The stars were bright tonight. That was what came to Kairi's mind as she stared up at the night sky. She didn't know how long they'd been walking this dirt road, but it had been long enough for the sun to set and force them to stop for the night. But she couldn't sleep, so instead she laid there, staring upwards at the starry sky as blades of grass tickled her skin.
It felt like just yesterday she and her friends had been making plans to go on an adventure, to get on their raft and go wherever it takes them. But now that was just a distant memory, as gone as her friends appeared to be. What was supposed to be an adventure with her friends now had only her, and she didn't even have a camera to document it. All she had were the friends Sora had made before he was lost to the darkness.
It just wasn't fair.
Frustrated she stood up and quietly walked away a short distance, thinking about what had happened. So lost in thought was she though that she hadn't noticed the figure standing in front of her until it was too late and she'd run into them. Whether it was from the shock or the impact alone she wasn't sure, but soon she found herself falling onto her bottom, looking up at whoever or whatever she had walked into.
Well they looked like they were a person, though given what she's seen already that wasn't saying much. And even if it hadn't been nighttime she doubted there would be much to say about whoever they were. All could really tell about this person was that they were cloaked in some sort of coat that hid everything, even their face. It looked like the same ones worn by that man who attacked her in Hollow Bastion, and the other man who found her in Traverse Town.
Were they part of the same group, or was it just coincidence? Was she safe, or would she have to fight?
Then the figure spoke, a masculine voice that she felt she should recognize reaching her ears, "Along the road ahead lies something you need."
Something she needed? Just what could that possibly be? At this point all she needed was Riku and Sora. Was that what he meant?
"Do you mean my friends?" She found herself questioning as she got back to her feet, "Are you saying there's a way to get them back?"
"Perhaps," He said, "However, in order to claim it you must lose something that is dear to you." Then before her eyes he turned around and began walking away, his body seeming to slowly fade as he did so.
Not sure what to do she reached a hand out to him, calling out, "Wait!" But it did nothing. All she could do was watch this mysterious person disappear before her eyes in the direction of where she assumed he suggested she go. Sighing she pulled her hand back to curl her fingers over her chest.
"What should I do?" Should she follow him? Was he even saying the truth? If he was though, could she even trust him?
Another sigh escaping her lips she turned around, making to go back to Donald and Goofy only to stop as she noticed something. There was something laying on the dirt path.
Naïve confusion taking over she bent down and picked the item up to look at it only to have her eyes widen in shock. It was one of the lucky charms she'd made during the walk here. She hadn't even realized it fell from her pockets.
Now worried she'd lost the other three she made she began going through her coats pocket only to sigh in relief. They were still there, it was just the one that fell out.
Getting back to her feet she looked back up at the night sky, holding the lucky charm against the starry backdrop as she continued to think. It was pretty obvious that he wanted her to follow him, but did he even have a way for her to get her friends back? How did he even know where she was or what she even wanted?
Then she began to notice a pain nagging at her head, forcing her to lower her hand and put the lucky charm away. With how late it was and tired she happened to be a migraine had begun to form. As much as she didn't want to admit it she needed sleep.
A yawn escaping between her lips she began making her way back to the others. If she remembered she'd talk to them about it in the morning.
(khkhkhkhkh)
She didn't remember to talk to them. Instead the three continued on, barely even acknowledging the fields change to a single stone pathway that made its way over seemingly never-ending darkness. It was only when they reached the end of the path that they found something that might have potential.
There resting before them stood a castle that looked nothing like the one in Hollow Bastion or from any story she had ever read. Towers of all sizes stuck out in no clear way. Some stuck out from the sides of the building, while most stuck out of the sides of the larger towers. Some even came from the ground. And yet strangely none of them extended out towards her, Donald, and Goofy.
It was so strange and yet it felt like something inside was calling to her, pulling her in like a sailor to a syren.
Without even thinking she began making her way forward, not even paying attention to the others as she pushed the castle's doors open and made her way in.
The inside was very white, so very white that she was reminded of a hospital. But there didn't look to be anything worth noting about the entrance. Several pillars lined the walls, but the most noteworthy thing looked to be the door that rested on the other side of the room. It was the only thing in the room that wasn't pure white, instead it was more of a cream color. Sitting atop some stairs and a platform it almost looked like it was sitting on a pedestal.
It was so very strange and surreal.
And then Goofy spoke, making her jump as she turned around. She didn't even need to look at his face to know he was worried..
"Hey, ya think it's okay to barge in?"
Before she could even think of how to respond Donald replied to him, "But we gotta do it, if we're gonna find the king..."
That made her blink even as Goofy seemed to shout and begin to look around, "The king!? King Mickey's here?"
Annoyance was quick to come to Donald's face at that, "Something just told me he'd be here, okay?"
"Really?" He asked, stopping what he was doing and placing a hand over his chest, "Cause now that you mention it, I was kinda thinking the same thing."
That was when she realized why she'd felt like she was being drawn in, "Really? I got the same feeling," A hand raising to rest on her chest she added on, "One look at this castle, and I just knew. Riku and your best friend, they're here."
Then she felt a weight on her shoulder as Jiminy hopped up to say something, "Now hold on, it can't just be a coincidence!"
Donald seemed to be worried by that as he began to ask, "Oh, no, Jiminy. Ya don't mean that-"
He didn't even get to finish as the cricket interrupted, "Yep, I had it too! I had the exact same feeling as the rest of you."
"Gawrsh," Goofy added, looking as though he were trying to figure this out, "Maybe it's contagious."
"No, no," Donald broke in, a worried tinge beginning to lace his voice, "Something about this is screwy. We gotta go take a look."
She nodded, "Okay."
Then she turned and began heading toward the other door, only to stop as Donald called out to her.
"Where are you going!?"
"To the door," As if to emphasize it she gestured a hand towards the aforementioned door, "It's the only way to go after all, right?"
He couldn't deny that and he knew it. With a sound of frustration he began moving in the direction she had been headed, "Come on, let's go Goofy."
Turning back to continue walking she barely noticed the worried look come to Goofy's face.
"Hey, fellahs, shouldn't we shut the door behind us before we go?"
That got her to stop and think. It was rude to barge into a place that didn't belong to you. And they didn't even bother to close the door behind themselves. Her adoptive parents had taught her better than this.
But before she could even do anything she heard Goofy cry out in shock, "Guys!"
Worried the two quickly turned, only to stare at what he'd been looking at. There standing in front of the castle's door stood the hooded figure from before, the door closing behind him as though on its own.
That was worrying, but all she could think to say was, "Just who are you?"
But no answer came. Instead he began walking towards them at a leisurely pace.
Not sure what to do she called out her keyblade, barely noticing the others pull out their own weapons.
And then Donald let a hint of his anger show, "A Heartless! Oh yeah? How about some magic!" Then he lifted his staff, calling out, "Thunder!"
But nothing happened. Confused, he decided to try again only for bolts of lightning to continue to fail to appear. And before her eyes his anger quickly gave way to worry as he began to swing his staff around while calling out other spells. But like the other one nothing continued to happen.
And still the mysterious man continued walking towards them, only stopping once he was a short distance away.
Defeated Donald's shoulders slumped, his head hanging low, "Why isn't it working?"
Then the stranger spoke, his voice sounding strangely familiar, "I should think it's obvious. The moment you set foot in this castle, you forgot every spell and every ability you ever knew."
