Saga of Light: She Will Light The Way

by SirAngelo

What would he do for Kairi? His freedom for hers, Sora offers. In the timeline we know, the deal is rejected. But here, Sora becomes the Organization's prisoner, for Kairi's sake. Now, Kairi must venture through the worlds, fighting for herself and her friends, take hold of the reigns of fate, and become the hero she was always meant to be. [Kingdom Heart II AU Story] [SoKai]

21. Mirages & Memories, part two

Also, hey! Social media is a thing I suck at but I'm on Twitter now. Follow me for updates on my stuff plus to hear me talk about toku, video games, and pro wrestling! Link is on the profile or look up "Angelo_Fiction"!

---

OOOOO
She Will Light The Way
Chapter Twenty-One
Mirages & Memories, part two

"You sure this is gonna work, Yunie?" Rikku questioned.

"Yes. Well, I mean, I believe it will. I hope it will." Yuna said, stuttering slightly. "We've done all we can to ensure it's success, but no plan is one-hundred percent guaranteed to -"

"That's a 'no'." Paine interrupted, bluntly. "You have no idea whether this going to work or not."

Yuna sighed. "Yes. Thank you for that, Paine." Focusing on something other than their squabbling, the brunette gunslinger scanned the area, making sure everyone was in place, at the very least.

After narrowly surviving their last skirmish with the Mushussu Heartless, the Gullwings with Aladdin and Jasmine in tow carefully traveled over to the market place, rooftop hopping once more. The area they came to was a wide-open plaza square, clearly once the heart of the bazaar, but was now as desolate and empty as the rest of the city. Each of them had taken position atop buildings at the four corners of the square, with Jasmine and Aladdin huddling together on one, the one in the furthest corner from Yuna. The plan she had concocted was risky, to be sure, but they didn't have a whole lot of options to begin with, and they had wasted too much time as is. It must have been a good half hour since Zexion first appeared on the palace grounds, who knows what had happened between him and Kairi by now?

Maybe Paine was right. Maybe I do coddle Kairi too much and I should give her some space to succeed or fail on her own terms. Such a thought made Yuna feel ill, as it meant leaving her friend at the mercy of monsters and madmen, but she proved a decent match for Lexaeus, the other Silhouette they had faced. She had grown so much stronger since then, too, perhaps she was worrying for nothing? Perhaps Kairi had already won the battle and was trying to find what had happened to them.

I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Silently signaling to her teammates, as well as the Princess and vagabond, Yuna checked in to make sure everyone was ready for this hastily put-together operation. "Alright, girls... and Aladdin, it's showtime!"

On her mark, Rikku threw down a handful of explosives right in the middle of the square, the bombs quickly detonating, a sizable explosion ringing out through the plaza. As the smoke and flames cleared, the earth began to rumble and shake again, ushering the Mushussu Heartless to the surface once more. Much to Yuna's relief, her theory held true, as she could clearly see the damage inflicted on the head of the serpentine beast was still there; it had not recovered from it's encounter with Jasmine's Light. That was the opening they all needed. Now for the next step...

Before the Heartless could act, Paine let out a low battle cry while flinging her sword to the Heartless, spinning through the air with in a brutal Strike Raid, the heavy blade slamming into the crack's along the Heartless' head, pointing embedding itself into the exposed matter beneath the rocky armour. The sword was impaled to the Mushussu for all of one second before Paine joined her weapon, leaping from rooftop to straddle the Heartless atop it's neck. With one hand grasping a pointed protrusion and the other retrieving her sword, Paine began to slash and hammer at the Heartless, mindlessly hacking away at the preexisting wound over and over, while the Mushussu thrashed about wildly, trying to buck the dark swordswoman off it's being.

Yuna's eyes quickly darted from rooftop to rooftop, checking in on her other allies while Paine kept the Heartless occupied. Rikku had crouched down and was tinkering with some tools she pulled from her pouches, while Aladdin stood guard over Jasmine, who had her eyes shut in concentration, a faint glow radiating around her body. Paine was still managing high atop the Heartless, holding on and continuing her assault, while the beast itself had flailed about so much that it's entire body had emerged from it's burrow, long tail coiled up on the ground. So far, so good...

Eventually, the Heartless regained a little more control of the situation, it's movements becoming more deliberate and calm, as it's slithering form began to make a beeline towards one of the buildings in the area, head lowered. The thing was going to ram Paine into one of the structures!

"It actually figured that out sooner than I thought..." Yuna muttered to herself, kneeling from her vantage point and aiming down the sights of her shotstaff. Even if she delivered the biggest shot imaginable, there was no guarantee she could inflict damage through the armoured hide of the Heartless. But there were other methods of attack besides direct damage.

Firing a bullet of dark blue energy, the shot struck true, splashing against the rocky scales of the Heartless. The bullet left no mark or sign of impact, but the wave of energy washed over the beast, along with a shimmering glyph in the form of a clock, it's twin hands moving at an absolute glacial pace. Where Mushussu was once barreling towards the building with blistering velocity, it's movements suddenly became languid and sluggish, as it fell under the sway of Yuna's Slow spell. It was as if the gunslinger had set the Heartless to move at one-eighth speed, it's lethargic slithering causing it to crawl forward inch by inch where before it was making a lighting-fast advance through the sand.

Still on a collision course for the structures, but with much less urgency and danger about, Paine continued to hammer and the damaged armour of the fiend, viciously digging at the soft, vulnerable not-flesh enclosed within. Even with all the effort she was putting into it, though, she wasn't inflicting much visible damage to the thing.

Eventually, all too soon, the Slow spell fizzled out, the Heartless staggering as it came back to it's normal velocity. Instead of starting it's charge up again, the Heartless instead coil it's body tightly, winding itself into a compact pile before shooting upwards, arcing it's head towards the ground. This rollercoaster of movement was finally enough to shake Paine off, fortunately too, as the Mushussu dove into the earth once more, away from Paine's attacks and Yuna's debuffs.

The group waited with bated breath for the thing to emerge again, the tremors rising and falling in intensity as the thing swam beneath the surface, with both Rikku and Jasmine continuing their respective preparations.

"Okay, I'm ready. Give me the word and we can finish this." Came Jasmine from across the way, speaking in between shallow breaths. Yuna had to strain her vision to see, but the Arabian Princess had indeed hit her limit for the day, Jasmine look quite flushed and her eyes being narrowed and unfocused. Still, the fruits of her labour was present, as she clutched a sphere of holy light energy the size of a watermelon in her hands. The same kind Aladdin had used to stun and drive off the Heartless hours before.

"Me too, Yunie. With this kinda payload, we'll blow that snake sky high!" The final result of Rikku's preparation was a series of bombs all combined together into one ungainly, monstrous gestalt of an explosive. The grenades were bound together through sticky gel, soldering some of their wiring together, and through Rikku literally binding them in twine. It wasn't pretty, but it was certain to make one hell of an explosion when it went off.

Yuna kept her eyes locked on the square, feeling the tremors of the Heartless slowly begin to peak again. While the damage to the armour around the Heartless' head was a notable advantage for them, she knew it wouldn't be enough to win them the battle. It did, however, give the former Summoner a bit of inspiration. If whatever lay beneath the tough, rocky exterior of the Heartless was vulnerable, then what about it's interior? What if you got a good, solid hit in from inside it's gaping maw?

Blind it and stun it with the Light and then, before it could retreat, hit it with another Slow spell and have Rikku drop the bomb into it's wide open mouth. Paine would be seen as the immediate threat so the Heartless would focus on her and hopefully ignore the rest of them. Then, either the Heartless would clamp down on the cluster, detonating it, or Yuna could strike it with a spell, also detonating it. A blast that big should be more than enough to tear the thing from the inside out.

It all seemed so easy in practice, but Yuna knew they were only going to get one shot at this. Jasmine was well exhausted and over-taxed for the time being, and without Kairi and one of her Radiant Finishes, Yuna wasn't sure if the group had the fire power to penetrate the armour of the Heartless.

Much as I don't want to leave Kairi to her own devices, we shouldn't have to rely on her all the time. Yuna thought, as the ominous rumbling reached it's crescendo. She had to crouch with her legs wide to maintain her balance, as it felt like the entire sandstone building she was on was going to crumble beneath her. It's unfair we have to burden her with every major obstacle. Every major fight. We were heroes once. We can still fight and win and help those in need!

Paine had positioned herself as to stand along the side of the square she used to occupy, away from the others, hopefully keeping the Heartless away from them, as well. Finally, the Mushussu appeared again, bursting through the earth with a silent roar and swinging it's head about in a wide, hundred and eighty degree arc. Unfortunately, as it's head lashed about, the Heartless spewed another tide of sand, the furious jet of silt smashing into everything in it's path! Paine hit the dirt at the last moment, feeling the blast sail over her, but soon heard the crashing of stone from behind her, as the jet drilled into the buildings lining the square, the wide arc of the Heartless letting it demolish half the plaza in one go!

Including the buildings Yuna and Rikku stood upon.

Barely making out Paine's cursing and Rikku's yelps over the sound of her support crumble into dust, Yuna barely had enough time to leap out from the rooftop and roll into the plaza, safe but out in the open and without her vantage point. Rikku's landing was far more rough, the spritely blonde flopping down on her belly, spread eagle, with her bundled-up bomb skidding from her grasp and sliding across the sandy ground next to Yuna.

Paine rushed over to a defensive position in front of Yuna, but by that point, the Heartless was already on top of them, looming up to it's full height above gunslinger and warrior, firmly planted in it's burrow and spinning like a drill again. A howling whirlwind began to form around the spinning Heartless, now masked by a whirling screen of sand. Yuna could feel the winds whooshing through her hair, all the dusty air in the area being suctioned towards the towering serpent, as the storm only became more intense, the funnel cloud growing in volume and speed with every passing moment. At first, as Yuna planted her feet and gritted her teeth while trying to think of their next move, only trails of sand and tiny bits of rubble were sucked towards the flourishing cyclone, but the sucking force grew along with the storm, dragging more and more into the whirlwind. Chunks of stone, larger and larger with each passing second, were added to the spinning wall, as the three Spiran women even found themselves losing purchase and being dragged towards the Heartless.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yuna saw the bomb rock and slide against the ground, the swirling winds trying to scoop it up into their chaotic grasp. Thinking fast and acting faster, Yuna dove towards it, snagging it out of the air at the last second and tucking it under her arm like a football. If they lost the bomb to the storm surrounding the Mushussu, it was basically game over. Not that they were in a great position, Yuna realized, as she had to fight just to stand up and not be bowled over by the winds.

