OOOOO

She Will Light The Way
Chapter Six
Practice and Preparation

Kairi felt herself falling, drifting slowly and gently at a controlled pace. The last she remembered was settling in for bed after a long day – after her battle in Twilight Town.

Her eyes flitted open partially, seemingly blank and unseeing. The world around her, her sensations, her body, it all felt so numb and distance. As if she were watching someone else witness this through their eyes.

The world around her was an empty, vacant void. Total blackness surrounded her, save for a single, faint light filtering down from the evens.

No. It wasn't total blackness. The girl's descent came to it's terminus, as she made contact with the surface of...something. She wasn't quite sure. It was all too dark to make anything out.

"Wh-where...?" Like her sight and touch, her voice was distance. Off. Dry and heavy. The simple act of speech felt difficult in this world.

Do not worry. Do not be afraid. You are somewhere safe. You will come to no harm here.

For whatever reason, Kairi felt at peace here, even despite the limitation to her sensations. Almost as if... she had never been here before, but this space felt oddly familiar all the same.

Suddenly, rays of light began to pierce the shadows covering the floor she stood upon. The darkness peeled away to reveal a grand, beautiful pillar of glass, rising against the blackness, standing as a beacon among the abyss. Kairi looked down at her feet, seeing that the majority of the stained glass mural was coloured in vibrant hues of ocean blues, soft pinks, and royal purples, and an image was crafted at the top of the pillar. It was herself; a full body shot of her, looking supremely confident, standing with her arms at her side, a Keyblade – not Destiny's Embrace, but one Kairi didn't recognize – held in her right hand. Her likeness stood before a double landscape, divided in half among the meridian. One section showed the sunny, tropical islands she called her home; the other was a majestic castle and town (presumable Hollow Bastion during it's past glory days). Above the head of the stain glass Kairi was a ring of circles, though they were mostly blank, only two of them bared images – head shots of Sora and Riku. The outermost ring of the pillar was lined with a repeating pattern, alternating between stylized hearts and her lucky charm

You have retreated into the depths of your heart, a path many Bearers before you have followed. You have awoken to your powers as a wielder of the Keyblade, and so, it falls upon you now to choose what road you will walk and what form your power shall take.

Kairi nodded along, slowly. It almost felt like she was in a trance. As if she had no choice but to follow along. But, there was something more. More than the directions of the voice. Something else had brought her here, and was guiding her being through this.

First, you must select the what type of strength is it that you desire.

Several pedestals raised up from the aether around Kairi. One by one, weapons appeared, nestled in the cradles of the pedestals, radiating with power and light. Among there numbers were...

A sword

The Power of the Warrior. Courage to act decisively and strength to bring justice to the suffering.

A staff

The Power of the Mystic. Unrivaled wisdom and intellect, with curiosity to seek out the arcane secrets of the worlds.

A shield.

The Power of the Guardian. The determination and resolve to always safeguard that which you love and cherish.

An axe.

The Power of the Destroyer. Ferocious might and untameable rage to smite those that would stand in your way.

And finally, a bow.

The Power of the Hunter. Swift of foot, bold of spirit, with insight and precision to find the truth even in the darkest of nights.

Choose, Young Bearer. Choose the power you wish to wield.

Kairi looked around through her clouded vision and fogged mind, the description of each weapon reverberating in her head. There was certainly one she didn't want, no matter what. The others all had traits that sounded positive, but, there was one, one that stood out like a blaze of light. It perfectly echoed with sentiments she had thought of during the battle in Town.

Kairi walked over to the shield, placing her hand on the pedestal.

"This one..."

The Power of the Guardian. If that is your choice... however, with possession, comes sacrifice. With want, comes rejection. Before you accept your choice, you must choose one other power to swear off. To forsake in it's entirety.

This decision took much less deliberation. Still standing near the shield, Kairi's eyes traveled over to the axe, locking on to it and nodding.

Without warning, the shield burst into motes of light, while the axe crumbled into dust. The motes floated around Kairi's body, before being absorbed into herself.

And so you claim the Power of the Guardian, while rejecting the Power of the Destroyer. So be it.

The rest of the weapons vanished, as the now empty pedestals began to vibrate and enlighten. Something new was forming within their cradles.

Next, you must seek out a Virtue that resonates within the core of your heart. A Virtue you seek and desire.

Statues of people she knew began to construct themselves atop the altars, facsimiles carved in white stone. The first, was one of Riku, looking both strong and confident, as her friend was want to do.

The Virtue of Valour. Strength. Confidence. Stamina. An undaunted force, never to be bested in the physical world.

The next statue resembled Aqua, the strong and noble Keyblade Master Kairi had briefly crossed paths with, looking serene and collected.

The Virtue of Patience. Focused. Unerring. Infallible. An inner strength that cannot be extinguished or broken.

Next came Sora. The sight of him made Kairi's heart skip a beat. He was posed in a half-crouch, an arm extended, as if helping someone stand up.

The Virtue of Compassion. Warm. Loving. Open-handed. A desire to help the helpless, no matter the cost to yourself.

The final statue contained multiple people, including herself, oddly enough. It featured Kairi, Sora, and Riku, all holding hands, standing in a circle with their backs to each other.

