The water was warm when he plunged into it. Before the water could fill his lungs, Sora propelled himself up, breaking through the barrier, feeling fresh air travel down his throat. After travelling through the darkness, it was almost blinding to see the brightly shinning sun. Looking around frantically, he saw Riku gasping for air with him. Sora heard yelling and looked towards the sound, seeing Kairi waving to them from the beach. Looking back at Riku, they both laughed in amazement and started swimming to her, the lack of waves neither helping nor blocking them.
By the time they had reached the shore and were starting to stand up, Donald and Goofy bolted out from behind Kairi and had flung themselves onto Sora, tackling him back into the water. Kairi was standing over him, looking stunning in her pink dress. Her red hair rustled lightly from the breeze, her smile radiating happiness that her two best friends had made it back to her.
Sora chuckled with his two friends, looking at them again, noticing behind him that Riku was with King Mickey, before focusing his full attention on Kairi. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out the charm she had given him back in Traverse Town over a year and a half ago. "We're back," he gasped to her, still in shock and relief.
She extended her hand, smiling even brighter, her voicing cracking slightly as she said, "You're home." Sora reached up and allowed her to help him up, the charm stuck between their enclosed hands. Sora managed to get to his feet, with everyone else starting to walk back onto the beach. Kairi looked at his face, then stepped forward and gave him a hug that she hoped conveyed how thankful she was that he had made it back to their island. She had been distraught when the doorway had shut behind her, sealing her off from them. She didn't know what had happened, but she knew that now wasn't the time to discuss it. She was satisfied just being with him.
Even though he was standing up, Sora was having trouble keeping his balance. Noticing his faltering, Kairi stepped back from the hug and stared up. Looking into her eyes, he finally understood everything he had gone through for her. He had travelled to dozens of worlds, fought off thousands of Heartless and Nobodies, managed to find a way back to his friends after being separated numerous times, and not only witnessed Kingdom Hearts twice, but battled some of the strongest foes he would ever face inside of it. Feeling even dizzier, he laid his hand on Kairi's shoulder, trying to keep himself from falling over.
Kairi noticed Sora's obvious swaying; she ducked under his arm so that most of his weight rested on her. "Come on, Sora. Let's get you to the shore." He gave a slight nod, his eyes starting to shut even as they walked. The others had stopped to see where they were, and after seeing their situation, Riku and Goofy ran over to help. Kairi waved them off, "I've got him. You guys take a break." They slowed down, but didn't move away from them as they made their way to the beach.
Finally reaching land, Kairi set Sora down on the beach where he sat down upright. She fell down on her butt next to him, keeping a close eye on him as he gazed out over the water.
Sora couldn't believe he was back on Destiny Islands. He looked at Kairi and smiled, receiving one in return. Riku and Goofy had gone off with Donald and the King up to the huts where a fire had been started, as Sora could tell by the smoke coming up. He was curious how long he and Riku had actually been gone, but he was too tired to think about it right now. He fell back onto the sand, not caring how hard he fell. With a soft thud, his back hit the ground, moaning at the feeling of relaxation in his muscles. Kairi chuckled to herself and placed her hand over Sora's heart, feeling the steady rhythm under her fingers.
"Thank you, Sora," she whispered under her breath. She didn't think he had heard her voice, but he placed his palm on top of her, squeezing her fingers softly with his fingers. The warmth from them felt strange with the glove covering his hand, so she lifted his arm peeled it off. Once it was hanging from her fingers, she saw the scars that had been hidden under his glove, noticing the other scars that also covered his arm. Pulling his other hand into her lap, she pulled off that glove and noticed the same thing, first the scars on top and then his arm. It was strange; none of the clothing on him had any tears or marks that betrayed the turmoil his body had gone through.
"Don't worry about it, Kairi. Those healed up a long time ago." His voice was light as a feather, eyes still closed and breathing soft, but he still knew what was going through her mind. Nobody had touched his scars after they had knitted shut, since Donald and Goofy had stitched them if they were too deep for magic, and it was a strange sensation. Sora knew the ones on his arms weren't hideous by any means, but he also didn't want to show her the marks on his chest or back. His Curing had done a lot over the years to help him, but they didn't erase all the memorials that covered him.
Kairi couldn't help it as a tear fell from her eye, hitting the ground and leaving a small brown dot that looked oddly misplaced amongst the white sand. The pink and red lines were thin and wide, deep and shallow. Thankfully, she was able to count less than fifteen on each arm, spread out from his wrist to below his shoulder, but it destroyed her to see him this way. Another tear fell from her eye, this one landing on one of the scars on his arm.
Sora's eyes shot open as he realized she was crying. All the exhaustion leaving his body, he sat up and looked at Kairi, seeing her crystal-clear tears streaming down her face unhindered now. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed on his shoulder, her entire body shaking as if an earthquake was occurring in side of her.
