Still don't own Kingdom Hearts!

Rating: PG-13 (innuendo, swearing)

Text is internal dialogue or thought; text in paragraphs is a dream sequence.

---Chapter Two- Bitter Confusion---

"Sora, come on, we're almost there! Hurry!" Kairi screamed. The wind threw her words back behind her and out to sea, where the waves were becoming larger and the water choppier by the second. Every now and then a low rumble would indicate that the lightning that was still miles away was drawing closer and closer with each strike.

Sora swore as he slipped on the rain-slicked wood of the dock and nearly fell, throwing out his arms at the last minute and avoiding a direct face-plant. He picked himself up and ran as fast as he could to join Kairi in their boat that would take them back to his house- hopefully- before the waters became too rough. He skidded as he reached her and they both jumped in, hearts pounding as Sora had trouble untying the soaked rope from its complex knot.

This is the last time I tie security knots! He thought savagely to himself. He nearly cried with relief as the knot slid free and Kairi used a pole to push them away from the dock. From there they battled the ferocious water and winds to reach their destination- a small island about a quarter mile away, though with the weather, it might as well have been fifteen. Sora and Kairi grimly battled against the waves that lifted their tiny two-person driftwood boat to frightening heights and dropped them off of enormous crests into low troughs, each time causing them to ferverently hope that the next wave wouldn't crash down on them and consequently smash them to bits. Though there was no sail on their boat, the wind played havoc with where they landed after dropping off a crest and lashed the rain mercilessly into their unprotected faces. Sora and Kairi could hardly keep their eyes open as they struggled on to Sora's home.

"Kairi, we're too far left!" he shouted, briefly taking a hand off of his paddle to shield his eyes from the torrential rain and get a better idea of where they were in relation to the island. What he found was discouraging- for all their efforts, the tide and the wind were taking them farther out to sea.

"WHAT?" The wind only brought her Sora's panicked voice in fragments. She was in the front of the boat, while Sora was in the back; he was the stronger of the two and therefore best suited to act as the rudder.

"WE'RE TOO FAR LEFT!"

She didn't respond with words but simply paddled harder on the right side, trying to aim for what she hoped was their destination. Sora said nothing else as he focused his strength entirely on keeping them on-course. In the long stretch of time that followed, the two of them would swear that they were nearly tossed overboard to drown, capsized, or crushed by the waves so many times that they became numb not only in body but in mind as well. Their muscles ached with the strain, already slightly worn out from their earlier sparring session. The heaving sea underneath them fought the two for every inch that they gained. How long this lasted, they couldn't tell. Time became a trivial matter as they struggled against the forces of nature that surrounded them and seemed to laugh with cruelty and malice as their weary bodies began to flag.

Suddenly, they were shot up high by another crest. Through the rain and blinding flashes of lighting- they had come close to being struck many, many times as well, but their luck in so far as that went seemed to be holding- Kairi was able to give a few second's warning before they were brutally hurled towards the shoreline. They both screamed as they flew towards land, grasping the sides of the craft and bracing themselves for a crushing impact. As soon as they hit, the tide washed over them and nearly swept them back out to sea, but Kairi and Sora struggled with all their might against the current and ended up on the beach coughing and spluttering as they tried to get the remaining sea water out of their lungs.

Sora quickly grasped Kairi's hand and forced her to run behind him as another wave came barreling up behind them. He silently said farewell to the now destroyed boat whose remnants were destined to become wandering driftwood again as he and Kairi ran blindly through the small jungle on a well-beaten trail, the wind still driving the rain towards them.

It's almost as if it's trying to stop us from getting home…

Sora grimaced in determination and forged ahead. Kairi stumbled and did her best to keep up behind him, never complaining even as her fatigue began to outpace her adrenaline spike. Both of them knew the path well and had no doubts about where they were going- it was getting there that was the problem. Soon enough, however, the dim shape of a house became visible, and Sora and Kairi cried out with hope and relief. Their hellish journey was finally going to end.

---

Sora's mother greeted them enthusiastically at the door and ushered them quickly inside. Seemingly from nowhere she procured hot chocolate and dry towels, fussing and worrying over her son and his girlfriend as they laughed shakily and assured her over and over again that they were okay.

"Mom, we're fine! Just a little tired is all," said Sora, trying to hide a yawn behind one of his gloved hands. All he received as a reply was a "do you really think I'm that stupid?" look as his mom insisted instead that he had nearly died.