The Virtue of Unity. Peace. Togetherness. Hope. A call to salvation and the will to protect the dreams of yourself and your loved ones.

As much as Kairi admired Sora and Riku and Aqua, and tried to emulate them as best she could, she knew there was only one real answer. Only one real thing she wanted and desired.

Kairi moved to the statue of herself and her two friends. Safe at home. Happy. That is what she wanted.

Your heart seeks Unity. A return to peace and happiness.

And now, you shall commence your final trial.

More and more pedestals appeared along the surface of the pillar, almost blanketing it in it's entirety. Kairi could no longer see the mural beneath her feet. More statues appeared on the altars, but these were formed of glimmering crystals.

You must find a choose a Primal Spirit. To guide you. To protect you. To bolster your spirit. To manifest as the truest expression of your soul.

Now Kairi was truly confused. Primal Spirit? What did that mean. Her body still acting beyond her total control, she moved among the various statues, taking them in, but not understanding any of this. There were so many of these crystalline figures, but she had no idea what any of them were, or what they were suppose to represent.

She saw a ferocious dragon king made of onyx and alexandrite. A demon wreathed in flames, carved from topaz and bloodstone. A statuesque woman of pearl and sapphire. A giant. A unicorn. A sea serpent. A wolf. An angel. A castle. More and more. Constructs of various shapes and sizes, all flawlessly crafted from precious stone, but none of it meant anything. Kairi only saw the form of the statue, but gleaned no truth and felt nothing.

Then she came across it.

A majestic bird with a truly colossal wingspan and elegant tail feathers, all made of glinting ruby and rainbow opal. Much like when Kairi came across the shield and the statue of her and the boys, she felt a pang of knowing and want in her heart. This was the one.

Phoenix. A bearer of intense flame and endless light. A bringer of life. A cycle of life and death and rebirth, growing stronger with every revival. Shall you take Phoenix as your Guide?

"I will."

This strange, strange world seemed to melt away to Kairi, even more of her sensations robbed, as she drifted away once more. Somehow, she knew her time was done here. Her task complete.

You have chosen the Power of the Guardian. You have forsaken the Power of the Destroyer. You desire the Virtue of Unity. You have taken Phoenix as your Primal Guide. This is the true manifestation of the power sleeping in your heart.

The path before you will be long and winding. You will be challenged. You will find both victory and defeat, hope and despair. Do not worry. Do not be afraid. You will not be alone in this task. Even when it feels that all else has abandoned you, your heart shall never fail you. The choices you made today will always be a part of you, deep down.

To find your salvation, to obtain that which you desire, all you need to do is keep true to your heart, and let your Light guide you forward on the path, Kairi Shiratori. Kairi Ralleone.

-O-SWLTW-O-

Days had passed since the skirmish on Twilight Town, and despite the strangeness of...everything, Kairi had found herself falling into a routine.

With days of travel at hand between destinations, between worlds infested with the Blackheart Stones, the Gullwings all insisted on creating a training routine for the fledgling Key Bearer, which she more than agreed with. While she had held her own on Twilight Town, Kairi knew that that performance wouldn't cut it in the long run. She had to get stronger. She had to get faster. Smarter. Braver. More decisive. More confident. More aware of her surroundings

Kairi had to get better.

And so, her training began in earnest the very next day after leaving the sun-soaked streets of Twilight Town. In the morning, her and all the Gullwings would engage in various basic exercises, all to get her body up to snuff. "We may be building something fantastic, but even a fantastic creation needs a solid foundation," Yuna had explained sagely. So the four young woman would engage in their training; weightlifting and drills of push-ups and sit-ups, to build up her muscles strength in her arms and legs and core; yoga and stretching, to increase her flexibility and to teach her to focus under pressure; a combination of both long distance running and sprinting, to increase her stamina. Footwork drills to increase her agility, mobility and, well, footwork. Sometimes, they would just play games, all of which had a purpose, but was a nice diversion. Though, mostly it was just a variant of dodgeball, where Yuna, Rikku, and Paine would take turns passing a ball between each other/trying to hit Kairi, as she dodged around. Yuna pulled her punches. Paine and Rikku did not.

In the afternoon, it would be a double period of learning magic with Yuna, and ending with swordfighting training with Paine. Kairi really enjoyed her magic lesson with Yuna, partly because it was the least physical portion of her training (though, oddly enough, it was easily the most exhausting part). Now that she had been able to cast magic in the field, channeling her mana and turning it into a tangible spell came much easier. Her fireballs and ice crystals were much larger and moved much faster and, with a little concentration, she could edit the forms the spells took the instant before they were cast. The further their lessons progressed, the more varieties of magic Yuna taught her. Cure came first – Yuna called the spell essential – even if casting it completely wiped Kairi on the spot. Thunder came next, and before long, Kairi had trained it up to be as powerful as her Fire and Blizzard magic. Aero. Gravity. Magnet. Water. Gaia. Yuna had given her a thorough rundown of the various types of Black Magic, all of which Kairi had at least gotten the basics down. Her aptitude in White and Green Magic, however, was so far less than stellar. Her Esuna was...okay. Half the time she would end up flubbing it, the other half it ended up having the desire of effect, but she had yet to extend it's range beyond five-feet. Protect, Shell, and Reflect were in a similar state, as well. It was a roadblock, and it was frustrating, considering how quickly she had taken to her elemental spells.

