Reuniting with a lost childhood friend was not exactly as Kairi pictured. She kept thinking of him as that little boy, but here he was. Fleshed out, kind of small and scrawny (compared to Riku anyway), and one of the most intense people she had ever met.
After he and Aqua had gotten cleaned up and been given fresh clothing, he wanted to stay close to Riku and Kairi. He was curious and wanted to know everything he'd missed on the island. He wanted to know what they knew and how they came to know it. He wanted to explore this world, loving how very small it was. Infinite darkness was boring. Condensed people and places were interesting to him. He wanted to know how everything worked and what food tasted like and how a cold breeze felt.
He was annoying Riku. Riku, who was like a brother to him before he disappeared, wanted almost nothing to do with him. And Sora wasn't getting the hint. Kairi knew Riku was just confused. He didn't like things that confused him, especially when something so completely unexpected happened. Riku did what he could to avoid the things that made him uncomfortable, so Kairi couldn't blame him. That was just how he was.
It was weird. Kairi knew she only knew Sora for a year. He found her on the shore. His parents brought her to the mayor of their small town to take care of her. They explored the play island together. Her memories of him were as foggy as her memories of Hollow Bastion (was that even the name of the world? That didn't seem right).
Sora acted like he'd known them forever. His memories of their childhood were gone. He forgot everything. He didn't even know what his parents looked like and yet, he still smiled. He'd spent his whole life in the darkness and he shone the brightest of anyone Kairi had ever met.
She was kind to him. Yes, he was overwhelming. Yes, he was kind of awkward when it came to personal space. But he was one of the sweetest people she'd ever met. His sense of adventure and wonder were like that of a child and it amazed her that someone in his situation turned out as well adjusted as he did.
He was going to leave with Aqua soon. She had asked for synthesis materials to make something. She and Sora were going to find Aqua's friend, Ventus, and see if they could wake him.
Kairi hung out with them as Aqua worked. Riku had left for Wonderland when he'd received reports of a wave of Heartless. Aqua wore a heavy leather apron and gloves as she worked. She seemed to Kairi like a jack-of-all-trades and master of all. Sora babbled on, talking about how he discovered this cool house in the Third District where a wizard lived to Aqua. Kairi was sure Merlin was glad for the company, but wondered if the meeting went well. She would hate for Sora to have offended their ally.
"So, uh, Master Aqua. What exactly are you making?" Kairi finally asked. She wasn't sure if it was super secret Master stuff and had been dying to ask. She kicked her feet expectantly as they dangled off the table's edge.
"Armor," she replied as she poured molten materials into a cast. "To protect us as we travel between the lanes."
"We have a gummy ship, you know." Kairi pointed out. "You've seen it. It does the job pretty well."
"It's big," she explained. "Not as inconspicuous."
"Do you plan to fly between the lanes?" Kairi asked.
"In a way." Aqua wiped sweat from her brow. "Sora, go outside and show her."
"Gotcha!" He was quick to his feet. "Come on! This is really cool!"
Kairi followed him outside, not really sure what he was going to do. He summoned a Keyblade—one with a silver blade and golden hilt guard—and threw it into the air. As it came back down, it transformed. Kairi's jaw dropped. Before them was somewhat like a skateboard, except wider with controls at the feet and propulsions beneath it.
"Keyblade wielders have their own transportation!" Sora explained with a smirk. "Cool, right?"
Kairi quickly turned, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "You must tell me how you did that. Like, yesterday."
There were so many secrets to the Keyblade she didn't know about. She wanted to learn them all. It was no fair that Sora had a Master to teach him when her and Riku had actual masters. Sora stole her Master! That so wasn't even fair! Why would he even need one when he had all that crazy power?
Sora was hesitant. He had to ask Aqua first, though he seemed sure she'd be willing to share the information. She didn't seem like the kind of person that withheld anything. She was honest and very caring, even if she seemed a little… out there. From time to time, Kairi caught her called Sora by "Ven." Well, since they were going to go find him, maybe Kairi would learn why.
Maybe it was just her sanity that had been affected by the darkness.
Back in the Moogle workshop, Kairi asked Aqua to make her and Riku armor or at least teach Kairi how to make it. She wanted to know what Aqua knew. She was so eager it made it hard for Aqua to say no.
"I also want to go with you to find Ventus," Kairi requested. "It's better to go on quests with three."
"If you're sure," Aqua hummed thoughtfully. "It should be alright. There's enough protection around it… Yes, alright. You can come along. But promise me you won't wander where we go. It's very easy to get lost."
"Where are we going?" Kairi asked.
"To the remains of my home world. I turned it into another place in order to protect Ven's body."
