Kairi found herself in a blindingly white room. The only hint of color was the cream yellow double doors ahead of her. She winced slightly before walking on. Was this Roxas person here?

Just then, someone appeared to her from the shadows, someone wearing a black coat. They were slightly taller than Kairi. It was the person that she saw when she got the keyblade! "You… Who are you?"

"I'm a shadow of a shadow..." A calm voice replied, walking towards her. "A copy of a copy… here to welcome you, Kairi. In this place, to find is to lose and to lose is to find, such is the way of Castle Oblivion."

"Castle Oblivion?" Kairi repeated softly. Just saying the name filled her with dread for some reason.

"That's right. Here, you will see those you have made connections with, perhaps even the one you've been so desperately seeking…"

"You mean Roxas?"

"Yes, precisely." The woman stopped suddenly, now inches away from Kairi.

The girl tried to hold her ground but knew some anxiety must be showing since she could see the person's smirk in the shadowy hood.

"What's this…?"

Kairi gave a slight whimper when the figure fiercely grabbed her face, as if examining her for something.

"You found a way to get back your memories despite the reset…" The woman gasped in surprise. "If only the real Kairi could be so clever, we wouldn't be in this mess…"

Kairi gave a retort that was muffled thanks to her clenched face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've barely let you get a word in, how rude."

Kairi was thankful when the hold on her was loosened.

"Say again?"

"I said… I'm real too."

"Oh... I see." The stranger frowned.

"Is something wrong?" Kairi asked worriedly.

"Yes, something's terribly wrong: you think you're real…"

Kairi backed away as she took a few steps closer.

"You won't think that for long, Kairi."

As if her name was a cue, Kairi suddenly saw her memories flashing before her eyes:

"Kairi! Tidus, Wakka, and I are gonna go play blitzball, wanna join?"

"Race ya!"

"Kairi always has Sora and Riku by her side, how romantic!"

"Well, these strange blocks have appeared everywhere…"

"I just found it while exploring! But it sure is shiny, huh?"

"But I wanna know what this thing I found does!"

"Oh! Yeah! I got one too!"

"Excuse me, but have we met before?"

"Hey, your physical strength doesn't matter as much as the strength of your heart."

"The one and only, Genie of the lamp is at your service!"

"Isn't this familiar? Guess you can't help being a copycat though."

Kairi stumbled back in shock, clutching her head before looking back up at the woman. "W-What did you…?"

"How real do you feel now?" The figure asked, walking past her. "Now that nearly all of your memories have been stolen?"

"My memories… stolen?" Kairi repeated softly, her head hurt so much it was hard to even comprehend what she meant.

"That's right. Every connection you ever made is now gone."

"No, it can't be…" Kairi scanned her brain for anything related to her family, friends, even enemies but her mind came up blank. She knew in her heart these people existed but… "I… I can't..!"

"Missing the people from your memories?" She suddenly formed a card with the familiar homeworld on it, offering it to the girl. She slid over even more cards with other worlds depicted on them. "Hold these up to the doors to meet your loved ones again."

Kairi snatched the card away before looking at the door. If I do, will my memories come back?


"How was your trip down memory lane?"

Kairi blinked away the bright light as she found herself back in the castle. Wait… hadn't she just left?

"Looks like you met your friends only to forget them again." The woman presumed. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't care about them, they were never even real in the first place.

No, I forgot them again? Kairi wondered before glaring at the woman. "Don't say that! My friends are as real as they come! They're important to me!"

"So important that you'd forget them again? Just accept it and move on. You can do whatever you want with these people…. they won't remember it. And you don't have to worry, because neither will you. You won't feel even the slightest hint of guilt."

"You're wrong."

"Hm?"

"I may forget what I've done, but the feelings of regret would still be there." Kairi retorted calmly. "I'd still have that hurt."

"…It must be painful, why would you want to carry it around?"

Kairi didn't have an answer.


She went through another world, a copy of Traverse Town, to find she didn't remember it either, but it didn't matter. She still felt the ache, the hurt. "It's painful… but it's proof. Proof my friends are real, and proof they're still important to me. I miss them…That's why I have to keep going!"


Kairi left Wonderland with a familiar ache. She placed a hand to her chest before walking on. She nearly ran into the stranger.

"How's your head? Still a bit foggy?" She asked as if concerned but Kairi knew the truth.

"You know it is. I can't remember anyone." Kairi muttered softly, walking past her.

The hooded person hummed before speaking again. "Have you finally accepted they're all fake?"

