AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Remember way back in the day (somewhere around Chapter 10) when I said that nobody had time to read a 10k+ chapter? Well get comfy, folks! This chapter was originally longer, and even after editing I could only just get it down to less than 12k.
Huge thank-you to Crestoflight3, YumeTakato, Alby199800 and CryptidGrimnoir137 for your reviews, and thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favourites/follows. I really appreciate it!
Let's Dive on in, shall we?
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE | REMEMBERING
"Riku! Riku, look! I think she's waking up! Hey, are you okay?" A hand shook her shoulder roughly. She felt cold. Her body felt like lead; too heavy to move.
"Sora, we should take her to your dad." Even at the young age of six, Riku had always been quick to take the lead. She heard Sora hum thoughtfully.
"But he won't be coming to get us for hours, and he'll get mad at us if we try and row the boat by ourselves."
"I think he'll understand," Riku said firmly. "What if she's sick? Or hurt? Here, I'll-"
"No! I'll do it!" Hands pawed at her arms and her hips until finally she was lifted out of the sand. She felt Sora stagger beneath her.
"Sora, I'm stronger-"
"I can do it!" She heard Riku sigh, defeated, before walking away. Sora followed. The sand crunched underfoot, and every now and then Sora would stumble and tilt sideways.
"Wait here," Riku said at last. "I'll go get the boat ready. We'll put it on the sand and then we can put her in together. It'll be safer." Then his footsteps were fading. Kairi could hear the point they shifted from sand to wood as he hopped up on to the dock where the boat was moored.
"Hey, uh, I don't know if you can hear me, but you're gonna be okay," Sora said softly. Cold, clammy fingers found her hair and he brushed the wet strands from her face. "My name's Sora, and that's Riku. We're gonna take care of you."
The darkness faded and Kairi found herself standing in front of a familiar house. She had forgotten how tall it used to look back when she was so small. One hand was clutching tightly to the hand of the woman next to her – the mum who was not her mum – while the other was grasping a tiny box wrapped in shiny red paper and tied with a sparkling yellow bow.
"You don't need to be frightened, Kairi," her mum said softly as she knocked on the door. Kairi felt her stomach bubble at the sounds of screaming and laughing coming from the other side. At last the door opened, and Kairi found herself looking at a pair of hairy legs. She swallowed thickly, staring at the ground while the grown ups talked. After a moment her mum pried their hands apart and crouched down, lifting Kairi's chin gently.
"You're going to have a great time," she said with a smile, "but if you want me to come pick you up then just ask Mr Hoshiho and he'll call me, okay? I'll only be a few minutes away." Kairi nodded and tried to smile as the woman leant forward and kissed her forehead gently. Then Mr Hoshiho was taking her hand and leading her through the house and in to a small garden that overlooked the ocean.
The other children were playing a game with a large ball. They had been split in two on either side of a ribbon tied between two poles, and they were hitting a ball with their fists and arms to keep it off the ground. Sora's eyes lit up when he saw her, and he grinned from ear to ear.
"Kairi's here! Hey, Riku, Kai-"
The ball hit the side of his head and he fell to the ground, paper crown fluttering in to the grass. The game came to a quick halt and Kairi stared wide-eyed as Riku towered over Sora with his fists on his hips.
"You should have been paying attention," he admonished with a smug grin. His team, it seemed, had won. Tidus was grinning from ear to ear while Wakka was glaring down at Sora who was grinning up at Riku.
"But Riku," he whined, "Kairi's here!"
"I can see that," he said as Mr Hoshiho cleared his throat.
"Why don't we all take a break?" he suggested. "I think the pizza's almost ready."
"Pizza!" Tidus and Wakka chorused. The game was quickly forgotten as they bolted inside followed by Mr Hoshiho. Sora sprang to his feet and ran to Kairi's side with a wide toothy grin.
"Hi Kairi! Remember me? I'm Sora! And this is Riku." Kairi nodded, glancing between them. They'd both been to see her a couple of times since she'd woken up at the Mayor's house, but her memories of them were hazy at best.
"Happy birthday," she said, offering the gift to Sora. He stared at it wide-eyed.
"For me?" he breathed. "Kairi, you didn't have to get me anything!" Riku folded his arms and smirked.
"Are you gonna open it or just look at it?" Sora's ears flushed and he turned to Riku with a scowl.
"I'm gonna open it! I was just saying thanks! It's polite, y'know." Riku arched an eyebrow and Sora stuck out his tongue before turning back to Kairi with a smile. "Thanks, Kairi!" The ribbon fell to his feet as he tore off the packaging to reveal a small paper box. Inside were three small star-shaped cookies with yellow icing. Sora's eyes widened. "Are these paopu cookies?" Kairi nodded.
"Mrs… um… my m-mum made them." Riku glanced over Sora's shoulder.
"Do they have real paopu in them?" he asked. Kairi frowned, trying to remember, before shaking her head.
"No. Why?" Sora's ears burned red and he turned to Riku, waving his hands frantically in front of the older boy's face.
"It doesn't matter!" he said, turning back to Kairi with a nervous laugh. "I bet they're super yummy! Thanks, Kairi. Now I have to get you something for your birthday! When is it?" Kairi's belly felt cold and she fiddled with her skirt, glancing down at the grass and suddenly feeling very hot.
"…don't 'member," she murmured. Sora sucked in a sharp gasp.
"You don't remember that either?" he exclaimed, a look of horror on his face. "But how can you forget your birthday?"
"I'm sure she hasn't forgotten forever, Sora," said Riku, though Kairi could feel him staring at her. She took a half step back, wondering if it was too soon to ask Mr Hoshiho to call her not-mum.
"But Riku, what if she never remembers and what if we miss it?" He suddenly sucked in a great gulp of air. He reached for her hand and he tugged roughly at her arm until she looked up at him. "I've got it! Today could be your birthday!" Riku scoffed and folded his arms.
"But today's your birthday," he said with a frown. Sora turned to him with a pout.
"People can have the same birthday, Riku."
"But then she'd always have to share her birthday with you. Why can't she have her own birthday?" Sora folded his arms and pouted thoughtfully.
"Well my birthday is in the spring, and Riku's birthday is in the winter," he mused. His eyes lit up. "How about the summer? It's always hot, and then we can have your birthday party on the beach!"
"Sora?" Mr Hoshiho was leaning out of the door, a slice of half-eaten pizza drooping in his hand. "Are you coming? You're going to miss all the pizza."
"Oh yeah! Pizza!" Sora exclaimed. "Are you hungry, Kairi? My dad made it. He makes the best pizzas!" He was still talking but Kairi felt herself drifting, weightless and formless as the birthday party faded out of sight. Now she felt taller as she strolled along the shoreline of Play Island, fingers knitted behind her back and eyes peeled in search of her prey.
