#multi-chapter fic

You've read about him, nothing really remarkable about the Dr. Evans besides the fact that he could draw up chemical reactions in a comprehensible way, but couldn’t even muster an apology - the article did say that he was a reserved person after all. And the chemistry prodigy was wearing pajamas to work? You were confused, only for a moment, before brushing it off and heading to the lab that you were supposed to be in… on time. 

Arriving in the smaller, well-lit room filled with older and some younger male scientists, looking at you standing in the doorway. An older man pipes up, “You’re late, sweetheart. You were supposed to be here at seven, on the dot.” Eyes flickering over to the clock that was higher up on the wall, and it read 7:01 - nodding your head, deciding not to retaliate since it was your first day. “Apologies,” you murmured as you walked into the room, setting your notebook on the table, a small distance away from the group of men and their prying eyes.

Before you could even get started on your work, the older guy who ridiculed you said that he had chores for you to do, and when you were done with those, he wanted a cup of coffee. You didn’t even get to mutter a word out, to say you were a lab tech, not a secretary. He didn’t care in the slightest and ushered you away, forcing a clipboard into your hands. Grumbling softly but reluctantly, you moved back out the door and into the hallways of the building, looking at the list that was now in your hands, reading off the items that were needed:

Sulphuric Acid

Methanol

Bunsen Burners

Ribose

Beakers

Coffee

Each item was in a different part of the building, of course it was. You didn’t expect anything less. You made haste, practically running around the building collecting the apparatus needed, checking it off the list as you went. You finally came to the final thing on your list, beakers, which was written to be upstairs. Walking into the first room you could find, your eyes are planted on the clipboard in front of you. Not even bothering to knock, which was your first mistake.

“Did you not see the sign?” The voice went unheard as you looked up from your clipboard, more focused on the task at hand than whoever was talking to you. Your gaze landed on the counter of the lab, finally finding the beakers that you needed. You grabbed the tray, then noticed a man across the room.

“Oh– shit..” You nearly dropped the beakers, “You– shit, sorry.. You scared the hell out of me…” Then a look of recognition, “Oh–.! Oh shit- I mean- sorry, oh your.. Dr. Evans… – pardon me for my language…” 

“No, no.” Waving you off, his eyes now boring into you, “First off, tell me why you are in here, stealing my beakers and not even knocking when I have a sign that says.. do not disturb?” 

“Sorry, I must’ve not seen it.” A small smirk flashed across his face, finding the entire ordeal entertaining, before he cleared his throat. “Well, you're one for apologies, but sorry doesn’t cut it. Why is a secretary stealing my beakers? When I’m not to be disturbed.” “I’m not stealing, I’m simply borrowing for the time being, and I’m not a secretary, Dr. Evans.” His eyebrows knitted together, his arms crossing over his chest, “You’re not a secretary? Then what are you?” “I’m a Lab Tech.” Calvin stifled out a laugh. “I highly doubt that. You look like a secretary with that hair.” He moved closer, noticing your name tag. “You’re the new girl, aren’t you? Stealing on your first day… I’m disappointed, expecting you’d know better as a proposed Lab Tech.”

“Well, I’m not stealing, like I said before. I’ll get these back to you by the end of the day.” “I’ll hold you to that, secretary.” 

You had to refrain from talking back to him, he’s Calvin Evans for christ sake, but god, he found a way to just get under your skin from a singular conversation. You looked down at the tray of beakers as you headed out of his laboratory, noticing that he wrote his initials “C.E” on every single one, charming.

Later that night, you were packing up in your laboratory, ready to head home for the evening, suspecting that every other scientist and secretary already left the building. When you hear a sudden voice come from behind you. “Beakers.” You jumped, turning around. Noticing Calvin. “What?” You regained your composure. “My beakers. Where are they? You told me you’d have them back at the end of the day.” He leaned against the counter, noticing that Calvin was wearing the same clothes he had come into work in that morning, the sleeves rolled up, showing his forearms. A small thought swirling around your head, before realising you were staring dead at his arms, your gaze shifting away.

“Beakers?-- right, right. They’re…” You looked around the laboratory, expecting them to be on one of the many counters in the room. “They’re where?” He looked unimpressed. “They’re in a different lab, one of the locked ones.” “Of course they are.” He sighed, pushing himself off the counter - back turned to you. “I’m sorry– I’ll give them to you tomorrow, they’ll be hard to miss with your initials written onto them.” You joked, he turned around. “This is funny to you?” “You’re getting mad over beakers.” “I trusted you with my beakers, and you have proven yourself not to be worthy once more. That's not surprising.” He let out a breath.

“What’s more surprising is that you’re wearing pajamas to work, Calvin.” His name slipped out of your mouth before you even recognised you did. His eyes shifted a bit, like he was mulling things over. Letting out a hum before speaking again. “These are my running clothes.” “Of course you run.” You mumbled under your breath, eyes diverting away - looking out the window as a crutch. “What was that?--” You cut him off, “Let’s just go home, Dr. Evans. I’ll have your beakers tomorrow.” Grabbing the rest of your things, heading to the door. Calvin followed close behind, basically towering over you as you walked out into the cold air.

Swallow

Chapter Eight: The Shelter from This Storm

Author's Note: Yes, Kairi is, indeed, slightly OOC here, but it's intended for character development purposes and she'll moreso be herself again in the future.

Yozora's PoV

"We should dance, dear Yozora," Stella beamed at Yozora, taking his hands in her own, while she began leading him around his ballroom in a loose spin without his say so… and honestly, this was one of the reasons he loved her, Yozora knew. Even if his heart wasn't in it right now.

"How can I celebrate, Stella, when our benefactor—the Master of Masters—wants to use you to light up the world in some sort of apocalypse scenario? Who even knows what would happen to you? …Even though he has too much power as our enemy now, I think we should say 'no.'"

"…I think we should say, 'yes,' sweetling, and always put others first. Mustn't we? But the fact that I... might be lost is why we should enjoy the time we have here with all that we have, so dance with me."

Riku's PoV

Riku reached where Kairi and Sora were disappearing just as it was too late to follow after them!

And while part of him thought that maybe he should stay with the crew of the Firefly here, until they had things settled—as it looked like they had just been through the ringer down here, more or less—right now he couldn't find it within himself to care.

He knew they could handle it on their own, anyway. And as it was, Riku knew he wasn't supposed to be messing with the World Order… even if he also hated that old mantra.

Looking at Mal—and hating how he had somewhat seen these people as family before and was now preparing to leave them to this mess—Riku shouted as loud as he was able, so he could be heard over this disaster, "Unfortunately, I have to take my leave here! Kairi is missing! But I- I have a friend who will be able to take point and help me find her."

And not waiting for any arguments about this—like how the crew could of course help him look for Kairi—Riku began running away, making it look like he was desperate to find Kairi. And he was.

But why… why did this feel like so many years ago, when Riku had been desperate to locate Kairi the first time?

And that Sora and Kairi, intentionally or not, always left him behind?

The "friend" Riku had been talking about just now who would "take point" was Naminé, though the part about her coming here had been a lie on his part.

But Riku had remembered how Naminé had saved him from fading away in that light before—and had wanted him to face the darkness—and he had prayed that she'd understand him again… and maybe be here for him once more in his hour of need.

Though, really, he knew that that was a silly thought. Naminé had enough issues going on herself lately, for her to be fretting over him.

…Which was why he was more than a little amazed, and eternally gratefully, when a Corridor of Darkness appeared before him and Naminé was within it, smiling at him.

"Riku, please come with me," she whispered as sweetly as only Naminé could. She walked over a plethora of leaves that had fallen from a sickly-looking tree in this secluded little area that Riku had found. And even as she did that, she was somehow quiet.

Graceful… Naminé was so very graceful, Riku found himself thinking now, as he walked closer to her with his hand outstretched and a smile tugging at his own lips. Graceful, and divine.

"Let's head back to Destiny Islands and regroup, until we have a better idea about where Kairi and Sora went," Naminé explained, once her hand was in Riku's and she was pulling him back towards the Corridor she'd created.

And Riku chuckled. Because how was it that a few years back, he'd wanted nothing more than to leave that little rock… but now more than anything, he wanted to be there and saw it as such a semblance of peace? "Sounds good, Naminé. Thanks."

And they stepped through the portal in perfect sync.

...

Soul's (Skuld's) PoV

"This is insane… though I say insane in the way that one might say 'the coolest thing ever.' I think that's how you all speak now," Soul said, as Xion, Roxas, and she all hovered in space, in armor, as she took in the vast expanse of the multiverse around her.

Even if she didn't have many memories, she was almost certain that she had never seen anything like this before or she was certain she would have remembered it.

The starts glistened in the sky in a breathtaking sort of way. And even though Roxas and Xion both tried to tell Soul that all of the stars were other worlds—and how insane it was to think that there were so many different tiny worlds out there!—part of her thought they had to be mistaken, and some of these had to be just stars. And the dark navy blue of the sky, that sometimes gave way into coral colors or dandelion yellows were also lovely to Soul.

And so was hovering closer to a world, and seeing how a particular area of space might have skulls and crossbones all over, if they were getting closer to a planet that housed pirates who had become linked with that symbol.

The multiverse was truly a beautiful place. And Soul was ecstatic that she was getting to see the beautiful side of it now...

The three of them were currently looking into Soul's theory about how Keyblades could be crafted the old-fashioned way. Not just by pulling the item out of a strong heart, but by forging one. And once the different worlds had been explained to Soul… it had just become apparent to her that they were the answer to how this was possible. You had to use the land from the worlds in order to make them.

But Soul thought that you couldn't just touch down on a world and rip the soil off the ground and create Keyblades out of that. No, it was a tricker process than that. You had to hover over a world, and grab at what you saw before you started being pulled into that world. Which was easier said than done. More often than not, the three of them were being pulled into the world's atmosphere and having to try again, again, and again. But with the view that greeted Soul each time because of this, she couldn't say that she really regretted any of it. She wasn't sure if Xion and Roxas felt the same way, however, but they were being good sports about it all so far.

Roxas laughed, as he helped Soul from spilling from her motorcycle glider and from falling into the aforementioned pirates world—the Caribbean, was it?—"Yeah, something like that," he said. "Though I can't say Xion and I are exactly experts on how language has evolved. We're sort of babies..."

"That's true!" Xion chirped, being able to get close enough to the world to cut some of its excess earth off while Roxas was kind enough to help Soul here—she would forever be indebted to him for it, she knew. Especially since memories of her trauma were still fresh in her mind, and she knew well how many in this World weren't always so nice. So she definitely appreciated how kind Merlin, Xion, and Roxas were.

"The two of us are pretty much babies," Xion continued on, off of Soul's look of confusion that she was certain she wore. "Born a little more than two years ago from Sora, actually... But I won't bore you with that story again, since we already told you about he created us, originally. What really interests me here… is that when you're actually able to rip or cut off some of a world's earth, it's a lot like gummi blocks."

Soul would not have been bored to hear about the Nobody and Replica story again, as it truly fascinated her. Anything to distract her from her own horrors and keep the nightmares at bay. But knowing that that wasn't important right now, Soul instead cocked her head to the side—her long hair swishing from one shoulder to the other as she did so—and asked the appropriate question. "Gummi blocks?"

"Uhh… yeah," Roxas explained, coming closer to Xion on his own glider-that looked very much like a skateboard,-so he could examine what was in her hand. "When the worlds are destroyed, it's what's left of them. And initially, it's what gummi ships were made out of. But unlike the gummi blocks, these don't want to bond easily and instead want to go back to their original world. Look, Xion! The piece of ground is trying to fly from your hand with everything it's got… and now it has, and seems torn between going back to its home world and Elsa's that's right there? Huh. Weird."

Roxas was, indeed, right. But Soul couldn't imagine why that would be. When... when someone had shown her how this was done years ago, the material had never been so finicky. And the world—wait. Why was she imagining that the material had come from a world singular, as opposed from worlds pluaral—had been much closer together, because- because...

"Roxas, Xion... do you mind if we go visit The Caribbean now so I can sit down? I think-" 'I think I might be remembering something,' she had been about to say.

But Roxas interrupted her thought with, "Yeah, of course, you don't look so good, Soul."

And in just a few hours, she would realize just how true that sentiment was, when she did remember some things and truly did get sick for it.

…

Kairi's PoV

The moment that the whirlwind tossed Sora and Kairi down onto a snowy plain, far, far away from each other, they wasted no time getting to their feet as fast as they were able to and running to each other.

"Sora!" Kairi sobbed running to the person she'd spent so much time looking for these past years-the person she loved more than anything-as he also cried her name and ran to her.

At once, they were both touching each other's faces and various body parts on one another: hair, waist, hands, and they were laughing.

"I can't believe it, you're really here!" Kairi cried, leaning her head against Sora's forehead. "Sora, I-"

"Shh, Kairi. I feel the same way, and I worked hard to- No, we'll talk about that later. But I- I'm sorry for everything. Just know that I'll never leave you again, okay?"

Those words were too good to hear. And in her heart of hearts, Kairi wanted to believe them more than anything in her life-she always had-but with the way the worlds treated them (and with the Master of Masters at large), she didn't know if she could. She just knew that no matter what, she'd just have to stay strong to try and stay by Sora's side, like she'd worked so hard to do.

But before more could be said, a deadly SCREECH tore through the air just behind Kairi and Sora, and an acidic smell could be sensed, forcing the couple to turn around.

A train-that seemed to be on fire!-was idling by them! And what was more, was there seemed to be people on it! Their faces of terror were already burned in Kairi's mind, and she was already itching to try and help them!

"Kairi, that train, with people on it, is going to explode! We have to help them!"

"…Sora, you're suggesting we get onto a burning car?"

"Of course!"

"Okay!"

Later, Kairi would realize that the fact that she hesitated was, perhaps, one of the reasons that Sora had started to find issue with her.

But right now, they were blissful in being reunited—even in going into danger—and hand-in-hand, they moved.

"Hello, my name is Kairi!" The Princess of Heart exclaimed, the moment she sidled up to a red-haired woman looking at her with a raised eyebrow even in this tense situation. "Can I help you? Like… shouldn't we be jumping? Or-"

The woman looked at Kairi suspiciously for a moment, Kairi noticed out of the corner of her eye (she was mainly paying attention to how Sora was going to help the man who was between two carts, and just holding onto the one the one of them with the strength in his legs). But she must have thought better of asking anything, because she turned to Kairi and said, "This genius has decided that we should try and save the cart first, so try and help me with that, if you can!"

"Oh-okay!"

And Kairi and Anya-as the Princess learned her companion's name was-did do that for a moment or two. But realizing all too soon what a fool's errand that was, and how close this thing was too blowing, the two of them were close to snapping at the men.

