Sora didn't know exactly how he'd ended up in the middle of Aqua's study, covered in the remains of failed spell attempts. Memories of himself arriving at the Land of Departure and begging for her help to craft an enchantment flashed his mind, but all he knew in the moment was that he had to keep trying.

He'd been restless ever since he'd found out the specifics of the protection spell Aqua had cast on Kairi's pendant. It had briefly come up when they'd all reunited in Yen Sid's tower, but the looming threat of Xehanort and the Organization had taken precedence. When the subject of her protection spell came up again in casual conversation and she'd spilled it's specific intended purpose, Sora had squeezed the blue-haired mage into the tightest hug he'd ever given.

Many thanks had spilled from his mouth, though he wasn't sure exactly what for.

For protecting her.

For sending her to us.

To me.

And now here he was, crafting his own enchantment in the study of a Keyblade Master far more skilled in magic than he was. She stood back and observed, saying that the spectacle was worth more than any messes he made.

"The enchantment you want is extremely personal," Aqua had said, "it's not something that can be easily repeated, and will require equally personal touch."

Sora didn't complain about having to do the actual crafting on his own. It wouldn't feel right giving Kairi a gift that had been made by someone else anyways. But the repeated failed attempts, the sheer amount of literal blood, sweat, and tears poured into its assemblage made Sora miss the days of merely plunging a Keyblade into his chest for her.

Atleast he had an excuse to be gone so long. He'd told Kairi that Aqua had agreed to train him in high level magic, and he technically wasn't lying. Little did he know how much potion crafting and enchanting had become a hobby of hers.

Sora winced as he combined the base magical components with the custom ones once again, carefully stirring them together to the right consistency before adding another. With each failure, he'd made little steps further along and learned the various don'ts of spell-crafting.

Don't let that sit still for too long.

Don't breathe in those fumes.

Don't get impatient when heating components.

To his surprise, everything had run smoothly thus far in this attempt. He added the second to last ingredient, petals of a bright red carnation, and the mixture turned an incandescent violet in color.

That was new.

He stepped back and watched it shimmer, steady and stable. Aqua perked her head up and leaned forward, eyeing it carefully.

"It's ready," she said. "Quick, add it now."

Just one final ingredient, a simple drop of his own blood. He'd endured enough physical and mental pain throughout the past week that a simple prick of the finger paled in comparison. A simple needle did the trick, and he held his hand as far out as he could over the basin. His pulse drummed at his fingertip, and a thought crossed his mind.

I wonder if it will feel the same for her.

Despite the fear that something could go horribly wrong, Sora couldn't take his eyes off of the red drop as it fell from his fingertip into the mixture. A puff of steam rose from where it made contact, and the concoction turned from violet to a warm red, though still just as luminescent.

Sora took a deep breath and pulled his hand back. The hue alternated between shades of red to the beat of his own heart. A beaming smile pulled at his lips, and Aqua gave his back a reaffirming pat.

"You did it, Sora," she smiled proudly.

A relief-filled sigh escaped him. "Now I just have to apply it."

He was already waiting for her in the secret place. What was left of the evening sunlight illuminated the cave and all of their childhood drawings. He was crouching in the far corner near the door with no handle, and she could easily guess which drawing his hand was running over. At her approaching footsteps, however, he snapped his attention to the cave entrance and stood.

He'd returned from training with Aqua earlier in the day, so perhaps he was just tired and jumpy. But something seemed more off about him.

"You wanted to meet me here?"

"Yeah," He smiled. "I got you something while I was gone."

Kairi's heart nearly melted. Of course Sora would be so selfless even while training. "Sora, that's so sweet, but-" she tilted her head to the side. She'd trained with Aqua before, so she knew her training regimen - and its lack of free time for gift shopping. "How did you find the time?"

He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I was with Aqua, but I wasn't training exactly. She helped me make something."

With a shaking hand, Sora pulled a small vial out of his pocket. It contained a luminescent red liquid, more shimmery than a normal potion. He held it carefully before her, and the hue shifted as it moved under the light.

"It's beautiful," she said, leaning down to get a closer look. The last few seconds only added more questions. The mystery behind it intrigued her, but she merely looked to Sora for answers.

"Can I see your necklace?" He asked.

She glanced down at the small jewel dangling in front of her collarbone. It had been a part of her wardrobe for as long as she could remember.

"Of course, but what about it?" She clutched it in her hand before standing straight.