She spotted him soon enough – it was all too easy to pick the red jumpsuit out against the golden sand. He was sitting up and rubbing at his head, staring out over the sea with a puzzled frown. Kairi grinned and crept up behind him, silent as a mouse, perfectly poised above him. He yawned and stretched and began to lay back down, and when he finally saw her standing over him he jumped with a surprised yelp.
"Whoa!" She straightened with a giggle and he rolled on to his knees with a weak laugh. "Gimme a break, Kairi." She stifled her laughter behind a well-crafted smirk.
"Sora, you lazy bum," she teased. "I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here." His eyes widened and he sat up on his knees.
"No! This huge black thing swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe – I couldn't – ow!" She rapped her knuckles against his head and pursed her lips.
"Are you still dreaming?"
"It wasn't a dream! Or… was it? I dunno..." He trailed off, his gaze drifting down towards the sand at her feet. "What was that place? So bizarre…" She huffed through a smile; it wouldn't have been the first time he'd invented some crazy dream as an excuse for sleeping on the job.
"Yeah, sure," she drawled. She skirted around him, tucking her arms behind her back as she stared out towards the ocean. It sparkled like blue diamonds.
"Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like?" Sora asked. "Y'know, where you grew up?" Kairi bit the inside of her cheek. It had been years since he'd last asked her about where she'd come from. She wondered what made him think of it now.
"I've told you before, I don't remember."
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing."
"Ever wanna go back?" She paused, gnawing at the inside of her cheek. She didn't know anything about where she had come from. Riku was convinced it was some other world – she had come from the stars, or so they both claimed – but Kairi wasn't convinced. And what did it matter? She couldn't even remember it.
"Hmm… Well I'm happy here," she answered.
"Really?" She tried not to sigh; Sora was no happier with her answer now than the last time she'd given it. She tugged at her wrist bands and smiled a little.
"But y'know, I wouldn't mind going to see it." She heard Sora shift in the sand behind her. What harm would it do, after all, to think about other worlds in the stars? There was no way for them to get there, at least not for real. The closest they could get were their games where they imagined sailing the high seas in search of new lands and buried treasure.
"I'd like to see it too," Sora said brightly, "along with any other worlds out there. I wanna see them all." Kairi grinned then and span on her heel.
"So what are we waiting for?" she asked.
"Hey! Aren't you guys forgetting about me?" Kairi turned to where she knew Riku would be standing – a log tucked effortlessly under his arm – but he wasn't there. Instead her eyes travelled to the small outcropping of rock where she saw Sora; older, now, and sitting on the crooked trunk of the paopu tree. Kairi crossed towards him, several paces behind Riku who seemed to appear from thin air.
"Sora," Riku called as he crossed the rickety wooden bridge. Sora jumped a little and turned, glancing at Riku with a smile.
"Riku," he greeted.
"Your mind's made up?" Riku asked. Sora paused, turning his gaze back out to the sea before nodding.
"Yeah," he murmured. Kairi reached them then, and she studied him closely, drinking in every last detail. The sunlight glinted off the empty bottle in his hands. The note crumpled in his fingers bore the King's mark.
"Sora," she said. He turned towards her, his smile lost behind warring emotions.
"Kairi, I…" How she wished he would finish that sentence. Instead she filled the silence with a nod and offered him a small reassuring smile which he returned. He hopped down from the tree and closed the distance between them, his expression pained but determined. "It's just… they really need me. I have to go. I am who I am because of them."
And I am who I am because of you. The words were on the tip of her tongue and she felt like she could scream, but instead she swallowed them and reached into the leather pouch at her hip. She withdrew her thalassa shell charm and placed it firmly in to the palm of his hand, wrapping their fingers tightly around it. There were so many things she wanted to say – even without the knowledge of all that was coming next – but she was scared, and Riku was right there, and there was so little time… And so she merely smiled and said: "See you soon."
The next time Kairi saw Sora, they were standing in Yen Sid's tower surrounded by the others. Sora looked different then, and it wasn't because of his new clothes or because he had finally grown in to his ears. It was in the way he carried himself, and it was in the look behind his eyes. It was the first time Kairi had been unable to read him completely. Then again, she'd been too excited to really try – standing in a room of Keyblade wielders and Masters, counted amongst their ranks after months of training, ready to face down Xehanort and his darknesses.
The feeling of confidence that coursed through her veins made her skin crawl.
Naminé lingered a moment over the memory of the paopu fruits exchanged on the crooked tree trunk, and she glossed over the events of the final fight against Xehanort – the relief at seeing Sora joining them in the fight against Xion and Isa, and the excitement of fighting at his side. The next thing Kairi knew, she was falling from the sky in a shower of sparkling lights and Sora was sweeping her in to a bone breaking hug. She felt his tears splash against her shoulders as the feeling slowly flooded back in to her body.
"I thought I'd lost you," he sobbed. As soon as her leaden limbs had life she returned the hug, holding him as tight as she could and burying her face in the crook of his neck.
"You saved me," she whispered, smiling against his skin and stifling sobs of her own. "I knew you would." Sora pulled away then, wiping his cheeks on the back of his dusty gauntlets. The smile had fallen from his face, and his red-rimmed eyes were burning through her.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "Kairi, I'm so sorry, I-"
"It's all right," she soothed, reaching for his hands and holding them tightly in her own. "It doesn't matter anymore. We're together now, that's what matters." He shook his head with a tearful grimace.
"There's still… I think I missed a piece." Kairi frowned; something did feel odd, now that he mentioned it. She placed a hand over her heart, glancing down at her fingers, and suddenly she felt it – a gaping, numb void in the centre of her heart. And once she'd noticed it, it became impossible to ignore. It was a cold sort of throbbing that beat in time with her heart, sending shivers down her spine. She forced a smile.
"It doesn't matter," she said firmly, enjoying the feeling of simply being again. Sora's eyes widened.
"But, Kairi, your heart-"
"Looking for this?"
Kairi's eyes darted up the looming labyrinth wall to where a figure sat lounging along the top, his long greying ponytail dancing in the wind. He was staring at his palm where a tiny crystalline fragment was spinning slowly, catching the sun and gleaming.
"Xigbar!" Sora exclaimed. He took Kairi's wrist and pulled her behind him as he summoned his keyblade. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you two to show up," he answered. "I knew you'd be passing this way sooner or later. Figured your little princess might be wanting this."
"Give it back," Sora growled.
"Just because you asked nicely?" Xigbar laughed. "That's not how this works. Y'see, you and I have a score to settle." Sora's grip on Kairi's wrist tightened. She winced.
"I beat you fair and square," Sora retorted. "You lost, Xigbar. Xehanort's gone. It's over." Xigbar only chuckled.
"That's not what I'm talking about." He curled his fingers around the shard of Kairi's heart and dropped from the ledge, kicking up a plume of dirt as he landed. Kairi ducked behind Sora, holding her breath and pressing her face in to his jacket until the air had cleared. "You broke the rules, Sora. The Power of Waking is for traversing hearts to reach worlds, not for traversing worlds to reach hearts. You know that. When you brought back all your friends, you reset the very nature of time itself, and that comes with a price."
