More than Friends

Summary: Sora and Kairi are more than just friends now. Everyone's happy for them; unfortunately, the future they envisioned will be in danger by the familiar and growing force of darkness. Their relationship as well as the strength of their friendship with everyone will be tested…and how strong those bonds are will determine their fate.

Rating: K unless I say it's not.

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Angst

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters. Square Enix is just too awesome for me. I also don't own any songs; they go to their respective owners. I do own the plotline though.

Hey everyone, I'm back! I'm so surprised how much time has passed, it's been nearly a year since I last updated… :(

Anyway, thank you so much to those who followed, favorited, and reviewed the story (GGDude00, DarKloWn, Animesrock145, keyblademasta12 and Shiranai Atsune)! You guys are the best! And thank you Shiranai Atsune, I'm honored that you find me worthy to be followed!

[I got the measurements wrong in the last chapter. For some crazy reason I always thought Sephiroth's sword was thirty feet long, but it turns out his Masamune is only about 6-8 feet long. The correct distances will be used this chapter, forget correcting the last one... The past is the past. :)]

Onto Chapter 14! :)

~ Chapter 14: Light, Love, and… Toast? ~

Not again.

Though that unpleasant feeling of pain subsided from her heart nearly five minutes ago, Kairi continued to dislike that feeling for fear of Sora's safety. Time and time again she reminded him how worried she was when he's far away from her, especially if it meant that he would put in harm's way; on the other hand, Sora promised her that he'd come back to her, safe and sound, every time he's had to go away.

And he's been true to his word.

It made Kairi feel better knowing that he'll come back to her safe, like he promised, but waiting for him to return from those possibly perilous ventures from other worlds was almost unbearable to her. She missed him every time he was away from her, and it was only yesterday that her beloved left for his adventure and she longed to be safe in his strong and loving arms...

All of these thoughts buzzed through Kairi's mind that Sunday afternoon as she lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She wanted to try and enjoy the rest of Sunday but ended up being bored and eventually groaned at the thought of going back to school tomorrow.

Wait! thought Kairi with her eyes widening in realization, we don't have school tomorrow! That boring Teacher's Convention is tomorrow!

With that realization, Kairi cheered and raised both of her arms triumphantly in the air. She got up from her bed and glanced at the clock. It was now 2:36 PM.

Kairi figured she still had a lot of time to make the rest of Sunday fun, and that's exactly what she planned to do as she picked up the phone, called Olette, Laesi, Yuna, and Selphie and asked them to join her for a girl's night later tonight. They all happily accepted her invitation and she told them to meet her at her house at seven o'clock. They all agreed.

After Kairi hung up the phone, she left her house to run some errands, anticipating a great night to spend with friends later tonight.

Since there was no indication that he had anything more to say, they turned and left the Dark Depths to accomplish the task set by Sephiroth. Sora was breathing heavily as they continued walking.

"Are you okay, Sora? That was a very difficult battle!" said Goofy.

"Yeah, especially by yourself!" said Donald.

"Thanks guys, I'm fine," said Sora, his breathing slowly returning to normal.

Donald cast a Curaga spell on Sora just in case. Sora immediately felt the effects of the spell and thanked Donald in response.

After forty-five minutes of hiking and walking back up the Ravine Trail and into the Radiant Garden, they finally made it to the Marketplace.

"Okay, we need to find Cloud," said Sora.

"Look! Over there!" said Goofy, pointing toward the courtyard.

"Sure enough, Cloud was standing exactly where they had met him earlier today, next to the grocery stall. It looked as if he had not moved a muscle since then.

They walked over to Cloud and he nodded to them as they approached.

"Cloud, we have something to tell you," said Sora.

"Have you seen Sephiroth?" asked Cloud almost immediately, as though he read Sora's mind.

Sora was amazed at how quickly he responded, especially since it was about Sephiroth… but then again, he never forgot Cloud's fierce resolve to defeat his inner darkness.

"He's in the Dark Depths," replied Sora.

"I see… I guess it's time we settled this," said Cloud. He then began to start walking as Sora moved out of the way.

