She was told she's going home, yet it didn't feel that way. Now, sitting in Cid's airship on her way to Radiant Garden, she still didn't remember much about it - only her grandmother and the tall stone castle. Her home, she thought, was on the islands, with the small town, the beach, their little island all to themselves, her father the mayor, and her best friends, Sora and Riku. Her home was with them, but they were far away. She knew that much.

Separated again.

All she wanted was for them to be together. She waited for so long, most of the time not even knowing what she was even waiting for. Now, she wouldn't wait any longer. No more sitting on the sidelines; no more needing protection. So what if she's a Princess of Heart? There was no rule stating princesses couldn't fight, and she had been chosen to wield the Keyblade. She would train and fight with all the strength that Kingdom Hearts would grant her.

Together again. We will be together again.

At least she and Riku had said their goodbyes. He was a master now, but she wasn't surprised. He had always been a gifted protege in both fighting and intelligence. Their conversation replayed in her head:

"Congratulations, Master Riku!"

"Don't call me that," he'd grumbled.

She'd giggled, "Whatever you say, Master Riku."

"Have it your way, Princess Kairi."

Their reunion was brief, but it still meant the world to see him. Now, he was off with the King to play their part in this battle: to rescue the Master who gifted Kairi her ability to wield. She'd made a mental note to ask why when she met her.

Her mind wandered to Sora, as it often did. At Yen Sid's tower, she wanted so badly to wait for him, but no one knew where he was, what he was doing, or when he would return. She begged the Master to let her wait a little longer before her training. He'd only replied in that slow, guttural voice of his, staring at her curiously:

"I thought you said you were done waiting, Princess."

That was a good point. "I am, but please, Master, he's my best friend."

"I understand you desire, my dear, but the young Keyblade wielder needs your help more than he'll admit. It is crucial you begin your training with Merlin as soon as possible."

She'd sighed. "Yes, Master. Understood."

Sensing her disappointment, he'd tried to lift her spirit: "Do not fret, you will see him again. Until then, you will be training with Lea."

Lea.

She tried not to think of him. Despite her efforts, she felt anxiety rising in her chest with each passing minute. As the clock ticked, she was only getting closer to where she'd be training. Where they'd be training. Together.

"He's changed" everyone said.

"He's one of us now!"

"He even saved Sora!"

And it wasn't that any of that didn't matter. She was grateful that he'd had a change of heart, but all the good he'd done still doesn't undo the trauma he'd caused. It wouldn't take away her nightmares of wandering endlessly through the Realm Between, of being trapped in that cell again, or of Saix using her to anger Sora. How far would he have gone if Namine and Riku hadn't shown up? For the sake of her sanity, she didn't ponder on that.

And it was all because of Axel, now Lea. She deserved an explanation, an apology, anything, did she not?

Though she felt hesitant, it wasn't that she wasn't looking forward to her training. She just wished her best friends were here with her. They'd always given her more strength and confidence. The Restoration Committee in Radiant Garden - Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, and Merlin - Kairi didn't know any of them very well. Sora, however, did and trusted them, so she too would put her faith in the people here. He always had a kind, open heart, perhaps a little too open. He became close to so many people, she feared it would be easy for him to be hurt. Despite all that's happened to and around him, he was always able to focus on the positive. He may not be a Keyblade Master, but his strength of heart surpassed that of anyone Kairi knew, even Riku.

The airship suddenly jolted, snapping Kairi out of her contemplation. While not a large ship, it was certainly built to carry more than two people, allowing Kairi space to move about freely. The shock sent her stumbling forward, clutching onto the wall for balance.

"Buckle up, sweetheart, we're landing!" Cid yelled while pulling levers and twisting knobs from the pilot's seat.

She quickly complied. "Thank you, Cid."

"For what?"

She smiled, "For flying me to Radiant Garden."

"Oh that? It's nothin'. Just fixed up this beaut n' been itchin to get 'er out ever since! When Yen Sid called with the news, well I jus' couldn't resist the opportunity!"

"Wait, so this is your first time flying it-I mean her?"

He laughed, "Don' be silly. I flew 'er myself on the way to come get ya! That's all the practice I need! 'Sides, I'm the best pilot you'll find in the whole gosh-dang universe!" Flicking the toothpick in his mouth, he turned his attention back to piloting the airship.

Kairi giggled to herself, "Alright, well I trust you."

The landing was smooth and easy, like Cid had done it a million times. Since Radiant Garden had no landing port, they settled for an open patch of land outside the town. From the ship, Kairi could already see a large crowd gathering where they were, eager to greet their new, temporary resident. They seemed like warm community; maybe it wouldn't be so different from the islands.

Kairi turned to her pilot: "Hey, Cid?"

He grunted, indicating she had his attention.

"Do you remember anything about Radiant Garden before...y'know?" She looked down at her hands cupping in her lap.

He pondered a moment, "It was a long time ago. I 'member some people and places, and how lively the town was. Not much else, though. Why?"

