Kairi had a lot of spunk for a girl her age. With and outspoken and adventurous nature that held compliments to an endearing nature of playfulness, she was the type who would have had a lot of friends and be moderately popular among the boys…if it weren't for her situation. The locals murmurs did not go unheard, and their whispers about the mayor and his adopted daughter did not fall on deaf ears. More often than not, they would fall on Kairi's own ears. Their talk kept up with every complain in the books; she doesn't do enough—she doesn't pull her weight, she hardly seems like she's there—while always somehow also being in the way. They said she would be better off if she'd found some friends, but with all these voices in her head, Kairi wasn't sure if she knew how to make any.

When she was younger, Kairi had spent most of her time on the island's beach collecting shells and fashioning them into different trinkets like necklaces, keychains, and charms as she watched the day turn to twilight and the birds fly back to their nests at the nearby Destiny Islands. The islands were very close to the town and if you had a small boat and some friends you could probably get there in no less than ten minutes. However, Kairi had neither a boat nor some friends.

In one of the summers when she was younger, Kairi did meet two boys who carried a shabby and crude wooden boat with them and row themselves to the islands every morning. It seems they stayed there all day, because as the sun set and Kairi finished up her latest project, only then would the two come rowing back, sun kissed and still laughing. Sometimes, she felt the nerve to ask them if she could come along, or what they were up to on the island all day, but then she would remember what others say behind her back, and she would suck in her lip looking back down to mind her own business.

It was a long time until Kairi actually got to meet the two boys that would change her life.

The day was going to be special from the start, Kairi made sure of it. After a particularly rough morning, she ran her way down to the beach, crouched between bushes in the sand she searched for only the best shells through her tears to take away the sting. She was going to make a new seashell charm out of the prettiest thalassa shells she could find. According to legend, sailors used them to make their own lucky charms to ensure their safety on voyages. She'd known the charm was indeed lucky because it was as she had just finished placing the last piece when she heard a friendly voice over her shoulder.

"That's really pretty!"

It was one of the boys that played at the island every day. He had a very sweet face, soft brown hair that stuck up in every direction, and he wore the goofiest smile that brought out the blues in his sparkling, round eyes.

"Sora, boys don't say things are pretty!"

Behind him, a tough looking boy with silver hair stood with crossed arms and pursed lips. And expression of irritation drew itself even further from his sharp green eyes. Even after being scolded, the boy he had called 'Sora' just kept smiling in Kairi's direction. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a wooden doll that somewhat resembled the more irritable boy behind him. The resemblance was striking, except for the expression which was calm and collected—not at all like the face the real one had on right now.

"I make things too. This is Riku," he said, showing Kairi the doll.

"It doesn't look anything like me," Riku muttered.

"It looks cute!" Kairi blurted out before she could hold her tongue.

She blushed fiercely, being unable to catch her words, but after a beat, Kairi giggled. She laughed heartily until she was wiping away new kinds of tears, her giggling infectious, and a sound which would soon become very familiar around the three of them.

Though the encounter was brief, Sora had invited her to the island with them and she became a regular guest for years to come. Sora and Riku became her closest and dearest friends. Her life was now so simple and clean, she would have never imagined a day where her luck would run out and all that she knew would be taken from her.

Kairi had been up far into the night, so excited about their trip that she was unable to sleep. Very soon, she and her friends would be leaving on a raft of their own making to discover worlds outside of their own. She shut her eyes tight and rubbed the smile on her face with vigor.

It was never Kairi's idea to leave the islands, she was happy here and didn't mind not remembering or even knowing where she called home before she came to the islands. Still, there was a strange stirring in her—a longing for other worlds that had grown over the years from listening to Riku and Sora talk of them. Riku was always the first to bring it up—the idea of other worlds. He never seemed to say where his fascination of the idea came from, but when he learned that Kairi's past was a mysterious one, he anchored all his reasoning on the possibility of finding out where she was originally from.

"Maybe a world filled with flowers." Riku mused as a kid, to which Kairi would playfully punch his arm and scrunch her nose.

"Why flowers?" Kairi would hark. She never liked how much Riku treated her like a girl. In fact, the moment she started hanging out with her new friends she cut her hair from her shoulders to her ears. It was a style that was easier to adventure in and Sora seemed to like it too.