Okay, we did on several occasions, but… we're fine now. Maybe only comparatively, but Kairi and I are going to be okay! he thought as he sipped his hot chocolate, mindful of the fact that it would burn his tongue otherwise. Sora watched with mild amusement as his mother hovered around Kairi- was she okay, she should take a warm shower and get out of those cold, wet clothes before she got sick, she should let her parents know she was safe, and so on. Sora would have felt slighted if he actually cared about receiving attention, but as it was, he simply cheered silently to himself that he wasn't the one being subjected to care and concern. It wasn't that he didn't love his mom, he just didn't appreciate being fussed over.

That was probably why he sometimes freaked out on Donald- that guy worried over absolutely everything…

The thought of Donald brought a slew of memories to the foreground in his mind: when he had met Donald and Goofy for the first time after they had fallen on him, his first time as a Gummi Ship pilot, wrestling Donald for the controls and crashing them on the Jungle World with Tarzan and Jane and the gorillas, as well as the evil Clayton, plus so many more-

Sora violently shook his head to clear them away. This wasn't the time to get caught up in the past.

"Ack! Sora, watch it," his mom said as water sprayed everywhere. "If you're going to do that, go to your room or the bathroom!"

"Sorry," he said with a rueful grin. "But doesn't Kairi have first dibs on the shower?" If she did, then that would give him some time to tidy up his room and collect himself, swallow the emotions that were beginning to resurface in his heart.

"You bet I do! I won't be long though."

Kairi moaned a bit as she got up and walked stiffly out of the kitchen and deeper into the house. She had been here often and knew Sora's place as well as her own. Sora watched her go, a strange mixture of feelings surfacing as she left.

"Sora honey, are you sure you're okay? You look like you're in an awful lot of pain…" his mom gently brushed his bangs aside, then caressed his cheek, her blue eyes full of concern.

Sora knew she only meant well by him, but he just didn't feel like talking- all the events of the day were beginning to catch up to his body. His throat was already stinging with the abuse he had put it through. The rest of him just ached all over.

He smiled and shook his head, pointing to his throat to indicate that it hurt. She smiled back and groaned softly in sympathy, but since they had nothing for it, she simply hugged him and said she'd clean his room up before Kairi came up. Sora hugged her back in gratitude and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself after she left. Being alone always made even the warmest room a little cooler.

---

Two showers and some more warm food later, Sora and Kairi were in his room, watching the storm's devastating beauty from the bedroom window. They held each other close and thought about how near they had come to becoming victims of it- any longer out there and they'd probably be under those waves right now, unconscious and lost forever. As it was, though, Kairi was cuddling on Sora's side as he held her gently, his head resting on hers. Her arm was wrapped loosely around his waist, other hand intertwined with his free one. Over the noise of the thunder and howling wind they could hear Soyo, Sora's mom, bustling around downstairs, cleaning up after them and wet mess they had created in the kitchen. The only light source was the lightning flashes through the windows, illuminating the landscape in eerie shades of blue and grey for split seconds at a time.

"Sora," whispered Kairi after a particularly loud roll of thunder, "do you want to tell me about that dream you had earlier? Maybe you'll stop having them if you explain them to somebody."

He squeezed her hand, but shook his head no and said nothing. He couldn't speak; Sora's throat was locked up tight.

"Alright. But I'm always here for you. Don't ever forget that." She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting her breathing even out.

I won't, Kairi. But I don't think anyone can help me.

Sora continued to gaze out the window long after Kairi had fallen asleep. Something bothered him about this storm. It didn't seem natural, not at all. There was also a disturbingly familiar feel about it, strange as he found that to be. He felt an aching in his heart each time the thunder rolled; they were like voices, calling him to do something. To stand up and fight or black out and forget the world, he couldn't tell, but he was torn between the two. He didn't know what he would be fighting, nor what he would be forgetting, but the choice seemed suddenly imminent. He was to choose now. No exception.

Gently, he shifted and got up without waking Kairi. He made sure she was still asleep before ghosting his fingers over her cheek and closing the door behind him.

---

Sora stood on the beach where the driftwood boat had crashed hours before and defiantly held his ground against the wind and rain. He did his best to glare at the ominously dark sky, but the bright flashes of lightning and intense winds forced him to look away.

He wasn't sure why he had snuck out of the house and battled through the jungle to get here, only that something inside him wouldn't let him lay down next to Kairi and wait for it to pass by. It felt like this was an opportunity for him to prove something, but to whom or what he was supposed to do to accomplish that, he had no idea. Sora was standing on the beach and glaring at the sky as much as he could, wary of the ocean and its swells but also determined to stay until inspiration told him what to do next.

"What do you want from me?" he mouthed into the wind.

The thunder rolled all around him, shaking him to the root of his being.

"I'm going to fight! I'm not going to just roll over and give up, you hear me? So tell me what you want and what I have to do! I'm tired of waiting!"