"Cloud…" said Sora, sighing as they watched Cloud walk out of the Marketplace.

Several moments of silence passed between them.

"Maybe we should get going. We have to get back to Sephiroth, he might be expecting a reply from us," suggested Donald, breaking the silence.

"Good idea," said Sora in agreement.

Within minutes they too departed the Marketplace and set out for the Dark Depths again, but they stopped by Merlin's House to rest before continuing. When they arrived they found that Merlin was the only person there, reading a rather large and complex-looking book. He looked up and greeted them, closing the book and standing up. Offering them tea and cookies, Merlin nodded and sat back down to resume reading after they politely refused.

It was in that exact moment that Sora, Donald, and Goofy were thinking the exact same thing:

If we ask Merlin to use his magic to get us to the Dark Depths, we might not have to walk that entire trail again!

"Hey, uh, Merlin?" said Sora.

"Hm?" said Merlin, looking up from the book again.

"Can we ask a favor from you?" asked Sora.

"Of course! How can I be of assistance?" said Merlin, closing the book again and setting it down on the small table next to him.

"We would like for you to send us to the Dark Depths with the help of your magic, please," said Sora.

"Certainly! That long walk has left you very tired, hasn't it?" said Merlin, standing up.

All three of them nodded their heads vigorously in response.

"I see, you boys look like you've gotten some good exercise by walking that trail several times already!" said Merlin as they rubbed their legs and feet in response.

"Very well, I will do it. Be aware, however, that I can only transport you there but you will have to walk back the rest of the way," said Merlin.

All three of them groaned.

"Well, I guess we can't be picky. Now that I think about it, it's not that much that we've given up but at least we don't have to walk the whole way," observed Sora.

"Yes, yes, quite true," replied Merlin as Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

Merlin raised his hands high above his head and said, "All right, boys. Here we go!"

"Thanks, Merlin!" the group said in unison.

The wizard brought his hands down to shoulder-height and pointed them in the group's direction, and within seconds later they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

They appeared seconds later at the base of the Dark Depths. Looking at each other in amazement they smiled, knowing that the magic worked and then began to walk again.

When they reached the summit, they found Sephiroth in the same spot they left him in. Surprised that Cloud wasn't already here, Sora, Donald, and Goofy approached Sephiroth. Upon hearing the presence of the three, Sephiroth turned his head and looked toward the oncoming group, turning to face them as they stopped beside him.

"Did you give him my message?" asked Sephiroth.

"Maybe," said Sora playfully.

"Sorry to keep you, Sephiroth!" a voice yelled.

They all looked to see Cloud walking toward them with his weapon clutched in hand.

"Cloud…" said Sephiroth, walking over to Cloud as he stopped fifteen feet away, "You'll never let go of the darkness…"

"Shut up," said Cloud, brandishing his sword.

Sephiroth stopped and readied his sword as well.

"You'll never let go of your past…" said Sephiroth, watching Cloud very closely.

"Shut up!" yelled Cloud, lunging at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth jumped high into the air as Cloud followed after landing in the spot where Sephiroth previously was. He swung at Sephiroth several times while in midair and Sephiroth deflected his attacks.

"Cloud! Get him!" yelled Sora as they continued to fight.

Sephiroth knocked Cloud back into a rock wall, causing Donald to whimper in anxiety. But Cloud recovered, stabilizing himself on the wall and jumping off with Sephiroth following in his wake. Both were in midair again as Cloud continued to attack Sephiroth, who was below him and still in pursuit. Sephiroth easily blocked the attacks, and as Cloud flipped to readjust, Sephiroth got the aerial advantage and took the opportunity of attacking while he was vulnerable. Cloud was startled from Sephiroth's sudden appearance and was barely able to deflect his attacks, and he was eventually sent hurtling toward the ground but was able to land upright and dodge Sephiroth, who powerfully slammed his sword that hit only ground. Cloud ran on the rock wall as Sephiroth teleported. Seeing Sephiroth reappear and flying towards him he jumped off the wall. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed.

