Tear Jerker / Oathkeeper's Awakening

• Kairi's grief from losing Sora is explored in detail. She feels immense guilt for both Sora's fate and her own inability to move on in life. She still writes letters to him, knowing full well that he will never read them. She began to fall behind in her studies and would spend her break periods by herself writing to Sora.
• Remember Sora's final moments with Kairi in the ending of Kingdom Hearts III? We finally get to see the scene in a flashback, complete with dialogue. As Kairi watched the sunset with Sora, she noticed a tear trickle down his face and onto her hand. As Sora began to fade away, the saddened expression they shared confirmed that Kairi's worst nightmare was about to come true. Sora's final words as he wiped her tears really sell the scene.
  Promise me you'll keep laughing and smiling. I'll always be in the wind that blows through your hair, the mist that tickles your face from the ocean, and in smiles and laughs that we'll share together. As long as you keep me alive in your heart and your memories.
• Kairi discusses the Seven Stages of Grief in one of her letters to Sora.
  There are seven stages of grief. If these stages created a staircase, it is the longest I've ever climbed. The longer, the more exhausted I've become. The more exhausted I am, the less I can focus on life. The less I am able to focus, the harder I am on myself over the little things. Every time I feel like I've started to move on, I take a step back, and then I'm back to crying, like right now. I'm only crying because I never dreamed it'd take this long...
• Kairi and Riku's fallout in the second chapter. As they quarrel and say things that they immediately regret, it becomes apparent that Sora was the one who held them together. He laid the foundation and now that he was gone, what was left?
• Kairi Taking the Bullet for Kocoum, getting shot in the process. As a guilt-ridden Thomas began to apologize, Xion attacked him in tears, shouting "WHY HER?". The fact that the shooter was someone the heroes trusted makes it even worse. Like in the animated film, John takes the blame for the shooting, thereby being condemned to death.
  • An unconscious Kairi has a dream where she's back on Destiny Islands. She feels Sora physically but is unable to see him. They hug each other tight as Sora comforts a crying Kairi. Sora then fades into thin air once again as Kairi pleads with him not to go.
• Kairi watches in tears as a heartbroken Pocahontas attempts to embrace John, knowing full well the pain of losing a loved one.
  Feeling a harsh pit form in her stomach, Kairi's heart sank as she looked into the eyes of a heartbroken Pocahontas and saw the all too familiar sadness within them. It was the same that her eyes had during her final moments with Sora. It was these final moments where Kairi empathized with Pocahontas' desperation for one last look, one last touch, one last exchange, just one more second. It was those final moments where Kairi wanted to bargain, tried to think of what could've happened, tried to think of how to make it right, decided she was willing to give up whatever she could just to have him by her side.
• Jack Savage's backstory. As a child, his parents were murdered by a fox on their anniversary.
• After venturing into the Sleeping Worlds in search of his best friend, Riku finally finds Sora in Shibuya only to find that he doesn't recognize him. Worse, Sora attacks Riku, believing him to be Yozora. It turns out that Sora entered the Reapers' Game, with his entry fee being his memories of his friends.
• After being turned into small animals by Celia Facilier, Kairi, Xion and Naminé try to warn Tiana and make the mistake of sneaking into the restaurant through the kitchen... while a health inspector was present. This nearly results in Tiana's restaurant, and by extension her dream being shut down. Luckily Lottie bribes the health inspector into giving her a second chance.
• Luxu tries to form a wedge between Kairi and her friends by showing Naminé and Xion an illusion of her having an affair with Riku. This results in them getting into a very nasty fight, with both parties saying things they soon regret.