Her dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand," she repeated.
Mickey shook his head, his ears drooping. "I'm sorry, Kairi." His tone was pained, something copied in the eyes of everyone near.
She tilted her head again. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"He's gone."
"No he's not."
There was no doubt in her mind, no worry. Sora wasn't gone; he was right there with her. Sure he might be off on that mission, but she wouldn't call that gone. He was just…absent.
"Yes, he is," Mickey pressed.
She shook her head violently. "No he's not." Why were they all looking so melancholy, so depressed?
"He didn't make it."
Her breath caught in her throat, and an audible sucking noise was made. "Didn't make it…where?"
He told her he would make it! There had to be some other explanation.
"I'm so sorry."
Her head began to twirl, and Kairi was sure that her ankles couldn't support her weight, so she leaned one wrist against the wall, quaking her head. "He can't be gone. We're going to get married," she cried, as if such a detail could undo his words.
Mickey bowed his head. "I know."
"Then…he can't be gone. It isn't possible," she reasoned, though her means of rational were quite lost on them all. "We're going to get married. Not now, of course, but when this is all over. We're going to get married and have kids—I already picked out the names! So none of that can be true, because he has to come back and marry me."
Someone picked up her hand. It was Riku.
"Sora's dead, Kairi."
She wrenched herself from his gentle grasp with a moan. Her legs wobbled as she dashed down the hallway, only to stop and find herself heaving all over the floor. Her reddened hair hung in front of her face in little strands, and her hands shook too much to push them back. She felt Riku's hands on her back, standing her up. Kairi turned to face him, eyes pleading.
"But we've got to get married," she whispered again, her pitch high with grief.
Riku nodded, solemnly. "I know."
She collapsed into his familiar arms, crying into his shoulder. "Maybe it's a mistake," she offered in between hiccups.
"It's no mistake, Kai. He's dead."
She stepped back from his embrace and ran far away from those spitting lies.
0--0
"We should get married."
She chuckled, thinking that it was another one of his boasts, but slowly it dawned on her that he was serious.
"Married?" Her voice was so gentle, so tender when he held her like this.
"Yeah, married. That way I wouldn't have to leave you at night."
"Hmmm…" Sora pushed a loose lock out of her face and sat her on the balcony's balustrade. Her feet didn't reach the floor, but his arms were willing and open if she wanted to get down. "I like the sound of that."
His nose nuzzled her rosy cheeks, and his breath flushed her frostbitten face. "And we can live in a big house."
Her eyes were glossed over now. "With lots of babies, and a big garden."
"Uh-huh. And a balcony where we can sit and look at the moon."
Kairi leaned into his wandering touch. "And a big room for the two of us."
His lips nipped at her ear and along her collarbone. "Soon, Kairi. I promise."
She gently moved his head back to her eye level. "I want it now."
Sora chuckled, poking her side, making her squirm forward. "You're so selfish!"
Kairi let out a pouting sigh and turned her big eyes on his. "Then later. I honestly care, as long as you never leave me."
"I owe you everything I am, Kairi. I would never leave you."
"Then after this war. You'll come back for me, and then we can have it all."
"And more," he whispered. "Anything you want and anything else that I can give. All of it will be yours, Princess."
She blushed. "Don't call me that please."
Sora chuckled. "But I was looking forward to being a prince."
Kairi smiled and turned to look at the night sky over her shoulder. Her hair, grown out now, wafted gently behind her. "Sora?"
"Yes."
"I love you."
He smiled and scooped her back into his arms. "I need you," he replied simply. "I need you like I need to breathe."
Kairi nuzzled his neck as his arms wrapped around her and sat her feet down on the ground. "You are what I breathe."
0--0
The moon was bright tonight. It shined with a resolve that she'd only seen in one other place; his smile.
When Kairi traced her tongue along her lips she could feel his there, pumping her with his precious love. Every breath was a stab to her lungs, every heartbeat a punch in the gut. Her silk nightgown was soft against her skin, but it couldn't compare with his touch.
"You're dead," she said. The words were hesitant, and so she tried them out again, and this time they were firm. "You're dead."
She repeated to herself over and over again, until she could no longer breathe or stand. So she fell upon herself, repeating the same words over and over again."
"I'm dead…I'm dead…I'm dead…"
0FIN0
I ran out of good words for not being able to stand, but no matter. I still like it. And it isn't RikuFuu! Amazing, neh?
This is in response to the disturbing lack of well-written het on this site/in this section. It's also in response to the lack of good angst. If anyone knows of any well-written, angsty het then I'm your girl!
Please review and let me know that this didn't fall on blind eyes—into the abyss of crappy yaoi that's taking over the world!
