Golden light danced along the walls and rested on Naminé's face. The breeze from the open window brought in the smell of sea-salt, and she sighed deeply. Having a body of her own again was truly special, even though it had been over a year since she'd gotten one. Every day was a new adventure, and she couldn't wait to see what this one had in store.
"Morning, Naminé," Kairi said as she yawned and stretched. Her red hair stuck out from all different sides of her head, and she smiled sleepily. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did, thank you." Naminé sat up and rubbed her eyes. One of Riku's baggy hoodies served as her nightgown, and her cheeks flushed pink as she thought about the time he'd given it to her to wear. Since then, she had a growing collection of his hoodies and jackets that supplemented her own wardrobe nicely.
"Did you enjoy your first sleepover?" Kairi asked as she swept her hair back into a ponytail.
"I did! It was a lot of fun."
They'd stayed up late, watching movies, eating candy and popcorn as they talked about all sorts of things. Another item Naminé could cross off of her bucket list. Now that Sora was home, safe and sound, they were all able to focus on just enjoying life again. Soon after they'd gotten him back, Kairi had helped Naminé make the bucket list, and now her friend was helping her do all the things on it, one by one.
"We'll have to invite the other girls over sometime so we can have a proper slumber party," Kairi said. "We'll need to figure out a time that works for everyone, but I'm sure we can make it happen."
"Thank you, Kairi, really. You don't have to do all this for me—"
"I know. But I want to. You're my friend."
Naminé smiled. It was so nice to have Kairi for a friend. Before, she'd felt so alone, and now she had so many friends that there was never a dull moment. Her Gummiphone was always lighting up with messages and photos and phone calls, and her schedule was filled with school and dates with Riku and plans to hang out with friends.
"So, today you said you wanted to go shopping," Kairi said as she rummaged through her closet for something to wear. "And that means we can dress up if you'd like."
"I'd like that very much," Naminé said as she got up from Kairi's trundle bed. It was nice to go from having one dress to a full wardrobe of clothes, and now Kairi wanted to take her shopping to get even more clothes.
Together they got ready for the day. Naminé went with a simple blue dress with yellow accents that Kairi let her borrow with sandals to match. That was the nice thing about being Kairi's (former) Nobody; they could swap clothes no problem. Kairi swept her hair up into a French twist and secured it with a clip, then gave her some paopu fruit earrings to wear. When she was helping Naminé put the finishing touches on her makeup, the doorbell rang.
"Huh, I wonder who that could be," Kairi said, but there was a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, and her lips were twitching.
"Kairi?"
"Why don't we go see who it is," Kairi said as she grabbed Naminé's hand and led her downstairs. Naminé's heart pounded; could it be—
"Surprise!" Kairi squealed as she opened the door. Standing there, wearing a nice shirt and slacks, was Riku. He broke into a smile as soon as he saw Naminé, and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks as she returned his smile.
"I assume we're not going shopping?" she asked Kairi. It was strange but also a little thrilling, how much trouble she had looking away from Riku when he was nearby.
"We can, some other time. But yes, today is supposed to be for the two of you. Riku just wanted it to be a surprise, and he recruited me to help."
"You don't know how hard it was not to say anything," Riku said. "I'm… not very good at keeping secrets. But I wanted to surprise you."
"You did," Naminé said. "I didn't suspect a thing."
They just smiled at each other for a few moments until Kairi cleared her throat. "Better get going, lovebirds, or you won't have time to do everything Riku has planned."
That snapped them out of their reverie, and Riku blushed as Naminé ducked her head and giggled. They hadn't even left Kairi's house yet, and they were already getting so distracted. Naminé went back inside to grab her purse, and with that, she and Riku were off.
"Where are you taking me first?" she asked as Riku led her down the winding path away from Kairi's house on the hill. It was amazing how comfortable it felt to hold his hand like this now. She still remembered the day when he'd first offered his hand and she'd taken it, the day she'd gotten a body of her own again and a precious reminder that she wasn't alone.
"To the Gummi Ship," Riku said as he gave her one of his charming half-smiles.
"And after that?"
"You'll see. And no cheating and looking at my memories," he teased. "I've been to the places I plan on taking you today, so I'm sure you'll find them in there."
Her lips twitched. "Me? Look at your memories? I would never."
"The innocent act doesn't work so well on me, you know," Riku said with a laugh. "It might fool Sora and Kairi, but I can see right through it."
She bit her lip and stopped walking, and Riku turned around to look at her.
"What is it?" he asked, his face twisted into a frown.
"You know I wouldn't look at your memories without your permission, right?"
His eyes softened. "Yeah, of course. I trust you, Naminé."
She relaxed at his words. Sometimes she wondered how the others could trust her at all, with the powers she had. But Riku really did mean what he said, of that she was sure. He had always been honest and open with her about his feelings and struggles, so she was trying to do the same.
