The battle was seemingly over. They had won. Relieved smiles spread across his friends new and old, but one of them was not smiling. Sora felt almost numb. His heart had been through such a beating that he simply stared out across the ruins as the others let relief wash over them.

First it had been utter despair. When he had seen Kairi taken by the horde of heartless, he nearly lost his own right then. After all, she may as well have been his heart. Riku had said that he did not believe what he was saying, but even now Sora was uncertain. Losing Kairi and the others so quickly nearly broke him.

The worst part might have been how she reached for his hand, but he was powerless to save her. Whisked away to have her heart stolen…if not worse. His mind threatened to break with gory scenario after gory scenario as his nightmares seemingly became reality. As he thought he had well and truly lost her.

Then he found out she may have been the only one left. He did not know how, but she kept him together enough that he was able to turn the tide. With a little help. It was a call that was far too close for comfort. After that, he wanted to hold her close and not let her out of his sight. Retreat was no longer an option, but he wanted to stay near her.

That did not work out. Every victory was a steppingstone on his way to catch back up with Kairi. She was easily the least experienced combatant they had, and while he trusted her, he was no less worried at her being out there, potentially alone against one or more of Xehanort's Organization members. He was determined to move, and anyone that tried to stand in his way was quickly brushed aside.

All his work seemingly paid off though as he was finally able to catch up to her. Despite his worry, she was managing to somewhat hold her own which admittedly made his heart swell with a little bit of pride. Of course, she would be skilled at whatever she put her mind to, but this was still a battleground, and battlegrounds were not known for their safety even for the most skilled of warriors.

And, sure enough, even after the victory of Roxas' full return and his reuniting with the mysterious girl he only vaguely remembered seeing in his dreams, Sora and Kairi were ripped apart once again. Sora felt ready to pull his hair out in panic after Xemnas stole her away. Swallowing an incoming panic attack as well as a twinge of jealousy as Roxas lingered on his hug with the girl that looked eerily like Kairi for a good several seconds longer than Axel, Sora pushed himself forward. She needed his help, and he was not about to let her go so easily.

Sora was exhausted physically and mentally by the time he finally reached Xehanort about the same time that Riku and the king did. Unfortunately, he saw no sign of Kairi. He was tired of this sick game with their lives. He just wanted her back. He just wanted all his friends safe, and as selfish as it may have been, those they had managed to bring back from the darkness could never make up for Kairi.

So Sora did what he always did: he fought. Fought for her. He fought for his friends, of course, but every swing of his keyblade was for her. It really always was. He would fight, and he would win so that they could be together again. So that he could finally tell her that he loved her.

When the last of the darknesses fell leaving Xehanort alone, Sora could finally see the end in sight. Then it happened. He moved as fast as he could, but he could not get to her in time. He watched the love of his life shattered right before his eyes. One might have expected grief, rage, or sorrow, and indeed, all of those would crash upon the shores of his heart like a typhoon, but in that moment, all he felt was…nothing. The shock was too much to even process. The pain, too great to manage.

However, the calm only lasted for a moment before his emotions came roaring back. Sorrow and despair were strong. Regret. Why did he not tell her back on the island? It was a near perfect chance to tell her. He reasoned with himself that it was because Riku was still on the beach despite being several yards away and paying them no mind. No, in truth, he was a coward. Fear in his heart preventing him from taking that step, and now…it seemed too late.

Then came the rage. A fury unlike anything he had ever known. He wanted to kill Xehanort. Sora had fought to protect, but never before had he experienced bloodlust like he did in that moment. He did not just want to kill the man, he wanted to make him suffer. To cry out. To beg. It was a terrifying line of thinking, but one he almost gave himself over to.

Had Donald and Goofy not arrived when they did, the next few moments may have changed his future in a very dark way, but they pulled him back from the edge just enough for him to remember that Kairi would not have wanted that. She was not vengeful. She would not want Sora to lose himself, even for her. Especially for her.

Still, he would be lying if he denied that there was a hint of revenge in why he volunteered to go after Xehanort alone. That…and if someone else was going to die, why not the man who felt he had nothing left to lose? Perhaps that was part of why Donald and Goofy went with him, to keep him safe from himself as well. They were always looking after him it seemed.

It was not until Xion asserted that Kairi would be alright that he felt a ray of hope. He had no idea how she could possibly know that, but stilling his tumultuous heart for a second, he could feel it too. She was alive. Somehow. Fractured, but oddly enough, not afraid. Waiting for her knight once more.

He had done it with the help of his friends. Xehanort was defeated, and Kingdom Hearts was sealed away again saving the worlds from a reset. Yet Sora did not feel like celebrating. His battle was not over yet. His journey was always about Kairi. Until she was safe, and they were together, his journey did not end.

He flashed his friends one last smile. He hoped he would see them again soon, with Kairi by his side this time. Maybe Riku and Xion were right, and Kairi would be okay and they could find her, but she had waited on him enough. No, he would not make her wait another day.