They forgot everything? Confused she found herself looking at Donald and Goofy.
Unperturbed he continued talking, gesturing as he did so, "In this place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. That is the way in Castle Oblivion."
Castle Oblivion? That's what this castle was called?
Then before their very eyes he disappeared in a swirl of darkness. Confused she began to look around, only to turn on her heels as she heard noise behind her.
And on he continued, "Here you will meet those that you have known in the past. And you will meet people you miss."
That caught her off guard, "That I miss," And then a thought occurred to her, "You mean Sora and Riku!?"
She didn't get the answer she wanted.
"If what you want," He began, "Is to find them..."
Then he lifted a hand, and before she could even register what he was doing pink petals began flying at her at such an intense speed she would have thought he had summoned some wind. Unable to get out of the way she lifted her arms in an attempt to block them, only to nearly be knocked off her feet as he seemed to fly through her like some sort of ghost.
All she could really do was stumble once he was gone, only regaining her balance a short moment afterward. And shortly after she was turning to stare him down, trying to figure what he even did.
And then once again he teleported, but this time instead of just appearing behind them he appeared up in front of the other door.
This was quickly going downhill. This man was clearly dangerous and they couldn't even do anything to defend themselves, and yet he seemed to be content playing with them.
Still she wanted to know what just happened, so she called out, "What did you do!?"
"I merely sampled your friends memories."
That caught her off guard, "What?"
"You came here looking for your friends did you not? I used your connection to them to access their memories," He held something up, "And from that made this." On he continued, "To reunite with those you hold dear-"
And then he threw it at her. Caught off guard she almost failed to stop it from flying past her. But when she moved her hand to look at what she'd caught she found herself staring. It was a card and taking up one side of it was a picture of Traverse Town.
"A card?"
"It's a promise for the reunion you seek," He said, "Hold the card to open the door. And beyond it, a new world." And as he moved to the side gestured to the door, bidding she come to stand in front of it. "Go ahead and proceed Kairi."
She just stood there, hesitating. After what just happened did he really expect her to come up and stand next to him?
When she didn't move he continued on, "To lose and claim anew, or to claim anew only to lose..." He stopped, looking for all intents and purpose like he'd been distracted by something. Then he continued, "You need only to step forward and fine which will be the case for you." And then he disappeared once again, but this time he didn't show back up.
Unsure of what to do she looked down at the card, thinking. Was the risk worth it? They didn't even know if their friends were even here, if they could even trust this man. But what if they were really here though? The only way they could find out is if they went forward...
Well that really decided things she guessed. With that she began making her way forward, only looking back enough to smile at the others, "Come on guys."
She didn't look long enough to see their reactions though. Instead she kept moving, only stopping once she was standing directly in front of the door where she then held up the card. She didn't know if she was doing it right, but something told her that was how it was supposed to be done.
In her hand the card began to glow before disappearing shortly after. Shortly after the door in front of her opened, a bright light shining from within it.
Before she even knew it she was no longer in the castle, but instead she now found herself back in Traverse Town. Not sure where she was supposed to go she began walking. It just didn't seem right. It shouldn't be possible for them to be back here.
Then the mysterious mans voice returned, "What you see isn't real."
She jumped, turning around to face him. But he was already gone. And then a sound had her turning back around again. This time she saw him standing there, and the moment her eyes landed on him he went back to talking.
"This town is an illusion created by their memories ingrained in that card."
That had her blinking, unconsciously raising a hand to rest it against her chest, "Their memories? Do you mean Riku and Sora's memories?"
He didn't get a chance to respond as soon Jiminy was jumping from her shoulder, and jumping in place as he spoke to her, "Forget about that, Kairi! We lost Donald and Goofy!"
What? Without even thinking she looked back at where she came, calling out, "Donald! Goofy! Where are you!?" When she got no response she turned back to the mysterious man, "What did you do to them!?"
With no fear in his voice he responded, "They are at the mercy of the cards now."
"What do you mean?"
The hood of his coat shifted just enough to indicate he tilted his head to the side, "There are no teammates in this castle. If you wish to continue then you will have to go alone. Should your heart call out enough they will appear to help you, but only for a short time."
"I... have to do this alone?"
"Do not worry, they will be with you outside of battle, but," He added, "You should only rely on yourself during battle. You don't want to be handicapped after all. Now I believe they should show up soon to look for you."
Finally she realized why his voice had sounded so very familiar, and the town only added to her idea, "We've met here before haven't? You were that man who found me back then weren't you?"
He was quiet, saying nothing, and yet in that moment his silence spoke louder than the words he could have given.
She opened her mouth to say something more, but the sound of footsteps had her looking behind her. Donald and Goofy were back, rushing to her side. While she was happy to see them again she wasn't ready to let this man leave just yet, so she turned her attention back to him only to find he had already left.
That wasn't what she wanted, but there wasn't anything about it she could do at this point. So she turned her attention back to Donald and Goofy, asking, "Are you guys alright? What even happened to you two?"
"You tell us," Donald said, "When you opened that door, we saw a strange light," He stopped, thinking "And the rest is just... blank."
That... was worrying. If the castle had that kind of effect on them, what could it do to her?
She didn't get much time to worry about it though as Jiminy began jumping, speaking to the two once he had their attention.
"Gee, that doesn't help. Try to remember what happened. I have to keep my journal up to date."
Right, his journal. She'd completely forgotten he was even keeping track of their journey. Was there anything worth writing about here though? Without even thinking about it she began to look around, wondering if she could even find anything.
Then she saw it, a note resting on the ground that the stranger had once stood. Curious she went over and picked it up to look at it, all the while wondering how she hadn't noticed it before. And what resided on that paper was one single sentence, looking as though it had been written in a rush.
Walk the avenues of latent memory, and you shall meet someone dear to you.
Just what did that mean? Was he talking about the life she had before showing up on the islands? Did he even know her before then? It just didn't make any sense.
But it's not like she'd get any answers standing around. Shoving the note into a pocket she stood up, turning back toward the others as she did. They just stood there talking, worried looks on all three of their faces.
Looking at them she hoped that what she was going to do would distract them. As worried as she was she put on a brave face and spoke, smiling and waving at them, "Hey guys, come on. Let's get moving."
Soon she found herself the center of their attention, the worried looks never leaving their faces. Stepping forward Jiminy asked, "Are you sure about that Kairi? This is kind of worrying after all."
She nodded, "We won't find out anything if we turn back now. After all Riku and the king might be here."
"And if they're not?"
"Well... we won't know unless we keep moving."
"But will you be safe though? He did say that you would have to fight alone after all."
That got Donald and Goofy's attention as the duck exclaimed, "What!?"
Oh right, she hadn't told them yet. She was quick to look bashful at that, saying, "Yeah, but I can still call for your help when I need you."
"That's not reassuring."
"Just trust me, please."
At first no one said anything, but then Goofy walked forward and placed his hands on her shoulders as he turned to look back at his companion, a carefree smile on his face as he talked, "Aw c'mon Donald, we should at least give her a chance."
"But she's back to how she started."
"That doesn't mean I'm helpless," She countered, "Just give me a chance."
He just sighed, "Just for now, understand?"
"Of course."
"Then let's get going."
And then before her very eyes Donald and Goofy disappeared in a flash, the only sign of them even being there being a pair of cards that floated in their place.