Aqua taught Kairi how to make the armor. It was easy to make since she didn't need to make the full armor. Magic helped the metal wrap around the body to create full-body protection. They just had to make the arm piece to activate it. It was ridiculously easy. It was just the materials that were hard to come by. It required some very rare synthesis items. Kairi had to ask her comrades to help her out so she could have enough for her and Riku.
Tifa was taking over Kairi's work as she collaborated with Aqua. They had been able to awaken her with the help of the Princesses of Heart (most of whom were still in Traverse Town since their worlds had been destroyed). Their combined Light had been able to give Tifa the strength to break through the darkness.
She had told of how Maleficent had put her in that state. She wanted to control Cloud and Tifa was most certainly the way to do it. They had been best friends since childhood and had been separated when Hollow Bastion was taken by the Heartless.
Tifa was happy to help. She wanted to what she could to help Cloud. There wasn't much progress, which frustrated her. Aqua's arrival gave everyone hope. Kairi and Riku decided not to tell the others just how powerful Sora was. Not that they didn't trust anybody, just… they weren't sure what to make of it.
It didn't seem to bother Sora. He was actually excited to see Aqua treated as a savior of some sort. Aqua, on the other hand, felt a lot of pressure. She considered her first and last endeavor as a Keyblade Master a failure. Xehanort had gotten away with the sins he committed. She wasn't sure if she was good enough to become anyone's savior.
When the armor was finally finished, Kairi fit it on her sleeve. Sora examined it, not exactly sure what to do with it. Aqua was helping him put it on.
"Hey, Aqua. How exactly do you know how to make this armor?"
"It's not my first time," she explained. "I used to have armor and my own Keyblade. Remember, Sora? I used it to stop Terra from falling into the Realm of Darkness."
"Oh," he struggled to remember it seemed. "So, when do we leave?"
"Once Kairi masters the glider." Aqua said. "We're making good progress and now there won't be any distractions."
Kairi was happy to stay in Traverse Town to work with Aqua. Riku voiced his concerns, saying it would be better if two Keyblade wielders were out there. Someone needed to stay with Aqua and Sora. Since Kairi was the unofficial leader (Kairi wished King Mickey would take it on), it was an unspoken expectation that she'd take care of them. So, Riku went with Donald and Goofy to protect the worlds they could.
When he had some down time, Kairi would hang out with him, talking about the amazing thing Aqua was teaching her. He hadn't come home between the time they finished the armor and their own departure, so Kairi left him a note with his armor, explaining what it was and how to activate it.
Riku wasn't so certain. He was always so suspicious. He knew Aqua was on their side but felt suspicious on how she just seemed to fall into their lap. They were looking for her and then, there she was? After so many years? And Sora… Riku wasn't so sure about him. He said something felt off about him. Kairi tried to assure him Sora was fine, that he was a good guy. Riku wouldn't listen, as always.
"Just be careful," he warned.
Kairi worked hard to hold the Keyblade Glider in one piece. It was a bit like a motorcycle, except with sharp angles and weird controls on the handlebars. She wasn't sure how exactly she was supposed to drive this. At least she didn't have to worry about balance, unlike Sora. Sora, the show off, rode in circles around her as she tried to figure out the controls. Up, down, turn, wait! Stay a glider! Urg! She would drop to the ground with her Keyblade clattering next to her.
It was frustrating.
"Don't worry about him," Aqua said as she helped Kairi to her feet. "He's a natural at all of this. It took me weeks to learn how to use my glider."
"We don't really have weeks," Kairi said weakly. "We've already wasted so much precious time."
"I know," Aqua agreed. "But we have to be prepared, right?"
"Right."
She got right back on the glider. After practicing for almost two days straight, Kairi seemed to have gotten it down pat. Not really expert, she'd still need to practice more, but it was good enough to get them to where they needed to go. Besides, Aqua was driving. She didn't have a Keyblade of her own (she had lost hers along with her original armor) so she needed to bum a ride. Kairi had no qualms with that. If Aqua was driving, she wasn't going to complain.
They prepared to leave, stocking up on potions, ethers, and elixirs. Kairi packed a few Keychains, hoping maybe one of those would be better for the situation they were diving into. Maybe the Heartless hadn't found that world. Aqua was expecting (more like hoping) that it was still empty.
The night before they disembarked, Sora and Kairi sat on the ledge over Main Street. Kairi had introduced him to ice cream which he enjoyed maybe a little too much.
"Careful, you'll get brain freeze," she warned.
"Ah," he held his head as it came over him. She couldn't say she didn't try.
