Prism Hearts 

 Chapter 2

 Prelude

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 It was raining. That was the first thing that Kairi noticed. Cold

 raindrops had plastered her clothes to her body, making her shiver.

 Hugging her cold body tightly, she slowly sat up. Where was she? It

 rained often enough on the Destiny Islands, but it was always a warm,

 gentle rain. Nothing like the freezing, harsh storm that fell down

 around her. 

 

 Slowly getting to her feet, Kairi began to stumble out of the alley

 she found herself in. Huge buildings rose up around her, impervious

 to the unending rain. Where was she? This wasn’t anything like home.

 It looked like some impersonal big city. It was late and the streets

 were empty, leaving her all alone. “Hello?” she asked meekly. There

 was no reply but the howl of the wind.

 

 Shaking her head, Kairi got her wet bangs out of her eyes. The

 buildings around her had an almost menacing look, as if they would

 reach out and grab for her themselves. Whether that was because of

 the darkness and the storm or if they were always like that, she

 couldn’t tell. She shivered again, trying to ignore it. “Riku? Sora?”

 she called out again, louder this time.

 

 Wet, cold, and alone, the brunette began to venture out into this

 new world she found herself in. There had to be someone who could

 tell her where she was. Or at least some place for her to get out of

 the pouring rain. Every little sound had her looking over her

 shoulder, glancing around. She didn’t like this place. She missed her

 island home already. But she had to keep looking. Riku and Sora were

 out there somewhere. Maybe someone here would know where they were. 

 

 Clank.

 

 Kairi whipped around quickly. It seemed to come from an alleyway

 nearby. She could feel her whole body shaking. She didn’t know if she

 was more frightened or excited by the sound. It was something in the

 darkness. It could be anything. On the other hand, it was the first

 sound that could be human contact she had since showing up in this

 weird city. So despite her worries, she ventured forward. Perhaps

 whoever it was could tell her where she was. Or where to get dry, at

 any rate. 

 

 The entrance to the alleyway opened up like the maw of some huge

 monster ready to swallow her up. But she had to find out who it was.

 Otherwise she’d still be all alone out here. Steeling herself, the

 young princess ran into the alley. 

 

 It was dark and wet in the alley, but the huge walls managed to

 prevent some of the downpour from getting in. It was a small respite

 from the storm. She sighed, holding herself tightly to try and keep

 in some semblance of warmth. “Hello?” she called out, trying to keep

 her nervousness from showing through. She heard another rattle and

 paused. Maybe she should go back. She glanced to the entrance again.

 No, she resolved. She couldn’t do that. If she gave up on this tiny

 thing, then how would she ever find her friends? Stepping closer, she

 raised her voice. “Hello?”

 

 Something tiny peeked out of a small box that it had been hiding in.

 “Meow,” it answered, looking up at her. 

 

 “Awww! How cute!” Kairi kneeled down, picking up the little kitten.

 It must have been making the noise as it struggled to find a way to

 escape the rain. It was gray with little black patches on its fur. It

 had the strangest green eyes that Kairi had ever seen. She couldn’t

 remember if she’d ever owned a kitten or not, but she knew that it

 was adorable. “Are you lost, too?” she asked. The kitten mewed in

 response, seeming to agree. Kairi smiled brightly, nuzzling the

 kitten’s nose. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. I may not be able to

 help my friends yet, but I’ll do my best to help you, at least.” This

 seemed to please the kitten, as it began to meow happily. 

 

 “That still doesn’t help us figure out where we are, though, does

 it?” Kairi looked around the alley. It was minor protection, but she

 couldn’t imagine spending the night in it. It was too creepy. There

 had to be some place that was open, someone who would tell them where

 they were. She held the wet kitten to her chest, running back out

 into the rain. She tried to hunch over as she ran to protect the

 kitten from the relentless pour. The little kitten curled up in a

 ball against her, closing its eyes tightly.

 

 Stopping in the middle of the street, the brunette started searching

 for her next target. Anything that looked open and inviting. There

 had to be somewhere she could go to escape the storm. She couldn’t

 just be lost out here. But at least she wasn’t alone anymore. She had

 this kitten at any rate. And she held onto it like a life preserver

 on a wild and reckless sea, her only friend at the moment. Because it

 needed her. 

 

 Something bright caught her eye, drawing her attention away from the

 ground level. Up on top of one of the buildings. On the building was

 a large screen, presumably for public announcements or advertisements

 or something. On that large screen was Kairi. She could only stare

 for a long moment, frozen in place. The image kept cycling, herself

 standing on the beach, static filtering across the screen. She would

 smile and walk forward and then it would skip back to the beginning,

 starting all over. “What?” She couldn’t tell if she’d actually spoken

 the word or just thought it. Why would she be showing on some sort of

 huge monitor? How could anyone know she was here? She glanced around

 worriedly. This was all wrong. This place wasn’t right at all. 

