A/N: And here we go! The next-to-last chapter! Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 13: Many Goodbyes

"Maybe... it's time I shaped my own story."

--Auron

The next day, everything had been settled. King Mickey, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Kairi, and Sora had all been reunited. After several hugs and reminders to "never pull a stupid stunt like that again," (as Donald put it) Sora was introduced to Kairi's friends Anakin and Padmé.

Now, everyone was watching Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's shuttle land in the courtyard of Theed Palace. Padmé had again assumed the ceremonial makeup and elaborate hairstyle of Queen Amidala, and was addressing her prisoners, Nute Gunray and Rune Haako. "Now, Viceroy," Amidala told Nute, "you're going to have to go back to the senate and explain all this."

"I think you can kiss your trade franchise goodbye." Panaka added as he led everyone to greet Palpatine.

Sora got very nervous as Palpatine approached. He felt exactly like Darth Sidious had. He whispered this to Kairi, who assured him that she didn't like him either. Sora, Kairi, Riku, and King Mickey were the only people who did not bow in respect as Palpatine exited his shuttle and approached Obi-Wan Kenobi. "We are indebted to you for your bravery, Obi-Wan Kenobi." he told the Jedi before turning to Anakin. "And you, young Skywalker. We will watch your career with great interest."

Palpatine next approached Queen Amidala. As he did so, Kairi whispered to Sora that Amidala fully trusted Palpatine. This was made evident by the smile on the queen's face as she said, "Congratulations on your election, Chancellor."

"Your boldness has saved our people, Your Majesty." Palpatine commended her. "It's you who should be congratulated. Together, we shall bring peace and prosperity to the Republic."

Sora crossed his arms. "The guy's a smooth talker, I'll give him that."

Palpatine did not bother to acknowledge King Mickey or his friends before he departed.

A few moments later, Jedi Master Yoda appeared on Naboo. After greeting King Mickey and congratulating Sora for his return to the light side, he led Obi-Wan to a private room in Theed Palace. Obi-Wan knelt before the Grand Master Jedi as the latter spoke. "Confer on you the level of Jedi Knight the Council does, but agree with your taking this boy as your Padawan learner, I do not."

"Qui-Gon believed in him." Obi-Wan offered.

Yoda sighed heavily. "The chosen one the boy may be. Nevertheless, grave danger I fear in his training."

"Master Yoda," Obi-Wan argued, "I gave Qui-Gon my word. I will train Anakin, without the approval of the Council if I must."

"Qui-Gon's defiance, I sense in you." Yoda said sharply. "Need that you do not." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath before conceding, "Agree with you the Council does. Your apprentice, Skywalker will be."

Sora looked sadly at the funeral pyre where Qui-Gon's body burned. Sora's left hand was clenched into a fist, and his right arm held Kairi close to him. She needed his support, his love, more than anything right now. And he needed hers just as much.

Sora managed to look away from Qui-Gon's burning body and looked around. Everyone had come to this funeral: Mickey, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Amidala, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Panaka and his guards, the Gungan leaders, the entire Jedi Council, and Palpatine. Sora noticed that Palpatine was the only person there who did not look at all sad.

He watched as Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. "What will happen to me now?" Anakin asked his new master.

"The Council has granted be permission to train you." Obi-Wan answered. "You will be a Jedi. I promise."

In another corner, King Mickey was conversing with Grand Master Yoda. "Sora tells me that Qui-Gon's killer was a Sith Lord. There's no more room for doubt."

"Mmm." Yoda grunted in acknowledgement. "Always two, there are. No more, no less: a master and an apprentice."

"And I think the master is still alive." Mickey sighed sadly.

Yoda also sighed, then dismissed the subject for a brighter one. "A transport, we can give you. Out of this galaxy you will be when ready you are."

Mickey glanced in the direction of Sora and Kairi. "We'll leave tomorrow. Let them grieve tonight."

Yoda nodded solemnly before returning his gaze to the funeral pyre.

The ship was enormous, enough to accommodate many more people than the seven travelers that were going to use it.

Sora, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Riku, and Mickey stood before the exit ramp of the enormous vessel. Standing before them were Padmé, Anakin, and Obi-Wan. Yoda and the other members of the Jedi Council had returned to Coruscant already, and Palpatine made sure that he was busy anywhere else. Everyone else was at the large celebration taking place at Theed Palace.

"You're invited to the celebration, you know." Padmé told the seven. "All of you. None of this could've happened without you."

"Thanks," Sora replied, wrapping his arm around Kairi's waist, "but I think we're all a little homesick."

