Kairi groaned, elbows against the wall and her face in her hands. The ball had been happening for only an hour and her feet were already beginning to throb and ache. She'd looked all around the room but there was nowhere to sit down. Marli tugged on her scarf, making her turn to look.

"I asked one of the staff. They said any of the doors around the room that don't have a 'staff only' sign are free for the public to use. There's furniture in them."

"Yes," Kairi hissed, dragging herself off the wall as if she was exhausted and taking the arm Marli offered to lean on. "I can't stand these shoes anymore."

The doors were intermittently spaced around the ballroom, hard to miss despite being under the shadow of the balcony. The richness of colour in the dark red wood popped out of the pastel wallpaper around them. At the first one they came across, Kairi let go of her friend and eagerly rushed to get through the door, momentarily confused when it resisted opening just a bit.

"Oof!" someone cried out as they were knocked back into the room. Kairi gasped and covered her mouth in embarrassment, hurrying forward to lend a hand.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

The hand that accepted hers almost engulfed it completely. The peculiar boy from earlier sat up, rubbing his nose where Kairi had pushed the door into his face. "Don't worry, I'm okay. Wow, you're pretty strong." Kairi blushed and mumbled a bashful 'thanks' while she helped him up. He just grinned back, not in any way upset about the accident. "I'm Sora, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Kairi replied, glad that he was the one swiftly moving to a new topic. "I'm Kairi and this is my friend Marli."

"Hey," Marli said, wiggling her fingers at him. "Nice, uh, outfit."

Sora chuckled to cover his self-consciousness but only managed to show just how nervous that made him. "Yeah… Riku suggested I should wear it, since this is about as ceremonial as it gets on the island. We don't really have things like this so I didn't know what to expect."

"The island?" Kairi questioned, dragging Sora back into the room and sitting down on a chaise longue, sighing with relief now that her weight was off her feet. Marli sat down on the other end, trapping Sora between them.

"Don't mind that," Sora said quickly, almost cursing in his haste. "I'm… not really supposed to say… uh…"

"Is there a secret island where the Keyblade Wielders live and train?" Marli asked, leaning forward until she was almost on top of him. "Is that why we never see much of them?"

"Um…" Sora muttered, sweating a bit under the pressure. "Maybe?"

She cast a sly glance sidelong at Kairi that made the redheaded girl start blushing again. Before she could tell her not to even dare, Marli added: "Say, we saw you earlier. You were with the Keyblade Masters."

"The… oh!" Sora said, furrowing his brow in puzzlement for a moment before blinking in realisation. "You mean Terra and Aqua, right?"

"So you do know them! Are you a wielder too?" Marli asked excitedly.

"Ehe, sorry," Sora replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Not a wielder. I wasn't even invited – not even as a plus-one, initially – but Riku argued really, really hard for me until Terra gave in or something."

"So this is where you've been," a deeper, suaver voice cut in, making them all turn to the door instantly. Terra's apprentice was leaning against the frame with his hands tucked halfway into his pockets and one leg wrapped around the other. He smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "I thought I heard your voice saying my name."

"Riku," Sora said, surprised to see him.

"Mmhmm," Riku hummed, pulling himself off the doorframe and swaggering into the room. "Not a bad place to end up: sandwiched between two pretty girls."

All three of them blushed as red as Kairi's hair. "No! It's-" Sora stammered, ripping his hand out of Kairi's and jerking away from her, only to bump into Marli. He slid back with an apology on his tongue but crashed into Kairi before it came out. Again he attempted an apology while scooting away from both of them, which resulted in him falling over the back of the chaise longue with his legs sticking up comically. The girls giggled and Riku snickered.

"Pardon him," Riku said, "he's not the smoothest pebble in the river."

"Aw," Marli tittered. "He's pretty cute though. Right, Kairi?"

"Yeah," Kairi nodded. They both giggled at the way the skin on Sora's neck and ears started to flush too.

"Sorry girls, I didn't get your names."

"It's Kairi." She held a hand out for him to shake and he obliged.

"Marli." She also extended a hand and he crossed his other arm over to grab hers, shaking both while flashing a dashing smile. It got a few more laughs out of the girls.

"I'm Riku and it's a real pleasure meeting you. Anyway, I just came looking for rock-head here because the king's about to make the announcement and afterwards is the fun and games bit. So, if you'd like me to accompany you around the dance floor…"

"Hey! That's not fair!" Sora exclaimed, sitting up with a pout on his lips.