Not to mention, Yuna had told her until she mastered her first three Green Magic spells, they would not touch Time Magic (Kairi though that sounded incredibly fun and interesting, and was dying to learn it, but the motivation had done no good in her lessons).

Their lessons took multiple forms, from Yuna calling out an element and a form for it to take, and Kairi trying to answer the challenge, to Kairi just casting as many spells as she could as fast as she can, to trying to channel her mana and maintain concentration during a distraction (usually involving Rikku), to target practice with various drones and gadgets and gizmos Rikku had cooked up. In each lesson, Yuna was quick to offer encouragement when Kairi succeeded, as well as gentle criticism when she failed, and was always there to guide her to the correct answer, and seemed to possess infinite patience for those days that Kairi got frustrated with the lessons and her self, her lack of progress.

Following a short break, her training day would conclude with swordfighting lessons with Paine. The House of Paine, Rikku so aptly put. The teachings would begin simple enough, with Paine teaching Kairi various forms and stances, as well as various techniques, also explaining the physics and reasoning behind every choice they made. Kairi found all this very interesting and easy to grasp. No doubt helped by the fact that Paine's teaching style was as blunt and direct as the woman herself, making it very easy to pick-up. Following the theoretical, however, came the practical.

Each day, Kairi and Paine would duel and spar for hours. And Paine continuously wiped the floor with the younger girl.

Paine only armed herself with her broadsword, eschewing her shield, and knew no magic (though, Paine would throw the occasional punch or kick to mix things up). She would always tell Kairi, everyday, go all out. Throw everything you have at me. Even with all her magic, strength, speed, and wile at her disposal – and all of that improving, day after day – Kairi was utterly overwhelmed by Paine's raw strength and skill. It didn't matter if Kairi focused on offense, or defense. If she fought wildly, or conservatively. If she stayed up close, or kept her distance. It didn't matter. Paine was too good for Kairi to best as of now.

And while Kairi was no slouch in terms of physical health prior to getting the Keyblade (her two best friends were rowdy, energetic boys, she needed to be able to keep up). And while Kairi knew the training was necessary, and was deeply satisfying (both physically and spiritually), it was starting to grind her down. Every night, she went to bed exhausted. Every morning, she woke up sore. It was constant.

Another thing constantly bothered her since leaving Town, too. It was the power she called upon to defeat the Guardian Heartless. She wasn't sure where it had come from, other than some vague portion of her heart, and that it was this fabled "Light" everyone went on and on about, that she didn't have the foggiest idea of how to access, or even what it was. Kairi felt like an idiot sometimes. Everyone else seemed to know so much more about her, and the Princesses of Heart, than she did. While this power was never on the forefront of her mind, it nibbled away in the deepest recesses of her mind, and came out during moments of failure and frustration. Further compunded by the fact that none of the Gullwings had definite answers for her either. Kairi was on her own, it seemed.

That's why, three days after Twilight Town, she was relieved they had reached their next destination; Blackheart Stone number two.

Kairi was relieved to get a break from her training, but also anticipating getting to show-off her newly earned skill and abilities in the field.

The Stone was located on a world known as The Land of Dragons, a world Sora had recently visited, she learned from reading his old Journal before bed. But, she had no time to retrace his steps, or meet his friends. Their target was placed on the peak of a snowy mountain, and so the four began their trek up the rocky mountain path. Every step of their journey, they were harangued and harassed by the Heartless, and Kairi's performance was like night and day. She was able to immediately spring into action, make decisive choices about how to handle her foes, and struck them down in droves. During some skirmishes, she felt like she was equalling the Gullwings in her vanquished tallies (the lance-wielding centaur Heartless did give her a hard time, but that just made her more thankful for her backup).

While the hordes of monster were relentless, they eventually scaled to the summit, the Stone, and it's Guardian Heartless. It was a much more controlled affair than the chaotic scrum through the station terrace and Clock Tower, but the result was still the same as on Twilight Town – victory. Kairi was almost in sheer disbelief, when the Heartless fell and the Stone disintegrated. Just how much she had improved in such a short while, how much better she had gotten. Sure, she still had a very long way to go, both in her training and her mission, but the progress was startling.

Maybe, just maybe, I can actually do this. Maybe I can save Sora after all...

Routine snapped back into place following the adventure to The Land of Dragons (despite the name, Kairi saw zero dragons that day – what a let down), as Kairi continued her training. Two days after departure, the redheaded heroine found herself once more dueling Paine, having already lost five times this session, with this bout most likely being their last of the day.

Kairi was deadset on ending the day with a win.

With Rikku sitting in the corner of the training room, refereeing (well, she was suppose to be, it seemed she had been more occupied playing a video game all afternoon), the sixth duel commenced, Paine immediately going on the offensive. Sometimes, very rarely sometimes, Paine would throw her pupil a slight bone by attacking in a set pattern they had practiced at some point, as a way to ease Kairi into the fight, as well as test her memory, reflexes and intuition. As soon as Paine opened with a high horizontal slash, Kairi already had her next six moves read and planned out.