Anakin smiled at Kairi. His hair was now arranged into the classic Padawan braid, similar to what Obi-Wan Kenobi had worn two days before. "I told you you'd find him." he told the Princess of Heart.

Kairi nodded and smiled back. She looked up at Sora, then back down at him. "You did, Annie. Thank you."

Launchpad approached Anakin next. "So long, little buddy." he said, presenting his fist for Anakin to tap. Anakin, unfamiliar with this custom, only stared. Launchpad then shrugged and captured Anakin in a tight embrace. "I'm gonna miss ya, pal."

Anakin returned the hug for a moment before letting go. "Well, I better get those engines warmed up." Launchpad decided before running up the exit ramp.

Donald and Goofy approached Anakin next. "Bye, Annie." Goofy told the boy. "We're gonna miss ya."

"I'll miss you guys too." Anakin told him, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Hey!" Donald rebuked him, wagging a finger and smiling. "No sad faces! We'll be back one day."

"You will?" Anakin asked hopefully, wiping away the tear.

"Well sure!" Goofy assured him. "That's what friends do!"

Donald and Goofy captured Anakin in a group hug before waving goodbye and entering the ship.

Riku, on the other hand, said goodbye to Obi-Wan. "I guess you're a master now, huh?"

Obi-Wan nodded, but said nothing. Riku shook his hand. "Well, good luck." Remembering that he was talking to a Jedi, he added, "May the Force be with you."

"And may your heart guide you safely home." Obi-Wan finished with a small smile. This brief exchange of philosophy ended the conversation, and Riku only nodded before boarding the ship.

King Mickey said goodbye to everyone, but had nothing in particular he wished to say. He gave Anakin a hug and thanked him before following Riku to the ship. (After all, what nine-year-old hasn't wanted to hug Mickey Mouse?)

Now, only Sora and Kairi remained.

While Kairi said goodbye to Anakin, Sora turned to Padmé. "Thanks," he told her, "for keeping her chin up while I was lost."

Padmé nodded. "It wasn't a problem. Even though we only knew each other for a few days, I think Kairi's one of my best friends."

Meanwhile, Kairi knelt down so that she could look Anakin in the eye. "Bye, Kairi." Anakin told her. "I'll miss you."

Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll miss you too, Annie. I hope you become a great Jedi."

"I do too." Anakin sniffled. He hugged Kairi before she moved on to say goodbye to Padmé.

"I guess this is goodbye." Kairi told the queen of Naboo.

"I guess it is." Padmé returned. "Will you ever come back?"

"Who knows?" Kairi answered. "Maybe one day."

"My people will never forget what you've done." Padmé assured her.

"Good to know." Kairi replied with a smile.

From behind her, Sora called, "Kairi, you ready to go?"

Kairi told Padmé and Anakin goodbye one more time before taking Sora's arm and walking up the ramp. The ramp closed and the ship lifted off into the sky. The three still present had to laugh as the ship wobbled at first and nearly crashed into a building, which was followed by muffled shouts from the ship. Then Padmé, Obi-Wan, and Anakin headed back toward Theed Palace, where the celebration was far from over.

The ship lifted off into space and Launchpad guided it as steadily as he could manage. Sora watched as Kairi went below deck to the sleeping quarters. Son after, King Mickey took him aside. "Sora," he said, "I have something you might want."

Before Sora could ask what it might be, Mickey removed from his cloak pocket something that Sora never thought he would see again: Kairi's birthday gift. Sora took it in his hand and shed a tear of joy. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I can't thank you enough. But... how did you find it?"

Mickey beckoned to Riku, who took his place at his master's side. "You have Riku to thank for that." the king told Sora. "He found it in Kairi's room back on Destiny Islands."

Sora turned to Riku, who smiled. "I thought you might need it." He leaned a little closer to Sora and whispered, "And a word of advice: now's the perfect time to give it to her."

Sora nodded, thanked both of his friends again, and ran to the sleeping quarters.

Kairi sat down on the nearest bed she could find. How had this all happened so quickly? In less than a week, she had lost Sora, traveled to three new worlds, made several new friends, gotten Sora back, said goodbye to her new friends, and now she was returning home.

She was interrupted from her reveries when Sora walked through the door of the sleeping quarters. "Hey, Kairi." he greeted her as he sat down on the bed beside her.

"Hi, Sora." Kairi returned. "What are you doing?"

Sora grinned. "I was just thinking. Do you remember when we were six, and I proposed to you with a ring I found in a cereal box?"

Kairi giggled at the memory. "Yeah. And I said yes."

Sora laughed too. "And then we told Riku and he punched me in the face and wouldn't talk to us all day. And then we all forgot about the whole thing by the next day."

