Author note: Hey everyone, Lyrista here. I'm making my debut back on the Fanfiction circuit after a lengthy absence. I'm talking years here. You'd think I'd choose a series that has a plot a tad less complicated to write a story about than Kingdom Hearts but apparently I'm just a glutton for punishment. Part of the fun will be trying to weave things together to keep the plot coherent, but I have high hopes I'll be able to get it done. I honestly can't promise any sort of real schedule to my pitiful Internet scribblings, but I'd like to think I at the very least won't just up and abandon the story without at least having the courtesy to give you a heads up. This fanfic was inspired by the writings of author Marsuvees. If it wasn't for his/her KH novelizations, this plot bunny would never have been born, and spent weeks kicking my skull in until I begged for mercy and promised to write it. They've finished novelizations for KH1 and KH2 so drop by and read them if you're interested. I also will be posting this fic on at some point under my account with the same name as this one. Without further stalling I give you….

Chapter 1: The Night of Fate

The young girl was dreaming. Dreaming of a time long past. Dreaming of the day when the innocence of her world was cracked for the first time. The young girl dreamed of her first encounter with the darkness that could spawn from the human heart. The young girl dreamed of her encounter with a special person who would herald the very first turnings in the gears of her destiny….

-Radiant Garden-

The piercing scream of a little girl's terror rang through the morning air as four year old Kairi Mikaze ran through the Castle's garden, a bouquet of freshly picked flowers clutched in her tiny hand. Her little lungs burning as she frantically searched for someone, anyone to help her. Pursuing her was several purple imp like creatures, moving with serpentine grace along the ground and some even through the sky, as their glowing red eyes fixed on their prey pursuing her relentlessly. Having found no one for several heart pounding minutes, Kairi could feel the icy claws of despair tightening around her heart. That was when she saw her.

Just as Kairi had reached the front gates of the castle, she spotted a strikingly beautiful blue haired woman, dressed in an exotic black bodysuit holding a strange key shaped sword in her hand standing at the top of the stairs leading up to the castle gates. Without even thinking Kairi froze at the sight of her as she could feel deep within an instinct telling her that this woman would help her. This woman was a protector. Unfortunately this momentary pause allowed the creatures to catch up to her and surround her, trapping Kairi against the castle wall. The creature nearest to her flowed up and struck at her with one of it's razor sharp appendages.

With another cry of fright, Kairi twisted away from the strike just barely managing to avoid getting hit, even as the creature tore a gash in her white dress. "No! Run!" The woman called out to her urgently as the monsters struck at her once more. Ducking under the strike by pure luck, Kairi ran frantically to the blue haired woman reaching her side as the creatures gathered to face the new threat.

Still clutching her flowers in her right hand, Kairi's left hand touched the woman's sword shaped key as she looked up at her, Kairi's eyes silently pleading to her for help. The woman's eyes widened slightly, "I can feel the light….." she murmured as she looked into the innocent eyes of the little girl feeling a sudden connection with her.

Neither of them noticed that the key shaped sword suddenly pulsed with a soft light. Neither of them would realize until much later the significance of this moment, and how it changed the little girl's fate forever….

The woman's gaze snapped over to the advancing creatures as they hardened in determination before she glanced at Kairi in concern. "There's no way I can fight like this….." she muttered as she stepped in front of Kairi protectively. Kairi huddled behind the woman as the creatures leaped at her protector only for yet someone else to jump in. An anthropomorphic mouse-person dressed in a silver/grey suit and pants wielding another key shaped sword that looked like a blue cane adorned with a star.

The mouse-person had swiftly cut down the attacking monster and landed in front of them. He stood ready, sparing a moment to glance at duo behind him.

"Hurry! Ya got to get that girl to someplace safe!" the mouse-person exclaimed.

"Who are you? Why do you have a keyblade?" her protector asked, the woman's surprise making them all forget about the remaining monsters for the moment.

"I'll tell ya later! Right now we gotta stop these things!" the mouse-person insisted. Her protector nodded and Kairi let out a cry of surprise as she was swiftly scooped up and carried away as she was taken to the stairs and away from the impending fight.

Her protector set her down on the steps and knelt down to eye level with her. "Alright honey, stay here and keep out of sight ok?" Kairi nodded her understanding and was rewarded with a smile from the woman as she spun and charged back up the steps to join the mouse person who was just preparing to face off against the remaining imp monsters.

After a moment Kairi crept up the stairs, stopping just short of the top as well as keeping low to the ground so she could see what was happening just as her protector rejoined the mouse-person who was surprised to see her return.

"Everything alright?" he asked. Her protector nodded firmly as she took her stance, keyblade at the ready. "Alright then, lets get em!" the mouse-person exclaimed as the duo and the monsters charged each other. The battle was on.

Kairi watched in amazement, transfixed by the blue haired woman's graceful attacks. She flowed around the monsters like water, never staying in one place for long as the imp monsters attacks hit nothing but air with each swing, the woman's keyblade retaliating with punishing blows sending the monsters flying back.

"THUNDER!" The woman called out, raising her keyblade to the sky.

Kairi jumped in surprise as crackling golden bolts of power rained down from the heavens blasting three of the imps asunder as they perished with shrieking cries, as at the same time the mouse-person finished cutting down the other two imps with precise slashes from his own keyblade.

