Note: May contain spoilers for Birth by Sleep.

What's Left Behind

Learn to... be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not. ~Henri Frederic Amiel

"He's really going to go, isn't he?" Kairi asked, watching Sora try to fit too much stuff into too small of a bag.

"He really is," Riku said with a nod, leaning back slightly in Sora's window, his right hand steadying the tall teen to keep him from tumbling to the ground.

"Without us...again."

Riku glanced sidewise at the red-head, having to flick his bangs out of the way in order to properly view the girl. "Do you really want to go? To fight? To die?"

Kairi's hand clenched, as if wrapping around the hilt of the Keyblade she once carried into battle. "Do you want to let him go? To let him die alone?"

"He won't be alone, Kairi, he'll have Donald and Goofy with him,"

Kairi turned to look up at Riku, anger and fear in her eyes. "But not us,"

Riku turned away, glancing back at the brunette who was trying to decide if he really needed ten pairs of boxers over fitting yet another school book in his bag. "He has something to do, Kairi. We would just hold him back,"

"To put back the pieces," Kairi said softly, her own eyes turning towards the brunette. "What if he can't? What if he puts back so much of himself that there's nothing left?"

"There was always something there, Kairi," Sora said softly, his back to his friends.

Kairi jumped, startled. She had been sure that Sora hadn't heard a word they had said. She glanced at Riku before standing, her legs wobbling a bit from the sudden change of position. "How do you know that, Sora?"

Sora shrugged, stuffing another handful of snacks into his bag. "I just do. There is always a me, under everything else. Besides, it's not fair that I keep the things that belong to someone else, is it?" Sora asked, a hand moving up to rub at his chest over his heart.

"No, it's not," Riku said, unfolding himself from the window, standing and moving towards Sora, wrapping an arm around the younger teen. "Just don't give away too much. You're heart's a bit too big for your own good sometimes."

Sora gave Riku a smile, stuffing the snacks into his overflowing bag before reaching out and pulling Kairi close, dragging her into a three-way hug. "You'll see, I'll come back and everything will be fine,"