Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts I, II or any of the characters contained therein. They are the property Disney and Square enix. No money has or will exchange hands as this story was written purely for entertainment value. All original characters and storylines belong to me.

Author note: I have to stop writing stories and forgetting they're on my computer… I wrote this in July/August as a prequel for 'Oathkeeper' and found it again when looking for something else entirely so I decided to go over it and finish it properly before moving onto my next fanfiction project. Main focus is Sora and Kairi but there are some small hints for Roxas and Axel. Thank you to my beta MDRLOz for checking this over for me :D

Paupu

"Sora." Riku called from the end of the jetty, he appeared to be holding something in his left hand but the glare of the sun was so bright Sora could hardly make out his friend's silhouette against the shining sky let alone anything else.

Shielding his eyes he ran across the wooden walkway to join the silver haired teen. Riku greeted him with a smile as he turned away from the sun.

"Tidus said you wanted to see me." Sora bounced on his feet slightly as he spoke, looking down at what Riku was half shielding behind his back.

"Here." But Sora simply stared at the star shaped yellow fruit in Rikus hand, unsure as to why he was holding it out to him. He remembered the last time this had happened… the memory suppressed somewhat with the onslaught of events that changed all their lives inexplicitly almost two years ago. He'd grown to believe they didn't need a simple yellow fruit to entwine their destinies… Riku had never been too far away and Kairi had found her own way back to him, her message in a bottle finally reuniting the three of them home for what he hoped was for good.

"Why?" He asked, his happy go lucky attitude disappearing as confusion set in.

"It's for you to give to Kairi."

Sora furrowed his brows at this; unsure about Rikus meaning and hoping the flush he felt in his cheeks at the mention of her name wasn't showing.

"I want you to know I'm okay with it." Riku added, running his free hand through is long silver hair, reflecting the sunlight sharply.

"Okay with what?" Sora asked, he'd known since they had returned a little over two weeks ago that his feelings for her were getting harder and harder to hide – he didn't want to risk their shared friendship with Riku and he sensed Kairi felt the same. She'd opted to spend the afternoon with Selphie so that the boys could spend some quality time together.

"Look Sora, I'd have to be an idiot to miss the way you two look at each other, the way you smile as though you're sharing a joke no one else would understand… " Riku tried to meet his friends gaze but Sora had turned his eyes to the floor, either in shame or embarrassment Riku couldn't tell. He just laughed instead and finally Sora's blue eyes met his green ones.

"I'm sorry… I didn't think you'd noticed." But Riku continued to laugh.

"Sora - everyone you have ever met knows about the two of you and after what we all went through we'd all be happier if you two would do something about it instead of trying not to hurt me. I'd rather you two were happy."

"Riku… I don't want our friendship to change if … if me and Kairi."

Riku grabbed his best friend by the shoulders and shook him slightly, noticing the way Sora screwed up his eyes at the sun.

"I know you both well enough to know that won't happen Sora, now take this." And he thrust the fruit in to Sora's reluctant hand. "I'm going home; my parents want to spend some more 'quality' time with me." Riku cringed at that but wiped the look from his face quickly. He should be thankful his parents wanted to get to know him – something they had never done before their adventure had began.

Sora found he couldn't reply as Riku stalked away from him so he stood watching his friend leave as the thought of meeting with Kairi sent a flurry of butterflies straight to his stomach.

Sora - brave hero who'd restored the worlds and defeated those who threatened the peace, was not, it seemed brave enough to face Kairi just yet and had headed to the cave. Wanting to gather his thoughts and figure out what exactly he was going to say to her.

Having hidden the paupu in one of his pockets he realised this was the first time he'd come to the small cave that held the door to their worlds heart since returning to Destiny Islands. He had been so occupied with getting his life back together and going back to school that the place had slipped from his mind.

He noticed as he moved his hands along the cool stone walls that Kairi had covered parts previously untouched with places they had seen in the other worlds and Sora smiled letting the memories wash over him. She had been with him all along, keeping him warm and safe with her heart along side his and bringing him back from the darkness when he had finally restored her heart to her sleeping form.

Sora had fallen in love with her so gradually he had hardly noticed, just content to spend his days with his two best friends in all the worlds. Building a raft so they could escape their tiny home and go off together to explore what ever lay outside. Riku and Kairi had always been by his side and he – even now- couldn't imagine his life without them.

But his feelings for Kairi were different, Riku was someone he looked up to – trusted with all his heart and Sora loved him as he would a brother. But when he thought of her, looked at her or reached for her outstretched hand his heart welled in his chest and butterflies erupted in his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to be close to her always and to make her smile and laugh as easily now as before everything had begun.

There was another feeling too, one he was now old enough to understand, the urge to reach out to her, hold her, kiss her…. He felt his face heat up at the thoughts that started to whirr through is mind but they ceased when he saw the cave drawing nearest to the door.

Tracing his hand along the drawings he and Kairi had drawn of each other as children he couldn't help the smile of shock on his face as he noticed the addition of a second paupu Kairi had made. The welling feeling in his chest greeted him stronger than it had before, nervous and excited all at once Sora tried to figure out how to tell her how much he loved her.

"Sora?" her gentle voice echoed around the cave and he could hear her footsteps against the sand covered floor of the cave.

He couldn't move, hand dropping from the wall as he knelt staring at the drawing in front of him. Kairi – his Kairi, Princess of heart and keyblade bearer, was moving slowly closer to him and Sora found himself entirely lost for words for the first time in his life.

"You okay? Riku told me you'd be in here… he seemed worried about you." She placed her hand on his shoulder, bending down slightly, he could hear her bracelets clicking together as she moved.

Swallowing to get rid of the lump forming in his throat he turned his head slightly only to be met by Kairi's concerned violet eyes. He was silently thankful that the low light in the cave meant his reddening cheeks were hidden in the shadows.