"The price shouldn't be Kairi's heart!"
"It's not," Xigbar answered. "It's yours."
Kairi's blood ran cold. Sora's body went rigid and he gripped his keyblade with both hands.
"You can't have it," he bit out. Xigbar sighed.
"See… I thought you might say that. That's where my bargaining chip comes in." He held out his hand again, the shard of Kairi's heart floating above his palm. Her entire body yearned for it, singing out for its missing piece, and she grit her teeth against the pull. "So here's my offer. I give princess the shard of her heart back and let her go on her way, and you stay here with me." Sora clenched his teeth; the vein in his neck throbbed.
"I got a better idea," Sora retorted curtly. "How about you give us the piece of Kairi's heart and we all just walk away. I've defeated you before, Xigbar. I can do it again. Let's go, just you and me – Kairi doesn't need to be a part of this." Kairi frowned; her fingers tingled as she felt her keyblade waiting for her call.
"Sora-"
"Here's the thing," Xigbar chuckled, "she isn't exactly entirely innocent in all this either." Kairi stiffened as she felt his gaze flick towards her. She felt Sora shift his weight back until his arm was touching hers. "When you used the Power of Waking to completely destroy the natural order of things, you should have faded away. It would have restored the balance, so to speak, and we could have called it even. But princess here just couldn't let you go, could she? She should be facing a similar punishment for her part in all of this, but I figured the best chance I had of striking a deal with you was giving you the option to let her walk away unharmed. So what do you say?"
Sora's silence was damning. Kairi latched on to his elbow with a vice-like grip and pulled.
"Don't," she hissed. "I don't need it, Sora. I'm fine without it. Let's just go and we can-"
Pain. Her entire body erupted in white-hot agony that left her blind. Something snapped in her chest as her limbs erupted with fire. Sora was calling her name, but all she heard was Xigbar's laugh piercing through the sound of her own screams.
"Stop it!" Sora cried, his voice hoarse. "Stop it, please!"
At last it ended. They were on the floor now; Sora had gathered her in to his arms and was cradling her in his lap, murmuring her name in to her hair. She snared her fingers in his jacket and buried her face in his chest until her body at last stopped trembling. Xigbar sighed.
"See, here's the thing," he said, his voice light and casual as if they were discussing the weather. Kairi shivered. "My Master left me in charge of enforcing the rules. Keeping the natural order of things, y'know? Using the Power of Waking is one thing, and if I was gonna go around picking up every wannabe Master who used the power for their own gain… well there wouldn't be any left. But abusing it so much that you rewrite a fixed point in time? I can't ignore that, Sora."
"What do you mean, 'a fixed point in time'?" Sora demanded. Xigbar flashed a dangerous grin at them.
"'And on that land shall darkness prevail and light expire'. That battle was foretold years ago, and we all knew how it was supposed to end." His golden eye narrowed and his smug smile soured. "You should've died, Sora, and you should've stayed dead." Kairi's heart skipped a painful beat and she heard Sora's breath hitch.
"Well we didn't," Sora retorted. "Just let us go and-"
"What part of this aren't you getting?" His fingers tightened around the shard and Kairi's chest ached. "I can't let you leave. I'm giving you my best offer. If you don't take it then princess is gonna be trapped here right alongside you." Sora growled low in his throat. Kairi pounded weakly against his chest.
"Please don't," she gasped. "I can't lose you again, Sora." He clenched his eyes shut and turned away, the vein in his neck throbbing. She heard his teeth grinding together and felt the furious tremors that ran down his arms. After a while Xigbar sighed.
"Fine," he groaned. "Listen… maybe we can work something out, but I can't make it easy for you. You know that, right?" Sora took a deep steeling breath and peeled his eyes open, fixing Xigbar with a furious glare.
"What did you have in mind?" Sora asked. Xigbar tapped his chin and let out a theatrical hum.
"How's this?" he began at last, his golden eye gleaming and his lips twisted in to a satisfied sneer. "If you two can fight your way through this labyrinth and defeat me, then I'll give you back the piece of Kairi's heart."
"And if we can't?" Sora asked. Xigbar shrugged.
"Then you both stay here and face my Master." Kairi felt Sora stiffen as he considered the offer, his eyes never leaving Xigbar.
"What will we be fighting?" he asked.
"Just a few old friends," Xigbar answered conversationally. Sora's eyes narrowed.
"Xehanort?" he asked. Xigbar laughed.
"Don't worry, you've beaten the old coot for good," he answered. "You won't be seeing him again. So, do we have a deal?" Sora's eyes narrowed; Kairi felt his arms tighten around her.
"If we win, and we get Kairi's heart back, you let us leave," Sora said. Xigbar nodded.
"You'll be free to go, heart and all," he answered.
"And you can't use Kairi's heart against her when we're fighting," Sora added. Xigbar raised an eyebrow but nodded.
"Done." Sora glanced down at Kairi, and she saw the battle raging behind his eyes. She took a deep breath and laced their fingers together, giving him a small but decisive nod. He dipped his head, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw for the briefest moment before looking back up at Xigbar.
"Let us recover," he said, "and you've got a deal." Xigbar pursed his lips and tapped at his chin before grinning.
"You have until dawn," he said. He flicked his fingers, summoning a swirling portal of darkness behind him. "Sleep well." His chuckle lingered long after the portal had closed, and Sora was still as stone until it finally faded. Only then did he look to Kairi; he carefully helped her sit up, hands dancing across her arms as he studied her carefully.
"Are you all right?" he asked, a note of urgency in his voice. Kairi nodded.
"I'm fine, he just caught me by surprise. It didn't even hurt that badly." He didn't buy it for a second, she knew, but he didn't try to call her out on the lie. Instead he sat back on his heels and reached in to his pocket, drawing out his phone. Kairi reached instinctively for hers, but her pockets were empty, and so she fiddled with her bracelets as Sora stabbed his finger at the screen again and again, each time harder than the last, until eventually he let out a frustrated huff and wound his arm back.
"Sora, don't!" she cried. He froze, his hand trembling, before he finally deflated. The phone fell in to his lap and his shoulders slumped.
"I can't get through to anyone," he sighed. Kairi reached out and placed a hand on his knee.
"It's all right," she said, offering him the brightest smile she could muster. "I'm sure the others are coming for us." Sora grimaced, and he peered up at her through his drooping bangs.
"I… I kinda told them… I was gonna save you on my own…" he mumbled. Her heart skipped a painful beat as a rush of white-hot panic flooded her veins, but she quickly cooled it.
"And when has that stopped anyone before?" she asked. "Riku will come, and he'll bring the others." Sora lifted his gaze to the sky and smiled.
