The weeks flew by as Kairi's training continued. Though it was halfway through February now, it was still very cold outside. Snow blanketed the ground, and Valentine's Day was going to be chilly. Back home, Kairi would've made chocolates for her friends and family, so she took it upon herself to make some for Terra, Aqua, and Ven.

Chirithy, unfortunately, got no chocolates, as Kairi figured it wasn't good for cats of any kind to be eating chocolate. But she made some nice treats for the little cat spirit to substitute.

There was one more person Kairi wanted to make chocolates for. But would it make any sense? He couldn't eat them, not where he was now…

Maybe it was pointless.

"No, it's not pointless," she muttered to herself. "The heart behind them is what counts." She made those chocolates look as nice as possible and put heart and effort into every single one of them. Added little messages and hearts to them too.

"Those for Sora?" Ven asked when he bopped into the kitchen to grab a snack.

"How'd you guess?" she asked as she put the finishing touches on the last one. She was glad Ven didn't question the logistics of how Sora would be eating these chocolates or judging her for making chocolates for her sort-of-dead boyfriend in the first place.

"He'll love them," Ven said. "They look awesome."

"Thanks."

Kairi was quite pleased with the result. She'd been making chocolates for years, and she'd gotten pretty good at it.

Ven took a bite out of the sandwich in his hand. "You know what else you should do? Write him a letter."

"Oh, I've written him lots of letters."

"No, I mean… A love letter."

Kairi flushed. "You really think so?"

"Trust me, he'll love it. I was in his heart for years, remember? I got to hear aaaaaall about how much he wished you would do this and that for him."

"O-Oh." Kairi tried to avoid thinking about the full implications of that statement. "And love letters were high on the list?"

"Yep, especially after you wrote him that letter that brought him out of the Realm of Darkness. 'Man Kairi is amazing, I really wish she'd write me more letters,' Ven said in a pretty accurate imitation of Sora's voice. "So yeah. He wants more letters from you."

She sighed sadly. "I should've sent him the ones I was writing to him during my training with Merlin. I kept them to myself instead, and I — "

"It's okay. I'm sure he understands, and he'll be happy to get a letter from you now."

Terra, Aqua, and Ven all knew about how she could contact Sora. And she was the only one who could do it, which led them to believe the legend of the paopu fruit was more than just a legend. Something had changed about reality that fateful day, like sharing the fruit had bound her and Sora together in more than just a metaphorical sense.

She thanked Ven for the suggestion and neatly packaged the chocolates in a little heart-shaped box. With that, she retreated to her room and closed the door. A quick spell ensured a nice fire was going in the fireplace in the corner, and she sat at the creaky desk and pulled out her stationary.

"A love letter, huh? What exactly should I say?"

Sora, she began. "Ummm… What do I say next?" She got all flustered thinking about what to say.

Happy Valentine's Day! Roses are red, violets are blue,

"No, that's so cliché!" She groaned and crumpled the letter up. "Here, let's try this again."

Sora,

I wish I'd sent you those letters I wrote to you during my training with Merlin. I regret that I didn't do that, so I'm writing you this letter now.

A blush crept up her face as she thought about what to say. She didn't want to sound sappy and corny, and in her earlier letters she was only able to be as open as she was because she didn't send the letters to Sora.

I like you, a lot. I think that's pretty obvious. But I've never sat down and explained why, and you deserve to hear it.

Ever since I first met you, I've been drawn to your smile. I always feel better when you smile. It doesn't even have to be at me, you know? Just seeing your smile warms my heart.

And I can't mention your smile without mentioning your big heart. You're so kind and caring, and if it weren't for you, our friends wouldn't be safe and whole. I wouldn't be safe and whole.

She stopped writing. Thinking about his sacrifice still made her emotional.

Sora, thank you.

You're welcome.

She gasped and dropped the pen. This wasn't the first time this had happened, but it still took her by surprise. Sora possessing her body at random intervals because he wanted to talk to her, reassure her, protect her.

When she'd collected herself, she brought the pen back to the paper.

Hey, she wrote.

Hey, was the response scrawled on the paper when she let him take over. I know it's not the same as me being here, but I wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day.

I made you chocolates.

Really? Awesome! Can't wait to eat them.

I hope you like them!

I'm sure I will. Chocolates from Kairi? Dream come true.

She knew her face must be turning bright red. The room felt warmer in a way that had nothing to do with the fire.

I've made you chocolates before, remember?

Nah, those were giri chocolates. You made those for everybody. These are different.

Who says the chocolates I made you before were giri chocolates?

Oh, they weren't?

Uh-uh. You just thought they were :P

Well, you gave them to everyone…

But yours were always specially decorated, didn't you notice?

There was a long pause. Kairi was beginning to think that she'd lost the connection to Sora when at last he moved her hand again.

I did. I just didn't dare hope you felt differently about me. I wanted you to, but I was too scared to ask.

We both were. Too shy, I mean.

We're not now, are we? I mean, we shared the paopu fruit. We're finally on the same page about how we feel.

She sighed and rested her hand on her cheek. Were they though? Sora's actions proved how he felt, but Kairi couldn't help but wonder if her feelings were enough. She also wondered if Sora's feelings were a general "would've done this for anyone" or "would've done this only for you."

