Author's Notes: Yes, I finally updated. Sorry for taking so long. I haven't been busy, I've just had extreme writers block. I stayed up so late writing this. After a while, I don't think I even blinked anymore. The songs I was listening to gave me major inspiration [Iris, My Heart Will Go On, Frozen.. all goodies] THank you all for waiting patiently while I was writing this. It means alot to me to know that people actually do read my stories & I'm not just writing them for the hell of it. Anyways, enjoy this chapter =)

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Kairi, remember what you said before?

I'm always with you.

I'll come back to you

It had been so long ago he had said that. His voice had refused to leave her. Her small fingers traced the outline of the fruit she had drawn so long ago when she had been sent back to the islands. She was different with her long red hair flowing past her shoulders now and her eyes had grown darker. But she wasn't different just phsycially, she had grown cold. She took refuge in the solitude of her mind, to where she could live within her memories. Sure, Selphie and Tidus had tried to cheer her up but her heart was no longer within her and she had been left with an eternal sadness that could only be taken away by him. The one who kept her heart.

"Kairi?"

The soft voice sounded far away and Kairi sighed.

"Yes Selphie?"

Selphie wasn't suppose to know where this place was. But after Kairi had returned from Kingdom Hearts, she came down to The Secret Place every chance she got and sometimes disappearing for days without anyone knowing where she was. So one day, Selphie had followed her there and it seemed like ever since then, Kairi couldn't get a moment alone. And being alone was what she wanted more than anything. She didn't want to be in the company of her friends, it reminded her too much of the past. Kairi barely ever left her house and when she did, she was either going to stand on the beach or going to the Secret Place. The path to her and Sora's little hideout had been worn down from her walking on it every day.

"Do you wanna go swimming with us?"

"No, I'm going to sit here and fill sorry for myself." Kairi said sarcasticly. Selphie sighed and looked at her friend. She use to be so vibrate, so alive with life. But that was when she had Riku and Sora to protect her. Selphie couldn't get it through Kairi's mind that she and Tidus thought the world of her so instead of arguing with her, Selphie left without another word and Kairi sat with her back against the drawing of her and Sora. She closed her eyes and breathed in the air.

"What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi." Sora said with a surprised expression

Maybe... You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?

She shook the images out of her head and felt something wet hit her head. She looked up to the skylight and saw the grey clouds rolling overhead. It was going to rain again. It had rained alot lately, much more than it use to. The thunder rolled in the distance, making Kairi shiver. She stood up from the ground and brushed the dirt off of her. She took one last glance over her shoulder and her lips curved into a weak smile.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Sora."

The cold rain felt good on Kairi's body as she slowly walked back to the house she now shared with Wakka. When Kairi came back, she spoke to no one and never left her house. Infact, she didn't get out of bed for over a week. The door to her house stayed locked and she pulled all the curtains down in her house. Finally, Wakka had taken a crow bar and pried the door off the hinges and gotten into the house to find a extremely dehydrated, pale, and lifeless Kairi. Wakka had been the only one not to bombard her with questions about what she had went through and for that, Kairi thanked him. She apprehensively allowed Wakka to move in after he had busted the door down because he claimed she needed to eat. But that was months ago and Wakka now only came in to check on her and do errands or anything like that. She had told him she didn't want to be treated like a baby and that she could do these things on her own. But since Wakka was the oldest of all of them, he had taken it upon himself to care for Kairi. He knew she didn't need a new best friend, she just needed somebody to be there for her and take care of her because if somebody didn't, she would more than likely die. Wakka had to sometimes remind her to eat and remind her of things she had to do. She was like the living dead, no will to go on and no hope for anything. Kairi sighed as she reached the door to her house and opened it. She hadn't even taken three steps inside the door when Wakka came down the steps holding a towel and a change of clothes.

"I was getting worried, Kairi."

"When are you never not worried, Wakka? And what are you doing here anyways?" Kairi said coldly as she dried herself off and signaled for Wakka to turn away. He handed her the change of clothes and turned to look out the window. Kairi gave him the okay for him to turn back around. He had brought her a pair of white pajama bottoms and a top and her bedroom slippers that had little stars on them. Kairi sat down on the couch and looked out the window. She hated herself for always being so depressed. Sora wouldn't want her to be like this. He would want her to be happy and live life like it would never end. She had taken advantage of so much over the past few months and she felt the guilt within run through her veins. She shivered, and pulled the blanket to her. Wakka handed her some hot chocolate and Kairi grabbed the remote to the TV.

"Don't even try, power's gone out. And I'm here because I had left a few of my things here and I wanted to get them but I got caught in the storm." He said sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.

"Oh," Kairi said as she placed the remote back on the coffee table. She looked down at her feet for a moment and there was a dead silence between the two of them. She looked up to see Wakka had gotten off of the couch, put his coat on and was walking towards the door.

"Wakka?"

He turned around and leaned against the wall.

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath before she spoke. "Do you think I've been taking advantage of everybody since I got back?"

Wakka was taken aback by her question. She never spoke of anything like this.

"No, I don't, Kairi. Why do you ask?"

"I've just been thinking alot lately about everything. Like finally going back into my mind and dealing with everything I tried to block out. I've completely blown off Selphie and Tidus since I've been back. I think I've said maybe ten or twenty things to them. They've been so patient with me, but yet I keep being a bitch about things. I wanna be happy because I know Sora would want me to."

Wakka's heart stopped. She hadn't said his name since she had come back and it was a forbidden word around the islands now. Nobody spoke of him, or Riku, mostly for Kairi's sake. At first, Tidus had let their names slip once or twice and that had sent Kairi crying to the Secret Place where she spent hours just yelling at thin air.

"I am so mad at Sora," Kairi contiuned, "but I shouldn't be. It wasn't my fault he had to leave me. I should be proud of him and I should feel honored to call the boy who sealed the door and saved the worlds from the darkness my best friend. And yet I get so mad because I feel as if he's forgotten about me and he'll never come back for me."

"Kairi-"

"But ever since I came to these islands, Sora had always been around. I remember being so scared, I had no memory of where I had came from or who I was. I remember being in the mayor's home and sitting outside with his wife.. and she was playing with me. I hadn't spoke to anybody. And when I meet him.. it was like everything that I had been missing and couldn't remember didn't matter anymore. And now it's like it's happend all over again, I'm in a new place and I know nobody. I know nothing of their intentions." She had begun to cry now. It was the first time she allowed herself to show any emotion around anybody. She had been so cold, and had isolated herself from everyone that behind her back, the othes had called her the Ice Queen. Going against his better judgement, Wakka embraced her and she let everything out. All of the frustartion, the fear, the anger, and the sadness that had built a wall around her heart came crashing down. Wakka rubbed her back as she cried and he held her like that for what seemed like forever. He felt her body stop shaking and her breathing become regular. He gently pushed her away to see she had cried herself to sleep. He scooped her up in his arms and took her up to her bedroom. He placed her under her covers and tucked the covers around her so she was tightly secured. He made sure not to make a sound as he shut her door and walked back downstairs and out of the door to be on his way home. As he cleared Kairi's walkway, he looked down to the beach and pulled his coat closer to shield him from the rain.

"I can't wait to kick your ass when you come back, Sora." He laughed softly and contiuned to walk across the island to go home.