 

 The shadows seemed to move around her, swarming. It looked like they

 were surrounding her. She took a few steps backwards, but found that

 they were behind her as well. Slowly, creatures began to rise from

 the shadows, watching her. The Heartless! Her eyes widened as she saw

 them all around her. There was no escape. Her search for Riku and

 Sora was over before it had begun. She had failed the both of them.

 Footsteps behind her barely registered in her mind. Hadn’t the

 Heartless been stopped with Sora had locked the final door? They

 shouldn’t be here. But there they were, staring at her hungrily. The

 kitten poked its head out, hissing at the shadowy intruders. The

 continued to advance on her, ignoring the kitten’s warnings. 

 

 The footsteps were finally right next to the young princess,

 managing to capture her attention at last. She couldn’t stop the

 feeling that it was something just as bad or worse than the living

 shadows that were almost upon her. She could barely make him out in

 the darkness. He was wearing a dark jacket with a hood that obscured

 his face. He seemed to be wearing a blindfold as well, yet he seemed

 to know exactly where the Heartless were. He didn’t turn to Kairi,

 but instead kept a blind watch over the shadows. 

 

 “You can use the Keyblade, Kairi,” he said at last, seemingly

 unworried about the advancing Heartless. 

 

 Kairi shook her head quickly, still holding onto the kitten. “No, I

 can’t! I can’t fight! I’m not like Riku and Sora!” She would do

 anything she could to have her friends back, to protect them. But she

 wasn’t a fighter like they were. She just didn’t have that kind of

 skill. 

 

 “You have to, Kairi. You’re the only one who can stop the spreading

 darkness. If you don’t, it will envelop everything,” he said

 urgently. He finally turned to her. “Kairi, you are the light within

 the darkness. No one else can reach its heart.”

 

 “But...” Kairi stammered, unsure. How could she be important to all

 of this? She was only one of the seven princesses needed to open the

 final keyhole. And that was already sealed. So why was she the only

 one who could stop it? 

 

 “The Keyblade you wield is different from Sora’s. It’s the same as

 the one Riku had. It can unlock people’s hearts. Remember, Kairi,

 within every heart is a light that will never fade away. Even in the

 darkest heart. You need to unlock that light,” he continued. The

 cloaked figure turned away at last, the Heartless nearly upon them.

 Reaching into his large jacket, he pulled out two blades that looked

 like long, curved wings. “Run.”

 

 “I.. But who..” She began. But the Heartless were already leaping

 forward towards them. 

 

 “Run!” he called out, hurrying into the fray. 

 

 So Kairi ran. The rain fell heavily around her, as if it were trying

 to stop her itself. She could hear the boy fighting with the

 Heartless behind her, but she couldn’t look back. She just had to run

 as far as she could, to try to get away from all of this. She wanted

 to find her friends again. She didn’t know how she could save

 everything. That didn’t make sense to her. Her priority was still

 simple. To find Riku and Sora. Wherever they were. After that she

 would figure out whatever this thing about stopping the heart of

 darkness was. Besides, if she had Riku and Sora with her, she knew

 she could handle it. But right now, she was still all alone.

 

 Suddenly, Kairi’s feet were no longer touching the floor. The world

 spun around her as she fell in the air. For a moment, she thought

 that maybe the world was shifting around her, that she was going

 someplace else. But the wet street greeted her eagerly as she fell

 back to the earth. She lay there for a long moment, disoriented. But

 by the time she had regained her senses, it was too late. A rather

 large Heartless was upon her. She felt it grab her hand, yanking her

 off her feet. It looked at her with unseeing eyes, slowly reaching

 out. Her heart pounded in her chest. Was this how it was all going to

 end? Hunted down by the Heartless before she could ever find her

 friends? A lot of good she had done them. They would get back to the

 Destiny Islands one day and she wouldn’t be there waiting for them.

 And they’d never know what had happened to her. She shuddered at the

 thought. 

 

 ‘This isn’t real. None of it is. Just open your eyes. You’re safe

 and sound back home. This is only a dream,’ a voice said deep inside

 of Kairi. 

 

 ‘This doesn’t feel like a dream,’ Kairi thought frantically as the

 Heartless continued reaching out for her. In desparation, she closed

 her eyes. "Go away. Please go away,” she whispered, her eyes shut

 tightly. She gasped, her eyes opening as she felt it’s cold hand

 reach into her chest, hunting for her heart. And it was gone. All of

 it. The Heartless, the city, the rain. It was all gone.

 

 Kairi bolted upright in the bed she found herself lying on. She was

 in a slightly cluttered room. All across the bed were small little

 plush dolls. Each looked like they were made with love and care,

 attention spent on minor details. Around the room were drawing upon

 drawing, some taped to the walls, some pinned to them, and other

 lying almost to the point of overflowing on the desk in the corner. 

 

 “Where am I?” Kairi asked to no one in particular, glancing about

 the strange room. 