Landing opposite of where they began their battle, they turned around and dashed at each other, their swords clashing again at the center of the battlefield.

"Absurd," said Sephiroth, "defeating me is meaningless. You know that more than anyone, Cloud."

Cloud considered what Sephiroth said, and he knew that he was right.

"No matter how many times I fall, your darkness keeps calling me back!" said Sephiroth as he forcefully pushed against Cloud. Cloud grunted as he struggled to fend off Sephiroth.

"Wrong!" said a female voice.

"Tifa! Stay back!" yelled Cloud.

"How can I? I want to help you!" pleaded Tifa. Sephiroth forced Cloud off and swiped at him, only to miss. Cloud landed and brandished his sword.

"You can't. He'll never let go of the darkness," said Sephiroth, switching his grip on his sword to his left hand and pointing it at Cloud.

"He doesn't have to. He just needs someone to surround him with light," said Tifa, and she jumped back when Sephiroth turned his sword on her.

"The darkness will be there, Sephiroth –" she continued, "– but in a place you can't reach."

"Is that right?" asked Sephiroth, intrigued by this notion. Then he said, "Let's see what this light of yours can do!"

He swung at Tifa, who dodged his attack and lunged at Sephiroth who easily dodged her. She landed ten feet away, in battle stance and ready to fight.

Cloud shielded his eyes, temporarily blinded by a flash of light. Suddenly he felt something resonate within him...

"No!" yelled Cloud. He didn't want Tifa to get hurt...

Tifa dashed forward again, punching and kicking at Sephiroth. He effortlessly dodged and blocked Tifa's attacks with his off-hand and eventually pushed her away forcefully. He then proceeded to swipe at Tifa, who danced around his attacks and heard the whistling of the sword swiping near her as she continued dodging his attacks just as effortlessly as Sephiroth did.

Cloud, meanwhile, still stood disoriented with his eyes closed. He could still somehow see what was happening: he was dodging Sephiroth's attacks, and realizing that he was inflicting no harm, Sephiroth ceased attacking. Looking over to his left where he saw Cloud himself was still disoriented, he lunged at Cloud, hoping to take advantage of his temporary immobility.

"Look out!" yelled Sora.

Cloud didn't need telling twice. He opened his eyes to see Sephiroth gliding towards him, about to attack. He jumped high into the air and evaded Sephiroth, landing in front of Tifa and brandishing his sword again.

"Cloud," said Tifa, and Cloud inclined his head towards her to acknowledge her, "you can have my light."

"The light doesn't suit you!" yelled Sephiroth from the other side of the battlefield. He furiously swiped his sword, repulsed at the idea of Cloud submitting to the light instead of his true hunger for darkness...

Cloud considered what each had said. He hesitated before he spoke himself.

"I just... don't know."

Suddenly Cloud felt warmth and strength within his heart, and his body pulsed with light, fading moments later.

Tifa? said Cloud from within his heart.

Do you understand me, Cloud? I want to help you fight the darkness if you just let me! replied Tifa.

Sephiroth feared the worst: if Cloud really was willing to submit to the light, not only would he be overpowered, Cloud would have the possibility of erasing his very existence altogether…

"Stop!" yelled Sephiroth, jumping into the air and lunging toward Cloud.

Will you be okay, Cloud? asked Tifa with a hint of concern in her voice.

Yeah, and I mean it, said Cloud assuredly.

Okay, I believe you, Cloud. Good luck, and be careful. You have my light; now, go and defeat your darkness! said Tifa.

Okay, replied Cloud.

With Sephiroth in midair and hurtling towards him, Cloud braced himself in anticipation of his attack. At the same time, he channeled all of the power and strength he could muster within his heart and coupled it with the presence of Tifa's warm light, and soon his body was glowing with a bright and golden light. Sephiroth stopped mid-flight, astonished to see Cloud bathed in the light he so despised.

No, this cannot be...! thought Sephiroth, realizing that anything was possible now... even ceasing to exist.

Cloud, seeing Sephiroth hesitate, jumped high into the air and flew upwards. Sephiroth followed suit.