She jumped, taking a step back as she heard Jiminy make a sound of surprise. What happened? Was this what he meant when he said they were bound to the cards?
Not sure what to do she reached out, grabbing the cards and pulling them close enough to look at them. They looked like the one that Traverse Town had been on, with one small difference. Instead of seeing a world all she could see on the cards were Donald and Goofy's faces, smiling as though they didn't know what had happened to them.
Would they stay like that forever, or only as long as she was in danger in this castle?
There really was only one way to find out. Placing their cards in a pocket she bent down, putting out a hand to let Jiminy get on, "I guess we should get going."
He didn't say anything, only hopping up so that he now rested on her shoulder and moved to wherever it was he liked to hide while she moved around.
She waited for a moment, giving him some time to settle, and then she began moving only to stop shortly after. Where was she even supposed to go here? Was she supposed to just wander until she finds something or something finds her? Was there even anyone here that she'd know? And if she did have to fight would she even be able to win? That man had said that she'd all lost all the fighting abilities she'd learned. There was a good chance she'd be helpless.
A noise ahead had her looking up only to stop as she realized she was going to be getting those questions answered sooner than she'd like. There on the steps that lead to the Second District were several Heartless. Shadows, Soldiers, and Red Nocturnes.
It looked like she was getting her answer sooner than she expected, whether she liked it or not. Keyblade appearing her hand she got into position and braced for the inevitable conflict.
It was the Soldiers that attacked first. Jumping and spinning in the air they began heading in her direction, like a small line of rogue sawblades. Not sure how best to handle them she jumped to the side, the small number flying past her. Hopefully she can pick them off one by one.
And then a fireball flew past her face, making her jump and look in the direction of the source. She had already forgotten about the other Heartless. At least these ones were easier to deal with.
Still unsure of how she would do she went for the closest one, the group of Shadows. She failed to hit the closest one as it descended into the ground, but the one directly behind it wasn't as lucky. That one dissipated with a single hit.
Well at least she still knew how to fight. Now if only the Red Nocturnes didn't insist on staying out of range.
Could she still even use magic to get them?
There was only one way to find out. Making sure both of her hands were on her keyblades handle she lifted it so that the tip was pointing at one, praying as she called out with her heart. A blue cold light shot from the tip, striking it, making the Heartless disappear with ease.
At least she could still cast a blizzard spell. With hope now coursing through her she made sure to aim at the other Red Nocturnes, casting the spell at them as she went. Each and every single one struck home, and soon she no longer had to worry about the airborne Heartless. Now it was just the ones on the ground.
That left her wondering though, could she cast any other spells? If she could then this would likely end quickly. Lifting her keyblade so it was pointing straight into the air she once again called out with her heart, this time hoping for lightning to come down from the sky.
But nothing came.
That was not good. She was hoping to get rid of them all in one go. If she couldn't do that then there was a good chance she was in trouble. Just what was she supposed to do? She didn't have Donald and Goofy with her.
Or did she? Jumping back to avoid an attack that was coming her way she shoved a hand into her pocket and pulled back out the cards they had turned into. That stranger had said they'd come to her aid if she called out, but would that really work? Had he even been telling her the truth?
With no idea of how she was supposed to do this she held the cards in the air, closing her eyes as she tried to call out to them with her heart. A warm comforting feeling was quick to come over her body as a noise had her opening her eyes back up.
There standing in front of her were both Donald and Goofy, their weapons drawn. And then the two engaged the Heartless. Before her very eyes Goofy began spinning around with his shield, hitting everything that he came near. Donald meanwhile lifted his staff into the air, calling lightning down onto any that were missed.
It all seemed to happen so fast that before she even knew it the Heartless were had all dissapeared, and with them Donald and Goofy. Bemused she just stared at the spot they had been, their cards still resting in her hand as it now rested at her side. Was that going to happen every time she called for their help?
She hoped not. Still she put their cards back in her pocket and continued walking, only to stop as something told her she was heading the wrong way. Like she was going to be in great danger if she went straight to where the Second District would be.
So she turned around and went the other way, towards what should be the Third District.
Still the short walk there wasn't easy as she found herself having to fight Heartless again before she even reached the door. At least this time there were no Soldiers to make things harder for her and she was able to quickly dispatch the others with some blizzards and swings.
Still it hadn't been easy for her with how weak this castle had made her feel. It was as if all that time she'd spent training had been for nothing. Like she was back to being a helpless princess. She hated it.
She just hoped she would be able to get it all back as she made her way further into this castle. Something deep inside told her that she would need it in the end.
And then she found herself standing in front of the doors to the Third District, to where she'd first fought the Heartless. Pushing the doors open she went through, hoping that what had happened when she was first in this area didn't happen again.
It looked like how she remembered it, a single large area that was surrounded by tall walls that concealed pathways that either lead away or up to a higher area. Still, a familiar sight like this didn't comfort her. She just couldn't escape the knowledge of where they were, or that she was having to do this alone.
Could she even make it far enough to find Riku and the king?
She wasn't able to continue that thought though as both Donald and Goofy's cards flew out of her pockets, glowing as they moved a few feet away from her. And then in a bright flash of light they were standing in front of her, looking as confused as she now felt.
As much as this shocked her though, all she could think to do was smile and exclaim, "You're back!" But then worry was quick to overtake her, "What happened to you two? I was so worried when you guys disappeared and turned into cards."
It was Donald who responded, "I've told you already, we don't remember," Then for a moment he froze as what she'd said next registered, "What do you mean we turned into cards?"
She didn't get to answer as Goofy interrupted her with a surprised sound as something behind her seemed to surprise him. Confused she turned around to see what had caught his attention, only to be greeted with the sight of some sort of dog with yellow fur and a green collar hanging loosely around its neck.
Just whose dog was this?
She didn't get a chance to voice her question though as Donald exclaimed, "Things keep getting stranger. What's Pluto doing here!?"
Pluto? That was it's name?
Then Goofy started talking, "There's nothing strange about that. We came to Traverse Town with Pluto, didn't' we?"
Confusion laced Donald's voice as he responded, "Did we?"
A shifting and momentary pressure on her shoulder had her turning back to the two, only to find that Jiminy had jumped down to talk to them.
"No, wait," He said, looking up at the two, "According to my journal, it was before you met Sora that you came to town with Pluto!"
It was as though hearing that dusted something off in Donald's memory as he exclaimed, "Wak! He's right! We'd completely lost track of him before we ended up in Castle Oblivion!"
And then Goofy spoke again, confusion clear in his voice, "But aren't we in Traverse Town?"
It was Jiminy who responded, "Well, it's not really Traverse Town. I think the card created this Traverse Town inside Castle Oblivion!"
This was just so confusing, and still they were getting nowhere. They'll never make it through this castle if they just keep talking,
"Hey," She found herself saying, "Why don't we just keep defeating the Heartless and keep moving? I'm sure we'll find something if we do that."
Then from behind her she heard a familiar voice that she never thought she'd hear again, "You'd better be careful, or it's the Heartless that are going to defeat you."
Startled she turned around only to stare at who now stood in front of her and the others. There stood Leon looking exactly as she remembered him. He even had his coat back on.
Still as shocked as she was she was still happy to see a familiar face. So without even thinking she ran forward and hugged him, exclaiming, "Leon, it's so good to see you!" But then remembering where they were she looked up at him and asked, "What are you doing in Castle Oblivion?"
