Author's Note: I'm sorry, it took me a long time to write this chapter and it's a lot shorter than the last few have been. I have good excuses though! First, the semester is just finishing up for me, so I had 3 big papers due and exams this week. Second, I just found out I'm pregnant! Lol, I could not focus on writing for anything because I am so excited and I have so much research to do! I promise it won't get in the way of me finishing the story, might just slow it down some!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy characters. Or any name brands/restaurants/retail places used. The non-video game characters are my own and the plot is all mine and is based on true personal experience.

Chapter 20: A Year of Changes

1 year later…

"I can't stand that fucking bitch!"

The loud exclamation caused Kairi to jump and flinch with surprise as Sora slammed the front door to the apartment.

"Who?" she asked weakly, one hand over her stuttering heart.

"I just went down to Selphie's apartment to ask her to keep her crotch goblins in line and away from the outside of our door," Sora grumbled. "She told me if I didn't mind my own business, she'd be contacting the landlord and slammed the door in my face. Well, guess what? I'm gonna talk to the landlord first."

Kairi sighed. "Sora…"

"I've been patient enough. I'm tired of having to listen to those kids screaming outside my door all day and all night because she won't let them in their own goddamn apartment," Sora snapped. "And I'm tired of the food and garbage being left in the hallway."

Kairi shrugged in defeat. Once Sora was on this kind of a tangent, there was no stopping him.

The past year and a half had been hard on him. He had gotten a new job and advanced to an assistant manager position, which required a lot of his time—he was working 9 hour shifts five days a week, was expected to be available to go to work in an emergency during his time off, and often had to be on conference calls or responding to questions staff had during the day when he wasn't at work. In addition, he'd finally started going to college, something he had lost track of in the early days of his and Kairi's relationship. Adding homework and studying to his already busy workload was sucking up much of his free time.

On top of that, he was dealing with the pending death of his birth father, Nate. He and Kairi had run into Nate by chance one night and learned that Nate had cancer. Sora had been determined to ignore it, having never had a good relationship with Nate in the past, but his conscience about what the rest of the family were going through prompted him to change his mind. Nate's wife, Brandy, had decided she didn't want to put up with a dying husband and asked him to leave, keeping his daughter—Sora's half-sister—Xion away from him. Sora was going to visit his grandparents, where Nate was now staying, every two weeks to see how everyone was doing.

Sora had picked up some unpleasant habits as he tried to manage and cope with all his stress. He was extremely moody most of the time and had become a negative source of energy. He was also drinking a lot—Kairi noted he was coming home with a 6-pack of beer almost every night, and on the weekends he didn't work he'd add a pint of liquor to that, too.

Kairi had to admit she wasn't facing half the problems Sora was—both of her parents were relatively healthy, she worked 30 hours per week at a part-time job she didn't totally hate, and she was closing in on her last year of school before she'd have her college degree. There was one thing bothering her, though, and no matter how hard she tried to shove it away, it returned, stronger, every time she looked at a calendar.

Marriage.

A year ago, she'd struggled to get Sora to talk about a timeline for getting married. He'd asked her for more time, saying he wasn't ready to talk about it and would let her know when he was. She'd expected nothing would come of it if she honored his request, and lo and behold, she was right. She'd been respectful for all these months, not bringing the topic up once, but she was starting to get impatient now. She and Sora had been together for a total of four years. He was 23, she had just turned 22. She had a goal of having her first child by 25, which meant the conversation needed to happen soon. If he still couldn't say he wanted to commit to her forever after four years together, she wouldn't know what to say. She wondered if she was unintentionally helping to cause his stress. After all, there was no chance he'd forgotten their discussion. Perhaps he realized he'd kept her waiting for far too long. If that was the case, why didn't he bring it up? He was practically inviting her to bother him about it.

Kairi woke up out of her stupor as Roxas appeared by her side.

"There's an easy solution to your problem, dude."

Sora balked at him. "Oh?"

"Of course. Buy a house," Roxas said nonchalantly. "There's not a single downside. You get your own space that you can do whatever you please with, you can play music at night without bothering others, and there are no shitty neighbors letting their shitty kids ruin your day." He paused. "I guess that last part isn't necessarily true, but the chances sure are slimmer. Also, a mortgage on a pretty nice house probably costs the same or less than what we pay here." He shot Kairi a quick, secretive wink. "Plus, isn't it time you and your ol' girl move into something more permanent?"

Kairi smiled warmly at him, not missing the euphemism he'd snuck in there. She had to admit, Roxas had become one of her best friends since he and Sora started living together. He remained as loyal to Sora as he could be, but he was often Kairi's soundboard when she needed to talk, and he always gave her good advice. In the case of the marriage thing, he was on Kairi's side. He thought she had every right to be feeling the way she did, and this was his way of subtly going to bat for her, in a manner of speaking.

Sora carefully considered Roxas's points. "You know, you're right. But what about you?"

