Disclaimer: The Mad Doctor claims no ownership to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It belongs to Disney and Square Enix.

Notes from the Mad Doctor: Greetings readers! Before we start, heart, to answer your question, Kairi will be visiting Agrabah and Arendelle in this story. However, the stories of Aladdin and the King of Thieves and Frozen 2 will not be the plots of those visits. In fact, with a few exceptions, the Disney worlds are going to have original stories much like the first Kingdom Hearts game. Anyway, let's get back to Kairi in her next stop on the journey. Enjoy!

Chapter 17: Friends of a Friend

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"I've got to say, Pluto, this world is definitely a far cry from Never Land," said Kairi as she gazed at her surroundings. Pluto nodded.

When she first arrived in this new world, she almost panicked because she and Pluto had materialized right in the middle of a village. She was dreading having to do some difficult explaining but fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed a girl and a dog appearing out of thin air. Perhaps it was due to some magic of the Wayfinder.

Once the shock had worn off, Kairi took in the scenery. She saw that the village bordered an ocean much like her hometown on the Islands. But though it was spring, the weather didn't feel as warm. And when she turned around and saw the immense mountain range, she knew that this world was nothing like she had been to before.

"Well, Pluto, what do you say we walk around and see what we can see? Maybe we can get a hint of what we're supposed to do here?" asked Kairi who received a bark of agreement in response.

Together, the girl and the dog strolled through the village. As they walked into an area that appeared to be a marketplace, Kairi held the Wayfinder in her hand.

'I still wish I knew exactly what I did in Never Land to make it glow. It would make this quest a whole lot easier,' she thought.

"Hoo-hoo!" exclaimed a voice snapping Kairi out of her thoughts.

Kairi turned and saw that she had wandered near one of the stalls. It contained all sorts of things for sale.

Standing near it was a burly man wearing a knitted sweater and hat. He had strawberry-blonde hair with sideburns and a moustache and was wearing a friendly smile.

"Big spring blowout! Got a good selection of sundresses, sunhats and a sun balm of my own invention. Get yourself good and prepared for summer, ja? I'll even throw in a complimentary dip in the sauna," he said gesturing to a steaming box situated near the stall.

"Um no thanks. I'm not really shopping right now. I'm just…" stopped Kairi as something near the stall caught her eye.

"Those flowers!" she exclaimed as she looked over the flowers of various shapes and colors in pots near the stall.

"Ah, you like them? I grew them myself," said the man.

"You certainly did a great job. They're beautiful, Mr.…?"

"Wandering Oaken, at your service, young lady," said the man introducing himself.

"I'm Kairi and this is Pluto," said Kairi as the dog barked.

"Well, Miss Kairi, would you be interested in buying some? Add a touch of hygge to your home?"

"Hygge? What does that mean?" asked Kairi perplexed.

"It means comfort, coziness, everything that gives you a nice feeling," said Oaken.

"Oh," said Kairi. 'I guess the feeling I'd get whenever I was just hanging around the P;ay Island with Sora and Riku; that was my hygge.'

"Well, they would probably look good in my mother's garden. But I'm from pretty far away so even I could buy them, I couldn't take them home with me. They probably wouldn't survive the trip."

"Oh. You are a tourist, ja?" asked Oaken.

"You could say that. But I will say that if I could, I would bring these wonderful flowers home with me," said Kairi. 'They certainly bring back memories.'

As Kairi looked at the flowers, she recalled what little she could of her life in Radiant Garden before she washed up on the Destiny Islands. She remembered going through the various namesake gardens, picking flowers and giving them to her grandmother or anybody she thought could use some flowers.

'I've often said that my life before the Destiny Islands didn't matter. I was only a little girl back then and there couldn't have been much difference between Radiant Garden Kairi and Destiny Islands Kairi. In fact, if I'm being honest with myself, I think my life truly began the day Sora found me on that beach and smiled at me. Still, I can't help but wonder…"

"ACHOO!"

Kairi was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud sneeze from behind. Following it, she felt something hit her in the back before hearing whatever it was fall to the ground.

The Princess of Heart turned around and looked down. A puzzled look came to her face as she bent down and picked up what had struck her in the back.

"A carrot? Where did this come from?" she asked.

In response, Pluto just gave a look that indicated he was as surprised as she was. Oaken, however, just gave a pleasant smile as if the sudden appearance of the carrot was no surprise to him at all.