With a deep breath, he uncorked the vial. His whole focus was on the tiny trinket around her neck, but he broke his concentration briefly to meet her eyes. He shot her a smile, his eyes filled with enough admiration to turn her cheeks warm. She still couldn't handle when he looked at her like that, and she didn't think she'd ever be able to.

He began, "Do you remember what led you to Destiny Islands?"

She glanced to the side, recalling their brief conversation in Yen Sid's tower. "Yes," she answered, "Aqua cast a spell of protection on me."

His lips twitched into a smirk. "Do you remember what she said when she cast that spell?"

"No?" She cocked her head to the side. "Sora what-"

"She said that it would carry you to the light of another. That they would protect you when your heart was in danger."

Kairi opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. There had always been one person who'd protected her heart. One person whose light welcomed her own in when others sought after it. One person who'd made stupid reckless sacrifices to save her. And that person was-

"Me. It led you to me, Kairi." His eyes reddened with tears that she hoped were from happiness. She fought back her own, because whenever he cried, she cried. He continued, "And I couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift."

A few tears escaped her defenses and came out with a nervous laugh. "Sora," she pleaded with her voice, knowing her heart couldn't take much more.

"I made a promise to you, that I'd always be with you," he continued, "and I wanted to get you something to remind you, no matter where you are, no matter what you're going through, no matter how far apart we are. My heart is with you."

Before she could speak, he lifted his free hand to trace a sigil in the air. His fingers moved quickly, but she could swear they were shaking. He spoke an incantation in a language she'd never heard before, and the contents of the vial glowed. She flinched when the glass vial shattered, but rooted herself in place. The natural light around them dimmed. No longer contained, the magical red glow rippled outward and danced around them, showering her in sparks. He took one step closer, and she reminded herself to breathe, completely hypnotized by it all.

Gently, he touched two fingers to her pendant. His hand was shaking, and she would've held it within her own to calm him, were she not frozen in place. The magic surrounding her followed his movement and quickly converged on the small jewel. She drew in a quick breath at the sudden motion and squeezed his hand - when had he taken her hand? He gave her a gentle squeeze as reassurance.

After what felt like an eternity, the glow slowly faded. The cave around them returned to normal.

At first, nothing felt different. But in the still silence, Kairi felt the slightest little vibration against her chest. It was soft, rhythmic, and barely noticeable. She reached up to grasp the pendant exactly like she had a million times before. At her touch, the sound amplified exponentially within her mind. It had been faint before, but now it was unmistakable.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

"I-" she choked out, shaking her head in disbelief.

He looked at her with a bashful sense of wonder in his eyes. "Did it work?"

A heartbeat.

It quickened as she held it longer. With the way he was looking at her, she knew whose it was.

His heartbeat.

She couldn't hold it in any longer and stumbled forward, throwing her arms around his waist and pressing her head to his chest. She had to hear for herself, and sure enough, the rapid beating next to her ear confirmed what she'd already known.

The cracks in the dam behind her eyes burst, shedding tears onto his shirt. His own arms encased her in return, and she never wanted to let him go.

This was real.

He wasn't a dream.

And if anyone, including herself, tried to tell her otherwise, the proof was right in front of her. Even if their memories faded or were stolen away, their hearts would always remain true.

"I love you," she whispered.

He tilted his head down and kissed the top of her hair. "I love you too, Kairi. Always will."

She giggled and pulled back to look up at him. He'd been crying too, and her heart overflowed with more love and admiration that she ever thought existed. Her hand came up again to feel his heartbeat through her pendant, gripping it like it contained her whole life - in that moment, it really did. She cupped his face and brushed away his tears with her thumb.

"You realize that now I'll always be able to tell when you're lying," she smirked.

"Like I'd ever lie to you." He returned the favor against her own tears.

She smiled, not caring that joyful tears continued to fall down her cheek and onto his hand. "Alright, you win gifts this year."

He smiled triumphantly and laughed, and her eyes shifted from his face down to his crown necklace.

For now.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I wanted to honor Sora's birthday by posting the first part of this fic in which he and Kairi share very special and personalized gifts with each other. I know Sora's giving a gift here, but he strikes me as the kind of person who gets more joy from giving gifts than receiving them.

I want to thank PhoenixDowner as well for the inspiration on what kind of gifts Sora and Kairi would make for each other!

Part 2 should be done within the next couple of weeks. I hope you all enjoyed!