Melody of Memory

This Place

Kairi had let herself be put into a deep sleep to search her own heart for some clue to Sora's whereabouts, and she had been asleep in Ansem the Wise's own computer lab for a year, watched over by Ansem the Wise, Even, and Ienzo, when the equipment monitoring her failed all at once.

"Something's wrong. Shut it down!"

"And just when things were going well."

"What's happening!?"

Kairi found herself somewhere the equipment could no longer follow her. "This place."

A memory rose up around her, of the day she had been sent away from Radiant Garden as a child.

"This world will be engulfed in darkness, everything you care about and everyone you love. If you truly possess the power of a princess of heart, your heart will resonate with a Keyblade wielder's, and I believe you can lead me to that wielder's world. That is the only possible way to save ours. You see, this is more than an experiment, it's hope. Like most, you probably believe that nothing exists outside of this world you live in. And yet, there are countless other worlds. You can see them sparkle brilliantly in the night sky. Through that sea of stars, fate will guide your ship to where you are meant to be. However, if you arrive in a world that's neither of light nor darkness, but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy. If that happens, you must abandon your search, we have failed."

A Product of Your Heart

The memory gave way to a hooded figure, waiting for her.

"Not so fast, my dear."

"Who are you? Show your face!"

He obliged her.

"You're right. I set you adrift in another world and drastically altered the course of your fate. In the end you were destroyed by my hand, paving the way for Sora's disappearance."

"You're the one who keeps messing with my fate. If it weren't for everything that you've done, then Sora and everyone would be safe. Even if you're not really here and this is just a memory or illusion, I won't let you walk away!"

"You've become quite the Keyblade wielder! For a retired master, Yen Sid prepared you remarkably well."

He was not finished taunting her.

"This world was created from the memories contained within your heart. You seek clues to Sora's whereabouts by using your memories of him to search through your own heart. But there's nothing for you to find here. I'm afraid the answer you seek lies in memories that are long gone."

"I have had enough of this!"

She charged him and was overpowered. Before he could finish her, Sora took over her body to save her. "Ah, look who joined us. As I thought, your voice can't reach us here. Now I'm certain of where your heart is."

Sora defeated him where Kairi alone could not. "On the day that I sent you out from your world, do you remember what it is I said to you? Those words hold the answer you seek. I may cause you to suffer, but I am a product of your heart. For that reason, I shall give you your answer."

He became Terra-Xehanort before her, one last time. "Before, when my heart and body were still united as one, I told you about what would happen if we were to fail. 'If you arrive in a world that's neither of light nor darkness but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy.' That is the answer I have for you."

Then he was gone.

"Thank you, Sora."

"What does that mean?"

The Lab

Kairi woke, and told them what Xehanort had said to her. "Yes, he said that's the answer."

"Maybe Mickey or Master Yen Sid knows."

Even turned the words over first. "Not of light or darkness, but on the other side?"

Ansem the Wise took them further.

"Where voices can't reach. The other side of our world, of reality. Unreality? A fictional world? I'm afraid such mysteries are beyond our comprehension."

"Something else he said perplexes me. 'Your voice can't reach us. I'm certain of where your heart is.'"

Ienzo was no closer to an answer.

"I've never heard of a place like that."

"You would assume that he's referring to the realm of darkness, but, that clearly isn't the case here, wouldn't you say?"

Ansem the Wise reasoned it out as far as he could.

"Yes, perhaps. The three realms of our world, light, darkness, and between, these are all places we can travel to because they are on 'our side.' This also includes the worlds of memories, data, and dreams. If I am correct, then this 'other side' of our world from which voices cannot reach must be a place outside of our reality. Namely, it must be unreality, or fiction. But, that is the extent of our knowledge."

Riku arrived before anyone could take it further. "Kairi! You woke up!"

"Yeah, just now. How come you're here?"

He had not come only to check on her.

"Well, actually I found some info about Sora."

"Really? We got something too!"

She wanted his own first.

"Riku, what did you dream?"

"Oh, well since Sora disappeared, I've been having dreams about a large city with tall buildings. Apparently, that's the clue."

Kairi already knew where she wanted to take it. "So, I thought we should go to Mickey and Master Yen Sid to ask about it."

The Final Key

A voice interrupted them before anyone could say more.

"Oh, excuse me, dears, I certainly didn't mean to startle you. If you're not expecting magic, it can be a surprise."

"Now then, I am the Fairy Godmother. And it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Yen Sid sent you?"

Riku answered before she could. "She came here at Yen Sid's request. He said she's got a clue that might help us find Sora."

Ienzo laid out what they had for her benefit.

"Yes. We performed an examination of Kairi's heart and obtained an important clue from the lost memories it contains, which is that, there's another world on the other side of ours that's not of darkness or light."

