyway," she said, wanting to move from these thoughts that plagued her mind of late. "There was a great big storm and I jumped on my boat. I rowed to the island to make sure our raft was alright, maybe get it out of the way before the storm did some serious damage. That's when the shadow creatures appeared."

"Shadow creatures?"

Kairi nodded. "Things with bright yellow eyes and black bodies. It's not one. Never just one. They come in huge swarms. They chase me and I try to run, but they are everywhere. I somehow manage to lose them in the secret cave. It's all a blur after that. Fuzzy, half-formed pictures, but the boy is usually on them. Sometimes Riku. I see them in these strange places, like a town with all these strange people. They help the boy. I see him fighting more shadow monsters in an arena, climbing through a jungle with this half-wild man, wandering this... weird topsy-turvy world and all these other strange places. And then there's a library—a great big one that feels so familiar. It's shortly after this that the dreams change."

"How so?"

"Well, I don't see the boy or Riku anymore. Now it's only me, alone." She closed her eyes and grimaced. "And the shadows are there. They chase me and I run for it. I can see this light in the distance. Strong, but far away. The shadows fear it, I think. So I run to it. I run and run but the shadows are always one step behind. Thing is, no matter how far or how fast I run, I never seem to get any closer to the light, and the shadows draw just a little nearer."

She sighed and rubbed at her tired eyes. "It's been like that every night for the past week or so. The same dream over and over and... well, call me crazy but it gets stronger every time. More... real. I woke up last night sweating and out of breath, as if I'd been running."

"I see," Selphie said as she made another note, an uncharacteristically serious look to her face.

"That's it, then. That's the reason I've been kinda... moody lately. The dream comes every night and every night I wake. It's hard to sleep after." She didn't tell Selphie of how she refused to go to sleep again for fear the shadows would be waiting for her. The closer they got in her dreams, the more she could feel this... dark power they exuded. It never failed to send a chill up her spine and her body immediately burst out in goosebumps.

"So? What do you make of all this, doctor?"

Selphie put down her pen and clipboard. A pensive frown marked her features as she steepled her fingers. She took a deep breath, looked Kairi square in the eye and said, "I've no idea."

"This was a waste of time," Kairi sighed as she hopped off the primly made bed and made for the door.

"Hey, come on now!" Selphie said, intercepting Kairi.

"Selphie, I'm tired. Clearly this... whatever it was, didn't help."

"Well," Selphie challenged. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"Yes. I'm going down to Cheesy Pete's and ordering the Triple Meat Coronary Bypass Combo." At Selphie's questioning look, she added, "It's the only thing that'll knock me out for the night. Sleep like a baby every time."

"Yes, I suppose that would do it," Selphie muttered to herself. "But Kai, you can't solve all your problems with empty calories. It can't be good for your skin. And definitely not good for your waistline, which, come to think of it..." She appraised Kairi's waist and bare arms, noting how they looked... not-quite-as-svelte as usual.

"Why not find a better, healthier outlet? Running, for instance. It's not too late to go back to school and sweat it out in track. I betcha Tomoe will be so glad to see you she'll totally overlook the way you so callously blew her off."

"Tried and done that. Didn't work. And how in the world did you even know about Tomoe?"

"Please," Selphie said, looking quite pleased with herself. "Who do you think you're talking to? Nothing happens in school grounds without my knowing it. It's how I also know you flaked out on poor Yoko yesterday. No one else in band plays a mean violin like you, you know."

"Band will be just fine without me. And that violin wasn't doing my fingers any favors."

"Uh-huh. And Rinoa the day before that?"

"Got bored. Nothing in debate club but big mouths and bigger egos."

"Basketball?"

"If I wanted to surround myself with sweaty guys trying to paw at me all day, I'd be Cidney."

"And there it is," Selphie cried, pointing an accusing finger at Kairi. "That's the peppermint bite I was talking about. And what's Cidney ever done to you anyway?"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. Have you seen the way she dresses? You can't tell me she's not... shucking some side corn on a back alley somewhere."

"I have it in confidence she's not gone near corn related products."

"You wouldn't know that looking at her wardrobe."

"Hey, it's her body. Let her do what she wants with it. Even if it's not in good taste," she muttered to herself. "But never mind Cidney or her low-cut tops—"

"And riding booty shorts."

"Those too. We're trying to find you a good outlet here. Something that'll leave you so tired, so completely wiped out, so utterly indubitably exhausted your body will have no choice but to drop like a sack of dirt."

Kairi rubbed at the back of her neck. "You're making it sound like more trouble than it's worth," she muttered. "But you know, why not? I'll try anything at this point." A huge yawn overtook her. "Come on then, doctor. You seem to have all the answers. What's the solution to my problem?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Selphie said and, with a bright smile, moved to the foot of her bed where a large rectangular wooden chest lay at its base. A kick from Selphie sprang the lid open and when she came back up, she held in her hands a length of cured leather, fastened to a sturdy handle. A whip.

"Kairi my dear, clear your schedule. We're goin' monster hunting."