Anya did: "Dimitri, forget that and let's get out of here!" Anya shouted just as Sora came back to Kairi and said, "Kairi, can you try and get her and-"

That was no problem to Kairi, seeing as if they didn't leave this burning train in an instant they would die.

"You got it!" Kairi promised-sweeping Anya up into her arms and throwing her out into the racing snow just beneath them, just as Sora got ahold of the man. Another man, holding a pooch, seemed to be jumping with them, too.

Then, there was a terrible explosion that Kairi saw out of the corner of her eye-after she was ninety percent certain that the four plus unexpected pet had gotten to safety, and she heard a ringing in her ears-and then she knew nothing.

…

"Kairi, are you okay? Please be okay…" Kairi thought she heard the most precious of all voices saying to her, in the field of blackness she now resided in.

Then, a female's voice she just barely knew now. "I really hope that she comes to… that was so brave of her, helping us all like that."

"Indeed it was," came an amused male voice now: a kindly one, at that. "And I do believe a certain someone is a fan of her, as well, your Royal Highness."

And suddenly, Kairi felt as though her face was being licked? Weird…

"Just as long as that mutt is a fan of her, and not me… And yes, I hope she wakes up as well."

"Where... am I? What happened?" Kairi asked, after she had finally come to. She saw Sora hovering over her, as well as a woman, two men, and a puppy? And as she thought these things to herself, some of what had happened before came rushing back to Kairi.

"We were on a train that had caught on fire, and you and your friend here were nearby and helped ushered us out of it, before you succumbed to the explosion yourself. Thank you so much for that, by the way," said the pretty redhead, who offered Kairi a hand to help her up.

And it was only as she did that Kairi noticed just how cold she was. She wanted to yell at the group that they hadn't moved her out of the snow, and had all just stood there waiting for her to wake up. But maybe they were worried she had a concussion or some such thing?

As Kairi stood up… if she wasn't imagining it, she thought she saw attraction in Sora's eyes. And she realized then that this was surely the first time Sora was truly getting to take in her appearance her since they'd reunited.

Her outfit was somewhat like the one she'd worn when she was fourteen; and since Kairi had always thought Sora had liked that one, she wasn't too surprised he was a fan of her look here.

But there was attraction… but was there truly love, a voice in the back of her head had to ask? After all, she had changed some and he didn't even know that yet. Would he like the new her, or...

"Oh, it was no problem at all," Kairi said-turning away from Sora now, as much as it hurt to do so (he was the whole reason she'd started this journey, after all), since she knew that if she and Sora had been thrown into this world, there had to be some sort of reason for it. And she knew the Master of Masters had less than stellar plans…

"Umm, I'm sorry to ask, but do you all mind introducing yourselves and explaining where you're heading next. My companion Sora and I aren't from around here, you see, and ended up here in our own kind of vehicle disaster, if you can believe it. Oh! I'm Kairi, by the way!"

The three adults looked at Kairi for but a moment, before the oldest of them-the somewhat plump man-grinned and said, "Why, of course! Where are our manners! My name is Vladimir, my young apprentice is Dimitri, the delightful creature who licked you awake is Pooka. And who are both standing in the presence of Anya-or more specifically, the missing Princess Anastasia: Empress of all Russia."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I had no idea!" Kairi exclaimed, making sure to instantly bow to the Princess. And while Sora seemed less eager to do so—Kairi could tell by the expression in his eyes—he did do so in the end.

"Vlad, you didn't have to make them do that. Or really, tell them at all," Anastasia scolded. "Please, stand up. And call me 'Anya,'" the royal was swift to tell them, as the group began trying to find some sort of shelter from the elements, Kairi saw. "See, the thing of it is... we don't know a hundred percent sure if I'm the Princess. We're headed to Paris to meet with the Dowager Empress to find out if I am."

There was definitely a story there, and Kairi was beyond intrigued. It somewhat reminded her of when she had learned through Sora's heart that she was a Princess of Heart, and had begun to recall her memories from Radiant Garden around the same time. Though Kairi wasn't a royal princess, of course, but it definitely seemed like she had some things in common with this Anya...

Still… as awful as it was, Kairi couldn't put her entire focus on any of this just yet. For it seemed that even though she had just tried to push her feelings for Sora back, they wouldn't listen to her. When would they ever? And she found herself looking over at the boy who had done so much for her and had so kindly and concernedly called for her while she'd been unconscious only moments before.

Thankfully, he carried on the conversation since Kairi seemed at a loss to do so right now. All she wanted to do was call out his name, like she had when she met him at the secret place years ago and once again burrow herself inside of him and never let go. But once again, the worlds were in danger, so it seemed that she could not.

"That sounds amazing! If your relative was separated from you, I know she must be itching to get you back. If you don't mind leading the way, we, uhh, wouldn't mind going to Paris, too!" Sora smiled.

And leading the way like he had for so many times during his journeys, it seemed that Sora's optimism would carry them through once again.

…

As the five plus puppy took a new train on their way to Paris, Kairi couldn't stop staring at Sora as they waited for the vehicle to take them to their next destination, so that they could then board a boat and then move on from there.

She thought that there was a good chance that she was creeping everyone out, which definitely was the opposite of good (or maybe she was just overthinking it and she wasn't receiving much attention at all). But she was glad, if nothing else, that Sora kept sparing glances her way, too.

And when Sora broke from the cabin to look for food in the dining cart—as he became hungrier before lunch was to be served, and he wondered if snacks were available—Kairi said a quick "thank you" to the gods of Olympus and followed him out, so they could have a moment alone in the hallway.

"Sora, I-I'm so glad you're back! And I- I'm so sorry that- that for me you had to-"

At once, Sora silenced her by putting a finger to her lips. "Please, Kairi don't. I'm... sorry that things happened that way, and that I had to hurt you like that, but I would never take any of it back. We're both here now, and that's what matters," Sora promised—nodding his head once, as if to make it so.

There was so much more that Kairi wanted to do and say here, but she figured that they had been standing in this hallway long enough and she didn't want to block anyone, should they come. Besides, knowing Sora he truly was hungry, so to the food cart they went! Hopefully they could talk more there.

Thankfully, it looked as though they did have a table full of snacks for those who had boarded the train. And Kairi watched on with amusement as Sora filled his plate with breads, rose macarons, coffee, and something called Parisian Flan. Being hungry herself, but mostly wanting to talk with Sora and being distracted by that, Kairi found herself just getting everything that Sora was as she found herself saying absentmindedly, "I wish… I wish I had been the one to save you, like at the Castle That Never Was, you said you wished you had been the one to rescue me there. I- I owed you that if nothing else. I feel like I should beat myself up for not managing it."

And it was as soon as Kairi had said the last, that Sora dropped the espresso he'd been holding and it clumsily fell to the floor.

"Sora, wha-" Kairi started to ask, for she knew that he was hardly a klutz anymore. But the moment he encircled her in his arms, she understood. Oh. He'd dropped the coffee because he was in such a rush to comfort her?

"Why are you being so cruel to yourself? Even when I- when I could torture myself pretty badly in the past, I never took it this far. You deserve better, Kairi."

Kairi stared at Sora in shock for a moment, wondering how he could offer her such grace now. She knew she had done the same for him in the past, after being kidnapped by Axel, but she couldn't help feeling the situations weren't the same at all. She was useless—he had always been anything but that! How many times had he saved the world, after all?

And Sora had died because of her! And so he deserved so much better from her on so many counts, Kairi found, and he should have at least held her accountable for something. Right?

But from the sound of things, her Keyblade prince disagreed with her.

And very much not wanting to fight now, Kairi led them to the bar where they could rest and eat—after bowing and saying a heartfelt "thank you" to the waitress cleaning up Sora's drink—and as she sat down, she found herself asking, "How did you get back to the Realm of Light, Sora?"

And was it her… or did Sora look disappointed for a second, before he then looked a million miles away?

"I- I had to escape from someone named Yozora. He's- he's another version of me, if you can believe it," Sora said, nervously scratching his cheek as he chuckled a bit. And there was the Sora that Kairi knew and loved, which she was thrilled to see. Because when he had started this conversation, he had seemed a little… strained to her.

But that did nothing to shake Kairi's anger and fear that someone, form of Sora or not, had imprisoned him. "Wait. Escape from him? You mean he-"

"Listen, Kairi. The less said about this, the better. He's… dangerous. Not just to me. If I hadn't had help, I… Yeah, let's not talk about this. Instead, before we return to our new friends, tell me what you, Riku, and everyone have been doing as you looked for me… which I really appreciated, by the way! But you didn't have to do that."

'Of course we had to! You would have done the same for us!' Kairi wanted to scream to the stars. But Sora had never put enough emphasis on his life as he did his friends, which was part of the problem here. And Kairi had no doubt that he was viewing things as anyone else who would have wanted their loved ones to move on after they'd passed would have, but… there was so much wrong with what had happened with Sora (and he'd been so young!), that they hadn't just been able to accept it? Couldn't he see that? And how could they just leave him be when he'd brought them all back from the brink during the Keyblade War?

"Everyone threw themselves into trying to find you, Sora. They love you," Kairi explained, suddenly finding that she couldn't look at her beloved as she recounted this painful and obvious detail. "Many of your friends tried to keep a smile on their faces, even amidst their pain, knowing it's what you would want, but…

"Riku and I were devastated. I'm sorry to have to admit that to you. And I think I annoyed Riku with how I wanted to spar with him all the time to get stronger, and just… how angry I was at the situation, and honestly still am…. But I'm here now," and it was only then that Kairi could look up and offer Sora a shy smile.

But she noticed as she raised her head that sometime during her speech, Sora had backed away from her slightly, which was definitely curious… though he, too, smiled as he said, "Yeah, you're here now and that's what matters, right?"

Kairi thought that maybe Sora would have said more then, but Dimitri chose that moment to join them and inform them both that, "We'll be getting off at the next stop. You two may want to get ready for that, and have your food in a bag if you're taking any. Also, if you look out the window just there, you can see a beautiful view of the sun just beginning to sink beneath the horizon."

And Dimitri was certainly right. And Kairi and Sora took in the gorgeous sunset of yellow, oranges, pinks, and even some surprising greens before they gathered their things together, joined the rest of their companions, and left the train for the next leg of their trip.

Though once they were outdoors, they didn't begin the next part of their journey—to where Kairi had thought they were to find a boat—right away, because there was actually some confusion about whether that was what they were supposed to be doing now or not.

So while their new friends tried to ferret that out (and Anya and Dimitri very loudly argued with each other, Kairi noticed with amusement), Kairi and Sora decided to take in their scenery—a plethora of people in their Sunday's finest in line for the boat, or throwing chickpeas at the ducks while they waited (or if they didn't have that, reading the newspaper), in the last of the day's light… and that's when it happened.

A Corridor of Light appeared on the scene—thankfully, shocking not many, but definitely surprising a few—spilling out the Master of Masters. "May I be the first to welcome you back, Keyblade's unchosen one, Sora!" the man clapped, speaking in a for too animated fashion for this sleepy, small town.

"A Corridor of… Light? Kairi, who is this clown? Do you know?" Sora asked, correctly clocking that through the Master's tone, that even if he could use a Corridor of Light, he clearly wasn't good.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself to you yet, have I Sora? How very pedestrian of me," the Master of Masters said the last bit in a particularly strange tone. Perhaps because he was anything but a "pedestrian," Kairi wagered. No, the way the Foretellers treated him, he might as well have been a king.

But then again… if he was truly as old as Master Yen Sid had alluded to—one of the first people to exist in the Realm of Light—perhaps he had been a pedestrian once.

"I'm the Master of Masters," the man said, as always, with an air of someone who knew far too much, and was every bit as greasy as an oil slick. "And though this wasn't the original plan—oh, wild card, you—you're to be my protégé."

"Master of… Masters?" Sora echoed. "What kind of name is that? Why not Grand Master? And thanks, but no thanks. I said no to Auron being my guardian, no to all of Xehanort's plans for me, and I say no to this!"

"You might want to rethink that, dear Sora. Because okay, I admit! Mine and Darkness' plan to keep you and Kairi away from each other never would have worked before-I mean, you two were so the perfect love birds, that you even had a limit attack together where you had wings and flew together-but I think Miss Kairi is hiding just how much she's changed from you: though I know you've surely suspected it since coming back.

"Also, if you don't cooperate, I might add to the danger that the new Pure Light, Anastasia, is facing in this world."

"How has Kairi changed?" Sora demanded, in a completely bored tone, that Kairi could have kissed him for—gods of Olympus, did she want to kiss her boyfriend in general—but she was also afraid that Sora was being too dismissive towards the old Master, and that it would come back to bite him, because the truth of it was… she had changed.

"Well, I'm usually not one to gossip about a lady," said the Master of Masters, stepping closer to his would-be-student. And Kairi stepped closer to Sora in result of this, preparing to send a firaga spell the Master of Master's way the moment he stepped out of bounds. "Especially when once upon a time, Kairi reminded me of my sweet apprentice Ava: someone deserving of being championed. But Sora, don't you know this girl has so much hate in her heart now?"

"Ha! As if! That proves you're lying!" Sora hissed, summoning a strange Keyblade to his hand that Kairi had never seen before, that was quite mechanical looking. It reminded her very much of Fenrir. "As if a Princess of Heart could ever hate!"

At that, the Master of Masters simply chuckled. "Alas, a poor choice of words on my part, I'll admit. But you'll see I'm right soon, I feel. And also note that the lady doesn't defend herself here."

And before Sora and Kairi could react any more to the menace before them, he was gone.

"Drat!" Sora said, snapping his fingers. "He didn't give us info about the person already here threatening Anya!"

Kairi truthfully doubted he ever would have: The Master of Masters was a more skilled manipulator than even Xehanort had been, after all. And she had longed to tell Sora this, but she was afraid talking about the Master of Masters more might prompt him to ask her about how she had allegedly changed. And she wasn't ready to have that conversation. Not yet.

They'd also spent long enough away from Anya already... and if they were supposed to be protecting her, that didn't bode well to Kairi. "I'm sure this danger will reveal itself soon enough, unfortunately, like you said Jafar did in Jasmine's world. Now c'mon! Let's get to the Princess and keep her safe!"

And without thinking about it, Kairi grabbed onto Sora's hand and began pulling him along… it wouldn't be until later that she'd realize that before, Sora would have grabbed her hand for her to tag along with him. And that in the past, Sora had always done all of the planning and talking when dealing with the different worlds.

But once they joined their friends again, Anya winked at them and sarcastically said, "You're just in time, Dimitri here has gotten us a boat that isn't as slow of molasses, and won't get us to the Empress by the time we're dead, I'm sure."

"Anya-" Dimitri cautioned.