In the distance, she could barely make out Aladdin and Jasmine, huddled low on their rooftop, slightly shielded by the lip that rimmed the parapet, while nearby, Paine had stake her sword into the ground with Rikku clinging onto her friend for dear life.

Come one, Yuna, you can't freeze up now just because your plan went bust. Why, if Kairi were here with you, she'd... she'd do something reckless and stupid that we'd give her an earful for, but it would win the day regardless. Yuna almost chuckled at that thought. It was just another thing the redhead had in common with her younger self. During her pilgrimage, Yuna performed all sorts of rash and risky acts to win the day, barely pulling it out by the skin of her teeth most of the time. The first such incident that jumped to mind was leaping from the top of the chapel at her own wedding...

The current situation was certainly dire, Yuna grimly observed, perhaps it was time to bring back a bit of that daring do.

"Jasmine. Jasmine!" Yuna called out, yelling at the top of her lungs, hoping that would be enough to carry her voice through the raucous storm. The brunette began darting to her left, careful to keep her footing and even more careful to avoid the debris being sucked into the Heartless' cyclone. "Jasmine! Throw the orb! Throw it!" She still had the shackled bomb tucked under her arm, while her shotstaff was held by her right arm, finger firmly on the trigger.

This had an even tighter time frame than their original plan. The moment Jasmine's Light erupted and enveloped the plaza, Yuna would only have a handful of seconds between the Heartless being dazed and it retreating beneath the earth again. At the very least, it might give them enough reprieve to make it back to the palace, but Yuna wasn't going to aim for the very least.

Taking a page from Kairi's playbook, Yuna aimed her shotstaff right at the ground while leaping upward. The current of air took her, holding her upside down and taking her for a ride, but the gunslinger unleashed an explosive blast of fire magic from the barrel at the very last moment, quickly tucking herself into a ball, as the jet rocketed her into the air, Yuna soaring above the zenith of the tornado.

With Aladdin wrapping his arms around her waist, anchoring her in place, Jasmine stood up and hurled the sphere of Light into the plaza, only for it to be immediately sucked up by the storming winds spiraling around them. Fortunately though, whirlwind or not, the orb broke apart, unleashing the impossibly bright light into the square. The rays pierced through the dust devil with ease, and the moment they glance the Mushussu Heartless at the center, the beast ceased it's spinning and began to wildly react just as before. All the sand and stone it had collected fell back to the earth, the sand billowing out so as to completely blanket the ground area.

The gentle and soft light continued to spread out, bathing the entire area in it's glory, as Yuna twisted herself around to get a clear shot of the Heartless. It's shadowy silhouette blared out against the field of pure, glaring white, giving her a target even if it was ill-defined and the brightness was just a bit too harsh. Squinting and doing her best to ignore the discomfort, Yuna focused on the beast and it's movements, and it's head bobbed to-and-fro, it's serpentine body slowly sinking back beneath the sand again. She was only going to get one shot at this.

To her relief though, the maw of the horrible demon was wide open the entire time.

With all the strength she could muster, Yuna hurled the cluster of bombs towards the Heartless, while charging a shot through her staff, just as Jasmine's Light began to recede and fade. Rikku's makeshift clump sailed through the air as well as a loosely cobbled together assembly of bombs could, which is to say not well. Still, even lacking an aerodynamic form, they bobbled and wobbled through the air to their target, the Mushussu just turning it's head at the right moment for them to slip past it's beak and down into it's gullet.

Not one to waste a perfect shot, Yuna quickly brought her staff up to bear and fired the charged beam, an arc of energy twisting through the air with precision and grace. The Heartless had continued to shimmy itself downward into it's burrow – over half of it's body gone from sight at this point – but the magical gunfire still hit true, following the same path the bombs took and piercing right through them!

A rumbling followed, but not the rumbling of earth the five had become accustomed to. Instead, a monolithic burst of flame flew out of the mouth of the Heartless, originating from inside it's being, followed by smaller gouts of flame erupting along it's sides. From the inside out, the fiend was being torn to shreds and demolished, before the entire payload went off, bifurcating the serpent in a fiery explosion! One half remained in beneath the earth, but the other half was blown into smithereens and strewn about the plaza, along with another cloud of dirt and sand, as Yuna fell back to the ground. Before long, vanishing in a dark miasma, all the remains of the Mushussu Heartless vanished, and peace fell over Agrabah again.

Aladdin and Jasmine clambered down from their position as the dust settled, quickly finding all three of the Gullwings caked head to toe in dust and sand – hair, clothes, skin, and everything. Yuna and Paine coughed irritably while Rikku pulled her goggles back up, circles of tanned skin standing out in contrast against the dusty shroud over the rest of her body.

"And now I remember why I hate the desert." Paine complained in between coughs.

"Sand. I hate sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere." Rikku joked with an impish grin, though her expression soon fell and she then state in an all too serious tone. "Seriously though, I think I got sand in places sand does not belong..."

"There's going to be a fight for the showers tonight..."

"Are you alright, Jasmine?" Aladdin asked, as the thoroughly exhausted Princess took a seat on some rubble, with both him and Yuna attending to her. Putting on a brave face, Jasmine smiled and nodded.

"Hmm. Yes, I'm... just a little lightheaded." She explained, trying to dismiss their concerns. "Please don't worry, I'll be fine. And besides, we have other things to worry about. We need to get back to the palace as fast as possible."

Much as they were concerned for her well-being, Aladdin and Yuna could not argue with that. Kairi was in danger, and Yuna knew her heart would not rest until she saw the girl herself, safe and sound.

Leaving the war zone of a market place behind them, the group of five double-timed it back to the palace, hoping for the best and dreading the worst.

-O-SWLTW-O-

Exhausted. Overworked. Hurt. Broken. Despairing. Heartsick. On the precipice of a full and complete breakdown.

Sora slumped in the corner of his cold, barren jail cell, feeling all of that and more. It had been the latest in a series of long, long days of mindless Heartless slaying for his mortal enemies, furthering their goals. The Organization had been particularly merciless in their slave-driving as of late, too. Eight consecutive days of work, with Sora's shifts sometimes lasting close to half the day. Not to mention, where when this all first started, Sora would usually only be escorted to one world per day, but now, whatever Nobody was acting as his chaperone would ferry him from place to place, never staying for longer than two or three hours.

If he were in a better state of mind, Sora might have found that oddly suspicious.

But, exhausted as he was, Sora wasn't a stranger to physical exertion and the weariness of his adventurer lifestyle. He had always been an energetic and active person, going back to his childhood, and he possessed more energy and courage than restraint, often leading to him pushing himself too far. The same was even more true regarding his adventures last year. During the exploration of a world, Sora would prove to be an endless ball of energy, only to crash the moment the Keyhole was sealed and they departed. He distinctly remembered sleeping seventeen straight hours after finishing Wonderland. But, halcyon memories aside, Sora could take the physical aspect of his fatigue, it was the emotional and spiritual aspects that were weighing him down. Grinding him into dust. Destroying him.

Sora yawned, feeling his body fight against the wave of drowsiness that hit him. He needed sleep, but he also knew that wasn't going to come for him anytime soon.

It was bad enough that Sora spent nearly every waking moment reflecting on what had happened, what he had done, and the consequences delivered to his loved ones, but that same dread and worry was beginning to infect his dreams, too. Every night for the past two weeks Sora suffered through a restless sleep, struggling to fall asleep and waking up at least once before daybreak, constantly hounded by nightmares and visions. No matter what he did, he could not escape those specters that haunted him in his sleep, even during the waking day. The twisted, horrific images would always creep back into his mind as the day progressed, reminding him of his failures and all the suffering he had caused.

Sometimes, the nightmares were fairly abstract: the eternal echoes of Kairi or Riku's screams in a dark void, or brief flashes of their faces contorted in tortuous agony. Other times, they came in a more vivid form: Sora returning home, only to find both his parents and his sisters dead at the hands of Xigbar, the wicked Nobody ghoulishly gloating over their lifeless bodies. Sora wasn't entirely sure which of the two was worse.

Sora buried his face in his gloved hands, almost moved to tears, though he wasn't sure if that was due to the emotional turmoil or the lack of sleep. Either way, he was at his breaking point. At first, when he made his deal with Saix, he thought he was just doing the right thing. Kairi getting kidnapped was his fault, so it was up to him to fall on his sword and do what he could do to save her. But he had underestimated the depths of the cruelty and depravity of the Organization, seeing as they had no intention of letting Kairi free, seeing her to safety.

Now, as time had passed since that fateful day, Sora was slowly coming to realize just how badly he had screwed up. How selfish and short-sighted he had been. She was gone now. Kairi was gone. If he had just found his resolve and fought back, she would probably be okay. Probably be in the same situation he was in, locked in this cell, awaiting salvation. At the very least, he would be in a position to stop the Organization, to be the hero again. Worse, Sora knew that Kairi's pain and suffering a demise (Sora felt his stomach twist into a tight knot when he thought of his childhood friend's ultimate fate) was because of him. It might be even more selfish of him to think of him like this, but Sora thought that was the most grievous sin he had committed. Not dooming the universe as a whole to the machinations of the Organization, but pushing all the pain he was suffering onto his friend. Making the person he had known almost his entire life, the girl he was certain his feelings for transcended mere liking, feel nothing but suffering and distress during her final moments.