A few minutes passed before Kairi heard, from directly ahead of her, a voice exclaim, "Oh good! You've found my nose!"

She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a surprising sight. Waddling toward her, Pluto and Oaken, was a snowman with a small snowing cloud hovering above him.

Upon reaching them, he looked up to Oaken with a pleasant smile and said, "Hello Mr. Wandering Oaken!"

"Hello, magical talking snowman! Looks like you've been smelling flowers again, ja?" responded Oaken with a smile of his own.

"Oh yes. You know, I really ought to hold my nose whenever I do that, so it won't go flying off when I sneeze. But then again, it doesn't really make much sense to hold your nose if you want to smell flowers. Am I right?"

Oaken nodded in agreement. Kairi, though she was still stunned to see a walking, talking snowman, managed to nod as well.

"Anyway, thank you so much for finding it. Usually my friend Sven catches my nose when that happens. He usually also sticks it on after he pretends to eat it so if you wouldn't mind," the snowman said as he pointed to the spot on his face where a nose would normally be.

"Oh, uh, sure," said Kairi as she stuck the carrot in the spot he indicated.

The snowman's smile got bigger. "There! That looks so much better now, isn't it?"

"Yes. It actually does," Kairi admitted.

The snowman giggled. "You're too kind. I like you. Oh, but where are my manners? I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs," he said reaching out his stick hand.

Kairi overcame her shock and gave the snowman a smile as she took his hand and shook it. "It's very nice to meet you, Olaf. I'm Kairi and this is Pluto."

Olaf gazed at Pluto. "Well, he's a funny looking reindeer, isn't he?"

Pluto gave a yelp of surprise. Kairi laughed.

"He's not a reindeer. He's a dog," she said in between laughs.

"Oh! My mistake. You see, I'm still less than a year old. There's still so much I need to learn. But I'm sure I'll know plenty when I am older," said Olaf.

Pluto let out a grumbling growl showing he was still annoyed at Olaf's comment. Kairi gave him a pat on the head.

"Don't take it personally, Pluto. Still better than being called a cat, right?" asked Kairi.

Pluto thought for a minute. Then he smiled and nodded.

"So, Kairi, I'm guessing you're new here, right?" asked Olaf.

"Is it obvious?"

"You were acting like most people do whenever they see me for the first time. Like you'd never seen a snowman before. Anyway, what brings you to Arendelle? Because if you're looking for something fun, I know a few things you can try," said Olaf.

Kairi's face fell a little. "Actually Olaf, I've come here because Pluto and I doing something very important. Maybe you can help us. Have you ever seen or met someone named Sora?"

Olaf let out a gasp of surprise as he lifted his head off of his body. "Brown spiky hair? Little underdressed for cold weather? Usually with an unusual pair named Donald and Goofy? Wait, are you a friend of his?"

"Yes, I am. Have you…" But Kairi was unable to finish her question because Olaf had become absolutely ecstatic.

"Oh, I knew today was going to be a good day! I always like making new friends. But making a friend who's a friend of a friend is so exciting! I can't wait to tell Anna, Elsa and everyone else at the castle about this!" said Olaf giddily.

Two of Olaf's words struck a sudden realization within Kairi. "Anna? Elsa?"

"The princess and her sister, the queen. Such a wonderful pair. Arendelle is lucky to have them. Did you know that the princess met her boyfriend at my trading post up in the mountains?" piped up Oaken.

"Really?" asked Kairi.

"Oh ja! And they make such a nice couple, even if her boyfriend called me a crook when they met. But I think he was just stressed due to the unexpected blizzard in July."

Kairi's mind, however, was reeling from what she had just learned. 'I'm in the home world of two of the new Princesses of Heart! Maybe what I'm supposed to do here is connected to them!'

"Olaf?" asked Kairi.

Olaf stopped his happy rant and asked, "Yes, Kairi?"

"Do you think it would be possible if I could meet Queen Elsa and Princess Anna?"

Olaf's smile got bigger. "Of course, you can! They'd love to meet you. Ever since they opened up the gates, they love meeting new people! Follow me!" he exclaimed as he toddled off.

"Thank you," said Kairi as she followed behind with Pluto following alongside her.

But before they got very far, they Oaken cry out, "Hold on!"

Kairi turned around and saw Oaken approaching her. He had a vase in his hands filled with some of his flowers. He handed them to Kairi.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Well, if you're going to meet the queen and the princess, you ought to bring a little gift for them," he responded.