"Why not?" Riku laughed and waved away the careless thought.

"What if Kairi is from a place with a huge castle?" Sora thought largely. He waved his arms over his head to pose just how big the castle could be.

"Why a castle?" Kairi played back. Unlike how she responded to Riku, this response came off with less heat, but was still filled with a good amount of skepticism.

"I think it'd be cool to just see a castle. I'd also want to live in one if I were me. I'd be the king!" Sora crossed his legs and acted as mighty as he thought a king would which made his entertained his friends to tears.

Kairi reminisced on those memories of the past. They really had been planning this day for a while. Her smile weakened just a bit when she thought on Sora's goofy personality. The past few days he's been acting anything but his usual hyper self. She remained playful and teasing as always, but even she'd noticed how much he's been dragging his feet lately—literally. His shoulders have been slummed and his smile has a been compensating for something on his mind.

Riku too, she thought, he'd been acting strange lately. More than that, it'd seemed he'd changed. She couldn't quite pin it down. Somehow, it made her want to take the raft by herself and go alone. She used to be afraid, but now she felt more ready than ever—knowing no matter where she went or what she saw, some things would never change. Maybe she'd take Sora. Somehow, she felt like he'd always be the same Sora, no matter what.

Kairi rubbed her face again, shaking off her thoughts, knowing she could never do that. Maybe she's the one who's changed. Even though she didn't listen to what the adults were saying about her anymore, sometimes her own head would spin with troublesome thoughts. She gazed out the window and looked for tomorrow but it was still dark out—too dark. Not even the moon shone on the waters of the Destiny Islands.

Just then, a bolt of lightning split the sky. A storm was making its way over the islands. Their work hadn't been secured for such a storm, and it was almost certain that the all supplies and hard work Kairi and her friends had put into the raft would be taken away from them in a single night. Whether or not Riku or Sora were up at this time was a mystery, so Kairi thought it upon herself to save their raft from the storm's rage. It wasn't yet raining, so the short trip to get there would not be too difficult, but if she felt if she waited any longer then doom was sure to come.

The lucky thalassa shell charm Kairi had made when she was younger lay on her bedside table. It saw her through each night she went to sleep, and held onto her dreams for her. It was the reason Sora and Riku had come up to talk to her. It was the reason she had a raft out there to save.

She grabbed the star-shaped charm and rushed down to the beach. Two personal boats were expertly tied to the dock pulling tightly on their ropes as the waves picked up in the storm and tried to sweep them away to the Destiny Islands. The winds were growing stronger with each passing moment. One of the two boats were Kairi's, meaning that either Sora or Riku had already made their way out to the islands.

It was almost certain Sora who'd gone out. It was engraved in his heroic sensibilities to leap into action at the first sign of danger. And by the way his sleep had been so interrupted lately, there was no doubt he had been awake at this time of night and noticed the peril the islands and the raft were in.

When Kairi arrived on the islands, she prioritized locating the raft, which was a challenge to do in the thick darkness of the night. Oddly enough, nothing had been secured yet. Kairi picked up what supplies had already been scattered by the winds and hid them with the raft in a small dug-out of a cave in the rocks to shield it all from the winds and then further managed a modest boulder in front of the opening. Kairi was pretty strong for her age and the loose sand and high winds gave her the advantage in walking the boulder over to protect their raft.

The waters from shore to shore had become more rapid while Kairi was busy. If she left now there'd be a great risk getting back. She needed to take refuge somewhere safe where the winds wouldn't threaten to sweep her off her feet. Kairi then headed toward the secret place; a cavern reachable through a crawlspace next to the fountains.

Kairi had found this place when she was younger, discovering that is was Sora and Riku's secret place. Sora was there to protest her entry before relenting that she was special enough to be let in. His words had made her face warm and he showed her all the drawings he and Riku had done before handing her a stone of her own and offering she make her mark as well. They had sat in the cave for most of the day then, doodling different things in different places; funny characters that were also friends, great castles they imagined Kairi had come from, and whatever else entered their minds. The last thing they'd drawn that day was each other. Sora's drawing of Kairi wasn't bad—after all, they were just kids—but to this day Kairi is still proud of her clean drawing of Sora, and it was probably Sora's fault she felt that way about the picture of her friend. He went on and on about how good it was, saying that there was a real special place in her heart that had given her the gift of drawing. At first, Kairi blushed, but as Sora's compliments became more bloated, her face went from blushing to outright laughing—sides hurting from how ridiculous she thought he was being and her eyes becoming tired from rolling them.

