Uh, wow. Let's see if I remember how to do this fan fiction thing. It has been a while, at least nine months since I wrote fiction for fun. And this marks my first Kingdom Hearts fic. I intended to stay away from the horrors that KH fanfic can be, but this plunnie started gnawing on my toes, and well… sometimes you just gotta submit to the plot bunnies.

That being said, I give you:

Before Destiny

He had admired everything about her since the day they met in primary school. It was true that the first day of primary school was the first time many of the children scattered around Destiny Islands met other children their same age. Stern had been no different. His father was a fisherman and his mother stayed in their little house near the shore, caring for him and his baby sister. Stern knew he would become a fisherman, like his father, like his grandfather. It was the way of the islanders. Their world was peaceful, like it had been for as long as anyone could remember.

The day Stern met Ciela, she had called him "smelly-head" and promptly thrown her blue crayon at his face when he proffered her a gift – a star-crab he had found under a rock during recess. The other boys laughed at the blue streak his light-colored left eyebrow had borne the rest of the day. Stern, at the tender age of six, hadn't minded. He was in love. And ten years later, at 16, he was still in love.

Ciela had grown into a beautiful young woman as they had grown into friendship. Stern always felt that when he was near Ciela, he was as calm as the waves that lapped on the shore of the tiny, southern island the children would play on. Of course, as they were almost out of high school, it wouldn't be long before Stern would have to take up the wheel of his own fishing boat and join the other men in sustaining their economy. Ciela would talk of teaching, once she had finished high school.

When she would talk, he would listen, observing how she smiled as if she had no cares in the world. If she seemed sad, Stern would pull some kind of antic, clowning until he eked a smile out of her. He always liked the way her grey eyes lit up as she spoke animatedly about ideas, theories. "What if there are other worlds out there, Stern?" she would say, gesturing at the sky, sunlight glancing off her brown hair. He would always shrug. Sure, it was interesting to think about, but his life was here, on the islands.

The day Stern turned 17, he decided he wanted to ask Ciela to marry him. He cornered his closest friend, Masse, a day later and spilled everything. His feelings for Ciela, how long he had loved her, his plans for one or two kids, a little house by the sea, and spending his days on the ocean and his nights with Ciela by his side.

Masse grinned and ruffled Stern's light brown hair, causing it to spike and tuft. It had never been tidy anyway, but Stern grumbled at his (taller, to his chagrin) best friend. Mirth shone in Masse's green eyes as he tucked a strand of silver hair behind his ear. "So, you came running to me for advice, huh? How do you plan on proposing? Not with a star-crab, I hope."

Stern punched him in the arm. "Don't be stupid. I was planning on doing it somewhere special… asking her to marry me, I mean." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, chuckling with embarrassment.

"Hey Stern," Masse said, leaning in. "You ever hear of paopu fruit?"

Stern gaped. "Isn't that just a legend?"

Masse smiled slyly, and then pulled a star-shaped fruit out from behind his back. "Not anymore!"

Stern stared at the fruit, opening and closing his mouth in surprise. "Wha… where did you find it? Can I have it?" He reached for the paopu, but not before Masse could pull it away from him and hold it out of reach above his head.

"No way, get your own. This one is for someone special."

Now it was Stern's turn to tease. "Awww, who is she?"

Masse turned pink, and then turned away. " 's none your business," he mumbled.

Stern prodded Masse with an angular elbow. "C'mon, you can tell your best friend… ooh, I bet I know! It's Ulaya, isn't it? You've had your eye on her since we were 13."

Masse's silence and reddening skin were all Stern needed to know to confirm that he was right.

"So, you gonna tell me where this tree is, or not?" Stern asked, breaking the awkward silence. And after he had gotten directions from Masse, he set off for a run towards Ciela's house.

Later that night, at sunset, Stern led Ciela over the rocky northern shore of the kid's island. They climbed through the tree house that had been there for ages, and finally reached a promontory on the southernmost tip of the island.

Stern turned to Ciela, grinning broadly. "Ready for some fun?"

"Stern, what are doing?" she asked in reply, confused. His only response was to take her hand and lead her into the ocean, towards an outcropping of rock about 20 feet from the shore.

"I have something to show you," he said as they waded into the water.

They finally reached the tall stack of rock, and began to climb. As they neared the top, Stern saw that the top of the outcropping was flat, and sandy. He scrambled onto the flat surface, and helped Ciela up. And, just as Masse had said, there was a tree covered in star-shaped fruit, conveniently curved so that it almost formed a seat.

Ciela gasped as she took in her surroundings. "Stern, it's… its beautiful! Are we going to watch the sunset?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling again and helping her onto the branch, so that they were facing the setting sun. As dusk's light made their shadows longer, Stern heaved a sigh, steeled himself, and faced Ciela.

"Ciela?" he asked softly, face heating up as she turned to him, giving him a curious look. "Do you remember that story we heard in primary school? About paopu fruit?"

Ciela laughed. "Of course I remember. A long time ago, a young fisherman got lost in a storm. When the storm calmed, he washed up on the shore of a tiny island, with no one in sight, and no food. He waited for days, trying to catch fish, or find mushrooms, but nothing ever came. Finally, just when he was about to lose hope, he saw a young woman approach him. She took him back to her village, and nursed him back to health. The people in the village built him a raft so he could return home, but in the time he was there, he fell in love with the young woman."

"Finally, it was time for him to go. When she realized he was leaving, she took him a paopu fruit and gave him half. As he ate it, she cast a magic spell that forever entwined their destinies, and then ate her half. He thought he'd never see her again, but once he returned home, the girl was all he could think about. He was about to go back to that lonely island, when he saw her standing on the shore. 'No matter where we are, our destinies are meant to be shared,' she told him. And then they were married."

Ciela took a deep breath. "And why did you want to hear that fairy tale?"

Stern blushed. "Well, they say that if two people share paopu fruit, their destinies are forever entwined, right?"

"Of course, but everyone knows that paopu fruit don't –"Ciela was cut off as Stern shoved a yellow star-shaped fruit under her nose. She gaped at it, and then turned her gaze to Stern, who was blushing furiously. "Stern…" she said, voice almost a whisper.

"Ciela, I love you," Stern blurted. "Will you please share your destiny with me?"

Ciela hesitated for only a moment before smothering Stern with all the love and kisses she knew how to give. As the sun finally sank below the horizon, Ciela broke their passionate kiss, and took the fruit, breaking it in half gently. She handed one half to Stern, and before she could take a bite of her own half, Stern popped the one she had given to him in her mouth.

"It feels more right this way," he explained, blue eyes twinkling as the moon rose.

Ciela nodded, understanding, and popped the half in her hand into Stern's mouth.

They spent the rest of the night perched on the crooked trunk of the paopu tree, watching the stars, and talking about the rest of their destiny together.

--

Okay, now for an explanation. I wanted to write a fic about the Destiny Island Trio's parents: how they met, how they fell in love, what having Sora, Riku and Kairi was like, and how they felt while the three were off saving the Worlds.

One chapter for each parent, and a conclusion, I think will suffice.

Aww, Sora's parents get squishiness. And hey, I like reviews and concrit. Feel free to slather me with both.