Kairi gasped in surprise as yet more monsters materialized in bursts of sickly black light around the duo. Strange plant like creatures, flying birds, even what looked like a giant hourglass monster as more and more appeared.

But her protector was undaunted. Even as her thunder spell finished, coursing bursts of electrical energy surged around her body and burst forth in an aurora of power. Her protector was clad in a surging cloud of electric energy as she surged forward and tore into the pack of monsters with renewed vigor.

The battle raged on as Kairi watched. A dazzling array of magic displayed for the single member of the audience. Massive balls of fire incinerated the plants. Even larger storms of lightning tore the bird monsters apart. Massive chunks of ice crushed all the creatures who dared to come near. All the while her protector moved through the battle with grace and calm confidence, as the little girl looked on with childish wonder.

Soon it was all over. Only her protector and the mouse-person remained…..

Kairi rejoined them as both her protector and the mouse-person introduced themselves to each other, learning their names were Aqua and Mickey. Just as the duo made plans to join forces, suddenly Mickey was whisked away by a glowing item in his pocket. Kairi watched in amazement as the glowing light whizzed off into the sky almost as if it was a shooting star in reverse! But how can a shooting star go in reverse!? Much less in daytime at that! Mickey's voice drifted down to them as he promised to see them both very soon.

Now she was alone with her protector. With a sudden flash of inspiration, Kairi held out the bouquet of flowers to Aqua with a big smile on her face. "Here!"

Aqua knelt down to eye level with Kairi. "Are these for me?" She asked.

Kairi nodded as Aqua took the flowers, "Yes, these are for you! Thank you for saving me!"

"Oh they're lovely, you're so sweet!" Aqua smiled as she looked at her gift in her hand.

"My name is Kairi! It's nice to meet you!" she said as she bowed to her. Aqua chuckled and gently tousled her hair making the little girl giggle. "It's nice to meet you too, I'm Aqua."

Aqua paused for a moment, "Kairi about that light…." she began before she was suddenly cut off as her Keyblade appeared in her hand as the flowers she was given suddenly shined with a bright light, startling them both.

Kairi watched in awe as Aqua's blue keyblade glowed with light before suddenly changing form completely. The new keyblade was a beautiful golden color. One side of the hilt of the weapon was formed in the shape of a breaking ocean wave, while the other is formed into a beige vine of sand that wraps around the shaft, which is colored to resemble a sunset. The vine connects to a bouquet of colorful flowers looking exactly like the ones Kairi had picked, which formed the teeth of the Keyblade and entwine to outline a heart. A red silken keychain connects the hilt to a token on the end shaped like a star.

"It's beautiful….." Kairi whispered, her eyes shining with wonder almost as if she could feel the weapon itself resonating with her. Aqua inspected the keyblade with shock. "I don't understand…..it wasn't even a keychain….how did the keyblade change?" she was silent as she inspected it for a moment more.

"Destiny's Embrace…...is this fate?" she wondered out-loud. Before she could say anything else a woman's voice rang out through the courtyard.

"Kairi!"

Both Kairi and Aqua turned toward the castle as the doors opened and an elderly woman, flanked by a squad of 8 of the castle guards in uniform, the emblem of a heart on their chests.

"Oh, Grandma!" Kairi exclaimed as the group ran up to her.

"Kairi, sweetheart are you alright? Was it more of those monsters again?" The elderly woman asked, but before Kairi could even answer she was swept up into a tight embrace by her Grandmother.

"Please darling, those creatures took your parents from me, I couldn't bear it if they took you too." she whispered into Kairi's ears as Kairi felt a twinge of guilt in her heart at her Grandmother's tear-choked words. After a moment of embracing her tightly, her Grandmother let her go and turned to address Aqua who had been watching in respectful silence.

"Thank you young lady for protecting my Granddaughter, she's all I have left."

"I'm just glad I was able to arrive in time, I wouldn't be able to bear it if such a sweet little girl had been hurt." Aqua smiled as she knelt before Kairi once again. "There's one more thing I can do for you." she gently touched the pendant Kairi was wearing which briefly glowed with a gentle pulse of magic as Kairi felt a gentle warmth infuse her. "I just cast a spell on you, one day if you're in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another. Someone to keep you safe."

"Thanks!" Kari beamed with a smile, as her Grandmother added, "Won't you stay for awhile? We have to thank you properly for protecting our…." but her Grandmother was cut off as suddenly as a strange mechanical monster floated by, the humming sound of it's helicopter blades humming as it moved toward the town.

"Unversed!" Aqua growled, "It never ends!" turning to the group, "Thank you for your offer but I have to go, I'll take out the unversed, please protect the town!" she addressed the guards before turning and running down the stairs in pursuit.

"I wish she was able to stay longer," Kairi said wistfully watching the vanishing form of her protector in the distance. "I'm sure we will see her very soon." her Grandmother assured her as she held the little girls hand.

However, this was the last time Kairi ever saw Aqua…..

-Destiny Islands-

Her eyes snapped open as she drowsily rubbed her eyes, feeling the beginnings of a headache pounding in her temples. "That dream again…...that's the third time this week…." she muttered to herself looking up at the ceiling of her bedroom. It had been 9 years since she had arrived at the islands, and she had just recently turned 14 years old.