And so, Sora sat, in his small, cold, confined jail cell, body worn ragged, spirit broken, on the verge of passing out but dreading what would come to him in sleep. He shivered, hugging his own body tightly. It was a minor complaint on top of everything else, but he hated how cold The World That Never Was was. Even wearing that stupid black cloak over his shorts and jacket didn't provide him with enough warmth and comfort.

Wriggling around, eyelids drooping, desperately trying to get warm and comfortable, Sora felt something hard poke at him in one of his many (many, many) pockets. Curious overtook him for a moment, a brief respite from the cloud of despair that had been consuming him for so long. Sora fished a hand down towards that pocket and pulled out the offending item.

A small charm made of thalassa shells, arranged in the form of a five-pointed star. A smiley face was childishly etched onto the top point of the star. Kairi's lucky charm.

"Kairi..." Tears began to roll down the broken boy's cheeks, as his mind was bombarded with even more proof of his failures. She gave me this right before I went to Hollow Bastion to seal the Keyhole. It was suppose to keep me safe. It didn't. I was suppose to bring it back to her. He didn't. He couldn't any longer. This was suppose to be a sign of their bond and their trust for each other, but now it was just another sign of his failure. Another promise Sora had broken.

In the delirium of exhaustion, Sora began to relive all the moments over the past year, all the chances he could have taken and that what-ifs he could have done. When Saix brought him to her, within the heart of the Organization's stronghold, he should have fought and resisted instead of giving in to the villains. If he was just a little faster and a little less focused on his own adventures, he could have made it to Twilight Town sooner and got to Kairi before the Nobodies. He should have ignored what Yen Sid said and tried to find a way home, before he did anything else. When he defeated Ansem and the worlds were being restored, he had told Kairi to go home and wait for him, to abandon her and leave her all alone, but that was wrong. He should have taken her with him! Keep her by his side so they could find Riku together! He was her friend, too...

Time and time again, I always pushed Kairi away. Kept her at arm's length. Told her to go home. I put Riku ahead of her. Donald and Goofy. My own freedom and fun. I... I think I love her, but I've treated her like garbage for so long. Sora's hands idly moved against the groves of the sea shells. His last lingering connection to his home. No wonder it all caught up with me and I ended up in this mess...

"I'm awful. I'm selfish... I've been a bad friend, haven't I?"

That was Sora's last thought before his exhaustion finally won out, and sleep overtook him.

Sora fell into the timeless void of sleep, consciousness fading away, even if recent history had taught him he would find no solace over the next few hours. He didn't know how much time had passed in the waking world, but a dream did eventually come, Sora finding himself in a strange, unfamiliar environment. Blackness surrounded him on all sides, except for the platform her stood upon, and a small aura of light hanging above his head, rays of pure white lazily drifting down and illuminating the entire zone.

Sora looked down to properly observe the ground, seeing that this was actually oddly familiar. A stained glass platform had risen through the abyss, giving Sora his purchase, with an image of himself depicted on it's surface. Sora saw himself, resting peacefully, holding Kingdom Key and dressed as he was last year, with an image of an unmistakable tropical island in the background. Crowns styled after the token on his pendant encircled the mural, along with a smaller, concentric circle near the depiction of himself, with images of Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi captured within. It was just like that weird dream he had before this all started. The last days of innocent childhood, before he received the Keyblade.

Even though nothing had happened yet – and Sora was incredibly relieved for that fact – the despondent Key Bearer quickly became angry at his surroundings. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the likeness of his friends, but that joy quickly turned bitter in his mouth, as he was reminded of his homes and friends. Of the things that were forever out of his reach.

"Okay, okay, come on already!" Sora called out, impatiently, his voice echoing in the empty space. "Can't we just skip to the part where I wake up at five in the morning, screaming and crying?" He was certain he would never have a pleasant dream come his way again

"Sora? Sora, is that you?"

A girl's voice called through the darkness, causing Sora to jump, looking around for the stranger. All of a sudden, his frustration began to ease itself, as this dream began to feel different from the others.

He then had to shield his eyes, as a blast of impossibly bright light ripped it's way through the dream world, Sora feeling more of that irritation and anger leaving him as the rays lapped across his body. The light felt so pleasant and warm. Familiar.

Eventually though, that light and warmth did recede, revealing the presumed speaker. A young girl around Sora's age, slender and petite, with shining platinum blonde hair and dressed in a pure white sundress. Big blue eyes dominated her face, looking both sad and hopeful in turn, but she smiled when she saw Sora. The boy felt slightly flustered when he saw the mystery girl's face alight with such joy. Cute girls smiling at him always caused him to feel nervous and strange.

But, all in all, considering her countenance and her appearance in this realm, it was as if an angel had appeared before Sora to relieve him of all the pain and suffering in his life. Now, this dream no longer felt like a dream. Everything was starting to feel too real.

"Oh, I'm so glad I've finally found you, Sora." The blonde girl sighed in relief. "I've been trying to do this for over a week now..."

"Sorry, but I need to ask you... is this heaven?" Sora asked, earning a baffled look from his visitor. The girl blinked before shaking her head. "But you are an angel, right?" The beauty and light and peace coming from this girl seemed to match up in Sora's mind – perhaps his body and heart had finally given out and he had expired then and there in his cell – but his question was also quickly and quietly shot down. "Then who are you? What's happening?"

"...Who I am isn't important." Came the blonde's response, slowly. As if she wasn't sure how to answer the question. "All you need to know is that I've been trying to contact you for sometime. I'm far away on another world, but I've connected with your heart because I want to help you, Sora."

"Well, that would be nice and all, but I don't know what anyone can do to help me." Sora said, cautiously. Desperate as he was, Sora didn't want to get his hopes up. "Besides, even if you can help me escape from the Organization, what's the point? My friends Kairi and Riku are gone. Finished. What's the point in fighting for a world without the two of them?" Selfish. That's what everything he did and thought came back to. Sora was selfish. But it was true, regardless. Kairi and Riku were his everything. What would he do without them in his life?

The girl, however, reacted wildly to Sora's admission, shaking her head again, but more furiously and sternly. "That's not true, don't believe their lies!" The angelic blonde shouted with earnest passion. Sora did a double take, as her words echoed through the darkened space. "Riku and Kairi... they're okay. They're alive. I..." Her bluster faltered for a moment, eyes flickering away from Sora's gaze, as he leaned closer to her, hanging on to her every word. "You have to believe me, Sora. The Organization have been lying to you, trying to break your spirit..."

"They're okay...? Kairi and Riku are alive?" Sora didn't know how to feel. This girl presented no proof as of yet, and he didn't want to pick himself up only to fall even farther and harder, but he was so desperate for any sort of goodness in his life. Anything to repair his wounded heart and push him forward, he would be willing to reach out and grasp the faintest threads of hope. "But how? Kairi was thrown through a Corridor. And I saw Riku on the Land of Dragons; he got swallowed by an avalanche. At least I'm pretty sure that was him..."

"It's a long story, and I don't know everything that's happened, to Kairi at least." For a brief moment, the blonde girl seemed to flicker in and out of existence, her being fading and scattering into light, much to Sora's shock. The stranger herself seemed surprised and worried by this turn of events, even as her body eventually returned to normal, though she now spoke in a more hurried tone.

"They both have Keyblades now and are fighting. Not just for your sake or for themselves, but for everyone." She explained, as Sora felt his spirits rise ever higher. "Kairi is going through the worlds, helping others in need and growing stronger." Sora couldn't believe it. Kairi? Fighting? Becoming a hero like he was? An image formed in his head of Kairi, outfitted like him and wielding the Kingdom Key...

A bright, full smile broke out on his face, the first time he had smile in a long time. Pride bloomed in his chest the more and more he thought of Kairi. She was amazing! Incredible! The pain and sadness she must have felt when this all went down, but she had picked herself up and was fighting, saving others? What a truly wonderful girl she was...

The blonde saw Sora's dopey, loving smile and grinned slightly, though something other than joy flickered in her eye. "Riku is... he's struggling. Afraid of what might happen. Needlessly stubborn."

"So, same old Riku?" Sora interrupted, expecting a giggle or laugh from his visitor, but the serene angel only frowned. "Uh, sorry..."

"It's... he wants to make it up to you and Kairi for what happened, so he's been scouring the worlds, hunting for you. Trying to steal you away from the Organization."

"That was him on Agrabah!" Sora exclaimed in sudden realization. "The dark knight me and Saix came across. But wait, where did he get that awesome suit of armour?" Sora was always one to ask the most relevant and important questions.

"Uh, I-I'm not entirely sure, Sora. I think he got it when he forged his Keyblade. The impor -"

"Aw, no fair! I didn't get anything cool like that when I got mine!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the blonde let loose a series of snickers and chuckles, clutching her sides as she did. "That... even after all this time, after all that's happened, you haven't changed at all, have you Sora?"

Sora took notice of that comment. With the way this girl was speaking and acting, it seemed she was awfully familiar with him, but for the life of him he couldn't recall her face. Maybe he was just being paranoid; Riku probably just told her all about him.

"The important thing is, they're both fighting." The blonde said after finally calming down and regaining her composure. "Riku has been through a lot, and I'm more than certain Kairi has, too. But they're still fighting." With her voice growing softer and softer, the body of the angel in white began to break down again, more gradual this time around. From her legs up, her body began to slowly dissipate into thin white mist. Again, this took the girl by surprised, as she flinched away from Sora, momentarily consumed by panic, blue eyes marred by fear and dainty fingers curling tightly.

But it was only a moment. The terror passed, and the mysterious visitor quickly pushed forward, her effort and fiery ardor redoubled, even as her being continued to vanish. "Even through all the pain they have suffered, they haven't given up. Kairi and Riku are still fighting the Organization, and they're coming to save you. Soon. They'll come for you, Sora, so you can't give up! Not yet, not ever. Trust in your friends and their hearts and their power!" The girl then sighed, ashamedly turning away from Sora. "I mean, I-I wish I had some proof of all this. I don't know how to make you believe such a wild tale..."

