Destiny Islands was beautiful. The warm breeze and blue seas and palm tree-lined beach all contributed to Eraqus's feeling of being in a perfect tropical paradise. He'd heard about these islands many times before from Xehanort, of course, but nothing could quite compare to seeing them for himself.
On the subject of Xehanort—Eraqus glanced over at the man who had brought him here. The tropical sunlight brought out the warm tones in Xehanort's skin, making him look as though he glowed from within. "This is where you grew up?" he asked, unable to keep the awe from his voice.
Xehanort nodded. "It's beautiful," Eraqus said. "Like you."
Xehanort laughed. "You don't need to flatter me," he said, his tone of voice making it clear he thought Eraqus had been making a joke. But he hadn't. The lush greenery and azure seas really did somehow make Xehanort look even more beautiful than Eraqus always thought he was. And Xehanort, for his part, breathed life into the otherwise deserted island they were on. Destiny Islands had really lost something special when Xehanort left.
Eraqus considered trying to convey all this to Xehanort, but he knew that there was nothing he could say that could make Xehanort accept how wonderful he really was, so he settled for asking Xehanort to show him around.
Xehanort seemed happy to show Eraqus everything he remembered from his childhood, from the coconut grove where he cracked one of the green nuts open so Eraqus could eat the tender insides, to the wooden platforms built into the hillside which they climbed to get a better view, to the cave that held the world's Keyhole. "I always used to wonder what that door was doing there," he said as he pointed it out to Eraqus. "Never thought I would get to go to another world and learn about it."
Eraqus grinned at him. "Someone like you? There's no way they'd be able to keep you here." He walked back to the entrance of the cave to look around the island once more, trying to take in the world Xehanort had left behind. It was beautiful, but even with the other island he could see in the distance it seemed very small. He could understand how a person like Xehanort would feel trapped in a place like this—after all, Xehanort often seemed to chafe at being stuck even in a big city like Scala ad Caelum. Not to mention, a few of the things Xehanort had said to him in the past had given Eraqus the impression that Xehanort's life here had been unhappy in other ways as well.
"Is that everything you wanted to show me?" Eraqus asked after a few moments of silence.
"There is one other thing..." Xehanort said, trailing off. Eraqus thought he sounded—nervous? Embarrassed? Whatever it was, it wasn't an emotion Xehanort showed often.
What?" Eraqus asked, intensely curious about what sort of thing could have Xehanort acting like this.
"You see that tree over there?" He pointed toward a tiny islet just offshore with a bent-over palm tree on it. "That tree is a paopu tree. Supposedly, if you eat its fruit with someone you care about, you'll stay in each others' lives forever. I was thinking that I'd like to share one with you."
Eraqus was taken aback. This paopu fruit story sounded like a silly local legend, the sort of thing Xehanort was unlikely to believe without good evidence—but it also sounded very romantic, and Xehanort admitting he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Eraqus... Well, if Eraqus leapt at him with a hug, who could blame him?
"I'll take that as a yes," Xehanort said, laughing.
"Yes yes yes of course!" Eraqus said breathlessly into Xehanort's shoulder, before pulling back slightly so he could meet Xehanort's eyes.
Xehanort leaned forward and kissed Eraqus between his eyes. "You'd better take off your jacket; we're going to swim."
"Race you," Eraqus said, shrugging off his jacket as Xehanort did the same.
"Sure, but you know you're never going to beat me, right?"
"There's a first time for everything."
Xehanort had been right, and Eraqus wasn't even close to beating him out to the little island—Xehanort had always been a very strong swimmer, and now that he'd seen the place Xehanort had grown up, Eraqus understood why. As Xehanort led him to a ladder that let them climb up to the flat ground at the top of the island, Eraqus watched him in awe—the way Xehanort moved had always been fascinating and beautiful to him.
By the time Eraqus reached the top of the ladder Xehanort had already climbed on top of the tree's bent-over trunk and was reaching up to pick a yellow, star-shaped fruit off of its crown.
"That's the fruit you were talking about?" Eraqus asked as Xehanort climbed down. "It's cute! How does it taste?"
Xehanort looked down at the fruit in his hand. "I've... actually never tried it before."
Xehanort didn't come across as all that romantic to most people, but Eraqus knew him better than that—and while he was a little surprised that Xehanort hadn't given into curiosity about the taste, this was exactly the sort of thing he'd come to expect from Xehanort. "Waiting for someone special to share it with?"
Xehanort responded by shoving one of the points into Eraqus's face. "You going to try it?"
Eraqus knew Xehanort wasn't always the best at saying how he felt, but he was pretty sure that that answer meant yes. He took a hesitant nibble from the tip; it was watery and tasteless. "Could use some sugar."
Xehanort rolled his eyes and took a larger bite from the same spot Eraqus just did. "It's... blander than I'd expected," he said, making a face.
"See, I told you," Eraqus said, laughing. "It needs sugar."
"Sweet isn't the only flavor, you know." Xehanort shoved the fruit into Eraqus's face once more. Another bite?" Eraqus frowned. "I went to all the trouble of getting this for you, and you're not even going to finish it?" Xehanort was playing at being offended now, but Eraqus could tell that he was only playing. "Anyways, I'm not sure it'll work if we don't finish it."
