A/N: The Saltwater Room by Owl City sums up this story pretty well. Enjoy!

Part 1: Dismissal

I ran the pointed edges of my lucky charm along my fingers and smiled to myself. How long had I watched and waited for its safe return? And how many times had I wondered if that day would ever come?

Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes, and I swallowed hard.

Could it really be true? Could this really be more than just a dream? If I ran down to the north beach of the old island, would I really find Riku and Sora lounging on the shore or standing in the lapping waves?

It was something that I'd been waiting for for some time now. Those first couple days had been long. But Sora's parents had wanted to spend time with him, and so had anybody and everybody else who'd looked up and wondered where he'd gone at some point during the last two years.

But now he was mine. At last.

I broke into a run. The noon ferry would be leaving soon.

When I reached the dock, Denei greeted me as always. "Geez, you goin' out to that island again, Kairi?" His denim-grey eyes twinkled down at mine. My eldest cousin always loved to tease me whenever he got the chance.

I smiled. "'Course," I said, leaping onto the ferry boat. "My shift's finally over, and I've got the rest of the day to do whatever I want."

"Oh, yeah. How's working at the store?"

I shrugged. "Fine. How's working the ferry?"

He grinned and headed to the bow of the steam boat. "Great," he said. "You know, I sure am seeing a lot more of you, lately."

I smiled and laughed. I could've just taken my canoe out to the island, like I had when I was a kid, but now that the ferry was up and running, it seemed kind of silly to paddle all the way out there. Even if Denei was a little nosy at times.

"Seems to my you've acquired a taste for travel," he went on. I was grateful when he was greeted by another passenger, and his attention was diverted.

Finally, we shoved off. The boat glided easily across the glass-smooth surface of the sea, toward the other islands that were part of the Destiny chain. My island would be last, because it was tiny and nobody lived there anymore.

When it came to the dock at last, I leapt from the deck and onto the dock. Then I was off.

"Hey, what's the rush?" Denei shouted after me, laughing, as always. "Sora ain't goin' anywhere!"

I couldn't agree with that. "Um, see you, Denei!" I shouted back at him, and then ran across the snow-white sand towards the other side of the island. My heart pounded in my ribcage, as it always did, when it got closer and closer to his...

The brilliant blue sky touched the bright blue ocean all along the never-ending horizon line. Tall palm trees cast flickering shadows over the white sand, giving occasional relief from the hot, high noon sun.

I could see the curvature of the island as I ran, and as I ran my stride grew longer and my breath came easier. It was like gravity, now. Gravity was pulling me forward. My heart pounded faster. Thud, thud, thud. Sora, Sora, Sora.

"Riku!"

He came out of the shadows, smiling gently. His long, strangely silvery hair fell into his eyes and around his shoulders. His arms were folded, but his expression was gentle.

"Hey, Kairi," He said, walking towards me.

"I didn't see you at first," I said. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"Thinking," he said with a shrug. "What about you?"

My lips curved upward. "I was looking for you."

"And Sora," he added teasingly.

"Yeah," I admitted, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Well, come on," Riku said, walking out onto the beach. "I think he's beating the crap out of Tidus with that stupid wooden sword. We'd better save the kid."

I giggled. I grasped Riku's big, warm hand in my own and we set off down the beach.

"So... how's he doing today?" I wondered aloud, trying, again, to sound indifferent.

"Mmm, better, I think," Riku said. "He hasn't said anything about Donald and Goofy yet, anyway."

"That's good," I said, but I frowned. I knew how much Sora missed his friends and their adventures. My constant concern was that he would leave to go seek them out. And he had only just returned home a week ago.

Riku's hand tightened around mine, which was a nice, innocent gesture in my mind. Holding hands had always been a part of our friendship. Sora had always held my hand, too.

We came around the corner, and suddenly, a wave of relief washed over my body, clearing my head and leaving moisture behind my eyelids. I smiled. His sun-bleached hair stuck out in every direction, and he stood tall on the sand, swinging a wooden sword around in his left hand. He tossed it deftly to his right, then stepped lightly out of the way of his opponent's jab. Tidus was sweaty and panting, whereas Sora was completely at ease.

"Sora!" Riku shouted in greeting.

He turned around, nodded at Riku, and then his deep blue eyes widened as they met mine. They were large and round, the color of the sea, and always filled with such sincerity, such honesty, such simple love. At least that was always the way they looked when I could see them. I sighed with happiness. I could look into those eyes forever.

He smiled widely, the smile I loved, and he stood as though he were rooted to the ground.

Suddenly, Tidus lunged at him while his back was turned. In an instant, Sora's keyblade materialized in his empty left hand, his expression hardened, and he whirled and blocked the jab in one instantaneous movement.

Tidus was thrown off his feet and into the soft white sand, a good fifteen feet from where he'd been standing. "Ow!" He complained.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Wakka laughed. "Serves you right, man!"