"Isn't that the important part?" Marli guessed, standing and sidling up to Riku in the hopes that he would make good on his offer.

"That's right," Kairi said, standing up quickly, eyes wide with realisation. Ienzo was being crowned heir apparent tonight so he would have to be present for his coronation at the very least. "It's basically the reason everyone's here so we'd better not miss it."

Riku made a cocky movement that consisted of jutting his chin out briefly in an approximation of a nod. He turned around with a flick of his silky hair, walking away and ignoring Marli when she tried to reach for his arm.

"Come on, Sora," he urged, sauntering out the door. Marli huffed and balled her fists at her sides, stomping after him.

Kairi stayed behind to make sure Sora was on his feet again but instead of following he loitered near the door and mussed his hair anxiously. "Are you alright?"

His body did a little startled twitch. He sure spaced off quickly there, Kairi thought.

"Yeah, I'm good," Sora said in a voice too uncertain to be reliable. "It's just… awkward being out there. People keep looking at me and sometimes they're whispering when they think I can't hear. I've never been to Radiant Garden before and I'm a little… scratch that, I'm a lot out of my depth here."

Kairi smiled sympathetically and reached over to pat his shoulder. "You're far from home." He nodded. "I can't say I know what that feels like since I've always been here but I get where you're coming from. Even though I'm a local, this place, this event, these people, they're all, let's say… out of my league."

Sora returned her smile wryly. "Then it sounds like this is a first for both of us."

"Yeah. We'll both make it through, surely."

They exited the room together and Sora easily spotted Riku's silver head in the crowd since he was so tall. He led the way through the throng of people, commenting: "So, you've never left this town?"

"Not in my whole life," she admitted. "Not even to go across the lake. There are beasts and fiends outside the town walls so it's dangerous for people who can't fight and I know my mum and dad would never let their 'precious little princess' get hurt out there no matter how badly she wants to go."

"You can't fight?"

"Sort of… no," Kairi confessed, heaving a sigh. "Growing up, Marli and I used to play this game with the other girls that we called 'warrior princess' and sometimes we went to war with the 'warrior princes' and got railed on by the cops for making a mess in the streets." Sora laughed good-naturedly. "But we haven't played that game in years – we got a bit old for that. So there, I can't fight."

"Don't give up," Sora said, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze. "That's how me and Riku first learned to fight. It's not a style or something that you can put a name on but it's still valid. Though you might be rusty now…"

Sora and Kairi laughed together. They came up behind Riku and Marli and Sora squeezed between them. "What's up? Has anything happened yet?"

"Not yet," Riku answered, looking at the recently vacated space around the grand staircases. "They just announced that the main event was coming up and got everyone to move."

"Well, don't let me get between you, boys," Marli murmured snippily, crossing her arms. Kairi nudged her shoulder-to-shoulder and the dark-skinned girl turned to her, starting a brief conversation with only their body language:

"Do you see this?" Marli's huffy pout asked.

"What can you do?" replied Kairi's shrug of pity.

The crowd jostled as someone moved through it. They tapped Kairi on the shoulder to get her attention. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "M-Master Aqua?!"

The blue haired woman smiled modestly. Kairi just gawked and ruminated over words that tumbled over each other before even making it to her mouth.

"Sorry to bother you," Aqua said, "but you looked very familiar to me. I just wanted to see if you were who I thought you were."

"M-maybe…" Kairi stuttered and her heart pumped with a swirl of joy, excitement and hope. Many years ago on a day Kairi would never forget she had met Aqua, not knowing the significance of the encounter. The ferocious strength of her attack, the brilliant grace of her magic and the warm kindness of her smile painted a saintly picture of her in Kairi's memory. Ever since then her chances to see the woman were rare, few and far between, always at a distance and never quite as dramatic as that time. "I was really small…"

"That's right, I remember," Aqua began but when she looked down for a moment in thought she cut herself off. "Isn't this…?"

She tapped the moonstone. A little twinkle of magic sparkled in response to the hand that had charmed it long ago.

"That's my spell!" Aqua exclaimed, smiling sheepishly at the other people who turned to her outburst with disapproving glares. "Sorry… but that's my spell. You are the girl I was thinking of – Kairi, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Kairi breathed and it was as if her heart had grown wings and learned to fly.

