The Road to Dawn
By Ariana Aislinn
Chapter 15: Shorebound Dreams

So...I tried something new with this chapter. I hope it works okay. Please let me know what you think of it! Also, I seem to be continuing my pattern of two chapters per character. We'll see if I keep that up. :P Oh yeah, and I've also started sticking these little interludes in...got to keep your appetite whetted with little hints! (grins) Enjoy!

Standard disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are the property of Square-Enix and Disney, not me.

"There can't be two Keyblade masters. Let the Keyblade choose…"

"Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door…and change the world."

"I'm not gonna give up now. I came here to find someone very important to me."

"Quit while you can."

"No. Not without Kairi."

"Impossible! The princesses of heart are all here! It must be her."

"Without her heart, she will never be able to release her power."

"Is that -"

"Yes. A Keyblade. But unlike yours, this Keyblade holds the power to unlock people's hearts."

"Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!"

"It's no use. That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up."

"What? You…you're not Riku."

"The Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the last princess of heart still sleeps."

"The princess…? Kairi's a princess?"

"Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened."

"Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!"

"But first, you must give the princess back her heart."

Kairi fidgeted and rolled over on her side. She curled up with her head tucked into her chest, her breath softly stirring the strands of hair that fell across her cheek. Remembered pain caused her to whimper softly in her sleep.

The black Keyblade came up, pointing straight at Sora, and a strange power struck out at him. Deep within him, Kairi's heart cried out with pain. Something was pulling her, digging sharp claws into her being, and trying to take her from the safety of Sora's heart. She could feel Sora gasp, echoing her agony. "What's -"

The one who was Riku yet not Riku stepped forward, Keyblade lowered, and the pain subsided momentarily to a dull throb. "Don't you see yet? The princess's heart is responding. Kairi's heart rests within you!"

"Kairi…Kairi's inside me?" Sora panted, confusion and wonder mixed with the pain in his voice.

I've been here, Sora. I've been here all along. All this time you thought you were searching for me, you've actually been protecting me…

"I know all that there is to know."

"Tell me. Who are you?"

"It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness."

Recognition registered somewhere deep within Kairi's heart. She was beyond thinking, but somewhere deep inside, a memory stirred. Along with it came fear, and with that came anger.

"So, I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Lead me into everlasting darkness!"

Me? Lead you? Never. The thought drifted defiantly through the inner silence. Her awareness of the outside world was growing by the second, and above all, she felt the pain in Sora's heart and body. His breath came in ragged gasps. She watched, not through his eyes, but somehow she saw the maniacal look in Riku's eyes as the man called Ansem brought his arm up, readying him to strike with the Keyblade.

He's not going to get my heart. And he's certainly not going to get Sora, either!

"Sora!"

Her voice echoed through the blackness, ringing out from her heart and rushing into Sora's. His eyes snapped open, and he looked up, bringing the Keyblade up with a combination of instinct and a deep trust in that voice. There was a clash and a ring of metal as Sora's Keyblade deflected the other, false Keyblade. Sora climbed to his feet, determination spread across his features. "Forget it! There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"

Flames crackled softly nearby. Voices shouted in the distance, laughing and joking. Not far off, waves lapped at the shore with a gentle murmur. Kairi dreamed on, lost in the memory.

"It won't work! The Keyhole's not finished yet!"

"I think you're right. If we can free her heart… But…but how?"

No, no, don't free me…don't do it, Sora. An inexplicable fear gripped her, and she huddled more deeply into the sheltering warmth of his heart. All was quiet here, soft and safe. But if she were to leave…somehow she knew that the act of removing her heart from his, if not done properly, could rip into him, with disastrous results. No, Sora. You'll…I can't let you!

But her voice did not reach him this time. Her awareness faltered. Her heart had been too long separated from her body, and it was difficult to hold on to consciousness - a consciousness that had faded in and out erratically over the last few weeks.

"A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts…I wonder."

A Keyblade born of darkness, of the forcible captivity of pure hearts - it caused a wave of revulsion and fear to sweep through her. No, not that… That was the worst of all. She had no idea what to expect, only that something terrible was about to happen to Sora. No, Sora!

"Sora? …Sora, hold on!"

"No, wait!"

She felt his goofy grin, the one she knew so well. It was meant to be reassuring - he knew what he was doing, and he cared nothing for the risks.

Then the black Keyblade pierced his heart, and Kairi's was flooded with bright, white light. There was light everywhere. The black Keyblade moved back out of Sora's body, then fell apart in a wash of light, dissolving back into the six hearts that had created it. Sora's hair was lifted by a breeze from nowhere, and he let his arms drop to his sides, tilting his head in…acceptance? He took a deep breath, seeming strangely at peace, as Kairi's heart drifted from his chest, floating upward as a shimmering sphere of light. It settled gently into Kairi's own chest, her eyes opening as it did so.