 

 “You’re home,” a girl replied, startling the brunette. The voice

 came from behind the door in the room, as if the person was leaning

 against it. “See? It was all just a bad dream. You could have woken

 up from it whenever you wanted to. But it doesn’t matter. You’re home

 now.”

 

 “I’m home?” the princess asked, looking about the room. Her eyes

 settled on a small picture frame that lie near the bed on a stand

 with the lamp. It was a picture of herself. She didn’t look

 particularly happy in the picture, her blue eyes distant. She was

 wearing all dark clothes, a hand against her cheek. She shook her

 head quickly. That couldn’t be her. She looked so sad in the picture,

 so alone. 

 

 “Where are the Destiny Islands? Why am I here?” she demanded,

 staring at the door.

 

 “The Destiny Islands are in your head. You made them up. You’re here

 because you finally opened your eyes. You’ve stopped daydreaming.

 This is real life, Kairi. Or as close as you’ll allow yourself to get

 to it,” the voice answered.

 

 Kairi paled at the thought. She shook her head violently. “No!

 They’re not in my head. They’re real. I’ve spent the past few years

 living there with Riku and Sora.”

 

 The girl on the other side of the door laughed. “Oh, you mean the ‘I

 woke up on the Islands without any memory and met my wonderful

 friends’ thing? Why do you think you had no memory? Because you

 didn’t want to remember. It wasn’t amnesia, Kairi. It was you

 choosing to forget. And did you ever notice how everything was

 absolutely perfect on the Destiny Islands? You had your two cute

 friends who happened to compete at everything. Especially you. Wow,

 sounds a little like a girl’s romantic daydream, doesn’t it?”

 

 “No, it’s not like that,” Kairi said. She wasn’t liking where this

 was going at all. This room, it felt so familiar. The voice on the

 other side sounded like she had heard it somewhere before. It all

 felt like pieces to some puzzle. If she only allowed them to fit

 together, it would all make sense. But she couldn’t allow this to

 make sense. That would be acknowledging that everything that had

 happened with Sora and Riku wasn’t real. And she couldn’t do that.

 

 “Take a look around your room, Kairi. You were absolutely obsessed

 about this Island you made up. About a place where you had friends.

 Where there were people who liked you. Where you weren’t so lonely.

 It’s all you’ve been thinking about for years now. You came up with

 everything about it. The people who lived there, what it all looked

 like, how they all acted. It was the most important thing in your

 life. Because it let you escape the pain. So eventually you escaped

 to it altogether, pretending that it was real,” the voice explained.

 

 Kairi began to look around the room. True enough, the pictures were

 all of the Destiny Islands. They were all in her art style. She could

 see Riku and Sora, Selphie and the others, all in her pictures. There

 was even a picture of them all building a raft together. One of the

 pictures was of Riku, with several different drawings of him, all

 slightly different as if she had been trying to figure out just

 exactly how he should look. Another picture was an entire overview of

 what the Islands looked like, with little notes in her handwriting

 saying who lived where and what certain things were. It looked like

 she had created the islands in her drawings. But she had lived there.

 She had been there with Riku and Sora. It wasn’t just a dream. It

 couldn’t have been. She hadn’t made it all up. She hadn’t.

 

 The brunette hugged the kitten tighter to her chest for comfort. But

 the feeling was different. It was soft and plush. Looking down, she

 saw it was one of the dolls. But not just a normal doll. It was a

 doll of Sora. She held it up, her mouth opening, but nothing coming

 out. She turned around, glancing at other dolls. There was Riku. And

 over there in the small yellow dress was Yuffie. And Quistis. And

 Tidus. And Wakka. And many, many more. She had dolls of all of them,

 spread all about her bed. She grabbed for them, holding as many as

 she could in her arms. These people, these important people in her

 heart, they were all dolls lying across her bed. 

 

 “You made those dolls in your spare time. And you had a lot of it.

 You spent almost all your time in your room. Mom got so scared that

 something was wrong with you. You’d always disappear back here,

 making your dolls of the characters you wanted to meet, or drawing

 those pictures of the Islands you made up. Always lost in your own

 fantasies, always trying to escape the real world.”

 

 Kairi was confused. What if this was right? What if she really had

 just been dreaming it all, making it all up? Maybe she really was

 just a lonely, lost little girl. But there was still a glimmer of

 hope. She held onto it tightly, trying to keep from doubting her

 friends’ existence. “But we traveled beyond the Destiny Islands. I

 was with Sora in his heart while he sealed the Keyholes in all the

 different worlds.”

 

 “You mean those Disney worlds? The ones you’ve watched over and over

 and over again? Of course you’d pretend to visit those places, too.

 You have every Disney video ever made. When you aren’t making up

 things for your islands, you’re watching those videos. Because they

 always end with happily ever after, with the prince Saving the

 princess. They’re just another way you escape,” The voice responded. 

