Chapter 2 – Promise

In the days that followed, Sora never left her side. With exaggerated gestures and body language, he explained how to use the Keyblade. Combined with Donald and Goofy's help, she was learning how to fight at a good pace. Was she anywhere near ready to face Ansem? No, but Radiant Garden wasn't built in a day, either.

Radiant Garden. Her old home. Visiting it again had brought back vague memories, memories she'd forgotten she even had. It was a shell of the place it used to be. It didn't even have the same name anymore. She wished she could remember more about it, especially her grandmother. The old woman's soothing voice came back to her in the words of the story she'd shared with Sora, but everything else about her was foggy.

Oh well. Reminiscing would have to wait for later. Really, the biggest hurdle now was the small Shadow who insisted on fighting beside her. Sora meant well, but he was so weak compared to most of the other Heartless that it was almost laughable. Almost.

But what could she do? She didn't have the heart to tell him they didn't need him to fight. Especially since he had been such a big help with the Behemoth. Besides, there was little else he could do in his current state, and she didn't want to take this away from him, too. If it meant she had to spend extra time and effort guarding him, then so be it.

There was another problem, though, one inherent to the situation they'd found themselves in. They kept mistaking Sora for a normal Heartless. Something had to be done about it, and sooner rather than later.

"Wak! Oh, it's just you, Sora." Donald shook his head and sighed. "We can't keep doing this."

"Donald's right. Either you gotta stop fightin'—"

Sora crossed his arms at this suggestion. If he'd been human, Kairi knew exactly the kind of pout he'd be making right now.

"—or we need to change your appearance so you stand out a bit more. It's for your own good, Sora. We don't want you gettin' hurt."

Well, more than you already have, Kairi thought sadly.

"I've got an idea," Donald said. He held his wizard's staff high in the air, and with a flick of his wrist Sora changed colors from pitch black to bright red with blue and white polka dots.

"Uh…" Kairi didn't want to be the one to say it, but he looked even creepier than before. She'd gotten used to his Heartless form. It was almost cute, in a way, with its big yellow eyes and expressive antenna. This was just… well…

Sora knew. He held his claws out in front of him and jumped. He couldn't make much noise as a Heartless, but his body language usually made up for it. He turned to Donald, his yellow eyes squinting into what would have been a grade A Sora glare.

"Well, Donald, that's a good idea," Goofy said, ever the diplomatic one, "but I'm worried the other Heartless might notice and try to attack him." It was a problem enough as it was. The Heartless in any given area didn't take long to figure out Sora wasn't acting like one of them. What usually followed was a full out attack on him that the rest of them had to fend off.

"Well, what would you suggest?" Donald asked. He turned Sora back into his original color. Kairi wished Donald could just poof him back into a human as easily as he could change the color of his… skin? Did the material he was made up of now even count as skin? Whatever. She didn't know what Heartless were made of, so skin it was.

"Hmmmm, maybe we could give him a mark or—I've got it! Y'know how Pluto's got a collar?"

Sora was not amused by this suggestion. He hung his head, his antenna drooping.

Well, of course he doesn't like being treated like an animal. Donald and Goofy meant well, but they didn't seem to realize how much being a Heartless was wearing on him. It's not that the collar was a bad suggestion; in fact—

"I've got an idea," Kairi said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her lucky charm. She'd made it from Thalassa shells, and it was in the shape of a paopu fruit with Sora's face carefully drawn on it. She knelt and placed it in his claws.

"It's my lucky charm. I wanted to give it to you before we left home, but I never got the chance." His claws tightened around it. He looked up at her, and she smiled. "I was thinking, maybe we could make it into a necklace for you. We'll have to shrink it and attach it to a chain, but I think it'll work."

Goofy pulled a Protega Chain from his pocket, and Sora relinquished the charm so Kairi could give it to Donald.

"I'm on it." Donald created the necklace as requested. His handiwork was lovely, the chain and charm woven together like they'd always belonged as one. Kairi knelt once more to fasten it around Sora's neck. It was the first time they'd been this close since that first night. For a moment, she could almost see his spiky hair and his bright blue eyes as he gazed at her. Then it was gone.

She cleared her throat and stood. "You – you can borrow it for now, but be sure to give it back to me!"

He nodded, his eyes squinting like they always did when he smiled. Her heart lurched as she pictured the expression he'd be making right now as a human. She wanted to tell him. But what good would it do? If anything, it would only make him more miserable, knowing that if he wasn't trapped like this, they could—

"Kairi! Heartless!" Donald shouted, summoning his staff.

Well, no time to ruminate over her regret now. It would have to wait for later, in the quiet moments between waking and sleep. She summoned the Keyblade and charged, Sora right on her heels.

oOo

"Freeze!" Kairi pointed the Keyblade at a group of Red Nocturnes nearby. The temperature around her dropped, and blinding white snow shot out of it and hit them full force. They turned to ice and shattered, releasing several hearts to the sky.