"They're not fake." Kairi looked soberly back at her. "If everyone is fake, myself included, then why am I having such strong feelings about them?"

The woman didn't answer.

"It's painful, but it's the only way I know they're with me. The hurt is the key to getting my memories back."


Kairi left another world to find the stranger waiting for her.

"Forgetting someone is so painful… You truly think carrying that hurt around will lead to you remembering them again?"

"Mhm. That's what I've chosen to believe." Kairi nodded, not even sparing her a glance as she lifted up the next card.

"I didn't expect you to be so naïve..." The stranger said under the hood, placing a hand to her chest. "You fell right into the trap…"

"What…?" Kairi turned to see the woman, her eyes widening. "What are you talking about?"

"I told you at the very beginning, here in Castle Oblivion to find is to lose and to lose is to find. You lost your memories… and found hurt in their place. You accepting it means you'll carry around that hurt forever."

Kairi placed a hand to her chest in worry. "No, I-"

"And that's not even the worse part." The stranger added on. "With all those bad emotions, you'll lose yourself to the darkness!"

Kairi felt anxiety well up inside her. Will I really fall to darkness if I keep this hurt with me…?

Walking through the door may be a step closer to losing herself to the darkness, but it was also a step closer to remembering her friends. So she walked on.


"It's not too late, Kairi… You can still escape the darkness' grasp."

"Really?" Kairi turned to the woman who nodded.

"All you have to do is let go of all that hurt… Once you do, you won't feel sad or lonely, wouldn't that be nice?"

"It would…" Kairi agreed softly, placing a hand to her chest. All the pain would wash away, she'd never have to feel it again.

The stranger held bated breath, waiting for her answer.

But if she did cut off that hurt, she'd cut every single connection she'd ever made. Every person that made her life complete. I can't remember my friends… but I know if I didn't have them, it'd feel like a part of me was gone. So… I can't. "I can't… I won't let it go! This hurt is what keeps me connected to the people in my heart, so I'll accept it!"

"Accept it…?" The stranger repeated. She clenched her hand into a fist as her body began to shake. "That's… If you do that, the darkness will devour you!"

"I don't care. I'll fight through any darkness if it means I'll keep the connections in my heart. They're worth it!"

"How can you do something so foolish?!" The woman cried, her calm demure nature finally fading as her hood fell away. She'd been keeping her emotions in this whole time.

They appeared in a pure white world as flower petals blew around them.

Kairi's eyes widened, seeing a face that matched her own. The only difference between them was this girl was older and had blonde hair.

The data version of Naminé summoned her keyblades as memories flowed through her. "It's easy for you, you can accept it while I… while I suffer!"

Kairi watched in shock as a whirlwind of memories surrounded the two. She was almost too distracted to block a strike.

"You've forgotten everyone you loved, but you didn't lose them for good! You didn't watch them disappear right in front of you while you could do nothing!"

The girls parried each other as Kairi began to gain the upper hand in her distraction.

"You weren't betrayed by everyone you trusted, you weren't killed because they wanted someone else! I- No, the real Naminé went through all of that!"

She was shoved away before she gave a slight laugh.

"I have all these horrible memories… All this awful pain… from the real person they belong to. It's kinda funny… she was told again and again that she was nothing… but she's more real than I could ever hope to be."

Realizing Kairi hadn't taken the opportunity to attack made Naminé look up to see the girl had unsummoned her keyblade. "Oh, I guess I'm not worth fighting anymore… Why fight a fake when you yourself are real? …I'm sorry I tried to make you feel like you have a heart… I was jealous..."

Kairi remembered her heartless' last words and smiled sadly. "You don't need to be. When we were fighting, I felt so much pain and anguish from you… It couldn't be faked. Don't you see? You already have a heart, Naminé."

The girl thought to herself and realized… this must be true, how could she feel this way if she didn't have a heart? "… I didn't think of it that way…"

With that, Kairi's memories were finally released. She smiled, tears coming to her eyes as everyone she loved was remembered once again. "Thank goodness…"

A new card appeared in her hand, one with a strange and twisted castle on it. "Here you go."

"Hm? What's this?"

"It's the truth you've been seeking." Naminé answered. "The reason put you through all that wasn't because of my feelings alone, it was also because I had to test you."

"Test me?"

"Mhm, accepting the pain was the key to the truth." The girl trailed off before giving a sad smile. "I guess this means my job here is done. It's time for me to go."