 

 The brunette’s shoulders slumped, her last shred of hope crushed

 into stardust. She could remember them now. She could remember late

 at night, watching the movies over and over again, crying herself to

 sleep as the credits rolled, asking herself why she couldn’t be

 Cinderella, why she couldn’t have her happily ever after. She could

 remember sitting alone in her room, drawing the islands the way she

 wanted them to be. Making the dolls of all the friends she would meet

 along the way. Playing those games over and over again, all set in a

 far off fantasy world that she could never hope to be. Selphie was

 from one of them, wasn’t she? And so was Tidus and Wakka. And

 Quistis. Even the heroes that Sora had met, Cloud, Squall, Aerith,

 and Yuffie. They were all from the games she had played. Was it all

 nothing more than her imagination, her own personal paradise she

 would escape to? Even the worlds she had visited outside of her

 island had come from these things. Was none of it real? 

 

 Standing up, the princess (was that even real?) headed for the door.

 She needed to know the truth. She needed to understand what was going

 on. Her heart felt bruised and battered, knocked around inside of

 her. Sora and Riku had to be real. They had to! She couldn’t admit to

 herself that it was all a lie, all part of some escapist fantasy. She

 paused before the door. She knew the other girl was out there, still

 leaning against the door, waiting for her. She had the answers. She

 knew what was going on. But did she even want to hear them? But deep

 down, she had to know. Reaching out slowly, she felt her hand clasp

 around the cold doorknob. Her hand gripped it tightly, though she was

 almost afraid that it would burn her or yank out of her grasp. She

 swallowed, trying to pool her resolve. She closed her eyes tightly.

 Whatever lay beyond that door would forever change her life. The

 doorknob slowly turned beneath her fingers...

 

 And caught. The door was locked. It wouldn’t open. She tried again,

 with the same failure. It refused to open for her. “Why won’t it

 open?” she asked in frustration, trying one last time.

 

 “Because you don’t want it to. You can’t accept it. The door to the

 real world won’t open until you’re willing to accept reality. It

 won’t open until you’re ready. And you aren’t ready yet,” the voice

 said softly. “You’re still trapped between fantasy and reality. This

 is your real bedroom, but it’s still in a dream. You can’t leave the

 dream until you’re ready for what’s out here. The real world can be

 cold and lonely, Kairi. Trust me. I know. It cultivates darkness. It

 spreads like wildfire through people’s hearts. Everyone is lonely.

 Everyone suffers. No one can blame you for wanting to escape it all.

 No one can blame you for what you did.”

 

 Kairi’s wrists began to burn painfully at the other girl’s words.

 She looked down only to find blood seeping through the wristbands she

 wore. She looked up again, panicking. She was bleeding. Her wrists

 had been slashed. “Help me!” she cried, slumping against the door.

 “Please help me...” Tears spilt down her cheeks as she slid down the

 door to her knees. 

 

 “No one can help you, Kairi. You’re the one who slit your wrists.

 You’re the one who couldn’t stand to live in this world anymore.

 You’re the one who gave it up for your fantasies. But now reality is

 seeping into your fantasies. That is the Heartless. The cold,

 heartless reality that doesn’t care either way for you. And you can’t

 stop reality from finding a way in.”

 

 Kairi sobbed, curling up into a ball on the floor. She was feeling

 so weak and dizzy as the blood seeped from her body. She could dimly

 remember the cold feel of sharp metal against her flesh, the

 determined thought that she would finally be free of her loneliness

 and pain. She could remember trying to kill herself. And now it all

 felt as if it was catching up to her. “Riku.. Sora..” she called out

 weakly, her vision dimming. She was dying, she realized. Everything

 was fading away. Perhaps she really hadn’t been on her island after

 all. She had merely imagined it all in those seconds after she had

 cut her wrists open. All those years had only been frantic seconds.

 Whereas other people saw their lives flashing before their eyes,

 Kairi only wanted to see her fantasies, nothing from her real life

 deigning itself worthy to show up before the end. And now cold

 reality was taking over in those last precious seconds of life. It

 chilled her soul. She was so scared. All alone, bleeding to death on

 the carpet. And the boys she relied on the most weren’t even real.

 

 “How will mom feel when she finds you dead in your room? How am I

 supposed to feel? Damn it, Kairi! Why did you have to do that?” the

 voice on the other side of the door asked, sounding both angry and

 close to tears. “You have such a strong spirit. Why couldn’t you just

 hold out a little longer?”

 

 But it was too late. Kairi was too numb to even speak. She simply

 lay there. She could see someone’s feet on the other end of the door,

 but even that was fading fast. ‘I’m sorry,’ she tried to say. But

 nothing came out. And everything turned to black.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 ‘Dear diary,

 It’s me, Selphie, again. But you probably already knew that. I’m

 writing this on the pier. Yeah, I know Kairi’s usually sitting here,

 worrying about Riku and Sora, but she’s gone now. No one knows where.

