Edit 5th May: Because someone asked me about the pairing, I'll say it here: It's going to be SoraxKairixRiku. It won't be overly mushy nor "over the top" gay, meaning the character will stay as much in-character as possible. I enjoy those too but only as comic relief which just doesn't fit with the plot. There'll be humour though, don't worry _

A/N: Well, I never thought I'd ever publish anything, but I'm not getting younger. And...I kinda wanted to give my favourite game character his well-earned Happy End. I don't think I'll ever see it until I'm well into my early 30's. :(

A note of warning here. I put this up pretty sopping wet. There may be mistakes here and there, and because I didn't want to search for a beta for ages you're the first to read this. Despite that...Have fun :D

A scant few hours after the battle against Xehanort the Gang was still gathered at Destiny Islands, relaxing together for the first time in what had been a long hard week for most of them.

Wanting to take a little breather from their rambunctious friends, Kairi and Sora had decided to take a long walk around the beach.

For the longest time no one spoke a word. Their hands were linked after Kairi had gathered her courage to reach for Sora's.

But after a while Sora released Kairi's hand and turned to her.

Turning to Sora with a quizzical look, Kairi frowned. He looked visibly upset, and more than a little sad. Now a bit alarmed Kairi asked: "Sora, what's wrong?"

Sora rang with himself for a moment and then decided to answer.

"Kairi, there's something I have to tell you."

Already fearing it would be bad news, Kairi sent him an anxious look.

Sora sighed. "You know...after Xehanort kidnapped you, we beat him just barely. Thing is...you were still gone, so I chose to rescue you. With my keyblade I opened a portal that I hoped would lead me to you. Instead I landed in the World Between, a place that kind of exists between Life and Death."

The boy swallowed, now struggling to go on.

"There I met Chirity, a cute little guy that watches over that place. He said...he said I'd be able to save you, but at a terrible cost. I would travel back to the time before Xehanort let you vanish, and try to find out where you were taken to."

Sora finished with a deeply sad looking face.

Dread filled Kairi. She was afraid of asking, but had to do so anyway.

"Sora...what was the cost?"

Already a few tears had made their way across her cheeks.

Sora hesitated for the last time and then answered.

"Kairi...there's no easy way to say this but I'm fading away"

"W-what? Does this mean you're d-dying?", Kairi whispered. The girl was so upset that she stuttered, yet she might as well have shouted it, so bad was the flinch of Sora.

He let his head hang.

"I don't know Kairi, there wasn't much time for questions. I leapt without a second thought."

Kairi had begun to cry in earnest now. "So what now? I only just found you and now you tell me you're dying?! Why would you do that? WHY?!! The last word came as a shout.

A bittersweet smile was on Soras lips.

"Because Kairi...I love you. More than you can imagine"

That startled Kairi, who hadn't expected those words for a while yet, if at all.

"And you're not even the only one", whispered Sora, looking towards the Island. He held up his right hand, which had begun to look a little transparent again.

Kairi looked horrified. "It started already? W-wait, I'll get hel-" "It's too late Kairi. I already feel the pull. Something's tugging at me and I can't resist for much longer."

Sora interrupted Kairi only to fall silent himself again.

Suddenly far behind the two teens a few raised voices neared, but they were oblivious to that, focused on each other as they were.

And then Sora began to glow with an inner light, while at the same time his body lost colour.

As this time, a light blue mop of hair could be seen racing towards the two.

He arrived too late though, as with a voice that echoed Sora spoke his farewell.

"I'm sorry, Kairi...Riku...guys. I'm so sorry. Goodbye."

And with that Sora's form dissolved, freeing his heart which vanished to the blue skies.

Riku stumbled and landed painfully on his belly, on the same spot his friend had been just a scant few moments ago.

Too stunned to move, neither teen spoke for a few moments. As one though they screamed their friend's name with a loud cry full of pain, which in short would alarm the rest of their friends that something terrible had happened.

"Soraaaa!!"

Sora's heart continued its ascent, till it disappeared from the Realm of Light only to appear in the Realm of Darkness. There it hovered for quite a while, as if not sure where to go. When it finally began to move, something happened in front of the heart. Coruscating light rays began to gather from the darkness until a figure formed. They wore a shapeless long red cloak, with it's hood obscuring much of the face.

Full Lips shaped themselves to a frown.

"What to do with you? I can't just let you perish here after all the good you did. So...where to send you?..."

Here, the figure trailed off, adopting a thinking pose.

"Maybe it is time to start that little project I've had in mind for a while."

Mind made up they pointed an open palm at the heart that still hovered in front of them.

With a hand wave, a ray of strong light struck the heart, bathing it in pulsating colours.

For a few minutes this continued until the heart started to change. It grew, spreading out in a flash of light. Ever so slowly a body began to form. After while the ray stopped, leaving a ghostly outline of Sora in its wake.

The figure let out a sigh. "That's all I can do for you right now. I hope the place where I'm going to send you now can do the Rest."

With that words a portal made of light opened, sucking in Sora's comatose form.

A sigh was heard after the portal closed. "Good Luck Sora."

Wirh a swirl of colour the figure vanished again, leaving the Realm of Darkness behind, as silent as ever.

Hogwarts, by the Black Lake

With a crash the unmoving, still translucent form of Sora landed near the shore of the Black Lake.

Only to be joined by two even odder beings. Fawkes who arrived in a whirl of flames, and a little ball of light that was constantly changing its colours. Said ball was excitedly hopping around near Sora, sending anyone who would have watched the scene either into fits of laughter or a migraine.

Fawkes seemed to fall into the second choice if his rolling eyes was anything to go by. With an annoyed sounding squawk the bird caught the ball of light in his beak. After giving his prey a good shake he released it again. The sphere, now seeming much more subdued, sulkily went over to Sora.

There it hovered, bristling with spikes all of a sudden. A stretcher appeared under the boy, and soon after Fawkes flashed away with his companions, leaving the lake undisturbed once more.

A/N: I'm in progress of writing chapter two, expect it in a few days ;)