Back in 2002, a video game came out. On the surface, it didn't sound like something anyone would agree to make. A combination of "Final Fantasy"-style characters and classic Disney movies that involve the main character fighting monsters with Donald and Goofy using a giant key? But it turned out to be amazing and I loved the game. And then I loved the later games for the same franchise.

And now, in 2019, "Kingdom Hearts 3" is finally out and… Wow. I loved it. Even if it isn't perfect, it is still amazing. I spent the first few hours randomly saying "Look how pretty everything is" and marveling over the gameplay. It was fun. It was fun to play and that's the important thing when it comes to a video game.

It also inspired a lot of ideas, many of them I conceived even before I finished the play through. And while I tried to resist, I couldn't help coming up with this fic idea. I wanted the chance to play around with Kairi and (especially) Lea/Axel a bit more than we got to in the game. Along with a few other characters.

This turned out to be a bit canon divergent though. Basically, it splits off shortly after Aqua gets yanked out of the Realm of Darkness. Everything prior to that happened. After that, things go a little off the rails.

Big Brother Instinct

Light streamed down through the treetops. Leaves rustled softly in the breeze, the only sound breaking the peaceful silence. The forest barely seemed real sometimes.

The flow of time seemed more like a dream. The sun never truly set, night never fell, and the seasons never changed. Even Twilight Town grew brighter and darker with the passing hours, though it never completely lost the softer illumination that the town was named for. They could have been in the forest for weeks or months. There was no way to tell for certain how long it might have for the other worlds though. Only the occasional visit from Merlin broke up the routine.

The Secret Forest wasn't that bad of a place. The peace and almost drowsy feeling would make anyone feel calmer.

Not that either of them were exactly on vacation. Between the attempted magic lessons which mostly involved attacking flying furniture and sparring sessions, they managed to keep quite busy.

Lea stared across the small glade at his opponent, assessing the danger without consciously noticing. She was shorter and younger than him. But she was visibly fit, her muscles surprisingly toned for someone who spent her entire life either hanging out on a tropical island or being kidnapped by various people. Training had only made those muscles stronger, letting her actually put some power behind her moves now. And while her weapon looked delicate, flowery, and impractical, she held it confidently. She was balanced on the balls of her feet, ready to move quickly in any direction including up. And she was watching him just as closely.

His opponent was built to be quick and nimble, making up for her lack of height and general mass with speed, jumping, and a sheer stubborn refusal to back down.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Grinning, she asked, "Not planning to start without warning this time?"

"Nah. It won't catch you off guard if I try that trick every time."

Fighting back a few giggles, the red-haired girl said, "So you'll just cheat later. I guess that it would be too much to expect anything different from a guy who keeps getting beat by children."

"Teenagers with Keyblades," he replied. "Not exactly the same thing as kids playing with wooden swords."

"With Sora and Riku, there's not much difference."

Chuckling slightly, Lea said, "You still haven't answered the question. What's the problem, Kairi? Where's the girl who didn't even hesitate to dive right into a dark corridor?"

Mentioning their first meeting still caused a stab of guilt, but not as strong as it once did. And he could actually discuss it without being compelled to apologize yet again. Even better, she didn't flinch or grimace at the reminder. The casual and relaxed atmosphere between them remained in place. He would consider that progress for both of them.

Kairi gave a few practice swings of her Keyblade. Her movements were smooth and fluid. Even if it took time for her to build up her strength and endurance with the weapon, she'd shown a knack for the technique from the first day. Using the Keyblade came naturally to the girl. Her mind and instincts knew what to do; it just took time for her body to catch up.

"Ready when you are," she said.

He held out his hand. Unlike when he first started, his Keyblade materialized in his grip without resistance. He gave it a quick spin. Even now, the heft and balance felt wrong to him. After wielding his pair of chakrams for years, the longer weapon felt awkward in comparison. Practice had helped. As had the fact the hilt and guard took the form of his chakrams, the blade itself in the shape of flaring flames. But it wasn't enough to make his new fighting style feel natural. He kept falling back on movements that he would use with his old weapons and while some worked with the Keyblade…

Well, no one ever claimed that his idea to pretty much bully his way into getting a Keyblade would be easy…

Without giving the slightest indication that they were starting, Lea lunged forward. But Kairi rolled out of the way. She returned to her feet and spun around in one smooth motion. She swung the Keyblade around, meeting his block hard enough to jolt through Lea's hands.