Ever since that fateful day….

*static*

She winced as pain lanced through her head, disjointed memories tumbling through her mind. A rough hand grabbing her arm and dragging her along.

*static*

Hordes upon hordes of dark creatures, wriggling shadows, and dark beings. A woman's cruel cackling laughter.

*static*

A dim room housing a strange door. The door creaking open revealing a portal of black almost soulless darkness. Her pleading cries to let her go in vain as she is thrown in…..

*static*

Breathing heavily as she clutched her head, Kairi sat up in her bed as she forced her thoughts away from that dark spiral.

"Stop it…..nothing good comes from trying to remember that….." she muttered to herself. She was happy now, having met wonderful friends on the islands. The mayor of the town having kindly taken her in and raised her as if she was his very own. She smiled as she reflected on those happy years and the love she felt for her surrogate father filling her heart. He had been widowed many years before with his wife's passing and Kairi's arrival had filled a void in his life that had been slowly consuming him.

She had also made fast friends with the other local kids on the islands. Especially the trio of Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie. Let's not forget her two best friends, the ones who had found her the very night she had arrived on the island during a meteor shower, Sora Hidaka and Riku Kouzai. They had found her half drowned drifting in the sea near the island they were watching the meteor shower together.

Barely able to remember anything about herself, it was Sora and Riku's companionship that had helped her pull herself together and recover. Their kindness blossoming into a close friendship as the duo quickly became a trio.

Both boys were fascinated by her, as this unknown girl seemed to have literally appeared out of thin air. Or even another world as Riku had said. As the years passed this curiosity grew into a wanderlust that culminated into their summer project of building a raft to sail away to try to reach other worlds. She knew she was content with her new life, happy even, but even she could not deny the curiosity to see just what was out there…. Maybe she could even find…..

A crashing peal of thunder sounded out, almost deafening in its volume cause Kairi to almost leap out of her skin as she rushed over to her bedroom window to open it and look outside.

Dark clouds were massed on the horizon, seemingly directly overhead the small island where she and the other Destiny Island kids often spend their days playing and relaxing. Purple lightning blazed across the sky as the winds whipped up nosily, but bizarrely enough not even a single drop of rain was falling. Looking further up, Kairi's mouth fell open.

"Wh….what in the world!" she gasped as a massive glowing orb of purplish darkness blazed over the island. "What's going on….I've never seen a storm like this before!" Purple lightning lit up the night again as she realized something else. "The raft!"

Changing out of her pajamas and into her usual clothes, she grabbed a raincoat before slipping out of the house quietly and dashing for the town's dock as she climbed into her own personal boat and began to row out to the island in hopes of saving the raft that the trio had spent the summer building.

As she rowed out to the island as quickly as she could, Kairi couldn't help that her gaze was drawn to the pulsing orb of darkness in the sky. "What could that be? Why do I feel like….." the world seemed to lurch as a wave of nausea struck her. "Ugh!" she groaned struggling to hold on to the oars as the waves in the sea continued to increase in intensity, throwing the boat around. "Darn it Kairi, what part of you thought going to the island in the middle of the night in a storm was a smart idea!" she berated herself as the wind blew sea spray into her face blinding her for a moment.

*static*

The world distorted yet again as the sound of roaring water filled the young girl's ears. Her boat lurched again as the swells of water grew into a tidal wave of water that beared down on her which would surely smash her small boat to splinters.

Time slowed to what felt like a crawl as the transfixed girl stared at her oncoming doom with shocked eyes, unable to move or react. Helpless to save herself from certain destruction.

The moment passed and the boat was smashed in half as the young girl's limp body was thrown from it and fell into the unforgiving sea.

The suffocating sounds of the roaring sea seemed to fade away into nothing as the girl sank deeper and deeper into the water. A void that felt as if it expanded without end.

The world flickered as the four year old girl jerked awake on the beach of the island, the warm welcoming sun blazing in the sky as she got to her feet as a brown spiky haired youth in a white shirt and red shorts, and a silver haired youth in a yellow shirt and black shorts both waved to her as they ran up to her calling her name.

The world flickered again as the 14 year old girl ran along the beach lit by the beautiful sunset of the setting sun as she called to the distant forms of Sora and Riku who both turned and glanced at her before smiling as they turned away and walked off in different directions. Riku strode to a mysterious being shrouded in a brown cloak, Sora ran towards another unknown person in a black hooded cloak. The girl continued to call to her friends, but they didn't seem to hear her before the young girl tripped and fell forward.

Yet instead of falling face first into the warm sand of the beach, she instead plunged into the cold water of the sea as she plunged further and further down, her consciousness growing faint. "How am I even breathing?" she wondered in a daze. Even that simple thought a struggle in the haze. With an effort she shifted to right herself as she fell so instead of landing face first she'd land on her feet. Just as her feet touched down at the bottom of the sea, the ground itself seemed to melt away as a warm light glowed beneath her.

Shielding her eyes against the bright light, Kairi gasped as she found herself on a vast glass platform, depicting a mural of the Destiny Islands themselves, as she saw herself sitting in the shade of the Paopu tree as she leaned back against it, the image of herself looking at the Wayfinder charm she held in her hands. Situated over her head in three separate circles were the faces of Sora, Riku, as well as the image of Aqua.

