A Danger Nearing

Kairi followed the two bears over to a large dry patch of pebbles and sat down. She shivered slightly and hugged herself for warmth. Although she had the power of fire at her disposal now, and it was keeping her a little warm, it didn't block out the cold completely.

She looked over to her left when she felt something nuzzle up against her arm. She gave a soft smile when she saw that it was Koda. She couldn't help but gently stroke the little bear's head.

She then looked over at Kenai, who looked both sad and confused.

"Why is he chasing me?" he whispered to himself.

"That's what they do!" Koda exclaimed, completely oblivious to the real reason of Kenai's confusion.

"But it's not like him." Kenai replied, shaking his head.

Kairi opened her mouth to explain the situation, but she immediately closed it again. Something told her that she should broadcast the fact that she knows anything about Kenai being a human or that he had killed a bear, especially in front of little Koda. Not to mention, she would be setting herself up to explain a few things. Things she was specifically told not to explain.

Still…

"I'm sure it'll all be okay," the human girl said. "As long as we stay out trouble."

"Well, that's going to be hard to do." Koda looked up at Kairi. "There's trouble everywhere out here in the wild."

"Oh, right." Kairi shrugged, feeling just a little stupid.

"But you don't need to worry about danger," the little bear puffed up proudly. "Because when I get in a fight, I go all crazy and I'm a raging ball of brown fur!"

Koda then leapt up and began swinging his paws around, striking imaginary enemies. He then slipped on the pebbles and fell down onto his back. However, he quickly recovered and stood back up on all fours.

"I mean, I don't want to brag or nothing" he said, "but I've got some moves."

"Yeah,"Kairi giggled, "I can see that. You'd probably give the Heartless a hard time."

"What's the Heartless?" Kenai asked, becoming interested in the conversation.

"It's those things that attacked you." Kairi explained. "The ones I used my Keyblade against."

"Keyblade?"

"This."

Kairi held up her Keyblade for Kenai and Koda to see. The little bear cub wandered over to it and sniffed it. He gave a confused expression when he realized that it didn't smell like flowers, despite the fact it was ordained with blossoms all over. But it didn't smell anything like flowers. Instead, it was more like polished stones.

"So that's your weapon?" Kenai asked, raising an eyebrow.

He had never seen anything like that in his life. At first, he was doubtful that it could do much damage. However, when he remembered what he saw back in the clearing, he changed his mind. Although he still thought it was a strange looking weapon.

"Yes," Kairi nodded. "It's the only thing that can defeat the Heartless."

"I've never seen those creatures before." Koda said. "And I've seen many different creatures."

"Well," Kairi carefully searched for her words, "they aren't exactly part of this world."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Kenai asked, sounding just a little on the dull side.

"The Heartless are born out of the darkness in people's hearts," the girl explained. "If you let the darkness in your heart overtake you, you'll become one of them."

"That sounds scary." Koda shivered.

Kairi sensed the little bear's fear and gently rubbed his head.

"That won't happen to you," she said. "I'm here to make sure of that. My Keyblade can repel them. In fact, the Heartless are the reason I'm here."

"So, did the Spirits send you or something?" Kenai asked.

"You…could say that," the girl carefully replied. "They also gave me the ability to talk to you guys. That's how I was able to find you."

"Why were you looking for us?" Koda asked.

"Well, actually, I was looking for Kenai."

"Me?" the older bear said, confused. "Why?"

"I'm supposed to help you reach a mountain where the lights touch the earth." Kairi said.

"The mountain where the lights touch the earth?" Koda spoke up. "Why didn't you say that in the first place? I know where that is!"

"You do?" Kenai said, sounding skeptical.

"Yeah, it's right by a place called the salmon run," the little bear smiled with excitement. "They're practically next door. I can take you guys there."

"That's wonderful!" Kairi exclaimed. "Thank you, Koda!"

"I don't know." Kenai gave a disinterested look that bordered on disgusted.

"C'mon, Kenai." Kairi said. "It's our only lead. We might as well."

Kenai looked at Kairi with suspicion. He then exhaled deeply and rubbed his head in frustration. He looked back at Kairi and Koda, who were both looking at him with hopeful and eager faces.

"Ugh, fine." He groaned. "We leave first thing tomorrow."

"Okay," Kairi nodded, "in the meantime, we should get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."

With that, Kenai sauntered over to a small corner and curled up to sleep. Kairi lay down on her side, using her left arm as a pillow. Koda walked over to her and curled up beside her. The human girl smiled and draped her other arm over the little cub. Considering that Kairi didn't have a fur coat of her own, she welcomed the bear's warmth and fluffy fur.

"You know, Kairi," Koda said, "you're not so bad for a human."

"Thanks, Koda." Kairi said, tenderly scratching the cub behind the ears. "And don't worry, I'm not going to let the Heartless get either of you. I promise."

From where he was, Kenai listened to the conversation. Since he was lying down with his back facing the other two, they couldn't see him give a regretful expression.

Pretty soon, all three travelers drifted off to sleep.

Nightfall had come as Denahi stopped to rest. By now, he was exhausted from his journey. He had been hunting all day for the bear that had taken his brother. However, after that incident in the woods, he had lost the trail. There wasn't so much as a footprint or piece of fur.

The hunter quickly started a fire, wanting to combat the cold as quickly as possible. Fortunately, it was a clear night and there was only a slight breeze sweeping through the woods. After he had gathered enough firewood, he set a spark to it and the flame began to quickly burn the kindling, giving off a welcoming heat.