Holding up her hands as Vladimir laughed and Pooka barked at Dimitri in Anya's defense, she continued with, "I'm just saying that since you guys seem to be the ones in a hurry, we probably could have done better."

In the past, Kairi knew she would have said something here to break up some of the tension between Anya and Dimitri, but now she didn't do so for a number of reasons.

One, it turned out that—according to the Master of Masters—Anya was this "Princess Anastasia," and according to him… she was in danger. So Kairi was almost on Anya's side here, in wishing they could have secured a better means of travel to get to their next location faster, as a means to keep her safe.

Two, she wasn't so innocent anymore, of course, and… well, she realized this tension between the two of them was a different kind of tension altogether.

And maybe, just maybe, she was a little tired of being so good all the time, anyway.

So she thought the moment would pass, perhaps, with Vlad—if anyone—trying to regain "peace" between his young, silly friends. Or with all of them somewhat awkwardly snickering as they boarded the ship together… so Kairi was shocked that if she, the Princess of Heart, decided to stay silent here, Sora took it upon himself to be mediator here.

"Aww, don't be like that, Anya, I'm sure Dimitri is trying his best!" the teenager said, upon pumping a fist up into the air.

And here, Anya did laugh a little bit before patting Sora on the shoulder once. "Oh, I know, Sora. I'm just giving him a bit of a hard time, is all."

"She wouldn't be her 'Royal Highness' if she didn't," Dimitri agreed.

Sora laughed then. And as he did, it somewhat turned into the scene Kairi had envisioned just a moment ago, where everyone looked at each other and chortled somewhat before finally boarding their vessel.

As Kairi found herself sitting on the ship propellers chopping up the sea as it moved, she could have found herself believing that she was on Destiny Islands again as she took in the her lovely surroundings, the starry night just above them, and the salty smell of the ocean clearing up her sinuses.

Anya had elected to have a quick dinner of fish with lemon by candlelight and asked Kairi if she would like to join her. And since Kairi hadn't had a real meal in... well, she didn't know how many hours, she found she couldn't refuse.

"I'm sure you're going to love going to Paris again and taking in all the fashion there," said Anya making conversation, before she took a swig of water. And if it hadn't been so dark, Kairi may have noticed her staring at her purple boots full of sequins.

"Actually, I've never been there before," Kairi found herself having to admit with a blush. "Is it a fashion district? Or-"

Anya stared at Kairi, taken aback, for just one moment before she laughed with mirth, and answered, "Only the fashion capitol of the world! You really didn't know?"

Kairi simply shook her head, "no." Once again feeling like a simpleton who knew nothing about the world… and maybe didn't even know anything about herself. But maybe that wasn't the worst thing in the world… especially if it gave her a chance to bond with Anya here.

She recalled what she now knew about the woman, something that Anya herself didn't even seem to know, and wondered how best to broach the topic.

"There- there were a lot of things I used to not know," Kairi finally settled on, staring down at her pendant that had been with her as long as she could remember and that had become even more special after Aqua had placed the magic spell on it. "I lost the memories of my younger days because of- because of traumatic experiences I went through. And I understand that maybe it's the same for you? That you don't remember you early years, I mean?"

Anya looked at Kairi with something like awe on her face as she stared at the younger Princess of Heart after hearing these words. But then, as it all seemed to hit her, she sent a glare Dimitri and Vladimir's way—maybe because she hadn't wanted these details about her told?—before she admitted, "Yes? Maybe. I don't know... Though I figure you must be right, and that has to be the case for an eight-year-old to not remember where she came from, and any of her life before she was eight. There was one time… when I was in the royal family's old castle that I almost thought I could touch something, which I guess is why I'm on this crazy quest and believe Dimitri and Vlad's crazy theory at all. But I don't know. What if it's just wishful thinking on my part, as a way to try and fill in the gaps? Me, a Princess?!"

Kairi wanted to say more: to let Anya know that she truly was the Princess Anastasia, not just because of what the Master of Masters said—who they probably shouldn't have been trusting, anyway—but because what she was saying just made the most sense with the explanation.

Kairi, after all, knew a thing or two about what it was like to recover memories from her old home when she went back to the place, and what a strange sensation that was.

But knowing that it would be far too much meddling to say more on the subject—especially when she technically didn't know for sure—Kairi reached over and patted Anya's hand once, saying, "I've learned that it's always best to trust your heart. Very few times will it steer you wrong."

And then Kairi looked over to Sora, and noticed that he was discreetly dismissing his Keyblade in a quick flash of light.

Smiling at Anya then, as she left the Princess to ponder the words she'd just said, Kairi said, "Excuse me, but I have to go check on Sora now."

Anya laughed at that, and winked at Kairi before uttering, "Give your boyfriend my best!"

And normally, Kairi would have said that Sora wasn't her boyfriend... But knowing that if they were being attacked she needed to know it now, Kairi simply went over to Sora without bothering to correct Anya and asked the Kingdom Key's wielder, "What's with the Keyblade? What did I miss?"

"There were a few Soldier Heartless that tried to sweep in and possibly turn this voyage as successful as our friends' train one was, but no big! I got them!"

Kairi looked into Sora's eyes for just a moment, trying to see if he was disappointed in her for being distracted by Anya and leaving the battle to him (it might have been her, but his voice had sounded a little too cheery there), but upon seeing no deceit on his face, Kairi breathed a quick sigh of relief. She still felt the need to apologize, though.

"Sora, I'm so sorry. I- I'm your partner." And only when those words reached her ears, did Kairi flush… she found, however, that she couldn't take them back. She remembered when she and Sora had flown together with a wing on each of them, as they'd fought Master Xehanort with one another: as if they were those Jian birds that were mates that needed their spouse, so to speak, to fly. Kairi knew she needed Sora and wholeheartedly missed him when he was gone, and she wondered if it was the same for him.

"I-I'm your partner and I should have been here," she tried again. "Forgive me." And then the Princess bowed, finding she couldn't look Sora in the eye as she did so.

Until Sora put a gentle hand on her shoulder and said, "Kairi, I said I was fine. Really. Don't read yourself the Riot Act on my account. Please.

"Anyway, I think we're mostly in the clear so far. Whatever danger the 'Master of Masters' was alluding to, I haven't seen yet."

Kairi had started to believe then that all of her fears about Sora disliking the woman she'd become were truly unfounded… but then she saw it:

Sora staring at the hand that she had balled into a fist, as he furrowed his brows and his smile drifted into a frown.

Deciding that she couldn't handle a confrontation then, Kairi found herself announcing, "I'm going to go to bed." And she knew her words must have astonished Sora, as they truly had come out of the blue, but the Light truly was tired.

So she headed off towards the cabin she'd be sharing with Anya without much more preamble, and she was out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Though Kairi wished that she could have said that she had a dreamless sleep.

…

In front of her dream, she stood before a swirling white vortex that she seemed to be spying on three figures through. This sort of reminded Kairi of when she'd seen Riku, unbeknownst to her at the time, after he and Pluto had rescued her from Axel. And she wished to say such a thing, but she found that she couldn't speak.

The three figures were sitting on a cliff overlooking a vast desert… and while the middle one was wearing a robe like the Organization XIII cloaks Kairi had come to despise, his possible friends—a boy and girl—were wearing white and blue one robes, respectively.

Kairi couldn't hear what they were talking about… they were too far away from her. But maybe if she tried to zoom closer to them, she'd be able to? That was normally what she would expect from a dream like this, but she was almost afraid to try: like if she got too close to them, she'd get stuck in this strange dream with the trio.

And what was worse… Kairi knew in her heart of hearts, that the person in the middle of the trio was the Master of Masters. And she had no doubt that that was what was adding to her fear now. But it was just the way the coat sat on him with his heeight and build, his strange zipper that the Organization had never had, and the way he was posing and speaking now with such arrogance... it could be no other, as far as Kairi was concerned.

And that meant that even though she wanted to get as far away from him as she could in this dream, Kairi knew she had to do the exact opposite of that. Especially if she could possibly learn something crucial about him here!

So Kairi did get closer to the scene. And when she did, she noticed that the Master's friends were holding each other—they must have been a couple, then?—and the other male was saying to the single female, "Your blue magic skills are really becoming something, my love. No doubt we can defeat Darkness with just them alone."

And though the Master of Masters did turn to smile at the woman in praise, Kairi noticed that he looked at his male friend the longest of all… Huh. Most curious.

"As wonderful as that idea would be, Them, we really shouldn't be too certain here. We know how crafty Darkness can be," the Master of Masters chided his friend.

And though it seemed that the Master of Masters was still the alpha here, as seen in how he was lecturing his friend, Kairi couldn't believe how… gentle he was being with him. He wasn't being sarcastic or showboating as much like he did around Kairi. And the man genuinely seemed like he wanted his girl friend's ability to be the answer here, and was saddened that it wasn't.

As much as Kairi hated to admit it, she could understand that. If this "blue magic" could be the answer to winning against the darkness now, she'd be desperate to learn more about it herself.

"Yes, but-" This "Them" started desperately, clearly not liking what the Master of Masters had said.

But the woman put a hand on his shoulder to calm him with a small grin adorning her slight face. "Superbia is right, Them. The Darkness… it chills me to think what it can do. What it has done to some of our loved ones. I may be a prodigy as a blue mage—though it embarrasses me to say that, and I can't believe anyone thinks that—but I've really only just begun studying, so I'm a novice at it in other areas. So we can't forget our other strategies here."

The girl was obviously a talker, Kairi thought amused. Kind of like how she herself had been in the past when she was heavily invested in a topic… before she'd been hit with depression, that was. She genuinely hoped that nothing like that had ever happened to this woman.

And while Kairi, of course, knew that this was a memory that she was somehow having the luxury of seeing now… she wished that the woman's blue magic could have served to defeat the Darkness. And if nothing else, whatever this "blue magic" was, could again be found to be used as a successful weapon against it now.

"Ash, you shouldn't be so self-conscious and hard on yourself!" said Them in a kind, excitable manner, somewhat reminding Kairi of Sora for two reasons.

And as he spoke, Kairi got the sense that this was his usual manner and why the Master of Masters seemed to value him so.

"Though unfortunately, she's right, Them," the Master was quick to point out, shaking a finger at Them. "How I wish our Little Engine That Could wasn't, however.

"But listen: I may have my own plan to go along with Ash's and your fire, Them. I'm thinking of trying to copy the strange weapon I have, the Kyeblade."

Kairi thought this peculiar dream of hers was beginning to end now….she could feel her body ever so slightly drifting towards consciousness as it became heavier and her mind, groggily, began thinking of the problems that she had to face while she was awake.

Also, the portal that had allowed her to see the Master of Masters and his friends was beginning to close, and Kairi cursed that because she had hoped that she would be able to catch a glimpse of that man's face while dreaming here, but so far no dice.

She tried to get closer to said portal to see if she could get a peek at him or somehow force him to remove his hood while he was here—even though deep down, she knew she was just a spectator to something that had already happened long ago—when suddenly, Ash moved the same moment that Kairi did.

The woman moved like a ghost, unnaturally, and with much speed as she got right in Kairi's face making her gasp, before then whispering, "Yes, Blue Magic is a key for you, and you may just come across it soon."

"Wh-what?! How-"

But before Kairi could ask any more of Ash or get her answers, she suddenly woke up to Sora shaking her awake and the ship shaking violently.

"Kairi! Kairi! You've got to wake up! I sense some serious Darkness right now, and there's something wrong with Anya."

Kairi got out of her bunk as fast as her legs would allow her, used to forcing herself to be instantly awake via her training with Riku and her recent travels, but that didn't account for the fear that she tasted in her mouth, making her feel like she was going to throw up. She'd thought she'd beaten down such feelings a year ago! But…

"Do you think this is what the Master of Masters was talking about earlier?" Kairi shouted as she ran with Sora to the deck. But deep down, she thought she already knew that answer. It was too big a coincidence that she would receive a dream about the Master just when it seemed his earlier warning for them might be coming true… and this was what scared her.

"…It has to be," Sora reluctantly admitted, as the two of them got to the stairs, but then both slid and barely kept their footing as the boat nearly capsized in the storm.

A storm… similar to the Night of Fate that first separated Kairi from her dear Sora and Riku. This didn't bode well to her at all!

Over the roaring thunder, Kairi thought she could hear Dimitri yelling for Anya to "not jump" in a panic... And as she did, she started taking the stairs two at a time as best she could, as she wondered what she would find when she finally got back to her companions.

Finally up on the deck, Kairi could see that it looked like Anya was sleepwalking, but she was about to fall into the choppy ocean beneath her! And in this terrible storm in the dark, who knew if they'd be able to find her before she drowned?!

"Dimitri is almost too her, but in her state… I don't know if she'll respond well to him grabbing her. But if we don't let him try, she'll go over," Sora narrated the scene.

"Maybe one of us should try to get to her…" Kairi thought, hating herself even as she said it. "We have special abilities and can get to Anya fast. We're also strong, so that if she got violent, she wouldn't knock us both into the water."

"Yeah, but to get to her, we'd have to scooch past Dimitri and there's not a lot of room on that ledge. We'd knock him into the water," Sora countered.

And that was the issue here, wasn't it? Because while Sora would never allow that, Kairi would to save the Princess. "I'd make sure to dive in for him right after!" Kairi explained, feeling desperate. "I'd use my Light magic, and-"

But Sora looked at her like he'd never seen her before.

Feeling the chill of the water as if she'd already disappeared into it, Kairi whispered, "Sora-"

But whatever might have happened with them next was interrupted when they both heard Anya screaming and kicking as Dimitri did get a handle on her. But all too soon, he got her calmed down and away from the railing.

Ahh: that was one thing neither Kairi or Sora had thought to consider in all of this, huh? Love.

"Dimitri, I'm so glad you were able to rescue Anya," Kairi exclaimed, pulling on Dimitri with one hand (to better help them get down from the safety rail), and rubbing Anya's back with the other.

But looking into Sora's eyes, Kairi could tell that he wasn't buying her care for Dimitri in the slightest.

Biting her lip and choosing not to focus on that for the moment, she pushed the two into Sora's arms just as Dimitri was saying, "Anya's safety was all that mattered to me," in figuring that Sora would want to further comfort them and be the one the worlds' denizens loved, as always.

Kairi, however, was going to make sure this storm hadn't made them drift off course from their goal—and that there weren't further dangers around, mind you.

And as it stood… Kairi found she really didn't want to deal with Sora right now...

"If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to find the captain and see how he—how we—fares after that storm. Excuse me."

And in the end, the Light was glad she did just that. It seemed that Anastasia wasn't the only one whose nerves were frayed by what happened. The captain seemed half in a trance and was close to crashing them all into a nearby ship, if Kairi hadn't taken the wheel and snapped him out of it in time!