The air was thick and humid inside the cavern, but inside Kairi was safe from the storm. She took the time to smooth down her hair and clothes and then began to survey the drawings she and Sora made when they were little. A smile found its way to her from the memories of their childhood, but her smile fell fast when she heard a noise behind her.

The old wooden door at the back of the cave creaked and groaned. It had never opened, and no one thought it did as it lacked a doorknob or any other handle. Many of the islanders thought it was just some fancy driftwood that had embedded itself into the walls some time ago, or was part of the cave itself, built into the rocks to hold itself up. Not to mention, there was no evidence it even led anywhere, so it was strange to find Riku trying to pry open the door with his bare hands and a forceful strength.

"Riku!" Kairi called, but he did not turn around. He focused all his energy on the task at hand and when he spoke it was through short grunted breaths.

"Kai—ri, give me—a hand, why don't you?"

"Riku, what are you trying to—," Kairi was cut short. The door had flown open revealing an impossible abyss, darker than the crushing ocean. A strong gust of wind came out from beyond and shot through the cave. Kairi raised her arms to shield herself from the darkness that carried out of the door. Each shadow seemed either race past her or through her and it left a sinking feeling in her gut. Slowly, Kairi lifted her head from below her arms to see Riku standing in front of the open door and bellowing shadows.

"What did you do, Riku?" Kairi demanded to know. The two were shouting, trying to be heard above the howling winds.

"I opened it. I opened the door! Now we can go see the outside world, we can visit the place you came from! It's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"No! I never wanted to leave the island. I'm happy here! Since the beginning, Riku, you were the one who—." Toppled over by a sudden and especially strong blast of wind, Kairi lost sight of Riku and the door. There was a pain in the back of her head and a ringing in her ears. Then, through the blur of her vision, she saw Riku come into focus, standing over her with an expression that didn't quite fit his face. Kairi's head spun and whole world seemed to quite for just a moment as Riku whispered to her.

"You were never supposed to come here."

Everything went dark. As if she'd been sucked through the door and into the darkness itself.

Kairi couldn't tell if she'd opened her eyes—everything was pitch black. She couldn't even see her hand as she waved it in front of her face. She also couldn't feel the ground beneath her—as if there wasn't any at all. Kairi furrowed her brow, making her head pulse, and made up her mind—everything would be all right. She let herself be calm and was determined not to panic, despite everything. Then, she sensed a dim light—the smallest glow from her chest that pulsed gently in the darkness. The necklace she'd worn since she was little—since she first came to the islands, emitted a soft white light that grew to light up the darkness of the cave around her.

The childhood drawings on the walls glowed hauntingly and the door that had once never been opened stood tall above Kairi, gaping into eternal. Shadows were still racing out the door and out of the cave, slinking by on the ground and passing right under her feet. She could feel them—she could feel the cold touch of each demon and the hollow pull that each one had upon her, making her sick.

Something had to be done about the door and the monsters escaping from it. If a door can be opened then it can be closed. But every step that Kairi took toward the door became harder than the last, as the forceful winds that pushed upon her only became stronger the closer she inched. Her body began to feel weighted down as each shadow grazed passed her. The currents felt numb on her face and that sensation soon crawled to her arms and legs, spreading until she was unable to feel them at all. Still, she persisted.

The feeling in her fingers had long gone, so she couldn't tell when her hands had met the face of the door. And through her dim, blurry vision, she couldn't see when that door had shut, clearing the cave of both wind and shadow. But she could feel something was right—something had been fixed. She smiled knowingly, feeling a warmness on her cheeks. The sensation returned to her hands and Kairi made a triumphant fit, lifting her feet with ease now and taking a couple steps back.

All she had needed was to secure the raft and take shelter. Never would she have thought to have ended up in the situation she just had, but everything was all right now—she breathed heartily and told herself this. Everything was all right. By this time the light in her necklace had dimmed out and gone back dormant.

Kairi dropped to her knees in exhaustion. She could feel her arms again—sure, but they felt weak after such a display of strength. In the stillness of the dark she heard her heartbeat begin to calm and Kairi recalled the one that might still be on the island with her.