"Sorry, Tidus," Sora said, and the shining black keyblade disappeared, leaving his fingers clutching the empty air. "Couldn't help it."

"You shouldn't attack an opponent when his back is turned," Riku criticized, leaving my side. We'd reached the group now, and could see the petulant frown on Tidus's young face.

"Well you shouldn't turn around to say hi to your girlfriend during a match, either," the boy grumbled, rubbing his head with one hand.

Sora blushed deeply, his expression rueful. He turned and pretended to be looking out to sea to hide his face from his friends.

Girlfriend? The term seemed so... casual. Didn't he feel about me the same way I felt about him - our destinies ever intertwined, never to leave one another's side for the rest of forever?

Of course, I thought. That was just a term that Wakka had invented up. Why, I wasn't sure, because as of right now, there wasn't much hinting that Sora and I were together like that.

"Maybe, maybe not," Riku was saying to the disgruntled Tidus, "But it looked like the match was pretty much over to me." His loyalty to Sora was unwavering. Sora turned, and they smiled at one another, the way only the truest of friends can. I felt a little left out. There was so much that Riku shared with Sora. They'd defeated Xemnas together; they'd escaped the realm of darkness together. The bond between them was so strong, now.

"Whatever," Tidus grumbled. "You guys and your rules." He shook his head angrily.

"Don't be such a sore loser, Tidus," Selphie said, putting her hands on her hips. Her light brown hair fell around her face and curled upward neatly, but tufted in the back, giving her the appearance of a little girl. She smiled at me. We'd been friends for so long, and now she was letting me know that if my loyalties rested with Sora and Riku, hers did too.

I smiled back at her.

I spent the rest of the afternoon out in the shallow water. The boys took a canoe out further to go diving, while Selphie and I walked along the beach, picking up shells and enjoying the warm sand and water between our toes.

Eventually, Sora and Riku came gliding toward the dock in their canoe. Wakka and Tidus weren't far behind them. Suddenly, their boat wobbled, and though they both leaned the opposite direction, the canoe capsized in the shallow water. Riku and Sora disappeared beneath the surface for a moment, and then their heads sprung up, water streaming from their long hair.

"Ack!" Riku shouted, and suddenly the air was full of tiny droplets as he shook his head back and forth like a dog.

"Way to go, Riku," Sora laughed, a huge grin spreading across his face. Riku scowled and swung a misaimed punch at him, which Sora neatly dodged. I laughed.

Sora turned and ran, sending white spray flying out behind him as he moved, surprisingly fast, through the shallow water. Riku took after him, struggling in his long, heavy jeans, but gaining on him nonetheless.

Before long Riku tackled Sora, sending up a wave of glittering water.

Laughing and sputtering, Sora's face surfaced, and his mouth opened like a fish's to swallow a lung-full of air. Then he was down again, as the palm of Riku's hand came down on the back of his head to hold his face under the water.

"Riku, don't drown him!" I protested, suddenly anxious.

Riku smirked at me, then released Sora's head.

Sora suddenly flipped Riku over and, after placing his wide hands under the surface, threw a wave of water over his best friend's silver head. Riku gasped and splashed another wave at Sora, which he dodged.

Then the air was full of white water. Wakka and Tidus appeared, each holding a squirt gun, and the war was on.

Suddenly, I felt something hit the back of my head, and a wave of water flew over my head and completely saturated my clothes and hair. Gasping and dripping, I whirled around to see Selphie with a water balloon in her hand. She smiled. "Sorry, Kairi," she giggled. "I couldn't help it!"

"You little-" I gasped, but before I could say another word, she threw the other balloon at me, which exploded on my shoulder and soaked my sleeve.

"That's it!" I shouted, and ran over to her pack. Sure enough, it was full of balloons. I snatched three of them and took off after her. Her scream carried across the beach, as well as the laughs and shouts of the boys.

Six o'clock rolled around, and the sunset found us lined up on the white sand, soaking wet, and listening to the steady rush of the ocean and the cries of the gulls overhead. The war had ended an hour ago, and now we were content to merely enjoy one another's company.

I looked wistfully at Sora, who was sitting beside Riku and Wakka and smiling at what somebody had just said. I was by Selphie and Tidus, and I couldn't help but wish that the seating arrangements were a little different. Didn't Sora even want to sit by me? I imagined what it would feel like to hold his hand in mine in the warm sand...

We all watched the ferry boat get closer and closer, a little sadly. It seemed like these sunny days on the island never lasted long enough. If only we could be like this together for always.

As we stood to leave, I tried to catch Sora's eye. Maybe we could sit together on the ride back.

But he only looked on, smiled at Wakka, and headed off without me. I sighed.

