#please support them all aisdjf;iasdf

[blissfulnightrain]

Oh man am I excited to share this post!

Last year, I somehow got chosen to be a contributor for the @kairizine! It was an amazing experience getting to work with the many talented contributors and amazing mods with this team, I truly couldn’t ask for a better experience. Pre-orders closed for their first round back in March, and all packages were sent out, which means we finally got the green light to post our pieces! I hope you enjoy this story even a fraction of how much I enjoyed writing it.

If you missed the first round of pre-orders and would still like a copy and the merch, fear not! We’ll be opening for another round come July 5th! Follow the zine handle to keep up with updates!

Lastly, I do have the piece posted to AO3 and FFN, if those are your preferred reading sites!

Without further ado, here it is!

A Reason to Believe

Word Count: 2852

Summary: As Sora returns to Hollow Bastion to close its keyhole and save Riku, Kairi is left alone in Traverse Town to reflect on their journey thus far. There had to be more that she could have done...but what? Perhaps the "stranger" she meets might have answers about the strength she so desires.

***

Kairi wasn't supposed to be outside.

Not without supervision at least. But with Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon now gone and only the occasional check-in from Cid, who was very much preoccupied with his business, life practically alone at the small house in the Third District grew agonizingly stagnant.

She didn't plan on going too far—she was well aware of the potential risks. All she needed was a small change in scenery.

Very carefully she looked both ways, making sure her coast was clear. With no Heartless in sight, she stepped one foot out of the house and onto the cobblestone street, the other following as she gently shut the door behind her. It was a cool night out, as it always was. The sun never shined in Traverse Town, the sky's canvas instead perpetually painted with hues of black, navy, and purple, decorated with a smattering of shimmering, glittery stars. If she could tunnel her vision, drown out the sight of the brick buildings and glowing neon signs that surrounded her, she could have sworn she was looking at the same dark sky that canopied the humble island that she grew up on at night.

In fact, she knew for sure now that that was the case, wasn't it?

"Every single one of those stars...they're another world." She recalled Riku saying some version of this almost every time during their late nights out on the beach, strands of his silver hair dancing in the seabreeze as he gazed above.

"Every single one?" Sora's cerulean eyes would grow wide, his mouth agape in wonder.

"Every single one," Riku would echo with a nod. "We're on just one among who knows how many."

They were going to see them all. Together.

But things hadn't gone as they'd intended. The light of their tiny world could no longer be seen up there, blinking out the moment it fell to the darkness, and though they'd managed to journey far, far away, they'd all been forced to travel on their own individual paths.

Or so it seemed.

Whether she'd ever realized it during the time or not, she could not say, but through Sora's heart and eyes, she'd walked his path beside him. New friends, long battles, and so many sights that had been encountered—it all was barely fathomable to think about. There were so many new experiences, and eventually one that rang all too familiar.

Their previous destination, before she and Sora had returned to Traverse Town, was a dreary land they now called "Hollow Bastion." It was aptly named; a barren land where waterfalls rose, eluding the lush gardens they once fed—gardens she knew she'd once played in herself.

Even though she associated the islands with her childhood, she would never quite be able to shake the familiarity with that foreign-but-not place. She'd felt it the moment she (or Sora, to put it more accurately) set foot on that world. It didn't look anything like she remembered, but then again...she didn't really remember it at all. The sight of the castle and the paved walkways all brought little flashes of recollection, but they almost instantly were snuffed out by the Heartless that ran amok.

The Heartless threat only grew worse, forcing her and Sora to flee and seek refuge back in Traverse Town after they'd saved one another. But Riku still remained there, trapped by the dark road he'd chosen. Despite her panic, Kairi could discern the desperation to abandon that path in those last moments she'd been in his presence. Paired with an unlocked Keyhole sending more monsters across the worlds, Sora had been forced to return with that Keyblade that had been mysteriously ordained to him.

"You'd...kind of be in my way." Sora was frank when she asked him if she could come along. Her giggles echoed off the hollow stone walls of that musty cave (that reminded her so much of the Secret Place back on the island), masking the sinking feeling she felt in her gut when she'd heard him say that. After all, they'd made it so far by sticking together, hadn't they?

Still, it wasn't hard to understand where he was coming from. She'd never quite been able to keep up with her friends as they raced and sparred against each other, nor had she been chosen to wield any sort of universe-saving magical weapon. No, all she could do now was stand by and wait for Sora and Riku's safe return.

She could only hope that was good enough.

Thoughts began to race through her mind once more, thoughts she was no stranger to. Would Sora return okay? Would Riku return to being the boy they'd grown up alongside, or had the darkness stolen him away from them forever? Would either of them be able to restore balance to all the worlds that had been lost?