-Unknown Location-

Kairi walked along the mural, taking it in as each step she made echoed a soft hum of her footsteps as she moved. It was then, she noticed something odd. "My raincoat? It's gone….." she was dressed in her usual outfit, which was completely dry despite her bizarre sea adventure. Glancing around in confusion at the endless void, she couldn't help a sense of unease at the absurdity of it all. "Hello?" she ventured as she called out into the darkness, "Is anyone there?"

"So much to do, so little time." a feminine voice intoned as Kairi jumped in surprise.

"The door has already cracked open….you should have had more time, but it seems your destiny has grown impatient. Step forward….."

A spotlight of light shown on a portion of the mural in front of her, as if inviting her to stand upon that spot.

"Wait!" she called out, "Where is this? What's going on?" but she received no response except for a sense of patience, as if the presence was just waiting for her to act. After hesitating a moment, Kairi stepped forward into the spotlight. Just as she did the mural she stood on seemed to pulse as three altars rose out of the ground around her. A flash of light sparked as an object appeared on each of the altars. A sword, a shield, and some sort of staff.

"Potential exists within you, but you have to give it purpose and direction. Don't be afraid, reach out and grasp hold of your power and make it your own." the voice urged her as Kairi could indeed feel something beckoning her from each of the objects, as if she was looking at a part of herself.

Kairi walked up to the sword and reached out to grab hold of it, as memories of all the days Sora and Riku spent sparring with their wooden swords, even having mock battles with Selphie, Tidus and Wakka. Kairi smiled as she remembered watching Sora fight all three of them at once just this morning and finally win that match-up for the first time.

Kairi grasped the blue hilt of the sword as she inspected the emblem of the mouse head on the golden guard of the sword, giving it a few experimental swings as the voice spoke to her once more.

"The power of the warrior…..invincible courage, the power to destroy all those who oppose you." Kairi couldn't help but wince at that last part, "Is this the power that you seek?"

*static*

The clashing sounds of blades fills the air, the screams of the dying, the begging of the doomed, the dark cackling of the victorious.

Pain

Fear

Terror

Hiding in a dark corner, praying that she was not seen, the prayer going unheard…..

Kairi shuddered as she dropped the sword, it disappearing in a glow of light to reappear on top of the altar it originally was on.

"No…...no I don't want that….." Kairi muttered as she backed away. The voice offered no response, but Kairi could feel no sense of condemnation, no judgment just acceptance.

Kairi moved toward the next altar which the shield quietly floated over. The shield was black with red trim, also having the emblem of the mouse-head on it. As she inspected the shield, the voice spoke again.

"The power of the guardian. The kindness to protect your friends. A shield that will repel all. Is this the power you seek?"

"This feels more like what I would want….." Kairi muttered as she considered this option. It felt right…..well almost right. Just not a complete match. "Not yet, there's one more option." Kairi put the shield back as she walked over to the last altar, where the staff was waiting for her.

Kairi couldn't help but giggle as she looked at the green staff which was topped by a blue, yes you guessed it, a blue mouse-head. "I'm sensing a bit of a theme here." she joked to herself, feeling a little of the tension of this strange situation lighten.

Kairi picked up the staff and as expected, the voice spoke to her once more.

"The power of the mystic, inner strength. The power of creation itself. Is this the power you seek?"

"The power of a mystic…..the staff is like what a magician would use….."

Kairi's eyes widened as she realized it. Magic. In her mind's eye she could see Aqua, the memories of her powerful magic still fresh in her mind, even after so many years. She could still feel the wonder and awe she had felt. The power of magic being used to protect. "If I choose this, I could even be like….."

Her hands tightened around the staff as she could feel herself fill with determination and raised her head as she called out to the voice.

"This is the power I want!" the staff vanished as a warmth infused her. She could feel something shift as new possibilities filled her.

"So be it…." the voice intoned solemnly. "But to receive power, you must give up power in exchange. Now Kairi, what aspect of yourself will you discard?"

Kairi turned to look at the two remaining objects. "What will happen to the remaining item after I choose?"

"It will remain a part of you. It will be another side of yourself as no heart can be defined by a single thing."

Kairi staggered as the world seemed to lurch around her.

"Hurry!" the voice urged as Kairi could hear an emotion in it's tone for the first time. "Events are moving quickly and the door is almost open. We are running out of time."

Glancing between the sword and the shield she nodded as the decision was made. "The sword. I'll surrender the sword."

"You have chosen the power of the Mystic. You have discarded the power of the Warrior. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, this is who I want to be!" she stated firmly.

"So be it." the voice responded as the sword shattered into pieces and dissolved into shards of light while the shield simply vanished. The altars crumbled into dust and vanished as well.

"Why did you abandon me?" A girl's voice asked behind her. It was her own voice.

Kairi turned and jumped back as she found herself face to face with a carbon copy of herself, which was holding the sword she discarded pointed at her with a scowl on her face. Eyeing the sword warily, Kairi edged backward before she almost stepped back off the edge of the platform, struggling to maintain her balance she stepped away from the edge just in time, but again found herself face to face with her doppelganger as she returned to the middle of the platform.