Leon for his part was looking down at her in both shock and confusion, like he didn't know what was going on. What then left his mouth as he pushed her away only added to it.
"Castle Oblivion? What are you talking about? This is Traverse Town. And how do you know my name? Who are you?"
Shocked she could do nothing, but stare as he continued on.
"I've never met the likes of you before."
Unbidden one of her hands rose to rest against her chest as its fingers curled inward, "Leon... what are you talking about? You helped Sora find me, you even gave me hope I would get my friends back."
He just shook his head, "Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know your names."
That just hurt. Opening her mouth she couldn't hide the pain and confusion as she spoke, "You don't?"
As though looking at her bothered him Leon turned around, putting his back to them as he moved his arms to cross them across his chest, "...Sorry."
"But why... How could you have forgotten about all of us?"
"Look," He said, moving his arms back to his sides, "I feel for you, but you've got the wrong guy. Happens all the time. Don't take it so personally," Then as if he were compelled to he added on, "Kairi."
Still in shock she didn't notice him saying her name. Instead she hung her head low as she fought to keep her pain from showing any further.
But it seemed someone else did notice as soon Donalds voice reached her ears, "You do know her name!"
The sound of movement from in front of her had her raising her vision a slight amount. It didn't allow her to see much, but it was enough to know Leon had turned back around so that he was looking at her.
And he began speaking, confusion clear in his voice, "Now, now hold on! Why do I know your name?"
Faintly she heard Donald and Goofy move behind her before the later spoke to the former, "You think Leon's just kidding around?"
Annoyance had begun to show in Donald's voice as he responded, "If he is, it's not funny. Kairi's really upset."
And then Leon responded, sounding almost annoyed himself, "Who's kidding around, Goofy? You and Donald are the ones who-" He stopped, finally forcing her to look completely at him again. And what she was greeted with was the sight of him shifting so that he now had a hand resting its fingers over his forehead, confusion and frustration clear on his face as he seemed to think.
She barely even registered Donalds sound of surprise as the older teen spoke again, "I don't get it... Something's wrong with my memory. What's happening here?"
And then from behind Leon came a new but also familiar voice, "I dunno, Leon. Maybe Aerith was onto something after all."
Curious she leaned to the side to see who it was only to stare as her eyes landed on Yuffie, the ninja bearing her ever present smile as she made her way over and spoke again as she turned her head enough to look at Leon.
"She said she sensed some uncanny kind of power, and asked us to look into it. Well, this is as uncanny as it gets don't you think? Maybe you should go and take Kairi to Aerith."
She blinked for a second before saying, "Yuffie... you know my name."
The older girl was quick to turn her attention to her, "Yep! Looks like you know mine too."
And then Leon looked at Yuffie, asking, "Youn know her?"
"Nope!" She responded, looking back at him, "Total stranger. But I definitely know her name. Strange, yes, but convenient! We can just skip the introductions."
He just sighed, his hand moving back to his forehead, "How is it that you can accept this situation so easily? I don't get you..."
She didn't give him an answer. Instead she began walking away, heading up the ramp that would lead to the Second District, calling out as she went, "Well, I'm gonna go run ahead and fill Aerith in. Leon, you can give them the grand tour." With a wave she added on, "See ya later!"
At first he reached out to her as though he were silently asking her to stay with him, then he just sighed and look back at the group, "I guess it's no use pondering over it. Come on, follow me. But there are Heartless wandering around town. I'd better teach you how to protect yourself in battle."
Before she even knew it she was forced to summon her keyblade and raise it to stop him from cleaving her in two. Soon her eyes met his, confusion racing through her mind. Did he really plan to fight her?
"Lesson number one," He said, using his strength to push her stumbling back, "Never give your enemy room to breathe. Lesson two-"
As stunned as she was she didn't even have the time to react before a sweep of his legs sent her falling onto her back.
"Exploit any sort of weakness that your enemy shows."
And then the tip of his weapon was resting an uncomfortably short distance from her face, forcing her to look up at him as he showed no emotion.
"And lesson three, don't show your enemy any mercy. If you do then they can just use it against you. Do you understand Kairi?"
Reeling from shock she found herself just nodding, wary of the blade in her face, "Y-yeah." Had she really gotten that bad at fighting? She distinctly remembered beating him before.
And then the weapon was removed from her face as he said, "Good." And then he held a hand out to her, offering to help her back to her feet. Trusting him she reached out and took his hand, soon feeling herself pulled back on to her feet.
"Now," He added, "I think it's best we start making our way to Aerith."
A slight smile coming to her face she nodded, "Right."
Giving her a slight nod of her own head he go let of her hand, turned away and began heading towards the ramp, "Come on."
She didn't even bother waiting for Donald and Goofy to say something, instead she just jogged after Leon, eager to see familiar faces even if everything was wrong.
Lucky for her she didn't have to wait long for as soon as they found themselves on the upper level of the district Leon was leading her into the sole building that rested atop there. And inside that building they found both Yuffie and Aerith, but to her disappointment Cid was nowhere to be seen.
Still Cid or no Cid she found herself looking at Aerith, clasping her hands over her chest in a prayer and asking, "Aerith, have you forgotten me too?"
She wasn't sure what kind of answer she wanted but for Kairi it still hurt when Aerith looked at her and said, "I don't know whether to say 'nice to meet you' or 'good to see you again'. I don't think I know you, but I still feel like you belong here."
"Yeah, exactly!" Yuffie butted in, "Like we've never met, but it still doesn't feel weird knowing your name."
"But..." To her own surprise Kairi found herself raising her voice as she moved a foot forward, "I'm tellin you we have met. You helped all of us take on the Heartless. We were all a team!"
At first it was silent after she said that, but then Leon spoke, "It feels like you're right... But I can't remember." He almost sounded annoyed with himself as he said that last part.
She didn't know what to do. They all claimed to have no memory of her and yet they seemed to know her name. If she had to guess, for them it must seem like a fog of some sort enshrouding their memories, keeping things locked away. Could she say anything that would help them remember?
What if she said what Leon had said the last time they saw each other? Would it even work, or would it go over all of their heads?
Well she wouldn't know unless she tried.
"Well... if that's the case then I guess you won't remember what you told me back in Hollow Bastion after I sealed the keyhole there Leon," She started, taking a breath before continuing, "So we may never see each other again-"
She didn't even get to finish before Leon broke in, adding to it, "But we'll never forget each other."
As pleased as she was to hear him say that, worry still pulled at her heart as she blurted out, "So you do remember!"
Seemingly in shock he didn't say anything, simply standing there looking as if he was thinking. That was fine though as Yuffie seemed to be happy with talking in his place.
"She's right, Leon! I remember you saying that too!"
As if that were the key that was needed he began speaking again, crossing his arms as he did so, "I guess I can't write it off as a coincidence then."
From where she stood Aerith looked back at him for a moment, as if she were thinking herself, before turning her attention back to Kairi, "I don't have any memory of it, but somehow I still remember. I think your heart is doing the remembering for us."
Hearing this the Princess of Heart blinked, looking down at where only one hand now rested against her chest, "My... heart? What do you mean?"