"But I can't afford to buy this. This vase looks way too expensive," said Kairi.

"Oh, never mind about that. It's on the house. Consider it a token for someone who knows how to appreciate lovely flowers," said Oaken.

Kairi smiled. "Thank you so much."

"Come on, Kairi! I want my friend of a friend to meet my other friends," said the snowman as he came back and tugged on Kairi's arm.

"I'm coming. Thanks again, Oaken!"

"You're very welcome. Farewell, Miss Kairi. Hope you enjoy your time in Arendelle!" called Oaken.

'I certainly will. That is, if this visit gets me closer to finding Sora in some way,' thought Kairi as she and Pluto walked away with Olaf.

Much later, Kairi, Pluto and Olaf were in another part of the village closer to the castle. As they walked, Olaf talked about what happened when Sora, Donald and Goofy visited Arendelle.

"Did you know when I first met Sora, I got my foot stuck in his hair?" asked Olaf.

Kairi chuckled. "Actually, that's not too unbelievable. You will not believe the stuff that got in his spikes when we were younger."

"It certainly was an unusual way to meet a friend," said Olaf.

"More unusual than sneezing your nose into someone's back?" asked Kairi with a sly smile.

Olaf giggled. "Okay, you got me there. But after we became friends, Sora, Donald and Goofy were so good to me. They even helped put me back together after those Heartless monsters caused me to fall apart. They did a good job even though they made a few mistakes when they were looking for my body. Well, we're here," said Olaf.

Kairi looked ahead and saw they were now on a bridge leading up to a large castle. It was surrounded by a wall with multiple towers with the only way in being a pair of open gates.

The three strolled up to the gates which had a guard on either side of them. They eyed Kairi with suspicion.

"It's okay, guys. She's with me," said Olaf.

Taking the snowman's word, the guards' expressions softened. They gestured for Kairi to enter.

Stepping through the gates and into a large courtyard, Kairi asked, "So where is the queen and her sister?"

Olaf put a finger to his chin and thought. "Hmm. Well, I know Elsa was having a very important meeting and it's probably still going on right now. As for Anna and Kristoff, there was something they needed to do today. But I can't remember what it was."

Suddenly, a loud voice shouted from a nearby stable, "Come on, Sven! You've got to do this!"

Then the same voice said, in a slightly different and more goofy tone, "But I don't want to!"

"Oh, that's right! It's Sven's bath day!" exclaimed Olaf as he led Kairi to the stable.

Before they could enter, Olaf stopped Kairi. "Let me go in and introduce you first. Sven might be a little embarrassed about a stranger seeing him bathing. But just remember one thing, Kairi," he said as he gestured for Kairi to come closer.

"What is it, Olaf?" she asked as she leaned in.

Olaf whispered, "Kristoff is the man and Sven is the reindeer. Try not to get them mixed up. Got it?"

"Uh sure. Thanks for clearing that up," said Kairi who was a little befuddled. 'Who could ever get a reindeer and a man mixed up?'

Olaf smiled. "Okay. I won't keep you waiting for long. They are going to love you!"

Then, a loud splash was heard from within the stable. Following it, was the male voice from earlier sputtering accompanied by a female voice laughing. There was also some kind of animal making a laughing sound as well.

"Oh. Sounds like Sven decided Kristoff needed to take his bath first!" giggled Olaf as he walked into the stable.

Kairi shook her head amusedly. 'Amazing how this little guy says the most unusual things as if they're normal. But I guess that's part of his charm.'

Kairi set the vase down and started to dust off her clothing and straighten out her hair. Pluto looked at her in confusion as if he didn't understand why she felt to need to groom herself.

Kairi noticed her friend's confusion and said, "I'm about to meet a princess and then a queen, Pluto, so I'd like to look somewhat presentable. If there's one thing I've learned having a politician for a father, it's that first impressions are very important. And I'm sure you know this because your owner is a king, right?"

Pluto understood and gave the girl a nod. Kairi smiled and went back to her grooming.

As she worked on making herself presentable, she heard Olaf's voice within the stable say, "Hi Anna! Hi Kristoff! Hi Sven!"

"Hello Olaf! Did you enjoy your day in town?" asked the female voice.

"Oh yes! And something amazing happened! I was smelling flowers and I sneezed my nose off!" exclaimed the snowman's voice.

The female voice chuckled, "Olaf! Doesn't that happen every time you smell flowers?"