"Watch that first step, it's a long one." the strange girl snarked with a grin before continuing, "You still didn't answer my question. Why did you abandon me?"

"What are you?" she whispered, not sure if she was asking the girl or just herself. The girl grinned before flipping the sword in the air and deftly catching it by the hilt in a playful gesture. "Isn't it obvious? I'm the part of you that you just let go of. Now stop stalling and answer the question." the girl ordered, again pointing the sword at Kairi.

"I…." she grit her teeth and forced the rest out, "I don't want to be just a force of destruction! I don't just want to stab anyone who looks at me funny!"

She heard the other her laugh before her form flickered and disappeared right before she felt a presence behind her and the sudden sensation of the sword's blade resting against her neck.

"What will you do when you face someone who words will not reach? What will you do if you find yourself against someone who simply wants to destroy you?" the girl almost purred into her ear. Kairi's heart hammered in her chest as the blade at her neck moved ever so slightly and as she felt a thin trickle of liquid trickle down her neck. "What will you do if someone turns their blade on…..oh I don't know….Sora and Riku."

*pulse*

Something in her roared in defiance as a surge of power filled her. "GET AWAY!" she screamed as a blast of light burst from her body, sending the other Kairi flying and tumbling across the floor. Kairi took a step toward the other girl as a light flashed in her hand and suddenly the familiar staff from before appeared in her hand.

"You've gained the power to fight. Use it to protect yourself and others."

The other Kairi rose from the ground and readied her blade, and to Kairi's surprise took a stance that mirrored what she usually saw Riku do when fighting. She never even realized she herself had taken a stance similar to what Sora did.

"There will be times you cannot avoid a fight Kairi. Show me how strongly your light burns!" the girl darted forward and slashed at Kairi with an overhand cut as Kairi desperately and clumsily brought up the staff to block, wielding it as if it was a club. Kairi deflected and knocked aside three separate strikes before the next exchange had their weapons locked together as they each tried to push away each other's weapons.

Kairi strained as she tried to push back her opponent's sword, already feeling her muscles starting to burn from the effort while the other girl barely looked ruffled at all.

She's just toying with me….

A sinking feeling lurched in Kairi's stomach as the other girl suddenly began to exert strength and pushed far harder than before, quickly forcing Kairi to her knees as she desperately tried to keep the other girl's blade from biting into her.

"Tell me something. What is you want out of life Kairi?" her doppelganger said. She could barely contain her confusion, "What the heck do you mean!?" she gasped out as the blade inched ever closer to her. It was absurd! Her double was trying to cut her down and now she's getting asked the meaning of her life?

"It's a simple question Kairi." the girl stated calmly.

"I…..." Kairi grit her teeth and marshaled her will, she pushed back harder with her staff as she forced her way to her feet, "I want to find out what happened to my original home." as she spoke those words another surge of light flowed through her as a blast of light flowed through her staff and broke the stalemate and threw the other girl back who flipped in the air and gracefully landed on her feet.

"What if you don't like what you find? Is closure really that important?"

Kairi tried to hold onto that feeling of light surging through her as she swung her staff at her distant foe, a ball of light shooting from her staff and flying at the other girl who smirked before slashing at the ball of light and to Kairi's shock, hit it straight back at her which knocked her to the ground with a cry of pain.

The other girl calmly waited while Kairi struggled to her feet, trying to fight off the pain throbbing in her body.

"Next question on our little quiz. Tell me Kairi, what is most important to you?"

Kairi narrowed her eyes as she charged the other girl, lashing out with her staff as fast as she could to try to catch the other girl off guard, yet to no avail. Every strike was blocked, every blow turned aside with ease as the frustrated girl shouted at her mirror image, "If you're me, that should be obvious! My friends and family!"

"Yet you're willing to leave most of them behind to go sailing off to other worlds. Are friends and family such a big deal?" the girl asked.

A wave of hot rage surged through her as she smashed aside the other girl's lazy block and landed a punishing blow across the other girl's left cheek with the head of the staff. "Don't you dare say that! They mean everything to me!"

Her doppelganger staggered back rubbing her struck cheek, which already had an angry purple bruise on it. Then the girl flashed another smirking grin.

"I see I touched a nerve there. These are some pretty simple questions, tell me Kairi, what are you so afraid of?"

The duo continued to duel, their weapons clashing in the silence of this mysterious place. Kairi suffered multiple minor cuts, but the doppelganger never followed up on them, even Kairi with her limited battle experience watching the others in their play matches saw four separate times that her double could of finished the battle and cut her down. So why?

"No answer? C'mon dear this quiz is over half your grade for the class after all! Ah well, I guess I'll give you a hand. You clearly can't beat me and you know it. I'd say what you're really afraid of is…."

Anger surged through Kairi again as she redoubled her attacks, trying to smash through the contemptuously mocking guard of her counterpart, anything not to hear…

"You're afraid that you're a burden."

The damning words were finally spoken as with a surge of strength the other Kairi knocked her flying with a powerful swing and sent her to the ground as her staff tumbled from her hand and rolled off the side of the platform and disappeared into the abyss.

"Something bad happened to our original world….you remember the monsters….you remember the darkness…..you remember that it was looking for something."

