Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything of that relating. Only this story plot.
'Thinking'
"Speaking"
Memories
And now without further ado:
Return To Me My Happiness
Kairi sat on the beach, idly watching the small waves lap against the white sand. Occasionally she'd glace over to the small island near by; at the small teen standing upon it, himself gazing out over the pristine waters. Cinnamon brown hair whipped around his face and his black jacket flapped in the breeze.
Sora let out a long breath and averted his eyes to the long blades of grass at his feet. Sighing he sat down among them and laid back to stare at the peaceful blue sky. A white gull flew past, calling softly to its companions.
'Can you ever forgive me?' Sora's mind wandered.
The sullen boy rolled on his side as a tear slid down his lightly tanned cheek.
How could you Sora!? You idiot! You killed him!
Sora cringed, the memories of his last day of light flooded his mind. He buried his face down in the lush greens and tried to block the thoughts that came rushing forward.
We'll never be able to forgive you for this Sora…
'I didn't mean to,' Sora internally sobbed. 'He wasn't…'
His breath hitched in his throat and his eyes were quickly turning red and swollen. Sora hugged himself tighter and continued to cry. Kairi looked on helplessly from the shoreline. She was in no state of her own to comfort the grieving teen. Not only was she mourning herself but she couldn't stand to be near the other boy anymore after what had happened; no matter how much of an accident he played it off to be Sora was still the culprit.
Wakka joined Kairi on the sandy stretch of ground, nose tinted red from being smothered by tissues. They exchanged condoling glances and looked back to the heap that was Sora rocking back and forth on Paopu Island. Selphie who had followed Wakka over couldn't stop herself from sniffling and soon threw herself on Kairi in full blown tears.
The distance between them didn't stop Sora from hearing the young girl's lamentation and Kairi's attempt to assuage her grief. This just made his heart ache more. He hadn't thought it could get worse but now even his soul contracted in pained remembrance.
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"Some cruise ey?" Riku called over his shoulder from the front of the ship to his companions.
"Absolutely glorious!" Selphie piped, dancing around the deck.
The ship they road was a relatively small private ocean liner. They were set for a five-day cruise out and back. Nothing fancy, just a getaway from the normal island for a while. The breeze was warm and the sun mild. The perfect amount of clouds coated the sky to keep the hot rays dormant but let the seraphic light shine down.
The troupe wandered around the deck until they were at last out of sight of the island where they then decided to finally stow their belongings in their rooms below. Riku flung open the embossed door to his room and jumped in excitement. Riku threw his bag against the far wall and dove onto the king-sized bed. Tidus peered in and gaped, running then to his room to find the same. Sora, as enthused as the other two sprinted to his abode for the duration of the trip. Kairi and Selphie giggled as Wakka burst through his door and disappeared. Each room was lavishly accommodated with a mini-bar, Jacuzzi bath, and fruit basket. The fabrics in the rooms were fine silks and satins with plush carpets and luxurious seating.
After they were settled in, Kairi went door to door and invited them all to join her in the pool on deck. Everyone but Riku accepted, the silver-haired teen was perfectly content under his down-comforter and snuggled against his feather-pillows.
After one night's rest Riku however was the only one to get out of bed the next morning. The others had spent the night on several rounds of table tennis and completely exhausted themselves. Riku grabbed a quick breakfast and decided to work out in the weight room until the others crept from their rooms around noon.
"Good afternoon guys," Riku waved his sandwich at his friends from his lounge chair facing out over the ocean. "Sleep well?"
"I didn't want to get up it was so nice," sighed Sora, plopping down next to his part-time rival.
"None of us would have gotten up if it weren't for Selphie," Tidus tapped his foot impatiently. "She came running into my room screaming bloody murder and jumped on me!"
"I did not scream bloody murder," Selphie folded her arms across her chest. "I just told you to get you lazy butt out of bed."
"Yeah, what's the point of being on a nice cruise like this if you're going to just sleep through it?" added Kairi.
"Ya, and it like a nice day to mon," Wakka commented, twirling the white and blue blitz-ball on his finger.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm starving," Sora said, standing.
"They've got a buffet going in the dining hall," Riku informed and pointed toward the bow of the ship.