"Go? Go where?" Kairi wondered but her mind was suddenly flooded with memories as Naminé disappeared.

Even more hurt filled her as she saw Naminé's memories, the ones forgotten, the ones made up, even the ones where she met the other Kairi. It seemed like too much for one person to bear alone, but this data version Naminé had been for her whole existence.

"It's okay, we can share this hurt together." Kairi promised Naminé, placing a hand to her chest.

"Kairi!"

"Minnie!" The girl gasped, seeing Minnie run up to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been trying to find you ever since you walked in! Oh, it seems you already did all the hard work, I'm sorry." She looked around for enemies, not spotting any.

"It's okay." Kairi smiled before showing her the card. "Apparently, this'll lead is to the truth we've been searching for."

"You mean about Roxas and the first mysterious message?" Minnie asked. "'Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it.' I'm still stumped on what it could mean."

"Let's go find out." Kairi exclaimed, putting the card up to the door.

It glowed brightly before disappearing.


In front of them was a solemn young boy with blond hair and blue eyes. Kairi felt a strange sense of familiarity even though they'd never met before. "Who are you…?"

"My name is Roxas." The boy introduced himself. "It's nice to finally meet you, Kairi. I've been waiting to meet you in person for a long time."

"…Is it alright if I tell her… and all my friends watching who you are, Roxas?" Minnie asked softly.

"You mean who the other me is…" Roxas reminded her. "And yes. Since this Kairi has accepted all the hurt, the one from your world should be able to accept the truth along with the others."

"Alright." Minnie breathed a sigh of relief before glancing up, as if to talk to her friends. "About two years ago, in my world, Kairi, Daisy, Clarabelle and Tink went searching for Sora and I in a mysterious place called Castle Oblivion. I don't know all the details, but to summarize: a boy named Roxas altered Kairi's memories, and therefore everyone who was connected to her as well. In the end, it was decided he would restore the original memories to repent. But that also meant Kairi and the others would lose their memories of Castle Oblivion and everyone in it. So, I think the message, Thank Roxas, was so they would remember to thank him if they ever met again."

"That's the jist of it." Roxas agreed. "But there's a few things you missed, that's where I come in."

Minnie nodded, letting him take over.

"The original Roxas is gone but in his last moments, his heart left a final message in the journal which I was made to deliver: 'Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it.'"

The boy suddenly summoned a glowing ball of light, showing it to Kairi.

"Is that… the other Kairi's memories?"

"No. They're memories from the other people connected to Kairi's heart. Ones Kairi has never been able to tap into before, because Roxas sealed them away until he knew she'd be ready to handle the dangerous feelings that came with them."

"Dangerous?" Minnie repeated.

"Uh-huh. These memories are full of hurt, enough to completely shatter a heart. That's why Naminé and the bugs were created. I wanted to see if this version Kairi could take on all the hurt, so I'd know the other Kairi could make it through these memories too." He bowed his head. "I'm so sorry I put you through so much already, and then ask you to take on even more hurt, Kairi."

"It's alright." Kairi nodded in understanding. "I'd rather go through it all than let the other Kairi go blindly into danger."

"Sometimes, pain is easy to get rid of. Other times the pain will stay with you, and never leave. The best thing you can do for yourself then is face it head on." Roxas explained. "And if it becomes too much to bear, you can always share it with others."

"It'll bring us closer together." Kairi agreed, remembering her Heartless and Naminé who now shared pains. "That's something the other Kairi will know too, once she gets these memories back."

Kairi stepped closer to the orb of memories before putting on a brave face. "But first, I have to go through them."

"Wait, I'll help you!" Minnie exclaimed, placing her hand on Kairi's.

Kairi smiled in gratitude, glad she wouldn't face this hurt alone.

"Minnie, I have to warn you, some of these memories… are yours." Roxas whispered.

"Mine…?" Minnie blinked in surprise. She supposed it was rather obvious, Roxas must've used Kairi's connection to her to find and seal those memories. "T-That makes sense, I've always felt like there was a gap… I don't care if they're painful, if Xemnas forced Roxas to lock them away then they must be important to me!"

Kairi gave a nod in agreement. "We're ready, Roxas!"

The two linked hands before touching the orb.

A bright light filled the room as pain surged through them. Memories from the three separate hearts resting in Kairi's filled data version's head. They'd all lost so much, everything and everyone they ever cared about had been stolen from them while they were forced to watch. The pain was nearly unbearable.

When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by people, many she now recognized thanks to the memories.