Roxas shrugged. "If you'd still be willing to have me as a roommate, I'd happily pay you rent."

"Of course I'd still have you," Sora said affectionately. "I love you, man."

"Aw, Sora. I love you, too."

Kairi eyeballed the both of them hard. "Is there something I need to know concerning the real reason why Sora and I aren't engaged yet?"

The boys laughed in response and Roxas slapped Sora on the ass. "Sorry, Kairi. I stole your man. I couldn't resist."

Kairi gasped in mock horror. "What ever would Olette think?"

The mention of Olette killed the joke. All signs of humor quickly left Roxas's face and his expression was replaced with sadness.

"Oh no." Kairi wished she could take it back. She had no idea anything was wrong between Roxas and Olette, but she hadn't meant to drag whatever was bothering Roxas back to the surface.

Roxas began to vent. "She's not happy. I don't know where I went wrong, but she's always mad at me and she barely wants me around. Remember when we went on vacation last month?"

Sora and Kairi nodded.

"Well, we were fighting the whole time. It wasn't pleasant at all. It's like…she gets upset about something and then she just tells me I'm nothing like Hayner—her ex-boyfriend. And I'm like, uh, good? But apparently, it's not good. It is not good to not be like Hayner, y'all."

"I know Hayner," Sora said thoughtfully. "He and Olette are high school sweethearts, right? I mean, I think they started dating when we were seniors. Maybe she's got some 'first love' nostalgia or something."

"Who the fuck cares?" Roxas snapped. "If she wants him back, she should just break up with me instead of treating me like shit."

Kairi sighed, bracing herself before jumping into the fray with her opinion. "Roxas, you're unhappy too. Instead of waiting for her to break up with you, maybe you should be the one to break it off. Do both of you a favor so you can both stop being miserable."

She was ready for Roxas to blow up at her, but to her surprise, he slumped forward as if defeated. "You're right. I hate that you're right, but you are."

"I'm sorry, man. I know it's a hard truth to face, seeing as how long you wanted her for," Sora said. "But I think it has run its course."

Roxas nodded, looking dazed. "Okay. I'm gonna go call her and invite her to talk."

"Good luck," Sora and Kairi chimed back together. "We'll head out to give you privacy," Kairi added, pulling Sora toward the door.

XXXXXX

The two ended up at the mall to kill time.

"Where shall we go?" Sora asked, offering Kairi his elbow. "I could probably use some new shirts for work. Anything you need? Perhaps a new bikini for summer?"

Kairi swatted him playfully. "Don't be ridiculous. I already own, like, six bikinis."

"One more couldn't hurt."

As they walked, Kairi found her gaze drawn to a gorgeous diamond ring displayed in a window near the jewelry store. She tried not to stare too long, not wanting to be caught, but Sora noticed.

He sighed heavily. "Wait, let's make a detour."

Kairi stared at him in open-mouthed shock as he led her into the jewelry store.

"Don't look at me like that," he grumbled. "I have been thinking about this, you know. I thought maybe you could look at the rings and show me what types you like. That way I can't screw it up."

Still barely able to believe that this was really happening, Kairi slowly approached the counter, butterflies swarming in her stomach. Suddenly, she felt shy and unable to force herself to look at the shimmering diamonds within the case. Her panicked brain considered asking Sora for a rain check—she wasn't sure why.

An older salesman quickly came to the rescue before she had the chance to back out. "What are we looking for today? Have you seen anything that you would like to take a closer look at?"

Kairi looked over at Sora, still feeling unsure of herself. He offered her a half-smile and a nod, wordlessly assuring her it was okay. She felt her reluctance begin to fade and a new boldness took over her.

"I want something unique," she said. "I want a ring I'll never grow tired of looking at. It doesn't have to be traditional. But the gems shouldn't be huge. I have tiny fingers and I don't want it to look stupid."

The salesman chuckled. "I think I know just the ring for you already. How do you feel about blue diamonds?"

This piqued her curiosity. "I'm not sure I've ever seen one."

The salesman walked over to a different jewelry case and rifled through his set of keys. Once he'd located the correct key, he unlocked the case and plucked a ring out, walking back over to Kairi and setting it on the counter before her. The ring was a white gold band, with a gorgeous turquoise colored diamond at the center, flanked on either side by dainty white diamonds. Intricate designs were etched into the band itself.

"This is one of our new arrivals," The salesman proudly proclaimed. "Blue diamonds are trending right now, but this ring I believe has a very unique design to it that would fit what you're looking for. The total diamond weight is about three-quarter carat, yet it still looks modest on the finger." He pushed the ring cushion toward Kairi. "Go ahead, try it on and see what you think."

She picked it up gingerly, as though one wrong touch could crumble the precious gems, and slowly slid it onto her finger. The result took her breath away. The ring really was beautiful, and it looked perfect on her finger. "I don't think I need to see any others," she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight.