Sora folded his own arms around her, holding her close so that she understood he wasn't leaving her anytime soon. He felt a tear of his own begin to form, breaking from his eyelid and falling down to land on her shoulder. "I can never leave her again." The thought of being separated actually hurt him physically, sending jolts of pain through his stomach, a freezing sensation building in his heart, all oxygen being driven from his lungs. More tears fell and left streaks on Sora's face, and he let them fall freely as well.
After five minutes of simply sitting and weeping, both of them had run out of tears between the two of them. They didn't move from their position, just sat in silence and happiness, grateful for each other's company. Kairi shifted her position though so that she leaned against Sora under his arm, her face still buried into his shirt as they both faced out towards the ocean.
"I'm sorry. I should have been there to help you. I should have been by your side." She meant for him to hear her that time, but he stayed silent for a few minutes. Not out of malice towards her belief that she should have been with him, but out of sadness that they had not been together in the first place.
"There's nothing to be sorry about. I fought to get back to you and Riku and the King. It was my choice, and I was never going to leave you alone." He gently squeezed her arm; Sora was comforted by her presence and the way she was laying into him. It was very peaceful, something he hadn't had in years.
The afternoon slowly drug into dusk, the waves not pressing any closer towards the two teenagers. The stars had returned to the sky, some brighter than the others, and Sora started reminiscing about his past travels. Thinking about Belle and the Beast, Hercules and Meg, Mulan and Shang, Jack and Sally, Aladdin and Jasmine, and Simba and Nala, it hit him how many people he had helped. He started chuckling to himself, remembering being a lion cub and having to run around with his Keyblade in his mouth to fight.
"What are you laughing at?" Kairi asked him, barely audible. It was nice to feel him shaking from his chuckling, and it made her feel like things were normal for them again. She sat up and looked at him, allowing her a clear view of him as the sunset shone on his face.
"I was just thinking about the Pride Lands. I never got the chance to tell you this earlier, but I was actually a small lion when I was there helping Simba and Nala." After a moment of silence, he looked over and he saw her body quivering as she was trying to hold in her laughter. Failing after seeing the look on his face, she fell back on to the sand, knees bent into the air with her feet on the sand as she howled with laughter.
"I should never have said 'small' lion. Should have just said lion. That would have sounded better." Sora pulled his legs up to his chest and groaned into them in an exaggerated fashion, leading to more laughter from Kairi. Eventually she calmed down enough, but not before she got the hiccups. Every few seconds one would erupt from her, and as carefully as she tried to hide it, Sora was always able to see when she bounced on the spot, and it was his turn to laugh at her. She glared at him, knowing she deserved it though.
"So who are *hic* Simba and Nala?" she was finally able to say to him. She gave him a look that dared him to say anything about her hiccups, but he just he smiled wryly before looking back over the water.
"I met Simba years ago when looking for you and Riku, when our goal was to fight Ansem. After doing that, we travelled the worlds again and landed in the Pride Lands. We found Simba again, but he needed Nala to find himself again after his father had died. I was just wondering how they were doing and laughed at having to run on four feet." Seeing her expression again, he smiled and retorted, "Goofy was a turtle and Donald was a bird if that helps get a picture of us." Instantaneously, Kairi started laughing again and it was the most amazing sound Sora had heard in ages.
"Wow, Sora. I wish I could have gone with you. Imagine what I would have been if I had been there." She pondered the thought, trying to figure it out, until Sora started speaking.
"Kairi, I couldn't see you as anything other than the most beautiful lioness in the world." He kept his gaze on her as she stared back at him, realizing what he was implying. She stared into his eyes, the sunset almost gone at this point, but still able to see the light blue of his eyes. Placing her hand on his face, she pulled him forward, connecting her lips to his.
Sora's heart stopped in his chest for a moment. He had thought of this moment for as long as he could remember, and it was finally here. Pulling her close, he kissed her back, keeping his balance with his left arm while his right hand rested on her waist. They broke the kiss apart after a few seconds, both of their hearts speeding up to almost unnatural speeds. Kairi looked into the eyes that had overwhelmed her dreams for months before reaching back in again.
Neither of them pulled apart, allowing their lips to communicate their emotions since words couldn't describe them. For what felt like an eternity, they stayed there, lost in both their own and each other's feelings. Eventually, they pulled away again, and then lay back down onto the beach, still looking at each other. Soon, Kairi wrapped herself around Sora and settled under his arm, hearing his heart beat again. The cool sand had shifted under them, allowing for a comfortable resting place.
Sora's exhaustion caught up to him after they were situated and he felt his eyes beginning to shut. Trying and failing to stave off sleeping, he kissed Kairi's head, finally at peace, and fell into a deep slumber.