cutegirlmayra:
-After Melody of Memory-
* SPOILER WARNING *
I couldn't stop thinking about it… I must have gotten over-confident… no, that's not it. I feel it in my heart. I know why I said that to Riku… Even knowing I wasn't nearly as ready to face the dangers of a… unreality world… I was just expecting Riku to say what you did.
When I first came back, you had asked if I was ready. It took me by surprise for a minute… but then, you always did.
Riku… I won't say I'm sorry for asking to go with him, but I will say I knew and respected his honest hesitation.
With how I currently am… and with all the amazing adventures you and him have been on… I'll keep you safe, Sora. Riku will find you, and I'll be ready.
When the time is right, Master Aqua will tell me. I will either return to the Final World… or I'll greet you and Riku when you get back.
But I'm not waiting any longer.
Aqua flung her keyblade up as the two were locked in a duel mid-air. Kairi, clenching her teeth, opened her mouth a moment at the realization of her next attack. Attempting to face it head on instead of her usual dodging route, she spun her keyblade around and fired off a new ranged attack she had been trying to work on.
Aqua was taking her seriously, and unleashed her powerful attack that sent a violent, rippling wave right through her spheres of light, and cut Kairi back to the ground.
As her head hit the dirt, she relived the moment in her heart, where Xehanort had revealed himself before…
As Aqua approached, Kairi's head was still ringing, and looking up… the dark illusion of him coming towards her glitched into her reality.
"Eh.. ah..!" she shook her head, scooting back a moment as she recounted how easily he would grab her keyblade, how weak she was to try and rival a master. "No…" she gripped her hand into a tight fist by her heart, looking away from the glitching images of Aqua being replaced by Master Xehanort.
"I won't… fall again!" She pushed off the ground, gripping her keyblade in a new way and shoving it into Aqua's.
Aqua saw something different in Kairi… a glimmer of raw power she didn't see before.
"This is…" Her eyes widened… seeing Sora within them. "I see now." She smiled, and broke the tension of their two keyblades colliding, pushing Kairi back. "Looks like I'm not the only one teaching you strength." She was glad to see that there was some influence, but couldn't pin-point exactly why Kairi's eyes reflected his own spirit in them…
'They were close friends…' she told herself, but as she quickly analyzed the battled previously, she noticed that every time she was about to mention–let's say, Kairi's footing–that she'd already adjust as though something was nudging her in the right direction.
"…Will lingers." she spoke aloud, though secretly to herself, but through Kairi's panting and waiting to see what her opponent would do… she heard it.
"What?" She broke her stance, standing upright again and out of her battle-ready position.
Aqua was looking down, remembering Terra and shook her head as Kairi snapped her out of her thoughts. "Sorry." She gestured her with her hand towards her, "I should… make it a habit not to think too much while we're training." She swiped her keyblade out in front of her again, letting it rest elegantly by her side. "Where were we?"
Kairi's eyes narrowed again, "You said… will lingers. What do you mean?"
Silence… as Aqua stared at her, wondering…
She sighed, at last, "That's enough training for today." Relaxing, she approached Kairi again, placing a hand on her shoulder, "We'll get your tolerance to attacks up, lots of strength training should do it. As for stamina to keep you up during combat…" She removed the hand to then put it up to her chin, "How about a few laps around the place?"
She was cheery, and her positive but fierce training style was exactly what Kairi wanted.
"Right. A few laps." Kairi took off, letting her keyblade fade into sparkling dusts of light.
"And no flying!" Aqua cupped her hand to the side of her mouth to make sure her voice and advice carried through the wind. With a slight inward chuckle to herself, she looked fondly after Kairi's racing image.
"Huh?" She then blinked and scanned the image again… seeing Sora running right alongside Kairi before she looked away, shook her head, and squinted through the light of the sun.
It was just Kairi.
"…I… Hmm… Guess I still need to adjust to the light." She amused out loud, a bad habit. Though… it didn't concern her, her odd mirage.
She was glad to recognize some of Sora in her.
That was what she was recognizing,.. right?
After circling about a few times, Kairi looked behind her shoulder, seeing that Aqua had gone and looked off to her favorite meditative spot.
She was focused keenly in on it, a cliff that overlooked the vastness of time to her… a beautiful scenery to be alone.
Though, she wasn't quite comfortable being alone… she was used to it.
Master Aqua has been training me for days now. Though, I know it's only been a short time since Riku's departure in the Final World, I feel as though I've gotten stronger.
Maybe I'm a fast learner. It makes me happy to think that.
…How are you, Sora? Still having amazing adventures? I just know you are. I can't picture you being so disheartened, it's not like you.
I have a feeling… you're waiting this time. And don't worry, I won't keep you waiting nearly as long as you did me!
Sorry… that was a joke, and this time, I will admit my wrong.