"They're just kids…" She'd overheard Leon discussing the matter with Aerith before they, too, had left her behind and went to join Sora. Though they'd explained that they were just going to check on the state of their home world, Kairi couldn't help but sense the dejection in Leon's tone. And she couldn't really blame him; after all, what could a bunch of kids do?

"By any chance are you lost, my dear?" Kairi jumped, startled at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. A shiver ran down her spine as she inspected her surroundings once more; her coast remained clear to her right and in front of her, but to her left…

"Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you," the owner of the voice said apologetically. At first obscured by the shadows of the night, her features became more apparent when she stepped under the glow of the street lamps. The light revealed a stout woman about the same height as her, a brown shawl draped over her shoulders and the purple ankle-length dress she wore. Her gray hair was tied up in a bun set high on her head, her indigo eyes crinkling as her cheeks and lips lifted into a warm smile.

"I-it's okay," Kairi responded, now turning to face the elderly woman. "I just didn't expect to see anyone else out here."

"I could say the same." The woman chuckled. "Well, it won't do a young girl such as yourself much good to stay out here for too long. Conditions are quite dangerous right now, with all those monsters running around. I wouldn't be out here if I didn't need to be." Kairi's attention was then drawn to the plastic bags she was carrying. "It's best we both get back to where we belong as soon as we can."

"Right." Kairi smiled politely. The elderly woman wasn't wrong, and luckily enough all Kairi needed to do to go back inside was turn around and walk a couple of paces in the direction she came from. But… "Would I be able to help you with those?" She pointed towards the bags, which appeared heavy in the woman's frail hands. And who knew how much further she would have to carry them to reach her destination?

"Oh, dear, that's very kind of you to offer, but I wouldn't want you to travel further than you need to."

A small frown appeared on Kairi's lips. Even if it was in such a small capacity, to be able to help this woman… "I really don't mind!" She extended her arms out towards her elder, her lips now turned upwards. "You'll need to get home as soon as you can, too."

The woman hesitated a moment before finally relenting and passing the bags over, smile lines appearing at the corners of her mouth. "Well, you do make an offer that's difficult to refuse."

It was as Kairi began taking the bags that the woman's complexion turned pallid, eyes wide in shock.

"Oh, look out! Behind you!" Kairi hastily turned around, only to recoil at the sight.

A small group of Heartless had appeared. Some were flying, others were bound to the ground, some were with weapons, others had their fists or talons bared, and all of them were teeming with a dark, deadly intent to strike every living, breathing being in their path.

She knew she had mere seconds to decide what to do next. Getting the old woman home would be impossible under these conditions, but she had the presence of mind to remember an alternative option for shelter. "Over here!" As the swarm began to close in, Kairi gestured for the woman to follow when she darted around back towards the door to the small house. She only half-noticed that her wrists felt lighter when she reached for the door, hastily opening it while pulling the old woman inside along with her.

The soles of Kairi's shoes squeaked against the familiar hardwood floor, the woman's tapping behind her almost immediately after. Following her was the sound of the door slamming shut, standing as the only barrier between them and the threat outside. They held their breath at the continued thumping against the door, and Kairi's eyes darted frantically around the room trying to find something, anything, to stave off the potential intruders.

When she felt something grab her hand, she nearly lashed out, only to quickly realize that it was the woman's comforting squeeze.

"Believe in the light," she whispered softly. And though they were mere words, Kairi found her heart responding. She closed her eyes, melding into the woman's touch as a sudden wave of calm washed over her amidst the clamor from beyond the walls. A small flame began to flicker and glow at the hearth of her chest, its warmth spreading through her veins and encapsulating her. If she could somehow make it burn even brighter, proliferate those whisps and embers past the door to lick at their enemies, even if just to ward them away...

Whether seconds or an eternity had passed by the time Kairi reopened her eyes, she could not say. The woman's delicate palm was still in her own, the walls around them remained intact, and there was silence.

Silence.

"See that?" The woman beamed, now taking Kairi's other hand. "They're gone."

"They are," Kairi replied with a grin of her own. "Thank you." The two stood quietly, reveling in the now-peaceful moment, and the shelter and safety of one another.

"...I promised I'd help you get home," Kairi finally interjected into the silence. "I'll take you there now."

"Oh, dear, you've done more than enough—"

"Please." Whether it was Kairi's pleading tone, or perhaps it was in spite of it, the woman was chuckling.

"Your determination is quite admirable, I must say."

"I'll make sure the coast is clear." Kairi finally let go of the woman to make her way over towards the door, slowly turning its knob before creaking it open. Sure enough, there were no enemies in sight. Looking both ways as she had done before, she slowly stepped out, one foot after the other, before giving the woman the confirmation.