Aerith's voice had her looking back up at her as she began speaking, "We don't know you, Kairi, but your heart is full of memories of us together. Those memories must resonate in our hearts too. Maybe they tell us things we couldn't otherwise know."
Hearing this Leon spoke up, "So you're saying that Kairi's memories are affecting ours?"
She nodded, turning to look back at him, "Her memories do seem to have a certain power."
Not quite sure how to take this Kairi found herself looking to the ground as she thought out loud, remembering what she'd been told earlier, "Maybe it's like that guy had said earlier. That this town is just an illusion made from Sora and Riku's memories..."
"And," Aerith's voice broke into her thoughts, forcing her to look up at the older teen, "There's someone special to you in this town?"
"How did you..." She stopped. Right, the memory thing, "Oh... My memories are telling what happened huh?" Seeing the other turn to look at her she nodded, continuing, "Yeah. A friend of mine is somewhere inside this town." Wait that didn't seem right, "I mean in Castle Oblivion."
"Castle Oblivion?" Yuffie asked, "What's that? There aren't any castles anywhere in here."
"That's... not quite what I meant."
Aerith's voice almost sounded comforting as she asked, "You're still not sure what's going on yourself." Tilting her head she added on, "Right?"
Hearing that Kairi nodded, "We just got here. If it's all right with you I'd like to get a better look around."
Movement had her looking over at Leon before he even began speaking, "Then go have a walk around town. There are Heartless, but they shouldn't be a problem for you."
Hearing that she grinned, her hands moving to clasp together behind her back, "So you remember I can fight?"
He only gave a slight smile, "I can't say I know, but I feel like believing you. Let's leave it at that."
She nodded, "Okay." But as she began making her way back out she found herself saying, "I hope I'll get to see you all again before I leave."
And with that she, Donald, and Goofy had left the building.
Once they were outside she found herself staring at the two, expecting them to turn into cards again. But to her surprise they didn't , instead the two ended up giving her confused looks as she continued to stare.
"Uh, Kairi," Goofy spoke, worry clear across his face, "You okay there?"
She blinked, shaking her head as she focused on what he said, "Um yeah... Say how about we check out the Second District? I haven't been over there yet."
"Kairi," She didn't have to look to know that Donald was giving her a worried look.
"It's fine, I just want to get moving. This weird copy of Traverse Town is kinda bothering me is all. So," She asked again, "Can we please start moving?"
This time she didn't bother waiting, instead turning and heading towards the door that lead to the Second District, and once she was close enough she pushed the door open and made her way through.
On the other side she found herself in one of the side alleys that she knew lead to the fountain area. And from there she could go to the hotel, that alley that lead to Merlin's place, or even back to the First District if she wanted.
But right now she figured she'd start with this district.
Unfortunately or fortunately she hadn't even taken a step forward before she heard Donald and Goofy calling her name, and turning around she found them making their way towards her. Well at least she didn't have to worry about going forward alone.
So with them by her side she began moving forward, watching for Heartless as she walked.
Yet not a single one appeared during the short trip to the area containing the fountain, and what she saw in the center of the area had her smiling. There looking up at a strange building stood Cid, oblivious of the three's presence.
Without even thinking she ran forward and embraced him, her face practically buried in his side as she exclaimed, "Cid!"
Within her arms she felt him shift so that her head now rested against his chest, a hand settled atop her head. She even felt his chest move as he spoke.
"Well, whaddaya know? It's Kairi! How ya doing kid?" But then his hand lifted itself from her head, leading to her looking up at him worried. Even at this angle she could see the confusion on his face as he scratched at the back of his head, "Wait, what am I saying? I don't even know you." Then his head tilted, as though he were trying to look at her from another angle, "But you do look like a Kairi, what with the red hair and pink clothes. The jacket though..."
She just shook her head, letting go of him and backing up to give him space, "It's okay Cid, that's my name."
Even if she hadn't been looking at him she would have heard the pride in voice as he responded, "So you've heard of me eh?"
"Pretty much," She didn't have the heart to tell him the truth. But since he was here maybe she could get his help. Clasping her hands together she started, "Anyway, I was wondering if you could help us out. Some friends of ours are supposed to be somewhere in this castle-" She stopped. She'd completely forgotten they didn't even know they were inside a castle, "Town I mean. Do you have any ideas?"
She'd hoped he knew, but instead he just shook his head, "Your friends huh? Lately all this town sees is Heartless. Can't even take two steps without getting attacked." Then he turned his head so that he was looking up at the strange building again, "In fact this plaza's the worst. Word is, a jumbo-sized Heartless shows up when that bell rings."
Bell? There's a bell up there?
She didn't get to voice her confusion though as he was already walking off, placing a hand atop her shoulder as he passed, "If you value your hide, you'll get outta here while the getting's good."
Not quite sure how to respond she just stood there, watching him walk out of sight.
And then Goofy spoke, "Gawrsh, maybe we should leave."
Should they though? Absently she found herself resting a hand atop her chest, "But what about the Heartless? If it's as bad as he says then they could all be in danger."
"Kairi," Donald broke in, "Don't you remember? Everyone here isn't real."
"But-" She didn't get to finish her sentence as the loud ringing of a bell soon resounded across the plaza, forcing them to summon their weapons and begin to look around to find the large Heartless they'd heard about.
They didn't have to wait long. Before them, as though it fell from the sky, what looked like a giant suit of armor crashed into the ground only to rise back up and put itself back together. Then a bright light formed behind her, forcing her to turn and see the source. What greeted her was the sight of Donald and Goofy disappearing in a bright flash, the cards once again the only thing that remained of them. This time though she knew how those cards worked, and snatched them out of the air without thinking. She just hoped that she didn't have to grab them every time.
But that was something to worry about another time. Right now she had a fight to worry about, and faintly she felt like she had fought and beaten this Heartless before. If she did it before then surely she can do it again.
With that thought in mind she turned her attention back to the Heartless, only to jump back as it tried to stomp her into the ground with its feet.
Well that saved her from running towards it. With that problem taken care of she slammed her keyblade into the closer of the two feet, cutting clean through it. She didn't have to wait long for that piece of its body to disappear before her in a black cloudy smoke.
Unfortunately she didn't get to bask in that small victory as claws slashing at her skin forcing her to retreat some distance away, contemplating what to go after next. A limb or the main body? What would have the biggest effect on it?
The hands had certainly felt like a big enough threat. Perhaps she should go after them next.
And it seemed like she made the decision just in time as its body and limbs began to separate, moving as though they were encircling her.
Well there's no time like now. Without even thinking she charged one of the hands, jumping once she was close enough. Like with the foot her keyblade cut clean through it, making it dissipate into smoke soon after.
One hand down, one to go. And as she turned around she could see that it was heading in her direction.
Perfect.
This time she didn't bother running. Instead she decided to wait, letting it come to her instead. And once it came close enough she jumped, swing at it as she went. Her keyblade made contact, cutting clean through it.
She didn't stay to watch disappear though. Instead she began running, making her way towards the sole remaining foot. Once it was gone there would be nothing left to deal with other than the main body.
And then something slammed into her side, sending her sliding across the ground. Hissing from the slight pain that caused she sat up, looking at what had caused that to happen. What she was greeted with was the body of the Heartless itself, the foot now resting beneath it.
She had completely forgotten to watch out for the body.