 She disappeared not too long ago. We’ve been looking all over for

 her, on all the Destiny Islands, but no one knows where she’s gone

 off to. It’s like she up and vanished. Or maybe she grew wings and

 flew off somewhere. No one really knows. Wherever she is, I hope

 she’s happy. Maybe she’s even found Sora and Riku by now! Booyaka!

 (No one’s using that yet! Quisty just looks embarrassed when I tell

 her we should be spreading that word.)

 

 I’m trying to be hopeful about the whole thing, but everything’s

 been weird since Kairi left. The seas all rough and angry now. And

 the skies are growing darker. It’s like a big storm is approaching.

 But it feels a lot worse than that, like something else is coming. I

 can’t get it off my mind. The ocean doesn’t look friendly anymore.

 The skies don’t look beautiful and free. It’s all like some dark and

 twisted version of itself. I don’t like it at all. 

 

 Oh, Quisty and I shared a Paopu fruit!! It was just as romantic as I

 imagined it would be! We sat there on the island and watched the

 sunset together. I finally managed to work up the courage to open the

 fruit. Quistis blushed in that cute, mature way she always has and

 took the piece I offered her. Then she took a piece and fed it to me!

 I could’ve died right then. It was sooooo sweet! And not just the

 fruit. Having her feed it to me like that was so romantic. I spent

 the rest of the night with my head on her shoulder, holding onto her

 with everything I had. My mom was so mad when I got home! She said

 she was worried when I didn’t get home last night. I’ve got loads of

 extra chores, but I don’t care. It was worth it to spend the night

 with my Quisty. I guess our hearts are forever intertwined now,

 right? Great! Wherever I go, I know it’ll be with her.  

 

 Still, I can’t help worrying about Kairi. And what’s happening to

 the Destiny Islands. I know that Quisty will help me through it,

 whatever it is, but I still don’t like whatever’s happening. I wonder

 if...’

 

 A hand rested on Selphie’s bare shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly,

 shaking Selphie from her diary based thoughts. Selphie looked up and

 smiled at the blonde girl standing beside her. She had been sitting

 at the dock for a while, taking up Kairi’s usual position. She hadn’t

 even noticed that Quistis had come to the island. But she was

 suddenly very glad the slightly older girl had. All of this looking

 at the ocean and thinking about Kairi was starting to worry her. And

 she was usually the happy, upbeat one. At least when Quistis was

 around she could concentrate on trying to lift the blonde girl’s

 spirits instead. She placed her hand over Quistis’s, still looking

 out to sea. 

 

 “I realized something must be wrong when you didn’t show up to come

 drag me from my studies today. I don’t think you’ve ever been late to

 distract me yet,” Quistis explained. She smiled faintly as she sat

 down next to the other girl on the edge of the pier. 

 

 “It’s that time already?” Selphie asked, blinking. “Darn!” She stood

 up quickly, as if to go back and get Quistis. But of course, Quistis

 was already there. She shook her head, holding her diary to her

 chest. “I completely forgot the time. I meant to go get you before

 you got lost in all those books. But then I thought I’d sit down for

 a minute. Then I thought I’d get some of my diary done. And then...

 Well, I guess you know what happened then because you’re here.”

 

 The blonde girl giggled, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “Yes,

 I am, Selphie. I was just worried about you. When you didn’t show up,

 I thought maybe something had gone wrong. Kairi disappeared, so I

 thought maybe you’d been next. I’m just glad it wasn’t anything.”

 With the strange weather and the other girl’s disappearance, Quistis

 had been extremely worried for the past day. She couldn’t tell if

 that was the extent of things or if they would spread. And the

 thought of one day finding Selphie missing was horrifying. So when

 Selphie hadn’t been there, she had panicked and headed out to the

 smallest of the islands where Selphie and her friends liked to play

 as quickly as she could. She was relieved to find her spunky

 girlfriend alive and well. And still planning on interrupting her

 studies as always. Maybe things hadn’t changed that much after all.

 

 Selphie sat down again. After just a moment’s hesitation, she rested

 her head on Quistis’s shoulder, sighing happily and hugging her

 diary. “Nope, I’m still here. You can’t get rid of me that easily.

 I’ll always be following you around. Forever.”

 

 Quistis smiled warmly, letting her fingers sift through Selphie’s

 brunette hair. Selphie always managed to make her forget all about

 her worries. “I love you, Selphie,” she whispered softly, still

 playing with the younger girl’s hair. 

 

 Blushing faintly, Selphie turned to look up at Quistis. Green eyes

 met the blonde’s blue eyes. “I love you, too, Quisty,” she said, her

 eyes sparkling brightly. She closed her eyes as Quistis leaned in,

 kissing her. Sighing happily, she melted against the older girl.

 There would be time to worry later on. Much later on. 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 Kairi awoke to find herself in yet another alleyway. But at least it

 wasn’t raining this time. The kitten was licking at her face, trying

 to wake her up. She slowly got to her feet, her head still swimming.