It's time we settled this once and for all, Sephiroth. Once I get rid of you, the darkness will go away! said Cloud fiercely to Sephiroth from within his heart.

You still don't understand, do you, Cloud? I am you. You cannot escape your past, and you certainly cannot escape the future which the darkness has laid out for you, even with that light of hers! said Sephiroth.

I WILL defeat you, Sephiroth! I won't fall into the darkness again! said Cloud.

Is that right? In that case... Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking away... said Sephiroth with a hint of malice in his voice.

I pity you. You just don't get it at all... There's not a thing I don't cherish! said Cloud. (A/N: Does anyone get the reference?! Please tell me you do!)

The two continued to rise higher into the sky until a bright flash of light temporarily blinded everyone, and Cloud and Sephiroth were gone.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy opened their eyes after shielding them from the bright light. They looked around, shocked to find only Tifa standing with her back toward them and her view directed to the distant castle of the Radiant Garden.

"Where'd they go?" asked Goofy, voicing the exact question on their minds. Sora turned to face Goofy and Donald turned his head toward him as he continued: "Do you think they made it back to their own world?"

"They went somewhere else..." said Sora absentmindedly. Goofy looked over at Sora in curiosity.

"Cloud went to fight a great battle – to defeat the darkness inside him," finished Sora.

At this, Tifa approached the group and Sora turned to face her.

"Gone again," she simply said.

"What will you do now?" asked Sora.

"Hmm…" said Tifa, closing her eyes and resting her chin on top of her hand while thinking of what to say.

"Guess I'll keep looking," concluded Tifa, opening her eyes after a few brief moments of silence and thought.

"Got any leads?" asked Sora.

"Don't worry," said Tifa, "light is easy to find."

She took a step toward Sora and said, "I gotta go. Here, this is for helping me out."

She placed something in his hand and closed it into a fist. Sora didn't get a chance to see what it was, and in confusion he said aloud, "But wait, when did we help?"

All three of them stood in confusion and tried remembering a time where they could have possibly helped her. It was until Donald made a sound that they snapped out of their momentary trance and saw Tifa already walking away and out of sight. Sora unclenched his fist and saw the glint of a keychain with a little slip of paper wrapped around it. He slowly removed the slip of paper and saw that the keychain was in the shape of Cloud's sword. Intrigued by the gift, he then directed his attention to the little slip of paper, noticing it had writing on it. It said:

"FENRIR"

Thanks for your help!

-Tifa

Sora smiled, glad that he finally got to know her name and help her out even though he was ABSOLUTELY positive that they didn't do anything… Right…?

"This is great, Kairi! First the mall, then here? What's the occasion?" asked Yuna.

"Oh, no occasion, I just wanted for all of us to get together and have a night to ourselves!" replied Kairi.

"I'm glad you took us here, especially without Hayner. Otherwise he probably would've actually gotten us kicked out, unlike the last time when we almost got kicked out," said Olette, rolling her eyes as everyone else except Laesi nodded their heads in agreement.

"Wait, you guys mentioned something about that when we first met. What happened, exactly?" asked Laesi. Kairi then explained to her what had happened (with the rest of the girls pitching in their perspectives as well), and Laesi understood, nodding her head.

Soon afterward, the girls were giggling and having a good time as they waited for their orders to arrive at Fanshi Shokuhin Restaurant. Fifteen minutes later, their orders finally arrived and they continued socializing while eating their meals.

"You know, sometimes I wonder what the boys could be doing right now while they're away from us," said Selphie.

"Yeah, me too!" said Yuna in agreement.

Kairi, meanwhile, thought of how Sora was doing while everyone else discussed what the boys could be up to. She hoped Sora was okay…

Ah, it's good to be home again.

This place never seemed to change whenever he returns here from his adventures, and he liked it that way.

After disembarking the Gummi Ship, Sora waved to Donald and Goofy as they prepared to depart. They waved back and then the Gummi Ship roared to life, ascending into the sky and blasting off into the night.