~o~

"C'mon guys, let's play soccer now," Tidus suggested. It was the next day, and it was hot. All of us were lounging in the shade of the trees, bored. "I brought a new ball, since Riku popped the last one," he added with a laugh.

"Nah man, it's too hot," Wakka complained.

"C'mon, guys," Selphie said. "I have a surprise in my pack. After the game, we can cool off with some sea salt ice cream!" She giggled. "There's ice in there, so it's still frozen."

Now everyone agreed to play, Sora with the rest, although a little less exuberantly. I smiled, because I already knew why. He was muscled, lean, and as nimble as a deer, but wasn't much into playing ball. And he hated to lose at anything.

We were quickly divided into teams. Riku was captain of one, and Sora was captain of the other. Riku got first pick, like always, and surprised me by picking me first. I wasn't very good at soccer, so I raised an eyebrow at him on my way across the sand. He only looked innocently up at Sora for his first pick. I turned around quickly, but whatever emotion had been on Sora's face was now cleanly erased.

Sora hastily chose Tidus - a peacemaking move, I guessed.

Riku chose Selphie next. I was more intrigued than ever. Why would Riku want a team of talentless girls?

Wakka was the last to be chosen, but not because he wasn't any good. He had a powerful kick, and a volleyball spike that could smash your face in. Sora called him over, excited that Riku had chosen chivalry over valuable players.

"Okay let's do this," he said, rubbing his hands together. He was confident in his ability to win, now.

Before long, we were laughing and kicking the ball down the beach. Right now, it was making rapid progress toward our goal, which was the trunk of a stray palm tree and a boulder. Wakka had the ball, and was doing some fancy footwork to get around Riku.

Selphie was guarding the goal, and so it was up to me to stop Wakka if he got around Riku. I smiled at the hopelessness of that situation.

Suddenly, Wakka gave the ball a powerful kick. It shot through Riku's legs and toward me like a bullet. I kicked it as hard as I could, and giggled as I watched it sail over everybody's heads and into the palm grove.

"Out of bounds," Wakka said lazily. "Go get it, Sora."

"You go get it," Sora said, surprised that he'd been singled out as the ball fetcher.

"Aw, somebody just get it," Riku said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll go," I surrendered, and started walking toward the palm grove, as it was my kick that had sent the ball astray. Suddenly, Sora, who blushed a little and ducked his head, jumped ahead of me and mumbled, "That's okay, I'll get it, Kairi," and before I could respond was running across the sand.

"Nice kick, Kairi," Riku said, reclaiming my attention. He was grinning, his hair falling into his eyes as usual.

I smiled. "Next time I'll try and put it to good use," I said.

Riku looked after Sora's retreating form, and I did, too. His run was lithe and smooth, his body lean and graceful.

I wondered, again, what was going on between Sora and myself. Why had our relationship changed? I knew that I needed to talk to him about it. I wanted to talk to him about it, but I couldn't, because we were never alone together. It seemed like I'd never get an answer, that I'd never understand.

Suddenly, I had an inspiration.

"Oh, I just remembered, I forgot something on the other beach," I said, turning to look at my friends. They didn't seem surprised, and so I told them I'd be right back and ran along the beach as fast as I could. When I could no longer see the group, I changed directions and ran into the trees.

I hurried along through the palm trees, until I was sure I'd reached the place where the ball had flown. I looked around, all the while listening for a footstep or a rustling of ferns.

Then I saw it, sitting in a patch of grass between two tall trees. I wondered why Sora hadn't found it yet.

I stood in the shade with the ball in my hands, waiting and wondering. My heart began to beat a little unevenly as I thought about it - being here, alone, with Sora. I swallowed loudly.

And suddenly, he appeared between two trees, without a sound to announce his arrival. He paused to look back and forth, squinting his beautiful eyes against the sun, and then he saw me.

His hands fell to his sides, and his eyes widened.

"Umm, wow, you're fast, Kairi," he said, looking a little confused.

I smiled and walked toward him. My heart beat so loudly that I was sure he could hear it, but I didn't lose my cool.

"Yeah. I did say I'd get it," I said, smiling and lifting the ball in my hands.

"Oh, yeah, well... you didn't have to do that," Sora murmured, eyebrows raised.

I studied him for a moment, then said, "No, I really think I did."

I could tell that he was very confused. Did he really find it that strange that I would want to talk to him alone?

"Sora," I began, "do you remember that night, that sunset before the big storm? Before the islands were tied to the darkness, before we were all separated? Remember how we were getting ready to set sail together?"

"Yeah," he said, surprised at the change of conversation. He smiled. "How could I forget it? It was... all I had, in the beginning. All I had left of... you." He looked down, embarrassed.

"Remember what I asked you to do?"

He cocked his head, and his expression was so dear and familiar that I had to fight the urge to stroke his face with one hand.

"You wanted to leave right away, just me and you," he recalled, laughing fondly.