Diagonal slash, from shoulder to hip. Kairi quickly backstepped away.

Horizontal slash at midsection. Kairi blocked the blow.

Vertical slash to the shoulder. Once more, Kairi blocked, batting Paine's sword away in the process.

Thrust. Thrust. Two more juking backsteps, and then Kairi would go in for her attack. Paine's next move would see her plant the tip of her blade on the floor and then go for a twisting, crescent shape strike. Kairi knew perfectly how to dodge the attack and -

Paine kicked her in the gut, sending the redhead sprawling to the floor.

"What? Can't make it too easy for you, now can I?" Came her response when she saw Kairi's shocked expression. Paine moved in for the attack again.

Kairi's first instinct was to stop the assault with Reflect, but was only able to produce a shimmer of light, instead of the sturdy, mirrored hexagonal plated barrier. Come on! She yelled at herself in annoyance, before switching to her backup plan. Channeling mana again, she generated a jet of explosive flame at the tip of her Keyblade, aiming it at the ground, sending her rocketing away from the charging Paine. The dark and dour woman even looked faintly impressed, as she made ways to dodge the fiery wake Kairi had left behind.

Still airborne, Kairi followed up her flames with even more, sending twisting helices of fire at her tutor, who sprinted in a wide circle to avoid. Now with the momentum on her side, Kairi pressed the advantage, touching down and launching more magic – long, narrow spears of ice and water – while charging at Paine. With this round of attacks much faster and covering a wider area, Paine stood her ground and swatted them aside, as Kairi jumped to close the gap, using her Blizzard and Water spells as cover against any counter attacks.

Kairi made a quick swipe at Paine, which was blocked, Kairi instantly withdrawing her attack and trying again. She had learned the hard way to avoid locking blades with the much stronger and taller woman. Fast and precise attacks were the way, as of now. So, the novice warrior unleashed a flurry of two-handed blows against her more experienced foe. For a while, it seemed to be doing the trick, as Paine had trouble keeping up with the rapidity and ferocity of Kairi's offense. On their own, the slashes weren't much, but chained together like this, it was like standing before a wall of blades. Kairi's heart skipped a beat when she saw one or two of her blows slipped past the woman's guard, Paine having to make a split-second movement to avoid getting hit.

Like she realized days before, she could do this. She was getting better. Just a little more and she could finally win.

Mid-swing through her next slash, Paine's left hand reached out and seized around the base of Destiny's Embrace's blade. What!? Kairi thought in panic, as Paine easily overpowered her, wrenching the Keyblade from the girl's hand, and tossing it aside.

If Paine were just a hair slower, Kairi would have struck her in the neck.

But she wasn't.

Paine's left hand did more work, smashing into Kairi's cheek and jaw with a ferocious blow, while the girl was still stunned by what had happened. She was sent reeling, and given no time to recover, as Paine began attacking her with measured sword blows, once more. Kairi did her best to dodge, but was out of luck without her lack of armament, not helped by the fact her opponent's position was on point: Paine stood directly between Kairi and where Destiny's Embrace had landed.

This is bad. Kairi thought, desperately trying to find a way to retrieve her weapon. Paine wasn't going to attack relentlessly, which was both good and bad, as it gave Kairi time to breath, but very few openings as to slip past the grey-haired woman. She then noticed they were standing near one of the walls of the room. This is risky, and tricky. I've never cast a spell without my Keyblade. But the principle should be the same, and I just need a little bit to make this work.

Extending her hand out, Kairi did as she always did when casting a spell, except ending the mana in her finger tips and willing it out, trying desperately to cast Blizzard. It was more "snow flurry" than "blizzard", but it did the trick, the spray of white powder catching Paine unaware and blinding her. Quickly, Kairi sprang towards the wall in a diagonal, intending on springing off of it while she was lateral to Paine, and then using her momentum to go around her and grab her Keyblade, moving in a V-pattern.

Kairi soared through the air, one foot and one hand bracing against the wall, reading to launch. The she felt Paine tackle her, sandwiching her against the foundation. Even blinded, Paine had somehow anticipated Kairi would go around to her left, throwing her entire body towards the wall and hitting paydirt. Trapped and surprised, Kairi was powerless when her foe seized her under the arm, hurling her overhead, and then slamming her down against the ground, edge of the broadsword leveled with her throat.

"I win." Paine stated, coldly, still only able to see at half-capacity, her eyes redder than normal.

"Yeah! Suck it, Shadow Yukiko, you bitch!" Both Kairi and Paine turned at the sound of Rikku's exclamation, seeing the blonde was still engrossed in her video game. "Oh? Is it over? Kairi lost again?" The blonde stated when she met the gaze of the two others. "A'ight I'm done for the day then. Gonna help Yunie make dinner. See ya!" And with that, the blonde happily skipped out of the room.

Kairi sighed in defeat, as Paine stood back up, rubbing half-melted snow out of her eyes. "You did good today. Your best attempt yet." Paine stated. "You kept me off my toes for a bit, and you were able to use magic with just your hands. Wasn't bad." Unlike Yuna, Paine was much more reserved on her commentary during lessons. Offering very little in the way of praise or condemnation, instead expecting Kairi to figure out what she did right or wrong. "Although, I have to ask you, why did you not just return your Keyblade to your hand when you lost it?"