Definitely stronger than when they started.

"What happened to no sneak attacks this time?" she asked, aiming a strike towards his side.

Twisting to avoid bruised ribs, Lea said, "Real fights aren't fair."

Spinning his Keyblade in his hands, he slipped into a series of swings that mirrored how he would try to slash a Heartless with his chakrams. Kairi easily shifted between blocking, deflecting, and dodging his strikes. By now they were familiar with each others' usual strategies.

"Real fights aren't fair," he repeated between the clangs of weapon strikes. "Most opponents are going to be bigger—" Another sharp hit from Lea. "—stronger—" A swing that met only air as Kairi rolled out of the way. "—and tougher than us. Which means—" He barely blocked a fast strike from her. "—don't fight fair."

Jumping back, Kairi grinned and shouted, "Light!"

Bright glowing orbs shot out of the end of her Keyblade, the surprising move catching him in the chest and knocking him flat on his back. Lea groaned as he rolled back to his feet.

"We agreed no magic for this one," he complained.

"And you just told me not to fight fair." Kairi did look mildly apologetic as he rubbed his chest, the impact still stinging. "Besides, you're just jealous that you can only do Fire spells."

"When you're that good at something, you don't need a bunch of extra tricks," he said.

Kairi chuckled slightly before looking at him in concern, asking, "Are you all right to keep going? If I hit you too hard, I can use Cure."

"Nah. I'm good. We can keep going."

The fight resumed. Lea's height should have given him a significant advantage close up and his tendency to throw his Keyblade meant that he could fight at a distance even without magic, but Kairi seemed to spend half her time leaping into the air and pulling off quick combos that didn't let him use those advantages. Other than a particular spinning leap that she'd started using recently, most of her attacks reminded him of fighting Sora. Or Roxas. Or… or…

Unfortunately, they were both extremely familiar with each other. They knew what types of attacks to expect from the opponents. Which meant that their sparring sessions tended to last a long time due to them dodging and blocking each other.

Hopefully they would be just as good at avoiding attacks whenever they were forced into real combat. Kairi didn't have as much experience in a real fight compared to training and it turned out that he wasn't quite as durable as he was as a Nobody. And Xemnas, Xehanort, and the rest of the new version of the Organization XIII would not go easy on them.

"My, the two of you are showing vast improvement."

The sudden voice made Kairi freeze in surprise and Lea nearly hit her head before he could stop himself mid-swing. Letting his Keyblade dematerialize, he turned his head. Merlin walked into the glade. The old man didn't seem that concern about how ruthlessly they'd been fighting.

Then again, holding back during practice wouldn't help either of them survive a real fight. They both needed to be prepared.

Breathing hard, Kairi said, "Riku and Sora better watch out. Before long, we're going to give them some real competition. We might even have to save them next time."

Lea gave a breathless laugh as he scratched the back of his head. He didn't have any illusions about them being experts, even with their training. But at least they could defend themselves with their new weapons. Lea could use his Keyblade finally. And Kairi could combine her new fighting skills with her Light, Cure, and Fire spells.

Merlin might be responsible for her learning the first two spells, but Lea made certain that Kairi could perform Fire magic.

"Well, while I would prefer to give both of you more time," said Merlin before looking mildly distracted, "though time is relative in this place… and technically you already have more training than Sora and Riku possessed when they began… Regardless, I have been asked to bring you both back. Apparently there's been some interesting developments. So even though this forest doesn't truly have a night or morning, I suggest you both get some rest and I will bring you back when you wake up."

Letting her Keyblade dematerialize, Kairi tucked her hands behind her back and asked, "Is it about Riku and Sora? Did they find Master Aqua and the others? Did they learn something about how to help Naminé and Roxas?"

Her innocent question sparked something deep in Lea's chest. Maybe it was due to the fact that he spent about a decade without a heart or maybe the heart that he started forming as Axel somehow combined with the one he regained as Lea, though he should probably ask Ienzo if that was even possible. Regardless, his emotions always seemed to hit him harder and more intensely than they used to before he became a Nobody. Or maybe he was just more aware of them after their long absence. And after the numb emptiness, he didn't take even the most painful feelings for granted.