The salesman smirked over at Sora. "I think she loves it. Shall we discuss financing?"

Sora's cheeks turned pink. "Um…well we were just kind of looking for now," he said nervously. "Just wanted to get an idea of what she likes."

"Well, let me size her finger and write down the information for you. Keep in mind, our inventory changes over several times during the year. Some of these rings won't be around forever," the salesman warned.

Sora swallowed hard, looking very much like a deer in the headlights, obviously having been unprepared for this scenario. "Gotcha."

XXXXXX

Kairi was feeling so blissful after having tried on the ring of her dreams that she didn't have it in her to be bothered by Sora's reaction to the salesman's words of warning. After all, she knew Sora hadn't taken her in that shop planning to buy her a ring on the spot. She found herself wondering what he was thinking. Would he stop back by the shop on his way home from work one night and fill out the paperwork? How soon would she finally see him on one knee, asking her the ultimate question? She hoped it wouldn't be long. She couldn't wait to get that beautiful ring back on her finger and she felt naked and incomplete when she was forced to take it off.

When they arrived back at the apartment, they were jolted back to reality by the melancholy realization that while they were looking at engagement rings, Roxas was ending his relationship with Olette. Kairi suddenly felt very guilty for being so happy.

There was no need for that, it seemed, as when she and Sora entered the apartment, they found Roxas had invited a few friends, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, over. The four of them were seated around the coffee table, drinking beers and playing card games.

"Hey, buddy," Sora said cautiously. "How'd it go with Olette?"

Roxas waved a dismissive hand. "She wanted to break up too, but still found it in herself to be pissed off at me for beating her to it. She screamed at me for like 10 minutes and left. Good riddance."

Kairi felt sad, realizing that her brief friendship with Olette was probably coming to a close. There was no way she could continue to hang out with her without Roxas feeling betrayed.

Sora looked over at her awkwardly. "Um…why don't you invite Zidane over? Looks like we're having a party?"

"To celebrate my return to bachelorhood!" Roxas cheered. "While you're at it, Kairi, ask your cute friend Naminé over! I think she really vibed me at Sora's 21st."

Kairi scowled at him. "No chance in hell. No offense, but you are exactly what Naminé does not need."

Roxas pouted at her. "What's the point of saying 'no offense' when you know what you're about to say is offensive?"

She backpedaled. "I just mean I don't think you two are compatible! She's so sweet and innocent, and nice, and you're…" She trailed off, realizing her foot was about to insert itself into her mouth again.

Roxas snorted with displeasure. "Look, if you got nothing nice to say, then stick a dick in your mouth and fuck what you say."

"Enough, dude," Sora snapped. "I know you had a rough night but don't talk to my girlfriend like that."

Aqua shuffled into the kitchen and retrieved a fresh armload of cold beers. "Who needs beer?" She asked loudly, trying to distract away from the tension. Her plan was in vain, though. Kairi's heart fluttered as Roxas continued to glare daggers at her, unblinking.

After what felt like an eternity, his face finally softened and he let out a loud sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, it was rude."

"I'm sorry too," Kairi said, relieved. "I was also rude. I just…I want the best for Naminé because she's great. You're great, too. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll talk to her."

With that, the tension in the room melted away and the partying and chatter resumed. Sora's phone started ringing, and he frowned when he saw the number on the screen.

"I'm gonna take this," he told Kairi, and disappeared into the bedroom to answer the call.

There was a knock at the door and Zidane entered, with a girl Kairi hadn't met in tow. She had long dark hair and a slightly rounded face with soft features.

"Welcome," Kairi said smugly. "Who is your adorable guest? New girlfriend?"

The girl blushed and looked at Zidane as though expecting him to properly introduce her.

"This is Garnet. And, uh, she's not new," Zidane said. "She's—was—my ex. You know, the one that I was trying to get over when I met you? We kinda got back together a few months ago."

Garnet waved shyly. "Hi, it's really nice to meet all of you."

The rest of the group returned her greeting enthusiastically, and she made her way across the room to watch the card game in play.

"I'm glad things worked out for you two," Kairi said to Zidane quietly, unable to hide her giant smile. "I felt so bad, like I was abandoning you when Sora and I reconciled."

Zidane waved her off. "Don't even worry about it, girl. I was just fine and I was glad to see you happy."

Kairi giggled. "It's just funny. Life kinda feels like a romantic movie right now. You know, where somehow everything works out and everyone gets a happy ending."

Just then, Sora reappeared out of the bedroom. No one else paid any mind to his return, but Kairi saw the expression on his face and immediately went to his side. He looked lost and utterly broken.

"What's going on?" she urged, worried.

"That was one of my cousins on Nate's side," Sora said slowly, as though he were still processing what he was about to say. "Nate's been put on hospice at my grandparents' house. She said I need to get over there tonight if I…" he trailed off and swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "If I want to say goodbye."