"Maybe that's what Xehanort was talking about. A fictional world."

The Fairy Godmother had come with her own answer.

"That's right. To find Sora, we need three keys. First, Riku, and then of course there's you, dear Kairi."

"With Riku's dreams and Kairi's memories, you two have already done your part."

Kairi still had her own suggestion in mind. "Mmm, I'm not quite sure they'll be able to help you, my dear."

"Oh, you forget; there are three people who hold the key. There's still one more. One with a strong will and a very precious dream."

Neither of them knew who she meant.

"You'll see. I'll introduce you!"

She brought them both to the Final World, a place Kairi already knew. "Yeah, I came here with Sora, and also in my dreams while I slept. This is, the Final World. But there's no one here."

"That's not true. Why don't you look closer?"

"The stars. I never noticed."

The Fairy Godmother told her what they were.

"Yes, strong hearts gather here after death until they are ready to move on. I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

She found the one she was looking for.

"The final key."

"We found you! We've been searching all over for you, my dear."

The star did not recognize her.

"Do I know you?"

"You're all able to retain your appearance in this world. I met someone else who could do that."

Kairi introduced herself. "I'm Kairi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, yes. It seems you know a lot about me."

The Fairy Godmother confirmed it for all of them.

"That's right, dear. Now we finally have all three."

"Um, so she's the final key?"

She explained what that meant.

"It's simple. She came from the world on the other side. You see, she's very special. Her form was taken from her, but she managed to find her way here. If she goes back to her world, her heart will certainly be stolen. Right, dear?"

"My dream, come true?"

"A little, and I would use my magic to change you back if I could. But I'm afraid that's impossible while you're in this form. Don't fret, though, I believe that we'll find a way to make your dream come true very soon."

Riku saw a way to be useful in that. "I want to help make that happen. Will it lead us to Sora?"

Quadratum

Kairi thought of the one name that mattered most. "Wait. Do you know him?"

"Sorry, but did I hear you say 'Sora'?"

"Yes. He was here. He encouraged me not to give up. Did something happen to him?"

Riku told her. "Yeah. Sora disappeared. He's a good friend of ours, so we've been looking for him. Right now, we think he's in a big city full of tall buildings. Ring any bells?"

She knew it at once.

"A city full of tall buildings, Quadratum? It has more skyscrapers than any other city I know. That must be it."

"Quadratum, is that where Sora is?"

The Fairy Godmother would not promise more than she knew.

"There's no way of knowing, but I believe it is possible."

"I'm not sure exactly what's happening. But if Sora is in trouble, I want to help. Please, let me know what you need from me."

The Fairy Godmother told Riku what that would take. "Oh, I'm afraid it's not that simple. First, we must get to her world. She can open a path for us, and you can use the power of waking to go there."

Kairi wanted to go with him. "I want to go."

She talked herself out of it in the same breath.

"Yeah. I know. I want to go with you. But, I know that I can't. I need to finish training. I need to become stronger. And when I do, I'll be right there next to you and Sora. But first I'll go explain everything to Donald and Goofy and to Mickey and Master Yen Sid."

The Fairy Godmother had done all she could.

"I'm afraid this is as much as I can do. It's up to you, Riku, to take care of the rest."

"Be careful out there, dear. And try not to do anything too reckless. Come straight back if you encounter any trouble."

Riku went alone.

Where You'll Begin

Word that Riku had gone alone reached Mickey before Kairi did.

"Riku went alone!? But that's way too dangerous! I hafta go after him now!"

"Do not be hasty, Mickey."

Mickey would not let it go so easily. "But Master Yen Sid, he's all alone in a world we know nothing about!"

"Precisely. We have never faced something like this before, which is why we must remain calm."

Yen Sid turned to Kairi for the rest of it.

"Kairi. This information you bring us, it comes from Xehanort during his time as a researcher?"

"Then that means he must have been aware of this other world for quite some time."

"But we defeated Xehanort. Is there anybody else we can ask?"

Yen Sid traced it back further than Xehanort.

"When I was still serving as a Keyblade Master, it was known that the ancient masters had crossed over into another world. I surmise that Xehanort looked more deeply into that world."

He turned to what needed doing now.

"For now we must reach out to those in Radiant Garden, the Land of Departure, and Twilight Town who are searching for Sora to inform them of what we have learned and have them halt their respective efforts. Donald, Goofy, I leave this to you."

"And Kairi, will you continue your training as you were before?"

She had already decided on something a little different.

"Actually, I'd like to study under Master Aqua."

"That is an excellent idea. I approve."

Last, he turned to Mickey. "And you, Mickey. I task you with the investigation of this new world and how it is related to the ancient Keyblade Masters."

"You'll begin, in the world of Scala ad Caelum."