Sensing the air of doubt surrounding the girl, Sora impulsively reached out, taking a hold of her wrist and forcing her to look back at him. He gave as friendly and assuring a smile as her could muster. "Hey, this might sound crazy... but I trust you. I do, I do." He quickly added the last part when the blonde gave him a questioning look. "I don't know why, but there's something in my heart that tells me to trust you. That you're a good person." The confusion of the girl in white only deepened, as Sora tried to explain himself. It was hard, he was never the best at explaining how he felt or the mysteries of his own heart, but he also couldn't ignore the pangs of familiarity deep down in his core. Not a feeling or a specific memory, but something more hazy and hard to define.

Sora continued to stammer and blather for a couple more minutes, which only resulted in the girl growing more confused and put-out, as her body continued to dissipate. Her time was clearly drawing short. "Also, I wouldn't say that was a 'wild tale'. Kairi and Riku are awesome! They can do anything they put their minds to." At this point, Sora was just spitting out stream of conscious thoughts, but the display of his unwavering faith in his friends was enough to make the girl smile again. "I... I'm just glad they're alive. I thought... I didn't know what I was going to do, I was so afraid..."

"I know, Sora. You cherish the two of them more than anything else. Even to an extreme at times." The girl was smiling fondly as she spoke, no longer sad or distressed. That made Sora happy. Even if she was right on the munny about how he felt, Sora still greatly valued bringing happiness and joy to others. She then looked down at herself. The vanishing had spread above her waist. "It seems I don't have much time left here..."

"Well, why don't you come back again?" Sora asked, a little too casually considering everything. "It would be nice having someone who can keep me updated on what's happening. Not to mention, I could use a little company."

"I'm afraid I can't do that Sora, much as I would like to." The angel answered in a melancholy tone. Sora looked concerned, silently fishing for an explanation. "I... there's something wrong with me, with my body. It took a lot out of me to reach your heart, not to mention the time it took. I don't think I can manage this again." That was certainly disappointing. Whoever this girl was, Sora did like her. She was nice and sweet, clearly friends with Riku, maybe with Kairi, too. And being forced to be the Organization's weapon made him realize how much he enjoyed traveling the worlds and befriending new people. He hadn't made a new friend in a while. "But, before I go, there's one other thing I want to do. Do you still have Kairi's lucky charm on you?"

Sora gaped at her for a moment, about to ask how she knew that, but decided time was of the essence here. He complied to the request and fished out the trinket made of seashells.

He extended his arm towards the girl, clutching onto the lucky charm, presenting it. But, even as her body continued to break down, the angelic girl shied away from object, eyes quivering at the sight of it. It all seemed so odd to Sora that he couldn't recall this person, but they seemed intimately familiar with him and his life. "It's okay if you can't do... whatever it is you want to do." Sora said, softly, trying to gentle with the frightened blonde. "You've helped enough as is." He then slowly pulled his hand and the charm away...

Only for the girl to dart her right arm forward, placing her hand on the collection of seashells, having found her courage at the last moment. "No. No I haven't. I haven't done nearly enough for you, Sora." A nimbus of a soft, blue light followed her cryptic words, enveloping the girl before surging forward. In an instant, they were linked by the charm, Sora and the girl, both cloaked in the same mysterious light. Sora's smile shone again as the energy settled on him. It was comforting and relaxing. Cool and soothing. Safe. Like a summer's night after a long, hot day. In his mind's eye, before the nimbus receded, Sora could picture the absolutely beautiful scenery of the Islands by night time – cloudless sky filled with countless stars, twinkling against the blackness. How many nights did he, and Kairi, and Riku spend watching those stars, dreaming?

Something stirred within Sora's heart. Multiple somethings.

"There are others hidden with in your heart that you have forgotten, or never got a chance to meet." The girl explained in response to Sora's questioning look. Her voice was becoming more and more distant, her image fainter with each passing second. She was so transparent she looked like a ghost. "I just rearranged some pieces of your heart so you can find those others. I think meeting them will help you more than restoring your memories ever did..." She has muttered that last part, but Sora still managed to hear it. His inquisitive expression only deepened. Normally stuff like this wouldn't concern him, but this girl seemed to know an awful amount about him...

"But, more importantly, you deserve a chance to meet them. And they deserve a chance to meet you." The girl offered a slight, sad smile, retreating from Sora, as she continued to become more and more incorporeal. "Thank you, Sora. I know I couldn't offer much, but you just need to keep strong and hold on a little while longer. Kairi and Riku are coming. Have faith in them."

I do. I have more faith than you could possibly imagine. It had been a long, long year since the three of them were last together. Whenever that day they finally reunited came, Sora couldn't wait.

However, before his visitor could fully depart, Sora had one last piece of business. "Hey, hey! Before you go, I just have to ask... Well, you seem to know me pretty well, and I can't just shake this feeling... Do we know each other? Have we met before?"

Sora watched to his great dismay as the girl blanched, her smile shrinking away into nothing. "No. No. We've never met before, Sora..." She managed to say, barely creak the words out, while her lips and eyes quivered.

Sora wanted to ask more, to know more, but he was quickly met with a burst of light, as the world dissolved around him. The girl was gone, and Sora woke up to a familiar cackling call.

"Wakey-wakey! Eggs and bakey!"

Sora groaned. Every morning he was woken up by the sounds of Xigbar's caustic calls, as well as the clattering noises his arrow guns made as he rattled them against the bars of all the jail cells. The metallic clanking and heavy footfalls were still far off, it would be a few minutes before the Nobody arrived at his cell. He just loved to drag this stupid ritual out, to make Sora suffer just a tiny bit more...

Then, Sora noticed something. It was morning. And he was up, feeling quite refreshed, not groggy or tired. He had slept a full, continuous eight hours for the first time in weeks!

Blinking his eyes, everything that had happened in the dream – the vision, the hallucination, the whatever – hit him like a tonne of bricks.

Sora bounded up to his feet in joy at the fact that his friends were out there, fighting, coming to rescue him. He actually had to restrain himself from whooping in elation, as to not alert his captors he knew the truth. It was hard. Real hard! He almost couldn't believe and couldn't wait for that fateful day to come! His mind began to race through the possibilities, conjuring dozens of ideas and scenarios with each passing second. What it would be like to be reunited after a year. What he was going to say to them. What they were going to do when they got back home. Not to mention... Kairi was a warrior. A Key Bearer. That was amazing. He spent a lot of time trying to picture her in the heat of battle, but couldn't quite get the image to come together. Oh well. Sora figured he would see it sooner than later.

But... when Kairi entered his mind, it first started as she was last year, before shifting to her current, fifteen year-old self. God, she's beautiful... He really couldn't focus on things like that during their brief, nightmarish reunion two months ago, but he was floored by how much she had changed, how much she had grown up. She had been so sad and terrified when they saw each other... Sora wanted to see her happy again. See the light in those deep, wondrous purple-blue eyes. He wanted to take all those images of Kairi in his head – the beautiful young woman she had become, the high-spirited cheerful girl from his childhood, and the fearsome warrior she was trying to be – and bring them all together. To see the best and brightest version Kairi that could possibly be.

To tell her that I...

His scatterbrained thoughts continued to bounce around, thinking about how much Kairi had grown, how he had grown and changed, then wondered if Riku had done as well. I mean, it would only make sense, right? He asked himself, as Xigbar's obnoxious noises got louder and louder. He was probably a few cells down. He'd be sixteen now. He's probably had a growth spurt, too. That silver hair, those bright eyes... I wonder if he's grown to be as pretty as Kairi...

Wait... where did that thought come from?

...I hope this hasn't awoken anything in me...

Eventually, Sora was able to settle down his mind and his heart, hiding his optimism by the time Xigbar arrived, gleefully cackling and sneering at the continued misfortune of his captive.

"Alright, alright, get to it you lazy little squirt. We gotta a lot of work today. Lot of hearts that need freeing and all that. So, rise and shine and -" Xigbar's one visible eye narrowed as he saw Sora, the Nobody taking a long, hard look at his captive and the change in his demeanour. Not half-asleep and groggy. Not sullen and broken. Sora had hid his optimism, but not all of his feeling. Standing up at full height and in a challenging pose – feet spread wide, shoulders squared, eyes hard as steel. For the first time since Xigbar had threatened his family, Sora had found his fire and fighting spirit.

"Look at you, all full of piss and vinegar..." Xigbar stated in a rasping, dangerous tone. "Now what could have gotten into you?"

"Nothing, just..." Sora may not be the sharpest Keyblade in the shed, even he knew that, but even he knew he had to keep quiet on this. It would be bad news if the Organization found this out. Still, after being under their thumb for so long, after suffering so much because of them, Sora could not resist finally standing up and fighting back against the fiendish Nobodies.

"I'm not going to be your prisoner forever, Xigbar. I'm going to get out. And I'm going to make you guys pay for everything you've done."

A vicious glower crossed Xigbar's face, his disgust and malice for Sora fully on display, as Sora continued to glare daggers at his jailer. The standoff held for tense few moments, before Xigbar finally went to unlock Sora's cell.

"Come on, you little punk. Don't make me threaten your folks again..." Xigbar motioned for Sora to follow, the Nobody storming back down the hall, murderously muttering to himself, "Getting real sick of that face. The three of them, over and over again with that same damn look..."

Sora followed reluctantly. Much as he wanted to start fighting back right now, throw down the gauntlet and smack some Nobodies around with his Keyblade, there was still too much at risk. He needed to lay low and play it cool, wait for the moment to come, just like the angel had told him. But it would come, he was sure of it. Kairi and Riku wouldn't leave him behind.

With Xigbar still grousing up ahead of him, Sora took a moment to steal a glance at his lifeline. His last, shining hope. He pulled the lucky charm out from his pocket, thinking about the amazing person it belonged to.

That's right. I promised I would give this back to her. You've screwed up enough, Sora, can't go around breaking anymore promises to your best friend...

Then, for a brief moment, as Sora lovingly stared at the trinket, he thought he saw it change shape. From five grooved seashells glued together to a bright, yellow star – a paopu fruit. Sora blinked and shook his head, finding the charm in his hand unchanged. That was strange, but Sora figured it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

-O-SWLTW-O-

"No. No, no, no, no, nononono... It's not real, it's not real, it's not real..."