After Kairi had saved them, reason had returned to the captain, François' eyes, and a beat passed, she could instantly tell how ashamed he felt, for she could see it in his eyes.

But Kairi reassured him by telling him of the many times her friend Riku had gotten into boating accidents before getting his boating license.

That tale seemed to put François at ease—and reminded him of his grandson, Marius—who had a heart for the sea, even at only thirteen; and François was sure he'd have many stories to tell of it, he told Kairi: if he could just curve some of his recklessness.

And so François and Kairi talked into the wee hours of the night. And so it was, she wasn't too surprised that she fell asleep at the wheel by his feet and that Sora had to wake her up there, come morning.

"Kairi, Kairi," said Sora gently, startling Kairi some, while he shook her shoulder to awaken her. "We're in Paris. And the scenery here is something else!"

And the tone in Sora's voice was so wistful and full of wonder, that it reminded Kairi of the boy she had loved so dearly. So much so, that she almost could have believed their argument the previous night had never happened.

Kairi was even about to try her luck and ask about it… but she was interrupted when a woman suddenly interrupted them both by saying, "That it is. And I would know a thing or two about good views, in being a teacher and having to teach my students much. Here, take this book, if it pleases you. It's all about… sites."

And Kairi did just that, at once feeling grateful for it. Though—and this may have been silly on her part—she somehow couldn't believe that the bespectacled blonde had given her a blue tome and not a pink one, since the woman was wearing salmon like Kairi had two years ago. Kairi was somehow expecting a Flora kind of attitude from her, who of course only liked shades of rose, but she was no doubt wrong to think so. And soon, when Kairi read the book, she would see just how incorrect she'd been. And how this connected to her dream, even.

"What's your name, mademoiselle?" Sora found Kairi's voice for her, when Kairi herself was too shocked to do so.

"Quistis. Quistis Trepe. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to begin heading off to the Eiffel Tower. And it sounds like you have an appointment to make yourselves?"

And before Kairi or Sora could either confirm nor deny, the mysterious stranger had disappeared.

...

When the friends at the mansion where Anya was going to be tested to see if she was, indeed, the Princess Anastasia—something that seemed very bizarre to Kairi, but who was she to judge how different worlds did things?—Kairi noticed right away that Sora was forlorn that Pooka had to be left outside when they were all going to get to sit in on the meeting. And that it seemed the Empress' cousin, Sophie, wanted to keep him there.

"If you don't mind me, I think I'm going to go outside and play with him for a little bit before coming back in. The poor guy looks miserable," Sora remarked. And yes, Kairi did feel herself falling in love with Sora all over again for such a simple gesture. And Anya seemed very thankful for Sora's choice, too.

Kairi, meanwhile, stayed inside with Dimitri and Vlad for moral support for Anya as she was quizzed—only somewhat wishing that she could have done the same during Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exams, what felt like a lifetime ago now.

And Anya seemed to be nailing every question she was given... and Sophie seemed overtly charmed by her... so as Kairi drank some of her hot cocoa with coconut, she found herself wondering what the point of all this was…

Until Sophie asked, "How did you escape on the night of the seize on the palace?"

Anya seemed stumped by this one… and as Kairi saw Dimitri put his face in his hands, it seemed to her he didn't think Anya knew the answer to it. And if she were to be truthful, such a thing puzzled Kairi. Yes, she knew Anya had some sort of amnesia… but wouldn't such a traumatic event stick out to her? Could the Master of Masters have been wrong, then, and Anya wasn't the Princess? Kairi was certainly starting to get suspicious…

But then suddenly, Anya said very slowly and deliberately, as if she were piecing this all together, "There was a boy… who opened a wall."

Dimitri stared at Anya as though she had hung the very moon then, and Kairi was utterly baffled by it. She knew that he had feelings for Anya. Of course she did… but why was he looking at her with such love now? Especially after such a strange answer from her?

Kairi was actually about to break protocol and interrupt the proceedings to ask just that, when Vlad asked point blank, "So? Did she succeed?"

"Well, she answered every question…" Sophie trailed off somewhat uncertainly.

Huh… could it have been possible that Anya's answer was true, then? How curious.

Maybe she hadn't have discounted Anya's strange answer so easily, Kairi thought. After all, Radiant Garden castle had many secret passages. But why had Dimitri looked at Anya so? There was certainly something here that she was missing, Kairi knew. And how she hated being kept in the dark!

"Ha!" Vlad exclaimed delighted, getting to his feet, pulling Kairi from her thoughts as she stared at him, wide-eyed. "We'll meet the Dowager Empress tonight!"

"Uh, no," Sophie shut him down at once, taking everyone's empty drink glasses onto a tray as she did so. "The Dowager Empress is very busy and cannot be bothered."

It was really only now that Kairi gave the couple much attention, even though they had been sitting right beside her on the couch, as she had been so invested in Anya and Dimitri.

But as Kairi watched them now, she could tell that they had once been lovers? As Vlad took the tray from Sophie and laid it down on the nearby dresser just so that he could take her into his arms. "But snookims, there must be something that you can do."

"Well…" Sophie relented, looking deeply into Vladimir's eyes and seeming to become rather starry-eyed herself.

And the two of them talked to each other for a few moments in voices so hushed, that Kairi couldn't hear them at all until Sophie turned to her, Anya, and Dimitri and asked with a mishevious smile on her face, "How would you like to go shopping in Paris?"

Kairi couldn't help falling back into her school girl dreams at the very thought—especially if it was like what Anya made it out to be earlier. And she leaned back into the sofa and sighed merrily.

Just then, Sora finally came back in. And scratching his head sheepishly, he asked, "Sorry. What did I miss?"

Positively beaming, Anya stood up and took both of his hands into her own. "We're going shopping in Paris!"

...

Shopping in Paris turned out to be some of the most fun Kairi had ever had in her life. And even if she had had the misfotrune of not getting to enjoy a lot of the worlds she'd gotten to visit, she still had lived a rather charmed life as the Mayor of Destiny Island's adopted daughter. So that was definitely saying something.

And she constantly had to remind this new battle-worn version of herself that they were on a mission… and that her being too obsessed with clothes and the like, as she had been before, was surely what had led to Sora's death before. She hadn't been strong enough, as she was sure femininity and strength didn't go hand-in-hand. So she shouldn't let herself become a Parisian fashionista now. But was it possible that she had been wrong?

When Anya seemed to notice that Kairi wasn't jumping at the sales as much as she was, she pulled her chair next to hers when they were taking a break and watching a number of talented women can-can and whispered to her, "At least consider buying a dress like theirs at the next shop we go to. You want to remember the occasion, right? And with Sophie paying, how can you say no?"

How could she say no, indeed? Laughing, Kairi nodded her head, that she would take Anya up on her offer, and turned back to the show… just as Vlad ran on stage to try and grab Sophie's shoe that she had lost? Oh, dear.

"How much you wanna bet that the next Heartless we fight will look like those dancers?" Sora asked from Kairi's right, shocking her as he suddenly spoke into her ear.

Grinning, Kairi took his hand and patted it. Oddly, finding herself returning to the Kairi of old, somewhat. "High. And you'll probably have to put them down like you so often do. But then again, we haven't seen many Heartless here yet, have we?"

Of course, it was as soon as Kairi said that, that a number of Heartless appeared on the scene, determined to make a liar out of her.

And though she had acted like only Sora would fight them if any would appear, she of course jumped into the mix with them as soon as the umbrella carrying freaks appeared.

She thought she'd seen this variation often in that Fairytale Kingdom, when she'd found herself training there… Though Kairi really couldn't say for sure. In many ways, her days of training had been filled with so much grief, she could barely even remember them anymore.

Though none of that mattered now. What did, however, was getting these purple menaces out of the way before they could harm anyone! And throwing her Keyblade in a wide arc so that it could take out five of them in its path before returning to her, she did just that.

Sora, meanwhile, was spinning his Keyblade exceptionally fast, and taking out a number of Heartless who stood too close to it.

Kairi was about to summon a Fire spell—that she knew she could keep well contained to destroy the rest of them—when suddenly they were just gone.

And Kairi heard a deep voice talking pleasantly to her, who she suspected she should have trusted for making the Heartless go away and for his kindness… but she just couldn't.

"You fought those Heartless well. But what do I expect of Keyblade wielders of your caliber? Still… I thought I'd step in before the monsters could completely ruin the scene."

And indeed, while there were a plethora of turned over tables and chairs—and it seemed like most sane people had vacated the area, as they often did when trouble brewed—this time, there actually were some pedestrians who had remained here, because of this guy's fast action, it seemed:

Kairi and Sora's new friends—something that touched Kairi's now stone heart immensely; and she wondered if they were here to make sure they were alright, the way she and Sora were making sure they saw their journey through-and some of the ballet who were still dancing towards the back of the row in a very "the show must go on" mentality.

But even though this was nice for a change…

"Who are you?" Sora asked incredulously, stealing the words right out of Kairi's mouth.

"Oh. Forgive me. It seems in all this excitement, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sigurd.

"And once upon a time… I did work for the Master of Masters, it's true. But he's lost his way with his plan, which is why I come to you now."

Kairi didn't buy it. She just didn't. It was too perfect.

While Sigurd didn't dress like an animal, like the rest of the Master's strange apprentices, he still covered his face and body pretty surely like they did.

Plus, the way he covered himself at all reminded Kairi of Vanitas. And remembering just how insane he had been… Yeah, Kairi was not trusting Sigurd with her lunch money, thank you very much.

"I don't believe you," Kairi countered. "The way you talk, you seem intelligent. And yes, intelligent people can be tricked, too, but if this story was true, I think you would have known the Master of Mastets was bad news from the beginning and never trusted him. I think you're another one of his cronies. And you just didn't show up with him earlier in order to try and pull a fast one on us now.

"Now, if you'll excuse Sora and I, we have friends to aid before your Master can do them any harm."

And Kairi had begun heading towards Anya, Dimitri, Vlad, Sophie, and Pooka to do just that… but before she'd gotten far, she saw Sigurd stop Sora, who trailed after her, and place something in his hand.

"She's wrong, Sora. And you've got to try to convince her of that. During this journey of hers and yours, there will be many who are looking to harm her. But give her this: it might come in handy in a time she isn't expecting."

In Sora's hand seemed to be a miniature turtle shell. And to Kairi, he seemed entirely confused by that and whether he should listen to Sigurd at all.

And Kairi supposed she couldn't blame her boy- Sora for that, because Sigurd seemed like a master manipulator, but she knew where she stood with it.

"How about we get out of here and do some more shopping?" Anya ventured nervously.

Kairi knew that Anya was being so nonchalant about shopping right now, because she needed to act normal after what had just happened. If she didn't, she might never find her much-needed normality again. And hadn't Kairi been that way a number of times? So she understood the sentiment perfectly.

"Anya…" Kairi whispered, truly sympathizing and connecting with her friend.

And even moreso when the Princess found her strength, stood up, and grabbing Kairi's hands said, "We still have to find an ensemble for you, after all."

Smiling slowly, the younger Princess let herself and Sora be led to another boutique in Paris, where they did exactly that. And she could only wonder what the rest of her stay in this world would be like.

…

"…Kairi, does it bother you that Dimitri and Vladimir almost seem to be having Anya auditioning for the role of Grand-Duchess to her grandmother?" Sora asked Kairi after the two of them had gotten ready for a ballet that was to be held that night—an event where everyone was hoping Anya might finally get the chance to meet the Dowager Empress.

Sora wore a dark red tuxedo that looked absolutely divine on him, that went well with Kairi's sparkly magenta spaghetti strap dress with an asymmetrical bottom: she thought Anya and/or Dimitri had something to do with that, though she didn't know for sure-as she hadn't been around when Sora's tux had been bought.

As for his question… she had thought that before. And even more than that, "Also that it seems others have 'auditioned' before, too."

There was a thought forming in the back of Kairi's head, but she didn't want to give voice to it and make it true… so she didn't say anything.

Instead, she decided to try and ignore deep thoughts for the time being and actually have a good time.

Playfully, Kairi stuck her arm out for Sora to take, thinking of the games they used to play on the Island. Or how in another life, she might have actually been a royal Princess herself, instead of just a Princess of Heart and she said, "You may escort me to the opera now, sir!"

"Madame!" Sora beamed, picking up on her mood right away, as he did take Kairi's hand, helped her to her feet off the bed she'd been sitting on, and walked as gracefully as he could beside her to the door.

…

The ballet truly was something beautiful to behold. And Kairi could understand why so many of her fellow Princess had this as something for entertainment in their worlds, and high entertainment, at that.

Though Kairi had once been a cheerleader and was no stranger to dance in that way, she knew she never could have pulled off dancing and acting in the magnificent way that they could.

…So why was it that she found herself falling asleep while Sora seemed so enraptured by it all?

"Kairi, you're missing some of the most skillful performances I've ever seen," Sora said, shaking her awake.

And it was a good thing that he did. Because it turned out that it was the end of the grand finale. And even if Kairi had fallen asleep towards the end of the show—damn her, Kairi chastised herself—she wanted to be awake to give the cast and crew the standing ovation they so deserved.

And so she was able to do so, thanks to Sora.

It was also a good thing Sora had awoken her, because not five seconds after the performance had ended, Dimitri and Anya were scurrying away to go meet the Empress.

"We'll just be around for moral support… in case it doesn't go as planned for her," Kairi found herself whispering, taking a seat in the hall whilst Sora paced there.

"Kairi, how can you say that? You know she's Anastasia! And-"

"…Because Dimitri and Vladimir are con artists, Sora," Kairi finally admitted the truth they'd both been avoiding. "And they're not the first ones to target this 'Marie Feodorovna', it seems. And even if Anya is Anastasia, what if the Dowager Empress, Madame Feodorovna, can no longer see that because people have been preying on her feelings?" Kairi despaired.

"Then we'll just have to find a way to make her see the truth," Sora hedged, taking a seat on the floor beside Kairi.

Kairi was about to try and figure out just how they might do that and reply with something to Sora, when suddenly she heard very loud shouting.

"And all this time you were just trying to take her money?!" Anya demanded.

"It may have started out that way, but you really are Anastasia. If you'll just remember," Dimitri said quieter than Anya, clearly trying to calm her down and not cause a scene, if Kairi were to guess. Though it was too late for that, she saw as she and Sora ran to where the two were arguing and saw a number of people staring at them.

"Ugh! To think I actually- No! I don't want to talk about the things I 'remember.' Leave me alone!" And before Dimitri could say any more, Anya slapped him hard across the face and stumbled away from the scene.

But now it was Dimitri's scene to scream after her. "Anya, wait! You have to know the truth!"