Sora started walking home and got there within fifteen minutes. Upon entering his house, he called out, "Mom, I'm home!"

At this, his mom appeared from the living room. Seeing Sora standing there at the doorway, she came over and hugged him.

"I'm glad you're back, Sora! Were you able to help your friends out with what they needed to do?" she asked, releasing Sora.

"Yeah! Everything worked out,' replied Sora.

"Good! Anyway, are you hungry, Sora? I ordered pizza," said Aerith.

"Ooh, yes please! I'm starving," said Sora.

"It's in the kitchen. Please help yourself, I've got some things to finish," said Aerith.

"Thanks, Mom!" said Sora, walking over to the kitchen.

"You're welcome, sweetie!" said Aerith as she returned to the living room.

"Oh, right! Hey Mom, after I'm done can I go over to Kairi's and spend the night?"

"You just got here, Sora!"

"I know, but I want to surprise her!"

"Are you sure her father is okay with it?"

"I'll talk to him about it, I'm pretty sure it's fine. Plus, I really want to be with Kairi!"

"Okay, go ahead!"

"Thanks, Mom!"

Sora opened the box of pizza on the counter and grabbed a slice of cheese pizza. He took a bite and glanced at the clock. It was now half past nine.

He finished the slice he was eating and wolfed down two more slices of pizza before going upstairs to his room. Grabbing his knapsack, he threw some clothes, his sleeping bag and pillow inside. He went inside the bathroom and threw his toothbrush and toothpaste into his knapsack as well.

With all of the things he needed stuffed into his knapsack he walked out of his room and down the stairs, hastily said "Bye, Mom! Going to Kairi's!" and left the house, shutting the door behind him.

Not wanting to contain his excitement to see Kairi, Sora walked a little faster than usual. In less than ten minutes he was standing at Kairi's front door and knocking. It wasn't Kairi who answered the door but rather her father.

"Hello! Sora, isn't it?" asked the Mayor of Destiny Islands.

"Yes, sir," said Sora.

"Ah, yes! You're the boy Kairi is always talking about! She likes you very much, I hope you're treating her well!" said the Mayor sternly, raising his index finger at Sora.

"Of course! I would never do anything to hurt Kairi," replied Sora.

"I'm glad! If you're looking for her, she isn't here right now. She's out with the rest of the girls," said the Mayor.

When the Mayor said that, Sora suddenly had a brilliant idea to further surprise Kairi since she wasn't here and doesn't know of his plan to stay at her house.

"I am looking for her, but not right now. I'm here to ask your permission if I can spend the night, so I can surprise Kairi. The only thing she knows right now is that I'm away on a trip and doesn't know that I'm actually here," explained Sora.

"Why, of course you can! I won't say anything to Kairi about this, she will most definitely be surprised and overjoyed to see you for sure!" said the Mayor.

"Thank you, sir! I really appreciate it," said Sora.

"No problem, Sora! I always love to see my daughter happy. You're always welcome to stay anytime; please, come in!" said the Mayor, gesturing for Sora to come into the house.

"Thank you!" said Sora, taking off his shoes and entering the house.

The Mayor closed the door behind him and said, "Please make yourself at home, I'll get the guest room ready for you."

"Thanks again!" said Sora.

The Mayor nodded and gestured for Sora to take a seat in the living room. He obliged and the Mayor walked away afterward to go and prepare the room. Sora was careful to take his shoes along with him, because it was important that Kairi doesn't know he's staying there, and any small detail like his shoes left lying around could ruin the surprise.

About ten minutes later the Mayor reappeared and said, "Okay, the guest room is ready for you, Sora."

"Thanks! I have one more question, and I hope this isn't too much to ask," said Sora as he slung his knapsack over his shoulder and clutched his shoes in his left hand.

"It's okay! Go ahead and ask anything, Sora," replied the Mayor.

"Well, it's just that… would it be all right if I treated her to breakfast tomorrow morning? I can also make something for you as well, considering how hard you work for all of us in Destiny Islands and especially for Kairi," said Sora.