The girl calmly regarded the fallen Kairi before continuing.

"They were looking for you."

Kairi couldn't help but flinch as the other girl spoke the secret fear that had haunted her heart as well as her dreams as she sauntered forward at a lazy pace, her gaze locked on her.

"How many people tried to protect you that night? How many people died trying? Will we ever really know?"

Tears filled Kairi's eyes as the guilt in her heart came to the surface once more. "Stop it…..please…..don't say anymore." she pleaded.

"But hey, at least you're happy here on the islands!" the girl announced cheerfully. "Getting to grow up free and happy on the islands and all it took was the sacrifice of the countless lives of the innocent!"

"Stop….please stop…..."

"Those other worlds might be dangerous though. Who knows what might happen? Oh well, our little bosom pals Riku and Sora said they'd protect you didn't they?" The girl tapped her cheek with a finger pretending as if she was thinking as she drew nearer to the downed Kairi. "Hmm…...I wonder which of them will die for you first? Maybe it'll be Riku." she again pretended to ponder for a moment before leaning over Kairi with a mocking smile, "Or maybe it'll be dear old Sora instead!"

Something snapped within her.

"SHUT UP!" she yelled as she raised her hands toward the other girl, the light within her responding to her rage once more as a torrent of radiance blasted the other girl away as a re-energized Kairi surged to her feet, the staff reappearing in her hand in a flash of light.

"I'm not a burden! I never will be that way ever again!"

A flash of memory in her mind, a blue haired woman raising her sword shaped key to the heavens, summoning her power to shape nature itself to her will…..

Energy surged through Kairi as with a combination of memory and sheer instinct she raised her staff and spoke the word to unleash the power within her screaming to be used.

THUNDER!

A searing golden bolt lanced down from the heavens and struck her doppelganger head on as a flash of light blinded her.

The timeless moment seemed to last a short eternity as everything seemed to freeze in place as Kairi heard her foe speak….

"Atta girl…..I knew you had it in you."

The moment passed as Kairi found herself standing over her fallen double who was slowly fading away, even as Kairi's own wounds disappeared.

"Why? What was the point of all this?" she found herself asking.

"To gain a power, you had to lose a power. You had to get rid of me completely to finish awakening your power. Our heart grows through our experiences, our good ones as well as our sad ones. Everyone is like this."

"I needed to face myself? Is that what this was?"

"More or less. I don't have all the answers of course. I AM you after all." the girl let out a soft chuckle at that. "Something is happening out there in the islands. Something very very wrong. I know you felt it. If they've come for us again, we have to be ready. It looks like our journey is going to start in the dead of night….it's going to be hard on you at first, but hang in there. I know you can get through this. After all….." she smiled at Kairi extending her hand out to her which Kairi took with her own smile.

"I am you after all." Kairi finished her double's statement.

"There's hope for you yet."

A bright light shone from the duo's handclasp and filled the area as Kairi's awareness faded away.

-Destiny Islands-

Kairi groaned as she came back to awareness, lying face down on a hard surface. As she pushed herself to a sitting position her eyes widened. "The island!?" she had made it to the island she had set out to reach, her boat bumping up against the dock of the island. Wait…..

"My boat? How is it intact? I was sure it was broken!" then she realized something else, "My raincoat is still gone? What's going on here?" Her boat had definitely been broken when she had been thrown into the sea, and yet mysteriously it was perfectly intact as if nothing had ever happened. Yet somehow her raincoat had vanished in transit as well.

"That strange place….did all of that really happen?" she raised her hand and looked at it as if expecting something to appear within it.

Nothing.

She sighed as she glanced around the dark island again, uneasily feeling the oppressive presence around her, the blazing purple ball of darkness burning in the sky casting its dim light in the area but every corner of the island was still filled with dark shadows, shadows she felt could swear that they were looking at her….

"The raft…...I have to check on the raft and then get out of here." she muttered, "I don't have time for this." As she climbed out of her boat and tied it to the dock to secure it, she spotted on the other side of the dock another boat. "That's Riku's boat! Is he here already?"

Kairi scanned the island with her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of her friend before her gaze was captured by a truly bizarre sight that blew every other thought out of her mind. The passage to the secret place, a small cave where many of the island kids scratched drawings on the wall with rocks was covered by a strange ornate door.

"What in the world…..?" she whispered as she moved to inspect the door, not even noticing shadows all around the seashore that had slowly begun to coalesce into small dark shapes with clawed hands and dark antennae on their small bodies.

When Kairi pulled open the door and disappeared into the passageway, she completely missed the arrival of a third boat in which rode a spiky brown haired boy…..

The air in the passage was foul and oppressive, Kairi felt her gorge rise as she struggled to continue. Her temples throbbed with pain as she could feel darkness all around her.

"Something is here…..something bad….."

The island kids knew there was nothing truly special here. Just an empty cave with it's lack of a ceiling allowing natural light for them all to see with. The only truly interesting thing in it was the strange door that would not open. There was no knob, no lock, and it didn't respond to pushing and there was nothing on the door they could use for purchase to try pulling. It was almost as if it was just part of the wall if it wasn't for it's clearly door shaped nature. It was simply a fun place to explore and draw in.

Tonight was different.

