Bruises
The bad ones were still black and blue, but the old ones were fading to sickly yellow and green. There were more old bruises than new ones, and that made Kairi smile. She was improving.
She hadn’t gotten many bruises at first, when they’d all discovered that she, too, could wield a keyblade, but Kairi had quickly realized that the boys were going easy on her, and a lecture saw the end of that.
“I want to protect those I care for, too!” That had earned their respect. There had never been any doubt that her heart was strong, only fear that the boys would hurt her.
But they were just bruises, and she wore them like badges of honor. She was far from having the skills to match Riku or Sora in a real battle, but she could fight.
She could fight, and she’d given out a few bruises of her own to prove it, this time.