"Sure! That would be nice of you to prepare breakfast for Kairi, but as for me I must politely decline. I have to travel across town early tomorrow morning to attend a very important meeting at seven o'clock, but please feel free to use whatever you can find in the kitchen," said the Mayor with a smile.

"Thank you, sir! I can pay you back for what I use," said Sora.

"No, don't worry about that! It's okay."

"No really, I insist. It's the least I could do, especially after you allowed me to stay the night on such short notice."

"That's very kind of you, Sora. I really appreciate it, but it's really okay. The fact that you're making Kairi happy and taking very good care of her is by far more important to me than what food you decide to prepare."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Sora. Thank you for the kind gesture, and I mean that. Speaking of which, do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"No thanks, I'm fine."

"All right. Well, again, please do make yourself feel at home and don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. Have a good night, Sora!"

"Good night, sir!"

Sora made his way to the guest room as the Mayor went upstairs. When he entered the guest room he closed the door, set his stuff down and changed out of his clothes. After he went over to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, he returned to the room and switched the light off, climbing onto the sofa-bed that was prepared for him and settled into sleep, looking forward to surprising Kairi tomorrow morning.

Kairi waved goodbye to the other girls as she left the restaurant. She would love to do this again sometime; days like this don't come very often…

Ten minutes later she arrived home. She went inside and looked at the clock in the living room, and it showed ten o'clock. Going upstairs, Kairi went to her father's room to see if he was still awake. He was, and upon seeing her he happily said, "Oh, you're back! Did you have a fun time with the girls?"

"Yes, it was nice!" replied Kairi.

"That's good to hear! Now, be sure to get to bed soon, Kairi," her father said.

With that, she nodded and went off to get herself ready to go to sleep.

Half an hour later, Kairi still lay awake. She couldn't get herself to go to sleep so she let her mind wander.

How are you, Sora…?

She couldn't think about anyone or anything else but Sora. It was something she couldn't resist; most of her weekend was spent either doing important stuff that required her absolute attention or sitting around waiting and wondering when he'll come home to her. It might seem like she's crazy and super clingy to him, but he said he was okay with it, even found it cute that she's so concerned for him. Kairi didn't know whether or not he was just being polite or if he really did mean it, that didn't change how much she loved and cared for him.

It didn't matter how long he was gone. Even though she felt exactly the same way earlier today, she was calmed by the fact that he promised he'll come home to her. Kairi sometimes hated herself for continuing to go through this thought process… But then again, this is the person she cared about so much.

Reassuring herself of Sora's promise, she slowly drifted to sleep with a smile.

Even though he hadn't brought his alarm with him, Sora looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised he was able to wake up just a little before seven o'clock that Monday morning. He considered this both a blessing and a curse; on the one hand, he would always get up early in the morning so he didn't miss school, but the tradeoff was he couldn't sleep in no matter what time he went to sleep the night before… interesting how the body works.

He stretched and climbed out of bed and made sure that the bed was back to the way it was prepared for him. Grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste, he quietly went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. As he was brushing he wondered if Kairi and her dad were awake yet, but then he remembered the conversation with her dad last night, and realized he must be at work now. The question now was: when would Kairi wake up? He hoped it wouldn't be soon, otherwise his opportunity for the surprise would suddenly be out of the question.

After putting his things away, Sora crept over to the kitchen and started to carefully rummage through the refrigerator and pantry. After going through a seemingly endless food cache, he managed to find the items he needed to create a very special breakfast for a very special girl.

Perfect, thought Sora.

With ingredients in hand, Sora got to work on preparing breakfast.

Enter Dream (/Flashback)

It all seemed so weird.

After what seemed like ages, it finally returned. She felt warmth in her chest as she opened her eyes as if from a deep sleep, finding herself lying on the floor in a place she had never seen or been to before…

Suddenly she heard someone yelling. She got herself to sit up and see what was going on, and what she saw happening made her heart drop.

Someone was slowly falling backward, their body immobile and glowing with light.

"Sora!" gasped Kairi.