There was a trio of black coats, including Naminé, a trio of apprentices, and Roxas was even there too, this one being older than the one she'd met.

Her eyes then fell on her friend who was on her knees. She quickly ran to her side. "Minnie!"

"Terra… Aqua… Ventus… I-I forgot them all. I… I even stopped looking for them…" Whispered the Queen, tears running down her face. She was shaken out of her trance by Kairi and slowly rose to her feet, wiping away the tears. "I'll be alright…"

"These are the people waiting for Kairi. Those who rest in her heart, and those she's connected with over the years." Roxas explained softly after he was sure Minnie would be alright.

Kairi recognized most of the people from the tsunami of emotions. There was Roxas and Naminé, but she also recognized Larxene, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus from the memories. Her eyes stopped on the one person she didn't know. "Is that…? No, it isn't Riku. This is…"

He looked identical to Riku besides the blue hair which he shared with Aqua. He was in her memories but only briefly, it was almost as if he'd been cut out in certain parts. She didn't know his name.

"Something horrible happened to him… didn't it?"

Roxas nodded solemnly. "They're all waiting for Kairi to end their pain. DiZ told the other Roxas he put some kind of code in Kairi while she was asleep. He wouldn't say what it was, just that it was a way to clear his conscience. My best guess, it's related to saving the ones he harmed…"

They moved on to the other trio.

"These three were wielders of the past who faced off against the person that started all this pain. As Minnie knows, they've all vanished without a trace. Still, them being here can only mean Kairi is the key to saving them too."

"I had no idea Kairi knew those three…" Minnie whispered.

"She was very young at the time she met them, she may not remember." Roxas exsplained. "Either way, she's the one who will wake them from their slumber in the dark."

"You said Kairi will have to call all of these memories up… is it time now?" Minnie asked.

Roxas shook his head. "For her safety, it would be best if she remembered them naturally and on her own. It may take some time, but it's necessary in order to keep her connections to the people they belong to. It's the only way she can help them and keep herself in tact."

"Alright. I'll make sure Kairi knows about the people connected and waiting for her." Minnie assured him.

"Roxas… What's going to happen to you?" Kairi suddenly asked, remembering Naminé.

The boy blinked in suprise before shoving his hands in his pockets, as if embarrassed she cared. As if on cue, he began to fade away. "Well, my only job was to pass on this message. I don't belong in the journal with the rest of you so… I guess I'll disapper. But it's alright. As long as Kairi gets the message, I'll be able to rest in peace."

"Hmm…" Kairi thought of an idea. "Roxas, why don't you stay in my heart? That's where Naminé went after her mission was done, she could probably use some company."

"Would that… really be okay?" Roxas asked in shock.

"Of course!" Kairi smiled. She suddenly gasped. "Oh, real quick before you go, I have a message for you too… Thank you."

Roxas looked suprised but then gave a faint smile before fading away.


And so ended our journey to discover these hidden truths.

"Kairi! Sora! Look!" Riku ran up to the two holding a message with the Queen's seal.

"A letter from the Queen!" Kairi opened it curiously.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi read through the adventure as told by Minnie, full of wonder and amazement this had all happened while they were taken a well-deserved rest at home.

Kairi, it's important you understand something: The data versions of Sora, Naminé, Roxas, and you, they all have hearts of their own. They are just as real as you and me and without them, you would've never received this message. I hope the day comes where you all can meet!

I wanted to let you know about the memories sleeping in your heart and the people tied to them right away.

Kairi, Sora, Riku… The keyblade has found it's way to so many others, including yourselves. Kairi, you have the incredible power to connect to these people but with that power you must also know the burden that comes with it. The people connected to you are hurting and they need you to help end thier sadness. They need you.

It's possible all your adventures have led to this grand new task I was told to give you. With it, you may gain new information on the people connected to your heart as they too have wielded the keyblade.

The door to your next adventure is ready to be opened.

Kairi's eyes widened at seeing the task before quickly showing it to Sora and Riku.

Sora grinned excitedly while Riku looked a bit apprehensive, but still glad he'd be in on the adventure this time, he'd get to train while the others tested thier skills.

Kairi placed a hand to her heart to calm herself. This would be her toughest challenge yet, she didn't even know if she'd succeed. But if it meant being one step closer to helping the ones connected to her, it'd all be worth it. She smiled at the boys, doing her usual pose with her hand behind her back.

"You guys ready for a new adventure? The Mark of Mastery is waiting!"