Kingdom Hearts Advent: The New Universe

Chapter 7

On their way to Kalm, Sora looked at Aerith with a smile on his face. Aerith noticed and smiled back.
"Something on your mind, Sora?" Aerith asked teasingly. Sora chuckled.

"I'm glad we have you back now. I was worried about you." Sora replied. Aerith smiled.

"And I was worried about you too, lazy bum." Aerith replied teasingly as Sora flinched at hearing Kairi's old nickname for him.

"That reminds me... how do you know so much about my past?" Sora asked. Aerith stopped, and so did Sora. She grabbed his hand and put it to his heart.

"Did you not feel it... our souls are connected now... they have been ever since I've found you. Every night....I dream and see your past... the adventure and the hardship." Aerith replied. Sora flinched.

"Oh..." Sora said. Aerith sighed.

"You didn't notice... I..." Aerith started to say before she realized why he never noticed... her heart had openly accepted his bond... but his heart was guarded... a wall had been built ever since the White Lotus had betrayed him... a wall cracking with each passing moment with her. Sora smiled as he chuckled. He had no reason to guard himself... hide himself from Aerith... and Aerith could sense the wall shatter... revealing a light she had never experienced before. It was warm, comforting... when Sora befriended someone... the bond he had with them was extreme... even more so when it came to love... how Kairi must have felt... to have had experienced what may have been the purest love in the multiverse.

Sora could feel Aerith's heart... and she could feel his... her light was bright, comforting, welcoming...

As Aerith experienced feeling Sora's light... she could see... slowly... that the light was fading.... that his soul had been slowly dying... Sora had lost so much... and had so little. It was in that moment... Aerith swore... that she would make what little he had support him as strongly as whatever he had past... that she would save this light... this purity... this capacity for love.

As Cloud coughed... snapping the two 'strange people' as he thought them, out of their literal heart to heart moment, he looked at them confused to why the two was just standing there.

"Oh... by the way... Sora... I made you something." Aerith told the brown haired Keyblade Master.

"I've been working on it for a while... sure it's not star shaped... but... this is my wayfinder... to you." Aerith explained as she gave Sora a finely made black and red flower keychain out of materia. Sora grabbed the keychain and suddenly a bright light appeared in Sora's hand as a new Keyblade was formed.

"This blade... is our Oathkeeper... a symbol of our bond." Sora told Aerith with a smile. Aerith smiled as she looked at the beautiful Keyblade that had formed.

"I think I'll call it... Revived Hope... since... you've given me lots of new reasons to have hope again." Sora told Aerith.

"You do know what this means now... right?" Aerith asked. Sora looked at Aerith in confusion.

"Just like Kairi before for you... and Zack was for me.... where ever you go, I'll always be with you." Aerith told Sora. Sora nodded and closed his eyes before looking at his new Keyblade again.

"Am I going to be a professional third wheel all day or can we go?" Cloud asked.

"Jealous, Cloud?" Sora and Aerith teased in unison before he rolled his eyes and mumbled about idiotic romantics.

Later:
As Sora and the others got closer to Kalm, a woman stopped them.

"You... you must be Sora, travelling from Midgar, right?" the woman asked.