Weary as she was, the final twist of this encounter had pushed Kairi towards a full-fledged anxiety attack and nervous breakdown. Sora... er, Zexion (she could not, would not under any circumstances compare that creep to Sora, even if he was stealing his form) hadn't even done anything other than utter her name, and yet Kairi could feel her heart pounding so furiously, it felt like it was going to erupt for her chest any minute now. A cold sweat poured down her brow, as her breathing became tighter and more hurried, Kairi continuing to repeat her crazed mantra under her breath.

The worst part was, that Kairi could clearly see there was much more finesse applied to this illusion. 'Sora' actually had a light to his eyes and emotion on his face that made the likeness all the more seamless. Almost perfect. Until 'Sora' smiled, thin and mocking. Very unlike Sora.

"I finally freed myself from the Organization, came all this way to see you, and this is how you react? This is my big welcome party?" 'Sora' asked, wry and sardonic, while beginning to approach her. "What happened, Kai? What's the -"

"NO! Stay back!" Kairi lashed out wildly, verbally and physically, blindly swinging her Keyblade in a panic. 'Sora' stopped his advance, as Kairi's anxiety bubbled over. "I know that's not Sora. I know that's really you, Zexion! You're just trying to get in my head and try to break me down, but it won't work!"

In response to Kairi's rant, 'Sora' flinched backwards, eyes flickering with sadness. He looked quite wounded and morose, much to the Princess' surprise. "How could you say that, Kairi?" 'Sora' looked gutted, head held down to the ground, hand over his heart, as if he had been stabbed. "After all this time, you're not happy to see me again? I thought we were friends?"

It destroyed Kairi to see even a simulacrum of Sora look like that. Sound like that. She took a handful of her hair in frustration and whined, feeling heartsick and conflicted. Once more, her rational side and emotional side were fighting, with the latter inevitably winning out again. Even conscious that these were all just tricks and illusions, Kairi couldn't shake free of the guilt and sadness over clashing with her loved ones. Over yelling at Sora like that...

A part of me wishes this was real, Sora. Wherever you are. She wanted to shut her eyes, to block out the image of the despairing brunet, but she knew that would the height of foolishness. That you stormed your way here and found me and that we could fight together from now on. But... Pain or not, she would have to press on.

Kairi took a step forward to the disguised Nobody, right arm trembling as it gripped Destiny's Embrace's hilt, white-knuckled.

"I'm not going to fall for your tricks and your lies, Zexion." Slowly, Kairi moved in on 'Sora', feeling the wrenching in her heart grow worse with every step. Could she do this? Even ignoring the fact that she was at her limit, could she find the resolve to fight the likeness of Sora? Or perhaps mustering her Light once more would be the right choice, even if it meant falling to unconsciousness. Just like with her mom, Kairi did have a plethora of pleasant memories between her and Sora to choose from. It should be easy. "I've come this far, I'm not going to stop now..."

Panic set in on 'Sora's' face, as he continued to back away from the approaching Key Bearer, hands held up in a manner begging for peace. "Please, Kairi, stop. Stop! Don't do this!" 'Sora' cried out. Kairi felt her eyes twitch, her own panic and fear surging fiercely. Sharp pains spiked in her chest and stomach, even as she pressed forward. "It's me, it's Sora. What's wrong? Why are you doing this? What's happened to you?" The skin on 'Sora's' face grew in pallor, the boy fearfully sweating in the face of his friend. He continued to retreat and beg off.

Tears began to roll down Kairi's cheeks, as she wanted to desperately rip off her ears and claw out her eyes. Anything to stop this horrid assault on her senses and her heart. Hearing Sora's terrified wails in the face of her resolve and brave front might have been the most painful thing she ever experienced. She felt physically ill through it all, or rather, felt more ill when combined with her exhaustion. But she had to do this. She had to press on through her own discomfort and sickness and fear and pain. Just because this one Nobody looked like Sora, sounded like Sora...

Looking on ahead, Kairi could see 'Sora' still flinching from her presence, practically shivering despite the oppressive heat, eyes flickering wildly. Kairi furrowed her brow and hardened her gaze, grimacing through everything. Gripping her weapon even tighter, she took another step. And then another. And then -

What am I doing? What is wrong with me?

For one brief instance, Kairi imagined how she must have looked – terrifying and crazed, almost demonic – and her heart sank. Destiny's Embrace was dismissed in a burst of light, as Kairi was now the one to flinch away in fear. Was she so far gone that she was willing to do something unthinkable to the person she loved the most? Even if it was an illusion...

But what if it isn't? What if this isn't part of the illusion? Her mind and heart were so ravaged by Zexion's assault, the lines between truth and lie were beginning to blur. What if this was all an elaborate set-up by the Cloaked Schemer? Putting her through a gauntlet of illusory friends only to spring the real Sora from prison, and making it seem like he was another false shadow, all in a bid to get her to hurt him. Strike him down. How close was I to hurting him? To killing Sora?

Unleashing a heart-wrenching, gut-churning scream of misery, Kairi fell to her knees, clutching at her head with wide and delirious eyes. "Oh god, oh god, Sora... Sora! I'm so sorry. I-I-I!" The girl babbled and wailed, freely and inconsolably, as she hit her breaking point. This was all too much. She couldn't handle this anymore, couldn't perceive reality from the illusion. She wasn't sure if she wanted to. "I just... I'm not like you! I'm not good enough! I'm not full of light and hope and joy. I can't always be so sweet and happy and open-handed to everyone around me. I'm awful!" After all, she had approached Sora with malicious intent, fully planning on striking him down with her Light or her Keyblade. The person she loved the most; the person she claimed to love the most. Maybe that was the deception. Maybe she had fooled herself into believing the lie that a person who hated themselves could love anyone.

As Kairi continued to cry and confess all these horrible sins, Sora's own courage returned to him, as he began to cautiously approach the sorrowful girl. Through bleary eyes, Kairi watched it all, joy blooming in her heart as Sora came closer and closer. Yeah. This was right. Sora would never leave someone to break down into tears like this, no matter how afraid he was. He would come over and hug her, smile at her, offer some comforting words. Be the bright and sunny boy she always knew. Whenever she needed him most, Sora never failed to be the shoulder for Kairi to cry on.

Kairi quietly sniffled, the waterworks ceasing, while Sora placed a hand gently on her shoulder, looking at her with disappointed sadness alighting those ocean blue eyes.

"I'm glad you finally admitted it." Sora said, slowly and confidently, while offering her a smile. Those pearly whites caused the bloom to explode into a panoply of emotion. It was okay. This was real. Things were going to be okay.

In a flash of light, Kingdom Key appeared in Sora's right hand.

"You are an awful person Kairi..."

Before the weight of those words could fully be absorbed by the girl, 'Sora' struck, the teeth of his false Keyblade raking against Kairi's cheek. Kairi rolled away, not feeling the bleeding, jagged wound as she was still in shock.

"I've done my best to stay informed on what you've done. Learn everything about your travels, because I was curious about my friend. But... I just couldn't bare what I saw." Now the positions had reversed. Kairi was cowering fear as 'Sora' stalked towards her, Keyblade in hand. His smile had turned from one of warmth and comfort to a belittling expression, all the love in his eyes having died out, too. Kairi was still in a daze, but had enough cognizant energy to scold herself for falling for that ploy, like a needy, heartsick idiot. "You charged into battle without thinking, causing so many people to get hurt. My friends... they could have died, you know! All because of you." 'Sora' continued to rant, as Kairi finally returned to a vertical base, unsure as to what her next move would be. "But you didn't care about their safety or happiness, no, you only wanted to sate your need for revenge. To hate the Organization and attack. To feel better for yourself for all your failures, even as you continued to beat yourself up at every opportunity. You're worthless, Kairi. It's time for you to give this up and go back to the Islands. Wait for me. Who would ever want you as their friend, as their hero? You're an awful, selfish, hate-filled person!"

"Shut up..." The redhead fired back, feebly. She had long grown tired of this, but it didn't lessen the pain. If it were Zexion here with his face and voice, Kairi would just let the insults slide right off of her. But because it was being done with Sora's appearance, his voice... even if it was an illusion, Kairi still felt like a icy knife had been plunged into her chest. But she needed to keep fighting. Work past all of this and finish this. Make Zexion suffer for perverting her feelings like this.

She flinched. There she went, immediately turning to violence and vengeance. Was she so twisted and hateful?

"I'm not going to lose to this, Zexion." Kairi declared, re-summoning her Keyblade and facing down the shadow of her best friend. "Even if I'm not perfect, Sora will accept me for what I am, flaws and all. I'll always have his love and friendship, not that you would ever understand." A cold chuckle resonated from 'Sora's' throat at Kairi's latest act of defiance.

"You really think I love you? Really? Why!?" 'Sora' cackled, pointing Kingdom Key at her. Kairi's ire was raised even higher, as Zexion continued to act in character, even if his deceit had been revealed. "I've been all over the galaxy, met all sorts of amazing people, and you think I would settle for you? There's nothing good about you. You're not that strong. You're not that smart. You're morose and wrathful, needy and whiny, not gracious or sweet, charitable or tenacious. And, let's face it, you're not that pretty..." Kairi growled. Of course a heartless sociopath like a Nobody would resort to such shallow comments like that.

But, she had to admit, she did have her own doubts about Sora and how he felt for her. Kairi was pretty certain he still saw her as a friend, that he wouldn't reciprocate the feeling she held. And the point about Sora traveling to the far reaches of space and meeting all these wonderful people, Kairi had thought along those lines, too. He had encountered women of so many talents and demeanours, it wasn't crazy to think he had developed feelings for at least one of them. Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie, Olette; girls he hadn't met yet like GoGo or Honey Lemon. Even that Namine girl. They were all so special in their own way, Kairi was certain she couldn't compare.

God damn it, Kairi, stop it! Her mind raged, as 'Sora' took another step forward. You can figure that stuff out later, but you need to keep sharp right now. Getting bogged down in your insecurities is what this creep wants.

