As I promised, I tried to get Chapter 2 up as quickly as possible. Most of this is explanation and exposition, but I did throw in a bit of action to compensate. Well, I hope you enjoy!
Riku stood there out in the field, the star-speckled night sky and mystic clouds surrounding the floating island where Master Yen Sid's tower stood solemnly. Riku's clothing was no different than it was when he was finally granted the title of "Master" about three months ago, except one notable detail: strapped onto his right shoulder was a silver and yellow tinted piece of armor with a button right in the middle. The Armor: Yen Sid gave it to him as a gift so he could traverse worlds using the special lanes Keybearers were granted, without the use of a Gummi ship, a star fragment, or a portal of darkness. The Armor would also serve well in the battle against Xehanort defensively to protect him against the darkness and magic as well as provide him with a boost to his natural abilities. It was true, however, that with only minor intelligence as to Xehanort or the new Organization XIII's current whereabouts, Riku was confident that the Seeker of Darkness was preparing the final battle, so for now, Riku decided to focus on mastering the Armor to prepare for any scenario.
At the other end of the clearing, Kairi stepped out of the building, wearing the same clothing from when she was finally declared an apprentice of Master Yen Sid, except she, too had armor, red in color, but it was thinner than Riku's and was worn on both shoulders. She smugly smiled as she approached Riku and called out to him.
"Riku! Are you ready to train?" she called to him. Despite only being recently dubbed a master, Master Yen Sid trusted him to also train Kairi for the upcoming battle considering his field experience and resistance to the darkness, both unusual, yet necessary traits considering the lack of available Keybearers, much less true masters.
"Don't you mean Master Riku?" Riku grinned at Kairi mockingly.
"Oh, shut up," Kairi chuckled, "if Sora were here…"
"He would definitely have to call me Master," Riku smirked at the thought before returning to his serious demeanor.
"Anyways, I think it would be a good day to test your magic ability, Kairi," Riku summoned his keyblade, Way to the Dawn, the white light revealing the dark keyblade that characterized his struggle to walk the road in-between darkness and light. He stared at it for a moment before looking up at her.
Kairi summoned her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, the fateful keyblade Riku delivered to her they day she learned that she, too, could wield the keyblade, and the very keyblade she used to help Sora in the World that Never Was. She stood in stance, Keyblade by her side, as she prepared herself for the Master to begin.
Riku began by chucking three Dark Firaga balls at Kairi, who summoned a Reflectga shield to protect her. Breaking the shield, she prepared to launch Reflectga Shot, but Riku has already moved out of the way and tapped her shoulder from behind tauntingly. Kairi immediately reacted by casting Thundara, striking Riku a bit as he barely managed to get away, but not stopping the Keyblade Master as he fired three more Dark Firaga balls at Kairi. Kairi casted stop and moved out of the way, closing the distance between her and Riku. Clearing the Dark Firaga balls, she was about to land a strike on Riku when time started once more and Riku immediately landed three combos on Kairi before knocking her back with a finishing move.
Kairi managed to recover, but not until Riku managed to close the gap and casted Zero Gravitga, using the opportunity to knock Kairi in the air a few times before sending her flying. The spell broke soon after and Kairi managed an aerial recovery before casting the newly learned Curaga on herself, healing the majority of her wounds. She countered using Blizzara followed by a Sliding Dash, knocking Riku into the spell to daze him.
"Well played, but not quite enough," Riku smirked as he feinted with his keyblade, making Kairi hesitate with her next attack before countering her attack altogether, creating an opening. In the confusion, Riku managed to sweep her with his feet before, knocking her to the ground as he pointed his keyblade directly at her.
"Remember to keep an eye on your opponent and predict their movements, and always keep a strong stance to keep yourself balanced; it will also enable you to adapt the situation quickly," Riku dispersed his keyblade before helping his apprentice up.
"Retreat back if you ever feel that your opponent is too close to you or that you cannot guard against their next attack because if you create an opening, they will take it," Kairi nodded, taking in the Keyblade Master's advice.