Something's on your mind. What's up?

It's silly. It's not something I should be worrying about.

Your feelings are never silly to me, I promise.

I shouldn't be insecure about this.

About what? The paopu fruit? Kairi, I wanted to share it with you, trust me. I only hesitated because I knew how serious a commitment it would be, and I wanted to make sure I was ready.

No, it's not that, it's more… I don't feel like I've proven how much you mean to me. Not the same way you have.

Do you have to?

She sighed. He had a point there. No, it's something I've put on myself.

Why?

I don't know how else to show you how I feel.

There are plenty of ways to do that. The chocolates, this letter… Trust me, I don't want you dying on me, even if it is to save me.

She bit her lip. She felt the same way, only it didn't feel right to tell him she'd prefer him alive and whole. That would be a slap in the face after his sacrifice.

Besides, you've already shown me, he continued. You brought me back from being a Heartless. You freed me from the Realm of Darkness. You kept me alive when I should've died at the Keyblade Graveyard.

If only I'd been strong enough to keep you from disappearing.

There it was, all her grief and regret and self-loathing summed up in one single sentence. It blurred in front of her, and thick tears fell on the page. She just sat there and let the tears flow until she felt another tugging at her hand. Both her hands. Her right hand went to the paper, and her left hand gently wiped the tears away.

I won't tell you not to cry. You have every reason to cry, Kairi. I just wish I was there to comfort you.

You are comforting me.

It's not the same as holding you in my arms.

Then you'll just have to make up for it the next time we see each other.

I can do that, and I'll do you one better. When we see each other again, I swear, you'll be crying tears of joy.

I'll hold you to that, Sora.

Her hand trembled a little, and she realized she wasn't the one who was shaking. Sora was nervous? Why?

Kairi, he finally wrote, and the letters were sloppier than normal, I know I show how I feel through my actions more than my words, and when I do say stuff, I tend to beat around the bush. I don't wanna do that anymore. You deserve to know what I'm about to tell you.

Her heart beat quickly, and she took back control.

Tell me in person, then. I want to find out what you have to say when we see each other again. I want to hear the words from your mouth, from your heart, spoken with your voice.

Whatever he had to say, it would be better if she could see his face, hear his voice, hold his hand. A letter was nice but it wouldn't be the same.

Okay, but I don't know when I'll be back. What if I can't get out of here on my own?

Riku's searching for you, and I'm training hard. One of us will figure something out.

I don't wanna wait, came the words so quickly Kairi could barely make them out. I want you to know. I can't keep my feelings locked up anymore. Can't keep them hidden or buried. They're pounding inside my heart, tearing me open day by day, and it's killing me. I can't take this separation anymore.

Then I'll come for you. I'll rescue you, and you can tell me then. I promise.

That seemed to calm him down a little, but Kairi sensed he still needed comfort and reassurance. Time to do what she could. She turned her left hand over, palm facing up, and rested the pen on her skin.

"Sora, hold out your palm too," she said softly. Maybe this would work, maybe this wouldn't. At the very least he'd be able to see it on her body, right?

"I want you to wait to tell me how you feel about me because I want to hear your voice when you do," she said. "But I never said I couldn't tell you how I feel about you. You need this to keep you going. To give you the strength to face each day until I find you."

Slowly, carefully, she wrote on her skin. When she reached the final word, her hands shook as the full meaning of her message sank in for Sora.

"There," she said softly. "Whenever you're feeling down, all you'll have to do is look at the palm of your hand and remember how much you mean to me."

In that moment, Sora fully took control of her body. A wave of emotions washed over her that weren't her own, and he brought her hand to her mouth and kissed it, the closest he could get to kissing her hand himself. She smiled, amazed that her message was enough to get him to react like this. She felt his heartbeat in her own, beating out a staccato as it raced and pounded and struggled to be contained.

When he brought her hand to the paper again, it was to write one last simple message.

Kairi, thank you.

You're welcome.

Till next time.

Till next time.

With that, he was gone. For now, anyway. He'd visit her again, Kairi knew he would. And she would bring him home herself, just like she'd promised.

She set the chocolates on her bedside table. Time for dinner.

Ven grinned when she strolled into the kitchen. "Look at that big smile. I'm guessing you took my advice?"

"Maybe," she coyly said.

Ven peered at her hand. "A-ha, what's that you have written there? A love note?"

She quickly hid her hand. "None of your business." But her lips were twitching and she knew Ven had probably seen at least part of the message.

Oh well. It didn't really matter, because the words had their full depth of meaning to her and Sora alone. That was the beauty of her feelings for him. She could express them in a way that only he would truly understand, and it made the message as beautiful as the meaning behind it.

In a world without Kairi and a reality far from hers, Sora unfolded his hand. Written on his palm was a simple message, simple but heartfelt. It had worked. It had really worked. Kairi's words were with him, had stayed with him despite the odds, and they made all his fears and doubts melt away.

He rested his hand over his heart and closed his eyes, a soft smile on his face. His voice was hoarse, but at last he could use it.

"Kairi, thank you."

A/N: This fic is dedicated to the lovely Alja for all her input, feedback, and suggestions! Thank you again for the help!

And a Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Thank you for reading!