"Sora? Is everything okay?" she asked again, kneeling beside him.

"Tell her!" The voice inside Soras' head instructed and the brunette knew at once who it was.

"Roxas?"

"Yeah?" He sounded somewhat dejected although Sora couldn't understand why.

"Why are you –"

"Look we don't have time for this – just tell her how you feel." The blonde cut his somebody off loudly, managing to drown out all other thoughts. Sora could feel his anxiety and sensed that perhaps Roxas was hurting.

"Roxas…."

"Do it, I've never interfered before but if you don't do something about it then I will. Life's too short Sora, you've almost lost her twice – don't let there be a third time." And Sora could feel the hurt in those words, he wanted to ask what had happened to Roxas to believe this but when he tried to reach out to his nobody with his thoughts it seemed as though he had slipped back from whence he came.

Roxas clearly had no intention of talking about it – whatever it was.

"Sora?" Kairi was kneeling in front of him now, hands on both of his shoulders staring directly at him.

"Sorry… I think I spaced out for a moment." He told her, shaking himself out of the daze Roxas had sent him into and looking at the girl in front of him. There were a million things he could have said to her in that moment, so many things he wanted to tell her… but nothing seemed good enough.

So instead he leaned forwards, closing the now small distance between them and gently pressing his lips onto hers. It was only for a second and when he pulled away again Kairi was looking at him, her violet eyes watery and hopeful all at the same time.

"Sora…." She didn't know what else to say, reaching out to brush his cheek with her hand. He closed his eyes at her touch as her hand lingered there and leaned gently into it. When he looked at her again he noticed that she was smiling, the same smile she had when they had returned home – the one that Riku had said was only meant for him.

"I… I…" and inwardly he laughed at the fact he was still stuttering, still so unable to voice his thoughts.

Kairi giggled, partly through nerves and partly at the awkwardness of their situation. They would fight for each other, travel worlds for a chance to see each other again but when it came to a simple confession of feelings they knew they both felt it somehow seemed impossible.

So she kissed him, noticing his eyes widen in surprise and suppressing another giggle, it was her way of answering the question he seemed unable to ask. Sora responded, looping his arms around her and holding her close to him and he ran his fingers through her soft red hair until they pulled away from each other.

"So umm yeah." Not particularly coherent but all Sora seemed capable of saying.

"I love you too Sora." Kairi told him, her eyes settling on his bright blue ones. "But why now? I though because of Riku and everything that you would want to wait." Her voice was quiet and she released herself from his arms, choosing to rest against the cool stone behind her.

Sora followed and sat besides her, taking her hand in his and smiling when she squeezed it before letting their adjoined hands rest in the small gap between them.

"Riku and Roxas gave me some good advice…" he reached into his pocket then, realising that there had been a much easier way to go about it. "Riku even gave us this." He held the yellow star shaped fruit in his free hand and Kairi reached out for it.

Kairi chose to overlook the mention of Roxas; it wasn't that she didn't want to know why he had decided to interfere – she felt happier knowing he had wanted to help – but she knew that asking would deter the conversation from what was important.

"Really?"

"Yeah. So umm, do you want to?" Sora asked, motioning to the fruit. Kairi's smile beamed and she broke the fruit in half, aware of the childish tradition it still meant a great deal to her, the idea of spending her life with him made her heart well in her chest.

She inwardly thanked Riku, relieved that their friend wasn't hurt by the prospect of herself and Sora together. She would have to find someway of letting him know how much it meant to her, but that could wait. For now she was content to share a paupu with the boy her heart had and would always belong with.

Naminé had been surprised when Roxas had allowed her entrance to his dreams that night, something he had only done twice since they had returned. He was starting to come to terms with everything that had happened and as painful as it was to leave him to do so by himself Naminé had no other choice.

He was sat on the station steps in his dreamed up version of Twilight Town, the sun was perpetually setting as it always was in the distance and aside from them the whole place was empty.

"Kairi wants me to thank you." She told him, smoothing out imaginary creases in her white dress, a habit she had picked up in Castle Oblivion.

Roxas turned to her, smiling weakly but Naminé inwardly appreciated the effort it must have cost him to do so.

"She's welcome; Sora's something of an idiot sometimes. I couldn't just sit back and let him make more of an idiot of himself."

She smiled at that. "True."

The silence drifted between them and although he made no indication other wise it was clear that Roxas wanted to talk, even if he didn't know how to start.

"Kairi doesn't know we can meet like this, anything we say to each other she won't know about unless you want her to." She told him, her blue eyes meeting his, but it was still another minute or so until he spoke.

"We fought so hard for a heart of our own." It was clear as to whom Roxas was referring but Naminé held her silence, letting him explain it all in his own time – at least for the time being. "But once the dreams started… I never meant to leave for good; I always meant to return with my answers… Answers he could never give me."

"Axel did everything he could to keep you safe Roxas." She placed her hand gently on his where it lay on the warm sandstone steps.

"I know…. And I know that the Organisation were only using me, but is it wrong to wish I had stayed? Even if we could never love each other in the way Sora and Kairi can?" his voice was starting to crack and Naminé wasn't sure what she could do to take his pain away.

"It's not wrong Roxas, there are things I wish I could change… people I would like to see and talk to again." She paused. "But we can't go back… all we have are our memories."

"Yeah… " He looked out at the never changing sky again. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked, unsure as to his meaning.

"For making the fact I now have a heart a little less lonely, for understanding how much I loved him – even without a heart."

"You're welcome." And she looked at him then, he was turned away from her hardly moving as he focussed on the clouds. Something about the sadness in his voice worried her. Roxas was grieving and she wondered how long before it would be before it got out of control.

Constructive criticism and reviews are more than welcome :)