It was when the woman caught up to her that she noticed the mess in the corner of her vision. "Oh, no…" she groaned.

"What is it, child?" the woman inquired, concerned.

"I...I'm really sorry," Kairi replied, dejected as she walked over to the source of her dismay: remnants of the plastic bags, their contents laid strewn and torn across the street. "I dropped them while we were running, and I just wasn't thinking, a-and—"

"Dear, dear! Munny goes around, more days will come, and these items will be easily replaced. And now, if it weren't for your actions and quick thinking, I might not be standing here next to you, and certainly not in one piece." But the woman's thoughtful words failed to quell the lump that was forming in Kairi's throat.

"I was scared," she explained, her voice small. "There was nothing else we could do besides run away and hide." And it was all she had been doing since coming here, hadn't she? While Sora and Riku were out there, fending for themselves, fending for her, all she could do was stand and watch, worlds away from them.

"There, there, now." She felt the woman's soft fingertips delicately brush across her cheek, wiping away a single glistening tear.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again, blinking rather rapidly to clear her vision. Her hand was taken once more, enveloped firmly between the woman's pruney fingers.

"Tell me, what's really troubling you?" The woman's eyes peered back at her. Kairi hesitated before responding. This was a stranger, after all, and she had been strictly instructed to not divulge any information regarding the worlds' affairs to anyone. But...there was something about this woman that she couldn't quite put her finger on—a something that told her it might be all right to be just a little vulnerable with her.

"I just...wish I could have been stronger. So I could have protected th—you, back there." She then let out a contemplative sigh, brows furrowed the moment the words escaped her. "Sorry, that probably sounds ridiculous. After all, what could a kid like me do?"

"Oh, you'd be quite surprised." The woman appeared amused. "Come, let me tell you all about strength while we walk—a type of strength that doesn't require any muscle or stamina, but one that is far more valuable."

"Huh?" Kairi nearly caught herself from falling as the woman suddenly began to move, their hands still clasped together.

"Now, listen carefully to my words, dear, for the heart of a child exactly like yourself has the power to do the most incredible things." The woman began to relay what sounded like the start of a fairytale, and suddenly, Kairi was transported.

But the place she found herself in was no fantasy land. A musty green carpet shrouded the floors, countless books lined rows and rows of wooden shelves. Underneath the stairwell in the corner was a little nook with a desk covered in pages and pens. Her indigo eyes peered up curiously at the seated old woman, the hue of her irises matching her own. Her smile was kind, her voice soft as she relayed the familiar tale of the children whose light saved the worlds once before.

"So, listen child," the woman from the world of her origin called to her. "Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away…"

"...Just as it did when you protected me with that fiery determination of yours, and as it always will when you wish to save the ones you cherish so deeply," the woman now holding her hand concluded.

The night sky blanketed them once more as Kairi found herself back in the present. Concrete replaced carpet, buildings stood in place of bookshelves, and the messy desk was transformed into the door of a tiny cottage. But the woman she now stood in front of, indigo eye to indigo eye…

Time seemed to stand still as Kairi's vision grew misty once again. "Y-you're…"

Her grandmother flashed her a knowing smile, her hand resting tenderly against Kairi's cheek. The once-unfamiliar touch now restored memories of long walks through abundant gardens, Kairi's small, soft hand clasped in the warm but sturdy grasp of hers as she begged to hear that same story over and over and over again. Sometimes the old woman would chuckle, other times she'd feign exhaustion, but in the end, she'd never refused her bright-eyed granddaughter's request.

"You and I have quite a bit of catching up to do, don't we, Kairi?" Her tone remained gentle, like the sea breeze that caressed her skin when she frolicked about with Sora and Riku along the island shores.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" She received a nod in response. "I…don't know what to say." And yet, there was so much she wanted, needed to tell her. About her home away from home, about the new friends she'd made, about her journey across the big sky—the very same one she swore existed all those days ago while her grandmother nodded along, amused by her spunk.

"Through all the adversity you've certainly faced," she began, as if answering the younger girl's discombobulated thoughts, "that light of yours shines even more brilliantly than I recalled."

"That's because I had an amazing teacher who always told me to believe in it," Kairi explained, lips lifting and heart swelling. "Thank you, Grandma." It was a lesson of love and light that she swore to herself she would never forget ever again.

But that promise would have to remain in her heart, unverbalized, as Kairi suddenly found herself standing empty-handed. Asphalt, buildings, and the woman who'd been standing before her crumbled into shards of sand that collected beneath her feet. A voice called her name, and from the distance in this strange new void, a familiar boy with spiky brown hair was running towards her.