Kairi sat up, eyes wide open in shock. With a twitch of her fingers, and not even half of a thought, Destiny's Embrace vanished and then reappeared in her hand. "I... I guess I just forgot about it. In the heat of the moment." She felt like such an idiot. How could she possibly have forgotten she had that ability?

"That's not good. Even in the middle of a fight, you can't let your concentration lapse. Always be aware of your surroundings. But also, be aware of what you can and can't do." Paine went to stow her sword on the rack set up on the very far wall of the room. "We're done for the day. Go hit the showers."

Kairi sat their dumbly for a few seconds, as Paine walked past her. "Paine, wait!" She called out, as the older woman was about to exit the room. "I was just wondering, do you think Sora made mistakes like this when he first started out?"

The red-eyed swordswoman shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, I just keep thinking about all the things he's done, and how much he accomplished, and-"

"Hey!" Paine said, slightly raising the volume of her voice. Kairi stopped talking and looked at her companion intently. "Have you ever seen him fight?" The Key Bearer shook her head. "Then stop thinking about 'what would Sora do' or 'how would Sora handle this'. Stop comparing yourself to him. You're not Sora, and you don't know what struggles he did or did not go through."

Kairi looked confused. How could she not compare herself to Sora? They were both Key Bearers, both in similar situations. Only difference was, Sora had so much more belief in his abilities and self and -

"Hey!" Paine said again, once more, a little bit louder than usual. "Stop that. I know you're thinking about him. I can read you like a book." Kairi blushed and averted her gaze. "Stop comparing yourself to him in a way that disparages you. It's not conducive to anything positive." Even looking away, Kairi could feel Paine's unerring, focused gaze fall upon her. Pierce through her flesh and see the most vulnerable side of her. "You're not Sora. Stop trying to be Sora. Just be you."

"But what if that isn't good enough?"

"Then be better."

Kairi shook her head in disbelief. "Is it really that simple?"

"Yes. It is." Paine once more made her way to the exit, conversation ended. "Oh, by the way," she added, halfway through the threshold, "You're getting the day off tomorrow. No training." That was...unexpected. Kairi had not had a day off since they left Twilight Town. "You've been working really hard and we're all impressed. You deserve some rest. Plus, we're closing in on our next destination. Can't have you worn out when the real fighting starts."

Kairi was then left alone in the training room, Paine's boots echoing off the walls of the ship's interior. Left to collect her physical self off the ground, and to collect her thought splayed about her head. Paine had left her with a lot to chew on regarding what she wanted to accomplish, and how she wanted to accomplish it. Embarrassingly enough, Sora consumed her every waking thought. Whether it was wondering if he was okay, or why he would go through with such an ordeal and sacrifice, to reflecting on the fact that she was following his footsteps, wondering how he got along through the worlds, what his training and first adventure and initial impressions were all like. Again, she couldn't help but make comparisons between herself and the blue-eyed hero she knew and loved.

...And she couldn't help but think of all the ways she fell short next to Sora. All of his victories and all her failings.

Is Paine right? Is it wrong of me to keep thinking like this? To think of Sora every step of the way?

As Kairi trudged off to the showers to clean up, the answer did not come, and, she felt like she would not discover it for quite a while.

-O-SWLTW-O-

When they were whisked away from Twilight Town, Namine had wondered where exactly Riku had planned to take them to. If he had an idea of a world to hide, or if he just wanted to finally be rid of DiZ and Twilight Town after so long.

When she finally exited the Corridor, she was stunned by his decision. A small, vacant island in the middle of a brilliant azure sea. The little play island that Sora, Kairi, and Riku once spent all their carefree childhood days on.

It must have dearly hurt Riku to come here, Namine soon came to realize. Not only to come home for the first time since he had been pulled away into the Darkness. Not only to come home without his friends at his side. But to return to their childhood paradise, empty, broken, and despondent.

Fortunately, the island was quiet and peaceful, bereft of inhabitant, Namine had toured around it's vicinity once or twice, finding only scant signs of wildlife, and no people. The trinity of friends had long ruled the roost here, and really only they and their extended circle of companions would come here. Now, over a year after Sora and Riku left, and it seemed time and the others had left this place behind.

It was little sad, truthfully.

But, for the near week since they had absconded from DiZ, Namine and Riku spent most of their time cooped up in the little cavern he and his cherished friends had dubbed "The Secret Place", which was even more abandoned than the rest of the play isle. It was an unspoken rule that this haven was only for the three of them, and even Riku had spent much less time in here versus Sora and Kairi. Still, it served as a welcomed sanctuary for duo. Even if they just did nothing.

Namine was frustrated by the lack of action and movement, spending most of her days sketching and doodling her notepad. She was rapidly running out of pages. Next time she went into town to buy food and supplies, she would have to grab a fresh one.

Riku was tense, impatient, restless. Day after day, stewing in his own anger and uselessness. It wasn't just the situation they were in, Namine knew, it also had to do with his current form. The image of the Heartless being known as Ansem, which Riku was now assuming. That shred of blackness within him that he had to tap into. To him, it was distressing and uncomfortable, but Namine assumed there was more to it than that. Being in that form was damaging Riku more than just psychologically, and he had to do something about it before long.