As Denahi sat in front of the fire, his mind kept wandering back to his encounter in the woods. He had the bear right where he wanted him. He was so close to avenging his brother. But that girl stopped him. What was more unnerving was that she didn't speak like a human. She spoke like a bear. Denahi had heard stories in his youth about people being able to speak like animals, but he didn't think they were real.

But she did speak in the tongue of an animal.

"Just who is she?" the man whispered. "And what does she have to do with that bear?"

Denahi then let out a weak sigh.

"Maybe I shouldn't be doing this. After all, I was the one who said that killing the bear would be wrong. And Kenai should've known better than to run off and face it. And…I didn't reach him in time. I guess I shouldn't blame a wild animal, it was just defending itself."

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes. Denahi quickly jumped up and grabbed his spear, preparing himself for an attack.

"Who's there?!" he demanded. "Show yourself!"

Just then, an old man casually stepped out of the bushes. His head was bald, but he had a thin, silver goatee on his chin. He was dressed in some kind of attire that Denahi had never seen before: a black coat with read lining over a white shirt with two thin black belts, white gloves, black paints, and black calve-high boots. He was broad-shouldered and slightly hunched over, giving him the appearance of being feeble.

The thing Denahi noticed the most was his eyes. They were piercing yellow and had a slightly menacing look to them. However, they seemed to contrast with his face. The man looked at Denahi with something that looked like concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry, young man," the man spoke in an old, raspy voice. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Eh, who are you?" Denahi asked, lowing his spear.

"Please forgive me," the man bowed slightly, "I am just a traveler from a far away land. I couldn't help but overhear you talking to yourself. What's this about your brother and a bear?"

Denahi looked at the man with suspicion. He wasn't exactly keen on sharing such personal information with a stranger. Still, this man didn't seem to be a threat.

Denahi sighed in sorrow.

"My brother, Kenai, was killed by a bear," he explained, "I've been hunting it all day to avenge him. I almost got him in a clearing, but a strange girl with some kind of magical weapon prevented me from killing it."

The man's eyes widened a bit when he heard that. However, they quickly changed back to sympathetic in a split second.

"Oh," he said, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's not your fault." Denahi groaned. "I'm just sorry that it happened."

"So, are you still going to hunt that bear?" the man asked.

"I don't know." Denahi shook his head. "I mean, it is a wild animal. It was probably just defending itself."

"What makes you think it was a wild animal?" the stranger said ambiguously.

Denahi looked up at the man, curious.

"I've been wandering around these parts lately," the man said, "I've been seeing many strange things lately. Dark forces are starting to emerge."

"Dark forces?" Denahi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I know I may not look it, but I am quite cable of holding my own in a fight. I have come across some…strange creatures. They aren't your typical woodland animals; they are made completely out of darkness. I know this because I could feel it during some of my encounters with them. They take over the hearts of innocent people and animals and turn them into vicious killers. My guess is that the bear who took your brother is one of them."

"What?!" Denahi's face hardened into a scowl.

"That bear has been corrupted by darkness," the stranger explained. "You can't just let it run loose. It's already taken away someone you cared about, think about all the pain and suffering it could cause."

Upon hearing this, the young hunter felt rage stir up in his heart. He tightened his grip on the spear and breathed heavily. Just the idea of what the man had told him was enough to infuriate him to an almost unbearable degree.

"I can't just let him go!" he clenched. "I've got to stop him!"

The stranger gave a brief grin before taking a deep breath and regaining his composure.

"You will need some help though," he said. "That girl he's traveling with is very dangerous. But you needn't worry about her. I will take care of her."

"How?" Denahi looked at the man with a confused glare.

"I have a way of doing things," the man shrugged. "You just focus on taking out that bear."

The stranger then reached into his coat and pulled out what seemed to be an ordinary spearhead. He then handed it to Denahi, who took it with just a hint of hesitation.

"Just in case," he said. "Better to have more than enough forms of defense than less. Besides, I'm sure you can find a use for it."

Denahi gave a sharp nod.

The stranger then turned away.

"You should get some rest now," he said. "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Denahi acknowledge what the stranger said and walked back over to the fire. As soon as he laid down to sleep, the stranger turned around and gave an evil grin.

"That was easier than I thought," he said to himself. "So much rage and sadness; the perfect elements to turn people into pawns. It's only a matter of time before they succumb to the darkness. One way or another."

The man then looked up at the sky.

"Princess of Heart," he said in a low voice, "was rather foolish of you to show up here without your bodyguards. You'll meet your fate soon enough."

"Xehanort!"

Kairi's eyes snapped open and she immediately sat up. She took in several deep breaths and rubbed her chest, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

Beside her, Koda stirred.

"Kairi?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" the girl looked at the little cub. "Oh, nothing," she said, trying to sound calm. "It was just a nightmare. Go back to sleep, Koda."

Koda, still dazed and dreamy, gave a big yawn and curled up into a ball, immediately falling back asleep.

Kairi took a few more deep breaths before pulling her knees close and hugging them. As much as she tried to tell herself that what she just had was only a nightmare, something in the back of her mind told her that it was more than that. Master Yen Sid had told her to pay attention to her dreams since she was a Princess of Heart and could sense a powerful darkness growing.

Right now, she was starting to feel something sinister growing, and she didn't like it.