Well she's not making that mistake again. Bracing herself she charged, this time keeping her eyes on the body as she aimed for the remaining foot. The Heartless didn't move fast enough, the foot dissipating as she cut clean through it.
Then she turned her attention upwards, looking up at the body as it floated above her.
It didn't stay there for long though, as before her very eyes it began to spin again. This time though she was ready for it. Jumping backwards she lifted the keyblade upwards, blocking as she remembered seeing Sora and Riku doing while they sparred over all their years growing up.
She got it up in time. Even though it didn't have much time to build up force it still flew into her keyblade hard enough that she was forced back a small bit. But it didn't stop there, instead it continued to ram at her, pushing her further and further back leaving her to do nothing but grit her teeth and try to hold out until it stopped.
She was the one who stopped unfortunately. With one final slam she was thrown back, her keyblade skittering across the ground as she was forced off of her feet and onto her side.
This was not how she expected the battle to go. Just how was she supposed to win this if it kept spinning like this?
Would Donald and Goofy be able to handle this for her? With that question running through her mind she found herself reaching into her pocket and pulling their cards out. Then she closed her eyes, calling out to them with her heart.
Once again a noise had her opening her eyes back up, and once again she was greeted with the sight of the two in front of her.
She was disappointed by what they did this time though. This time it seemed as though they were absolutely no help to her. While Goofy began spinning like he had done before she was disappointed to find that the remaining piece of the Heartless was floating just high enough that his shield wasn't making any contact.
And then there was Donald. At first he was helpful, casting a healing spell on her that had Kairi back on her feet soon after. What he did afterwards wasn't very helpful unfortunately. While he did turn his attention to the Heartless soon after, the spell he used was less than useful. He casted a blizzard spell, and to her dismay it too flew right under the Heartless, doing little more than frosting its underside.
Then the two vanished, returning to her hand as cards soon after. And then she was forced to run again, the Heartless taking chase as it continued to spin.
Just what was she supposed to do? Blocking didn't do anything, and calling Donald and Goofy didn't help either. Was there even a way to turn things in her favor? It certainly didn't feel like it, but then something caught her eye. There was something floating in the air off to the side.
Just what was it?
Turning she ran towards it, and what she found was strange. It was a card. It looked like the other ones she'd seen so far, except the picture on it was different. It was a some kind of green blob shaped like the kings head.
Was she supposed to use it? What could it even do?
There was only one way to find out. Clasping it in her hands she found herself squeezing her eyes together and praying, hoping that it worked like Donald and Goofy's cards did.
She wasn't sure what happened, but for her it seemed like one a wave of energy burst from the card and through her, and then a loud clanging from behind her had her turning around. And what greeted her was the sight of the Heartless's body lying on the ground, looking as though something had knocked it out of the air.
This felt almost too perfect. Not quite sure what to do she found herself looking down at the hand holding the card only to find that the card was no longer there.
Had it done this? Had using the card destroyed it?
Either way the Heartless piece wasn't likely to stay on the ground for long. She had to destroy it now while she had the chance.
So she charged at it, slamming her keyblade into it once she was close enough. And when one hit didn't do it she kept swinging. It didn't long before the metallic body of the Heartless caved, splitting wide open as it began to dissipate, a heart floating up and away before disappearing as it went somewhere else.
She didn't take the time to celebrate her victory though. Instead she just stood there, looking down at where the body used to be, her chest heaving from exhaustion, hoping that it was over. She got her answer moments later as the cards containing Donald and Goofy rose from her pocket, moving away before turning back into the two with a flash of light.
Without realizing it she found herself dropping her keyblade and running towards them, throwing her arms around them in a hug once she was close enough, "You're back! I wish you guys had been able to help. That Heartless was kinda difficult."
"Garwsh," She heard Goofy say, "We didn't mean to leave ya."
"I know. I know..." Slowly she found herself removing her arms from around the two, "I think it's time we moved on though. I don't know why, but I feel like our friends are further in this castle."
"Are you sure?" Donald asked.
She nodded, "I just don't know how I'll tell Leon and the others. Even if they're not the real thing it's still been good seeing them again."
Then to her confusion Goofy was soon looking over her shoulder, staring at something behind her, "Well why don't you go and say goodbye? They're here after all."
That got her turning around, only to see that he was right. There making their way over to the three were Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid.
She didn't know what to say. She knew she had to say goodbye, but she didn't want to say those words. Had it been this hard for Sora every time he had to leave the new friends he'd made? Did Riku experience this too?
She needn't have worried about having the first word though as Yuffie spoke, "So your friends weren't here?"
Kairi found herself shaking her head, forcing the words to rise up, a hand raising to curl against her chest as she did so, "No, I don't think we'll find them in this town. But they're somewhere in this castle. I can just feel it."
"Castle?" Cid asked, amusement clear in his voice, "Like this whole town's inside some humongous castle? Hoo, that's rich!"
"She's probably right Cid," Leon broke, turning his head just enough to look at the older man as he talked, "We may not understand what's going on, but Kairi does. She can see that reality is bigger than just this world."
She really doubted that, "I don't think I do actually."
"You'll be okay Kairi. No matter what shape reality takes, you can handle it. I may not remember you, but I know you in my heart."
Mere words of encouragement she knew, but still she found herself whispering his name in gratitude, "Leon..."
Then Yuffie spoke, "Take care Kairi."
And then Cid, scratching at the back of his head as he added on, "I'm a little lost... but best of luck anyway."
Then the four walked away, not even waiting for her to say something back to them. She didn't even hear Aerith say anything.
Not sure what to do she just stood there, not doing anything, only moving once Donald and Goofy began walking away. Seeing this she turned to follow after them only to stop as movement on the edge of her vision caught her attention. Curious she turned back around, and what greeted her was the sight of Aerith standing there alone.
Just why was she there? Why had she come back?
Well there was only one way to find out, "Is something wrong?"
Aerith didn't answer, instead she began speaking, "I don't have all the answers, but I had to tell you something. Your friends memories created this town, right?"
"That's what I was told when I was given the card."
"If that's true, then this town is just a figment of your mind," Then sadness seemed to seep into her voice as she continued, "And so are we."
She knew it was true, but it still hurt to say it. Instead she said, "But you can't be one! You're standing right here! Even the town is here!"
"But I'm not really me. I remember the things I should, and I sense things I shouldn't. Kairi, beware your memories. In the journey to come, you'll be faced with more illusions. Sometimes the shadows of your memory will deceive you, try to lead you astray."
"But... what does that even mean?"
"I'm sorry," Aerith said, guilt clear in her voice, "I'm just another illusion, the truth is out of my reach."
"Please don't say stuff like that... it's really sad."
"Stay strong Kairi. Don't let the illusions distract you from what's truly important."
She found herself, though whether it was in response or not she wasn't sure, "Okay..." Then she opened her mouth to say something else, only for Donald's voice to reach her ears.
"Kairi!"
She jumped, turning around to find him and Goofy standing a short jog away, looking at her.
And then Goofy spoke, "Are you ready to go?"
She found herself nodding, "I'll be right there." Then she began to turn around, to let Aerith know, "I guess I'd better get going." What greeted her had her stopping. Aerith was nowhere in sight
Confused she found herself calling out, "Aerith? Aerith!" Just where did she go?
She had no idea how long she looked around, all she knew was that when Donald spoke again she found herself turning back to the two.
"What about Aerith?"