Riku had many "somethings" he had to do. But was currently occupied with nothing.

Namine looked down at her current art project, the second to last page in the book. It was a sketch of Roxas, Sora's Nobody, that poor boy that suffered so much for so little. A pang of guilt and pain rang through Namine's being. She wished Roxas was still here. If Riku hadn't been so desperate to revive Sora, he could still be here. She and Roxas could have been together more often, Sora and Roxas could meet and join forces against their enemies, Riku and Kairi would be safe and better off...

But it wasn't fair to blame Riku. To fully blame Riku. Namine's hands were dirty in this, too. If Roxas ever came back, he would probably despise both her and Riku for all the things they did...

Sighing, Namine tossed her pad aside, the sketch of Roxas half-unfinished. "Riku, what are we doing here?" She finally asked. Riku did not answer, he was currently lurking in a shadowy corner of the cavern, pacing without purpose. "Riku." Namine raised her voice slightly. "What are we doing? What are we going to do? What are you going to do?"

The last question was the correct one, Namine shouldn't fool herself into thinking she could contribute. She had no magic or Keyblade or special abilities. Just these horrid memory powers that did nothing but cause pain and suffering.

Maybe she was the root cause of all this chaos? Maybe everyone would have been better off without her?

"I'm planning on something." Riku's gruff voice cut through Namine's despair. Or, rather, "Ansem's" gruff voice did. Namine shivered in disgust.

Pressing beyond that, the blonde girl said, "It's been nearly a week. You need to face facts and finally go and meet with Kairi." Riku stirred in the darkness. "You need to help her! She's alone and struggling and fighting and the thing she needs more than anything else is a friend. Be that friend!"

"I can't!" Riku snapped, which was alarming. Namine was one of the few people he would even bother handling with the tiniest amount of care and gentleness. "I can't see Kairi right now. Not after all I've. All I have failed to do. She probably hates me..." Drawing out from the shadows, Namine could see more of the vague shape that was Riku garbed in the black cloak. "I couldn't bare to see her hate me. It would be..." Riku turned to look at Namine. "How familiar are you with my life? After seeing Sora's memories?"

Namine rubbed her arm awkwardly. "A bit, I suppose. Not extremely well." She still possessed the ability to recall almost everything she had witnessed within Sora's heart, but she despised recalling it, or looking further into them. Those precious memories belong to Sora, and don't deserve a little witch like her meddling in them even more.

Riku sighed, leaning back against the cave wall. "When my parents divorced, when my mom left and took my sister with her, and my dad buried himself in his work... they were all I had. Sora and Kairi. They were my family. My brother and my sister." The forlorn darkness-user looked down at his hands in futility. "And look at all I did to them! I destroyed our home, tried to kill Sora out of petty jealousy, sacrificed an innocent life who didn't deserve it, and now..." Riku balled his hands into fists, his body trembling in anger. "If only I actually had the courage to face Sora when he woke up, to accompany him. To fight alongside him against the Organization. Or, or, or... if I got wind of Axel's idiotic plan and went to head him off. To grab Kairi and take her somewhere safe, take her to Sora.

"If only I wasn't such a coward."

He realizes all of his faults and past mistakes, but is still committing the same mistake. Namine analyzed, eyes cast down to the sandy ground below them. His hesitancy. His hatred of his form. His fear that Sora and Kairi will reject him, and he'll be left with nothing. Then again, Namine was not the person who could criticize another for their cowardice.

Instead of voicing her concerns, Namine asked again, "So, Riku, what are you going to do?"

A long moment of silence followed, as Namine kept her vision trained on the shadows Riku was occupying. Finally, her companion made a wide motion with her arm, opening a Corridor of Darkness.

"If the Organization need the Keyblade to release hearts to make their Kingdom Hearts, then they'll be taking Sora all over the place, to slay Heartless on various worlds. He'll be out of their stronghold, vulnerable, even if they chaperone him about. That's my chance. I'll watch the pathways of the Corridors, and intercept them. I'll grab Sora and run, take him to Kairi. Make things right. And then... those two will fix everything. They're the heroes here."

-O-SWLTW-O-

"Man, little lion Sora it toooo cute! He looks so soft and cuddly! I wonder if there's a way where I can stay a person and he can become a little kitty?"

Kairi was exceptionally grateful to have a day off, especially after two excursions and all the training piled on her, but, she soon found herself filled with malaise and boredom as to what to on her day off.

The Gullwings had sealed off the training room in it's entirety, so she couldn't even do some light weightlifting or spell training to occupy her time. She and Yuna were on dinner duty tonight, but that wouldn't come until later. There was a television in a small recreation room, alongside a strange application called "Flix Caster" that was apparently some kind of interplanetary video streaming service (Kairi wasn't entirely sure how that worked, most worlds seemed to lack that manner of technological infrastructure...), but she didn't feel comfortable lounging around and watching TV all day. And there weren't any books present on the ship to read, either.

So, she defaulted to her new favourite pastime: retreating to her bedroom and perusing through Sora's journal and learning about all his adventures.