"Yeah…" he chuckled. Kairi followed his gaze, hoping for a miracle. None came. Eventually Sora took a deep breath and rose to his feet, offering his hand to Kairi. "C'mon, we should see if there's somewhere we can sleep. I think I saw a few alcoves when I was here before that we might be able to shelter in." Kairi took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. The sky overhead was growing dark and the sun had long since disappeared behind the walls of the labyrinth, plunging them in to shadow. Kairi shivered at the chill that was creeping under her skin.
"Kairi! Lookout!"
Sora was no longer beside her. His voice was some distance away, filled with a desperate urgency that made her heart stop. She turned, finding herself face-to-face with Gula; the eyes of his leopard mask gleamed as his keyblade caught her in the side and sent her flying.
"WIND!" Sora bellowed. He was sprinting towards her, hand outstretched, and the gust of wind that bellowed from his keyblade cushioned her fall. Gula's attention turned to Sora who, distracted by saving Kairi, was defenceless against Gula who span on his heel and caught Sora square in the chest.
"SORA!" His name tore its way from her throat as she reached for him, throwing her keyblade blindly. She realised what she'd done a moment too late and she panicked, reaching for Destiny's Embrace-
For a second she was weightless, and then her fingers were closing around the hilt. The momentum carried her forwards, sending her crashing in to Gula, and together they barrelled through the dirt. Gula was the first to recover, and as Kairi dragged herself to her knees she saw him watching her carefully.
"Interesting," he murmured. A dark corridor opened up behind him and he disappeared, though the feeling of his piercing eyes left shivers running down her spine.
Sora's hand found hers and he pulled her to her feet, sweeping her in to his arms and spinning her wildly.
"Kairi, that was amazing!" he crowed.
"S-Sora!" she spluttered. "Put me down! I'm going to be sick!" He staggered to a halt and carefully set her down beside the wall. She leaned heavily against it and slid to the floor, closing her eyes and swallowing the bile in her throat.
"Kairi, your head!" Sora hissed. She lifted her fingers to her temple and winced at the pain that lanced through her skull. Her fingers came away sticky; she didn't have to open her eyes to know that they were red.
"Do you-" She stopped to swallow a mouthful of bile. "Do you have any potions?" She heard him sigh.
"Sorry, I'm all out," he answered, "and I'm tapped for magic. We're gonna have to sit tight for a while, but at least it looks like Gula's backed off."
"For now," Kairi murmured with a grimace. She felt Sora sit down heavily beside her and she was grateful when his hand found hers; it was grounding, and it stopped her from feeling like she was still spinning.
"It's almost dark," he said. "I don't think they'll bother us again today." Kairi agreed, but the thought wasn't particularly reassuring. After today came tomorrow, and then the next day and the next… She shivered.
"Here," Sora murmured. She felt him shifting this way and that before gently coaxing her forwards to slip something warm around her shoulders. His jacket. She clutched at it tightly.
"But you'll get cold," she said, gritting her teeth against another wave of nausea.
"Me? Cold?" he laughed. "Didn't you once call me a human radiator?" She tried to laugh, but it was weak and it made her head hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain.
"We were inside," she countered, "and we had blankets. And walls."
"We have walls here," he joked. Kairi let her head loll back slowly until it was resting against the cold stone.
"A roof would be nice," she murmured. Her whole body felt heavy, like something was dragging her down into the ground. Sora's hand found hers again and he pried it from the hem of his jacket to knit their fingers back together.
"Hey," he murmured, "stay with me, all right? I'll have my magic back soon and then I'll have you patched up in no time." She sniffed; unable to nod, she squeezed his fingers tightly.
"Okay," she whispered. She felt him settle back against the wall beside her; his arm was hot against her clammy skin.
"Did I ever tell you about the time Goofy hit his head and we all thought he died?" His voice was so light and breezy that for a moment Kairi couldn't quite connect what he'd said to how he'd said it. It was so unexpected that she found herself laughing awkwardly.
"No, you didn't." He chuckled lightly.
"We were in Radiant Garden and we'd just defeated Demyx. This huge boulder came out of nowhere and was going to hit the King, and Goofy pushed him out of the way. The boulder hit him right on the nose and he went down. Really hard." She felt him shuddering next to her and she frowned.
"Are you… laughing?" she asked. He let out a stifled snort.
"It wasn't funny at the time, but thinking about it now…" He laughed a little and shifted his weight. "Goofy was just kinda… lying there, and me and Donald didn't know what to do. The King… ha… The King just ripped off his cloak and said 'They'll pay for this!' and just disappeared."
"What about Goofy?" she asked, desperately trying to ignore the pounding in her head. "I mean, I know he didn't die, but he was okay, right?" Sora laughed.
"Yeah, he was fine. He took a nap while we did all the hard work and then showed up right before we went down in to the thick of it." She laughed a little.
"That's good," she murmured. Sora squeezed her hand again and she felt him lean in towards her.
"Hey, Kairi?"
"Hmm?"
"Curaga!"
The aches and pains were gone in an instant, but when she opened her eyes he was no longer sitting next to her. Now he was some distance away, kneeling next to a fire and scowling at the flames. Kairi ran a tired hand over her face and stifled a yawn, and as Sora looked up from the fire the frown melted in to a smile.
"Hey! You're up! You sleep okay?" She nodded and stood, stretching and glancing up at the sky. The sun was already starting to peek above the walls and she frowned.
"It's almost midday." Sora shrugged.
"They haven't bothered us yet so I thought I'd let you sleep a bit longer. Plus I finally found a piece of slate I think will work." She glanced down at the fire where a thin sheet of rock had been stacked atop a tripod of smaller rocks. Two eggs were sizzling on the slate, though the edges were crispy and black.
Still, it was more than Kairi had eaten in a week since they'd run out of fruits and vegetables and food that could be eaten raw. Maybe longer. She'd stopped counting the days.
"I think they're burning," she said as she settled in beside him. He crinkled his nose.
"I haven't figured out exactly how to flip them. Or get them out of the fire. But," he added eagerly with an excited grin, "it works! They're cooking!" Kairi almost pointed out that 'burning' was not 'cooking', but then the breeze shifted and Kairi caught wind of the smell; even partially-cremated, they smelled good enough to make her mouth water.
After bouncing several ideas back and forth (in which Sora suggested carving a spatula from the stone walls), Kairi finally suggested that they would just have to put the fire out and wait for everything to cool down enough to pick up. The eggs were well and truly overdone by then, and they tasted more like charcoal and grit than anything else, but Kairi devoured hers in a single bite nonetheless. Her stomach grumbled, hungry for more, and she sighed.
"Is my cooking that bad?" Sora laughed. She smiled.
"Just hungry," she sighed. "I feel like I could eat an entire feast." Sora grinned.
