Chapter 1: Their Distance
Destiny Islands isn't exactly a beautiful paradise while you lay in the sand with a broken heart. Kairi watched the skies as the stars came into view like little fireflies. She had no idea how long she had been laying in the sand, but probably for quite a few hours. She sat up and shook as much sand as she could out of her auburn hair. It had been six months now since her sandy-haired crush had run out on her. Six painful and grueling months. Why was she still thinking about him though? She stood and looked up at the moon, but all she could see was the boy's face.
"Roxas…" She whispered to herself, as if he would magically answer her.
She walked over to the dock and stepped into her boat. She hadn't slept in so long, that she figured she should go home and try to get some sleep tonight.
Roxas walked through the long white hallway and turned left into a small white room. He closed the door behind him and leaned his forehead against it. He stood like that for quite some time before turning to a white-sheeted bed in the corner of the room and laying on it. He rested his arm over his eyes to block out his bright light. He still wasn't able to get Kairi out of his head. But, he was adamant that he had done the right thing. He truly did… right? He patted his right pocket as if to make sure what was in it was still there, and as he was about to pull it's content out, a loud musical knock was heard at his door.
Roxas flinched hard and sat up quickly.
"Uh, come in." He said.
In walked his best friend, Axel. He flashed a big smile and plopped down beside Roxas, swinging an arm around him.
"How was the mission bud?" Axel asked enthusiastically.
"Sorry I couldn't make it, I had my own work to do."
Roxas gave his best attempt at a smile.
"It was alright… where was your mission today?" He asked.
Axel took his arm off of Roxas as his smile faded. He looked around the room as if to find an excuse written on the walls.
"Oh, you know… that place… with the grass… and the sky…" He said awkwardly.
Roxas sighed.
"If you went to Destiny Islands, you can tell me you know."
Axel sighed in defeat, and rubbed the back of his spiky red hair in embarrassment.
"Heh, sorry man…"
Axel rambled aimlessly to Roxas for a while before realizing that Roxas wasn't even paying attention. He just sat still with a blank expression looking at his pocket. Axel decided it would be best to leave and stood up, making Roxas look up.
"Oh, are you going now?" Roxas asked.
"Yeah." Axel replied. "I've got to talk to Xion about something."
Roxas just nodded absent-mindedly as Axel left. Roxas sat still for a while before going back to his pocket. He pulled out the item and smiled at it in his hand.
"Kairi… I'm starting to think that this wasn't such a good idea…" He said quietly to himself. Behind the door, Axel, who still hadn't left yet, listened in on Roxas talking to himself. He mentioned that name again. That name he whispers to himself when he's awake, and the name he calls out in his sleep. Axel gritted his teeth and clenched his fists before stomping away.
The next morning, Kairi sat beside Selphie on the shore with her bare feet in the water. After getting a good sleep the night before, she was feeling a bit better. However, even in a better mood, with the beautiful weather, and her best friend beside her, Kairi couldn't keep her mind from wandering to thoughts of Roxas. They spent a wonderful month together and then he abruptly left her without so much as a goodbye. She still couldn't wrap her mind around it. She felt her heart sink into her stomach and she began feeling sick. Selphie looked to Kairi.
"Hey… are you feeling okay?" She asked. "You don't look too good…"
Kairi nodded and the two continued talking. In the far distance a black portal opened up and a figure in a black cloak walked out silently and crept behind a few boulders and trees that were behind the girls. Axel pushed his hood back and peeked out from behind the rocks and observed them. He couldn't understand what was so special about either of the girls. But he knew one of them was special to him. He observed them for a while before Selphie stood and stretched.
"I'm going to head home now Kairi" She said. "I'll call you later."
Kairi waved goodbye as Axel began focusing on her. This was the girl Roxas was so attached to? He scoffed. Kairi stood up and put her shoes back on before patting a bottle that was hooked onto her belt. Axel wondered what the object was.
Kairi turned to head back to the dock when something very familiar caught her eye. Her heart started beating rapidly, her hands began shaking, and her palms became sweaty. In her sight was what looked like a black hole. The same one that Roxas had ran through. Her heart screamed at her to run through it, but her head told her otherwise. Kairi stood for only a second before realizing that this was the chance she had been waiting for for so long and she took off towards it. Axel jerked up to see what she was suddenly running for and then froze. He completely forgot to close the portal behind him. It was much too late now though, as Kairi flew through it.
"Damn it… I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do."
He said to himself, irritated, and walked through it.
Roxas stood outside the Organization headquarters, taking a moment to remember the happiness he felt with Kairi compared to how miserable he was now. He opened up a portal in front of him, deciding it was time to leave. Unexpectedly, another portal opened behind him. Figuring it was probably Axel and that he could talk with him later, he turned back to his portal.
"Wait!" A voice behind him shouted. It was a high, and fragile sounding voice. Like the person speaking was trying hard not to cry. He was frozen in shock for a moment; it couldn't be who he thought it was… could it? He turned around slowly to come face to face with the ocean blue eyes he left behind on Destiny Islands. He could see that Kairi was equally shocked when her jaw dropped a little. They both stood still, just looking at each other
"Roxas…" Kairi began. "Is that… really you?"
Roxas didn't reply, but when Kairi took a step toward him, he took one back. Kairi stopped, and then took another step and this time Roxas didn't back away.
This was it. This was the moment the two of them wanted so badly. Kairi lifted her hands up and pushed back Roxas' hood. As his face slowly emerged from the shadow of the cloak, Kairi smiled. Roxas was overcome with guilt. She was probably not only heartbroken, but sincerely worried about him. He had never explained why he had to leave, and he didn't want to in case she would be targeted by the Organization.
"Kairi," Roxas started. "I know… I just… I'm sorry that..."
Roxas couldn't even finish his sentence. As he struggled to put a sentence together, Kairi made an expression of pain and suddenly fell forward. Roxas dipped down to catch her, but she was lifted up in the arms of Axel.
"Axel! You're back sooner than I though." Roxas said, relieved he had caught Kairi. He stretched his arms out to him.
"Give her to me."
Axel didn't say a word though, and hoisted her over his left shoulder. Roxas was still for a moment.
"You…" He started.
"You knocked her out… why would you—"
Axel cut Roxas off mid-sentence by pushing him down and running towards another portal. It was suddenly registering in Roxas' mind. Axel was turning her in to the Organization. He stood up and ran as fast as he could.
"Axel, please wait! Stop!" Roxas shouted desperately.
But it was too late. As Axel disappeared into the portal, he looked back sadly at his best friend.
"Sorry…" He whispered.
Roxas reached him just as the portal vanished. Kairi was doomed, and it was his entire fault. But, Roxas didn't want to believe that this was it. He didn't want to believe that this was how it all ended. No, now that she was here, now that they're so close to being reunited, he's going to do whatever it takes to get her back and out of harms way.
"Hold on Kairi…" Roxas said, creating a portal. "I'll be there soon."