 Where was she now? It didn’t look like the big, menacing city she had

 been in before. She picked up the kitten and stepped out of the

 alley, rubbing her head. She tried to block out the memories of being

 in her room, of the voice behind the door. Of course this was all

 real. This had always been real. It was the way of things. But still,

 she couldn’t help but have a tiny doubt inside of herself. Maybe the

 voice had been telling the truth. Maybe..

 

 But she couldn’t allow that. She couldn’t let any of it not be real.

 It was all too important to her. Riku, Sora, their islands, their

 friends. She wouldn’t let it all be some delusion. She would fight

 for them, fight to protect them all. 

 

 Slowly, Kairi looked down to her wrists. Her wristbands looked fine,

 bloodless. But she couldn’t help but wonder. She reached out one

 hand, pulling one of them back inch by inch. She had always worn

 them, never questioning them. But now she wondered why. Maybe it was

 because they were covering something. As it inched up, she stared in

 shock. A long scar ran along her wrist, right where she would have

 cut. She yanked the cloth down quickly, covering the scar. Shaking

 now, she tried desperately to ignore it. It wasn’t there. It was just

 her overactive imagination. She needed to focus on something else.

 Like where she was. That was the important thing at the moment. 

 

 Looking up and down the street, she couldn’t see anyone. It was

 still late and no one seemed to be about. But there was a place with

 a light on. It still seemed to be open. She sighed in relief, heading

 for it. The place seemed to be named Fate. She paused before the

 door, reading it again. An interesting name, at any rate. With all

 the weird places she had ended up, she was curious as to whether that

 was simply a name or this place’s true purpose. Whatever the case,

 she entered into the building, holding the kitten in one arm. 

 

 Inside, she could see that it was a bar, or a club or something of

 the sort. It had interesting music playing and there was even a car

 inside for patrons to sit in. It didn’t seem to be very busy at the

 moment, though. A large, frightening looking man with metallic horns

 on his head and a leather jacket was leaning against the wall.

 Another man with tattoos all over his body was leaning back in a

 chair. Sitting at a table, a man with spiky hair was frowning while a

 girl in a big yellow raincoat was talking to him cheerfully. At the

 bar sat a blonde man with a red and blue jacket. And behind the bar,

 cleaning out glasses, was the bar hostess, a woman with very long,

 dark hair. 

 

 “Oh, Sion! You look so cute with puppy ears? Doesn’t he, Kou? Like a

 great, big puppy dog!” Dominique squealed happily. She was forcing

 fake puppy ears onto Sion’s head. The spiky haired man simply sighed,

 offering up no resistance.

 

 Kou laughed, watching in wry amusement. “Sure does, Dominique. I bet

 he’d make an even better bouncer wearing those things all the time.”

 

 “You really think so?” Dominique asked thoughtfully. She grinned,

 nodding. “I think you should always wear them, Sion!”

 

 The woman behind the bar smiled, waving Kairi over. “Hello, little

 girl. Can I help you? My name’s Tifa. I own this bar. We don’t really

 get a lot of young girls showing up. Well, besides Dominique.” She

 looked over at the blonde girl accosting her bouncer and sighed,

 shaking her head. “Anyway, what can I do for you?”

 

 Kairi hugged the kitten, heading over to the bar. This woman seemed

 nice. And after all the Heartless earlier and being alone except for

 the spooky voice behind her door, she felt glad to be around people

 again. “I was hoping you could tell me where I am.” She looked down

 as soon as she asked the question. She realized how idiotic it

 sounded. How could she not know where she was? But still, she had to

 know.

 

 “You’re in Traverse Town,” Tifa said simply, setting a cup full of

 milk down. She winked at the younger girl. “I have to have some non-

 alchoholic beverages around with how often Dominique’s here.”

 

 Smiling gratefully, Kairi took a long sip of the cold milk. It felt

 comforting somehow. And it was so nice to finally know where she was.

 She had spent some time in Traverse Town back when Sora had been

 patching things up at the End of the World. Now she didn’t feel quite

 so lost anymore. And maybe Sora would even end up checking back

 there. Things didn’t feel as hopeless as they had. 

 

 “Tifa.. Why don’t we have any hotdogs left? I’m so hungry!” The

 blond man in the red and blue jacket asked, holding his stomach.

 

 Tifa sighed, wiping up the counter. “Because you ate them all, Zell.

 I’m not going to make anymore if you always wind up eating them

 before I can sell any.”

 

 “But.. But Tifa!” Zell argued futilely. The barmaid just refused to

 acknowledge him, still going about her work. 

 

 Kairi looked around at the group in the bar and then back to Tifa.

 “Aren’t these an awful lot of bouncers for one bar?”

 

 Tifa shrugged, pausing in her work. “Not really. With the Heartless

 around, it’s just not safe these days. So by keeping so many bouncers

 around, people can relax when they’re at Fate. They can come here and

 forget their worries. And people like to have a place to escape from

 everything, you know?”