The heavy sensation in his chest? The sharp pain that served as a constant companion, a combination of grief, guilt, and regret over losing Roxas tangled up with countless doubts and fears? As bad as it was, he preferred it to feeling nothing.

But not all the feelings were bad. Kairi bringing up the possibility that they could be close to getting his best friend back sparked something warm and bright in his chest. Something that briefly quieted those doubts and fears. Something that she, Sora, and even Riku seemed adept at causing in those around them.

Hope.

"I am afraid that I don't have any details," said Merlin. "But I am quite certain that you will be better prepared to face it with a proper night's sleep. Or at least some sleep, even if there isn't an actual night here."

Crossing his arms and leaning against the closest tree, Lea said, "I suppose if waiting this long for news didn't kill us, one more 'fake day' won't hurt anything. If it was bad, they would have told us already. And honestly, a nap sounds nice."

"And here I thought Sora was the biggest lazy bum around," said Kairi with a wry smile. "I guess Axel wants the title."

"I can spend my vacation however I want. And I think sleeping would be a great way to spend it."

He kept his tone relaxed, but Lea couldn't keep his thoughts from wandering. One more day. Maybe it wouldn't be anything to do with Roxas. They were trying to save a lot of people, after all. Riku and King Mickey updated them on progress when they dropped off the new clothes. Lea knew how many people they were looking for out there. And it might turn out to be impossible to get his best friend back without turning Sora into a Heartless again. But the kid could pull off miracles when he tried. Sora promised to find a way to bring Roxas and Naminé back. And there was something about Sora that, even when you're on the opposite side from him, you wanted to believe in him.

It was his eyes. His trusting and earnest eyes, both too innocent and too insightful. When Sora looked at you with that much determination and faith, anything that the kid said seemed possible.

They were the same eyes that Roxas possessed. The eyes of the amnesiac half-pint that Xemnas and Saïx tossed at Axel to deal with, who he took care of and practically raised during that brief year. Sora and Roxas honestly didn't look alike, but Lea appreciated that small similarity. It reminded him that Roxas wasn't completely gone.

Though it did make him wonder why he kept latching onto children.

Sora was a nice kid, one that Axel could respect and like to an extent even back when he was observing him in Castle Oblivion. Sora's heart was too big for his own good, the kid bonding with almost anyone instantly. Riku seemed to have some sense in his head and anyone who could keep the Organization running in circles for so long was definitely impressive. Not to mention that Riku was brave and determined enough to drag himself out of darkness by pure stubbornness. Both of them were also stronger than they looked. And Kairi was a bright, patient, and forgiving girl. One that just wanted to be strong enough to stand with the people that she cared about. She wanted to be able to protect them in return. Who wouldn't like a kid like that?

But even with the Organization, he took the youngest member under his wing beyond what he was ordered to, teaching Roxas about the world and trying to keep him safe even as the other members grew more hostile. He tried. He tried so hard, but Lea knew that he messed up so badly with him…

Lea's family was never close, what little family that he once possessed, even before he lost his heart and Radiant Garden fell to ruin. But he remembered being an only child and spending all his time with Isa instead of parents that barely seemed to remember his presence. The closest thing to a sibling that he ever had was the slightly older boy that he used to consider his friend.

So how did he end up hanging around with a bunch of kids like he was the big brother of the team?

Whenever they had some spare time between magic lessons, sparring, and general training, Kairi always seemed to find herself drawn to the cliff edge. The beautiful view of the landscape always seemed to relax her. It was different from staring out at the ocean, something that she'd done countless times during her childhood on Destiny Islands. It was different, but still peaceful and nice.

Because time didn't flow like normal, the sun didn't move through the sky. It always remained near the horizon. Kairi liked to think that they were stuck in a constant morning, the golden light too pretty to be anything else. But Lea mentioned that he preferred sunsets, so she suspected he viewed it as an eternal sunset instead.

Kairi smiled slightly, shifting on the rock that she'd claimed as a seat. When they first arrived and started training together, everything was a little awkward between them. Not just because of Lea's difficulties summoning and using his Keyblade, which initially meant that she accidentally hit him a lot while sparring. No, the awkwardness came from their past history. From Axel kidnapping her to use as bait for Sora.

