Nikko shivered despite the thick, warm blanket wrapped around her. Night had started to fall and the bonfire had been lit, casting a soft orange glow on the occupants of the islands sitting in front of it.
"Cold?" Nikko jumped at Riku's voice, who had approached her silently. She turned around to cast him a glance.
"And if I am?" She pressed, curious to see what he was going to say. Riku just shrugged before replying.
"I was going to ask you to sit with us right by the fire," he said. "But, if you want to stay over here and freeze, that's your choice."
Nikko glanced behind him and noticed Sora and Kairi, the former keeping a bag of marshmallows from Kairi's grasp. She quickly scrambled up, tightening her grip on the blanket.
The two of them sat down on the same blanket as their friends, Kairi finally managing to reclaim her bag. The group fell into a round of laughter, the noise matched only by the crackling of the bonfire.
The stars twinkled above the occupants basking in the friendly glow of the bonfire. The adults were talking in hushed tones, careful not to wake any of the sleeping children.
Sora and Kairi had both nodded off to sleep, leaving Nikko and Riku to sit in silence.
"Say," Riku spoke, keeping his voice quiet, as to not wake their friends. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us to leave the island?"
She smiled a bit, but shook her head.
"I wish I could come, but I can't leave the islands," Nikko stared into the depths of the flames flickering in front of her. She could feel his disappointment burning into her side. "But, there is something I'd like you to do when you're traveling." She felt a small wave of cheer when Riku had instantly perked up.
"And what's that?" He said, trying to keep the curiosity out of his voice. Nikko tilted her head, her hair falling out of place to hang, illuminated by the light from the bonfire.
"Well, more like three things. Three promises," She said, closing her eyes briefly, then reopening them to gaze at Riku. "First of all, I want you to watch over Sora and Kairi. Who knows what sort of trouble he'll get in?" They both laughed softly as Sora rolled over in his sleep at the mention of his name.
"So, what are the next two?" Riku pressed.
"Be patient!" She chided, but continued nonetheless. "The next thing is that I want you to do is to come back every once in a while and bring something from the other worlds. If you just leave and not come back, everyone's gonna be really upset..." She trailed off and Riku placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry," He reassured her. "I don't think anything can stop us from coming back to the islands to see all of you guys." Nikko paused, then smiled.
"And the last thing is," She started, then stopped, hesitating slightly. "Riku...Don't forget me, alright?" She turned her head away from him, her cheeks heating up.
"Hey," Riku said softly and she looked back at him. "I won't forget you, I promise."
They smiled at each other, until Nikko yawned, finally letting her tiredness claim her mind.
Yet even so, satisfied with the promise, an odd feeling lurked at the back of her mind.
(A/N: This one was really short, I know. Also, about the rapid updates, I'm just catching up the chapters to match the ones that are already posted on Wattpad, which is where I actually write the chapters.)