She quickly got up and rushed to catch him before he fell. When Sora fell into her arms he disappeared at her touch, and a flurry of lights appeared instead as they ascended to the ceiling and faded into the darkness. No, thought Kairi, dumbfounded. Sora…?

"Sora! Come back Sora!" cried the same voice. But it seemed so distant and muffled to Kairi that it didn't matter to her now. She continued to focus upward toward the ceiling with her arms still outstretched, still in shock but hoping that there was a chance Sora could somehow reappear and everything would be all right again…

Dream (/Flashback) suddenly ends

"No. He can't be. I won't let him go!" Kairi said as she suddenly awoke and quickly sat up. She noticed that her hand was clenched into a fist and over her heart the same way it happened once before, and single tear crept down her cheek as her eyes began to glaze over.

Kairi pulled the blanket over her and laid back down. Wiping away the tear on her cheek and blinking back the tears that were forming in her eyes she was able to prevent herself from crying; for a while, though, she wondered how she could have dreamt of the one such thing she feared the most… Only then did she realize how much she really cared for Sora. If this nightmare didn't make her realize this, what else would?

After five minutes she calmed herself down, reminding herself of Sora's promise again. Sniffling slightly, she looked at the clock. It was half past seven.

Concluding that she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon, she rose from bed and went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. After she was finished she left her room and walked downstairs. As Kairi neared the kitchen she was greeted with the delicious smell of bacon.

She was thankful that her dad does what he does so well and still took the time to think about and care for her; even though she politely declines little gestures like making breakfast for her sometimes, he insisted anyway, which is why she loved him a lot for being the loving father she always knew him to be.

"Morning!" said Kairi happily as she entered the kitchen, walking past Sora (who was pouring orange juice) thinking it was her dad.

Sora nearly spilled the orange juice, startled by Kairi's sudden entrance into the kitchen. He finished pouring the juice into Kairi's glass and set the carton down. He then took a quick look at both of the delicious-looking breakfast plates that he felt proud preparing and turned around to face Kairi, who had her back to him and was about halfway to the dining table. With a smile on his face that exuded pure happiness and joy to finally see her in person, he said, "Hey, Kai."

Kairi froze before she even reached the table. At that point, when she heard Sora's voice her heart beat faster; she couldn't believe who said her name. Was her ears playing tricks on her…?

A few moments later she slowly turned around to confirm if it was really him and that she wasn't dreaming, and the sight of his trademark goofy smile left her speechless.

It was really him.

"Sora!" exclaimed Kairi, putting her hands over her mouth in surprise as her eyes began to glaze over again. She quickly ran to Sora, who held his arms outstretched. At that moment she ran so fast she immediately wrapped her arms around him into a fierce bear-hug, making Sora stagger slightly; if he hadn't grown so strong, both of them would have toppled over and make it look like she jumped him. Sora returned the hug just as enthusiastically but at the same time he was slightly confused.

"This is real…" said Kairi as she buried her face deeper into his chest.

Sora's mind immediately flashed back to the memory of her saying those same exact words when they first reunited in the Castle That Never Was; the way he felt was the same both then and now: happy. He didn't bother asking why she was always so elated to see him whenever he returned but instead just savored the fact that he was able to finally hold Kairi in his arms again.

"I really missed you…" said Sora, kissing the top of her head.

"I've missed you too," replied Kairi with a sniffle. Actually, that was half-right: she REALLY missed him.

They remained in their embrace for a few more moments until they broke apart. Sora then gestured for Kairi to sit at the table, and she obliged while he went and grabbed a variety of items and set them on the table: napkins, silverware, butter tray, and a bottle of maple syrup. Afterward, he went and got Kairi's plate of food and glass of orange juice and set it down gently in front of her.

"Wow, Sora," said Kairi as he made another trip to get his food and drink, "I didn't expect you to be home so early and suddenly, let alone do all this!"

"Oh, it's no big deal, I wanted to! This is one of the ways I want to show how much I love and care for you, Kai," replied Sora, setting down the plate and glass as he sat in a chair directly opposite Kairi.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" said Kairi, blushing. Looking down at her plate, she said, "Anyway, this looks really good!"