"Otherwise, your magic was excellent and your movements were excellently coordinated. I will talk to Master Yen Sid about getting you stronger magic."
Kairi fist-pumped in excitement about getting new magic – she could blame Sora for giving her this habit when it came to training – before recomposing herself, "Thank you, Master Riku," she gave him a respectful bow, folding her hands. Riku returned her bow with a respectful nod.
As if he could read her mind, Riku asked, "So, how has Sora been?"
Kairi blushed as she answered, "He sent me a detailed letter about another world he was investigating for Master Yen Sid for his new mark of Mastery Exam. He couldn't tell me, by Master Yen Sid's orders, where he was, but it seems that he's been doing well in his travels and met a lot of good friends." What Kairi didn't tell Riku was that Sora planned on bringing her something nice when he got back, and when he was made a Master, he wanted to spend some time with her on Destiny Islands before the final battle.
Maybe then we could finally share our first kiss…
"Earth to Kairi," Riku waved a hand in front of her face, "but we need to go inside. I just remembered that, after our training, Master Yen Sid wanted to speak to us about something."
"Got it," Kairi nodded before walking with Riku up the Mystic Tower.
Master Yen Sid's chamber was rather cluttered today, documents and books littering parts of the floor where the orderly bookshelves once stood. His desk was an even greater clutter, as if every document has been ransacked by the Heartless, or even perhaps by Xehanort. All was well, however, and Riku breathed a deep sigh too as he walked to see the Master standing near another bookshelf near his desk.
"Master Riku," Master Yen Sid greeted with a small, respectful bow, Riku returning it as he walked into Yen Sid's chambers, "and Kairi. You have been progressing quickly in your training."
"Thank you, Master Yen Sid," Kairi deeply bowed in front of the Master before being invited to sit next to Riku in the large, lengthy chairs in front of his desk. Yen Sid took a seat himself.
"I apologize for the clutter, but the information I wanted to share with you is very old, in fact. Tens of thousands of years old, information held by my ancestor on the affairs of the Worlds right after the Keyblade War," Yen Sid sorted out the information he wanted to retrieve and, with a snap of his fingers, the other pieces of information walked themselves – yes, literally walked, Riku thought – to their individual shelves and sorted themselves back into place.
"The information concerning an incident at hand requires me to explain what occurred a long time ago when the World was shattered by the Keyblade War. You already know of the Keyblade War and how the worlds were restored, but it is important for me to explain how the fragments of light were dispersed."
"Aren't the fragments the heart of the worlds as they are today?" Kairi asked.
"Yes, that is true for the worlds you have encountered thus far, but for many worlds, the bigger worlds that hold a significantly larger proportion of people, the nature of light and darkness can oftentimes be a larger presence," Master Yen Sid waved a hand and displayed a hologram of a larger world next to a smaller, more typical sized world.
"In most cases, the heart of a world lies dormant, even when a keyhole is unlocked or Heartless begin to storm the world, and so the world does not interact with the people who inhabit it. For these bigger worlds, however, that is not the case. As you know, light and darkness exist in every heart, and this is especially true for these larger worlds. The forms of light and darkness manifest themselves into physical or spiritual forms which can influence and interact with their world, and much as the heart can be a constant struggle between light and darkness, these worlds are no different."
"The world I am about to explain to you is an ancient world that has existed since the time shortly after the Keyblade wars. In this world, light and darkness have manifested into spiritual beings and have balanced each other for eons," Yen Sid shifted the holograms, showing a picture of two spirits, a lighter and a darker one, "These spirits are known as Raava, the spirit of peace and light, and Vaatu, the spirit of darkness and chaos. Their battle has span generations in a constant struggle over dominance, neither capable of completely destroying the other, for every heart needs both light and darkness."