"This time, something very special happened. I followed my nose and it led to me to a new friend. And not just a friend but a friend of a friend!" exclaimed Olaf.

"A friend of a friend?" asked the male voice.

"Yes. And I brought her here to meet you. She's right outside. Come on in, Kairi!" called Olaf.

Kairi picked up the vase and took a deep breath. "Okay, Pluto. Let's meet some royalty."

With that, Kairi walked into the stable. She saw Olaf standing alongside a woman with red hair tied in pigtails and dressed in a pale green dress. Standing nearby was a muscular, blonde haired man who looked a little drenched and a reindeer who was giving a friendly smile.

The woman approached Kairi and gave her a smile. "Well, hello. You must be Olaf's new friend. I'm Anna, princess of Arendelle and I welcome you to our castle."

Kairi kneeled downward and presented the vase to Anna. Pluto bowed his head.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. My name is Kairi, and this is my dog Pluto. These are for you and your sister the queen."

Anna took the vase from Kairi and sniffed the flowers, taking delight in their pleasant scent. "They're lovely. Thank you, Kairi. You're very thoughtful."

The man then came over to Kairi. "Pleasure to meet you, Kairi. I'm Kristoff, Official Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer. You'll have to forgive my appearance. Apparently, my reindeer Sven still doesn't like to take baths," he said shooting an annoyed look at the reindeer.

"But Kristoff, I don't like to take baths," Kristoff then said in the goofy tone as if he was speaking for Sven.

"Well, I'm not too fond of them either. But we live in a castle now so you're just going to have to get used to it," Kristoff shot back.

Kairi giggled. "I know what you mean. It's nearly impossible to get Pluto to take a bath too," she said as the dog huffed indignantly.

"Oh, this is so great. My friends are getting along so well with my new friend of a friend!" exclaimed Olaf.

Anna gave a look of confusion. "What exactly is Olaf talking about, Kairi? Do you know someone he knows?"

"Actually, Your Majesty, I think you all know someone I know," said Kairi.

Anna, Kristoff, and Sven exchanged confused looks. "Who?" asked Anna.

Kairi was about to answer Anna's question when Olaf let out another gasp of surprise and said, "Kairi's right! Sora's our friend too so we're all friends of a friend!"

Anna and Kristoff's jaws dropped in surprise as did Sven's. "Sora?" inquired both humans.

Kairi nodded. "Yes. Sora's one of my best friends."

Anna smiled. "Well, this certainly is a surprise."

"I probably should've guessed it. Your clothes look very much like his," said Kristoff.

Anna took a look at Kairi's outfit. "You're right, Kristoff. They are pretty similar. Though lucky for you, Kairi, it's a much better fit for the weather right now than when Sora was here. It's amazing he didn't freeze being so underdressed."

"But, Anna, I don't think anyone expected to get caught in Elsa's winter. I doubt anyone had time to dress for it. Some just apparently took off into the blizzard wearing nothing but their coronation dress," said Kristoff teasingly.

"Heh-heh. You do have a point there," said Anna while sheepishly chuckling.

"You really did that?" asked Kairi with a laugh.

"Yes. I wasn't really good at thinking things through back then," said Anna.

"So, Kairi, how's Sora been anyway? We haven't seen him since Elsa brought back summer," said Olaf.

Kairi's smile vanished as she sat down on a nearby barrel. "So, I guess that means none of you have seen him lately."

Kristoff suddenly became confused. "Um no. Should we have?"

Anna took notice of Kairi's change in mood. "Kairi, what's wrong? Did something happen to him?" she asked with concern.

Kairi silently considered how to tell them about Sora's fate knowing that she would have to withhold certain information. 'Last world, even though Peter was aware of the other worlds, I couldn't tell him the whole truth because I didn't think he and the Lost Boys would understand. Now I'm with someone who might be able to understand but doesn't know about the other worlds. It's times like these I really hate the world order rules because they cause us to be dishonest in the name of protection.'

"Yes, Your Majesty. Something really bad happened to Sora and he's been lost ever since. That's why Pluto and I have come to your kingdom. We've been trying to find him. But so far, we haven't had any luck," said Kairi hanging her head.

Then, Kairi felt someone take her right hand. She looked and saw it was Olaf. The snowman gazed at her with sympathy.

"That's so awful. No one should be apart from their friends," said Olaf.

'I agree with you completely, Olaf. Unfortunately, it's happened too many times for me,' thought Kairi.