Okay, yes, technically the journal belonged to and was maintained by one Jiminy Cricket, but it was all about Sora, and he had taken the time to scribble various notes into the margin, so to Kairi, it was Sora's journal and Sora's alone.

Kairi's heart was always lifted, even in the moments of her deepest exhaustion and worry, whenever she read through the little book. Seeing all the things her best friend had accomplished on his journey – the fun he had, he challenges he overcame, the people he met, and the lives he changed – Kairi wanted to memorize every detail available. And that's why, she was greatly disappointed that, for whatever reason, this journal only contained information about his most current adventure. It started with him waking up in a basement in the old mansion in Twilight Town, having missed a whole year (Why was he sleeping down there? And, seriously, I knew you were a lazy bum, but that's bad, even for you!). And there was this strange note at the beginning of the journal – just two words – that read "Thank Namine". Kairi didn't know what that meant, or what Sora had to thank this person for, but every time she read or said that name, she felt a phantom pain echo throughout her heart.

But, regardless of this person and why Kairi felt this way, the girl was sorely disappointed the journal contained nothing about when Sora first received the Keyblade. When he was first sent headlong into the unknown on that quest to find her and Riku and return home. Paine's words were engraved onto her soul, about how she should stop comparing herself to Sora because they knew nothing about what he felt when it all began, and so, Kairi wanted to learn just what exactly Sora was feeling way back when.

That probably wasn't the lesson Paine was trying to teach her, but it was the lesson Kairi took.

After staring at the various photos of Sora in his absolutely adorable lion form, Kairi set the journal aside and sighed, lying atop her bedspread.

Paine's words had more of an impact on her than she would like to believe, and she had spent most of her idle time trying to divine an answer within herself. Even if she knew she shouldn't compare herself to Sora, to stop doubting her own abilities and beating herself down... there was more to this than just that. There was more than Kairi thinking Sora was better than her for whatever perceived courage or failures or successes or whichever. Kairi was walking a path that Sora had walked a year prior, their actions had sparked a connection, and she wanted to know just how deep and strong those bonds were.

Maybe I should just ask him when he's safe and sound and this is all over. Maybe that's easier than worrying about this every waking hour of the day.

A knock at the door drew her attention, where Yuna was popping her head through the doorway.

"Kairi? Get ready, we'll be at our next world in less than an hour."

"Okay. Thanks, Yuna. I'll be on the bridge shortly."

The answers to her questions still eluded her, but Kairi had work ahead of her, so she pushed it all deep down inside her for now. What Paine had said mattered, but it didn't. She would try and stop being so negative about herself and deferential to Sora, but her best friend would always be in heart and on her mind. He had carved the path that Kairi was following, and she would do her best to emulate him.

Kairi would be the hero that everyone needed, and she would do it just like Sora would.

-O-SWLTW-O-

"It would seem we have an issue at hand here." The Organization's Superior, Xemnas, declared to his underlings.

All the remaining members of Organization XIII had gathered in their opulent, extravagant, and highly impractical meeting room. A barren white chamber occupied by thirteen towering thrones that could escalate and deescalate in height as need be, and no other furnishings, leaving the only ways up and down from the seats was via Dark Corridors. Currently, only five of the thrones were occupied, so perhaps Organization V was a more apt title for the collective of villains.

"It would seem our wayward Princess of Heart has not only survived her voyage into the Realm of Darkness, but has gotten wind of the Blackheart Stones. Two have already been destroyed."

The four other Nobodies reacted in various states of surprise. Both Xigbar and Luxord look stunned, Saix and Xaldin looked slightly irked.

"But then, that would mean -" Luxord began, only to be quickly cut off by Saix.

"The girl has a Keyblade." The scarred man said, distastefully. "It seems nowadays anyone can find themselves in possession of a Keyblade. What a waste to be given to that worthless child. I can't imagine she should prove such a threat."

Xemnas gazed unerringly at his subordinates. As Superior, it was only natural his throne loomed over all others, vacant or occupied. "I would not be so hasty as to disregard her and her abilities. The Keyblade draws much of it's strength from the heart of the wielder. And a Princesses of Heart finds themselves so full of power, brimming with everlasting light. If given the opportunity to run wild, her power could grow exponentially, and bring ruin to everything we have worked so hard to achieve.

"I shall not let that happen. We will eliminate her with prejudice at the soonest opportunity."

Xigbar cackled and clapped his hands. "Now that's why you're the boss!" He pointed an approving finger up to Xemnas. "Always so proactive and on the ball. Just say the word, and I'll put a bullet right between her eyes, and then it's night-night for the little bird."

"I would gladly volunteer my services, Superior." Luxord offered, withdrawing a deck of card from within his cloak and shuffling them, showing off his various techniques for no other reason than he could. "I have always truly desired a chance to test my fortitude and ability against a wielder of the Keyblade. Even if it is the young lady, I cannot openly reject such an opportunity."

Once more, Xemnas looked down upon the four, studying them, even Saix and Xaldin, who remained intractable and made no offer to attack their foe.

"At this juncture, it is best we remain on our set course." Xemnas said, slowly. His booming, methodical voice always commanded authority, even when it was a true rabble of thirteen in the chamber, however brief that time was. "For now, I would like the three of you," he motioned to Saix, Luxord, and Xigbar, "to keep accompanying our beloved guest into the other worlds, to slay Heartless, and to complete our great work. Be certain not to mention recent developments. So long as he believes his friends have fallen, his hopes and dreams will remain dashed, and he will not resist us."