"However, at one point, Raava's spirit fused with the spirit of a human being, and through an endless cycle of reincarnation, this being has been called the Avatar. The Avatar is known to be the keeper of balance in that world and is the bridge between humans and spirits. Using the power given to him by Raava and ancient beings known as Lion Turtles, the Avatar has managed to defeat Vaatu nearly 10,000 years ago on a day known as Harmonic Convergence, and has sealed away Vaatu until the next Harmonic Convergence less than 100 years from now. As a result, the various Avatars have kept balance for millennia. As a result, there has never been a need to send a Keybearer to safeguard that world; in fact, many Keybearers believed that Raava and the keyblade were connected."
"It seems, however, that this balance is slowly being tipped by an outside force. I believe it to be the work of Xehanort," Riku narrowed his eyes in anticipation at the sound of his name, "and darkness has managed to seep into that world's other dominion, known as the Spirit World."
"I apologize, Master Yen Sid, but what do you mean by Spirits?" Kairi asked, "I understand what spirits are, but are these spirits separate from their bodies?"
"The answer is yes and no. As I have explained long ago, there are three essential components that make up a living being: There is the heart, the body, and the spirit," a new hologram showing displaying the Heart, the Body, and the Spirit appears on Yen Sid's desk, "In that world, when an individual passes, their heart and spirit enters the Spirit World and manifests in a new form depending on how powerful their spirits were in their previous life. If they have an exceptionally strong spirit or have a connection to the Spirit World, they can enter the spirit world with the same form and memories they passed on with. The only exception is the Avatar, who is already fused with a spirit."
"But just as the Heart can be separated from the body and become a Heartless and a Nobody arises from the empty shell of someone with a strong will, the spirit can also be corrupted and become angered, taking the form of unbalanced, Dark Spirits," putting aside the image of the Heartless and Nobody, Yen Sid displays the Dark Spirit in finer detail, "These Dark Spirits are driven by emotion, much like the Heartless, but are more willful and hold grudges against the people who angered them, and so they are harder to tame; many spirits, especially more powerful ones, often require different approaches to tame them as well. These more powerful, sinister Spirits, much like the members of Organization XIII, as well as other outside forces who command great darkness, can also influence and command these Spirits, including Vaatu."
"The Avatar has the ability to tame these Dark Spirits, however, though a means of purifying their darkness. The Keyblade is also capable of defeating these Dark Spirits and returning them to their original form, but only having a general knowledge of this world, I ask that you approach this matter carefully before making any rash decisions."
"So it is safe to assume that you want us to go investigate this world and make sure that Xehanort or the new Organization XIII isn't planning anything?" Riku folded his arms.
"Yes, but I have another task for you as well," Master Yen Sid snapped his fingers, removing the holograms from the table, and folded his hands, "I sensed that, in that same world, an individual who I cannot identify has awoken to the Keyblade. I need you to find that individual, for I believe they will be critical to solving this problem. I also need you to track down the Avatar and provide them with any information and assistance necessary. I do not usually ask you to meddle in the affairs of worlds, but this has escalated into a potential threat that could determine the outcome of future battles."
"I will add, however, that my intuition tells me that your search for the new Keybearer and the Avatar might not be too different in goal," Riku pondered on this thought, as well as the connection between Raava and the keyblade.
It would not be too farfetched to assume that the Avatar and the Keybearer may be the same person…
I shouldn't jump to any conclusions, yet, though. Riku left his mind just as Yen Sid was saying something to Kairi.
"Do you think I should really go?" Kairi asked, "I have only trained for three months."
"I believe it would be beneficial for you to go. With your exceptional progress and talent as well as the press for time before the final battle, I believe it would be wise to hasten your training," Master Yen Sid nodded, "I will prepare the equipment you will need for this journey and I will prepare stronger magic for you as well, Kairi."
"Thank you, Master Yen Sid," Kairi bowed in respect, barely able to contain her excitement.
At long last! Now, it is my turn to help!
"Are you sure that you are ready for this?" Riku asked, looking into the Keyblade apprentice's eyes.