But she gave him a second chance even as she remained on guard for the first few "days." And with more time getting to know him and seeing how different he was from that first meeting, Kairi gradually forgave him and grew more comfortable around the man. It took even longer for him to stop apologizing all the time and relax enough to start joking around with her during practice. They managed to settle into something friendly. It wasn't quite like being with Sora and Riku, but there was a similarity to it.

She did miss the two of them. No matter how hard that they tried to reach each other, they always seemed to be pulled apart. Even when Riku and King Mickey visited briefly to drop off new clothes, it wasn't enough time. She missed the days of playing on the island, splashing in the ocean, and staring at the horizon together as the sun set on another peaceful day. She missed having her best friends around. She was tired of being left behind or on the sidelines. Kairi looked forward to being able to stand with them as an equal again. And someday, when everyone was saved and the worlds were no longer in danger, she wanted to go back to that beach with them.

Funny. Once, they wanted to go off together and have adventures. Just the three of them on a raft. Now, she would be just as happy to be back home. As long as they could be together, it didn't really matter where. She just wanted to be with them.

"I know that look."

She glanced up as Lea stepped away from the tree line. She still didn't know how any of them could actually fight while wearing the long black coats. Kairi certainly didn't try running around the island in a full-length dress, after all. Not to mention that the thick leather-like material always looked way too hot to be comfortable, no matter how much protection that it offered against the darkness. But even when the three fairies created the two of them new clothes, Lea kept the black coat. He claimed that it made him memorable.

Kairi suspected that he wore it because Roxas wouldn't remember him wearing anything else and he was the one that Lea wanted to recognize him.

"What look?" she asked quietly.

"You're thinking about Sora and Riku. You miss your friends. And probably worrying about them too." Lea sat down next to her. "But those two are tougher than they look. Kind of like you. And you heard Merlin. You'll get to see them tomorrow."

"And if the news is what we think it is, you might get to see Roxas then too."

Lea looked away, scratching the back of his head. But a small and wistful smile tugged at his mouth, doubting and yet hopeful. Even a blind person would see that he missed his best friend as much as she missed hers. It might even be the reason why he requested that she should call him "Axel." Just like wearing the black coat, it was something familiar from his time with Roxas.

In the end, for all their differences, she and Lea were surprisingly similar. They both just wanted to be with their friends again.

"You know," he said, clearly trying to steer the conversation in a slightly different direction, "I halfway remember that someone mentioned that, before you ended up on Destiny Islands, you used to live in Radiant Garden?"

Kairi nodded and said, "I was very small when everything happened. When all those Heartless swarmed out, attacked everyone, and…"

"And Radiant Garden was left in ruins," he said.

"Hollow Bastion." She turned her gaze back to the horizon. "I don't even remember much about what happened. I was too little. I remember it being dark. People were screaming and running. And I remember being scared and I couldn't find Grandma. And... something happened... But then I remember waking up on the beach, the bright sun and the cool waves replacing everything that frightened me before. Everyone assumed that I was washed up by a storm. I didn't know how I got there and I couldn't tell anyone what happened. I still don't understand it honestly. But however it happened, it kept me safe and led me to my best friends."

Shifting slightly, Lea said, "Several of the original Organization XIII used to live at Radiant Garden before becoming Nobodies. All the original apprentices of Ansem the Wise, for example."

"And you?"

Grinning, Lea said, "You got it. I was close to your age now when it all went wrong, but I used to live there. I might have even seen you at some point."

"Funny how things work out, huh?"

"Master Yen Sid would probably comment on destiny while Sora would talk about hearts being connected," said Lea in a dry tone that caused Kairi to giggle. He smiled at her reaction. "But I was just thinking about how Sora and Riku remind me of a couple of boys that used to live at Radiant Garden back then."

Leaning forward, Kairi said, "Oh? Really?"

Chuckling slightly, he said, "Yep. One was impulsive and excited to meet new people. To make new friends and be remembered. Honestly, looking back? He was a weird kid." He chuckled again at the memory. "But if someone had handed him a Keyblade and tossed him in a Gummi Ship, he probably would have reacted the same way Sora did and eagerly jump into the role of hero. The other boy was calmer. He was smarter and more sensible about things. But he wasn't above teasing his friend. But if the younger one ever got into trouble, he would do everything in his power to protect him. And they were always getting into some kind of trouble. Usually because the younger one came up with a crazy idea like sneaking into the castle while the older one tried to be the voice of reason even as he joined in. And to get them some ice cream afterwards. But they did everything together. They were—"

"Best friends?"