I giggled. "Well, yeah, but... I asked you something. I asked you not to change. I didn't want you to change, like Riku had."

"Yeah, I remember," he said gently.

We were silent for a moment, remembering Riku's sudden lust for adventure, his thirst for the unknown. No, Sora had not changed like that. Not that drastically. But still...

"You did change, Sora."

Sora raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, yeah, I guess I am a little taller." He smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"I know." He shook his head, embarrassed again. "But Kairi, I've been through... a lot. So many things have happened since then. I went through a lot of... challenges, a lot of dark times… a lot of stuff a kid shouldn't have to go through. I had to change, or else I wouldn't have... made it through it all."

"I... I know," I said, a little fear leaking into my voice. "But... you weren't alone, not really. You still had friends to comfort you," I said, speaking of Riku and myself. After all, we still lived inside one another's hearts, even now.

"Yeah," he said, brightening. "Donald and Goofy never left my side. I guess that's what kept me going. They were always there."

All my fears came to the surface. He didn't need me anymore. He had other friends, so he'd let me go. It was what I'd been afraid of all along.

"So..." I paused, still afraid of what he'd say, but still - I had to know. "You've... changed. I... understand."

He was silent. I looked at the ground, where I'd dropped the long forgotten soccer ball. A torrent of painful emotions ran through me, but I did my best to hide them.

"Sora..." I murmured, "I was never really lost to you at all. Remember? I was with you all along." I put my hand on my heart. "You didn't need to let go... I mean, unless you wanted to..." my eyes prickled and my throat constricted. "I... I guess I understand if you... don't..."

"Kairi!" Sora said, in a confused, anguished voice. "What's wrong?"

I looked up at him. Though his face had lost some of its cherubic roundess over the past two years, it was still blatantly recognizable. After all, how many times had I closed my eyes and traced it through the distance of time and space? It was still the face I loved. And I wanted to touch it so, so badly.

His beautiful eyes were filled with anxiety, and his expression was so sad that I couldn't help it anymore. "Oh, Sora..." I whispered.

And then my arms were around his wide, strong shoulders, my cheek pressed against his. And just like the time I'd hugged him in the World That Never Was, when we'd finally been reunited, his touch was so hesitant, so unsure. He touched my back uncertainly. His body was stiff under mine.

I knew now that he didn't want this. But how could I deny myself of it, after wanting it for so long? Even though he didn't want me, he'd just have to deal with this. He owed me that much, didn't he?

I turned my head, and took his lips in mine.

It was like kissing a statue. A very warm, beautiful, sweet smelling statue, whose eyes were wide open and eyebrows were raised to the heavens. I ran my hand along his cheek, savoring the taste of his lips for another brief moment. It was better than I had ever imagined… then, though it was almost painful to do so, I pulled my face away from his.

I didn't look at him again. With tears stinging my eyes, I turned and ran away. I wasn't really sure where I was going, but after a while I found myself in a secluded grove of palm trees.

It was there that I sank to the ground, gasping for breath and trying to staunch the flow of blood that seemed to be pouring from my heart.

I'd waited for this boy for so long, waited and watched, and even been kidnapped for him. I had been glad to wait, glad to take anything that was thrown at me for his sake. I loved him. I always would.

He'd made me a promise, a promise to come back. A promise that he'd kept... physically. And so I couldn't be angry at him, not really. His rejection only pierced this vast, gaping hole in my heart, but still, I couldn't blame him. No, it was myself that I was angry at.

I should have known that things couldn't always be the same between us. The way that they were, before he'd been taken from me. Those days seemed like so long ago that they were almost part of someone else's life. He'd moved on now, past that silly little crush of long ago. Of course he had.

Another part of me screamed that it couldn't be true. It hadn't been just a little crush. It was much stronger. Sora loved me.

Didn't he?

Some time later I realized that it was nearly dark. Stars hung over my head, and I could hear the calm, peaceful whoooshhhh of the waves lapping in and out on the beach. The soft glow of what was left of the setting sun glowed on the horizon.

I knew I had to go home. My parents would wonder where I was. And Denei would be worried, too.

I got unsteadily to my feet and brushed the sand from my legs and skirt. I ran a hand through my short, tousled dark red hair, then wiped away the leftover tears off my face. I was sure I looked awful. Denei would know that something was wrong, and this was something that I didn't want to tell anyone about.

I saw the boat up against the dock long before I emerged onto the beach. Denei was sitting on the deck, reading a book serenely. He looked up when I came closer.

"You didn't have to wait for me, Denei," I said, trying with all my might to keep my voice steady.

"Oh, that's alright," he said, seeming, despite my efforts, to sense that something was wrong. "I knew you were around here somewhere, when you missed the six o'clock ferry. I figured I'd just come back for you, since I had nothing better to do."

I smiled weakly, and accepted his hand onto the deck.