She was disoriented and confused, but she struggled to sit up, trying to figure out what was going on. As she lifted her head, she saw Sora, engulfed in a shimmering golden light, falling backward with dreamlike slowness.

"Sora!" She staggered to her feet and stumbled forward, reaching out to catch him as he fell - but just as her arms closed about him, he vanished into golden sparkles that drifted upwards like fireflies. Kairi stood there with her arms outstretched, staring upward in disbelief as the sparkles faded into darkness.

The dream shifted. That darkness engulfed her vision, then spread outward and rippled, growing upward and taking on a grotesque shape. Somehow she recognized it, though she was not sure if she had ever actually seen it before. A tall, shadowy shape, all muscle and sinew, it had long, thin feet that tapered into crooked points, huge, muscled arms, a strange heart-shaped void where its chest should be, writhing serpentine shapes instead of hair, and only glowing, golden eyes where its face should be.

The Darkside Heartless, that which had destroyed the Destiny Islands.

Her vision narrowed, focusing on those golden eyes. They rushed closer until she was entirely swallowed within them. Gold washed over her, then subsided, slowly changing and rippling with reds and oranges. The light diminished and became a sunset. A soft breeze blew past, rustling the leaves of a nearby tree. Off in the distance, a bell rang - a clock tower? Children laughed in the distance, and the smell of fresh-baked bread assailed her. There was a good-natured shout nearby, and some boys ran past. One of them was a figure dressed in white, with spiky blond hair. Suddenly his face came into full view.

Sora…?

She awoke then, her cheeks wet with tears. She groaned softly as she stirred. Her back and neck were sore. Lifting her head, she felt sand clinging to her face. Kairi brushed her hair out of her eyes and scrubbed her wet, sandy face with the back of her hand, looking around and blinking blearily.

After the intensity of the dream, it took a moment for everything to come back to her. She sat up and sighed, drawing one knee up and leaning her forearm against it. Off in the distance, she could see the shadowy forms of her friends, playing an energetic game of something-or-other. There seemed to be a ball involved, but she doubted they had any better idea than she did what the rules were.

One of the figures caught sight of Kairi sitting up, then stopped and waved. Kairi blinked sleepily as Selphie came running up to her, smiling.

"Hey Kairi! Looks like you finally woke up." She grinned. "When you dozed off, Wakka wanted to bury you in the sand, but Tidus convinced him to go play some blitzball instead. We decided to leave you alone for a while, you looked so tired!" She jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the boys and their other companions. "Rikku and Yuna wanted to play though, and they're hopeless about figuring out the rules…and once Paine joined in, that was it. It's kind of turned into a free-for-all now."

"Ugh. Sleeping on sand is not comfortable." Kairi dusted herself off. "I'm really sorry, Selphie…I can't imagine why I dozed off like that."

"Pulling some all-nighters lately with your brooding?" Selphie smiled.

"Hey! I already told you, I don't brood!" Chuckling a bit, Kairi kicked sand at Selphie, who giggled and held her arms up in defense. "So what did I miss? Just the blitzball?"

"Yeah, that's all, really. You've only been asleep for maybe a half hour."

"No great loss then." Kairi smiled. "You know I'm not much good at blitzball."

"Kairi!"

A yellow and orange shape rocketed into her, practically knocking her flat on the sand again. Kairi flailed slightly as she was rather violently hugged.

"You're awake! Just in time for smores!"

"Gah, Rikku! Yes, I'm awake," she grumbled, then stopped. "Smores?"

The girl giggled, twisting one of her many narrow blond braids around her index finger. "Yep! Selphie bought the stuff at the market this afternoon. I think the fire's died down enough to be perfect about now…"

"Sounds great!" Kairi stood, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt. "I'll go find us some sticks for roasting the marshmallows, okay?"

"Wonderful!" Rikku giggled. "I'll stay here and open the packages. And watch Tidus attempt to flirt with Yuna." She winked at Kairi and Selphie, who couldn't help but grin back.

As Selphie and Rikku began to argue about how many pieces of chocolate each person would be allowed, Kairi headed off on her own down the shore. She had said she would search for suitable sticks, and at first she did, but soon she found herself looking not at the ground, but rather staring up at the starry sky. The stars were scattered across it like…well, like fireflies, she thought. Fireflies drifting into blackness, fluttering beyond her reach.

Kairi shook her head violently, muttering to herself. "And I told Selphie I didn't brood! Darn it, I'm sick of this. This isn't like me." She forced herself to keep an eye on the ground again, looking for marshmallow-roasting paraphernalia.