A palpable malice beat down on her as something unseen lurked in the shadows, something filled with an endless hunger driven to feed and feed until there was nothing left to feed on. The miasma of darkness floated all around her but centered on the unopenable door at the back of the cave. To Kairi's shock she could actually see thin whisps of darkness seeping out from behind the cracks in the wall that was the door.

The world lurched as she could of sworn she felt something strike at the back of the door as the sense of darkness grew stronger as nausea surged through her. Was something trying to get out? Or was something trying to get in? She knew she needed to do something, she could feel an urge from deep within. Dazed from the suffocating feel of the darkness she reached toward the door with a trembling hand.

"Kairi!" a boy's voice sounded from behind her. A very familiar voice.

The world spun and lurched around her as she fought past the nausea in her stomach and the pain in her head as she turned around and saw him. It was Sora, looking at her with concern.

-Sora-

He had come to the island after seeing the strange storm engulfing it, worried about the state of their raft that they had worked so hard to build and was almost finished.

This concern quickly vanished when he saw the boats of his two friends already there. Searching frantically for them, he found his steps dogged by the strangle little shadow creatures from the strange dream he had yesterday that his wooden sword couldn't hurt. Fleeing from the creatures, that he had dubbed "shadows" in the privacy of his mind, he continued his search before coming across Riku underneath the Paopu tree looking up at the ball of darkness overhead.

Sora tried to entreat his friend to help him look for Kairi, but Riku stated this was their only chance to get to another world and that Kairi was going to come with them before extending his hand out to join him as a cloud of darkness rose around them, grabbing hold of Riku. Sora tried to reach out to his friend but the darkness began to grab ahold of him as well. It seemed as if he'd get dragged in along with Riku before all the sudden a strange light burst into being and Sora found himself holding a giant key in his hand with a mouse-head shaped keychain on it and Riku was nowhere to be seen.

Before Sora even had time to digest this, more Shadows continued to attack him. Unlike before his new weapon, the Keyblade as it seemed to be called was far more effective in destroying the shadows. He fought his way through them, destroying many before he too noticed the door covering the passageway to the secret place. Upon entering it, he found standing before the unopenable door Kairi with a spaced out expression and an empty look in her eyes.

"Kairi!" he called out to her as she slowly turned around to face him.

"So…..ra…..." she murmured in a dull lifeless tone before the previously unopenable door flew open with a bang as a great gust of wind blew Kairi off her feet straight at him!

Time slowed to a crawl as Sora opened his arms to catch Kairi…

The instant seemed to freeze in time.

For the briefest of instants Kairi's pendant glowed…..

The moment passed as Kairi slammed into Sora, sending them both flying as the blast of dark wind ejected them both from the cave.

-Kairi-

The two teens groaned as they fell face first into the sand as they pulled themselves up to sitting positions, only to find themselves staring off the edge of the landmass into a dark abyss that didn't seem to have a bottom.

They both gasped as they turned their heads to see themselves far closer to the purple ball of darkness in the say, the landmass they were on was almost directly underneath it as chunks of land circled around it as if caught in a gravitational pull.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted to gain her attention, as she turned to see what he was looking at. Her mouth fell open as she craned her head further and further back as standing before them was an enormous dark giant, seemingly made of shadows itself, and empty hole in it's chest shaped like a heart, and what looked like dark tentacles for hair.

"Kairi get back! I'll handle this!" he shouted as a giant key appeared in his hand with it's yellow handle and mouse-head keychain. "C'mon ugly! I beat you last time, I can do it again!" he shouted before running at the creature who acknowledged the challenge as it loomed up to it's full height and prepared to attack.

"That sword…." she whispered, "That's a…."

Keyblade….

Keyblade

Keyblade

The word seemed to be whispered on the air by many different voices.

How did Sora get a keyblade?

"I don't think that's the real question here." Kairi stiffened as she heard a familiar voice speak in her mind. "He's going to fight for you. Just like he promised. Will you just let it happen? Are you going to be just an objective to protect? Will you wait like a good little girl for her knight in shining armor to save her? There's no shame in it." the voice whispered to her.

Her hands clenched as she watched the giant try to crush Sora with it's enormous hands as Sora dodged around them, striking at the massive creature's wrists each time, inky clouds of darkness spilling from each wound. Another massive punch hit the ground as Sora jumped aside, an inky black cloud of darkness spilling from the epicenter of the blow, as little miniature shadows emerged from the dark portal. Most crawling after Sora to attack him, but not all of them.

Several began to gravitate toward her…..

"Are you satisfied with being helpless? Are you content being protected? Will you be…..a burden?"

The shadows had almost reached her as the girl stood there with her eyes closed and her hand resting over her heart. It was then Sora realized her predicament….but he'd never make it in time.

"No." Kairi stated firmly, "No I will not."

"Show me."

She could feel it. A presence inside her.

Warm and inviting. It was beckoning her. It was her. It only waited for her to bring it out. It had all happened by chance. If the other person involved had known about it, she would of stated it was an accident altogether.

Was in an accident? Or was it fate?

Another man would say, destiny is never left to chance.

The shadows pounced upon their seemingly helpless prey. Only to be cut cleanly in half in a flash of light as Kairi cut through them cleanly with the object she now held in her hand. A keyblade.