A crack of lightning and thunder shook the cave as well as the sand beneath her knees, but Kairi was safe to rest in the cave now, safe from whatever weather was outside and whatever danger was just inside.

Her attention soon moved away from the storm as her necklace once more began to glow, pulsing in and out of its own light. It's shine lit up the cave and Kairi could gaze at the drawings on the wall with her tired eyes for only a moment until her necklace settled back down and the drawings faded into darkness. It pulsed on and off like this for a while, Kairi's eyes becoming heavier as she waited out this strange and stormy night.

Just as Kairi had completely fallen asleep, more strange things began to take place. The sand under her knees started to shift out from under her. Grain by grain, it rolled out of the cave entrance and out into the storm. It moved slowly at first, then all at once as it turned Kairi around and pulled Kairi from her dreams. She stood back up and dusted herself off, looking toward the entrance. Surely, the storm wasn't strong enough to pull the sand out from under her feet like that from way inside here?

She took small steps toward the mouth of the cave, speculating the night. If the winds were strong enough to now reach in here, it worried her as to what was happening outside. Her thoughts began to swirl as that worry took hold of her. And just as fear began to settle into her skin, a noise from behind grabbed Kairi's attention. It was a harsh rattling sound that halted as when Kairi looked back to see that door once again.

The only sound was the sand shifting beneath her feet.

Still, she stood there waiting.

Watching.

Then, the door kicked open with a fearsome vengeance and a gust of wind that hit Kairi like a wall that threw her off her feet and carried her back and out of the cave along with every grain of sand she stood on. Shadows sprayed out from every direction, filling up the floors and smothering the walls. Kairi fell back, tripping into the fountain outside the cave and having her breath knocked out of her. She thought she'd drown in the shallow pond for a moment as she lay on her back but soon realized the fountain was dry.

The entire state of the island was overwhelming to see—the problem being that there wasn't much to see. Trees had been uprooted and were missing, and the shack had been ripped straight up from the ground. Parts of the island too were missing—literally missing, trails of its existence falling up into the sky where a monstrous storm of desolation and destruction wrecked upon their home. A swirling blackness of cold heat and lightning engulfed the sky, striking Kairi to her core.

Kairi's fists knotted as she looked over to the dock to find her boat, but it was already gone along with Riku's boat and most of the dock itself. Her mind filled with thoughts so quickly she thought it was about to explode. The only conclusion she could come to was to act and act fast.

There was no turning back. The only safe place on the island was a haven that was no longer a shelter. Kairi realized she could no longer save herself and the one she thought could might still be back home in his bed. And Riku… Riku had added to the trouble of the night.

What were her intentions behind opening that door? Why did he say those things to Kairi… What did he mean by them?

You were never supposed to come here.

Kairi tried to shake off his words but she couldn't shake off her own thoughts. They always ate at her, but what could a girl like her do? She'd lost two homes, who knew where she would end up next? Would she lose her memories again? She couldn't remember anything from her previous life. The thought of forgetting her friends was enough to pull tears from her eyes, and though Kairi let herself cry, she also called upon her own strengths once again. She was determined to hold on to these memories of her friends, no matter what happens.

So, Kairi brought herself down to what was left of the sandy shore and began to recall every day with Sora and Riku so they were fresh in her mind and so close to her they couldn't possibly slip away.

She looked up to the sky and tried to find star to count on, but they had all gone out.

She clutched her lucky charm close to her chest, hoping it would grant her a safe voyage.

She could still see their smiles as the ground fell from beneath her.

And as everything else fell apart, she kept their memories safe in her heart.

The three of us will always be together.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The chapter and second week of this retcon commitment. As of today, 3/14/2023, there is still time to race through the unedited version of A Darkness Downed which will be slowly eaten by these updates. This is interesting because you will get to see parts of the story that will be removed entirely and understand exactly why this story needs to be over-written in many parts in order to continue. Specifically dealing with Xion and Ventus's existences. (Writing them into non-existence was not a smart move). That being said—there's a bunch of new bits of the story that are being worked in the same way bits are being worked out. This chapter comes with a few new flashbacks and some understanding that wasn't in the original chapter. Thank you all, readers old and new—you give me a reason to write. My readers are my power!