"Just.." She could feel her hand raising up to curl against her chest again, "I was just talking to her."
She could see Donald and Goofy look at each other before the later turned his attention back to her, "Aerith left with Leon and the others remember?"
What? That didn't make any sense. just what was going on?
Unaware of her confusion Donald added on, "You worried us. You were just standing there by yourself."
Standing by herself? Was this what Aerith had meant when she said her memories would lie to her?
And then Donald continued, "Come on, we've gotta get going remember?"
Right, they had to start moving further into the castle. But there was still one thing she wasn't sure of, "Just how are we supposed to move further on anyway? I kinda doubt there's a door with a sign saying it's the way out."
He opened his mouth to respond, only to stop as he seemed to realize he didn't have an answer for her.
Goofy didn't seem to be too bothered though as he smiled, "Well why don't we just look around. We're sure to find the right door eventually."
Well she supposed that was better than nothing, "Right... How about we try a door we haven't opened yet?"
Seeing the two nod she began moving, going down an alleyway that she knew she had never been down. And what she saw certainly gave her hope. At the end she could see a beautiful white door that stood out amongst the bricks surrounding it.
Without even thinking she went over and opened it. What greeted her was a what looked like a wall of pure light. It definitely looked promising.
Making sure Donald and were beside her she made her way in. To her surprise they didn't have to walk very far, instead after only a few steps she found herself standing in front of a large white door that she could somehow see amongst the bright light.
Certain this was the way out she pushed the door open, moving forward as she did.
What they found on the other side were the white walls of Castle Oblivion, and standing just before a set of stairs was the figure from before.
Not quite sure how to feel about him Kairi found herself, Donald, and Goofy bracing for a fight.
But to her surprise he didn't do anything, instead only asking, "Well Kairi? Did you enjoy meeting their memories?"
Even though it was clear she shouldn't trust him she found herself responding, "Well it certainly was nice since those were my friends too. But what do you really want?"
All he did was shift his weight, his arms moving outwards for a moment as he asked another question, "What do you have to give?" Then he began walking towards her.
Without thinking she found herself summoning her keyblade. She had no idea if she would be able to beat him, but she certainly had no intention of going down without a fight. That would just waste Sora and Riku's sacrifices after all.
He didn't get very far though. Instead he seemed to stop as darkness swirled behind him, only for it to dissipate shortly after, leaving a stranger in its place.
It was a young man who she suspected was around the same age as Leon and the others. He wore the same outfit as the mysterious figure, only his head was visible. And what she saw was bright red hair sitting atop lightly colored skin. Along with that were purple markings resting beneath greenish-blue eyes.
All in all she wasn't sure what think of him.
He didn't give her much time to think though, instead raising a hand to do some sort of wave, a cheeky smile on his face, "Hello!"
Just how was she supposed to react to that? Still it would be rude not to respond, "Hello?"
The mysterious figure didn't do anything, instead opting to speak with what she suspected was annoyance in his voice, "What do you want?"
The redhead was quick to place his hands on his hips, leaning forward a slight amount as he responded, "No hogging the hero."
Then the mysterious figure turned, throwing cards at the redhead with such force she didn't think he'd be able to catch them. But he did, holding them up with a smirk plastered on his face.
Undaunted the figure continued, saying to him, "Then perhaps you'd like to test her."
He didn't wait for a response, instead leaving in an orb of swirling darkness as the redhead opened his mouth.
"Perhaps I would."
Once the darkness had dissipated the redhead quickly turned his attention to her, his arms moving as he pointed to her and them gestured outwardly, "My show now Keyblade Master." Then he pointed to himself, a snarky tone lacing his voice, "Who am I? Oh, my name's Axel."
And then he lifted a hand, pointing at his head as he added on, "Got it memorized?"
She blinked, not sure how to react, "Um... okay?" Why was he even telling her his name?
At hearing that he continued, giving her an almost mocking look as he did so, "Good, you're a quick learner."
"So Kairi, now that we're getting to know each other better..." He struck his arms out and away from each other. Flames quickly laced up the limbs, encircling his hands in a bright light. They soon disappeared though, leaving spiky chakrams resting in the palms of his hands.
She startled, bracing herself for a fight that she just knew was going to be hard. From behind her she heard Donald and Goofy brace themselves as well.
Undaunted Axel just looked at her, that grin still plastered on his face, "Don't you go off and die on me now!"
Before she even had time to register what had happened he was on the attack. She was forced on the defensive before she could even grab Donald and Goofy's cards, the objects bouncing somewhere out of her line of sight.
The chakrams flew from his hands towards her, only to return to him after traveling a short distance, burning ground resting where they had traveled.
She didn't have time to think about that though. Instead she found herself moving side to side, barely avoiding getting hit. But it was still a small enough distance that she was able to feel the heat radiating off of his weapons as they flew past her. It had enough of an intensity that she just knew they would likely burn her skin if they landed.
She just didn't know what she was supposed to do to win. He just wasn't giving her an opening to even try to get close. In fact he was moving with such grace it was almost like he was dancing. Hopefully if she could just maneuver her way around the field enough then she could just escape up to the next floor.
But what about Donald and Goofy? Would they even return to normal if she left their cards bouncing around here?
She was just going to have to grab them first.
But where even were they?
Her eyes flitted around the room, looking. But she found that two small cards were hard to pick out in such a large room, and the flames from Axel's weapons weren't helping. In fact they made her worry that the cards had been destroyed, that Donald and Goofy may be gone for good.
Then movement in the distance caught her attention. Without even thinking she ran towards it, not even noticing as one of the chakrams flew right by her. And once she was close enough she jumped forward, sliding across the ground as she made her way towards it. Then once she was within reach she reached out and grabbed it, shifting her hand to see what it had been.
It was a card, and on it she could see could see Goofy's smiling face. And seeing it made her sigh in relief. He was okay, and if he was alright then Donald probably was too.
Now she just needed to find him. With that in mind she began to look around, only to stop as a searing pain crossed over her back causing her to cry out.
"You should've been paying attention."
She'd completely forgotten about Axel. And turning her attention to him she found him standing there, holding his chakrams in such a casual way he may as well not even be trying to fight, an almost feral grin gracing his lips.
His head canting to the side he continued talking, "Come on hero, don't tell me a little fire is too much for you."
She had to get away from here. If she ran then maybe he'd leave, and she could come back to look for Donald without any trouble.
She just had to get to the stairs first.
So she ran. Step by step the stairs came closer, and his attacks continued to miss her with frightening consistency. Just how much effort was he putting into trying to kill her?
Flames burst forth from the ground in front of her, forcing her to stop lest she be burned. This wasn't good.
"Now did you really think you could run away?"
She turned only to see him walking toward her at a scarily casual pace, flames flitting up from his chakrams as he twirled the one that rested loosely in his right hand.
"Face it hero. The only way you're leaving is if you win, or," He added on, his head canting to the side as he continued to smile, "I could kill you. Now, which is it gonna be?"
She really didn't like either of these options. Would he even let her win without killing him? Could she even win? She wasn't even at full strength while he clearly was. He could attack from seemingly any distance and seemed to control fire. And meanwhile all she had was her keyblade and maybe one single spell.
But could that one spell be the key? Could he be weak to ice spells like the Red Nocturne's were?
She just had to get close enough and find out.