She found his hand again, and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"C'mon, let's go," he said, and she nodded and let him lead the way once more.
Their first destination was Twilight Town. Riku took her to Le Grand Bistro, where they ate a delicious lunch consisting of Pumpkin Velouté and Sea Bass en Papillote, with Berries au Fromage for dessert. The weather was perfect as they dined outside, just the right temperature with a light breeze blowing through, and Naminé sighed as she set her fork down and patted her mouth with her napkin.
"Thank you, Riku. The food was delicious."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. "I used to walk past here sometimes, when we were looking for a way to help Sora. It's nice to be able to finally eat here myself. It was something I've been wanting to do for a while."
"I'm glad to hear that," he said, then found her hand again. They just gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, until Naminé had to look away because she was getting too flustered.
"I'll go pay up, and then we can go to the next place," he said.
The next place was still in Twilight Town. The little outdoor theater, to be exact, the one tucked into a side street that showed the latest cartoons and movies. Naminé had never been to a movie theater before, and she watched enraptured as the action unfolded onscreen.
"It's so big," she whispered. She knew from Kairi's memories what a movie theater was like, but seeing one in person was completely different from seeing it in someone else's memories.
When she glanced at Riku, he wasn't really watching the movie at all. She caught him looking at her instead, and that just made a blush creep up her cheeks once more. She found his hand again and worked up the courage to lean against his shoulder. Yet another thing on her bucket list she could scratch off.
Wait a moment. Was this… on purpose? Did Riku somehow know about her bucket list? And if he did, was he trying to help her do the things on it, one by one?
She shyly looked up at him, and he smiled again and squeezed her hand. "Enjoying the movie?" he whispered.
She nodded and turned her attention back to the screen. There was only one way to find out if he was, in fact, working off of her bucket list. She'd have to wait and see where he took her next. But if she was right, there was something on the list she wanted to experience, more than anything, and she couldn't wait to see if it would come true.
When the movie was over, Riku led her up to Sunset Hill. The view from here was as beautiful as it had been the last time she'd seen it. Golden light flooded the sleepy town stretching out below, and the sky above was filled with fluffy clouds tinged purple. Beyond the town were green hills as far as the eye could see, and Naminé found herself longing to sketch the scene before them. They sat on one of the benches and savored the moment till at last Riku spoke up.
"Do you remember the last time we were up here?" he asked. The breeze ruffled his hair and clothes, and Naminé was very glad he was dressed like himself this time instead of shrouded in a dark cloak. His eyes were their natural green, and he was looking at her in a way that made her heart flutter.
"Yes, of course," she said, pressing her fingers together. "How could I forget? You spared me and saved my life."
DiZ had ordered Riku to dispose of her, but Riku had defied his orders, and in doing so, allowed her to escape. That was the first of many times he'd shown her kindness.
His face was very serious when he spoke again. "Of course I did. It was the right thing to do. I knew in my heart that you were your own person, and I couldn't just ignore what my heart was telling me."
"This was the first time, wasn't it?" Naminé said softly. "The first time we realized… there was something more between us. Against all odds, a human and a Nobody had developed feelings for each other."
"Yeah. I realized I couldn't bear to lose you. Funny how that meant letting you go."
Naminé smiled shyly and found his hand. "But now we're together again, at long last. It all worked out in the end."
Even after the long separation they'd endured, they'd found each other again. Even after they'd spent more than a year apart, searching for a way to save Sora, their work was done at long last, and they could finally rest side-by-side, hand-in-hand.
Her eyes searched his face. He'd fallen silent, like even a whisper risked ruining such a special moment. Her gaze wandered to his lips, full and soft. How would it feel if he bent down and—
Oh. Oh my. He must've been wondering the same thing too, because he was leaning closer and closer, his breath warm on her cheek. She tilted her head and let her eyes flutter shut so she could focus completely on how it felt when their lips met. Despite how sweet and gentle the kiss was, it still felt like an electric jolt went coursing through her body at the connection. To think that kissing could feel so wonderful. No wonder people liked to do it so much.
When it was over, she opened her eyes and smiled. Riku was smiling, too, and he rested his hand against her cheek and gave her a long, lingering kiss on the forehead before straightening. It was funny how that forehead kiss made her melt even further. She found his hand again, and they sat there, gazing into each other's eyes, the scenery around them all but forgotten.
As nice as her bucket list ideas were, nothing compared to getting to do them with him. When he was by her side, each moment was a wonderful adventure that would soon become a precious memory.
A/N: A big thank you to the mods of the Memory of Promises zine, Kai and Sera, for organizing everything! And thank you to the artists and other writers for creating such beautiful pieces! I really enjoyed being a part of this zine and seeing everyone's lovely works 💜