"Well good! Because I hope you're ready for the main course!" One hand summoned his keyblade to relight the fire whilst the other reached deep in to one of his pockets. After several minutes of rummaging his eyes lit up and he pulled out the item he'd been searching for with a triumphant cheer. It was a small parcel wrapped in paper and string, and as he opened it up in his lap Kairi's eyes bulged.
"Is that… steak?"
It was; the paper fell away to reveal two raw beef medallions, and Kairi found herself excited and disgusted all at once. Sora placed the slate back across the fire and reached back in to his pocket again, withdrawing an assortment of herbs and spices which he began massaging in to the meat.
"Should we really be eating that if it's been in your pocket for the last few months?" she asked, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Sora only smiled.
"Magic," he answered, as if that was a perfectly valid explanation. Perhaps it was. He set the stakes on the slate and sat back on his heels. "We used to pick up all sorts of ingredients and take them back to Little Chef."
"Little Chef?" His eyes lit up and his face split in to an excited grin.
"He's a rat who can cook!" he exclaimed. "He taught me how to make all kinds of food, like steak and chocolate mousse and this fruity tart thing that was so good. He works at the bistro in Twilight Town – when we get out of here, that's the first place I'm taking you." His excitability was infectious, and Kairi found herself laughing.
"Not home?" Kairi asked. Sora shook his head.
"No way. First thing we're doing when we get out of here is getting something good to eat," he said decisively. "Then we'll get home. Otherwise I won't even stop to say hi to my parents – I'll just run straight for the kitchen." Kairi laughed at the thought of him barrelling through his home to raid the snack cupboard, but the thought of home soon had her feeling blue again. She squashed the feeling, fixing her gaze on to the sizzling steaks and forcing a smile.
"So instead of travelling through the worlds to save them from darkness, you were taking cooking lessons?" she asked. His cheeks flushed and he scratched the back of his neck.
"Well we were fighting heartless too," he said sheepishly. "It's just… well, Little Chef asked for our help, and we kept finding all these ingredients… We weren't there all the time, but sometimes if we were in town we'd just drop in and say 'hello'…" He looked up at her then, eyes finding the playful smirk on her lips, and he laughed. "You're messing with me." Kairi giggled. Sora scooped up a handful of dust and threw it in her lap; she shrieked and scrambled backwards.
"Glad to see you're enjoying yourselves." Kairi's blood ran cold. She rolled to her feet, keyblade in hand, and heard Sora do the same, but as she turned to face Luxu she instead saw only darkness. It was night time now; the fire and the steaks were gone. Kairi tightened her grip on Destiny's Embrace, peering in to the darkness to try and see what had made the sound that had set her heart racing. She held her breath for several long moments, but she heard only silence.
Sora groaned in his sleep. Kairi dismissed her keyblade and tiptoed back to him, dropping quietly down beside him. His face was contorted in sleep, and his fingers were curled in to white-knuckle fists as he tossed and turned almost feverishly. She drew his head in to her lap with practiced ease, running her fingers through his hair and murmuring his name. Usually that was enough, and with a bit of gentle coaxing she could often soothe him back in to a peaceful sleep.
This was not one of those times.
He sat up with a sudden cry that made Kairi's heart leap in to her throat as she scrambled back to give him room. He was trembling from head to toe, his breath coming in panicked gasps, and when he finally moved it was to rake trembling fingers through his frazzled hair.
"Sora?" Her voice was barely a whisper but he jumped nonetheless. He paused to catch his breath before turning to her with an apologetic grimace.
"S-sorry," he murmured.
"The dream again?" He nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" She half-expected him to say no, but after a moment's thought he grimaced and nodded. They both shuffled closer, leaning against the wall. Sora summoned his keyblade to re-ignite the flames that Kairi had let die shortly after he'd fallen asleep. It was warm tonight, and there was no wind. It was almost eerie how still the world felt without it.
"We were building the raft again," he began, his voice still trembling. Kairi's hand found his and she linked their fingers together, running her thumb absently over the back of his hand. "Riku went off to get more wood but he didn't come back so we went looking for him. We walked through the tunnel but when we came out we were in the Graveyard and then…" He trailed off with a shudder.
"The demon tower?" Sora nodded and clenched his eyes shut, clutching her hand like a lifeline.
"I couldn't stop it," he whispered. "I can never stop it-"
"Hey," she soothed, squeezing his fingers tightly. "It's okay. Everyone's okay now." He looked at her, his eyes full of sadness as they traced her face.
"But you're not." He freed his hand and placed it over her heart.
"I'm fine," she pressed.
"But-"
"I shouldn't even be here," she countered firmly, "but I am. Because of you. You saved me, Sora. You saved all of us, and you don't get to apologise for that." His smile was bittersweet and didn't quite reach his eyes. Kairi pursed her lips together and reached forwards, pressing her hand over his heart now, and she opened hers up to him – flooding their connection with all the love and admiration she could muster. He closed his eyes, his head dropping forwards slowly, and she leant in towards him to press their foreheads together.
"You shouldn't be here," he whispered, his voice thick. "You should be at home, with Riku. You should be safe-"
"I don't want to be safe," she said. "Not if it means I have to lose you again." The laugh that rose in his throat was stifled by a sob.
"You're so stubborn," he chuckled. Kairi smiled as the first tear ran down her cheek.
"I'm pretty sure I learned it from you." Sora tried to laugh but it sounded more like sobbing. His fingers trembled against her chest and their connection faltered, if only for a moment.
"I miss them," Sora whispered. "I miss them so much." Kairi tightened her grip on his shirt. Her other hand found his knee.
"Me too."
"They should have been here by now. They should have come for us-"
"They're coming," she said, though her heart betrayed her. It sent a rush of doubt along their connection, and she was dismayed when Sora's heart responded in kind.
"Invi said we've been here a year now. Where are they?"
Quickly their connection became muddied, clouded by despair from both sides, and Kairi grit her teeth against it. She thought of Riku, of how he had always looked out for Sora, and she thought of Axel who had never given up on her. The others, too, and whilst she didn't know them half as well as she would have liked she clung to the memory of them. Each one brought a glimmer of hope, some larger than others, and she pushed them all towards Sora.
"They haven't given up on us," she said. The shadows around Sora's heart shifted and she kept pushing, if only to blind him from seeing the doubts circling around her own heart. "They wouldn't." At last she felt something shift, and Sora finally nodded before lifting his face up to the stars. Kairi pulled back, both with her hand and her heart, and she watched him carefully. The moonlight made the tear tracks on his cheeks glisten, but he wasn't crying anymore. Instead he seemed deep in thought; she could practically hear the gears in his head churning as his face slowly shifted in to a frown.
"What if the reason we can't get out is the reason they can't get in?" he murmured. Kairi's breath hitched at the idea, if only because she'd had the same thought several times before. She'd been too scared to voice it aloud, scared that she would somehow make it come true. To hear Sora say it out loud… She shuddered.
