Strength of Heart
The next morning, Kairi, Kenai, and Koda left the ice cavern and began their journey to the Mountain Where the Lights Touch the Earth. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and a welcoming breeze gently flowed over the grassy meadow as they traveled on.
All the while, Koda, being the playful cub that he was, kept running around Kenai and Kairi, and telling them all kinds of stories. From playing with other bear cubs at the Salmon Run, to all the shenanigans he and his best friend Bucky would get up to.
Kenai showed clear distain and annoyance at little bear's incessant prattling. So much to the point he shoved him into a hollow log to get him to quiet down. Of course, even a log wasn't enough to get Koda to stop talking, and he even found it to be amusing. After Kairi got him out, she gave Kenai a disapproving glare, surprising him.
After the incident, they traveled on. Koda walked alongside Kenai and began to mimic his disinterested scowl and eyerolls, much to Kenai's chagrin.
As Kairi watched the both of them, she snickered to herself. The more she watched them, the more they started to remind her of her two dearest friends, Sora and Riku. Not complete reflections, but she certainly saw remnants of them in the two bears. Kenai was a lot like Riku, even if he was less cheerful than the silver-haired Keyblade master. Koda was nearly identical to Sora's care-free and innocent nature, but he lacked his maturity.
Despite that, Kairi couldn't help but feel at home with the two.
As the group approached a field full of dandelions, Koda ran ahead of the group, kicking up countless dandelion puffs that caught the breeze and swirled around them.
"So," Kenai grumbled, shooing some puffs away, "how far is it to this…what do you call it…Salmon Run?"
"Oh, about a day or two," replied Koda, coming to a stop. "My mom used to take me there all the time."
"Your mom?" Kairi asked. Despite all his non-stop storytelling, this was the first time Koda mentioned having a mother.
Koda's expression turned from joyful to dismal.
"Yeah," he said sadly. "See, she and I got separated a few days ago. I was hoping that she would be at the Salmon Run. She always told me that if I ever got lost, I was to meet up with her there."
Kairi frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that."
She then walked over to Koda and knelt on one knee to pet his head, which he happily accepted.
"I'm sure we'll find her," she said, scratching behind his hears. "And who knows? She might be waiting for you there already."
Koda looked up hopefully. "You think so?"
Kairi gave a small nod. She then stood up and brushed off the dirt on her pants.
"Well, c'mon you two. We should keep moving."
However, before the group even took a step, several black shadows appeared in the ground, and they froze in alarm. Instantly, the same creatures that had attacked them yesterday sprung up, some of them now having the appearance of deranged wolves and caribou.
"Heartless!" Kairi shouted.
She summoned her Keyblade as the Heartless closed in. She sprung from her spot and struck three of them with just one swipe.
"Kairi, behind you!" Koda shouted.
Kairi turned around in time to see a large, wolf-like Heartless leap into the air and sail towards her, its jaws open and ready to bite. But before Kairi could strike, Kenai rushed forward with a roar and swiped at it with his large, bear paws. The Heartless disappeared in a swirl of dark purple mist.
"Thanks, Kenai!" Kairi exclaimed.
"Don't thank me yet!" Kenai growled. "We've got to take the rest of them out first!"
Kairi nodded sharply and prepared for an attack. Beside her, Kenai arched his back, his fur now standing up on end, and snarled at the surrounding Heartless. Frightened, Koda ran past the Heartless to join his friends. Regardless of his fear, he crouched down low, preparing to attack.
"I-I'll do my best!" he stuttered.
"Get ready!" Kairi commanded. "Here they come!"
Kairi, Kenai, and Koda fought their way through what seemed to be an endless assault of Heartless. Using her agility, speed, and magic, Kairi took out several caribou-like Heartless at once. Kenai went after the larger wolf-like ones, using all his strength and power to slice them down with lethal paw swipes or fatal jaw bites. Even little Koda managed to take out some of the smaller squirrel and beaver-like Heartless in a similar fashion to Kenai's.
To help her team, Kairi used her magic to heal herself and the two bears, and create wind barriers around them for stronger defense.
Kairi looked over her shoulder when she heard Kenai roar. He was being overwhelmed by Heartless. He fought back with ferocity, but the number of Heartless closing in on him was increasing. In a second, they managed to pin him to the ground. He snarled and slashed at them with all the strength he had, but it was no use.
"Kenai!" Kairi cried.
She immediately rushed over to Kenai and slashed at them with her Keyblade. With all that weight pinning him down gone, Kenai stood up. The Heartless were closing in on them once again. All three were getting tired, and the Heartless seemed to notice it.
"Kairi, there's too many of them!" Kenai shouted.