"I've wanted to meet you again for a while, ever since Terra brought Riku to us. Do you remember what happened that day we met?"

"I can't forget."

"But specifically do you remember touching my Keyblade?"

"Touching…" Kairi looked at the floor thoughtfully. That wasn't something that really stuck out in the memory. There had been little blue monsters and a teleporting mouse and a bright flash of light that appeared when Kairi reached for Aqua's hand, the one that was holding the Keyblade. "It must have happened then…"

"So you remember? I'm glad. It's been more than ten years since then but I still think about it. That reaction from the Keyblade, I'm pretty sure it's not normal. The Keyblade responded to your heart in a special way and I want to find out what that means."

"Why didn't you come to me earlier?" Kairi blurted out, stunned by the revelation. "It can't be an age thing; Riku doesn't look much older than me. I would have gone with you in a heartbeat. Being a Keyblade Wielder, a guardian of the world, that's the sort of thing I've always wanted to be. And if there's something special about me that the Keyblade could sense then I want to know what that is too."

"Riku's case is different," Aqua said and the amiable expression fell to be replaced with something grimmer. "Terra was more direct and I don't know that I approve of what he did. We have a code to stop us from interfering with outside affairs and I'm not sure if taking Riku on was permissible but either way, Riku ran away from home to join us. He keeps saying that being with us and doing what we do is what he always wanted out of life. I think I can't really argue if it makes him that happy. But the reason I didn't recruit you is because every time I came to see you… I couldn't do it. Your life here is beautiful. You have friends and family who love you and you're all happy together; I wouldn't forgive myself if I ruined that.

"The thing about the Keyblade is that it has the power to unlock all the doors you might cross but some of them lead to pain and sorrow, some of them lead to horror, and some of them even lead to the deepest levels of darkness. There's a lot you could lose from choosing to follow this path. You have the kind of life that I lost forever many years ago so I decided that I wouldn't take you away from it, not unless you truly wanted it."

"Believe me, I want it."

Trumpets blasted at the top of the stairs and a handsome butler formally addressed the crowd to introduce the king.

"This isn't really the place to be talking about it," Aqua said, searching for a way to move back through the crowd, probably to find Terra. "But I'll think about what you said and come see you sometime in the future."

She gave Kairi one last mysterious smile and then was gone in what had to be a trick of the light. Or magic. Kairi blinked and tried to shake some of the mesmerisation out of her head. Marli gently elbowed her in the arm.

"Hey, where are you looking? It's starting."

"R-right," Kairi said, turning to face the front. She craned her neck to see over the shoulders of the people in front of her. "Did you hear any of that?"

"What?"

Before Kairi could reply an eerie hush fell over the ballroom. Her full attention fixed on the top of the stairs, where the king of Radiant Garden stood with his hands behind his back and his shoulders squared, dressed in his most elaborate robes in regal red. He was also wearing the crown of Radiant Garden on his brow, a feature worth noting since nobody had seen the crown in public for decades. Two large men in black flanked the stairs like statue guards as Ansem the Wise delivered his formal address to the invitees – a boring, perfunctory speech that was both a welcome and a sort of interim report on how the kingdom was doing while he was in charge. However, Kairi wasn't listening; she was searching the balcony for any sign of Ienzo.

At the end of the introductory speech the guardsmen moved and opened the grand doors behind the king. An audible intake of breath swept through the crowd as they looked up in awe at the heir-to-be gradually moving out of the shadows and taking his place on the king's right. His gaze darted over the crowd nervously. Standing next to Ansem made him seem shorter and thinner than he really was and in hyperconsciousness of the fact he locked his fingers and began to twiddle his thumbs.

"Don't fidget!" Even hissed behind him.

Ienzo abruptly stopped and pulled his hands behind his back, lifting his posture to try emulating Ansem the Wise. Unconsciously, he continued the fidgeting. Even took his place behind Ansem on the other side, carrying a black velvet box. The king looked to either side of him as if to check for himself that everything was in order before turning back to looking down at the crowd and announcing in a powerful voice that filled the silence:

"Eras come and go, sliding through time with unpredictable inevitability and people continue their lives. Even the greatest king must one day relinquish the throne and it is always hoped that when that day comes it will be met with resolve and that the one who steps up to claim the crown is worthy of the burden. My fellows, I am not getting any younger but if I could find a way to do so I would most certainly like to." He paused with an upward quirk of his lips to let the crowd chuckle. "However, even if I could, my retirement is an inevitable change and a necessary one. Worlds change, people change, and it is a fact that we cannot deny or erase. So to keep up with the tide of life, crowns must change heads too. Tonight, I present to you: Ienzo the Percipient."