"They'll find a way," she said, more to reassure herself than anything else. Sora's brow furrowed.
"But what if they don't even know we're here? What if-"
"We can't think like that," she said, because she didn't think she could pull him out of another spiral so soon and if he started on that train of thought again she knew she would follow. He turned to her, his eyes ablaze with ideas but his lips pressed tightly together as he studied her so intently it made her nervous. After a moment he relaxed a little, his lips curling in to a small, exhausted smile.
"You're right," he said. His voice was too light – the casual tone forced and unnatural – but she didn't call him out on it. He raked his fingers through his hair. "Why don't you get some sleep? There's still a few hours until sunrise."
"What about you?" He shook his head.
"I won't be getting any more sleep tonight," he sighed, "but there's no reason for us both to be exhausted." She wanted to argue – she'd survived with less sleep on several occasions – but he seemed almost eager to be alone with his thoughts for a while, and sleeping was the closest thing to privacy she could offer. So she smiled and lay down in the dirt, turning her back to him and resting her head on the crook of her elbow. For a while she heard only the popping of the fire until eventually – when he thought she'd fallen asleep, perhaps – Sora sighed heavily.
"Y'know, Riku," she heard him murmur, "anytime now would be great." Kairi's heart skipped a painful beat and she forced herself to concentrate on her breathing, counting her breaths in and out until she finally felt herself drifting off to sleep, but the moment she felt her body relax she was hit by a sudden blow that sent her tumbling through the air.
She hit the wall hard, knocking the air from her lungs, and when she opened her eyes she saw Aced looming over her, silhouetted by the midday sun with Gula at his side. They struck at the same time and she swallowed a scream as their keyblades crossed over her hips and pierced the ground on either side.
"Kairi!" Sora cried.
"I'm pinned!" she called back. He was locked in a fight against Ira and Invi, able to spare her little more than a passing glance as he blocked one attack and parried another.
"C'mon, Sora," Luxu drawled. "Aren't you tired already?" He was; Kairi could see it in the trembling of his shoulders as he fired several shards of ice towards Invi. Kairi tried to wriggle free, but the teeth of the keyblades cut in to her hips and sent a searing pain racing across her stomach. Aced and Gula stood like sentries beside their weapons, watching as Ira darted in to Sora's blind spot.
"Sora – behind you!" Kairi cried. Her warning came too late; Ira was already behind him, and as Sora turned Ira's keyblade caught him square in the chest and sent him flying towards her. He rolled to a halt just out of reach where he lay clutching at his side and gasping for air.
"Sora-"
"I'm f-fine," he wheezed, dragging himself to his knees. Luxu appeared beside him with a smug smirk.
"No he's not," he scoffed. He planted his toe in Sora's side and nudged him back in to the dirt. Kairi tightened her grip on her keyblade.
"Get away from him!" she cried. Luxu crouched down beside Sora with a grin.
"She really cares for you, doesn't she?" he asked, as though Kairi couldn't hear him. She lifted her keyblade, taking aim at Luxu, but Aced brought his foot down on her wrist and she yelped.
"Leave her alone," Sora hissed. Luxu laughed.
"You just say the word and they'll back off. Her fate is in your hands, Sora." Aced pressed harder on her wrist and Kairi grit her teeth.
"Sora, don't-"
"This isn't your decision, princess," said Luxu. "I think it's time you let Sora make up his own mind." His golden eye flashed dangerously as he glanced up at her and she swallowed bile, staring at Sora who was watching her, her agony plastered across his face.
"Sora, please. You promised we would do this together-" Luxu clenched his fist and Kairi's chest exploded in white-hot agony. A scream tore its way up her throat.
"Stop it!" Sora bellowed. The pain in her chest eased and Kairi clutched at her heart, clenching her eyes shut against the pain. She heard Sora growl dangerously. "You promised not to use that against her when we're fighting."
"But we're not fighting," Luxu retorted. "We're negotiating. There's a difference." Kairi grit her teeth and forced her eyes open, wiping her tears on the back of her hand before looking across to Sora with what she hoped was fire in her eyes.
"Sora." Her voice was hoarse and it hurt to talk; she clenched her hands in to fists until her fingernails punctured her palms. "Don't give him what he w-" Luxu squeezed again and the world disappeared behind a curtain of white-hot pain that robbed her of her senses. When at last it faded, she found herself curled on her side with her face buried in her knees. The keyblades that had pinned her down were gone, but she couldn't move; her limbs felt like lead, cold and heavy, and the corners of her vision were white.
"It doesn't have to be like this, Sora," she heard Luxu murmur. "It's you my master wants. Say the word, and she's free to go."
"S-Sora…" His name came out as a gasp. He lifted his head to look at her, red-rimmed eyes hollow. Resigned. He'd made up his mind. Kairi's heart stopped. "P-please… don't-" Luxu lowered his hand, placing the fragment of Kairi's heart directly in Sora's line of sight. His fingers began to curl; Kairi's heart leapt to her throat and Sora closed his eyes.
"I'll do it," he whispered. "Just… let her go." Hot tears spilled down Kairi's cheeks and her throat burned but her voice had abandoned her. Luxu grinned and rose to his feet. He nodded to Ira and Aced and they closed in, dragging Sora up roughly by his arms. His whole body was limp like a ragdoll, though he seemed to go out of his way to avoid looking at Kairi.
That hurt worse.
Luxu flicked his wrist and the portal opened behind him. Sora didn't fight as Ira and Aced marched him towards it, but as he came shoulder to shoulder with Luxu he stopped.
"We made a deal," he said, his eyes flicking to the glimmering shard hovering above Luxu's hand. Luxu smirked.
"Don't worry," he said coolly, "I'll be keeping up my end of the bargain. As soon as you're through that portal, I'll be giving princess the last piece of her heart back."
"And then you'll send her back to the islands." Luxu laughed a little and Kairi forgot how to breathe.
"I said she'd be free to leave," he crowed. "I never said anything about being the one to get her home." Sora's face paled and his eyes bulged as Luxu jerked his head towards the portal. Ira and Aced pushed Sora forward, and Kairi heard him cry her name one last time before he was swallowed by the darkness. Gula followed them through with Invi close behind, though she paused slightly – glancing from Luxu to Kairi with a deep frown before stepping through the portal.
"Well, looks like it's just you and me now, princess." Kairi shivered. Luxu sauntered closer and crouched down beside her, a wry smirk tugging at his lips. "You had a good run. Eighteen months… I honestly didn't think you'd even last one. Seems like I underestimated you." Kairi narrowed her eyes and dragged herself to her knees, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat.
"Let him go," she whispered hoarsely. Luxu chuckled.
"Can't. We made a deal. Speaking of…" He uncurled his fingers, letting the shard of her heart hover infront of her face. Her heart yearned for its missing piece, and it took everything in her power not to snatch it up.
"Keep it," she spat, "and give him back to me." He laughed, his golden eye gleaming.