Eraqus smiled at that; the fruit was a promise to always be together, after all, or maybe Xehanort actually did have reason to believe in the legend. Either way, he didn't want to let Xehanort down. "For you," he said before biting off the rest of the point he and Xehanort had been eating. As he did so, he pulled the fruit from Xehanort's hand and pushed one of the uneaten points against Xehanort's lips.
"For you," Xehanort echoed before taking his own bite, and Eraqus didn't wait till he was finished before taking a bite from the other side, getting so close that their foreheads nearly bumped together. "You—" Xehanort said, and they both dissolved into laughter. When it died down a little, he kissed Eraqus's nose before taking his next bite.
Despite its bland flavor, sharing the paopu fruit with Xehanort turned out to be surprisingly fun as they passed it back and forth, tried to take bites simultaneously, stole kisses from each other. And when the fruit was finished Xehanort wrapped his sun-warmed arms around Eraqus and they dissolved into a puddle of kisses.
"It's getting late," Xehanort said, pulling away from Eraqus to look up at the sky.
Eraqus looked up too. the sun was indeed getting low, but it would still be a little while until it went all the way down. "Can't we stay and watch the sunset?"
"We could..." Xehanort sounded as though he hadn't considered the possibility before. "I know of a good spot on the main island; it's quiet but you can see everything."
"The main island—where you actually used to live? I would love that," Eraqus said, cuddling against Xehanort's side.
Xehanort used his arm that was still wrapped around Eraqus to pull him closer. "And I can get you some good local food for dinner."
The other island was too far to swim, but Xehanort managed to produce a boat for them (whether he had conjured it by some magic Eraqus didn't know or he just knew where extra boats were stored on this island, Eraqus wasn't sure) and rowed both of them over.
The town on this new island was a beautiful, sleepy little affair filled with low houses and tropical-looking gardens, a far cry from the bustling city of Scala ad Caelum. Eraqus took in the surroundings as they walked through, noticing that as they got nearer the center of town, the number of people out on the streets increased. And that made him notice that many of them stared at Xehanort and him as they walked by. After a few moments, he realized that most of them probably had known Xehanort before he left—it must have been quite a shock for them to see him after all these years, dressed quite differently from any of the locals and with a stranger in tow.
Xehanort ignored the stares and led Eraqus to a small stand selling something wrapped in some of the biggest leaves Eraqus had ever seen. He bought two of them and handed one to Eraqus; it was heavy enough that there must have been quite a bit of food inside and was warm enough to have been just cooked.
Eraqus began pulling on the string that held the packet together, but Xehanort stopped him. "Let's wait until we get up there," he said, pointing at one of the hills that surrounded the town.
"Is that where we're going?"
Xehanort led Eraqus up the hill to his secret spot. It was a steep climb but not long, and before Eraqus knew it they were looking out over the sea. It was vast and expansive and, despite a few tiny islands dotting its surface, Eraqus could imagine it going on unbroken forever.
"I can see why you used to come here," Eraqus said.
Xehanort had a faraway look, as though he was remembering things he hadn't thought about in a long time. "Usually I would spend my free time on the other island, the one we were just on. But when I really wanted to be alone, I came here."
Eraqus wrapped an arm around Xehanort's waist, pulling him closer. "And now you're sharing it with me," he said, honored that Xehanort would take him someplace that had once been so private to him.
"We should eat our dinner before it gets cold," Xehanort said, snapping Eraqus out of his sappy mood. He produced some napkins and utensils from the pocket of his jacket and gave half to Eraqus.
Finally, Eraqus untied the packet and spread it out on the ground beside him. It wasn't as hot now as it had been when Xehanort first bought it, but steam still wafted off the fish and vegetables inside, bringing with it a strong smell of coconut and spices Eraqus didn't recognize. Even after taking a bite of the fish he couldn't place the other flavors, but... "It's delicious!"
Xehanort chuckled as he chewed his own first bite. "I used to buy this all the time when I lived here. I'm glad you like it too."
Eraqus tried very hard not to inhale his food, but it was a difficult proposition when everything tasted so good. He still finished before Xehanort, and ended up watching him savor his own food, trying to imagine what it must have been like for Xehanort when he was young, coming up here to get away from everyone. He was glad that he could be here now, that Xehanort didn't need to be so alone.
Xehanort finished his meal just as the wispy clouds were starting to become tinged with pink. "Good timing," Eraqus said.
"You think I didn't know when the sunset is this time of year? Of course I would finish just in time for it." Xehanort pinned Eraqus to his side with one arm. Eraqus struggled playfully against him, but Xehanort held fast and Eraqus quickly gave in and relaxed into Xehanort's embrace.
The sun setting over the ocean was beautiful, turning the horizon yellow and then a fiery orange as it was reduced to a mere sliver, but Eraqus couldn't help but steal glances at Xehanort's face. In the orange light he looked nostalgic and a little sad, and Eraqus wondered what memories this place could be stirring in him.
As the last of the sun's rays disappeared over the horizon and he and Xehanort were illuminated only by thee light reflected by the sky, Eraqus allowed himself to relax fully against Xehanort's body and rest his head on his shoulder. "Thank you for bringing me here. I had a wonderful time."
He felt Xehanort press a kiss to the top of his head. "It's late enough that we might as well stay the night; I know of a place where we could get a room. And I can think of plenty of things we could do there."
Eraqus looked up to see Xehanort's wolfish smile and hungry eyes, and shuddered in anticipation of the things a night spent with Xehanort on Destiny Islands might bring.