Was it just him, or was the wind laughing at him?

"Tell me already!" Sora shivered as his sodden clothes offered no more warmth. He should be back inside, he didn't have the strength to be out here again, plus Kairi and his mom would be worried, but…

"I'm not leaving until you tell me where Riku is, got it?"

He's right here. Don't you see him?

Sora whirled around frantically, half-expecting to see his long-lost friend behind him. But there was only the blur of rain pounding the sand.

Not there, look harder. Think harder.

"Who ARE you!" he mouthed angrily, but took the advice any way. The voice was familiar, if unwanted.

Here… but not here. Riku's with me but still not visible. No one else remembers him but me. I almost forgot about him until those dreams started to come… about two years to the day that I apparently washed up on Destiny Islands. No one can tell me what happened before that besides the fact that I've lived here all my life. No explanation for my being out in the ocean in the first place, no reason why I have these amazing fighting skills, no memories of the Heartless invasion, no memories of my childhood, or anyone else's. Without Riku. But that's not possible… I learned how to fight from him. He and Kairi were my best friends… we used to fight over her, kinda, but… wait…

Sora bowed his head and placed his hand over his heart. He understood.

Riku's in my heart. Everything that's happened is there. My whole journey with Donald and Goofy, our mission to save the King and Kingdom Hearts, everyone we met along the way, especially… Riku… they're all sealed up in my heart…

The wind suddenly knocked him on to his back. Sora struggled to get up again, but an invisible force held him there. His wrists and ankles were bound to the sand.

"I understand! Riku lives on in my heart! Everyone does!"

Then why are you here? What happened to bring you to this place of half-formed lives and stagnant memories? Where is Riku's body now? You understand so little. A bolt of lightning struck the ground not five feet away from his body. What did Riku really mean to you? Who is Kairi to you, and is that what she always was? Another bolt struck closer this time, so close that Sora could feel the energy radiating off it and smell the newly formed glass from the strike area. You still have a long way to go.

The next bolt struck him in the heart.

Remember, Sora- you are the door to the light.

---

The sound of a crackling fire echoed slightly. Sora opened his eyes to see misshapen shadows dance around on a dull grey ceiling of natural rock. He tilted his head to the right and saw what he assumed to be the opening of the… cave?... that he was currently lying in. Next to the entrance were some bags and gear for a long journey, enough for two people. Two oddly shaped weapons were leaning side-by-side on the wall; one looked like a stylized dragon's wing, while the other looked like a very large key.

Sora couldn't take his eyes away from the two strange weapons. Something about them -the key in particular- made innumerable emotions swell up inside of him until he thought his heart would burst. Finally, he tore his eyes away and instead focused on himself and his current state. Besides being an emotional wreck, he seemed to be fine, if somewhat cold. He was lying on his back on the ground, a comfortable bed of leaves and moss underneath of him and a warm blanket on top. Sora figured that between the bed, blanket, clothes, and fire, he should have been plenty warm, but there was still an aching chill in his bones that wouldn't go away.

He sighed and looked back at the entrance of the cave. It was absolutely pouring outside, so hard that he couldn't see a thing beyond the curtain of rain. He smiled in spite of that- the weather didn't have an unfriendly feel to it at all; in fact, he got the impression that it was rather warm. Sora suddenly wished that he could get up and go outside, just to see if that was true.

"Okay, let's go see if it's really warm." He whispered to himself. Sora breathed deeply once, twice, and then tensed his back muscles in anticipation of sitting up. Feeling no warning signs of pain, he smiled a little and slowly sat up, easing himself up with his arms a little bit at a time. His joints ached a bit –probably from lying in one position for a long time- but other than that, he seemed to be okay.

Sora was almost completely sitting up when he heard someone approaching from the outside. He paused and listened carefully, considering whether it would be wiser to stay as he was or lie back down, or maybe take a chance and go for one of the weapons. He didn't know where he was or why he had lying down, but he had the impression that it was someone elses's work. There was, after all, evidence that at least one other person was in this cave some of the time.

Caught up in his thoughts, Sora waited too long and was frozen in place as the other person stooped and walked in, still hunched over slightly, seeing as the ceiling was somewhat low. Sora's eyes widened in shock as striking teal eyes met his own through a veil of silver hair. The other person stopped as well, clearly just as surprised as Sora himself was.

"Sora? You're awake?" he whispered, voice trembling.

"Ri…ku…?" Sora tried to right himself, but he moved too quickly- an intense pain pulsed up and down his spine, turning the world a uniform black colour. He cursed himself weakly before he lost his voice and leaned backwards.