Then, Xemnas turned towards Xaldin.

"You, Xaldin, I shall entrust the task of dealing with our newborn Keyblade Wielder. Hunt her to the edge of existence, and strike her down without mercy."

The dreadlock maned man nodded with a steely expression, barely any emotion coming to him as he was asked to murder a fifteen year old girl. "I shall gladly take up this task, Superior, and I will not fail. The first chance that opens up to me, the Princess will perish by my lance. You have my word."

Hey guys, remember when you first played KHII and ran into Xaldin for the first time? No reason. Just asking for a friend...

-I wanted to do a Dive To The Heart scene for Kairi (I think more and more characters should be granted the honour of having this), maybe I should have done it earlier, after the first chapter, before she woke up on Hollow Bastion, but I think it fits fine here. Kairi's first mission has come to a close, her training begins in earnest, and so she awakens to the new strength within her. I also wanted Kairi's to be different from all the others, for hers to stand out, because each of the Dive scenes have been similar but distinct. Sora's in I is different from Roxas' in II is different from Sora's in III is different from Sora's in I.

-I never liked Riku's arc in II. Outside of it feeling like a boring retread of the stuff he did in COM, it just feels like a forced and contrived way to keep the characters separated from one another, as well as a cheap way to build suspense, what with him referring to himself as "Ansem". So, bit of a retcon here. Riku rejects the Ansem identity, sees him as himself, and his reasons are staying away from his friends are more complicated and psychological. He feels deep shame for what he did, and doesn't think he can face either Sora or Kairi without making it up to them somehow. And he keeps constructing higher and higher hurdles for himself to clear, because Riku thinks he isn't worthy of forgiveness or redemption. Not helped by the fact that tapping into that twist shard of Ansem still within his heart was the wrong move. It gave him a power boost at the time, enough to defeat Roxas, but now the power is backlashing on him and making him weaker, slowly killing him. Whether he deserves forgiveness or not, Riku has to do something about that first and foremost...

-One trope in the Kingdom Hearts series I have begun to find irksome is "the villains need the heroes alive, so that they can do something". Now, on it's own, the trope is perfectly fine, but KH has overused it to such an extreme extent. It's present in COM, II, BBS, DDD, III, hell, you could even argue in Days, since Xemnas needs one of Roxas or Xion alive, just not both. And it was used really well in COM, worked fine in II and BBS, but by the time DDD rolled around, it was just overdone. Trite, boring, and cliche. And then you get to III where it's even moreso. And then you can bet in IV, Luxu, The Foretellers, and the Master of Masters will need Sora to do something first, so they can't kill him either... With this story, that trope does not apply. The Organization has Sora in their employ. Anymore Key Bearers present only jeopardizes their plans. So, they are coming at Kairi full force, guns blazing.

-Also, I can understand if some of you might find Riku and Namine out of character in this story, but hear me out, I do have so logic to their characterization. Riku is at the nadir of his character arc, depressed, defeated, and slowly dieing. He wants to help his friends, but doubts himself, and isn't even sure if he will live long enough to be reunited with Sora and Kairi.

As for Namine, I always found that she is a character defined by her tragic, horrible existence. Basically abused by all of her caretakers her entire (short) life, she has internalized a lot of that abuse and, as a result, carries a lot of self-loathing with her. Namine wants nothing more than to help Sora and Kairi as well (and feels guilty for what happened to Roxas), but sees herself as useless and powerless, and has to rely on Riku, who is running at less than a hundred percent right now.

And, not to spoil much, but there is more grief and tragedy coming for Namine in the near future...

-I think every SoKai writer ever has written a scene of Kairi squeeing over Lion-Sora. Guess it's about time I threw my hat into the ring...

-As for Kairi's current internal debate regarding her idolization of Sora, well, remember this story isn't just about Kairi becoming a warrior, but also about her development, as a character, as to what kind of hero she wants to be. I don't want to say her following and imitating Sora is unhealthy and wrong, that she places him on too high a pedestal, that there should be more to her than just being a Distaff counterpart to Sora, but... there is. There should be. And if, heaven forbid, Nomura actually decides to treat her as a character instead of just a Sword of Damocles to hang above Sora, and Kairi gets her time to shine in the games, she should be. Sora can be Sora, and Kairi should be Kairi.

-Also, after writing several stories where Sora and Kairi are a couple, it is so weird to write Kairi referring to Sora as her "best friend" than "boyfriend". It's weird and it's wrong and I don't like it!

But, that will do it for me for the time being. Another chapter down in the books. What does everyone think? About Kairi's Dive and her choices and their ramifications? Of Kairi's training and progress? What moves will Riku and Namine make to counter the Organization? To help their friends? And to fight back against the dark clouds hanging over their heads? And, now, it seems we're on an inevitable collision course towards our heroines crossing blades with Xaldin. Just how will that turn out? Don't be shy, I'd love to hear from each and everyone of you, so please, take a few minutes to share a few words. It'd mean the world.

Thanks again, and take care, dear readers!