Before she even knew it her keyblade had returned to her hand from wherever she had unknowingly sent it. And taking it into both of her hands she got into a fighting position. This time she wasn't going to run.
Then he laughed, a hollow almost forced sound coming from within him, "So that's your answer huh? Fine by me."
This time she didn't let him make the first move. Instead she charged, only stopping and jumping to the side as he sent his chakrams out to her. But she didn't stay still for long. Instead she kept moving, kept heading towards him.
She just had to get close enough.
But she never made contact. Before she got close enough to land a hit a searing heat plowed into her back, forcing her to the ground. She found herself hissing from the pain, even as the sound of slow methodical footsteps reached her ears.
"You should have been watching your backside."
She didn't even have to look to know he was standing directly in front of her, and it was so frustrating. He was making this fight seem so easy, and she hadn't even hit him once yet.
At least he was now in attack range, and she still had her keyblade in her hand. She just had to raise it and fire.
But her body felt so very heavy, and the pain from the burns he'd left weren't helping.
A booted foot slid itself under her chin, tilting her head upwards to look at his face once again. Gone was the smile. All that remained was a look of boredom or indifference.
"I expected you to put up more of a fight."
She hated this. All she wanted to do was find their friends, not fight to the death. She wished Sora and Riku were here. But they weren't. All she had to help her were Donald and Goofy, and she had no idea where Donald's card even was.
She just wished someone could help her...
From beneath her a bright light surged forth, forming into Goofy as it reached the small space between them. Neither of them had time to think let alone react before her slammed his shield into Axel's face, forcing the potentially older teen back.
She hadn't even realized she'd been calling out to him.
But this gave her a chance to turn the tables. She just had to hope that she could still cast cure.
Slowly, painfully she pushed herself up to her feet, her keyblade hanging limply in her hand. Then she lifted it aloft, praying that she could still heal herself, that it would work.
To her relief a green glow surrounded her, disappearing shortly after. But in its place she now felt so much better, like she hadn't even received any burns yet.
And it was just in time as before her very eyes Goofy disappeared, returning to his card and leaving her to fight this battle alone.
And it looked like Axel was tired of playing with her as he didn't say anything, instead simply throwing his chakrams at her.
She threw herself to the side, rolling back onto her feet before she even realized it. Cold ice was flying from her keyblade before she had even lifted it to fire at him, leaving the ground around her feet covered in a light frost.
She took aim and fired. The icy shards struck him head on, forcing him back as it coated his chest. And both to her relief and horror it seemed to cause him a great deal of pain. His teeth were gritted, as though he were trying to hold in a scream of pain of his own. Then he glared at her as the flames surrounding the two seemed to grow in intensity.
That's when she got an idea. If he could influence the area with magic, shouldn't she be able to too? She didn't have the control that he clearly had, but surely if she made it cold enough his flames wouldn't be as good.
So she started casting. Little by little ice began to cover the field, all the while he continued to try to strike her, oblivious of what she was trying to do. Slowly, ever so slowly, the temperature in the room began to change and with it the flames surrounding them.
The flames shrank, the cold stealing the life from them. And almost as though he were affected too Axel began to slow down in his attacks as well. And she made sure to take advantage of that.
Ignoring the ice impeding her own movements she ran at him, slamming her keyblade into his chest once she was close enough.
And that seemed to do the trick. Before her very eyes he seemed to disappear, a card floating where he once stood. Curious she reached up and grabbed it, pulling it to her eye level so that she could see what was on it. And what she saw was a fire, a single fire as though this were supposed to represent the fire spell she had lost.
But she had no sooner looked at the card before it began to glow, disappearing a short moment after. But she felt different. It was as though a piece of her strength had returned, like he and the other members had taken parts of her prisoner, and she just took some of it back.
And then Goofy's card came out from her pocket once again, reforming into him by her side. Across the room she could see Donald reappear as well.
But it was what was in the middle of the room that drew her attention. There floating in the air was what appeared to be a card.
With curiosity quickly overtaking he she made her way over and carefully pulled it out of the air to look at it. From behind her she heard Donald and Goofy make their way over before the later spoke.
"Another one? What's it do?"
A sudden weight on her shoulder had her looking to see Jiminy climb up to look. And once he was able to see the card himself he made his own observation.
"Hmm. Kinda looks like the card you used when you Traverse Town."
"Really?" She found herself saying as she turned her attention back to the card, "I guess we'll need it to continue going then..."
Then a voice broke into her thoughts, a singsong tone lacing its words.
"That's right."
She jumped, looking in the direction the voice came from. And what she saw caught her by surprise. There leaning against a wall next to the stairs rested Axel, looking as though he were unharmed. While she was glad to see that she hadn't killed him it still bothered her to see him again. After all, what if he attacked again?
From beside her Donald called out, "Axel!"
He didn't respond to Donald. Instead he pushed himself off of the wall and began walking towards them, talking as he went, "Did you really think after that introduction," He stopped a short distance away, a hand moving to rest over his chest before moving out to the side with his other one, "I would give up oh so easily?"
Just what did he mean? She could hardly call that an introduction, that was a fight for her life. Then a thought occurred to her. That mystery man had mentioned testing her. Is that what he meant?
There was only one way to find out, so with some trepidation she opened her mouth, saying, "You were testing me."
He grinned, "And you passed. Congratulations Kairi! You're ready now, ready to take on Castle Oblivion."
Then to her confusion he pointed to his own chest as he added on, "You will need to follow the memories of your friends." His hands moved up to his chest as though he were grasping at something before moving down to his sides, his head shaking slightly before he looked at her, "Trust what they remember and seek what they forgot. Then you will find someone very special to you."
Goofy's voice broke in at that, "Do you mean King Mickey and Riku?"
He let out a light laugh before responding, "You will just have to give some more thought to who it is that's most important to you. Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they're out of reach. But I'm sure that you can find yours, Kairi."
She blinked, "Why me?"
"You may be a Princess of Heart, but you've lost sight of the light within the darkness. And it seems that you've forgotten that you forgot."
She wouldn't be surprised to find out that was true, after all she had no memory of the life she had before washing ashore on the islands. Still just what did he mean by that?
Seemingly unaware of the thoughts crossing through her mind Axel held out a hand, "Would you like me to give you a hint?"
Silence permeated the room, thoughts rolling in her mind as she tried to decide.
Then to her surprise Goofy was in her field of vision, bending down so that he was eye to eye with her, worry clear on his face, "Kairi, do ya need it?"
Still not quite sure she found herself looking at him before looking back at Axel, his arm still outstretched as though he expected her to take his offer.
Then she decided. Making sure to put on her bravest face she opened her mouth, "I'm going to figure thing out for myself. And if you get in my way-"
She never got to finish that sentence as Donald jumped between the two of them, brandishing his staff in his hand, "Don't worry Kairi! We'll protect you!"
Axel just let out a chuckle as he shook his head once again and pulled his hand back to his side, "Good answer. Just what I'd expect from the keyblade master." Then a menacing tone began to lace his voice, "But be forewarned. When your sleeping memories awaken, you may no longer be who you are now."
He didn't stay after that, instead disappearing in a swirl of darkness.
And she didn't bother waiting to see if he'd come back. Putting the new card in a pocket she began making her way toward the stairs. The first floor of this castle was finished, and she had no idea how many were left for her to climb. But with everyone by her side she was certain things would turn out fine.