Kairi nodded, eyes shining with conviction and a Sora-like grin on her face.
"Heh, you really are Sora's girlfriend," Riku chuckled to himself remembering the goofy smile of his best friend.
Kairi blushed, a look of mild irritation on her face, "Stop teasing me about him! It's not fair that I can't tease you about anyone!" Riku grinned.
"Ok, Sora, we should probably get going," this earned Riku a light punch to his arm. Kairi shot daggers at him before grabbing her stuff, bowing once more to Master Yen Sid, and leaving before Riku could say anything.
Riku shrugged before turning to Master Yen Sid, "I will not fail, Master."
"I trust that you will be fine. If anything is to happen, however, please take this," Master Yen Sid handed Riku two white disk with a yellow, circular, button in the middle, "this device will allow you and Kairi to communicate with me using magic. Use it to report anything unusual or important to me as well so I can monitor the situation. When you are about to land on this world, contact me and I will give your further instructions."
"And one more thing. Ensure, at all costs, that Kairi does not fall into the hands of our enemies. She is invaluable as Keyblade wielder, but even more so as a Princess of Heart. She is a strong soul, but our enemies are ruthless."
"Understood," Riku nodded his head, "I will be off now."
Yen Sid nodded, "I wish you luck, Riku."
Riku returned the nod as the newly dubbed Keyblade Master left the room.
Walking out into the clearing, Kairi waited for Riku as she looked up at the stars.
"I wonder which world it is up there…" she murmured to herself as Riku walked up to her.
"Are you ready to go?" Riku asked?
"Yes," Kairi nodded, and together, they pressed the buttons on their Armor. The Armor was much more lightweight then Kairi had expected. If she remembered correctly, the design for her suit of Armor resembled that of Armor belonging to a Keyblade master known as Aqua. She noticed the various shades of red on her Armor as she summoned Destiny's Embrace to her armored hand, pointing the keyblade towards the sky as she aimed. A beam of light shot out of the very tip, summoning a portal to the Lanes In-between. Then, chucking her keyblade at the sky, a vehicle appeared (the vehicle also designed after Master Aqua's), and jumping on, she looked towards Riku.
Riku dawned Armor that was designed to look very similar to the Armor, if Kairi's memory served correct, once worn by a Keyblade wielder known as Terra. The armor was silver in color, with yellow streaks and plating showing up in occasional spots. Grasping Way to the Dawn, and with the portal already summoned by Kairi, Riku chucked his Keyblade in a similar matter into the air, summoning a vehicle of his own (said vehicle resembling that of Terra's) to his side. He jumped on, looked at Kairi and nodded in anticipation.
Kairi returned the nod, and looking to the portal in the sky, their vessels blasted off confidently together as they embarked on their journey of unknown proportions.
Well, there you have it. With the plot officially set up, now we can dive into the good stuff.
Fortunately, I didn't have to make up the Dark Spirit's for this story-line, although I did attempt to give them a bit more of a Heartless/Nobody mentality; for anyone who has not seen Legend of Korra, Dark Spirits already existed as a threat to her in Book 2: Spirits. Also, Raava and Vaatu, if you don't already know, as well as the Avatar origin story, are all official canon.
I will try my best to also start developing Kairi in particular. Since she hasn't received much development in-game, writing her is particularly challenging, although I did want to include some information on Sora before I completely left the exposition (which is why I threw in some romantic references). My goal is to make her someone who is ready for Kingdom Hearts III, whatever that will mean, so I'm still looking forward to developing her.
One more thing to note: in the case of complex character design (Raava and Vaatu) as well as objects (the Armor), I will try to describe them through reference, but to avoid confusion, I might just refer you to a basic design and have you look it up yourself (since some of these designs are very out there, in no better words).
Chapter 3 will be up as soon as I can get to it, but it will likely take more time than it did for me to put up Chapter 2 since it will be critical as to how the storyline proceeds after the exposition. Thank you for reading and please review!