I know you and Riku miss our time on Destiny Island. When we returned the first time from the Final World… do you remember what you told me?
You promised you would return.
I…
Kairi held the pen up to her cheek, as though wondering if she should say this. Pen was permeant. She sort of… wished she had brought a pencil then.
But nonetheless, she told herself, "Well, no going back now." And happily continued in her quiet letter to Sora. A pastime she felt she needed to do now, not just for herself.
Somehow… she felt his heart could read it. And secretly… she hoped it'd give him strength.
I felt your hand tighten around mine. Though we had seen fireworks, ate sea-salt ice cream together,… even got your friend back with his. I never felt such longing before…
Maybe because you were never physically there, because our hearts were always so connected before.
But in that moment, I had never felt more away from you.
Kairi felt a tear on her cheek and quickly scraped it away, getting ink on her face, but not noticing it.
She kept writing.
Is that strange? To feel close to you when you're away, and be so happy when we're together at last… but then, in a moment you wanted me to feel even more so that you would always be there… I felt like your hand was saying goodbye.
I know that's silly. You hate goodbyes. And honestly? I hate them too.
I know you wanted to comfort me, and you really did. Honest, you did.
The ink smeared across her face as her warm tears kept sliding gently but in a hurried stream down her cheek. Her wrist kept wiping them, but to no avail.
Her vision was blurry, and it made her smile even more.
I miss you. Sora, when I was reliving your past, that time I was in your heart… I couldn't stop thinking about it. Our fates are one, now… but my fate has never been my own to choose.
I didn't know that. Did you?
Is that why you were always chasing after me? Is that why I always got you hurt?
I know you wouldn't say that. Not to my face, anyway. Oh, by the way, Donald and Goofy are really worried about you… But I told them you're pint is still enough to get back to them!
Suddenly, Kairi felt that presence again… she saw herself glowing and looked at her hand, amazed as her body flashed into light.
Sora then opened his eyes, looking lovingly to the pen, and scribbled words down as quickly as he could. He had a big grin on his face, enjoying every moment of it, before nodding that he was done.
He then took his hand and wiped the remaining tears and ink on her face, carefully trying to indirectly help clean her up, and then closed his eyes again.
Kairi's body flashed in light and she was herself again; still in a bit of shock, she looked back down at her hand with the pen in it.
"Wha…" she looked at her letter…
and covered her mouth as her eyes widened in more tears.
You know good and well I wouldn't ever even think that, Kairi!
Even the first line blew her away. "Sora…" She laughed to herself, but noticed there was more and quickly looked over it.
"I never had a reply before…"
Your fate and mine are intertwined now, remember? I know you once forgot my name, but that's okay. My memory was replaced by Naminé once! So I guess we're even on that one.
She had to stop reading only to close her eyes and cry, breathing through her hand tightly clasped over her sobbing mouth.
She blinked her eyes open to see what else was written then.
My voice… and maybe even most of me might be consciously lost in another world… one of fiction and fantasy. But Kairi? No matter where I am, I know our hearts will find each other.
You've always been my guiding key.
She dropped the paper, covering her face and trying to compose herself. "Sora… Sora..!" She wished she could say the same thing back to him.
As the paper fell to the ground, it was suddenly swooped up by the wind, threatening to fall off the cliff.
"Ah! No!" She darted after it, reaching down at the edge as it floated in twisting turns off the cliff edge.
Determined to read the last of his message, not knowing if they could ever communicate like that again, she rushed back and took a leaping dive off the cliff.
Her hand grasped for the letter's paper… and finally, grabbed it. "Ah-ha!" she grinned with an open mouth before gliding over the sea and turning over the trees to land safely back to the ground.
She looked to see the last of his message flapping in the newly strong wind that had picked up, seeing it say…
Look to the sky, Kairi. I promised, didn't I? I'm coming back, and when I do, we're gonna see all those worlds together again! This time, my hand won't squeeze so tight… but my arms will.
"Kairi?"
Looking up from the crinkled and flapping paper in her hands, Aqua's voice had startled her momentarily.
"O-oh, Master Aqua…" She didn't realize…
Aqua's hand flung up to her face in surprise, "W-…What happened to you?"
Kairi tried to look down at her cheeks, not realizing that Sora had made the mess even worse, spreading the ink all over her face…
"Ah..!" Embarrassed, she laughed and tried to get it off again. "It.. It won't come off!" She panicked only slightly, "The wind from when I was flying must have dried it!"
"Flying? Didn't I tell you-… ah, nevermind." Aqua shook her head, thinking it best to put her 'Training' aside for a moment. "Let's get you cleaned up." she kindly spoke out and walked over to her, helping her to the sea so she could wash her face off.
Kairi then looked up to the sky… and swore she saw a cloud spell out… smile.