"Well, that's just wonderful," Kairi chose to state the obvious, not really knowing what else to do here. It was also noteworthy that neither Anya or Dimitri had noticed the two of them on the scene, but she supposed it would make sense that they wouldn't with both of their emotions running so high and the destruction of so many relationships that had happened in the moment.

"What do you think we should do?" Sora asked, glancing at Kairi now. And the question definitely took Kairi aback some. And maybe it shouldn't have—because hadn't she been trying to show Sora that she'd become much better at taking charge?—but it stunned her that Sora, of all people, was asking her this and didn't seem to have the answer himself.

The truth was that she hadn't a clue. But she knew darkness could be running rampant in Dimitri's heart right now... And while darkness could never cover Anya's, because the Seven Lights were special that way, she could still be feeling the emotions associated with them. And that never boded well.

"I say we split up and follow the two of them?" Kairi guessed. "I doubt that either the Princess or Dimitri will be making the best decisions right now." And she tried not to think about how maybe that had been true of her when she'd lost Sora, and if she'd made the best choices then or not.

Kairi thought that after she said such a thing, she and Sora would get into a debate about who would follow who... But just then, she saw Dimitri looking much the worse for wear, heading in her direction and so that made the decision right there, didn't it?

"I'll see you when I see you!" Kairi exclaimed, hurrying after the man before she could lose him.

Keeping to the shadows, feeling much like a Shadow herself and hating that fact, Kairi tried to figure out what this former hero of Anya's was doing... And she was about to give up on that fact, when it seemed like maybe he really had just gone outside to catch a breath of fresh air.

The moment, however, the Dowager Empress appeared in Kairi's line of vision, all hope was immediately lost. Good gods, did he plan to kidnap the woman now?!

Apparently so! Kairi saw Dimitri get into the passenger seat of the cab and push the driver out of it, preparing to commandeer the vehicle... Or he would have, if Kairi wasn't so fast on her feet now.

Jumping into the passenger seat herself, Kairi meant to fight with Dimitri over the vehicle. And she did do a little bit of that... but her heart wasn't completely in it. Despite what he was doing here, and had done before, she couldn't believe that he was all bad.

So sighing, she found herself becoming a part of this plot despite herself and telling him, "Tell the Dowager Empress what you want to say to her, fast, because that's all the time you'll have with her. And it's going to be a gentle ride."

Dimitri didn't look too happy about that—no doubt he'd wanted to threaten the Empress some. Ugh.—but seeming to realize he wasn't going to win the battle against this girl who had defended him from monsters before, he took what he could get, and began conversing with the very enraged Empress.

Kairi mostly tuned out what they were saying—seeing it as mostly none of her business, and really not wanting to be privy to this plot, anyway—but by the time she was pulling up to the opera house again, it sounded like the Empress had agreed to meet with Anya... which was definitely good.

And acting more like the coward she had used to be, Kairi did not own up to what she had just done at all. But instead, spilled from the car as fast as her feet could carry her—feeling much like she was going to throw up, now that she was free from this sin.

Only Sora's hands on her clammy skin as he caught her running down the hall seemed to lessen that effect in the slightest. "Hey, Kairi. What's wrong? I think I mostly succeeded with Anya here. She's still cursing Dimitri up and down... but she's calmed considerably. What about you?"

And gods help her, Kairi found herself clinging to Sora and crying in his arms. "Oh, Sora! I helped Dimitri get a chance for Anya to meet the Empress. But it was horrible!"

Kairi could pretty much feel Sora's eyebrow lifting against her head, but she didn't go into details about how or why the Empress had changed her mind right now. She just couldn't. It was all too much. She just needed him to believe her and be there for her. And thankfully for her, he seemed to.

"Aww, I'm sorry, Kairi. If I'd known you'd gotten the hard job, I would have traded with you."

"Shh. It is what it is, Sora. Now if you'd walk with me to our hotel for the night, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"You got it, Kai!" And he surprised her by kissing her on the head, and by linking arms with her to do just what she'd asked.

And so it was, Kairi and Sora actually ended up missing the conversation that Anya would have with her grandma-ma that would prove she was, in fact, the Princess Anastasia. But they would sure hear about it in the papers the next morning. And from everyone on the street.

...

"Do you really think they'll let us, commoners, in to see the Princess?" Kairi asked the next morning when she and Sora were walking towards the palace. Everything had seemed so clear before Anya had earned back her official title. But now that she had... Kairi wasn't so sure.

"Of course they will, Kairi!" Sora reassured her enthusiastically. "We're her friends, after all! I mean, you in particular, with how she wanted to take you clothes shopping and all... so, yeah!"

Well, Kairi supposed that Sora did know more about these things, with the royals he'd met in other worlds. She just hoped he wasn't wrong. It would... hurt to get thrown out on their butts by one she had thought was her friend.

Sensing her unease, Sora knocked on the door for her. At first, nothing happened. And Kairi gave everyone inside the benefit of the doubt. This was a big door, after all... and the inside of the castle was massive. Maybe Sora's knock hadn't been heard? Or if it had, it took a while to get to the entrance of this place?

Sora knocked a second time—this time much louder than he had before, and then a few times after that. And still, nothing happened. Sora turned to Kairi with an embarrassed smile and a shrug of his shoulders. And Kairi knew that for her, he would have knocked and knocked and knocked, in knowing just how much this was gutting her. But the Princess of Heart didn't want it even moreso proven to her just how much she'd been forgotten.

She was starting to walk away, when suddenly the gate opened and a shy looking maid bowed to both her and Sora saying, "Your mademoiselle Kairi and monsieur Sora, aren't you? Please, right this way. The Princess Anastasia was anticipating your visit!"

And not being able to turn down a request like that in the slightest, Kairi and Sora hurried into the palace, hand-in-hand, sporting equally goofy grins on their faces.

However, the moment they entered the building, it was not Anya that they saw waiting for them but rather the Dowager Empress! And she was absolutely radiant, in her A-line baby purple dress, silver crown that shone like the brightest of stars, and with her pearl-colored hair pinned back in a no-nonsense way that reminded Kairi of her grandmother.

At once, knowing what she must do in such a situation, Kairi curtsied to the woman. But Sora, being Sora—something she would always love him for—remained standing, staring at the Empress owlishly. Kairi pinched his hand until he got the picture and bowed to her.

"Please, there's no need for that. Rise," said the Empress warmly. "Kairi, I believe my grand-daughter has told me that is your name? And Sora?" when the youths nodded that that was the case, the Empress continued on with a slight nod and sweet smile on her face. "Kairi, I remember you from last night when, umm, Dimitri convinced me to talk to my Anastasia. And as strange as it may be to say, I must thank you for that. And for keeping me safe, when he may have been, ahh, more impetuous without you. And I must thank you both in general for being good friends to my granddaughter and for protecting her from monsters, she says. Good gracious!"

"It was nothing!" Sora was quick to assure the Empress, no doubt seeing the terror that was in her eyes at the mention of the Heartless.

"Just the same," the monarch said. "Know that you are always welcome here. And if you need anything from me, you need only ask." This time, she bowed to the two of them—something that Kairi was sure her face was as red as a tomato for—before going back up the stairs with Sophie helping her.

After that, Kairi took a spare seat in the foyer with Sora, wondering what they should do next, when Anya came down those very same stairs, looking absolutely gorgeous.

Her ruby hair was pinned up in a way similar to how her grandma-ma's had been, and she was wearing a poofy yellow princess dress that Kairi couldn't deny she was somewhat jealous of, with a white sash over it. Her glossy lips and diamond ball earrings were also on point.

At once, Sora and Kairi, and many in the room, stood to bow to her, but Anya waved such motions away. "No, please. I don't need that. But thank you. Sora, Kairi, I'm so glad to see you!" Anya exclaimed, hugging each of them in turn. And oh, how Kairi held onto Anya perhaps longer than she had needed to. If this is how Sora had felt finding good friends in the other worlds, she understood full well why he loved world travel so much.

"I can't thank both of you enough for helping me find my family," Anya—no, Anastasia—said, holding both Sora and Kairi's hands now, as she looked at them both earnestly.

"You reunited with your grandma-ma on your own, Anya. That's not something that we did," Sora said with much honesty. And he was right about that, Kairi knew. It was Anastasia who had fostered that connection again and convinced the woman what was right in front of her, and they definitely had nothing to do with that.

At that, the Anya they knew grinned just a little bit. "Yes. But if you hadn't protected me, who I don't know if I ever would have gotten here. Just- thank you for going on this journey with me and being there for me. You mean so much more than you know. I'll never forget you. And I'll always be there for you."

"Thank you, Anya," Kairi said, ridiculously feeling herself starting to tear up here. But what could she say: maybe she'd been lonely over the years? "You mean more to me than you know, too." And after Kairi had caught her breath a little and willed the tears away: "So, what's on the agenda for you now? You found your family, right? That's so exciting for you, and everything you wanted!"

"It most definitely is," Anastasia agreed, with a light in her eyes that Kairi had yet to see from her. "I imagine I'll spend more time with my grandma-ma here... but first, I really need to talk to Dimitri, if he ever deigns to make an appearance again!" the Princess said the last, stomping her foot once.

"...Right. And we really don't want to get in the way of that," Sora said, starting to angle Kairi away from their dear Princess Anastasia now. No doubt feeling much more forgiving of Dimitri for some of his actions than Kairi herself was yet. "I hate to ask this, Anya, but do you have a place that Kairi can stay at all, umm, so we don't get in the wa-"

And Anya must have been hoping for that moment for her and Dimitri, too, because she didn't seem humiliated by Sora's words or deny them or anything at all. Instead, she said. "Oh. Of course! Upstairs are a million free rooms that no one's using. Feel free to use any of them as yours, any time you like."

"Thanks!" Sora said, seeming to get the memo now bowing to the Princess, before ushering Kairi away.

Sora and Kairi did go upstairs then, and they both made sure to choose a room for themselves—shockingly, Sora opted for one that had quite a few pinks, while Kairi went for one with a more muted palette—but they didn't go to their individual rooms then. Instead, they both headed for Sora's room.

And once there, Kairi said unable to stop herself, "I don't think she should forgive Dimitri so easily..."

And even though she'd been the one to say such a thing and start this whole awkward scene, Kairi was somewhat perturbed when Sora answered back, "I thought you wouldn't."

There were so many reasons she didn't think that Anya should forgive so easily. And she knew, deep down, that it was more about her than about Anya and Dimitri.

It wasn't so much that she regretted forgiving Axel. Never! Or even Saïx. But did Kairi forgive people like Xigbar, who had been around for her captivity and had certainly not let her go? Kairi of a few years ago would have said "yes" without a second thought. She would have even forgiven Xehanort much.

But was it that sort of weakness that had cost Sora his life? Because she had been too good, true, and trusting, when she should have been working on getting strong and naming evil for what it was? She didn't know. She just didn't know...

Sora was still magnanimous like that, Kairi knew... for the most part. And it did somewhat disturb her that maybe she wasn't anymore (or was she?) And would Sora even like her if she no longer was?

The young Princess wanted to talk to Sora about all of this, about her confused feelings, and that if her feelings were conflicted, it was for him and all he'd suffered... for her.

But before she could, she suddenly heard a voice in her head that she never thought she would again.

Kairi?

'Huh? Roxas. Is that you? What's going on?'

Kairi, I'm assuming you might see Axel before I do with all the world traveling you're doing... If you do, tell him me and Xion just happened to find the friend he's looking for: Skuld! Right now, we're at the Caribbean with her!

It was so ironic that this was the case, Kairi thought. She knew full well that Axel had gone searching for who Xehanort had deemed "Subject X," and now the Twilight Town kids had found her by accident? Life was full of ironies like this, she ruminated—like how many would have thought Xehanort the wise one and Sora the fool in looking at them, but it was of course the other way around.

Or how Denizens of Light would have imagined the problem of darkness would have been to eradicate it, but no: it was what Riku was doing and using light and darkness back to back.

'I'll do that!' Kairi promised the once Nobody. 'But Roxas, have you sensed that Sora's alive again?! I'm thinking we should all meet up!'

Yeah! Let's do that in Radiant Garde- Roxas started to say, the New Seven Heart thought. But for whatever reason, his voice cut out and it didn't leave a very good feeling in her heart that that had happened.

...

"Kairi, Kairi! Wake up! Wake up!" came a voice Kairi knew all too well, calling her name amidst the metaphorical sea she was now in.

Coming to, slowly but surely, she found herself laughing that this time it was Sora waking her up from a telepathic conversation with Roxas and not the hyper-active Selphie. For some reason, that was just hilarious to her.

Last time she'd also spoken to Sora while she'd been under and conversing to Roxas, when he'd taken over his Other for a moment in order to have a moment with her, but she supposed Sora wasn't entirely left out of the situation now. He was the one looking at her so concerned now, after all.

She also had to wonder if he somehow had any sense of the conversation she and Roxas had just had, even in being separate from Roxas now. Sometimes Kairi did still feel connected to Naminé...

"Kairi, what is with you? You have a really funny look on your face... Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Or-"

"Oh, umm, I heard from Roxas," the Princess of Heart found herself trying to explain now, upon sitting up and pulling out of Sora's arms.

Oh. She hadn't even realized he had been holding her on his bed, seemingly checking her over for any injury... Hmm. She'd unpack that all later.

"Crazily, he believes that a girl he met might be Axel and Isa's 'Subject X.' Isn't that ironic? Axel and Isa go looking for her, and Roxas and Xion find her instead!

"Our whole lives are ironic," Sora chuckled as he looked at Kairi with mirth dancing in his eyes then.

And, indeed, their lives truly were that, for so many reasons. Like Kairi telling Sora something about Roxas now, when Roxas had been Sora's Nobody.

Or how right now, Sora was sitting like a gentleman, but she wasn't sitting very ladylike at all, when she had once been so feminine.

As Kairi looked at herself now, and thought of the strain that did exist in her and Sora's relationship at the moment, she couldn't help thinking... what if Sora wished ended up wishing that he had found Subject X on the Islands all those years ago, and not her? Would things have worked out better for him that way? Kairi knew that she was not like the girl Sora had recently left behind, and Riku completely accepted that, but Sora… did he?

Kairi wanted to ask him—while she knew her past self would never have dared—because she knew what non-answers and living in the lands of questions could do...

But she supposed there was a part of her that was still a coward and not ready for such intimacy. So she pushed the thought aside and looking at Sora with guarded eyes, she said, "Perhaps we should go back to the audience chamber and see if Anya's found Dimitri... We're also supposed to be keeping an eye on her, remember, because there's some sort of threat here?"

Sora looked like he wanted to say something, because he opened his mouth once, twice, three times, before finally settling on, "You're right," and once again helping Kairi up and leading her through a glorious building with stunning architecture.