The last thing he registered was someone catching him before he fell, whispering his name and promising to see him again.

---

The next time his eyes opened, Sora found himself staring at the worried faces of his mother and Kairi in his bedroom. As soon as it was evident that he was alive and conscious, they began to alternate over yelling at him for doing something so reckless as going back out to the beach and thanking whatever spirits were listening that he was safe. Sora grinned apologetically but didn't say anything and waited it out. Soon enough, Kairi hugged him and told him to take another shower since he was coated in seawater and sand again, then the two of them left him alone, telling him to come downstairs for some lunch once he was ready.

Lunch? he thought. Was it that late already? He looked out his window to see a cheerful sky free of clouds and a light breeze that teased with the tops of the palm trees. It was almost as if the storm had never happened. The sun was almost directly above, so Sora placed the time at about noon or so. Whatever… at least I got some sleep. Though that was one hell of a night.

He got up and stretched stiffly, shaking out some of the excess sand from his hair and clothes. He then stripped down to his boxers and exited his room, not bothering to worry about anyone seeing him. Sora had no siblings, and his father had died when he was very young. Soyo had never remarried, preferring to raise Sora on her own and remaining something of a recluse from the rest of the inhabitants of Destiny Islands. She was liked well enough, sure, but many regarded her as a black sheep for wanting to stay by herself. Then there was Kairi, who had seen him like this before. Sora flushed at the memory of that night… his mom hadn't been home and Kairi had come over to spend the night. They had almost gone all the way. Almost, but not quite.

Kairi… god… I don't know what I'd do without her. She's everything to me. Sora stepped into the shower and turned the water on, appreciating how it ran over his skin and washed the remnants of last night away. It felt really good.

"Who is Kairi to you, and is that what she always was?"

Of course, he reassured himself. She's like the other half of my soul. But the mysterious voice's words wouldn't get out of his head. Was it possible that he might have forgotten something? It seemed to be hinting at that. For the life of him, though, Sora couldn't figure out what that might have been. He had washed up on the shores of Destiny Islands two years ago with many injuries, a nasty head-wound in particular. Kairi had been there for him at every turn, ready to support him and help him recover as fast as possible, just like the sister he had always wanted her to be.

Hold on. Kairi… as my sister? The sibling I always wished I had? That was… she was his girlfriend! The person he would spend his life with once they were old enough to live on their own The girl he had almost given himself to that night, when it had seemed like they were infinite, able to take on the world together and come away unscathed. Without Kairi, he would be… he would be…

Free.

"No, I'd be lost," he tried to say, but his throat was still locked up tight. He knelt down on the cool ceramic of the bathtub and stared at the floor, ignoring the gentle water that poured into his eyes.

Riku is the brother I wish I had, and Kairi's the one I want to marry. End of story.

But you know there's something she could never give you. Staying with Kairi means staying the same. You'd be trapped here all your life.

Sora growled. And I don't mind that. I like life here in the Islands. It's never dull and very comforting. I love my mom, and Kairi, and all my friends. I don't mind staying here for the rest of my life.

What about Riku? Will you give him up to the darkness, then?

… I…

You'd rather lead a comfortable life than find your friend?

Sora bowed his head until his bangs hid his eyes, the tears blending in with the water from the showerhead. No. I'd never do that. I just… I don't know what's going on…

You'll know. The storm in your heart will eventually blow you ashore.

---

"Hey, Sora, how'ya feeling?" asked Kairi as soon as he stepped into the kitchen. He smiled and gave a thumbs-up sign before sitting down and looking for his promised lunch. He hating lying to her, well, to anyone, but he figured he should act all right instead as confused and depressed as he felt. It wouldn't help anyone.

"There you are, honey. You really scared us with that stunt last night! What possessed you to go back out to the beach in that storm? You know it's one of the worst on record, right? We're the only place that wasn't completely flooded out!" scolded his mother sternly. Sora bowed his head and made a guilty face before diving into his plate of delicious homemade food. Soyo was an amazing cook.

"Really, Sora, what's up? Did you have another nightmare or something?"

He looked up and locked eyes with Kairi, unsure of how to respond. Should he lie again or not? Slowly, he nodded his head, then winced to himself as Kairi shot a worried glance to his mom and looked back at him with great concern.

"Aww, Sora…" was all she could say. His mom came over and kissed him on the cheek, but she couldn't offer any advice either.

Sora was alone in a world full of people.

--- End Chapter II---

A/N: D: Sorry. I've been having a hard time lately... this is basically a spell- and grammar-checked version of the chapter, which is about a year overdue. It'll take me forever and a day to finish this, I won't lie, but I promise to get it done! Remember to review and tell me what I can fix, please:)