As Olaf continued to hold Kairi's hand, Pluto nuzzled up against Kairi's leg to comfort her. In addition, Sven approached her and nuzzled her shoulder in sympathy. Kairi gave a grateful smile to the three of them for their gestures of comfort.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Kristoff.

"Unless you can give me any hint on where Sora is, I don't think there is," said Kairi.

Anna gazed at Kairi and saw an all-too familiar pain. 'It's that same pain that I felt all those years separated from Elsa. Although I'd say hers is even greater because even though Elsa and I were apart, at least I knew where she was.'

The princess of Arendelle placed her hand on Kairi's shoulder. "We may not have anything that could you help you find him, Kairi. But we'll help you in any way that we can. Right, boys?" asked Anna to which Kristoff, Sven and Olaf nodded.

"You will?" asked Kairi.

"Of course. We had problems with those Heartless monsters when Elsa set off that eternal winter. Though I don't fully understand it, I've had a feeling that Sora, Donald and Goofy did something to make them go away," said Kristoff.

"Oh yes they did! And my little brother told me he helped them fight off a really big one too!" exclaimed Olaf.

"And though I can't explain it but I have a feeling that we owe Sora a great debt. So, the least we could do is help you find some sort of clue to wherever he is. Maybe we can ask around the kingdom and see if anyone's seen him," said Anna.

"We could even go the Valley of Living Rock and ask Grand Pabbie if he can help," said Kristoff.

"I'm sure we'll find Sora in no time!" exclaimed Olaf as Sven grunted in equal enthusiasm.

Kairi's heart rose upon hearing her new friends' ideas. 'It's touching how they're all willing to help despite just meeting me. Sora, you've definitely made your mark on so many hearts throughout the worlds. Maybe, with their help, I'll find some sort of clue to find you.'

"And while we help you, Kairi, I insist that you and your dog stay here at the castle as our guests," said Anna.

Kairi gasped in surprise. "Oh no, Your Majesty. I don't think you need to go that far."

Then, suddenly, Kairi's stomach let out a loud growl causing everyone else to chuckle.

"You're not going to help Sora without a good meal and some good rest. As princess of Arendelle, I will not take no for an answer," said Anna.

"I guess you're right. I do have some Potions and Elixirs in my pack. But they don't compare to a real meal. And I guess sleeping in a castle beats camping out in the forest," said Kairi.

"So it's settled. But one more thing, Kairi," said Anna with a serious look on her face.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" asked Kairi nervously.

Anna's face softened into a friendly smile. "None of this calling me, 'Your Majesty' anymore. You can just call me Anna. And the same will go for Elsa too. You're a friend of Sora so that makes you our friend too."

Kairi smiled back. "Thanks, Your Majes…I mean, Anna. And thank all of you for wanting to help me find Sora."

"Yay! It's been less than a day and Kairi's already staying for a sleepover!" shouted Olaf with glee.

Anna giggled at her friend's statement before her tone became serious again. "Yes. It will be nice to have a guest here that we can actually stand," she said with a disdainful look on her face.

"Now, Anna, let's not go through this again," said Kristoff.

"I can't help it. I still can't believe Elsa actually allowed him to set foot in Arendelle after what he tried to do," said Anna folding her arms.

"What's going on?" asked Kairi.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his head and said, "Don't get us wrong, Kairi. We're glad to meet you and have you as our guest. But you have come at a pretty difficult time."

"Yes," said Olaf gesturing for Kairi to lean in closer to him so he could whisper his next statement in her ear.

"The Weasel's come back."

Notes from the Mad Doctor: Three guesses who the Weasel is and the first two don't count. I didn't actually plan for Oaken to appear initially. But I decided it would be nice for Kairi to meet a few Disney characters that Sora didn't much like the Lost Boys in Never Land. I even threw in a reference to Oaken's musical number from the Broadway show (and if you ask me, that number was a very bizarre addition to the story.) One final note: the Mad Doctor is now on Tumblr! I'll be posting the chapters of this story in addition to some small pieces of writing discussing my Kingdom Hearts headcanons! Also. I'll be finding and reblogging various fan stuff centered around Sora and Kairi (my one true pairing of this franchise just in case you haven't gotten the hint LOL). Just search for maddrmatt in Tumblr and hope you like what you see in Mad Dr. Matt's SoKai Archives! I give my thanks to everyone who read this chapter and special thanks to heart for their review. Reviews are much appreciated! Stay tuned!