The two of them ended up sitting in the foyer for a few minutes with nothing really going on—not seeing Anya at all (though perhaps that was to be expected)—doing a thumb war of all things, when they were suddenly interrupted by one of the Princess' attendants, looking the worse for wear. "Excuse me… I'm sorry to bother the both you two… but neither one of you have seen Her Majesty, have you? ...It seems as though she's missing."

"What?!" Sora demanded, stealing the word right out of Kairi's mouth.

"You wouldn't mind- you wouldn't mind going to look for her, would you?" the pale attendant continued on, truly going albino now as he paled even further. "Some of her guards already are. And I would, but I must do my best to comfort the Dowager Empress in this time of distress."

"Of course! You don't even have to ask!" Kairi beamed at the man, stepping closer to him so she could catch him were he to faint.

"Thank you ever so much!" he said bowing to her and Sora, before then running back in the direction of the Empress' room, Kairi assumed.

But once Kairi and Sora were mostly alone again, their looks of certainty melted off their faces as they both shared a look.

"I know many things in our life don't tend to bode well," Sora started hesitantly, as if hoping that Kairi would correct him that things seemed hunky-dory right now. "But this doesn't bode well."

"Maybe she just went to meet Dimitri somewhere?" the Princess of Heart tried, a tone of bitterness in her voice in still not being impressed by the conman's actions. But in looking at Sora as he bit his lip at her tone, Kairi decided to keep those thoughts under lock and key for now. She and Sora weren't perfect, after all. No one was. And if Anya had forgiven Dimitri, she knew it really shouldn't be her place to judge. Plus, she hadn't been thinking harsh thoughts about Vlad, who was just as culpable, so she really needed to get it together.

"If that were true, wouldn't her attendants know that? And look, Pookah's pacing on the floor here!"

Kairi had been about to argue that maybe the two of them had wanted some alone time together and thus had dodged Anya's guards—even though a part of Kairi didn't know if they were ready for that yet, because they still had bridges to rebuild—but Pookah not being with her mistress sold it for her that something truly was wrong.

"You're right, Sora. Let's get out of here," Kairi whispered, heading out the door discreetly with Sora by her side. She didn't want to start a panic, after all, but the wielder of Kingdom Key was right: something about this didn't feel right. And she couldn't help the gooseflesh that had suddenly appeared on her arms.

"You think the threat that the Master of Masters hinted at has finally made its grand appearance?" Sora hazarded a guess, as he led them towards the palace's gardens. And it was a good thing that he was. Kairi thought she sensed something this way, too: Anya's light, she thought... but something sinister, as well.

"Probably," Kairi muttered, suddenly wondering just how long this hedge maze they were in could possibly go. And had it always been here? "And here I was starting to think he was just messing with us this whole time, as he's like to do."

It was getting seriously cold in this maze now. Cold and dark. And if Kairi had any more doubts that darkness was involved, noticing the things she was now would have made her doubts fade away.

Kairi wanted to keep talking to try and calm some of her nerves: Something like, "What are you thinking? That this world has a villain or someone's trying to pull Anya into the darkness similarly to what was done with Elsa?", but before she could even dream of doing so, she heard screaming once more—this time from Anya and Dimirti both—and what looked like fire straight ahead of them?!

"Sora, that way!" Kairi exclaimed, as she began heading in the direction of their friends who looked as though they were in much danger. And were her eyes deceiving her... or did it look like there was some green magic user beside them, causing their turmoil? Could it have been Maleficent?

But before Kairi could get too far, Sora gently grabbed her arm and indicated with his index finger for her to, "Be careful, Kairi. It looks like that wizard is tilting the ground and about to throw it into the sea!"

Kairi could see that well now—and she was thankful to Sora for cautioning her about it so she didn't go over there all willy-nilly, lose her footing, and slide right into the ocean. But she knew that she and Sora had to be even faster now, because Anya and Dimitri were holding onto each other for dear life—without much else to hold onto—and were about to slide off the embankment!

Using a bit of the Quick Run ability she learned from Sora, Kairi got over to the menace as fast as her feet would carry her, balanced carefully on this unbalanced platform, and threw her Keyblade at the threat's head.

"Hey!" Kairi called out, quite peeved. "You mind leaving my charge alone?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Kairi saw Sora grabbing hold of Dimitri and Anya's hands, as the former thanked Sora profusely, but she tried not to focus on that, lest this man catch her gaze and return his attention to them right now.

"You are not the red-haired princess I meant to defeat," the man said disheartened. But even as he did, he lifted a strange article in his hand that caused bats to swarm around Kairi.

For a moment, the Princess was lost as the plethora of them bit at her and dug their wings into sensitive parts of her body. But sense quickly returned to her, and upon doing an "Aero" spell, she was able to get them away from her and return to the assailant with a swipe of Destiny's Embrace. "Yeah, well, I'm the one you're having to deal with now. Isn't life just full of lemons?"

"Yes, my dear, but not the one that fate has deemed for me, I'm sure you'll find," the disgusting looking corpse said with the ugliest smirk Kairi had ever had the misfortune of seeing.

Kairi tried to send a Thundara spell his way, just as Sora had seemed to read her mind and had attempted the same thing, but the man annoyingly dodged and aimed his relic at Anya and sent the bats after her, so that they dragged her towards him.

"No!" Kairi, Sora, and Dimitri all shouted. Dimitri went after Anya, but just as he might have rescued her, an animated gargoyle backhanded him with a loud crunch.

Anya looked horrified as she continued to be brought to this monster. But astonishingly, she seemed to get her footing before the man could grab her and knocked his item out of his hands, when she was close to him. And once it was beneath her dainty heel she stepped on it with all her might. "This is for my family!" she hissed, as he pathetically begged her not to do what she was, and all that was within her power to do. "This is for Dimitri. And this? This is for you. Dasvidaniya."

The man, that Kairi would later learn was named Rasputin, began disappearing in a shock of bright green light as he gave the most piteous howl. Now, the bats that had appeared to attack both her and Anya were pulling at his flesh and leaving the most grotesque skeleton behind.

Despite herself, and knowing that he must have brought this on himself, Kairi couldn't help feeling bad for the villain—that he had to go out in such a way. And Sora must have sensed this within her, because he hugged Kairi's shoulders and pulled her into himself.

But finally, it was over. And once it was, Anya wasted no time going to Dimitri's side. At once, she was checking him over for any sign of life... and it didn't look good. Kairi found her footing once more and was planning to run over to the man herself to try and heal him, but just then there was a sign of life from Dimitri and as there was, Anya accidentally hit him in the face with her hand.

"Ow!" he groaned.

"Oh, Dimitri!" Anya exclaimed.

"I know. All men are babies," he moaned, trying to guess what the Princess would say.

Kairi beamed at the happy ending. And once again, she was going to go over there to heal Dimitri to make it even more happy, but for once Sora had even more tact than she did. "C'mon, Kairi," he whispered. "Let's get out of here and give the happy couple a moment."

Kairi did not have to be told twice. They, too, after all had much to talk about themselves. And to let Vlad and the palace guards know that their Princess was alive and well (Pookah had followed them here to try and save his mistress, Kairi saw now—as he jumped around Anya—so he didn't need to know).

"Well, it seems like the Master of Masters was right about Anya—the Princess Anastasia—after all. And that she did need to be protected. I could definitely feel the light coming from her when Dimitri was proven to be alive at the end there," Kairi muttered, walking through the hedge maze that seemed much less oppressive now.

"Do you plan on telling her about her status, Kairi?" Sora asked, as he looked into her eyes searchingly. "It seems the last time we dealt with the Princesses of Heart, a problem was that that they were pretty much just expected to live their lives with no knowledge about the threat that the beings of darkness possessed for them. And I know there's the World Order, and all that... But if Anya knew she could be in danger, enough to try and learn how to protect herself, wouldn't it be better for her and for all of us?"

Just how far Sora had come in understanding how she had felt, Kairi thought upon smiling at him gratefully, and what surely would be better for the worlds. She definitely thought she was going to tell her friend the truth. But not quite yet. She deserved to have her honeymoon moment with Dimitri, after all.

"Speaking of 'telling people things,' Kairi said, as the two of them entered the palace doors and Sophie and Vladimir looked at them expectantly. And upon seeing Kairi smile at her, Sophie jumped three feet into the air, did a little dance, and headed up the stairs towards the Empress to tell her Anastasia was safe, no doubt.

Vladimir, in turn, gave them both a short wink, rushed over to the both of them to give them a quick hug, before seeming to remember himself and running after Sophie after a cute little laugh.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you," Kairi continued on, after the scene they'd just been in righted itself, and Kairi almost felt as though she'd been living in a dream, everything had been so perfect and so odd. "I- I had a strange dream about the Master of Masters. His past, I believe, and his friends. One of his friends had some sort of power called 'blue magic,' that she believed would be powerful against the darkness. And she- she then started talking to me in the dream, and seemed to indicate that I would find that lost power soon. And I- I did. Someone here gave me a book about it."

Sora sat down on his bed and breathed heavily after the two of them ended up back in his room again to properly talk about it, and Kairi handed him said book. And Kairi found she could hardly blame him for it. This was a big thing she'd unintentionally been hiding. There had just been little time to talk about it with everything going on with Anya. Or so that's what she told herself, anyway. But maybe Sora, in possibly still being unsure about her for her earlier anger about Dimitri and much else, thought she had purposefully been keeping it from him?

"Do you think we can trust this, Kairi? Having a dream like that- I know you have Princess of Heart powers you don't fully understand, but nothing like this has ever happened for you before. And it was something from the Master of Masters' friend!"

"I know, Sora. Believe me, I do," Kairi agreed, sitting on the edge of her friend's bed and trying not to think about how she had once thought about doing so in a different situation, when she was much older, and how that possibility might be completely off the table now. "But from the dream... I don't think the Master of Masters was always evil. At least not then. And I definitely don't think his friends were."

Sora still seemed unconvinced, but it didn't seem to Kairi like he was going to argue with her about it right now.

"So, what world do you think we should try to go to next? Or should we try to talk to our friends here first?" Kairi asked, just as Anya knocked on their door. "Hey, you two," the older Princess said. "Mind if I come in and talk to you about something? Or is it a bad time?"

"No, of course not!" Sora put on his cheerful façade as fast as a snap of fingers. "We'd be more than happy to help you, your majesty!"

"...I've decided that the royal life isn't for me," Anya admitted, settling onto the bed with them as if she belonged there. "And that while I'll visit my grandma-ma and Sophie all the time, Dimitri is my real family. And so we're eloping!" And though Anya had started out speaking in a somber tone, she had a thousand-watt smile on her face by the end of her sentence.

Kairi completely understood where she was coming from, of course, as one who was only a Princess of Heart, who didn't think she could bear the responsibilities of being an actual royal for a second. No, thank you. She loved being a simple islander.

"Good for you," said Sora whole-heartedly, reaching out a hand for Anya to shake. But then she did him one better and pulled him into a hug.

"I-I do have to warn you of something, though," Kairi whispered, hating to be the bearer of bad news. "The strange things you've seen recently... part of that is because you're something known as a 'Princess of Heart,' that has nothing to do with you being of royal blood. And there are people who would want to kidnap you for that reason, Anya.

"I ask that you stay sharp and keep an eye out. Perhaps even learn to defend yourselves, too, in case nefarious characters show up or more Heartless. And we'll be back from time to time to check in on you."

Anya certainly didn't look thrilled by this news, but she didn't seem very much taken aback by it, either.

Taking Kairi's hand and squeezing it in her own tightly for a moment, Anya said, 'Thanks for your honesty and protecting me earlier. I'll be taking your advice. And Sora, I'll be sure to say goodbye to Dimitri for you. I know you two bonded when Kairi and I were clothes shopping... Sorry for that, by the way."

"Yes, please do!" Sora exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air before forgetting to bow to Anya once more. Kairi laughed, she supposed he wouldn't be Sora if he didn't.

And, perhaps, nodding at her own Dimitri, Sora, then, Kairi knew it was now safe for them to leave the world and see what was in store for them next. Radiant Garden?

Author's Note: So, I'm not dead.

And I... am so, SO sorry that I abandoned this story for so many years! (Some of this chapter, I even wrote all those years ago that I abandoned this story, if you can believe it.) I think part of the problem was that when we started getting conflicting information to the canon of this story (Melody of Memory, the Kingdom Hearts IV trailer, etc.), it kind of made it hard for me to keep writing this. But I think I'm over that sort of thing now, and I'm planning to try and see this thing through to the end.

Also, while I had planned on Sora being bothered by Kairi changing from the beginning of this fic (at least at first he would feel that way, that is), it actually became less of a thing than I thought it would be. And moreso, it seems to be Kairi's insecurities about it all (fearing that Sora thinks that and somewhat hating that she has changed, but also relishing in that and knowing that she needed to some) that seems to be the problem here. Very interesting.

NOTE: The arrows indicate when someone is speaking in na’vi. For example, <”Fuck you.”>

Flying was the best thing you’d ever experienced.

The weightlessness of your body. The quiet hum of your ikran’s consciousness in the background of your mind. The endless thrill of being so high in the air that one slip would have you plummeting to your death. But somehow knowing your mount would never allow it. In minutes of being airborne, the bond had strengthened into something unbreakable.

The joy it filled you with was indescribable.

Head tilted towards the sun, you could feel your cheeks aching from how hard you were smiling. Arms spread wide, you trusted your thighs to keep you in place as you threw your head back and let loose a victorious whoop.

Your ikran returned the call, shrieking his happiness to his brothers and sisters, who were eager to return his cry.

Around you, the other young hunters echoed the sentiment, performing barrel rolls and dangerous dives upon their own newly tamed ikran. You watched them with a sense of pride, glad that none of your group had failed their rite.

<”You ride better than you climb.”> Tsu’tey hollered from your left, snapping you out of your euphoric state. He was astride his own mount, looking relaxed in the saddle with a taunting look in his eye.

You grinned, flashing your fangs as you replied, <”I was born to do this.”>

He quirked an eyebrow, making a show of looking at your poor posture and incorrect hand placement upon your ikran’s antenna. <”Prove it.”> He challenged, before clicking to his ikran and taking off at speed. You laughed, yelling insults at his back as your own mount subconsciously prepared to follow.

You patted his neck, encouraging him to show his greatest speed. The ikran let loose a terrifying sound before shooting off after Tsu’tey, almost throwing you from his back in his eagerness.

Sitting up properly, you leaned over your ikran’s neck so your thighs supported most of your weight, tilting side to side with every bank of your ikran on the air currents. It seemed effortless on your mount’s part as you caught up to Tsu’tey’s ikran, soaring up and over him, only to continue on. You grinned, spinning in the saddle to jeer at him.

His normally serious facade had melted into the wind, leaving his face open and bright as he laughed at your antics.

