Fall was in the air. Sora hadn't grown up with four seasons, but he'd come to appreciate them after going to so many different worlds. Maybe that was why he'd decided to visit Twilight Town today. The changing of the leaves, the hot apple cider and cool pumpkin pie served at the booths scattered throughout town, and the autumn festivities made for a great time. He was long overdue to visit Hayner, Pence, and Olette too.

So yeah, that was why he was going. Absolutely. It had nothing to do with how he was trying to avoid Kairi. Ever since their latest mission together, things had been awkward. Awkward because of that fake kiss that wasn't fake at all on his end. Awkward because he still had feelings for her and he suspected she knew it. At first, he'd hoped that maybe, just maybe, she'd fallen in love with him again, but—

He'd seen her at a restaurant with some guy he didn't even know, and he'd fled Destiny Islands again. It was easier to just… stay away. Away from her. Away from home. Home was painful. He couldn't go anywhere without being reminded of her. It was why he'd spent the last several months running away again. Ignoring her texts. Avoiding her calls.

Why did she always "want to still be friends." Why couldn't she get it through her head that he could never "just" be friends. That wasn't how his heart worked. He'd told her that the night she'd broken up with him. He was in love with her, and there was no way of undoing that. Of making it go away. It wasn't something he could walk back from. So either they were more than friends or they weren't friends at all.

Sighing, he parked the Gummi Ship and grabbed his hoodie. Despite his appreciation for fall, he still had the cold tolerance of an islander, and he needed all the extra warmth he could get. That meant jeans, a tank top, a flannel shirt, and this hoodie, because once it got dark, he'd be shivering constantly without the extra layers.

The moment he stepped out of the Gummi Ship and into the woods, however, he couldn't help but feel a little better. The cold, crisp breeze ruffling his hair was like an old friend, the scent of pines was soothing, and in the distance he could hear the sounds of the fall festival.

"This is what I need right now," he said to himself as he strolled towards the town. "The chance to make new memories with old friends."

And maybe… maybe he'd meet someone new. Someone he could have a fresh start with. Kairi had moved on, clearly, and maybe it was time he did the same.

His heart throbbed briefly, and he sighed again and kicked a withered clump of grass. The scar on his chest just had to remind him that there was one person who still had his heart. One woman he'd sacrificed himself to save, over and over again. Once, he'd thought they'd be together forever. Once, he thought she would love him for the rest of their lives, that they'd have their happily ever after. How naive and stupid of him. He couldn't even look at himself in the mirror and see the scar and not think about how she'd broken his heart.

Maybe it was time to ask Donald to hide the scar again. So his own body wouldn't constantly tear open the wound deep inside him. So that any other women in his life someday wouldn't have to be reminded that they were second, that Kairi was always first —

"Sora! Long time no see!" Hayner called, and Sora snapped out of his reverie. Somehow he'd made it to their meeting place in the Usual Spot without even noticing.

Great, I've been brooding again. Which is why I'm here, to distract myself.

"Good to see you too," Sora said as they bumped arms.

"Thanks for coming," Pence said as he hopped off the old couch to greet Sora. "It really has been too long."

"I know, I'm sorry." Sora scratched the back of his head. "Work's been keeping me busy."

"You still fighting?" Hayner asked. "Going on missions?"

"Yup. You wouldn't believe the munny I've saved up."

Munny that was meant to pay for an engagement ring, a house, that kind of thing, but at least Sora could still spend it on other stuff. Gummi Ship upgrades or college perhaps. He'd managed to finish high school only a year and a half late, and maybe burying himself in a pile of books again would be a welcome distraction. Twenty-one wasn't too late to start university by any means, and several worlds had really good programs for the kind of stuff he was into. Hiro had even told him he could help him apply to the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. He'd never been much of a student, but he was good at tinkering with things and analyzing them, and Hiro said there were several programs at the Institute that would be right up his alley.

As he and Hayner and Pence chatted, he relaxed. Nothing like spending time with old friends to lift his spirits. The loner life didn't really suit him. Maybe he should give San Fransokyo Institute of Technology a try. Put down roots somewhere. Make new memories.

"Oh, I was gonna ask, where's Olette?" he said. "I thought she was meeting us here."

"Yes, sorry!" came her voice, and she pulled the raggedy curtain to their hideout aside. "I was meeting someone else at the station."

"Who—"

Sora's heart dropped into his stomach. Right behind Olette was the last person he wanted to see right now. Her red hair was in low pigtails, she wore a blue and black checkered flannel shirt, and her legs looked great in those jeans. But he was drawn to her face most of all. The moment their eyes met, something like longing flickered through them.

For a second, he forgot all about his hurt, his pain. Forgot all about how frustrated he was with her right now, how hard he was trying to avoid her. One word came out of his mouth, one simple word that betrayed the feelings buried deep in his heart for everyone to hear.

"Kairi?"

A/N: Thank you for reading! This story will have three chapters, and the final chapter will be posted on SoKai Day. Hope you enjoy!