There's no point in worrying about it now. It's time to stop moping and start acting. Granny said she'd test me tomorrow…and there's nothing more I can do tonight, so I might as well just enjoy myself. Tomorrow the work begins. Kairi frowned. She really had to wonder, though…that dream had seemed awfully…intense. Could it be possible that there was some deeper meaning she was supposed to find in it? Yet they were just memories. Important ones, to be sure - memories she didn't think she would ever forget, but why now? Why did she dream with a clarity even stronger than her awareness had been back then? It was not as if she had been entirely conscious throughout that whole ordeal, after all.

"Kairiiiii! Where are you? Better get back here quick so we can start, or I think Paine and Wakka are going to get into a brawl over the chocolate!"

Kairi grinned, shaking her head in exasperation. She hurried to gather the needed sticks before Selphie ended up having to referee again. One thing was for sure - she'd missed this during her time away from the islands. There was just one glaring problem. Before, Sora and Riku would always have been at the forefront of the action, treating the blitzball games as a personal competition between the two of them regardless of what team they were on, good-naturedly fighting over the smores and laughing while smooshing melted marshmallows into each other's hair.

For now, though, Kairi would have to settle for the rest of her friends, and she could not deny that there was never a lack of excitement with all of them around. Tomorrow she would begin testing for magic.

And if I learn how to use magic, I'll find a way to use it to go after Sora and Riku. I swear it.

She ran back to the others, grinning as firelight played on her features. Tidus waved while Wakka yelled for her to hurry up. She could already taste the marshmallow and chocolate melting on her tongue.

"So…Castle Oblivion is a total loss?"

"Let's just say the project is being abandoned for now. We have other, more promising locations on which to focus. Castle Oblivion may become important in time…but for now, we move on."

Two black-cloaked figures stood on a lonely, ghostly beach, surrounded by strangely shaped rocks and arches. Overhead, a bright, full moon glowed, surrounded by heavy mists - though it could just as easily have been a sun, silvery and pale with unnatural distance from that nearly deserted shore, and obscured by the thick haze.

The grizzled man shrugged. "Whatever, man. I'd rather not even get involved after what happened to those traitors there. Too big a mess to get mixed up in!" He grinned, looking rather wickedly sinister with his multiple scars and patched eye. Of course, Xigbar would look sinister with a pink party hat on; his grin only seemed to make him appear more devious, Xaldin mused.

Xaldin rested his hands easily on his hips, his large, square frame at ease. "I'm surprised you don't know this yourself."

Xigbar waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, well…Darkside isn't exactly easy to talk to these days. I try to stay out of the guy's way, you know? I've got better things to do with my time than get caught in one of his rages!"

"The Superior has much on his mind. It is not for us to question."

"Oh, lighten up, man. You are one overly tense dude, you know that? Stiff as a board, I swear."

Xaldin merely regarded him coolly, his expression unreadable.

Xigbar grinned, shaking his head. "Well, whatever. In any case, I have talked to Darkside recently, braving the dude's ridiculous temper to ask him about our little runaway."

"Naminé?"

"Yeah, the kid pulled a disappearing act suddenly. Darkside's not concerned, though. Not at the moment. Said to leave her be, he'll find her later." Xigbar shrugged. "Guess she's not a threat right now. I'd've thought otherwise, but there ya go. Instead we're supposed to check out the next spot for info on the Seekers."

Xaldin furrowed his brow, his dark, strangely shaped eyebrows shadowing his blue-violet eyes. "The Destiny Islands? Interesting choice."

Xigbar laughed. "Yeah, that's what I said. I thought, what is this dude thinking? I wonder if he plans to go after the girl now rather than later."

"It's certainly a possibility. Best to have her in custody rather than risk her running around loose."

"Yeah, but she's not leavin' the islands anytime soon. Why bother to grab her? We know exactly where she is."

Xaldin shrugged irritably. "Do I look like a mind reader to you, Xigbar? We don't even know yet what the Superior plans to do with Kairi. I suggest you stop getting ahead of yourself and concentrate on following orders. That is the only way we are going to uncover the research we need."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Sheesh." Xigbar shrugged. "I'll be back later. Got to go check on that last location one more time…Demyx says he saw something suspicious behind a waterfall."

Xaldin sighed. "It's a waste of your time. That place has been checked from top to bottom. It's the first one the Organization investigated."

"Never know what might've been overlooked, do you?" Xigbar gave him a cocky grin, then stepped backward through a suddenly appearing portal of smoky black and purple.

Xaldin vanished as well, leaving the ghostly shore even lonelier than it had been before.

More cryptic hints, though perhaps a little less cryptic than the previous chapter. I seem to be on a roll, so expect another chapter up soon. I've been doing lots of plotting and working out details. I'm trying to keep KH2 references to a minimum, but you'll notice I'm using several KH2 characters...though perhaps not in the same way as they appeared in KH2 (YRP, anyone?).