Okay... so, first Kingdom Hearts fic for me. Rather exciting. Um. Not much else to say about it, except hopefully you'll like it.
I don't own any of them. I just think of what they could do. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix.
They were lying in the sand, hands linked; a chain.
He closed his eyes and licked his lips, tasting the salt from the air. He remembered those days when he would have given anything to just lie there like that again. He remembered waking up in an unknown town, confusion clouding his thoughts.
She shifted beside him, squeezing his fingers with her own. She murmured something, but he couldn't quite hear her. He cracks open an eye and peers over his shoulder to his best friend, the person he's loved for so many years without knowing it. She smiles up at him and he smiles back.
He remembered looking for her and seeing her everywhere -- in his dreams, in his mind, in front of him, in back of him, ahead of him, too far away from him... He remembered calling her name from the bottom of the ship when he'd found her and smiling when she moved her hand just slightly, and it was enough for him.
He remembered the fear that froze his heart and stopped it from beating when he saw her lying on the floor, unmoving. He remembered the desperation and the tears stinging at the corners of his eyes as he shook her lifeless body, begging her to just breathe or smile or move or something.
On his right, he feels the grip on his hand loosen. His best friend, his rival, his enemy, his ally. He isn't looking at him or her; he stares blankly at the slowly darkening sky, eyes lost in a sea of regret.
He remembered fighting him, wanting to stop and just scream, "Why? Why are you doing this? Don't you realize what you're doing?" He remembered being knocked backward and opening his eyes to see his best friend standing over him, ready to end it all. He rolled away just before the blade pierced his heart. The fighting began again, and he came out victorious, but not happy.
He remembered stabbing himself to save her, and how he didn't hesitate. He remembered recognizing Donald and Goofy and Kairi and falling, falling, falling, wondering what happened. He remembered Donald hitting him and telling him to get lost, but instead of listening he stood there dumbly and waited to be acknowledged correctly.
"Sora?"
"Sora?"
And then she protected him when they all turned to attack him. He remembered her muffled cry for help as she shielded him from the blackness, and then he was whole again. He held her and he didn't let go. He didn't ever want to let go.
He sat up, tugging his hand from Riku's. She didn't release his other.
He remembered that fateful day that he had to let her go. He watched her slip away in the darkness, a fading shadow.
"Kairi!"
She uses his hand to pull herself up and grins at him. "What are you thinking about, Sora?" She squeezes his hand; her fingers are small and thin and long, and they fit perfectly together with his.
He remembered promising her that he would come back to her, and she had yelled, "I know you will!" He had watched the trees of Destiny Island sprout from the ground and grow around her, a shrinking figure in the distance.
Riku sits up and pats him on the back. "You alright, there?"
He remembered finally finding them both, and all of them were together again and the world seemed so right at that time. He remembered her running to him, crushing him, pushing the air out of his lungs as she cried and held him and talked about how much she had missed him. He remembered closing his eyes and seeing all three of them, and it was for real this time -- not a dream.
She leaned over and put her head on his left shoulder, her arm entwined with his own. Riku watched them. He stared at the grains of sand on his shoes, a strand of Kairi's red hair on his sleeve, Riku's hand on his other shoulder.
He thought of watching that boy come out of him, transparent like a ghost. He watched Kairi step through the portal before it closed, sucking her in and locking him out. He thought of how he stopped breathing, thinking he had let go again, and how he might have lost her for good this time. He remembered fighting by his best friend's side as Xemnas shouted lies at them.
The sky was a brilliant mixture of oranges and pinks and purples and yellows as the sun set before their eyes. It had become a tradition in the last two weeks for the three of them to sit together for this last hour of the day, every day, savoring every second of tranquility and silence in each others' company.
He recalled Xemnas getting a hold on him, draining his life and the light from his eyes. He remembered sighing and being ready to die, ready to watch over Kairi, wherever she would be. And then he was on the ground and he was breathing and Riku was fighting.
"So? What's on your mind, Sora?"
She looked expectantly at him, curious.
He shrugged.
"Everything. Nothing."
He had helped Riku walk after being wounded and reading Kairi's letter. He remembered that bright light shining down at the two of them, two tortured souls seemingly locked away in the darkness. He held out his hand.
"We'll go together."
Riku ruffled his hair, and he batted the hand away from his head.
"You really have that much to think about?"
"Hey!"
He burst out of the water, swallowing gulps of fresh air.
And then he heard her voice, calling him.
He swam as fast as he could, an overjoyed smile gracing his face, tripping over his feet as he stumbled toward her.
He remembered being in the water again, two weights on his stomach and shoulders, and Goofy and Donald laughing and smiling and being okay.
He remembered seeing her other side, if only for a second, and he was sure that she saw that boy behind his eyes as well.
He smiled again. He couldn't stop. He was ready for this dream to end, to shatter into a million glossy pieces at his feet.
But he wasn't waking up.
And he knew he wouldn't be waking up because it was real and he really had managed to find them.
He remembered sitting on the dock with her a few days ago, talking, kicking at the water with the tips of their feet.
"Sora?"
"Hm?"
And she leaned over and kissed his cheek and he couldn't hide the blush crawling up his face.
The next day they met in the secret place, and he kissed her this time.
It wasn't lust or hunger or longing.
It was love.
Kairi kissed his cheek and stood, brushing the sand from her skirt. Riku stood as well.
"Come on, Sora. I think it's going to rain tonight. Let's go inside."
They held out their hands to him, and smiled, knowing they wouldn't pull away this time.
They were going to be like this for eternity.
They would never let go.
They would always be together.
It was their idea of forever.