"Back then, yes," he said, growing quieter. "And everything seemed so simple in those days."

Kairi stared at him silently. The wistful and longing hints threaded through his voice made her think that these were more than just some boys that he occasionally saw back then. They meant something to him beyond the similarities to Sora and Riku. Maybe Lea was friends with the pair growing up.

"Maybe they got out of Radiant Garden in time," she said gently. "Several people ended up places like Traverse Town, right? Maybe they're out there somewhere together, still getting into trouble."

"They got out." His eyes dropped to the ground and his shoulders slumped. "But that wasn't necessarily a good thing for either of them. A lot happened to both of them. Mostly bad. It changed them. And eventually they were driven apart."

Lea wasn't talking about a couple kids that he was friends with growing up. This was too personal. She could feel it. And the realization hit Kairi suddenly. One of those boys was him.

It was hard to picture the man as a kid. To picture him as someone that innocent and carefree, who got into mischief with his best friend and didn't have to worry about Heartless, darkness, or losing those he cared about. Someone who didn't serve as the Organization's assassin and who hadn't resorted to kidnapping in a desperate plan to regain someone. She could barely imagine Lea before all of that.

He would have been like any of the kids she grew up with. He could have been like Sora, Riku, Wakka, or any of the others who played on the island with them. In another life, what kind of person would he have grown up to be?

"But if we can get Roxas and Naminé back, then we can fix anything." Lea's voice came out a little firmer now. "Bringing them back is supposed to be impossible, but we're trying anyway. We're not giving up on them. And if I can keep my promise to bring him back… I can get Isa back too…"

The last few words came out so quiet that Kairi wasn't certain if she was meant to hear them, especially since his eyes drifted back towards the eternally-rising sun. Or the setting sun.

"If I've learned anything over the last couple of years of watching Sora meet people on dozens of different worlds," she said slowly, "it's that friends can find their way back to each other. The connection between can bring them back together, even when it seems impossible." Something in her seemed to push further, offering a few words that seemed to flow out of Kairi while coming from someone else. "Even when distance, time, and lost memories try to fray those connections, they can still find their way back. Long separation and forgetting isn't enough to completely destroy those chains binding hearts together." The words that felt like Naminé fell silent, but Kairi continued, "Maybe there's still hope for those two boys to find each other again."

Lea chuckled quietly and said, "You, Sora, and the others have always been good at hope. And corny speeches about it and friendship."

"I guess you've heard all of this before."

"Yep. Got it memorized and everything." Rubbing the back of his head, he added, "But thanks for reminding me. Makes it easier to be patient…" Then his mood seemed to darken again. "I just hope that if— when we get Roxas back, he'll want to see me."

"Why wouldn't he?"

Kairi honestly couldn't believe that Lea would think that for even a moment. He'd told nearly as many stories about his time with Roxas as she did about growing up with Sora and Riku. She'd heard about countless sunsets spent on the clocktower, eating ice cream, and answering the most unexpected questions from the young Nobody. She'd heard the affection in his voice for his absent friend. And the loneliness. He clearly cared about Roxas and missed him. And from those stories, she couldn't imagine Roxas not being equally thrilled to see him again.

"Last time that I saw him… The last few times that I saw Roxas, we didn't part on the best of terms," he said. "I… messed up with him. A lot. Secrets, lies, and half-truths. Tricking and manipulating him. Hiding things. Important things. I wanted to keep him shielded from the worst of it, to keep him the good and innocent kid that he was for as long as possible. Especially when the Organization treated them…" Lea trailed off briefly with a confused frown, shaking his head. "When they treated him like a replaceable tool. I wanted to keep him safe and to keep things the way that they were. To keep us together. But all I managed to do was break his trust and hurt him. Repeatedly. By the end, Roxas was almost as furious with me as he was with the rest of the Organization. Maybe more."

His eyes were locked on the ground now. Kairi wasn't even certain that he remembered her presence as he kept talking, his voice growing more strained with each sentence.