Ienzo cringed at the epitaph but twisted it into a smile as the crowd clapped politely.

"Ever since he came into my custody Ienzo has been a fine son to me and it is my judgement that he will also be a fine prince to one day become king. He is a man of knowledge like all of my apprentices are but I perceive him to be much more, not only sharp of wit but sensitive of soul. Careful and mindful of everything, even the things that seem unimportant to others." Kairi swore Ansem's eyes landed on her and Marli as he said that and lingered meaningfully. She tried to shrink back into the crowd. "The duty of a king is one of burden – a burden of the heart. Who better to bear it than someone who appreciates how difficult those burdens are to carry?

"Ienzo embodies the virtue of patience and understands the properties of ambition. Under my hand and the hands of those whose abilities serve me I have watched him grow from a child of the vale into a man of the world. And so it is that on this night I declare the rightful heir to my throne and title."

The king turned to Even, who opened the velvet box delicately with gloved hands. Inside was an old silver diadem, a closed circlet like a miniature crown. Ansem picked it up, making a show of turning to his other side to pass it to Ienzo. He bowed and let Ansem place the diadem upon his head. It was a lot heavier than it looked. Perhaps that was symbolic somehow.

Once it was secure Ienzo lifted his head, surprised to find Ansem still looking at him with a complex expression. He was old and weary but also smiling with pride and hope.

"You are a fine son and a fine scientist," he said, still loud enough to be heard across the quiet ballroom but in a softer register, more intimate as if this was supposed to be a private moment, shared between a father and son. "I know that you will apply yourself just as wholly to the role of a prince and later to the role of a king."

Ansem held out his hand, inviting Ienzo to take it. He led his new heir down the steps towards the people amidst a chorus of applause. The crowd was drawing in as people began to line up before the red carpet of the stairs. Ansem and Ienzo bowed politely to them and the greetings began.

Judging by the way the crowd was now murmuring and moving, the moment was well and truly over. Kairi rubbed her hands together, looking over to where Ienzo was currently occupied in short conversations with rich and important-looking people. She noted, with a heavy heart, that many of those who had lined up were young, beautiful people accompanied by either their parents or their attendants. She even spotted Lani in the line, doing some last-minute preening and adjusting her bodice to make her breasts stick out more.

The ensemble began to play again, this time with a livelier piece that filled the room with energy. People were already beginning to take advantage of the space being made by the crowd moving to the sides of the room.

"So, it's the fun and games part," Riku piped up, turning to the girls with a winning smile. Marli raised an eyebrow at him, having not at all forgiven him for blowing her off earlier.

"Seems so," she muttered, then leaned over Riku and grabbed a different boy. "Sora, let's dance!"

"Er, okay," he said, stumbling over his huge feet as she dragged him out to the dance floor, "but I don't know how to do the dance everyone around here is doing."

Riku watched them go, a little surprised. He chuckled and rubbed his chin remorsefully, looking down at his feet. Kairi's lips quirked upon seeing that. At least he was self-reflective of how much of a jerk he could be. He looked up and turned to Kairi with a twinkling in his eyes and a more genuine smile.

"So, Miss Kairi…" he began, facing her properly and bowing like a gentleman. "Would you mind if I had the first dance?"

Kairi looked over to Ienzo. He was still preoccupied with the aristocrats, not even sparing a glance towards the goings on beyond them. She sighed and turned back to Riku, taking the arm he offered to lead her to the floor.

A/N: So, I think it bears mentioning that even though I didn't think too hard about how BBS could have ended happily, I did think really comprehensively about what the repercussions would be. One of those was that Kingdom Hearts essentially would not have happened. Thinking about how the characters would have all grown up differently is partly why this story blew out of proportion so badly. It also means that some characters who went on amazing character development arcs in the games didn't get to go on those arcs. So, Sora wouldn't have had the chance to step up to the challenge of saving the universe, which is why he's retained and in fact hunkered down into the subdued role of second fiddle to Riku, which he originally had at the beginning of KH1. Also, Riku wouldn't have gone on his journey through the darkness that taught him just what a bad idea it is to be an overconfident jerk, so he's still a jerk.