Kairi looked up at him expectantly. "So what brought this up?"

"Well," Sora said, presenting the blue box to her, "since our adventure's over, I thought I might give you this. It's your birthday present. Sorry it's a little late."

Kairi smiled as she opened the box, then her mouth dropped open at what she saw there. The paopu fruit was still in perfect condition despite being carried around in pockets for days.

Attached to the paopu, a star-shaped fruit that smells of wildflowers, is a legend: if two people share the fruit, their destinies become joined forever. They remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what. The offering of the paopu fruit has become a sacred romantic ritual on Destiny Islands. "Would you share it with me?" Sora asked.

Kairi was so stunned, she could only nod. Sora was grinning like the Cheshire cat as he broke the paopu fruit in half. It came apart easily and perfectly, as though it was meant to break in half. Sora gave one piece to Kairi and kept the other for himself. "Okay, on the count of three. One, two, two and a half, two and three quarters, two and nine tenths, two and--"

"Sora!" Kairi said sternly. At least it would have been sternly if she hadn't been giggling.

"Okay, fine." Sora conceded. "Three."

Sora and Kairi bit into their halves of the paopu fruit at the exact same time. Sora nearly ate his half in one bite, and the entire lower half of his face was covered in the juice of the fruit. Kairi ate hers more slowly, savoring the taste, which was a mixture of every fruit Kairi knew of. "Now make sure you chew it up really good before you swallow." Sora instructed her.

"This coming from the guy who's wearing more than he ate?" Kairi asked playfully. Suddenly, she bit into something very hard. "Ow!" she declared as she removed the hard object from her mouth.

It was a ring.

Kairi looked at Sora suspiciously. Sora wiped the paopu juice from his face. "Well," he began to say, though his words were hindered by newfound unease, "I guess you know what's coming." Kairi was speechless as Sora took her hands in his. "Kairi, will you marry me?"

Sora barely had time to let out a yelp before Kairi tackled him, pinning him to the bed. "Oh Sora, of course I will."

Sora started laughing, which made Kairi laugh right along with him. This went on for quite a few minutes before Kairi finally sobered up. "Okay, what's so funny?"

"Nothing." Sora told her as he began to calm down. "I just didn't expect you to tackle me."

Kairi looked at the ring Sora had given her as he wiped it clean of paopu juice and saliva before slipping it onto her finger. She wondered where he had gotten it, since she had never seen anything like it at the stores on Destiny Islands.

As though reading her thoughts, Sora told her, "I got this from the Moogles back before I beat Xemnas. I thought you might like it."

"It's beautiful." Kairi told him as she closed her eyes. She was still exhausted from the journey, and she had gotten quite comfortable using her boyfriend--fiancé--as a pillow.

"So are you." Sora whispered into her ear. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep.

A few minutes later, Riku walked into the room. "Sora," he said, "Launchpad's having a little trouble and was wondering if you'd show him a few pointers."

Riku stopped dead in his tracks when he found Sora and Kairi sleeping together. He also did not fail to notice the ring on Kairi's finger. He smiled and shook his head. "I'll take that as a no." He removed a blanket from an adjacent bed and used it to cover his two friends. Neither one stirred. Just wait till I tell King Mickey. he thought as he left the room.

"Sora, wake up!"

Sora stretched, being careful not to let go of the delicate figure in his arm--the source of the words. "What is it, Kairi?" he asked sleepily, still not opening his eyes.

"We're home." Kairi told him.

"Oh, that's nice." Sora yawned. The meaning of the words dawned on him a moment later, and his eyes flew open. "What?"

"Look." Kairi instructed him, glancing toward the window.

Sora did as he was told, and was greeted with the familiar sight of the children's play island! They were back on Destiny Islands! They were home! "What are we doing back here?" Sora asked. He knew that since he was marrying Kairi, he would have to take up residence in Radiant Garden as its king. He thought he'd never see his island home again.

"You didn't think we'd let you guys go back to Radiant Garden without looking around the islands one last time, did you?" asked another voice. Sora and Kairi both looked in the doorway to find the owner of the familiar voice.

Riku.

"Riku?" Sora shouted, jumping up from the bed. "How long have you been in here?"

Riku smiled and crossed his arms. "Relax, I just got here. But I have been keeping an eye on you during the trip home."

"So I guess you already know about me and Sora." Kairi stated as she took her place by her new fiancé.

Riku nodded. "Yup. But Donald and Goofy went a little overboard when I told them. They've already got your entire wedding planned out."

Sora and Kairi both laughed. "Typical Donald and Goofy." Sora commented.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Kairi asked.

