AN/ Enjoy the last chapter!

Epilogue: Sora's Side

Honestly, it'd been a very long time since Mickey had visited Yen Sid twice within the same week. But this was important. And the last visit had been important, too.

Mickey didn't bother knocking on the door, or with any of the other formalities. He just barged in, in a slight panic.

"Someone told me Xehanort's coming back," he said, urgently. "Is that true?"

Yen Sid didn't even blink.

"Ah, so Xemnas has been defeated, then."

Mickey stared. He wasn't sure if he should be horrified or—well, in hindsight, he couldn't actually say he was surprised. He'd come to ask Yen Sid about this for a reason, after all. If Yen Sid knew, there was no reason to say he hadn't known for a while, now.

"You knew… So why didn't you tell me!?"

"It would've only discouraged you, to know the battle to be so long," Yen Sid explained, very calmly. He wasn't fazed by Mickey's frustration, but that wasn't exactly a surprise, either.

"But if I'd known—"

"You would have done what?" Yen Sid interrupted.

Mickey started to answer, but stopped before sound could leave his lips. There were many things he supposed he could've done, sure. He just wasn't cruel enough to actually go through with any of them. So he just sighed and hung his head.

"I dunno…"

Yen Sid said nothing.

Mickey took a deep breath, then looked up at him again. When he spoke, he was much calmer this time.

"…but he is coming back?"

"Yes."

Mickey nodded. Grimaced. This was going to be a long battle, and he certainly wasn't looking forward to it.

"Any idea when he'll come back?"

"Unfortunately, that I do not know." Yen Sid sighed. He sent a brief look out his window, studying the stars. They obviously told him nothing, or nothing worthwhile, and he turned back to Mickey. "But be on your guard," he instructed. "Oh, and… perhaps Sora should be told."

"Right…" Mickey said, slowly. He nodded again, more determined this time. "I'll keep an eye out."

"And you will tell Sora?"

Mickey waved his hand slightly, dismissing that thought. "I'll tell him later. Wouldn't want to worry him now. He's been through a lot today. He deserves some rest."

Yen Sid smiled, ever so slightly.

"Now you see why I waited to tell you."

Mickey silently admitted that Yen Sid did have a point there, but decided against saying so aloud.

"Well, thank you," Mickey said, instead. He started for the door, to leave.

"Mickey, I would not be so disheartened," Yen Sid called after him. "If Xehanort is returning, then do you realize who will be returning with him?"

Mickey paused, eyes narrowing as he thought. If Xehanort was coming back… and he'd bring someone else with him… Mickey's mind flickered over a few enemies—no doubt they'd be back, actually, and that was only even more disheartening. Who could Yen Sid be referring to that would…

"Of all names I expected to hear, that was not one of them."

"Terra!"

Mickey felt a grin growing on his face. Terra was with Xehanort. Somewhere. He had to be. If Xehanort would come back, then there'd be no reason why Terra wouldn't, too.

But…

"Oh… can we save him though?"

Even if Terra would return with Xehanort, hidden somewhere at the back of Xehanort's heart, would it be possible to save him from Xehanort's grasp?

"I think… there is hope," Yen Sid replied, slowly.

The grin returned to Mickey's face.

"I've gotta go tell Aqua!"

xxx

The sand whipped up around their ankles with the displacement of the air caused by them appearing via star shard. It was night, and they stood on the edge of town. Part of this was just to get them out of the way, but the rest of it was so that Sora could see the ocean. The island wind and the smell of the sea about whacked Sora in the face.

He was home.

He took a few deep breaths, savoring the salty night air, and the sound of the waves against the ears. Honestly, he felt a little light headed. It'd been way too long.

"Mmmm…" Kairi inhaled deeply, too. She looked about as jittery as he felt. After a second, she crinkled her nose. "Ooh, something smells gross."

"The fish," Sora replied, without hesitation. The harbor wasn't that far from here, and the smell of fish usually carried far from the fishermen's boats.

"No, actually…" Kairi leaned in and sniffed him. "Yup. It's you."

Sora took a step or two away from her. "Kairi!"

"Seriously, Sora, when was the last time you took a shower?" Her tone said she was angry, but the glint in her eyes said she was teasing. She also couldn't quite keep her mouth turned down in a frown. The corners kept trying to turn up.

Sora thought about it, scratching the back of his head.

"Uhh…. I don't think… you want… to know…" he answered, slowly.

"Ugh! That's disgusting!" She shoved him. She was grinning.

"Weeellll," Sora replied, defensively, though he was grinning too. "Did you expect me to take a shower while I was staying with Maleficent? That'd be weird!"

"Oh. Oh good point." Kairi grimaced with sympathy. "That'd be weird. That'd… I... I don't blame you."

Sora smiled and nodded. His smile fell to a grimace as he remembered: "Oh, hang on! That's right, I did take a bath while I was staying with Mickey."

In all the excitement of everything else that had happened this past… day or so, he'd initially forgotten. Kairi raised her eyebrows and studied him for a long moment. Just as he expected to get some sort of teasing remark about forgetting or clearly not washing well, she said very plainly:

"You still stink."

Sora threw his hands out in front of him, exasperated. After all the fighting he'd been doing, it wasn't exactly a surprise he smelled disgusting. He felt pretty gross. Before he could tell Kairi that, she broke out into a grin and took his hands in her own. She bounced up and down a little with excitement, and good gravy was she taller than him? Maybe it was just because she was jumping, but Sora swore he had to look up a little to meet her eyes.

"You wanna swim?" she asked, pulling him down towards the water.

"I… I dunno, Kai—"

"Sora!" She dropped his hands in frustration—threw them down, actually. "Since when have you ever turned down swimming!"

"It's getting dark," Sora replied. "We should probably get heading home."

"Like your parents are gonna care if you're missing another hour or two? You've already been missing for six months! They'll be happy to see you regardless."

She had a point there. But…

"I—" he began.

"Sora, when was the last time you went swimming?" Kairi put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows.

Sora shrugged. "I don't remember."

"Great!" Kairi broke into a grin. "Then this is the perfect time!"

"Kairi—"

"I will shove you into the ocean if I have to."

Sora rolled his head back and groaned with frustration. "Oh my gosh, fine. Yeah. We can swim."

Kairi beamed at him, and bent down to take off her shoes.

"Last one to the water is a rotten egg!" she cried.

Sora laughed and followed after her.

THE END