Taking several breaths in an attempt to mentally stabilize, Kairi steeled herself against her enemy. The enemy wearing the face of her friend. "Clearly all you Nobodies love the sound of your own voices. You all talk waaay too much..." Finally, the two clashed, 'Sora' swinging Kingdom Key (which Kairi now saw lacked it's Keychain, identifying it as a copy), and Kairi easily parrying the strike.

'Sora' continued to rain blows down on the Princess, with Kairi deflecting everyone. Despite stealing his looks, Zexion did not manage to copy Sora's skills with a sword. Still, Kairi knew defence wouldn't win her the day, she needed to strike back and dispel the illusion. Her body was beaten up and exhausted, her mana drained dry, so she only had one option. She needed to reach down into that well once more and pull up a spark of Light to fight back against the darkness.

Nearly a hundred memories scattered across her mind, as the two locked blades, 'Sora' glaring at his opponent, while Kairi looked past him and into her heart.

"Still not convinced? Then let me tell you the truth." 'Sora' began, pressing Keyblade against Keyblade, Kairi trying her best to ignore his words and focus on her last gambit. Sora had helped her learn to ride a bike. Sora and Riku had beaten up some bullies that stole her allowance munny. Sora had baked her a cake for her birthday. Sora had hurt himself falling out a tree, Kairi patching him up and helping him home. Sora -

"The only reason why I like you – why Riku likes you, why anyone cares about you – is because of that Light of yours." The memories began to slip away, as Kairi felt her focus pulled towards the disguised Nobody's taunts. "Basking in that Light is the most amazing thing in the world. It make me feel... so special, it's almost indescribable!" A mania overtook the likeness of 'Sora'; fervent, zealous worship of the thing Kairi despised so much. "I need that in my life, Kairi. I covet it. I'd do anything to stay in your Light. Anything! You're so self-centered and callous, I could care less about you, but that Light means I'll do anything to keep you safe." 'Sora's' expression changed again, growing darker, as he leered at Kairi with covetous and ravenous desire. "So go back to the Islands and wait, like a good little princess. Do the only thing you've ever been good at."

"That's enough!" That was it, the final straw. Whatever restraint and calm that Kairi still held was washed away, her anger roaring forth like an unstoppable tsunami. She had suffered a lot of indignities because of the Organization, because of Zexion, but how dare he make such a claim? That Sora didn't give a damn about her and only cared for the part of her she loathed the most. That their relationship boiled down to Sora seeing her as an object of his desires instead of a person.

"Zexion!" Kairi pushed off against the silver Keyblade, with such surprising force that it sent 'Sora' stumbling backwards, wide open for an attack. Raising Destiny's Embrace up high, Kairi mustered all of her anger and whatever energy she had left for this final blow, fully intending to annihilate this twisted, salacious Nobody with a singular attack. Both hands on the hilt, Kairi stepped into the slash, bringing her Keyblade down, 'Sora' cowering from the incoming strike, and...

Kairi froze. The floral teeth of Destiny's Embrace hung an inch from the face of 'Sora'. The fatal arc of the blade had stopped at the last minute, even as her anger still stormed on, even as Kairi pressed herself to move forward and finish this.

Come on! Come on come on come oooooon! Kairi urged her body to move. Urged her arms to finish their descent. To do something. Anything! But they would not budge. She would not budge. She saw the face of a sweet, loving brunet boy before her and her heart refused to act so maliciously towards him. No matter what.

'Sora' was not hindered but such a thing. Kingdom Key flashed out, slashing wide at Kairi's midsection. The false blade cut through her armour, scoring the flesh beneath, another crimson spurt flowing from the wound. Her resolve quashed and her body further damaged, Kairi collapsed onto her back, Destiny's Embrace vanishing once more.

"Guess this is it." As before, 'Sora' grimly approached her, Kairi scrambling on one hand to back away. The other hand was placed over her belly, trying to staunch the bleeding wound. The anger she once held was replaced by fear and grief. "I'm going to miss being able to feel your Light, Kairi. But, I guess I'll just glom on to one of the other Princesses." 'Sora' shrugged, cruelly, flashing a menacing grin at the downed and injured girl. "Never realized it before, but you can be replaced so easily. Even the thing that makes you special isn't unique."

Mirroring the trembling, injured redhead, 'Sora' raised his fake Kingdom Key high above his head, readying the finishing blow. Kairi wanted nothing more than to turn her way, shut her eyes from the inevitable, but her body was still frozen in fear, caught like a deer in headlights, unable to turn away from this harsh end.

Zexion reared back for the attack, but the Keyblade never came down. The attack never happened. Unlike Kairi, Zexion wasn't stopped by his (non-existent) heart refusing to comply, or a crisis of conscience. No, instead, a pitch-black fireball flew from behind Kairi, striking him square in the chest. The force of the impact sent Zexion flying, as dark flames quickly spread across his body.

It all happened so fast that Kairi almost didn't process the event. Out of curiosity, she craned her head behind her to see the new participant entering the scrum. Standing atop the perimeter wall of the palace was a mysterious figured. Someone dressed in black, jagged armour with a horned helmet, the remains of a black cloak loosely hanging from the plate.

Someone wielding a Keyblade

The figure was far away, and Kairi was delirious from pain and blood loss, exhausted and emotionally weary, but she still could recognize a Keyblade when she saw one.

A pained scream came from Zexion, Kairi's attention drawn back to the Nobody, seeing the results of the attack that drove the Cloaked Schemer off. Black flames licked up and down the form of Zexion, literally burning away the disguise he wore, both the appearance and voice of Sora finally being destroyed and revealing the Silhouette Nobody beneath. Panicking and in pain, Zexion thrashed about in an attempt to snuff out the hellish flames.

"You, you!" Zexion called out to the armoured figure in the distance, seemingly familiar with whoever they were. "You always have to stick your nose in my business, don't you? You're nothing but a thorn in my side, R-"

Another dark fireball slammed into Zexion, more cinders consuming his form, as the Nobody continued to scream over the crackling blaze.

Kairi's body almost moved on it's own, a welcome change seeing as how it stopped on it's own earlier. While Zexion continued to try and douse the flames in a wild frenzy, Kairi recalled her Keyblade and struck. Without wearing Sora's face, there was no hesitance to her action, Kairi threw Destiny's Embrace like a javelin, driven not by anger but simply a need to win and survive. The flowery weapon flew straight and true, goring Zexion through the stomach before he could stamp out the rest of the fire.

"You have seen your own fear and doubts firsthand... The truth and the lies will consume you and your Light..." Zexion croaked out in a soft, fading voice, before the flames turned into a roaring conflagration, covering his body and drowning out his dying scream. The black fire ate away at everything, only petering out when just a blackened Dusk Nobody remained, before that too disintegrated into the ether.

Thankful the ordeal was done, Kairi got up to her knees, as that was the most she could manage right now. Still clutching at the wound on her stomach, she turned back to Zexion's slayer, calling out, "Hey, who are -"

They were gone without a trace.

Kairi fell back down, lying in the middle of the courtyard on her back, staring up at the blazing sun. By the barest skin of her teeth, she had survived, but felt nothing but misery, nausea, and pain. Knowing her friends still needed her, but too exhausted to move, and on the border between unconsciousness and waking, Zexion's cruel words echoed in her head. Each and every insult and barb repeating itself, in the voices of her friends.

-O-SWLTW-O-

Eventually, Kairi found the strength and wherewithal to pick herself up and get moving. Having enough mana return to her to cast Cure helped – sewing up the bleeding wounds on her gut and cheek – but she also knew Yuna and Jasmine and the others were out there, possibly in danger, and she could not stand for that. Her need to help others trumped her own dismaying, damaged heart, and focusing on an obtainable goal might help her ignore the events of this most recent battle.

Agrabah beyond the palace walls was still abandoned and eerily quiet. Even more quiet, Kairi thought, as she made her way through the winding streets, maneuvering up and around rubble. She could not hear the din of battle off in the distant, and the serpentine Heartless that had hounded them earlier was not to be seen. No Heartless were around, in fact. Kairi walked through the streets of the desert city by herself. She wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or a bad one.

With short, shaky steps, Kairi set her mind on only moving forward and finding her friends, trying to blank her mind and her heart, to set aside the turmoil afflicting her. No matter what she told herself, Kairi could not dispel the dark shadows that had taken root within her being. It had hurt to see her mom again, Leon and the others were more physically exhausting than anything else, and it was hard to see the girls act in such a manner, the encounter with Sora was the worst of it. Sora blaming her, rejecting her, treating her as more a burden and MacGuffin than person, it all felt too real. After all, Zexion didn't pull those shadows and illusions from nowhere; he had peered into her heart and seen the fears and doubts she held. All the Nobody really did was translate those phantoms into something more real and tangible.

Growing more and more frustrated, Kairi soon blew up and resorted to smacking her own head repeatedly, trying to snap herself out of things. She thought she was over this. Over doubt and fear and anxiety. Why was it that her lot in life seemed to be one step forward, two steps back?

It's not you, Kairi. It's that Light. That's the source of all your problems. A part of her mind told herself partly to comfort herself, but also to try and stop Kairi from battering her own head repeatedly. Your heart isn't perfect, but it's yours. It's your strength, you said as much and you were right. But that Light doesn't belong. It's only brought pain and death to you and those around you. It's like an invasive species, a parasite, choking the life out of you and your loved ones.

Yeah, maybe that was it...

Soon thereafter, Kairi thankfully ran into her friends, finding Yuna and the others wandering through the city as well, traveling in the opposite direction. It seemed they had followed a similar trajectory to her adventures, beating an enemy and then rushing to the aid of their friend, as everyone looked a little scuffed up. The three Gullwings in particular were covered head to toe in dust and grime, caked in a sandy film. Kairi found herself giggling and chuckling at the sight of it all, a welcome relief to the misery and agony she had feasted upon.