She shifted her gaze out the window of the now stationary ship, "Just wondering. You don't happen to remember an elderly woman, do you?"

"Can't say I do. She someone you know?"

"My grandmother. I only remember bits and pieces. She would spend a lot of time in the castle library, and she'd tell me stories of the time when the worlds were united." Kairi smiled at the memory. "I can't remember much else though."

He turned to her, lifting himself stiffly from the pilot's seat. "I'm sure you'll find 'er. Plus, you were juss' a little. I reckon you wouldn't recall much from those years anyhow."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Standing from her seat, she forced the concern to the back of her mind as part of the floor began swinging down into a ramp.

"Ready, Princess?" the pilot asked, joining her side.

"I'm ready, and, please, just Kairi is fine," she said, smiling lightly at him.

As they descended the ramp onto the solid ground beneath them, it took a moment for Kairi's eyes to adjust to the light outside. She stepped from the metal ramp to the solid ground, and was almost immediately greeted by dozens of Radiant Garden citizens, all with beaming smiles.

"Princess Kairi! Welcome to Radiant Garden!"

"We're so happy you're here, Princess!" they all shouted, each eagerly shaking her hand.

"Thank you for having me," Kairi returned their warm smiles, deciding to roll with the "Princess" title for now. Taking in the full landscape, it was obvious that the dark, empty world of Hollow Bastion that Kairi awoke to before was long gone. The world was filled with several shades of blue. From the blue-gray rocks lining the cliff walls, to the cloudless sky, to the rising falls, the hues brought a sense of melancholy with them. The bright colors of the distant town stood out as well, and the castle was easily visible.

Glancing around the crowd, Kairi was searching for anyone who resembled her grandmother, but only adults and children were here, it seemed. After not hearing word from her since Radiant Garden was reassembled, Kairi was beginning to fear the worst. She convinced herself that it must be something else: maybe her grandmother didn't remember her, or she couldn't make the trip out of town.

Still searching the crowd, she spotted a group of young boys who tried, unsuccessfully, to spike their hair like Sora's, and she couldn't stop herself from giggling. The sight lifted her spirits. They quickly pushed their way to the front of the crowd.

One of the boys eagerly spoke up: "Kairi! Tell us! How does Sora get his hair so spiky?"

She bent her knees slightly to get on their level and smiled at them. "I'm afraid it's always just been like that. Why do you want your hair to look like his?"

"Cuz he's a hero, and I wanna be just like 'im!" he shouted.

"But you don't need spiky hair to be a hero, silly" she replied, playfully.

"Oh, I guess you're right!" He then made a fencing motion towards the other boys. "Get back, Heartless!" he yelled, chasing after them.

Watching the boys run off, memories of her childhood with Sora and Riku came to mind. She missed them, and she missed their islands.

This was going to be difficult without them. Kairi took a deep breath.

Wherever you go, I'm always with you.

Kairi continued to greet people as the crowd began to part from the back. "Alright, everyone, don't swarm the girl! Make way! Comin' through!" spoke a youthful, feminine voice.

A petite girl with short, black hair finally broke through the wall of people. Kairi remembered this girl to be Yuffie: young, extroverted, and deadly with shurikens.

"Kairi! Is that you?" she exclaimed, surprising the princess with a hug, "Wow, you've sure changed since we last saw you!"

She embraced Yuffie back and giggled, "Yeah, it's been over a year! How are you?"

"Fantastic now! I hope Cid took good care of you," she said, glaring towards the pilot attempting to keep kids off of his airship.

Kairi couldn't help but laugh again, "He was great. A good pilot, I'll give him that."

"Pilot, engineer, programmer, he can do it all!" Yuffie grabbed Kairi's hand and began pulling her through the parted crowd. "C'mon! I'll take you to everyone! We thought it best to not overwhelm you with the rest of the people."

"Why did so many come to greet us?" Kairi asked while stumbling clumsily through the mass.

"Having a Princess of Heart originate from your world is a huge honor here! I think you give them a sense of hope."

But she wasn't from here, at least she didn't consider herself to be. Were the people of the islands this proud of her, Sora and Riku? Did they even know?

It wasn't too long before they reached the town's residential area. The world was beautiful, fitting its name perfectly. Kairi could tell that the Restoration Committee was hard at work, for many of the town's structures looked newly renovated. Even the walkways appeared freshly paved. Taking in the elegance, a sense of rendez-vous came upon Kairi. The tall castle and stone walls, the sounds of the distant rising falls, and the smells of the decorated gardens felt familiar, but no specific memories were emerging.

Watching Yuffie skip enthusiastically ahead of her, Kairi's concern over her memories resurfaced.

"Hey, Yuffie?" she asked.

"Yeah? What's up?" the ninja turned around to face her, now skipping backwards.

"How much do you remember about this place? Do you" she paused for a moment, wondering if she should even ask, " remember me at all?"

Yuffie stopped skipping and thought for a moment. "Sorry, I don't. I wasn't much older than you when the Heartless attacked the Gardens and we all ended up at Traverse Town. Well, all of us 'cept you. Why do you ask?" she turned around once again.