"There ya go Kairi, you're really gettin' the hang of it!" Goofy punched the air and cheered.

"You're a natural!" Donald put his staff away and nodded in satisfaction. "Why didn't we think to teach you magic before?"

Today had been her first day of magic training, courtesy of Donald himself. While Kairi was getting better at using the Keyblade, he thought he'd try teaching her magic, too. They'd only gone over basic elemental spells today, but Donald had already decided to teach her more.

"Maybe we should take you to see Merlin," Goofy said. "He trained Donald. I'm sure he could train you, too."

Kairi considered this. Maybe she should learn magic from someone like Merlin. He was a powerful wizard. He might even know something that could help Sora.

"Is there any magic that lets you restore people to how they're supposed to be?" Sora's antenna perked up from where he was watching from the sidelines. Kairi's gaze lingered on him for a moment before flickering back to Donald and Goofy. "Like… Cure, but stronger."

"Well, white magic might be able to help. But that's more the king's specialty." Donald sighed and began gathering their things.

Goofy joined him. "I wish we knew where he is, but he's been missin' for some time now. We've been searchin' for him, which is how we found Sora in the first place."

"Oh, okay," Kairi replied, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. It was worth a shot, anyway.

"I'd try, but the white magic I know just destroys Heartless," Donald added. "Sorry, Kairi." He disappeared inside the Gummi Ship, preparing it for takeoff.

Sora's antenna drooped, and Kairi chewed her lip, forcing back the urge to cry. She couldn't take this much longer, seeing him suffer in silence. Every now and then, she'd catch him when he didn't think anyone was watching. He had no way to voice his feelings, no way to cry, no way to scream, but the drooping head and shuffling walk were enough to let Kairi know. He was human, and every moment he remained in this form was pure torture, plain and simple.

She watched as he shuffled after Donald onto the Gummi Ship and sighed. Goofy stopped what he was doing to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're a Princess of Heart, Kairi. If what you did today is any indication, I'm guessin' you'll be real good at white magic. Who knows, maybe you'll figure out a way to help him yourself."

Kairi didn't have the heart to tell Goofy that that's what she'd been thinking about this entire time. That she still hadn't come any closer to a solution.

"Now, I know what you're thinkin'," he said. "But I think you've got it in yourself to save him."

Kairi wanted to believe Goofy. Wanted to take comfort in his words, knowing they could be true. But she couldn't quite manage it. She summoned the Keyblade and held it to the sky, staring at the way the golden afternoon light reflected off of it.

"Goofy, all I have is this Keyblade that isn't even mine. How can I possibly help Sora?"

"Maybe you're thinkin' about this the wrong way," Goofy suggested.

"What do you mean?" she asked. On her own, she was weak and powerless. The Keyblade was the only reason she'd been able to protect Sora in the first place.

"Kairi, the Keyblade isn't what makes you special."

She let it disappear from her hand. "Then what does? Without it, I'm nothing. Just a helpless girl who couldn't even protect her home from being destroyed."

Goofy shook his head. "Now that's not true. Sora and Riku don't think that, and neither do me and Donald. You've got an awful lot of heart, Kairi, and that's what really matters. The Keyblade wouldn't have chosen you otherwise."

Kairi turned to him. "You… really think so?" she asked, her voice small.

"I know so. It chose Sora over Riku for that same reason. And when you protected Sora, the Keyblade saw how strong your heart was and went to you. Who knows, maybe you'll get a Keyblade of your own someday."

This piece of news came as a surprise to her. "There's more than one?"

Goofy scratched his head. "Well gawrsh, I think so. It was years ago, but me and Donald met some folks who had Keyblades of their own. Sora and King Mickey didn't used to be the only ones."

She considered what he'd said. Even though she'd been using it for a while, the Keyblade she had now still didn't feel like it was hers. She'd give it back to Sora in a heartbeat if she could. But she also wanted to help, and having a Keyblade seemed like the best way to do that. Maybe Goofy was right. Maybe it really was possible for her to have a Keyblade of her own someday. Then she and Sora could fight together.

"You've just gotta believe in yourself, Kairi. It'll happen when the time is right. And that goes for savin' Sora, too."

She placed her hand on her chest. "Yeah. I think… I think my heart's the key."

"Wouldn't surprise me. Your heart's somethin' special, Kairi."

She thanked Goofy and helped him gather the rest of their things. She had a new lead to follow now.

Hang in there, Sora. I'll figure something out, I promise.

oOo

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reading. I'm adding this note because I realize I didn't respond to my guest reviewer yet for Chapter 1. Thank you for the review, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!