Destiny's Embrace.

She could feel it. The comforting grip, the satisfying weight, it's perfect balance. It was made for her. It was an extension of her. It felt right, she was whole.

The battle had ground to a halt as even the giant shadow seemed shocked by this sudden development. Sora quickly regathered his wits and cut down the remaining shadows. He had no idea how Kairi got a keyblade, but he wasn't about to kick a gift moogle in the pom-pom!

"Kairi! It's wrists! It's hands are a weak spot! Hit the head too if you can get a chance!"

"Yes!"

The two Keybladers charged the giant shadow, which Kairi had dubbed a Darkside in her head, and the battle was joined once more.

After several more attempts to flatten the duo with punches that were easily dodged and then when it tried to summon more shadows to assist it, Kairi kept the shadows away from Sora while he hammered away at the being's hand, the being knelt down and reared back as it gather energy in the empty hole shaped like it's heart.

"Sora, what's it doing?" she asked warily holding her keyblade ready, Sora doing the same.

"I don't know, I've never seen one do this before."

Neither had the chance to finish talking as the being was done charging up the energy as it began to rapidly fire balls of energy at the duo. Sora dodged out of the way, but with a flash of inspiration Kairi swung her keyblade at the energy ball and knocked it back at the giant hitting it in the face with it's own attack.

"Sora, hit them back! The energy balls can be reflected!" she called to her partner.

"You got it! This thing can't throw balls any faster than Wakka could after all!" he quipped confidently. As they both set about knocking the blasts back at their owner.

"Yeah and this is after he knocked you on your butt how many times?" she teased as she swatted another attack back.

"Oh cmon Kairi, that was just a few times!" Sora protested indignantly. "I've beat him way more times than that!"

"Uh huh, and what about this morning? He knocked you clean out and into the sea!" she grinned.

The giant creature seemed to gain a shadowy tick mark on it's temple before it reared back and punched at the duo again, almost as if to say "Stop ignoring me!" The two teens deftly dodged the attempt, the creature having size but was quite slow as they both slashed at the creature's wrist simultaneously, the trails of light blazed by their swings forming what seemed to be an X on it.

The creature screamed as they cut it's hand off completely and it staggered back, but before Kairi and Sora could follow up, the ball of darkness pulsed as a wave of power pulsed over them and a powerful wind began to gust and pull everything upward. The suction intensified as the dark giant was dragged off it's feet and pulled into the sky and vanished into the ball of darkness.

Kairi yelped as she was dragged off her feet and into the air, but before she could rise higher, Sora grabbed her wrist. "Hang on!" he yelled as he clung to a nearby piece of wood lodged in the ground with his other hand.

The two teens hung on for dear life as the pull intensified and the landmass seemed to disintegrate around them. Something had to give.

Finally it was the piece of wood itself as it broke under the strain of the force resulting in Sora and Kairi being pulled into the sky, crying out each other's names as their sole lifeline was the grip they had on each other's hand as they both vanished into the ball of darkness.

With that, the Destiny Islands ceased to exist as a whole world and all of it's people, were lost.

-Traverse Town-

Within district 1 of the town, two new arrivals, an anthropomorphic dog who was the knight captain of Disney castle, and an anthropomorphic duck who was the royal magician of Disney castle were walking through the town taking in the sights. The knight captain glanced at the sky, "Hmm?" he muttered gaining the attention of his companion before he pointed up at the sky, "Look! A star is going out!"

The duck mage grimaced as he saw what his friend was pointing to. Indeed a star was fading away, and disappeared completely as he watched. Yet another world lost…. "Cmon, lets hurry! We have to find the Key quickly!" his companion nodded wordlessly as they continued on, both of them followed by a yellow dog wearing a green collar.

"Where's that key!" the duck mage grumbled as he tried to rack his brain for where to start looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack of the worlds.

"Hey ya know, maybe we ought to go find Leon!" The knight captain spoke up as they passed in front of the accessory shop. The dog has passed them both heading to the left of the shop sniffing the ground as if following a scent, while the duck mage headed toward the right of it, not even realizing their canine companion was wandering off. Seeing this the knight captain pointed after the departing dog.

"Uh Donald. Ya know, I betcha that…." he began only for Donald to cut him off bad-temperedly. "Ah what do you know, you big palooka?" The knight captain seemed to consider this a serious question.

"What do I know?" He wondered out loud, glancing back at the departing dog who turned into an alleyway. "Hmmm….cmon Pluto!" he called out to the now identified dog as he walked off to follow Donald.

Pluto continued down the alleyway, following the scent that had caught his attention as after passing some crates he came upon what he was looking for.

Sora and Kairi unconscious and propped up against the wall, Kairi's left hand tightly held in Sora's right hand.

-Unknown Location-

Consciousness came back slowly to the silver haired youth. The last thing he remembered was stepping through the dark portal that would lead him to liberation from the tiny world that was the Destiny Islands. He slowly groaned as he got to his feet, swaying as he regained his balance. Taking in his surroundings, Riku Kouzai saw he was in what looked like a ruined house that had fallen into decay and disrepair. Stumbling over to a nearby window he looked outside and his eyes widened in amazement as he beheld the canopy of a vast jungle spread out before him.