"Yes, I guess we look awful, don't we?" Yuna returned, gracefully, laughing at her own appearance. "We ended up fighting that giant Heartless. We won, obviously. I, uh, it -"

"Yunie blew it up." Rikku blurted out, casually, though her face was tightly scrunched up. The blonde was fidgeting constantly. "Biiig explosion. If it were an organic being, we would probably be covered in blood and guts and stuff." Well, thank goodness for that...

"What about you, are you alright, Kairi?" Aladdin asked, Jasmine echoing his sentiments. Paine was standing in the back of the group, eyeing the redhead up and down.

"You're a little banged up." Paine's eyes darted towards the two half-healed wounds on the girl. "He gave you some trouble, I take it?"

"Yeah. A bit." Kairi was unsure if she wanted to inform the Gullwings as to what happened today. Even if they were speaking privately, even if Aladdin and Jasmine weren't present, she wasn't sure what good it would do. The girls would offer her comfort and reassurance sure, but would their platitudes quell the doubts in her heart? And they would most likely continue to try and train and hone that wretched Light that dwelt in her heart. Focus more energy on that futile task. "It was... I ended up in a jam at the end. But someone showed up out of nowhere to pull me out of the fire. A Key Bearer." That comment got everyone's attention.

"Another Key Bearer? And here I thought Sora was the one and only." Jasmine mused aloud, before asking, "Was it Sora, by chance?"

"No, it wouldn't be him." Yuna quickly deflected, to avoid awkward questions.

"They were wearing dark armour, completely covered." Kairi explained further. "So I couldn't see there face. I'm not entirely sure who it was." Herself, Sora, King Mickey, Roxas, Aqua. But it seemed there was one more mysterious Wielder wandering the world, also battling the Organization. That fact made Kairi feel a little better about herself and her position.

"Well, the Nobody is taken care of, the big, bad Heartless went kablooey, guess there's only one other thing to do before we can call this a wrap." Rikku had already pulled her portable radar out from her utility belt, fiddling with the knobs. Aladdin and Jasmine seemed oddly fascinated by the device, but said nothing. "So let's find that Stone, and the three of us can finally take a shower and then – wait, WHAT!?"

Everyone huddled around the blonde and her gadget following her loud freak-out, staring at the screen. Rendered in black and green was a rough outline of the city, followed by an endless expanse beyond that – obviously the desert surrounding the city. A marker set in the center of the map represented Rikku and the radar, but then there was nothing else. No beacon or point that indicated the site of the Blackheart Stone.

"What's going on, Rikku?" Kairi asked, as they all continued to hunch over her shoulder. Rikku was muttering to herself, adjusting the settings of her radar but to no avail. Nothing on the screen changed.

"Did the radar get damaged in the fight?" Came Yuna, though the blonde just shook her head furiously.

"No, no, no! It works fine. But I know where the Stone was. Ten miles southwest. I scouted it, I know it!" She then angrily pointed a finger to the screen. There actually was something else present, a tiny red flag hovering to a point in the expanse outside the city. "I even used a marker to lock it in place. But it's gone, the Stone is gone!"

"That.. can't be possible." Was all that Kairi could say, all that everyone could say, as confusion and silence fell on the group. Only Keyblades could destroy the Stone, just like with the Heartless. Any other weapon would just generate that violent backlash. "You must be mistaken or something, Rikku. That's the only explanation."

"No, no it's not." Paine replied, eyes narrowed in deep thought. "There was another Key Bearer here, we know that. And I still think that thing we fought was the Guardian Heartless. And we've seen before that destroying the Stone does nothing to effect the Guardian it's linked to..."

Kairi immediately picked up on what Paine was leading to, finishing for the swordswoman. "You think that armoured figure with the Keyblade destroyed the Stone, but the Heartless escaped him?" Paine nodded, and everyone was following along with her theory. Well, Yuna and Rikku were, Aladdin and Jasmine looked a little lost from all the technical jargon. "But Aladdin said this thing showed up days ago. The time doesn't match up."

"Do you have a better theory?"

Kairi did not, she had to conceded. And now it seemed the only course of action they could take was go to the spot Rikku had marked and investigate themselves. But a ten-mile trek through the desert after the day she had had – that they all had – didn't seem like the most pleasant thing in the world. "I guess we should rest for the evening and head out to the site in the morning..."

"If you're going into the desert, let us lend a hand." Came Jasmine. "You've already done so much for us in this short amount of time, it's the least we could do." She then gestured to Aladdin, the former street rat catching on to whatever idea she had formed. Aladdin whistled sharply, the shrill sound rebounding through the empty city.

Not five seconds later, something swooped down from the sky to join the group of six on the city streets – a purple and golden carpet with frilled tassels hanging from it's corners. Carpet zipped around Aladdin and Jasmine, ebullient and jovial in it's mannerism, not to mention entirely ambulatory. Kairi could only dumbly blink at the fact she was staring at an actual, factual flying carpet. Magic and monsters and mermaids, secret entrances and flying carpets... That's it, that's it. My life has become a kitchen-sink fantasy story.

Though, like the appearance of the Gullwings, it was something that took her mid off her troubles, so that was nice.

After getting Carpet to settle down, Aladdin and Jasmine climbed atop the roving rug, motioning for the others to join them.

"Well, it certainly beats marching through the desert." Kairi said, before joining the two atop Carpet.

It was a tight fit, having all six of them crammed atop Carpet, not to mention zooming through the sandy, searing air of the Arabian desert didn't make for the easiest of flights. Still, Carpet's speed was nothing to scoff at, as it was barely over ten minutes before Rikku spoke up, telling their mode of transport to slow down and fly close to the sandy planes below.

Soon after, cresting over a large dune, the group caught sight of the Stone. Or, what was left of it. A small, jagged nub of black stone was jutting out from the surface of the sand, with dozens and dozens of pieces of similar rock scattered around it, some larger than Kairi's torso, others smaller than her thumb. Still, it was unmistakably a Blackheart Stone; even if the once solid stone now crumbled whenever Kairi tried to handle it, the texture and ominous look were identical to the other she had encountered. Not to mention, both Aladdin and Jasmine approached thing with incredibly caution and curiosity, marking that the remnant of the cursed object was not native or familiar to this world.

"Well, guess that settle that." Paine stated, picking up on the larger chunks of the Stone. The inert material crumbled into dust the moment she applied any sort of pressure. "Whoever it was that helped Kairi, they destroyed the Stone but summoned the Guardian. A little sloppy, but he got the job done."

"Still, I wonder where they came from. Who they could be?" Yuna pondered, idly and aloud.

"Roxas." Kairi said, quietly, as much to herself as to the others. She was stunned she didn't realize it earlier. "Roxas. It was Roxas! It has to be!"

"Who's Roxas?" Jasmine asked. Yuna quickly answered, as Kairi was getting too swept up in her revelation, too excited to answer.

"Sora's Nobody."

"Sora's what?"

"Uh... right." The brunette blanched. "It's a bit of a long story. Even we aren't entirely clear on all the details."

Meanwhile, Paine and Rikku were more interested in learning how Kairi leaped to this shocking conclusion. "And what makes you so sure about that, Red?"

"Well, he had something around his armour that looked kind of like the cloak the Organization wears." Kairi began, her first point only drawing deeper skepticism from her allies. "Also, Zexion, the Nobody, he recognized him. He knew whoever this was and, before he got attacked, was about to say his name – I think – and it began with an R!" Kairi was so certain she correct she didn't care that Rikku and Paine weren't immediately latching on to her theory. This was right. It had to be right. "Not to mention, we know Roxas can wield a Keyblade, and it's not like there's a whole lot us out there. We can't just assume there are secret Key Bearers lying in wait. Before last year, when Sora got his, most people weren't even aware of the Keyblade's existence."

On that point, the two Gullwings conceded, Kairi considering that her win. This was great! She really hoped she and Roxas would cross paths again. Hoped she could get him to stick around instead of saving her bacon and then running off. He seemed like such a nice guy from the brief, spiritual conversation they shared, not to mention he was Sora's other! Kairi was certain she and Roxas would end up being thick as thieves, when they finally met, person to person.

But, then, a thought crept into her head. Why did Roxas show up, attack Zexion, and then flee so suddenly? Why did he not come up and introduce himself, so that they could properly begin their friendship? Was it... was it because he derived from Sora, and Roxas agreed with the former, especially after seeing Kairi as the hate-filled, selfish person she was?

No, no, no! Sora never said that. Zexion did. Kairi told herself. Her thoughts were all mixed up from the realness of Zexion's disguise, but the reminder was hollow. At the very least, Roxas probably saw her raise her Keyblade in anger at the fake Sora. Ready to strike down someone who looked so much like him...

Kairi shivered and held herself, sighing loudly and despondently.

"So, I guess that means we're done here." Paine summarized. "Heartless, Stone, and Nobody, all taken care of." She was right. Even in her sullen haze, Kairi agreed with Paine. What else was there for them?

"Oh... uh... Jasmine, Aladdin, I'm so sorry." Kairi bowed her head in contrition to her fellow Princess and her lover. Did these two ever have doubts about their partner? Probably not. They seemed perfect for each other. Just another way Kairi was defective compared to her the other Princesses. "The entire city has been basically destroyed because of that Heartless. If we only arrived just a little earlier, we could have stopped this. Or, even if we fought harder, we might have been able to limit the damage." Every time Kairi had said "we", she meant "I". She as the Key Bearer was at fault here.

However, much to her surprised, both Aladdin and Jasmine just waved her off, gracious and friendly. "We appreciate the apology, Kairi, but you don't have anything to apologize for." Aladdin said, offering her a warm smile, very much like Sora. The actual Sora. Kairi didn't know how to feel about that. "You did your best, that's all anyone can ask for. Not to mention, well, me and Jasmine have been discussing something for a while now..."