"Then Roxas was tossed in that digital Twilight Town and I was ordered to drag him back or destroy him. And seeing him in that place, so happy… and he didn't know me… and he had this perfect life, a life that he deserved, and I didn't belong in it… and I knew that it wasn't his fault, that he didn't forget me on purpose, but… it hurt and I didn't know why it hurt because I wasn't supposed to feel…" He took a shaking breath. "The last time that I saw him... I tried to burn him to a crisp while he tried to take my head off with a pair of Keyblades."

His hands tightened into fists as they rested on his lap. Tension filled his tall frame, like a spring wound too tightly. His shoulders shook slightly from the strain. Something in Kairi ached at the sight, wanting to fix it.

"I did a lot of things to you. To Sora. To other people that didn't deserve it. Things that I can never apologize enough for doing. But at least with you, I got the chance to tell you how sorry I am," he said, finally acknowledging her again. "But with Roxas, I never did. I never told him that I was sorry. For the secrets. For the lies. For everything wrong that I did to him. Let's face it. That trio of kids from Twilight Town, the digital versions that he knew for a week, were better friends to him than I ever was." Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he said, "He'll probably be more eager to see those kids than anyone. The real ones. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants nothing to do with me."

Frowning slightly, Kairi reached up and smacked the back of Lea's head. The yelp of surprise and the grimace that she received in response was a definite improvement. Even the accusing glare was better than the guilt and doubt trying to drag him under.

As if a Princess of Heart would let someone fall into such a dark place without trying to stop it.

"Look, I don't really know Roxas." Kairi crossed her arms, her voice firm. "He's not Sora, just like Naminé isn't me. They are their own people. But there are similarities. Like how siblings can have similarities. And if Roxas has even a small piece of Sora in him, then he'll forgive you. It might take time to fix things, but…"

She shifted positions, leaning forward so that her elbows rested on her knees. She tried to arrange her thoughts properly, needing to get the words right.

"You're here. You don't have to be, but you are. You sacrificed yourself as Axel to help Sora. And instead of deciding that was enough and using your second chance to start a new life, you immediately tried to help us as Lea. Even before there was a plan to bring Roxas back, before anyone even considered the possibility, you apparently decided to get a Keyblade and even charged in to save Sora again. You're trying your best to help. To be a better person. And even now, even though you're scared that he'll hate you, you want more than anything for Roxas to physically exist." Smiling gently, she said, "You've made a lot of mistakes and that means something, but everything that you've done since then means something too. Despite everything that happened, Sora forgave Riku without hesitation. Because he knew that Riku was sorry, he knew that Riku was trying to fix things, and because they were best friends. If Roxas is anything like Sora, he'll give you another chance. You two were best friends. He'll want you back. Got that memorized?"

The soft chuckle came out a little choked and ragged and her glimpse of his eyes looked a little shinier, but Kairi didn't mention it. And she didn't look at Lea directly when she thought she heard his arm move, reaching up to wipe something away. Emotions seemed to hit him hard and could overwhelm him. An apparent side effect of having a complete heart again after years without one or only the fragile start of a forming one during his time as a Nobody. Strong or unexpected feelings were just things that would take practice to handle again.

At least it didn't seem as bad as the time early in their training. Something triggered an unexplained reaction of shock and sorrow in him, causing Lea to drop his ice cream and heart-broken tears to stream down his face for a moment. Neither of them understood what caused it and Lea seemed determined to pretend that it didn't happen. This time, however, the reaction was more controlled and calmer.

"And if Roxas decides to be stubborn," she continued, trying to lighten the mood, "then I'll knock some sense into him with my Keyblade."

Lea's quiet laughter sounded a bit more authentic. And when he shoved her shoulder in a playful manner, one similar to how Sora or Riku might have a few years ago, Kairi knew that he was all right again.

"I don't care how well training is going for us. If Roxas was here, he'd knock us both flat with his Keyblade in under a minute."

I fully admit that I'm drawing a lot of influence on Kairi's personality from the first game. In my defense, that's the one that I've played the most over the years and that one has plenty of screen time for her.

And while this part was definitely fun to write (and could almost stand by itself as a one-shot), I do plan to have more characters show up in the future.