 

 Kairi shuddered at the word escape. It reminded her too much of the

 voices accusations that all of this was only an escape for her, not

 real. 

 

 “You should see Tifa fight! It’s not like she needs us bouncers

 anyway. But she can’t be serving drinks and fighting the Heartless at

 the same time. That’s the only reason she needs us,” Kou stated,

 grinning. 

 

 Tifa laughed, holding her arm out behind the bar. “Everyone at the

 bar Fate can make your stay a safe experience. So if you ever need

 help, little girl, just head back here. We’ll be more than happy to

 help you.” She smiled sweetly. 

 

 “My name’s Kairi,” Kairi said. She nodded. “And thank you. Thank you

 very much! You’ve already helped a lot!” 

 

 Tifa grinned. “Anytime. It’s what we’re here for. So why is a cute

 little girl like you all alone in a place like Traverse Town? Let me

 guess, lost your world, huh? It seems like everyone who escapes from

 that ends up here.” Sighing, she shook her head. It was always such a

 shame to see people end up there all alone, losing their families and

 friends. That’s why she had started Fate, as a place where people

 could forget their pain. 

 

 “Actually, I’m looking for my friends. My world’s still there. I

 think. I’m trying to find Riku and Sora. They’re lost out there

 somewhere and I have to find them,” Kairi explained. She was almost

 hopeful that they had some news, that perhaps some word had reached

 this bar. 

 

 Tifa shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve heard of either of them.

 I’ll be sure to keep listening for anyone who brings up their names,

 though. Lots of people from all over come in through here. Just keep

 checking in and I’m sure we’ll get some information sooner or later,”

 she promised. 

 

 “So the Heartless are back? And people are travelling to different

 worlds again? I thought that no one could travel because the barriers

 between the worlds were restored when the final keyhole was locked,”

 Kairi asked, confused. It didn’t make sense that the Heartless were

 back. Hadn’t Sora solved all that?

 

 “Well, the barriers seemed to be in place for a while. The worlds

 had been restored and everything seemed to be in place. But before

 the barriers had even fully set in, they disappeared. And then the

 Heartless began to appear again. They’ve already overrun a number of

 worlds, swallowing them. People are using Traverse Town as a refuge.

 So we’re doing our best to help the people here,” Tifa explained,

 resting her hands on the counter. 

 

 “Oh,” Kairi said simply, letting it all sink in. “Something must

 have gone wrong,” she reasoned. “Riku and Sora must not have been

 able to stop it after all. So it’s still out there.” That thought

 frightened her. Now she really needed to find Sora and Riku. If they

 hadn’t succeeded after all, then they might be in danger. Finishing

 her milk, she stood up. “Thank you!” She called out, waving as she

 headed for the door.

 

 “Don’t mention it! Be strong, Kairi!” Tifa called after her, waving

 back. 

 

 Kairi nodded, smiling as she exited the bar. With her newfound gem

 of hope, she stepped out into the street. Now where to begin her

 search? Someone had to have some idea of where her friends were, or

 at least where to begin. She began walking along Dog Street, the

 street that Fate was on, lost in her own thoughts. 

 

 Before she got too far, a hand snaked out and clamped over her

 mouth. Another hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her into another

 alleyway. Kairi was really beginning to hate alleyways. A small

 dagger pushed against her throat, cutting off any thoughts of

 struggling in her mind. “So what about this one? Anythin’ valuable?”

 a strange accent said behind her. Kairi froze, her heart pounding in

 her chest. She was being mugged. She just seemed to keep finding

 herself in trouble. Were they just going to rob her? She had nothing

 of worth. Would they kill her when they were done? An icy chill ran

 through her heart. 

 

 “She’s sure cute, at any rate,” A blond man said, grinning. He had a

 long tail moving behind him. 

 

 “And young. Get your mind out of the gutter, Zidane. We’ve got a

 show to do in twenty minutes,” a girl stated. 

 

 “Zidane’s just stating the obvious,” another man said in Zidane’s

 defense. 

 

 “Oye. Can we just see if she’s got anything worth takin’ and leave?”

 the accent said in her ear again. 

 

 “Any materia?” the girl’s voice asked hopefully. She stepped forward

 in the dim light of the alleyway, ready to search Kairi. The girl

 blinked in surprise. “Wait, I know her. Kairi? Is that you?” 

 

 “Yuffie?” Kairi asked hopefully, still not moving an inch. She had

 only met Yuffie for a brief time after Sora had saved her from Hollow

 Bastion. Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith had taken care of her while she

 waited for Sora to return. The ninja girl was arrogant and sarcastic,

 but she liked her anyway. And any familiar face was good at the

 moment. 

