5. Memory

Kairi discreetly rolled her eyes when she caught sight of Sora slouching face first into her table in the middle of her room. Tutoring Sora was an uphill battle simply due to his general disinterest in academics. He would rather be running outside then being cramped inside doing homework.

She knew this because he took almost every opportunity to lament his position. If it wasn't so cute she would've been fairly annoyed. At the end of the day Sora would be Sora no matter what she did. And she really appreciated that.

Still she did agree to help him, "Get up Sora. The homework isn't going to complete itself. You know if you don't do better your mom is going to be disappointed that you didn't put your best effort."

The grimace that overtook his features made her want to break out in laughter. Sora's expressions could be so amusing at times. Fortunately, he stopped with the face and went back to his homework.

While he was still his amusing self, having him in her room felt weird now. Sora and Riku had been in her room plenty of times before and after the confession, but the weirdness occurred when Sora was the only guest. She took it as a personal blessing that he took things in a lot more stride. His calmness eased her slight nerves greatly.

Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same thing about her other close friend Riku. Just like right now, he had been obsessing over the raft that they had playfully agreed to make. Things between him and her were getting… tense. It was never more blatant then when he began questioning her about life in her old world. There was a deep seated longing as he shot out question after question at her. Worst of all, he was sharp. Some way or another he began believing she now knew more than she let on.

She didn't think for a moment that Sora had broken her trust, at least intentionally. It could not be stressed enough how sharp Riku was. He could run mental circles around Sora on his worst days. If it all was going to be out in the open, she wanted to be the one who made the decision.

"I never really thanked you for that day at the mansion," she began. When she saw that he was giving her his full attention, she continued. "Looking back, I nearly got us killed and I didn't even explain everything."

Sora blinked in surprise, "You're welcome, but you don't have to explain. It was important to you right? I was glad I could help you."

Warmth encompassed her heart from his words alone. This was why she had so much faith in him even after all these years. She felt reassured of her decision, "I know, but I want you to know. It's important and I hope you can keep it between us."

She shifted her body so she could reach behind her in the space beneath her bed. Feeling the now familiar texture, she pulled out the journal and placed it on the table, "For the longest time, I couldn't remember my time before the islands, but the mansion was familiar. It was familiar in a terrible kind of way. I hated the place even when we were little, Sora. But, I couldn't stand not knowing anymore. I prayed that the mansion had some link to get me to remember anything. I got what I wanted."

"That's great," Sora said. His excitement dimmed when he realized that she didn't share his enthusiasm.

"The journal is from a man named Xehanort. He was a man obsessed with the mysteries hidden in light and darkness. That creature you defeated was a heartless, a being born from a person's heart succumbing to darkness. Reading the book was nerve wracking. It was like I was listening to the thoughts of deranged man. Then, it started to come back to me."

Her words became slurred as sorrow overcame her. She made futile attempts to stop the tears that stung her eyes and stained her cheeks. All she could do was stop herself was breaking down, she bared it all to Sora, "I remember my old home. It was so beautiful. Trees ran straight through the towns and there were fountains with the most beautiful architecture. You would've loved it, everyone would've.

But we can't go there anymore, Sora. It's all gone. One day darkness appeared out of nowhere and consumed everything. So many people were consumed by the shadows. I don't know how I escaped, but the last thing I saw was my grandma being overrun by those disgusting monsters! I couldn't do anything about it.

My home is gone, Sora. Out of everyone there, why did I make it out? Why couldn't I save one person?"

Kairi could not longer fight it and broke into a sob. She didn't know when it happened, but Sora had moved to her side. The next thing she knew she was pulled into his warm embrace. Gentle hands rubbed her back in soothing circles as he whispered, "It's alright, Kairi You're safe now. I can't even begin to imagine how hurt or miserable you feel from your memories, but we'll pull through this, I know it. You have a new home, friends, and family. They can support you. I can support you. And don't you think you owe it to your world and your loved ones to live a happy life?"

Kairi continued to sob into Sora's arms for a long while. Fortunately, Sora had all the time in the world.