"We need help!" Koda yelled.
Kairi glanced around as her mind raced. There had to be some way for them to defeat the Heartless all at once. Oh, if only Sora or Riku were here!
As she looked at her Keyblade, a memory of something Sora told her suddenly flashed in her mind.
/
Watching the sunset on Destiny Island, Sora and Kairi sat side-by-side on their favorite palm tree.
"So, you could do team attacks with others from various worlds?" Kairi asked.
Sora nodded. "Yeah. If they have a strong heart, the Keyblade allowed us to combine our strengths together, and we could both take out a large number of Heartless."
"So as long as they have a strong heart, the Keyblade would let you combine your powers together?"
"Exactly. And it really comes in handy when you're in a pinch."
/
"That's it!" Kairi thought. "I just hope this works!"
"Kenai!" she shouted. "Koda! I've got an idea! Gather around me!"
"What?" said Kenai, confused.
"Just trust me!" Kairi pleaded. "I know what I'm doing!"
The two bears hesitated for a moment before huddling close to Kairi. Taking a deep breath, she focused her power, making a white aura shine around her, and expanded her energy out to the two bears. As she did, she felt her power surge and course through Kenai and Koda, and a white aura appeared around them both.
Their hearts had connected with Kairi's. She could feel it. They did have strong hearts.
In that moment, they all knew what they had to do.
"NOW!" Kairi ordered.
The three fighters charged forward, striking Heartless left and right like they were just flies. They all struck with such force and speed that the Heartless couldn't keep up.
Then, they leapt back together. Kairi stood in the middle and raised her Keyblade to the sky, and Kenai and Koda both roared. While Koda's roar was high and squeaky, Kenai's thundered loud and clear, echoing across the open valley and against the mountains. Kairi unleashed a way of light, and the roars of the two bears amplified it. It swept across the meadow like a tornado, wiping out any remaining Heartless.
When the attack ended, everything fell still. It settled back to what it had been before. Peaceful and calm.
With relief, Kairi smiled and laughed. "Ha! It worked!"
"That was awesome!" Koda gleefully shouted. "Those things didn't stand a chance against us! How did you do all that, Kairi? That was amazing!"
"Well, you guys helped with it," said Kairi. "In order for the attack to work, all participants have to have strong hearts. And you two certainly have strong hearts. I felt it when our hearts connected. That was even more powerful than even I was intending."
Kenai grinned. "Heh, I'll admit, that was amazing. Thanks, Kairi."
Kairi smiled and nodded.
"And thank you, Kenai," she said. "You really pack quite a punch."
"Yeah," Kenai mumbled thoughtfully, examining his paw. "Even I didn't know I could do that."
Kairi then turned to the Koda.
"I guess you weren't kidding when you said you could be fierce in a fight," she complimented. "Those were some pretty cool moves."
Koda beamed with pride. "Told you I had some moves!"
Seeing the little bear so proud and cheerful, Kenai couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hey!" Koda exclaimed, pointing his paw at Kenai. "You actually smiled! I saw it!"
Kenai stepped back and blinked in surprise. He then gave a small, irritated frown.
"What?" he grimaced. "You've never seen a bear smile before?"
"Not on your face, that's for sure!" Koda said in a playfully mocking tone.
He then burst out laughing and fell over on his back. Kenai made a strained groan and looked away sourly.
Kairi giggled at the scene before her. "You guys behave like two brothers, you know that?"
Upon hearing what Kairi said, Kenai glanced at her and back at the laughing Koda. He then looked down with a neutral expression. He eyes darted aimlessly across the ground. Kairi watched him, curious as to what was going on in his head.
Finally, Kenai took a deep breath and looked back up.
"Well," he said, "we better keep moving. Just in case those creatures decide to come back."
"Good idea," Kairi nodded. "Besides, we should probably get to the Salmon Run as soon as possible."
"Okay," said Koda, getting to his feet. "Just follow me."
With that, the group set out through the wilderness once again. As they journeyed onward, Kairi looked at her Keyblade and smiled, holding the hilt close to her heart.
"Thanks, Sora," she whispered. "I couldn't have done it without you."
Indeed, if Sora hadn't told her about his adventures, she probably wouldn't have known what to do in the first place. Once again, though he was lost in another place, he was there for her when she needed him. Even if he wasn't beside her in the fight, he was right beside her in her heart. All the memories of him she carried with her made her strong. As long as she remembered Sora and all he did for her, he would continue to make her strong.
And when she finds him, she'll show him that all he told her, all he did for her, was worth something.
She was going to become the greatest Keyblade wielder that she could be. For him, and for herself.