Mentally, you told your ikran to bank, to which the beast easily obliged, tipping itself to the left as your leaned right to stay on. Tsu’tey followed your flight path, your ikran slowing its rapid pace to allow the warrior to catch up. Together, you dipped close to the side of one of the floating mountains, the spray of the waterfall dotting your skin as you sped past at breakneck speeds. The wind was sharp against your damp skin, as you swerved again in the air, feeling the air currents catch on your ikran’s wings, the powerful body beneath you coiling as you gained height.

This was far better than riding in the passenger seat of Trudy’s helicopter.

Far below, the ikran nest writhed with the countless colourful bodies, the beast starting to settle in for the night now that the hunters had claimed their partners.

<”We must start heading home.”> Tsu’tey yelled over the sound of the wind, to which you nodded, following his lead as he peeled away from the mountains and steering in the direction of home. Your ikran instinctively fell into place on his right, pulling back so the updraft created by the larger ikran would aid his flight back home.

As the mountains gave way to sprawling forest below, Tsu’tey hollered to the young hunters still messing around amongst the floating rocks. Returned calls sounded shortly after as the colourful beasts fell into formation either side of Tsu’tey, forming a neat ‘v’.

As the trees and rocky valleys of Pandora sped past below, the sun slid further and further behind the moon, allowing the bioluminescence of the jungle to flicker into life. Overhead, stars became visible against the growing inky blackness of the sky, a large portion of which was already taken up by the closest sister moon to Pandora.

Flying at night was somehow more beautiful than soaring around the Hallelujah Mountains.

The glowing constellations of your ikrans freckles rivalled the stars, you privately concluded as HomeTree loomed in the distance and Tsu’tey gave the order to begin climbing. The leisurely pace of your ikran’s wingbeats gradually began to increase in speed as the beast worked harder to gain altitude, pulling the air down in powerful strokes before striking up again for another wingbeat.

With controlled speed, the party soared into the branches of HomeTree and found suitable places to land and dismount. Sliding down from the back of your ikran, you stoked down the purring beast’s side as you walked around to his face. He was truly a gorgeous beast, stunning as he had been fierce when fighting him in the nesting grounds.

<”Well done today.”> Tsu’tey congratulated the group, calling the attention of all the young hunters to him. He easily commanded the attention of all those assembled, standing proud with the soft glow of his freckles to accent his form.

From the spiral staircase at his back emerged Eytukan and Mo’at, looking equally proud as their eyes trailed over the assembled hunters, grins growing brighter when they realised that everyone was accounted for.

Mo’at was the first to step forward, her arms raising dramatically as if addressing the heavens instead of her People. <”You are now adults in the eyes of Eywa.”> She declared, her face was the picture of joy. <”May the Great Mother smile upon you this day of your second birth. And may her kind hands guide you on this day and forever more.”>

As the hunters mumbled their thanks, Eytukan stepped up to her side, his chin raised. <”You will spend the following months crafting your bow from HomeTree. And are free to take a mate. But first, your celebration awaits.”> He bowed to the hunters, looking much like the proud father he was.

Hunters returned the gesture, clapping each other on the back, before focusing on their mounts. Vaguely, you registered Mo’at and Eytukan moving throughout the small crowd, congratulating everyone individually on their successful rite.

Unexpectedly, your mount nuzzled his face into your shoulder, sensing your underlying anxiety through the bond. With soothing hands to his snout, you quickly disconnected your kuru from him so he wouldn’t be able to sense anything else. <”I’m fine.”> You reassured him, although he would not be able to understand the words.

He chirped softly, head cocked to the side. <”Nosy.”> You laughed, lightly pushing his quizzing gaze away.

Earlier in the day, someone had already taken the time to set out the new saddles for the ikran. Neatly lining them up along a small branch nearest the helix staircase.

Pulling away from your ikran’s judgemental stare, you were quick in retrieving a saddle for him. Returning with it resting on your arms, you noticed the mischievous glint in his eye, already dreading the shit show that was going to be you putting it on him.

Approaching slowly, you offered him the equipment first, to which he lowered his head to give it a delicate sniff.

<”You have done well Dreamwalker.”> Mo’at unexpectedly stated from beside you, making you and your ikran jump. <”I will admit, the Great Mother’s plan for you was obscured from me, but you have proven yourself.”>

<”Thank you Tsahik.”>

<”I am proud of you.”> She continued as if you hadn’t spoken. <”Dr Augustine would be too.”> With that, she placed a firm hand to your bicep and squeezed, her expression kind before she drifted off to talk to the next person.

You became absorbed into your work, methodically coaxing your ikran into accepting the weight of the saddle between his shoulders. Rewarding him with scratches along his neck when he didn’t immediately toss it off. Gradually, he stopped trying to throw it off, and remained still to allow you to tighten the girth across his chest. From there, it was just a matter of providing his dinner before you followed the other hunters down the helix staircase.

You found dinner already underway with the fires blazing and the People gathered. A chorus of cheers erupted from the assembled people as the first hunters cleared the staircase, yelling cries of victory back, arms in the air.

Their joy was infectious as you slipped into the crowd in search of an empty space to crouch, lips pulled back into a fanged grin as you carefully picked your way through the families who had already turned back to their food. The other hunters had already dispersed back to their families, talking animatedly to loved ones about their crazy day.

Finding an empty space before the flames, you uttered your thanks to an older na’vi woman as she handed you one of the leaf dishes. She politely smiled back, offering formal congratulations on your successful rite before turning back to the conversation with her mate. You offered a quiet thanks before digging in.

It didn’t take long for Tsu’tey to find you. He’d hung back with the ikran to discuss his observations for the day with Eytukan.

His footsteps were silent as he approached you, dropping into a fluid crouch opposite and putting his bow down at his side. You didn’t bother to look up from your meal, content to eat after a long day of climbing mountains and almost dying. The silence was comfortable as the humm of the clan filled the large chamber, your ears swivelling to keep track of the different conversations going on around you.

<”You did well today.”> Tsu’tey commented, his hand snaking out to steal a grub off of your leaf. Rolling your eyes, you pushed the makeshift plate closer to him having already had most of your fill.

<”Is this just you complimenting your teaching skills?”>

<”Yes. I worked hard to make you into a respectable warrior.”> He replied easily, to which you playfully pushed at his arm. He shoved you back, fangs catching the bright firelight.

<”I wasn’t expecting it to be so easy.”> You admitted after swallowing your mouthful. <”I mean, I’ve heard you and Neytiri discussing the bond and everything, but it was so instant. Like he was an extension of myself.”>

Tsu’tey hummed, nodding along. <”Ikran make no mistakes in who they choose. As Eywa did not make a mistake in bringing you to us.”>

You rolled your eyes at the last part. <”Don’t go getting soft on me now.”>

He did not immediately respond with a fast quip, making you look up. Tsu’tey’s expression had lost the unfiltered joy of being in the air, but he still had a small, guarded smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The glint in his eye was unreadable. It could be amusement, it could be fear.

<”What?”> You asked, hand grasping his knee to ground him.

<”Young hunters that pass the rite are traditionally given gifts by their families.”> He explained, to which you found yourself relaxing.

<”Is that all?”> His expression grew pinched. <”Don’t worry, when I unlink later I’ll open a bottle of something just for myself.”>

Tsu’tey rolled his eyes before reaching for something next to his bow. <”I made you this.”> He said simply, holding out something small. Hesitantly, you took it from him, eyes raking over what you recognised to be a decorative armband. It was finely woven in the traditional Omaticaya style, with tiny beads made from glowing river pebbles woven across the centre. You turned it over and over, committing every knot to memory.

<”Thank you.”> You breathed, unable to find the words to properly convey how touched you were by the gift. Tsu’tey’s smile returned. Taking the armband from you, he softly asked which arm you wished to wear it on. You eagerly thrust your dominant arm at him, motioning to the height in which you wanted it to sit. He nodded along, expertly wrapping the band around your bicep and tightening it accordingly.

<”It looks good on you.”> He monologued, <”surprisingly.”> You gasped mockingly, placing your hand on his chest to shove him away.

<”Stop being an ass and eat.”> You fired back, to which he playfully, his tail batted at you, mouth opening to reply, when a shadow fell over your back and a voice you didn’t recognise spoke up in english.

“Excuse me, um, Dr L/n. Right?”

Tsu’tey’s easy smile had turned venomous as he glared up at the newcomer behind your back, but that could just be his face.

Meanwhile, your face had dropped at the quiet utterance of your sky person title. It sounded wrong in the setting of the clan. The familiar English sounded weird in a place it was no longer welcome.

Turning towards the voice, you looked up to find a young na’vi male smiling sheepishly back at you. Arching a brow, you turned fully towards him, rising to your feet. The pieces slotted into place as he gingerly waved at you, showing off his five digit hands. An avatar then. How the hell did he get accepted?

“It’s Y/n.” You corrected, and he nodded. You waited impatiently for him to continue, tail lashing.

He floundered for an explanation, eyes catching on someone over your shoulder before he pulled himself together. “Right. Um, Grace warned you about me? I’ve been around the clan for a few days now and haven’t been able to track you down.”

You grimaced.

The marine.

Oh god, no. Why?

Absently, a memory did surface of a file on your desk with a man’s face on it and the name ‘Jake Sully’ printed across the front. Although it had been stamped as urgent, you’d simply shoved it aside with everything else and pulled out your laptop to type up some notes. You were deeply regretting not having read that stupid file now.

“Oh, right.” You replied, waiting for more. Jake looked at you like he assumed that was enough. “Well thanks for stopping by-”

“Actually, she said you’d be able to help me.” Jake jumped in before you could turn away. You stilled, sending a thousand mental curse words Grace’s way before fixing him with a stern expression.

“Babysitting isn’t in my job description.” You returned sharply, this time promptly turning your back to resume your dinner. Whilst you’d been distracted, Tsu’tey had also risen to his feet and was watching Jake with a distrustful expression, hand hovering dangerously close to his hunting knife.

“Unbelievable.” The marine scoffed, but cut himself off when Tsu’tey tensed. You smacked your friend's thigh with the back of your hand, giving him an unimpressed look when he looked down to snap at you. You motioned for him to sit back down but he ignored you.

Meanwhile, Jake had clumsily stumbled around the edges of your space to stand in front of you again, his tail swaying side to side. “I’m just asking for a bit of guidance.”

“Neytiri is your guidance. Learn quick and learn well, you will die if you fuck up.”

“That’s it, that’s all the advice I get?”

“It’s more than I got.”

>_<

You hated Hell’s Gate. It was too cut off from the forest with its loud occupants and stone walls. And loud with the whirr of machinery and people in a way the forest never was.

It was jarring to unlink from a world that was so open and free to a life of tight corridors and exo packs whenever you wished to step beyond the protective barriers of the buildings. As a result, you tended to spend as little time as possible here, only unlinking long enough to keep this body alive before hopping straight back into the link to do more ‘research’.

Staying longer with the clan would’ve been much more bearable than whatever thing Grace wanted to talk about, but since you ignored her last request to look after Jake, you felt that you owed her in some way. Something told you that if you didn’t turn up of your own free will, she would stand outside of your link unit until you were done for the day and ambush you then. She’d done it before, and you knew she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

With a sigh, you allowed yourself to start moving within the link unit. Reaching for the latch, you winced as the bright, overhead lights of the lab flooded into the dim unit, momentarily blinding you as the unfamiliar sound of commotion filtered into the small space. You took a breath, then pushed the unit open, following it up to find the lab alive with activity. Scientists were buzzing around the tight space in white lab coats, hurriedly packing away equipment and supplies into large storage boxes as if the building was on fire.

Heaving your stiff muscles over the side of the unit, you felt disorientated by the height of this body in contrast to your avatar, momentarily clutching the side of the unit to calm your spinning mind as you collected yourself. Your shirt was musty and clung to your sweaty back only adding to your discomfort as your legs tingled with pins and needles.

Eventually, you managed to straighten up, which immediately caught Max’s attention. “Oh, Dr.” He greeted cheerfully, unaware of your grimace at the professional title. He broke away from the group he’d been helping dismantle exo packs, and made a beeline to the messy disaster that was your desk. Pulling your lab coat off the back of your office chair, he approached you with a smile. “We didn’t hear you unlink.” He apologised as he approached, holding the coat out towards you with his hands on the shoulder.

“Long time no see Max.” You greeted with a tight smile, as you turned and allowed him to help you into the coat, it smelt better than your shirt, but was in desperate need of a wash. You were pretty sure there was dust on the sleeves.

“Yeah well, everyone’s been busy.” He returned easily, turning and disappearing off in the direction of the coffee machine, leaving you to stand stupidly next to your link unit, internally debating just climbing back inside and going back to the clan. From what you could see, Jake’s unit was empty so he wasn’t even around to annoy you this time.

Instead, you kept your feet firmly planted in place, the mental image of Grace standing over your unit the next time you opened it keeping you from running away. To occupy yourself you focused on the commotion across the room. Your eyes slipping over the new faces who must have come in during the last rotation, whereas faces you’d grown used to over your eight month stay were absent, either by choice or having rotated home already. Time was weird on Pandora afterall.

“Y/n, nice of you to join us.” Grace swept into the room with a dramatic sweep of her arms.

You smiled, taking her hand when she offered it and giving a firm shake. “Dr Augustine, you wanted to speak with me.”

“I did.” Grace confirmed, turning sharply to begin helping pack up yet another box. You winced as she grabbed fistfuls of important looking documents as well as fragile equipment and began shovelling the lot into the nearest storage box. “We’re moving to an off grid base. Our newest driver is talking to Quaritch.”

If your ears could prick in interest in this body, they would be raised high. “Jake?”

“That’s him. I’m sure you’ve seen him around HomeTree?”

“Yeah, he’s a persistent fucker.”

“That’s him alright.” Grace replied with a shake of her head, “constantly comes out of the link complaining about how good you are at slipping away.” Then she turned to you, all the carefree attitude of earlier melting away as her expression grew serious. “Look, we’re gonna need your field notes and jungle knowledge if this is going to be successful. Oh, and I need you to scout the Hallelujah Mountain base to see if it's livable.”

You pursed your lips, “on one condition.”

Grace cut in, grinning with confidence that suggested she knew exactly how to get you to agree. “You will have unlimited access to the link unit and your avatar.”

You raised your eyebrows, impressed by how easily she’d guessed your motives. “I’ll pack my desk.” She patted you on the back, and the lab dissolved into silence once more.

>_<

You spent the next couple of days, dodging Jake’s constant questions and annoying ability to pop up at the most inconvenient of times. In theory, it should’ve been harder for him to find you between training with Neytiri and your own obligations to the clan as a hunter. But nope, Jake was a stubborn one.