 

 “Let her go, Kid. She’s a friend of mine,” Yuffie explained. The

 knife and hand pulled away from Kairi, letting her free. “Are you

 okay, Kairi? Long time no see. Sorry about the rough treatment. We’re

 the Radical Dreamers. Me, Kid, Zidane, and Locke. We had another

 member, but she’s been missing for a while. We don’t know what

 happened to her. Hopefully nothing bad. Anyway, we’re a group of

 thieves. Well, thieves/performers. We’re in high demand in all sorts

 of different worlds.” The ninja smiled proudly. “We just happen to

 make some extra profits by robbing everyone blind, too. It’s a

 living.”

 

 Kairi blinked, rubbing her neck. “So you gave up being part of a

 group of heroes to join a group of thieves?”

 

 “I’m not a thief. I’m a professional treasure hunter,” Locke added

 helpfully.

 

 “Thieves/performers,” Yuffie corrected, ignoring the man in the

 bandana.

 “And yes. But not just because I felt like ditching Aerith and Leon.

 They’re both with their lovers right now, so I felt kind of out of

 place. On top of that, I noticed that something was wrong when the

 worlds started connecting again. So I figured I’d go check it out

 while Leon and Aerith are playing doctor with Rinoa and Cloud. I just

 happened to hook up with my old friends the Radical Dreamers while I

 was at it.”

 

 Zidane sighed, looking over his shoulder. “Well, if this whole thing

 was a bust, we really need to get going. The show’s gonna start soon.

 Good luck with your friend, Yuffie. Maybe you can give us a more

 proper introduction next time.” The catboy grinned, winking at Kairi.

 Taking her hand, he placed a kiss on it before turning to leave with

 Locke.

 

 Kairi blushed faintly at the attention. Yuffie just gave an

 exasperated sigh, as if this wasn’t anything new. “Just ignore him,”

 the ninja said as the two boys left.

 

 The princess nodded thoughtfully. “I’m glad someone else noticed

 things have been weird lately. I’m looking for Sora and Riku. They

 never came back after sealing the final Keyhole. I have to find

 them.” Meanwhile, Kairi’s kitten had scurried over to Yuffie’s feet,

 rubbing against her stocking and meowing like crazy. Kairi giggled.

 “I guess she really likes you, Yuffie.”

 

 Yuffie tried to shoo the cat away with her foot, but the kitten

 ignored it, pawing at her leg and looking up at her. “Yeah, I guess

 so. Though I’ve never been much of a cat person.” 

 

 “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with the Keyblade. Maybe

 I can give it to Riku or Sora when I find them,” Kairi said, sighing. 

 

 That caught Yuffie’s attention. “The Keyblade? You have the

 Keyblade?” Kairi nodded. The ninja looked at her for a moment,

 weighing her options. “All right, how about this. I’ll let you come

 with me. I need to find out what’s going on anyway, so you might as

 well follow me. And I’m sure we’ll run into your friends along the

 way.”

 

 “Are you sure you wouldn’t be following me around, Yuffie?” Kairi

 asked with a giggle. 

 

 “Why would the great ninja Yuffie ever have to follow someone?”

 Yuffie asked incredulously. “Anyway, how does that sound?” She held

 her hand out, watching the younger girl.

 

 “Sounds great,” Kairi said eagerly, taking Yuffie’s hand with both

 of hers. She felt ecstatic to know she wasn’t on her own anymore.

 Yuffie was a ninja. She knew how to handle these things. She could

 help her find Riku and Sora. Things were starting to look up. 

 

 “Great!” Yuffie grinned. She didn’t need Leon or Aerith after all.

 And this time she could help the Keyblade Master.. err.. Mistress to

 stop the Heartless once and for all. “Now would you mind getting your

 kitten away from me?”

 

 “Oh, sure.” Kairi knelt down, picking up the kitten, embarrassed.

 The kitten struggled to keep it’s claws in Yuffie’s stockings, but

 she finally managed to get it free after a short struggle. The kitten

 meowed again and again, struggling to get free of Kairi. “I’m sorry,

 she’s usually not like this. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

 

 “Must be star struck. Not everyday you get to meet the Radical

 Dreamers,” Kid said, winking. 

 

 “Speaking of which, we need to hurry if we’re going to get there

 before the curtain rises. And we’re still out a cast member.” Yuffie

 crossed her arms, looking at Kairi for a moment. “Would you mind

 filling in? We’ve already booked today, so we need to get this out of

 the way, but after that we’ll start looking for your friends.” ‘And

 treasure,’ she mentally added. With all the worlds they’d be going

 to, she’d probably amass a fortune before finally stopping the

 Heartless. Ahhh.. Fame and money. What could be better?

 

 Kairi thought it over for a moment. It was the least she could do

 after Yuffie had agreed to help her. And she had played similar games

 with Sora and Riku back on the island. Sure this was a little bigger

 than playing pretend, but it was essentially the same thing, right?

 She nodded. “Okay, I’ll help.” 

 

 “Good. Let’s hurry and get you in a costume before the play starts.”

 Yuffie grabbed her hand and pulled her along. 

 

 Kairi stumbled afterwards, still holding her feisty kitten. She sure

 hoped this wasn’t a mistake.