The sun was setting on Destiny Islands. The late summer evening had a chill to it, seeping up from the ocean depths. But Sora wasn't paying any attention to that. All of his friends were here. King Mickey and Aqua were cheering on Terra, Roxas and Riku as they raced. Ven, Isa and Lea were playing frisbee. Xion and Naminé were crouched by the waterline, scooping up shells. Hayner, Pence and Olette were building sand sculptures with Donald and Goofy. And Kairi - Kairi was walking up to him with a smile on her face and her hands behind her back.

"Riku's gonna have us help with dinner soon," she said.

Sora looped his hands behind his head. "You think so?" he asked. He didn't figure Riku would be thinking about food in the middle of a race.

Kairi nodded, turning to stand next to him and watch their friends. "It'll get cold once the sun sets. And if he's having us a build a fire, we might as well cook with it," she explained.

"Since when were you the one thinking ahead?" he teased.

Kairi giggled, and Sora knew by the sound that she was up to something. "Want to go get firewood before he has to tell us?" she suggested.

"Sure," he agreed, grinning in return. She turned, ducking into the shack nearby. Sora followed her up the stairs and across the bridge to the little circle of trees. There wasn't much firewood to be found here, but that hadn't really been the point anyway. On reflex, they walked to the paopu tree, perching in their usual spots.

"I wanted to thank you," Kairi said, head bowed. Sora watched her, stomach in knots, palms sweaty. He couldn't help remembering the last time she'd pulled him up here alone. They'd shared a paopu then, and if he had to guess he'd say that was the only reason they were able to be here now.

"For what?" he asked when she didn't continue. She looked at him, expression equal shares puzzled and amused. Then shaking her head, she went back to staring at the sand below their feet.

Her voice was soft as she explained, "You brought me back."

"Oh…" he replied, looking away. The sun was dying the ocean a blinding orange that refracted and reverberated off the low hanging clouds. "You don't have to thank me for that."

Kairi didn't like his tone of voice. "Of course I do," she protested, hand over her heart as she studied the hunch in his shoulders and the sad set of his eyes. "You saved my life."

He waved her off, still not meeting her eyes. "You did the same for me. It's no big deal."

"Then what's that face for?" she prodded, crossing her arms. He turned then, giving her his big, characteristic smile. But she could see how it didn't reach his eyes, how it didn't smooth out the wrinkle on his forehead. She tilted her head, frowning and he banished the fake smile.

"I'm a little worried," Sora admitted.

"About what?"

"I…" he paused, looking down, "miiiight have misused the power of waking, a little bit. And I think," he paused, correcting himself, "I know that there's going to be a price to pay, eventually." He glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes and saw the alarm on her face. "It's okay," he reassured her, waving his hands. "I'll be fine, promise."

"Do you know what will happen?" Kairi asked, not terribly reassured by this. It was very like Sora to downplay something to keep her from worrying. If she wasn't so anxious she probably would have been angry about it.

He took in a short breath, bracing himself. "I have a guess," he admitted reluctantly. At least he didn't drop her gaze this time, Kairi noticed. He continued, "But I think I can stop him."

"Him?" She demanded, leaning forward.

"Ahh, did I say 'him'?" Sora asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Shit shit shit. "I meant 'it' - I think I can stop it. You know, from happening and stuff." God, he hoped that was more convincing than it sounded to his own ears.

Kairi fixed him with an expression that was almost scarily Riku-like — one eyebrow arched all the way up, eyes and mouth coordinated in an unamused, perfectly superior frown. Clearly it wasn't.

"It'll be fine," he repeated, insistent now.

She deflated a little. "You're not gonna tell me what 'it' is?" she asked, uncrossing her arms, shoulders slumping.

"It wouldn't do any good," he admitted, shaking his head.

"I can help," she insisted, reaching for his hand. Sora turned his head away, and she stopped herself, fingers curling back moments from touching him. "We all can help you," she repeated.

"I don't think so," he admitted quietly. "Not this time." The only way they could help him was by doing something he would never allow. He wasn't even going to present it as an option.

Silence hung between them, trapped in the emptiness separating their fingers and the dead air behind their teeth. Kairi looked out at the waves, fear sunk into her skin.

"Do you regret it?" she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

Sora jerked his head around, grabbing her hand off the paopu tree with both of his. "No," he insisted, clenching it so tight she could feel her bones shift. "No, never."

"You just seem… sad."

Blue eyes, usually warm like a mid-day sky, searched her face. He was hesitant, but he offered, "I'm not proud of how I did it… but I would do it again if I had to. However many times it took to bring you home."

She took a deep breath, then laid her free hand over both of his. "There's a lot you're not telling me, isn't there?" He nodded once, so she continued, " You can keep your secrets, but I'm still going to thank you. Thank you, Sora, for saving my life and bringing me home."

She didn't expect the way his face crumpled, shoulders curling in, tears welling over. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. He was shaking, but he made no sound, not even a sniff or a whimper. Kairi rubbed his back and hated the one jagged breath he choked in, and even more the way his breathing stopped immediately after.

"Breathe, Sora. It's okay," she reassured, still rubbing between his shoulder blades. She was rewarded with shaky sobs, and for a moment she just rocked him while he cried. That didn't last long. Soon, he was struggling out of her grip, wiping at his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"Sorry," he croaked out. She shushed him, wiping at a stray tear.

"It's alright," she soothed. "A lot's happened."

"You're telling me," he said, words coming out around a rough chuckle. Then, "Thanks, Kairi."

"Anytime."

They sat there for a long time, just holding each other's hands until the tightness in Sora's chest unwound and he could breathe normally again. By the time they made it back to their friends, the fire was already built. Fresh caught fish roasted on spits seasoned with seaside herbs and wild onions and interspersed with thick slabs of mushroom. Riku jostled Sora's shoulders, and Roxas teased him about sneaking off with Kairi and soon the world was right where it should be again, with one laughing, sky-eyed boy in the center of it.

Notes:

It's dangerous to go alone, take this.

Ah, in all seriousness though, I know this is very short compared to normal chapters. It's here very on purpose. It will probably be a bit before I can post again, so I thank you all in advanced for your patience.

I'd like to reassure you that you in no way, shape, or form have the context to understand the blue light/tattoo thing from last chapter. I've given you a couple very subtle hints and am impressed with how far you've gone with them (that's also a hint), but there's a lot you don't know, so be easy on yourselves. (And me, though you've all been very patient. Thank you!) I promise it will all make sense eventually.

I'd also like to reiterate that this is an alternate universe - Re:Mind doesn't exist here, as the major plot was developed around July of 2019 or so. I'm utilizing some characterization we got from that (bless the SoKai content) but beyond that this is all self-indulgent bullshit that I came up with mostly in the shower almost a full year ago. I am borrowing from some headcanons I've stumbled upon in the fandom, but nothing very concrete there either. So please feel free to bail now if that doesn't sound like fun to you.

Lastly thank you all for your wonderful comments and reviews and questions, etc. They always brighten my day, even though I haven't had the spoons to answer them individually yet. I will, I promise. I am honestly floored by all the love you guys have given this very slowly rolling freight train of self-indulgence. Thank you thank you thank you.

Stay home if you can, stay safe, and see you all soon. Love you all!