"I grew up with the entire world served to me on a platter. Anything and everything I could ever ask for was given to me, no question asked." Jasmine began, serious and solemn. Her eyes were locked to the northeast, back towards the city she called home. "I always knew I had such privilege and that my experiences weren't the norm but, until that fateful day I sneaked out of the palace, I never imagined how harsh life was for the people in the city. How many people suffered, lived and died in poverty." Aladdin went to stand side-by-side with his partner, taking a hold of her hand. The one-time thief gave the princess an encouraging look, trying to coax her through a moment of sorrow. Just from watching the two, Kairi could tell just how personal this decision was. "The Sultanate has turned a blind-eye to struggles of our people for far too long, but I can't stand for it. I want to rebuild Agrabah so that is a shining jewel, so that it is the envy of the world." Jasmine turned to Aladdin, addressing everyone and him all at once. "I want to turn Agrabah into a city where everyone – royal and common alike – can live in peace, prosperity, and joy. The city may have been destroyed, but it can be rebuilt, Kairi. And maybe things needed to be destroyed before they could improve. Maybe this is a bit of a blessing in disguise..."

Kairi was floored by the dedication, resolve, and benevolence Jasmine demonstrated. What she was describing – rebuilding a city and completely abolishing caste and class that effected the citizenry – was a truly arduous task. But here she was, future Sultaness Princess Jasmine, ready to take on the world, not for her sake, but for everyone's. To make sure all the people she was charged with protecting could live life to the fullest. To not worry about food or munny. Just as when they first met, Kairi could feel that shining Light ripple from the Arabian Princess, her altruism resonating through the brightness.

...And, all that did, to Kairi's great shame, was make her feel deeply ashamed of herself. Of how lacking she was. How could she possibly compare to this amazing person?

"...That's wonderful, Jasmine. Truly wonderful." Kairi finally managed to say. Even if she was jealous and ashamed, she did believe in Jasmine's desire and wanted to throw her endorsement behind her, one-hundred percent. "I wish you the absolute best, and, one day, whenever you've finished, Sora and I will want to see this new Agrabah. This paradise you'll create."

With everything wrapped up in a neat little package, Carpet flew the group straight back to Agrabah, pack to the palace, Kairi wanting to make sure Aladdin and Jasmine were safe and sound before departing. Goodbyes and well-wished were exchanged before Kairi and the Gullwings made their exit. The day had come to an end, finally and thankfully, but both groups – the reluctant Princess and her entourage and the noble royal and her consort – had great and daunting tasks ahead of them still.

-O-SWLTW-O-

The moment – the very instance – Kairi and the Gullwings returned to the ship, the three Spiran girls all sprinted to the showers, stripping their filthy clothes with wild abandon. Even when Kairi reminded them there were only three showers, it did nothing to stop the mad rush. For a brief moment, as the halls of the Gummi ship were filled the sounds of running water and sighs of relief, Kairi wondered which of her two companions budided up in the showers.

This was soon followed by Yuna and Rikku scrambling to find a good enough substitute for aloe-vera lotion. Indeed, Paine had received a wicked, burning red sunburn, despite spending more time shaded by her parasol and covered by sand than directly in the sunlight. The normally unflappable warrior was in turns angry and embarrassed over the entire incident, hiding away for most of the night, but Kairi did steal a few brief glimpses of her. In the redhead's estimation, she looked less like a lobster and more like a vulture – red and black with a tiny bit of white.

Still, she was thankful to be given some alone time, as the three cleaned themselves up and sorted Paine out. The reprieve let Kairi be with her thoughts and collect herself, retreating to her bedroom to try and chart her next course of action.

It did not, as with most things in her life, go well.

The words Zexion had delivered while disguised as Sora did still hurt, as did the gallery of sneering faces from her friends and loved ones, but Kairi had made some peace with them. Even if Sora did feel those things – see her as just a precious jewel to covet and hide away, to bask in her Light – he would never say it to her. And he would never do it in such a callous way. They were friends. They had been friends for nearly ten years. He had chased after her to the end's of the universe, for crying aloud!

He chased after you to the end's of the universe solely so he could keep your Light close at hand. So he could feel special again. A voice echoed in her mind, sounding too much like the vanquished Silhouette Nobody for her liking.

Kairi scrunched up her face and threw herself onto her bed, repeatedly punching her pillow before slamming her face into it.

"This sucks. I hate this so much."

And, maybe though, she had been too harsh on her Light throughout the day. Kairi still didn't like the powers that came with being a Princess, and would rather be done with it forever, but clearly the fault lied with her more than anything. Jasmine's Light was a spectacular thing to behold, bolstered by her positive desires, and clearly the Arabian Princess was adept at using it. If she properly trained and harnessed that power, just how strong could Jasmine be? Maybe she should be a Key Bearer, too. She certainly possessed the spirit and drive to succeed at heroism.

The reluctant Princess and heroine sighed. Her heart was a jumbled up mess. Even her own emotions and desires were unclear and blurry. She had no idea how to proceed. "Just what am I going to do?"

"Knock-knock."

Kairi lifted her head from her pillow, turning about to see Rikku standing in the door frame. A shower and a fresh set of clothes had done wonders for the blonde, who had returned to her typical bubbly disposition.

"Hey. What's up? How're you guys doing?"

"Eh, it's fine. Paine's settled down, we figured something to help her out. Hopefully this clears up before long." The energetic teen then averted her gaze from Kairi, shuffling her feet awkwardly. It looked like she had something to say, but didn't know how to say it. Odd, considering how flippant a gadfly she normally was. "Say, Red... me and Yunie were talking, and I just gotta ask: are you... feeling okay? You seemed sorta mopey and stuff since we reunited."

Kairi pursed her lips together. She should have figured one of her companions would have picked up on her mood sooner than later; they were all perceptive in their own ways. The other thing she had been wrestling with was how to explain all these happenings to the Gullwings. They were her friends, they would want to know and would want to help her move past this trauma. They had been on all sorts of adventures, too; Kairi wouldn't be surprised to hear if Yuna, former Summoner of Spira, had been through a similar ordeal in the past. The Gullwings all had faith in her and saw the best in her, wanted her to be that best version of her...

"Yeah, Rikku, I'm okay." Kairi lied. "It's just, that battle took a lot out of me. I'm kind of tired. But some alone time and some rest and I should be okay. Thanks for asking, though."

...But, really, what could Yuna do? Or Rikku or Paine? Yes, the Gullwings had faith in her, and that faith was precious to Kairi, but beyond that and some soothing words, what could they offer? None of them had been in love before, all of them had said as much, none of them understood the crisis of having the person you loved, admired, desired, and emulated saying such horrible things. None of them would understand the difficulties of being told you were "special" but seeing what being "special" actually meant. It would be foolish of Kairi to ask for help, to go crying to them once more. Unfairly dumping her problems onto their laps. Maybe.. it was time Kairi tried to stand up on her own and fail or succeed on her own terms.

Thankfully, Rikku accepted Kairi's response, giving the Key Bearer space, as a long-awaited slumber began to take hold. Praying she wouldn't suffer from nightmares because of today, Kairi was left alone with the feeling that she had screwed up and fallen behind again, and with more lingering questions.

Just what was she going to do with her Light going forward?

And what was she going to do when the time came for her and Sora to be reunited?

---

Yeah, probably a good thing I split the chapter in two. It would have ended up being around 30,000 words otherwise. Again, sorry for the delay between parts, guys.

Speaking of, even before the split, I was indecisive as to where to put the scene between Sora and Namine, but I think placing it right before Kairi's confrontation with Zexion!Sora was the right pick. I know Sora hasn't made a ton of appearance so far, so I think it was right to finally get his reaction as to how Kairi and Riku are doing, and it's good to see his unabashed faith and acceptance of his friends.

I hope that sweetness softened the blow of the main portion of the chapter. I'm not wholly happy with the stuff between Kairi and Zexion, mostly because I don't like writing angst. I don't enjoy it, I don't know if I'm any good at it, and it tends to strike some personal nerves for me, too. The whole "can you love someone if you don't love yourself" thing is pretty... yeah. So, I hope I did a good enough job. Please lend me some feedback on it, if you don't mind, whether you liked or didn't.

If you are worried with how I am portraying the Light of the Princesses as something entirely negative and hurtful, don't worry, that isn't where the arc is going. I may have plenty of misgivings with the franchise and want nothing more to do with it from this point on, but I'm not going to deconstruct elements for the sake of deconstruction. I just thought the idea of a Princess resenting their Light was an interesting angle and that the power and mythology needed a bit more exploration and elaboration. There is more yet to Kairi's arc. Namely, at this point, Kairi is letting others define her and her power, tell her what she is and should be. She needs to take command of her life and assert what she wants to be, what she wants to do, in spite of those that would say otherwise.

Same deal with Sora thinking of himself as selfish. You might think that's an odd direction for the character to go, but I think it works. Heroic as Sora is, he has constantly put the needs of Kairi and Riku ahead of the good of the worlds. Or, rather, he puts what he thinks are the needs of Kairi and Riku first. He's still well-meaning in his actions, but that's sort of a consequence to emotional-heavy thinkers. They can't inherently put themselves in the view-point of others, and do what think is good for the other, but largely helps themselves. Sora being selfish doesn't make him a bad person. If the games had any intention of calling him out for his recklessness, I think it could finally give him so character development after so damn long. But, alas, clearly that's not it...

I did mention, regarding Kairi and Roxas, she would put the pieces together correctly but come to some incorrect conclusions. I bet both Roxas and Riku would be thrilled to learn she confused the two! Also, I know Kairi doesn't mention Riku all too much, and it may seem bad for her to not even dwell on the possibility that that is Riku, but that will be addressed next chapter. Also, because I am a dummy, I didn't mention chapters ago when the armour debuted, that Riku's armour is largely inspired by Judge Gabranth's armour in Final Fantasy XII. Because I love the Ivalice games and love pulling from them. Also to mark that Riku and his generation are different from Terra and his.

Anyways, not too much more to say about all this. Again, sorry for the split and the delay, but we are heading into the endgame, with only two more Disney worlds and two more Blackheart Stones. For a quick hint, both worlds were NOT featured in Kingdom Hearts II, meaning, like with San Fransokyo, Kairi will be forging her own path.

Be sure to drop a review or comment at your leisure, please and thank you, your support, feedback, and engagement mean the world to me and always make my day.

Until next time, let the light guide your path forward.