"Still got that fire." He dropped to one knee, bringing the shard closer. It pulsed in time with her heartbeat. "Keep hold of that spark, princess. You'll need it if you're gonna get out of here."
"What are you going to do to me?"
"Nothin' at all," he answered. "A deal's a deal – Sora comes with us, and we leave you alone. Hey! Maybe those friends of yours'll come get you! That is, if they haven't given up looking for you." Kairi narrowed her eyes.
"They'll find us," she said firmly. Her voice was stronger now, and the world was no longer spinning. She straightened a little, drawing herself up on to her knees until she was nose-to-nose with Luxu. "They wouldn't give up on us."
"It's been more than two years since Sora left, princess. Even you didn't wait that long for him. But, hey, believe what you want. I'm only here to fulfil my end of the bargain." And before she could object he had thrust his hand forwards, plunging the shard of her heart back in to her chest with enough force to knock her on her back. Luxu was speaking but Kairi couldn't hear him over the roaring in her ears. Suddenly everything she'd felt since being restored came back to hit her tenfold, leaving her reeling.
By the time she recovered, she was totally alone. She gulped in a mouthful of air and it came back up as a choked sob. She curled in on herself, burying her face in her knees and letting herself succumb, letting her grief snare her and drag her down, down, down…
"Kairi?" Naminé's hand found her shoulder and she squeezed gently. Kairi slowly peeled her eyes open, pulling herself back to reality. The Graveyard was gone; instead she was lying at the centre of her heart station with Naminé kneeling next to her. Naminé's eyes were rimmed with red and her cheeks were wet and splotchy. She gave Kairi a sad smile and helped her to sit up before wrapping her in to a tight hug. "I'm so sorry." Kairi buried her face in Naminé's shoulder and held her tightly. They stayed like that until Kairi finally ran out of tears, and when she pulled away she felt drained and hollow. Naminé reached out, brushing the last of the tears from Kairi's cheeks with her thumbs.
"Are you going to be okay?" she asked softly. Kairi wanted to say yes, but the lie wouldn't come. Instead she closed her eyes and shook her head, reaching out to grip Naminé's arm.
"Don't stop there," she pleaded, her voice hoarse. "Don't let that be the last thing I remember."
"That's all the memories I could find," said Naminé. "If I'd known that one would be so bad… I should have thought-" Kairi shook her head.
"I kept some of them hidden," she said. She opened her eyes, staring up at Naminé. "You told me I could, remember?" She heard the desperate plea in her voice and she was relieved when Naminé squeezed her hand and nodded with a gentle smile.
"I remember," she said. "But Kairi, you don't have to. If you want to keep those memories private-"
"I have to see it," she said. "I have to remember. I can't let that be the last memory I have of him, Naminé. I can't…" Naminé studied her, watching her closely for several seconds before she finally nodded.
"Okay." Carefully she helped Kairi to her feet, and she held Kairi's hand tightly as Kairi summoned Light's Promise. She pointed it at the centre of her heart station where the shadow of a keyhole appeared. After a moment it flared, releasing a glistening pearl of light in to the air. It floated slowly towards them like a feather, and when it came to hover between them Naminé glanced to Kairi one last time.
"Are you sure?" she asked. Kairi nodded, her eyes never leaving the memory. Naminé reached out, taking the memory with both hands, and Kairi took a deep breath as the labyrinth reappeared around her.
"C'mon, Kairi, I know you can do it!" Sora was standing behind her, keyblade in hand and a broad grin on his face. She turned towards him, tightening her grip on Destiny's Embrace and dropping low. Her entire body ached and she grit her teeth as she wound her arm back, eyes fixed on Sora who was ready to deflect her attack. She twisted, throwing her keyblade out in front of her, but it did little more than tumble end-over-end in to the dirt between them. She sighed and let her shoulders droop.
"I'm never going to get it," she moaned. Sora straightened, dismissing his keyblade and scooping hers out of the dust. He offered it to her with an encouraging half-smile.
"Well Strike Raid is pretty difficult," he said, "but I'm sure you'll get it. And even if you don't, it doesn't matter. You still haven't taught me how to do that warp thing that you can do." She sighed and took her keyblade from him before banishing it.
"Because I still have no idea how I'm even doing it." Sora laughed.
"That's how I learned to do half the stuff I can do. You just kind of… do it and figure out the rest later." She rolled her eyes at him, unconvinced, which only made him laugh harder. "C'mon, let's call it a night. Why don't you get a fire going and I'll see what we're having for dinner tonight." That made her laugh a little. She set about stacking up the handful of dried twigs and debris that they'd gathered over the last few nights of foraging while he began rummaging in his pockets. After a while he caught her eye with a dramatic sigh.
"What?" she asked.
"I don't know how to tell you this," he began solemnly, "but… I think we're all out of pocket meat. Lots of pocket fish, though." Kairi rolled her eyes and laughed. He twisted, his arm disappearing up to his elbow inside his pocket as he rummaged inside. There came a loud squelching noise and his nose crinkled. "Oh yeah, lots of pocket fish."
"Why so many?" she asked. He shrugged, pulling two large mackerel out of his pocket.
"I spent a lot of time in the Carribean," he answered. He stole two sticks from the fire before Kairi had a chance to light it and he skewered the fish, resting them over the fire. "Hey, remember that time we went camping on Play Island for Riku's birthday and my dad taught us how to cook fish?" Kairi remembered; her mum had made her invite Selphie so the two could share a tent, and she made Kairi promise not to go in to the boys' tent alone. Kairi had wanted to learn how to cook the fish, but Selphie had dragged her in to the water to swim instead.
"Looks like you're finally going to teach me," she said, settling down beside him. "You did promise, after all." He laughed a little and scratched the back of his neck.
"Oh yeah," he chuckled. "I never did get round to that, did I?"
It was truly dark by the time they finished eating. The fire was slowly dying; their magic could only sustain it for so long without something to burn, and Kairi felt cold without it. A cool breeze was whistling through the labyrinth, and she rubbed her arms to try and stave off the chill.
"Here," Sora offered, shrugging his way out of his jacket. He held out an arm and she eagerly accepted the invitation, shuffling closer and allowing him to drape his arm and jacket over her shoulder. She curled in to his side, resting her head on his chest and tangling her fingers in his shirt. It didn't get particularly cold in the labyrinth, but Kairi's lack of a jacket certainly made her more susceptible to feeling chilled by even the slightest breeze.
(And, of course, there was something so comforting about being curled up next to Sora that made her perhaps complain about the cold a little more often than she really needed to.)
The fire finally died some time after the stars came out, taking the last of the warmth and plunging them in to darkness. Sora's stomach gurgled, punching through the silence, and he laughed.
"You know what I could eat right now?" he asked. "Steak. Just a whole steak. Wouldn't even have to cook it." Kairi crinkled her nose.