Sora was strange, yes. He was a little too confident in himself. He talked back. He didn't quite understand the social norm. But he was so friendly. It was so easy for him to make friends. He usually charmed people at "Hello" which baffled Kairi. Everyone he spoke to liked him when he had barely any human contact for his entire life. She wondered how he did that. Maybe it was the goofy smile and a face anyone could trust.
As he recovered, he frowned a bit. "Hey, Kairi?" He hadn't lost her attention. "Does Riku hate me?"
He wasn't clueless. That was… really perceptive. Even if totally wrong. Kairi sighed. "It's not 'hate' per-say…" she fumbled with the words. "He just… he's confused. The boy from his childhood he thought had died is suddenly back. He doesn't know what to make of you. You're so strong and the power in you scares him. He mourned you for years and then… you come back after so long and you've surpassed everyone in pretty much everything." Kairi rubbed her arm.
"When we found her… the woman that threw you into the Realm of Darkness, she mentioned something about a prophecy. We were told you were dead. And, I guess it wasn't too important to find the prophecy since you were gone and she was vanquished anyway, but we came across it in our travels. I don't remember it off the top of my head, I can read it to you later, but it was something like:
"It told of how there would be a boy with two lights in his heart and a Key in his hand. He'd come from a backwater world and rise up against the darkness when nobody expected it. He'd be the savior.
"There was more, I can't really remember. I read it once but… it sounded like it could have been you. We didn't have enough information." Kairi shrugged. "Now that I've met you… yeah. Yeah, it was probably talking about you.
"Anyway," Kairi looked up at the stars. "Riku doesn't hate you. He's just scared. Give him some time… if he gets to know you, he'll understand you're just a Lost Boy." She chuckled, thinking of the Lost Boys in Neverland. Sora was just like them. "He'll come around."
"If you think so," Sora hummed, a tone of disappointment in his voice. He seemed to care less about this prophecy that spoke of him. He clearly cared way more about his childhood friend liking him. Kairi waited for him to speak. She could feel his words just hanging in the air. "It's just, well, I didn't really have anything in the Realm of Darkness. I just… I only had you guys." Sora shrugged. "I know it's silly. You guys probably forgot about me, we were so young. But the memory of you two kept me going. It gave me hope that we'd get back to the Light."
He frowned, holding his ice cream over his knee. Kairi noticed it beginning to melt. "I found the remains of our island in the Darkness," he said. "And… when I did, I almost gave up, you know? I didn't really have anything to go back to. Then, your letter washed up on shore. It gave me hope that you hadn't forgotten all about me. That maybe you and Riku were waiting for me somewhere. Then the door opened."
Kairi couldn't imagine what he had been through. He'd lost everything while everyone moved on without him. But he was here now. He was alive. He had a chance to make a difference in the world that had forgotten about him. He had the power to do anything. And Kairi wasn't going anywhere.
His ice cream slipped off its stick, falling onto the mailbox below them. He whined and begged her for another.
The next day, after resting well, they left Traverse Town. Kairi held onto Aqua from behind as Sora zoomed into the atmosphere ahead of them. The armor fit more comfortably than she expected and worked way better than she anticipated. It was kind of amazing, really. Being outside of the ship for once. It made the multiverse feel much bigger. It was so open. She wasn't able to appreciate it while being stuck in a ship with three boys.
Sora flew next to them as Aqua took the lead. They couldn't really communicate. The vacuum of space had no way to reverberate sound. Aqua would point in the direction they were heading and Sora would follow. Aqua wondered what it was like for them. They had been trapped in the same place for so very long and now they were free to go anywhere.
As they traveled, they passed the vortex with the ship that orbited it. Kairi glared. It didn't stop. When would Ansem be satisfied? When all of the stars had vanished? What would he rule then? What was his end game? Eternal darkness, then what? Eternal chess tournaments with his Nobody?
They approached the world in what felt like no time at all. The gliders were much faster than she expected. She liked it. This would make traveling much easier. Well, for her at least. If she had a party, they would have to take a Gummy ship.
They landed before a white, towering castle. Everything about it made Kairi just want to turn around. Aqua did this to her world? All to protect Ventus? Well… good job was all she had to say to that. Excellent work. Now, let's go grab him and bolt.
Sora pressed his armor, dismissing it as he ran up to the door to open it. It was massive. How did he expect to open it?
Kairi and Aqua were quick to help him before he hurt himself. They struggled, but made it. Inside was beautiful. White, clean, plants and a golden door stood before them. Behind them, the door closed automatically, making Kairi jump. Aqua seemed to expect it and Sora simply did not seem surprised by anything.
Or rather… seemed preoccupied. The boy stepped into the middle of the room, looking around and frowning.
"Something's here." Sora announced. "We're not alone in the castle."
Whoo! I'm on FIRE today!