Riku took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Well... we're telling Kairi's foster parents about the wedding."

Kairi instinctively moved closer to Sora at the mention of her foster parents. They would be angry enough to find out that she hadn't married Shin'en, let alone that Shin'en was dead and that Kairi was marrying his killer. "What? We're gonna ask my mom and dad, who hate Sora, for permission to marry him?"

Riku shook his head. "No. We're gonna march in there and tell them you're marrying Sora, whether they like it or not."

Kairi breathed a sigh of relief.

"After that, we're getting Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka and telling them you're moving to Radiant Garden." Riku went on. "We'll leave out that you're becoming the king and queen. And then all we have to do is get all your stuff aboard this ship and we can go."

Riku turned and walked away, with Sora and Kairi close behind.

When Kairi looked at the large mansion that had been a prison to her ever since she was a little girl, her heart was overloaded with emotion. She was relieved that she would never have to look at it again after that day, nervous about going inside, and horrified about confronting her foster parents again.

By now, the sun had set on Destiny Islands, and the only illumination came from the moon and the few streetlamps that lined the streets. But the greatest light Kairi found that night was in Sora's smile as he wrapped his arm protectively around her and assured her, "It'll be all right."

That was easy for Sora to say. His mother had approved of the wedding before this fiasco even started.

The door to the mansion was, not surprisingly, locked. Of course, locked doors are no match for a Keybearer, and King Mickey was the one to use his keyblade to unlock the door. The king stepped into the mansion first, followed by Riku. Sora and Kairi walked in together, and Donald and Goofy brought up the rear. Launchpad, as always, stayed with the ship.

Mickey turned to Kairi and nodded. Kairi understood the signal and called, "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" as cheerfully as she could. Even so, she never moved an inch away from Sora.

The first one down the stairs was Kairi's foster father, the mayor of Destiny Islands. His name was Fundo Herutsu. He was tall and lean, a stark contrast to Kairi's foster mother. Sakana Herutsu marched down the stairs right behind Fundo, and the sight that met their eyes left them speechless. Their foster daughter was in the arms of a man who was not Shin'en, and they were surrounded by freaks.

"Kairi, what is the meaning of this?" Fundo exclaimed at the sight of his foster daughter's friends. "And where is Shin'en?"

"He's dead." Kairi answered. "I'm not marrying him. I'm marrying Sora."

Fundo and Sakana exchanged worried glances before glaring at Sora angrily. "Unhand her this instant!" Sakana shouted. "Kairi, get away from him!"

Fundo took several steps toward Sora before he was cut off by a pair of keyblades blocking his path. Mickey's and Riku's blades were crossed before him, and behind Sora and Kairi, Donald and Goofy drew their weapons as well. All four glared at Kairi's foster parents. "You can't do this to us!" Fundo barked. "She's our daughter!"

"And you would keep her from the people she loves?" Riku retorted.

Sakana stepped forward and glared at Riku. "You? I thought you were going to take care of Sora!"

Riku glanced in Sora's direction. Not surprisingly, Sora wore a muddled expression. Riku turned back to Sakana. "I did take care of him. He's fine, see? And I also promised to get Kairi where she belongs, and that's with Sora." Riku moved his keyblade away from Mickey's, breaking the defensive X, and pointed it in Sakana's face. "Kairi made her choice. Now it's time for you to make yours."

Fundo scowled at everyone present, then walked up the stairs. He emerged again a few moments later with a stack of papers--Kairi's adoption papers. He tore them in half. "If this is how Kairi wants to waste her life, I wash my hands of her. She's not my daughter anymore."

"Are you sure that's the road you want to take?" King Mickey asked.

Fundo and Sakana both nodded. "Take her away from us." they said simultaneously.

The rest of the time spent on Destiny Islands flew quickly by. Sora and Kairi announced their departure to their friends, and after several goodbyes, they loaded their most treasured possessions aboard the ship and flew off toward Radiant Garden.

While they were still half an hour away from Radiant Garden, Donald, Goofy, and Riku sat down with Sora and Kairi and began to discuss the wedding plans. It was decided that Riku--the closest thing to family Kairi had left--would give her away. Goofy was appointed to be the best man, and everyone was sure Queen Minnie would like to be the maid of honor. King Mickey, of course, would be performing the wedding. By the time all of the details had been secured, they were already landing in Radiant Garden.

A/N: Huzzah! One chapter to go! If you're lucky, this story will be finished before the day is out. If not, it'll definitely be finished tomorrow. Either way, hope I didn't disappoint anyone too badly.

Until next time, Lord Moldybutt signing off.