Wakka and Tidus licked their lips and dashed off. Sora ruffled his unruly hair and followed more slowly with Kairi and Selphie.
Late that night the public announcement speakers came on, requesting the six passengers report to the ballroom. Riku, Sora and Kairi quickly got the three youngers up to the specified room and met with the first mate.
"What's going on sir?" Riku asked, supporting the half asleep Wakka.
"We just received news that we're sailing straight into a massive storm," the man replied. "So we have to turn around and cut the trip a little short."
"Alright. We understand," Riku replied, shifting his weight to now support little Selphie as well.
"Good then. Thank you for your toleration," the crew man bowed slightly. "You may all return to your beds now. Pleasant dreams."
The three conscious teens bowed their heads in acknowledgment and led the sleepers back to their rooms.
The next morning was total chaos. Water swept over the deck and poured into the lower levels. The fellowship was panicked into alertness and they ran onto the deluged deck. Cold hard rain pelted their unprotected scalps as they raced to the navigation room. Sora slid open the door and they piled in.
"Good lord, what are you all doing out of your rooms?" the captain questioned, keeping a tight grip on the large wooden wheel before him.
"Water was flooding in. We couldn't stay," Kairi explained, huffing out of breath.
The captain's expression took a grim turn as his knuckles turned white.
"Alright boys, we need your help, ladies I ask you to say in here with me," the captain ordered. "I need you four to run down below and help the crew keep the fires going and relay messages back to me. The communicator is broken. Don't move to fast while on deck and slip mind you but be quick about it. Go!"
Riku, Wakka, Tidus, and Sora exited the cabin and made for the lowest floors. When they arrived they were greeted with pandemonium. Men were running about without order and jarring others intent on their works.
"Hey you kids! Get out of here before you get crushed!" someone yelled.
"We were sent to help!" Sora yelled back over the roar of noise.
"Help? Then get on over here and stoke these fires!"
Sweat swam on their hot skins as they kept the blaze constant. Riku and Sora were quickly transferred to running carts of coal to the burners. Every drop of liquid that slipped from the bodies of the working men sizzled into air, and the vast calidity glazed the four boys in perspiration. Riku saw Wakka and Tidus soon being carried off, having passed out from the sweltering heat. Alerting Sora to this they too abandoned their duties and went to attend their friends.
Outside the coal room was cool and a welcomed relief to the four. Silver locks clung to Riku's face and dampened cinnamon wisps melded to Sora's.
"Sorry," Tidus wiped his brow, "I just couldn't handle it anymore."
Wakka panted a like remark.
"Lets get back up to the captain and the girls," Riku suggested. "They're probably scared."
"Right."
The barrage of water on the surface wasn't nearly as bad as the one they had escaped previous but the waves had grown vastly in size, tipping the liner alarmingly. Tidus and Wakka hugged the walls to their destination and looked through the windows and waited to be admitted. Riku and Sora stood out in the rain, gripping out-standing pipes. Wakka tumbled into the navigation room when the door opened but Tidus had a change of heart and moved to the older teens.
"So how was lugging around the coal?" Tidus smiled. "I bet I could have done that."
"I don't. That stuff was heavy," Sora massaged his right shoulder.
"Hah, you weakling," Tidus laughed above the rushing wind. "You should have taken my place, it would have been more proper work for a grunt like you eh?"
"You couldn't have moved one of those carts if your life depended on it," Sora shot back.
"Yes I could!"
"No you couldn't!"
"Yeah I could!"
"No!"
"Guys! This really isn't the time to be arguing!" Riku interjected.
"But I could have!" Tidus reinforced.
"No you couldn't! Now isn't time for your stupid fantasies!" Sora yelled.
"It's not a fantasy! I really could ha…"
Sora released the pipe and punched Tidus with full force in the face. Tidus slipped back and fell, releasing the pole he had been attached to. The boat began to rock again and Sora re-gripped the pipe. Tidus rubbed his jaw and then panicked and he felt the boat begin to dip forward.
Inside the girls were screaming as Tidus sped down the polished deck toward the edge on his stomach. Sora looked after him in a daze as the blonde disappeared over the side. Riku without a second thought let go of his anchor and ran after him, vaulting over the nose of the boat into the icy rushing waters. Wakka came out and latched onto Sora.
