It was finally over.
I had played my tiny role in fate, and Sora, with the help of his friends, had fulfilled his destiny and prevented Darkness from overtaking the worlds. I glanced around as friends embraced. Sora, Riku, and Kairi could finally return to their home and live a normal life. Roxas, Axel, and Xion could live peacefully without the threat of the Organization looming over them like a dark cloud. And Terra, Aqua and Ventus would finally be reunited after years of heartache and suffering.
Then there was me.
I couldn't help but feel cold as I stood by myself. I should have felt relief, yet my chest was tight. I folded my arms in an attempt to stop the aching, but it continued on as the realization dawned on me.
I had nowhere to go.
My eyes stung with tears, and my vision blurred. So that was what crying felt like. No one had ever told me that having a heart could hurt so much.
"Naminé?" I glanced up to find Sora looking at me. I immediately averted my gaze, but he'd already gathered what was happening. To make matters worse, he'd drawn everyone else's attention to me by speaking my name. Breathing suddenly became more difficult. My fingernails dug into my arms in my attempt to hide in plain sight.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
I opened my mouth to speak, to say everything was fine, but I couldn't manage to produce any sound. Why was my mind being so selfish? I should be happy, but the aching just wouldn't go away.
"You all get to go home now, which is really wonderful," I rubbed my arms nervously, feeling foolish for undermining their success. "I just...I don't belong anywhere. Maybe I should just…"
"Are you serious?" Riku asked. I looked to him, surprised at his abrasiveness.
"Naminé," Kairi loosened my hands from my arms and held them in her own, "you're your own person now. You can belong wherever you want."
"Where would I go?" I asked.
"You can come with us!" Xion jumped.
"R-really?"
"Mhm," she nodded, "I exist because of you."
I supposed she wasn't wrong, but her lack of existence was also because of me.
"Naminé," Roxas placed a hand on my shoulder, "You were the only one who was ever completely honest with me. You helped me understand what I was, and what I had to do. You'll always have a home in Twilight Town."
Despite my past experiences in the mansion, it did sound nice to see the town in full. Maybe I could even go to the beach or watch the sunset.
"Our home is always open too," Kairi smiled, "I'd love to show you our island."
I couldn't deny that I still felt a strong connection to Kairi. We had always been so different, even when I was still an empty husk. She was right; maybe I could have my own identity.
"And I know we don't know you that well," Ventus added, "but you helped save my friends. You're welcome in the Land of Departure anytime." He gave an innocent smile that was difficult to say 'no' to.
I had no words, but theirs were slowly soothing the ache within my chest.
"You've been taking orders for too long," Axel said, "you have to think about what you want."
What did I want? Did I even deserve to want? In the moment, I would have asked for nothing more than the aching to go away, but my mind kept making excuses for it to stay. Maybe I wouldn't fit in, or my amends would never be enough to make up for the wrong I'd done.
"I've done some horrible things."
Terra chuckled, "After everything I've done, if Aqua and Ven can forgive me, I think you'll be okay." He winked.
Aqua still clung to her friends on either side, "We've all made mistakes, what's important is how we grow from them."
"And besides, what happened to Sora wasn't your fault," Riku shrugged, "you have to forgive yourself too."
I couldn't stop a smile from forming, "I don't know what to say."
Sora stepped forward. If anyone had a right to be angry with me, it was him. "Naminé, I should've said this a long time ago," any essence of jest was absent from his voice. He rested a hand on my free shoulder.
"Thank you."
Tears welled in my eyes again, but that time they didn't sting. Suddenly, I went from having no home to having too many. Everywhere I looked, a friendly face met me.
The urge overcame me, and I stumbled forward, pulling close anyone that was within range. Soon, not only one pair of arms embraced me, but several. I was surrounded, but I didn't feel tight and crowded anymore. Instead, I felt...warm.
Maybe having a heart wasn't so bad. I breathed a gentle sigh and whispered,
"You're welcome."
A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my entry for the Kingdom Hearts Fanzine, The Ties that Bind. I've felt inspired to write this snippet ever since I saw the amazing cover art for Kingdom Hearts 3 and noticed that Naminé was the only person by herself and not in a group of three. Even though she sits by herself, she rounds out the group to 13, the magic number, and we know she's not alone in spirit. I hope she gets the love she deserves in Kingdom Hearts 3!