"It's just-"

"Oh! Here it is!" Yuffie interrupted. She ran up to a small door attached to a cottage in the corner of the square. "You ready to re-meet everyone?"

"Um, sure!" Kairi replied, once again focusing on the matter at hand.

Yuffie opened the door to a scene of three figures hunched over a table in the center of the room on an elevated stone platform: a tall brunette man, a petite woman with lighter hair extending down her back in a braid, and a slightly built woman with long, black hair. The first two Kairi recognized as Leon and Aerith, but the other woman she had yet to meet. On the far wall sat a large computer, and a mountain of books lay stacked next to a small bed.

One by one, each person shifted their attention from what lay on the table to their expected guest. Yuffie spoke first: "Kairi, everyone! Everyone, Kairi!" she gestured to each party.

"Kairi, welcome!" Aerith said, touching her fingertips together.

Leon nodded his head. "Glad to have you."

The other woman approached Kairi and offered her hand. "I'm Tifa, pleased to meet you! I heard Merlin's going to train you."

"Thank you all for having me, and yes! I'm really excited!" she replied. As she entered the cottage, the object on the table came into view: a large map of Radiant Garden, split into sections with marker. Possibly construction zones.

"Is this like the headquarters for the Restoration Committee?" she asked.

Leon nodded, "For the time being. As more projects come up and more citizens volunteer, we'll eventually need to move."

"But Merlin's been nice to let us use is study," Aerith said.

"This is Merlin's study?" Kairi asked, "Then what about the bed?"

"Study slash house" Yuffie said, "He can do a lot with a little."

They were suddenly interrupted by a puff of smoke appearing in the middle of the room.

"Are my ears ringing, or are people talking about me? It's rude to gossip, you know." the voice originated from an old man. The wizard appeared out of the cloud of smoke and dusted off his robe. "You beckoned?"

"Your newest student has arrived!" said Yuffie, enthusiastically.

The wizard looked toward her and jumped. "Kairi, is that really you? My my, you've grown so much!" the wizard pranced over to her, shaking her hand vigorously.

The princess managed to speak between the forceful movements: "Thank you, Merlin, I look forward to training with you." She smiled at her company. For a moment, her worries were washed away. These people really did create a sense home in her heart. They were all so kind and welcoming to Kairi, despite barely knowing her. Their dedication to restoring Radiant Garden was also certainly admirable. Perhaps it was Sora's connection to them that created an indirect connection with Kari as well, but she really felt that all was going to be right with the worlds. Then, the door opened, and her imaginary dream was washed away.

"Hey, Merlin, next time you suddenly decide to leave the chamber, could you maybe set down the floating furniture first? Target practice suddenly turned into dodging prac-" Both redheads froze in their tracks as his emerald eyes met her blue eyes.

It's funny, no matter how much one plans out exactly what to say to someone - whether it be an apology, a confession of love, or a confrontation - it can all go out the window the second the eyes meet. Because, for Kairi, that's exactly what happened. She thought of all these things to say to Lea. Tell him how hurt you were, ask him why he did it, give a speech about loyalty and trust. She'd pictured his face when she would finally meet him: his tattoos would be prominent below his eyes, that smirk would rest on his face, and the look in his eyes that worshipped chaos would try to shake her confidence, but none of those were present. The moment their eyes met, they reflected only hurt and guilt.

"Kairi, I-" he began, but caught himself. Hearing his voice say her name gave her chills. Even his voice sounded differently from what she remembered. Was he struggling with words too?

Still, a panic began to rise in her chest. She became self-conscious of what her eyes might be saying, making her anxiety even worse. The room felt smaller than it did a moment ago, and all eyes seemed to be piercing into her. Her chest felt tight, her knees weak, her head light. What was happening? She made for the door to try and get some fresh air, only to collide with the tall man still blocking the doorway.

She stumbled, and he instinctively grabbed her arms to balance her. This simple, thoughtless gesture, however, only brought Kairi to relive those painful memories. To her, she was back in Twilight Town, being dragged away as Hayner, Pence, and Olette fought hopelessly. Pulled away by his hands, the hands on her arms right now.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, refusing to meet his eyes again.

Lea immediately released his hands and held them up, realizing his mistake. Still unable to look at anyone, she continued out the door. Great, now they would all think she was crazy.

"Kairi, wait!" he yelled pleadingly. Was he going to come after her? Kairi was not going to wait to find out. All the mental preparation, and she still couldn't face him.

She ran.

A/N: Thank you for reading!

I've been wanting to write a full KH story for some time now. I've spent the last few months writing down random ideas for the story and development, but I was recently driven to actually begin writing the first chapter.

I do plan on deviating slightly from the lore of KH, but I do want to stay true to the characters and main story. If you spot any inconsistencies, feel free to point them out. Any feedback is welcome!

Thank you to FlowerLady-Aerith for beta-reading for me!