"Come on! We might be able to get them on the back mon!" Wakka yelled.
Sora was shaken out of his stupor and stumble quickly after Wakka toward the other end. They gripped the back rail and held onto a long think rope, waiting for a sign of their friends. All they received was a stream of crimson and a small yellow jacket. Wakka bit down on his tongue and whirled to look straight at Sora.
"How could you Sora!? You idiot! You killed him!" Wakka yelled, hitting Sora hard on his sore shoulder.
Sora stared blankly at the red water as it was swiftly dispersed in the rushing waters. Pelting droplets hid the tears on Sora's face as Kairi staggered over.
"Where's Riku and Tidus?" she screeched.
"They're dead! And it's all his fault!" Wakka pointed accusingly at Sora. "He pushed Tidus over and Riku tried to save him!"
Kairi's hand shot up to cover her mouth and she began to breakdown.
"Come on Kairi. Let's leave this murderer. Maybe he'll have enough sense then to jump over himself ya?" Wakka scowled and walked Kairi back to the navigation room.
Sora ignored them and continued staring at the mounding white water. He couldn't find the courage though to throw himself off the ship and join his victims. So he cried, and cried, and cried until no more tears would come forth.
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And so he sat now, crying his last tears onto the grass he laid upon. Since that day the others hadn't spoken a single kind word to him. Not even his parents had said much to comfort him, so baffled and shocked to the point they couldn't sit at the table with him to eat dinner. So the broken boy spent all his time on Riku's old perch, Paopu Island, drifting in his own happy thoughts about the past, about all the fun times he, Riku, and Tidus had shared, all the times they'd never experience again. Because of him.
'If I could just bring them back… If I could just go back and stop myself… If only I could summon the strength to follow them…'
Hey Riku, if I die, will you promise to go on and keep me alive in you memory?
Sure, but only if you do the same for me you little spike-head.
Sora held his head in his hands, mentally caressing the image of Riku fastened in his brain.
'I don't think I can keep our promise Riku…' Sora wiped his sodden eyes. 'It hurts too much…'
It won't hurt forever, it's just a scratch.
'Just…a scratch?'
See that Sora? Just beyond that horizon is our paradise.
'There's no paradise for me now.'
Sora pushed away the thoughts floating in his head back into the web of scattered images. He stood, unconsciously dusting off his pants in the process and looked back at the three pairs of eyes glaring up at him. Sora jumped down, clumsily splashing in the shallow water and sloshed over to them, reaching into his pocket as he went.
Wakka's eye's narrowed, "What do you want murderer?"
Sora withdrew his hand from the fabric crevice and extended the grasped object toward the trio.
"I'm too much of a coward to do it myself," Sora murmured, sniffling.
"Do what?" Kairi asked, stroking the yellow clad girl in her lap.
Sora reached and grabbed the other end of the small pole, pulling off the sheath to reveal a gleaming blade. The tears returned to Sora's eyes and he extended the handle toward the others.
"Would you… please kill me now?" Sora smiled sadly and closed his eyes.
Kairi gasped. Wakka though wasn't the least bit hesitant in grabbing the knife from Sora's clutches and preparing to strike down the boy who had caused his best friend's demise.
"If only you had asked before you killed Tidus!" Wakka lunged.
"No!"
Kairi grabbed Wakka's arm and extracted the blade. She threw the knife into the water and dove on Sora.
"Oh Sora, don't leave me too. Don't leave me too," she whimpered. "Please don't…"
Sora went tense with the sudden contact but soon relaxed and embraced the shuttering girl against his chest. Wakka just stared, amazed at the kindness Kairi was exhibiting. Selphie, too, didn't understand.
"Don't you get it?" Kairi whispered, just loud enough for Sora to hear. "I don't blame you anymore. No one knew the boat was going to do what it did. No one could have predicted that Tidus wouldn't grab back onto the pipes. We can't blame you forever."
"Thank you Kairi." 'Looks like you'll get your wish Riku. Now be at peace and live on within our hearts.'
Owari.
A/N: So what did you think? Good? Bad? Hated it? Loved it? Let me know! Review!
And if you can think of a better ending feel free to share it with me. I couldn't come up with a really good one…