Both of their plates were fully and neatly covered with food, and it was indeed very appetizing: a stack of two fluffy pancakes, three strips of bacon, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and two halves of toast along with a glass of orange juice on the side was a breakfast neither of them usually had.

"I hope you like it… I wanted to surprise you as soon as I came home last night so I ran over to your house as quickly as I could, but when your dad answered the door he said you weren't around and that gave me the idea to spend the night here and treat you to breakfast the next morning," said Sora.

Kairi put a hand over her heart, touched at what he just said. So he came home and spent the night at her house (without her knowing) and went out of his way to surprise her with something like this?

"Wow. Really…?" was all that Kairi managed to say.

"I know this might not be much, but I wanted to make this as special as you are," said Sora.

"Aww… I love you, Sora," said Kairi, leaning slightly over the table.

"I love you too, Kai," said Sora, following suit.

They shared a small yet passionate kiss then sat back down and started to eat. A little while later Kairi asked, "Sora, can I talk to you about something?"

As they ate, Kairi explained to Sora what she went through while he was gone: from the emotional rollercoaster to the dream about him she had earlier that morning, Sora listened with great interest. He had to admit that he was very amazed at what she was saying: feeling caught between loneliness and solace was especially taxing emotionally, and the recurring thoughts of her worst fear that he would never make it back home to her didn't help either; he would've felt the same way if he didn't know whether or not he'd be able to see or hold Kairi again… Sora shuddered at that thought. He hoped that in the future he wouldn't think of something as frightening as that ever again.

"I'm sorry, Sora, I know I might sound like I'm clingy and telling you how I feel –" said Kairi, but Sora gently put his index finger over her mouth and she immediately stopped talking. He then went over to Kairi's side of the table and pulled an empty chair towards him, setting it about two feet in front of her and turning it so it faced Kairi and sat down as she turned her chair to face him in response.

"Kai," said Sora, taking her hands into his own, "I'm so happy and glad that you care so much for me that I feel the same way; I just don't want you to beat yourself up emotionally because of me, it hurts when I see or hear you going through something like that. Just remember that even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?"

Kairi mentally slapped herself as soon as he said that. Of all the times he had gone somewhere far away from her, not once did she ever think to reach out to him with the close heart-to-heart connection they shared... she had listened to her sad and lonely thought-filled mind instead of her warm and passionate heart that was beating for the one she loved so deeply. Softly squeezing Sora's hands in response, she said, "Right."

"Besides," continued Sora, freeing one of his hands to play with her hair and gently stroke her face, "I wouldn't want to be the reason for such a beautiful angel to be feeling sad all the time."

"Aww, Sora," said Kairi as she blushed yet again, "you're making my heart melt faster than the butter on my toast."

Sora smiled brightly as he leaned in to kiss her again.

To Kairi, despite saying one of the cheesiest things ever, she really meant it: there were no other words to describe her feelings at that moment. And she also knew that he always had a knack of knowing when to make the good times better.

END OF CHAPTER 14

I hope you guys had a great start to the New Year! I'm feeling very optimistic about 2017 because of Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue / 0.2 Birth by Sleep: A fragmentary passage and the possibility of Kingdom Hearts III being released as well, but for KH3 we can all only hope and dream… We'll see what this year holds. ;)

I'm so sorry to everyone who's been checking back for updates, this chapter is my apology for such a LONG hiatus. It's been tough enough trying to write this story now, being an adult has so many responsibilities. I will try my best to continue writing, I love this series and this fanfic so much I'll be willing to continue writing if people keep reading and reviewing.

And PLEASE tell me someone got that reference, I had to think long and hard about including it in this one. ;)

Animesrock145: I'm only following the in-game dialogue. I can explain why he says all those things the way he does but I'm pretty sure you know. ;)

DarKloWn: Thank you! I really appreciate it. Stay tuned for more! :)

Thanks, everyone! See you at the next update… (: Smiles! :)

On the next chapter of Sora and Kairi: More than Friends –

"Not again…"