"That's disgusting," she laughed. Sora snorted.
"Because what we've been eating recently has been such fine cuisine." She prodded his chest, which only made him laugh harder. "What about you? What's the first thing you wanna eat when we get out of here?" She shook her head, shuffling in closer to stave off the chill. His arm tightened around her.
"I don't want to think about food right now," she murmured. "Too hungry."
"Aww, c'mon," he pouted. Kairi sighed, and chewed her lip. There were lots of things she could eat right now. She missed chocolate and sweets, and those little jam tarts that Selphie had been obsessed with. She even missed the school's cafeteria food; soggy chips and sloppy burgers and dry sponge cakes swimming in something that was supposed to be custard.
"My mum's cookies," she said at last. They were always perfect, no matter what her mum put inside them – crumbly without being dry, and held together by a thin layer of icing. Her sweet tooth ached and she bit the inside of her cheek; what she wouldn't do for a cookie right now. "Her cinnamon cranberry cookies were the best."
"I always liked her paopu cookies better," he answered. He fell silent for a moment, his fingers dancing anxiously across his thigh before he added: "I… uh… I always used to wish she'd put real paopu in them." They'd joked about it several times, especially once they were old enough to understand those sorts of jokes, but there was something in his voice that told her he wasn't joking now. There was a note of hesitation that cut through his usual bravado, coupled with the way he refused to meet her eyes, and it set butterflies fluttering around her stomach. She sat up a little taller.
"You did?" she asked. He nodded.
"I just… I always wanted to be with you, no matter what. I didn't ever want to lose you." Kairi's heart skipped several nervous beats.
"Well here I am," she said. Sora nodded stiffly, his whole body tense.
"Kairi, I…" He trailed off, a myriad of emotions playing over his features. Kairi felt her heart flutter in to her throat.
"Yes?" she breathed. He glanced down at her then, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. His nerves were quickly becoming hers, and she didn't miss the tremble in his fingers as he reached out to brush her hair from her eyes. He'd done it so many times before, and yet there was something about this time that stole her breath away.
"I…" How she longed for him to finish that sentence. Her eyes searched his, excited and nervous and impatient all at the same time. Suddenly his expression lit up and he smiled. "I want to show you something." Those hadn't been the words she'd been expecting (and certainly not the ones she'd been hoping to hear). She swallowed past the lump in her throat.
"Oh?" she asked. It was a struggle to keep the disappointment from bleeding in to her voice. "What is it?" His grin widened and he reached out for her hand, taking it in both of his. He hesitated then, and his smile faltered as he locked eyes with her.
"Do you trust me?" he asked. The uncertainty in his voice made her heart beat faster. Unable to trust herself to speak she instead nodded, and when he looked down at their hands her gaze followed. He lifted her hand, pulling it towards his chest where he pressed her palm over his heart before closing his eyes.
Slowly she became aware of a strange feeling – an unusual presence pressing against her mind. Her first instinct was to recoil, but Sora tightened his grip on her hand and pressed it harder against his chest. At once she understood; the presence was him. Was this what he wanted to show her? She bit her lip and focused on the feeling as she tried to figure out how to let him in.
The moment Sora's heart connected with hers she found herself assaulted on all sides by torrents of emotions. She gasped, closing her eyes and clutching at his shirt to keep from drowning. Finally they began to settle, and as the tempest eased Kairi found that she could begin to tell one feeling from another. Admiration. Pride. Happiness. Awe. Hope. They swirled around her, filling her heart with a rich warmth that spilled out in to her chest and began coursing around her body. Slowly the emotions drained away, pouring themselves in to her fingers and toes until only one emotion remained.
Love.
It wasn't the raging, passionate love that Kairi had read about in teen novels, nor was it the fleeting desire of new love that risked leaving as quickly as it had arrived. This love was rich, vibrant, and unconditional in a way that made Kairi's head spin. She could see now why he'd had such trouble putting it in to words. Perhaps there weren't any that could truly describe how deep the feeling ran – this selfless sort of love that was just as important to him as breathing.
Slowly she opened her eyes. He was watching her closely, his gaze equal parts fear and hope. She opened her mouth, but what could she say? He had left her reeling, barely able to remember her own name amidst the outpouring of emotions that rushed from his heart to hers. She couldn't speak, and so instead she took his hand and pressed it over her heart. She latched on to the connection and flooded it right back, sending him wave after wave until she could no longer tell where her heart ended and his began. He gasped, his eyes wide, and he lifted his free hand to cup her cheek.
"Kairi," he breathed. At the sound of her name she surged forwards, catching his lips with hers. Their first kiss was messy and clumsy, their hands still clutching at each other's hearts as their teeth clicked together, but when Kairi at last felt him melt against her she thought that there had never been a more perfect kiss.
Naminé lingered over the memory and Kairi drank it in until all the others became a blur. When at last they returned to their bodies, Kairi could still feel his lips against hers, and the shard of Sora's heart pulsed with echoes of everything they'd shared that first night. Kairi smiled and placed a hand over her heart while the other reached for Naminé.
"Thank you," she whispered. Naminé smiled, eyes glistening, and she gave Kairi one last tight hug before they made their way out of the cave.
It was truly dark when they emerged. The bright moon overhead suggested that it was at least midnight, if not later. Donald and Goofy were snoozing nearby beside a dying campfire; Naminé was the first to spot them, but as she began making her way towards them Kairi snared her wrist and pulled her close. The hairs on the back of her arms were standing to attention, and alarm bells were ringing in her mind as her stomach twisted. They were not alone.
"Finally!" Naminé gasped as Luxu emerged from the shadow of a nearby tree. Kairi placed herself in front of Naminé, keeping her gaze fixed on Luxu as he came to a stop several paces away. "I thought I was gonna have to come in there and break you two apart. Did you have a nice trip down memory lane?"
"What do you want?" Her voice was quiet and steady; Luxu arched an eyebrow, though his surprise quickly shifted to a smirk.
"It's time, princess," he answered. "Go get your friends and come meet us at the Graveyard tomorrow. Sora's waiting." He was trying to get a rise out of her, and it felt satisfying not to give it to him. The thought of Sora kept her smiling and she waited just a little too long before answering; long enough that Luxu's smirk faltered ever so slightly.
"We'll be there."
Another long one today, but I have been waiting a long time to write this chapter. I had a lot of fun bringing some of my headcannons to life and giving you a little glimpse in to life inside the labyrinth.
Quick note for anyone who's interested: Sora's family name is never confirmed in canon, so I enjoyed coming up with something for him. In Kanji, it is written as 星保 : –
星 [ほし • hoshi] (meaning: star)
保 [ほ • ho] (meaning: protect).
I had to! I love it when names have significance.
I would love to know which of these memories were your favourites, or whether there was anything you were really hoping to see this chapter. Please drop me a review or a DM to let me know what you thought, and I'll see you next time!