Which led you to now, it was a fresh day. The link units had been open and ready when you rolled out of bed this morning, the lab blessedly empty as you slid into your unofficial unit and woke up in your avatar.

Jake’s avatar was still dead to the world near Neytiri’s hammock on the other side of the sleeping levels, so you’d clambered up to the rookery. Eager to get away from HomeTree before he could wake and to check out that mountain base for Grace. The clan had brought in a big hunt yesterday that would require all hands to dismantle and preserve, so you wouldn’t be missed much.

Tsu’tey was already awake and tending to his ikran when you reached the top most level of HomeTree where the ikrans roosted. He nodded in greeting as you slipped past, which you returned with a nod of your own before calling for you ikran.

The beast was quick to answer, coming in to land with a majestic beat of his wings and a greeting call. You stroked his snout as he offered it, glad to see that his saddle remained on and secure, since new mounts tended to tear at them until they got used to the sensation.

<”Good morning.”> You mused, laughing when he chirped in greeting, nuzzling your shoulder. <”What do you say, want to get out of here?”> The ikran seemed to nod, shifting his stance so you could easily climb up.

Patting his shoulder with a soft promise to get breakfast on the way, you easily pulled yourself up into the saddle. Automatically, your ikran shifted so you were sat more comfortably, your long legs finding the stirrups as you reached back for your main braid, pulling it over your shoulder, you reached for his antenna and connected your kuru.

It was a surreal experience, to feel the bark digging into your feet, but be sat on the back of an ikran with your feet cushioned by smooth leather and warm hide.

<”You need to straighten your posture.”> Tsu’tey commented from across the way, to which you waved him off, even as you followed his advice. Beneath you, your ikran turned to the edge of the branch, claws digging into the mossy wood as he looked out over the forest.

<”Make sure you don’t overdo it.”> Tsu’tey continued, he’d wandered away from his own mount to watch you, eyes critical with his arms crossed. <”Remember ride-”>

<”Ride the winds, find the air currents.”> You parroted back with a smile, <”I never knew you cared Tsu’tey.”> He scoffed.

<”It would be embarrassing to be associated with you if you fell off.”>

<”You and your stupid pride.”> You joked, before adding more seriously. <”I’ll be careful.”>

“Dr L/n, do you have a moment!” Jake called from the helix staircase.

<”Go. I will see you at dinner.”> Tsu’tey urged giving your ikran a soft push, coaxing him towards the edge where you asked him to tuck in his wings and dive. The joyous whoop you let out drowned out the rest of whatever Jake was trying to tell you.

>_<

You had grown used to flying on your ikran. In contrast, sitting in the passenger seat of a helicopter was dull.

There was no wind in your braids or the constant threat of your visor slipping. Only the view from the windows which made you feel removed from Pandora rather than one with it. Trapped inside the helicopter with an exo pack strapped to your belt, reminded you of how painfully human you were, regardless of the fact you spent the majority of your days amongst the People, taking to the skies, and being twice your usual height.

At least the company was amusing.

Sully wasn’t so bad, you realised.

His tongue was sharp as he engaged in multiple verbal sparring matches with Grace, and his senses were honed to a degree that spoke of experience in the field. He fit easily into the little ragtag group of three scientists and Trudy, the insults rolling easily off of him when Norm made a probing remark.

But that didn’t mean you liked him.

You hardly knew anything about him. He was clumsy in his avatar, and way too happy to come running to you for answers instead of waiting two minutes to think about it himself. He wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box, a fact which he proved multiple times whenever faced with an issue he couldn’t solve using his fists or a gun.

At least in short bursts, you could somewhat tolerate him.

The pocket compound was cramped with the five of you crowded into it, but you didn’t care much. As soon as you’d thrown your bag onto your bunk, you were weaving around the others towards the link room.

“Make sure you eat.” Grace called at your turned back, to which Trudy shoved a protein ration into your hands. You nodded your thanks, waving the bar above your head so Grace could see that you had something.

Slipping into the link room, you tossed the bar onto an overhead shelf, content to have something more filling when you unlinked later, before starting up the closest unit.

Across the room, Jake was also linking up. His wheelchair pushed to the side, with him already sitting on the side of the unit, whilst Norm fiddled with the controls. You nodded politely when you caught their attention, before busying yourself with the machine in front of you.

The connection out in the middle of nowhere was shockingly worse than the compound, with the technology being years older, but it was good enough. Before long, you were laying down on the bed of silicone and pulling the unit lid down.

Your mind drifted to HomeTree, to the daylight already wasted thanks to this change of location, and before you knew it, you were opening your eyes in your hammock high above the main chamber. The surrounding hammocks were empty, suggesting that everyone else was already hard at work several levels below. You were already dreading the tongue lashing Tsu’tey would no doubt have lined up for you.

Rolling out of your hammock, you reached for your bow and slung it over your shoulder before darting for the staircase that wound down into the main chamber.

There you found Tsu’tey sitting beside the main fire, carving new details into the top of his bow. His head was bent, eyes fixed on his work. Keeping your footsteps light, you held your breath as you tiptoed past him, intending to slip into the forest unnoticed under the guise that you’d been hard at work all morning.

<“You’re late.”> The sheer authority in his tone had your movements stilling and your plans going up in smoke. The hunter continued to whittle the wood, eyes never leaving the task at hand as the crackle of the flames filled the silence.

<“We moved compounds.”> You found yourself explaining, feeling weird about talking about your other life in the safety of HomeTree. <“Somewhere safer.”>

Tsu’tey’s hand stilled on the bow, ears flicking before he composed himself and continued to add detail to the rearing pa’li appearing in the wood. <“You’re away from the Sky People?”>

<“The more dangerous ones, yes.”>

Tsu’tey nodded, <“good.”>

<“Any chance of breakfast?”>

He shook his head. <“You’ll have to wait until the evening meal.”> You pouted but didn’t bother attempting to change his mind. Thankfully, the forest was always rich in fruits and nuts so you’d be fine until later.

<“Tsu’tey.”> Came Neytiri’s voice from the staircase behind you, Jake following her down the last few branches. As Tsu’tey put down his carving to greet her, you bowed your head respectfully before nodding to Jake. He nodded back, eyes flickering uncertainly from Neytiri’s turned back to Tsu’tey’s towering form. You shifted your stance, curious as to why the marine wasn’t hounding you for information and what Neytiri wanted with Tsu’tey.

You didn’t have to wait long as the woman in question straightened up with a simple, “then it is decided.”

Jake did not look overly pleased by this development.

At your confused expression, Tsu’tey stepped forward, his previously warm expression melted away by a stony exterior. “Jake-Sully will be joining us on today’s hunt.”

“Haven’t the other’s already left?” Hours ago judging by the location of the sun.

“We will be hunting separately.” Neytiri explained as if that were obvious. Your heart sank as you realised your day was about to consist of babysitting the marine. Judging by Tsu’tey’s face, he shared your realisation. “Jake needs to observe personally before his own kill.”

You sighed deeply, earning yourself a playful hit from Jake who would normally be trying to argue that he wasn’t that bad. You butted in before his long winded explanation could begin. “Keep up.” You warned him with an accusatory finger. “I’m not hauling your ass out of any bogs.” Was all the advice you offered before following Tsu’tey out of HomeTree and to the right where the pa’li preferred to graze. Since Jake hadn’t yet taken the final test, there was no point in taking the ikran.

Jake mounted his pa’li easily enough, to your surprise as you swung up onto your own mount. He fumbled in connecting his queue but remained seated when he urged his pa’li to follow Neytiri’s off into the undergrowth. You and Tsu’tey held back, exchanging exasperated looks before following near the back of the pack.

Your location in the herd gave you plenty of time to observe the marine. He was a lot more acquainted with his body than the first time you’d spoken when he’d been all long limbs and a loud voice. Now, he ducked to avoid the leaves, kept his pa’li steady despite scanning the undergrowth for potential prey. It was almost impressive, until he tried to jump his pa’li over a fallen log and slid off its back upon impact.

You tried to stifle your laugh as he hurried to pick himself up and haul his muddy ass back onto his pa’li before Neytiri turned around. To her credit, she only rolled her eyes at him a little before continuing on into the undergrowth.

A sharp prod to your lower back had you growling at Tsu’tey, who didn’t even pretend he hadn’t jabbed you with the end of his bow. <“Stop watching him. Focus.”> He teased, and you slowed your pa’li enough to reach across the space between you and smack his shoulder.

“Focus, you two.” Neytiri yelled from the front of the herd, “you can braid each other's hair later.”

Tsu’tey clicked his tongue, ears slicked back, whilst you playfully tugged at one his braids which was coming loose at the end and looking a bit worse for wear. <”You might have to take me up on that offer, Tsu’tey.”> You mused as he swiped at you with his bow.

<”As if I’d let you. You’d mess it up.”>

<”Hey I’ve gotten better.”>

<”You call /that/ better?”> Tsu’tey fired back, motioning to your own head of hair. Dramatically, you gasped pretending to be offended.

“Focus!” Neytiri repeated from the head of the herd, not even bothering to look back. You got in one last joking hit to his side before spurring your pa’li into a canter and taking off. Tsu’tey cursed at you for your troubles but didn’t bother to pursue. You both knew he’d find his own way of getting revenge anyway.

Before long, Neytiri grew so bored of your antics that she ordered everyone off of the pa’li to track yerik on foot. “I cannot believe Jake is better behaved than you.”

“Hey!” The marine interjected, only for Neytiri to wave him off dismissively.

Tsu’tey shouldered past you, throwing a smirk over his shoulder as he followed Neytiri deeper into the bush, Jake walking after them at a lazy pace. You rolled your eyes, before pulling your bow from your shoulder and holding it in your dominant hand, an arrow resting between your fingers as you fell into step behind the group.

The forests were always bountiful this far from the clan, so finding yerik wasn’t the hard part of the hunt. In contrast, the issue lay with what other predators had also come for the yerik.

You were up a tree when the thanator slunk into the clearing behind an unsuspecting Jake, your bow already notched in preparation to take down one of the grazing yerik.

To your left Neytiri yelled, drawing you and Tsu’tey’s attention off of your respective prey. You followed her gaze down to Jake and the advancing thanator, the former completely unaware of the approaching threat.

“Jake!” Neytiri yelled from the trees, scaring off the yerik and drawing the marine’s attention to her. She was frantic in pointing out the thanator, who hissed at Jake’s turned back. The man froze, a look of pure despair emerging onto his face before he even turned around.

“Run idiot!” Tsu’tey interjected, bow drawn to deter the thanator with arrows.

For once in his life, Jake listened to orders and took off at a dead sprint. Neytiri’s training showed in how he moved fast through the undergrowth, flying over fallen trees and slipping through the gaps in the trees whilst the thanator charged after him, obliterating everything in its path.

As the marine made steady progress on the forest floor, the three of you tracked his movements from the safety of the trees. Tsu’tey continued to fire arrows at the animal, careful not to wound it unnecessarily when he could scare it off with enough of a threat, whereas Neytiri kept ordering Jake to climb. Which the marine took no notice of when he dove into the roots of a tree and disappeared from sight instead of going up.

The thanator leapt onto the place he’d disappeared, shoving one of its arms into the dark space after him. It shrieked as it came up empty handed, before withdrawing and instead deciding to tear at the roots with its teeth. The sound of colourful swearing coming from beneath the tree was the only indication it hadn’t gotten to Jake yet.

Whilst you watched the spectacle as one would watch a car crash, you couldn’t help but hear Grace in the back of your mind. Her voice reminding you of how expensive the avatars were, and how long they took to develop, and how long they would take to heal. She would kill the pair of you if Jake got this body killed. And there was one thing for certain, you were more scared of Grace’s wrath than any six legged house cat.

With a sigh, you disengaged your bow and slung it over your shoulder. By nature, thanators weren’t the largest predators in the forest, they had a fight or flight mode that could be easily triggered by sudden movements or enough aggression. You prayed that it would perceive you as enough of a threat.

Tsu’tey paused in shooting at it as you peered down through the trees, mentally calculating whether the drop would do more harm than good. He must have recognised something in your expression, because in moments he was shoving through the leaves and leaping onto your branch, hand outstretched to grab your bicep. <”Don’t.”> Tsu’tey warned, hands closing around open air as you lent forward.

With a war cry, you dropped from the trees, ripping through layers of foliage with thunderous cracks that made the thanator’s gaze shoot upwards, before it leaped back with a snarl as you landed with a loud thump where it had previously been. Your knees bent upon landing, taking most of the impact as your tail thrashed. You pulled back your lips to display your fangs and hissed harshly, making yourself as big as you physically could. The thanator glares back at you, the mobile plates on its muzzle rising as it roared back. Feeling bold, you took a firm step closer, ears pinned back threateningly. Reaching for your bow.

“Jake!” You snapped, not daring to break eye contact with the predator currently sizing you up. “Stand tall and remain calm.”

“How the hell are you doing that?” He laughed, bordering on hysterical, but judging by his grunts and the rustle of grass had done as you’d asked.

“Deep breath.” You ordered, hearing him do just that. “Shoulders back.”

The thantor bunched, its muscles coiling in preparation to pounce. Somewhere above Neytiri ordered Jake to climb, you held firm, forgoing the arrow as you gripped the end of your bow like you would a spear. The beast met your gaze, eyes narrowed. You hunched your shoulders, arms tensed in silent challenge.

You saw the moment it came to a decision. Saw the slightest clench of its claws sinking into the dirt, the single flick of its tail before it pounced.

“Run Jake!” You shouted, leaping to the side, cracking your bow across its brow with enough force to throw it off course. Then you turned tail and ran.

Scrambling up the tree after Jake, you pushed at the marine’s feet, urging him up higher as you heard the thanator shake itself. The beast roared in outrage, thunderous footsteps rapidly approaching the base of the tree. Bark splintered under powerful claws, massive teeth snapping closed.

Muscles screaming, you cleared the first branches, throwing your bow up ahead of you onto a thick one, your nails bit into the trunk as you tried to hook your leg over. Powerful hands gripped your weapons strap, hauling you the rest of the way up.

You’d lost sight of Jake but judging by the harsh scolding coming from a higher branch, Neytiri had already gotten her hands on him.

Tsu’tey dragged you the rest of the way onto the branch, hands tight on your shoulders as he checked you for injuries, expression unreadable. When concluded that you were fine, he shook you. <“What were you thinking?”>

You gritted your teeth, prying his hands off of you. <“He was about to die.”>

<“Then you should’ve let him. Coddling him will not help him learn.”>

Your expression hardened, eyes narrowing as you rose to your feet. <“I’ll remember that next time you need saving.”>

Neytiri groaned from the branch above, poking her head around the trunk to glare at the pair of you. <“You’re like children!”> She snapped before pointing at Tsu’tey. <"You, stop being an ass. And you.”>