Kingdom Hearts IV
StarsOfDarkness
0 – I want you for a Lifetime
The sun was setting before her eyes, as it had a million times in the past. The islet was as sandy as ever. The paopu tree remained in is snaked, convenient bend. Many things in her life were back to normal.
But nothing was the same.
On the beach below, Riku was entertaining his guests. Ventus, Terra, Aqua, then Roxas, Naminé, Axel, their former enemy Isa, and a girl named Xion were playing Frisbee on the beach. Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey were even there making sculptures in the sand with the kids from Twilight Town.
"That's odd," Kairi thought. "I thought we weren't supposed to move people between worlds. I guess the King made an exception for today."
It was a special day, after all. This afternoon, Kairi was found on the beach of the islet, asleep. Around her were shoe prints on the soft sand, signifying the presence of another; they were too big to be hers. Riku was the first to find her and, after taking her home and getting her some rest, he contacted the others about the situation. To his surprise, the King allowed many of the people involved in the adventure to come visit Kairi and take a nice vacation to the beach.
Kairi found herself staring at the frolicking crowd and so turned away to face the sunset. A chill wind breezed through the island, a strange occurrence for a tropical paradise. She shivered slightly, but gazed onward. She didn't want to think about anything else. She wasn't interested in her friends enjoying themselves on the beach. She wasn't interested in the way the sun seemed to be darker and receded into the horizon much faster than usual. She wasn't interested when clouds overhead began to trickle a faint drizzle on the Destiny Islands.
Even the Sky was crying, huh.
She was strong. She refused to cry for him. She will find him one day and repay him for all he had done for her. She will make sure he came back.
She turned to her right to see him staring at the sunset with her. She almost gasped. The rain stopped. His hand was clutching hers faintly, but she felt it. She dared not move, since the slightest nudge might drive him away again.
He turned to her and his cerulean eyes gazed deep within her soul. Kairi didn't know how long it took, but to her it was an eternity. He leaned forward, closer, as if to whisper something. She leaned forward in response to meet him halfway. All the while, they stared into each other's eyes; she didn't even notice a single tear betray her façade in her excitement.
It was a dream, then. We're back! We're home! But something was wrong. His eyes were somber with longing and his lip was quivering. He was on the verge of tears himself, but it seemed to be for the wrong reasons. Such irrepressible grief and loneliness filled his vacant smile, and the closer they came to each other, the less of him she could see.
Eventually, she could see the shaft of the paopu tree and the wooden boats in the water through his body. He drifted away, but she couldn't react. She couldn't do anything – It was her fault that he's gone in the first place.
However cruel fate was to them, it showed some mercy at that moment, as when Sora's body faded away, his face was the last to leave. Sora seemed to see her grimace as she had to watch him fade away, so, in typical Sora style, he instantly masked all semblance of sorrow and softened his face to his warmest, dearest smile. A smile, he now noticed, he only reserved for Kairi.
Kairi saw him smile and the warmth of the island returned. She heard the waves crash against the beach again, and she smelled the sweet fragrance of the paopu fruits hanging nearby.
"I love - " she nearly finished, but the sun – in its last hurrah before nightfall – shone its final, brightest rays, whisking away what was left of Sora. She felt her heart ache again, but this time, the beauty of the island had remained. She looked to the sky and, in the absence of the sun, a myriad of stars shone above in its place. She then noticed Riku running across the wooden bridge to the islet. Keeping her eyes to the sky, she addressed him.
"I will find him." Kairi declared. "Whatever it takes."