A/N: ...Y'know, it would really do you good to read the author's notes. CherryIzzy, s' okay. Sometimes the notes do get a bit irritating.
Long chapter. Fortunately, this is one of the most lighthearted chapters I've written so far. YAY.
Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, this would be KHIII. And then Sora/Antiform would be the hardest boss battle in it, and he'd look hella cool. Yep.
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Promise
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R e l e a s e / R e s t o r e
-ano hino chikai wo ima mo?-
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Kairi never really did like mornings. She was more of a late sleeper, anyway.
The sunlight filtered through the peach curtains of her room, announcing in a rather irritating fashion that it was the dawn of another day, and that yes, she had to get up now.
And she did.
Yawning, she sat up and rubbed the dried crusts of tears from the edge of her eyes. She had the funniest dream last night...but she was sure it was impossible, because right now, she was in her own room in their home in Destiny Islands, not sprawled in the middle of the cold marble floor of the Addled Impasse.
She was in the midst of swinging her legs out into the floor when she realized that today was Sora's birthday.
Instantly her shoulders sagged and she put her face in her hands, trying to calm herself. She got up and threw back the curtains, the sun's warm rays seeping through her tank top and pajama bottoms.
frush frush FRUSH
"Huh?" her eyes widened, and she pushed her windows open. She distinctly heard something go bump or crash into the bushes right below her second-story window. Narrowing her eyes, she peered downwards, wondering if it was a burglar or something.
"Kairi?"
She squeaked and whirled around, only to find a puzzled Roxas staring at her from her open bedroom door. He raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing?"
"T-there was something outside---" she stammered, looking back over her shoulder. She certainly didn't hallucinate about it, and "--- what are you doing here?"
The blonde spiky-haired boy leant on the side of her doorframe and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, you're going to visit Sora, right?"
"Yes, so...?" she slowly said, staring at him.
"I came to wake you up," he explained. "Your grandma let me in, and she'll tell your dad that we're going to Disney Castle. We'll have to take a Gummi Ship --- I went to get Riku, but he slept in today, and he looked pretty much wasted."
"Oh." Kairi said blankly, not really comprehending that it was about seven in the morning, and that Roxas was standing in front of her, and that she was still dressed in the clothes she slept in. "Okay."
"I'll wait for you out front," He straightened up, waving a hand dismissively. "And take a shower, Kai. You look like you've gone through a hurricane."
She threw a pillow at him. He ducked, the pillow hit the hallway, and he stuck out his tongue.
That was the strangest wake-up call she had ever had in her entire life.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Requesting permission to dock. Princess Kairi, Wielder Roxas, passengers. No cargo."
"Permission granted. All clear."
"Hold on, kiddies!" the captain, Cid, a rather 'enthusiastic' (for the lack of a better word; if there was a book on curses and similar words the temperamental toothpick-chewing mechanic would have been the author and publisher) man from Traverse Town, hollered. "Might be a bit rough!"
Kairi rolled her eyes and prepared to yell back in Cid's ear that he didn't need to yell, since this was a private four-seater Gummi Ship and that she and Roxas could hear him loud and clear, thank you very much. However, she was cut off when the ship suddenly jolted backward, making her seatbelt almost choke her. She could almost hear Roxas laugh his head off.
"Cid!" she screeched. "Don't do that!"
He only grinned maniacally before the ship jolted forward and she was pressed back into her seat this time. She stared outside the windshield at the castle-laden world of Disney Kingdom as it loomed upon them.
After Roxas had left her room, Kairi had taken a shower and dressed in her usual pink not-in-school dress, smoothing the hood she had never used back. She pecked her grandma and her just-awake father on the cheek good-bye, not missing the sympathetic looks on their faces.
She found Roxas shuffling his feet on their front porch, stealing disracted stares at somewhere she really didn't care to know. Let him be. He was probably going through as a hard time as she was, considering it was because of him that they were visiting a gravestone instead of throwing a party in the first place.
They didn't have much trouble at the Destiny Islands Gummi Ship Terminal; in fact, they were even offered the ride to Disney Castle. The Island citizens were pretty much a close-knit family, and everyone knew it was the optimistic-turned-renegade Keyblade Master's birthday today. In fact, Kairi noticed with a grateful smile, all of the islanders had a sky-blue ribbon wound around either their upper arm, wrist, ankle, or tied up in their hair. It turned out Selphie was giving them away at one corner of the Terminal. The jade-eyed brunette somberly handed her and Roxas one each; and she found out that every single piece of ribbon had a silver crown stamped on its end.
Gummi Ship personnel assured her that they were providing them with the best transportation possible --- when Roxas offered to pay for the ship ride with Organization XIII money, they politely declined, either out of courtesy or of just plain fear from associating with Roxas.
Well, Cid may be the best pilot on the face of the universe, but he was just brash. Yes. That was the word.
The Gummi Ship shuddered to a stop, and the blonde mechanic spent a few minutes staring outside the windshield before gesturing them out the sliding door with a gruff "What're you waiting fer!".
Kairi noticed he had a sky-blue ribbon tied around his wrist.
Roxas put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her out gently, sending a Look in Cid's general direction. Kairi couldn't help but smile. The blonde boy was overly protective of her; it was like he was the brother she never had. Never mind that he was also the brother she never had that killed the person she loved. She could sometimes see Sora in him --- she took care never to say it out loud, but Roxas often reminded her of Sora. He really did.
"Hey, go on ahead," Roxas said loudly, breaking her out of her thoughts. Kairi stared at him, puzzled.
He ran a hand through unruly blonde locks. "I'll have a word with the guards. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"
She shrugged. "Sure."
They parted ways at the garage entrance to the castle, Roxas going to the guardhouse, she walking on towards Disney main. Chip and Dale squeaked greetings at both of them before Roxas shooed her off.
She walked on with a puzzled smile on her face and a raised eyebrow, right into the red-carpeted Colonnade, with a magnificent view of one of the Courtyards.
Kairi looked up into the blue morning sky, shielding herself from the rather harsh glare of the sun. Hmm. It was sunny today. Might be some kind of sign.
She shook her head vehemently. What the heck are you thinking, Kairi?she silently yelled at herself. Sign? Hello?
Sighing, she walked down the steps from the Colonnade leading to the main courtyard, listening to the rustling of grass under her feet. She had heard that the Palace gardeners would not go near to this courtyard anymore, claiming that the spirit of the fallen Keyblade Master was haunting them and such. Kairi knew, however, that there was no such thing; Sora Hikari was now resting inside his once-Nobody, Roxas. Permanently.
Well...that's just as good as dead, right?
She walked across the courtyard until she was standing right in front of Sora's memorial stone (since it couldn't be called a grave, seeing that there was no dead body to start with). Sighing, she reached out her hand until her fingertips grazed his name incised in the white marble.
His stone was about three feet tall and half as wide, with a marble crown placed on top and a marble Kingdom Key driven into the soft earth beside it. The real Kingdom Keychain was dangling from its hilt; King Mickey had given it up once he found out the Reverse Keyblade was at his call once more. The King had a fountain built to replace to bushes in the center of the courtyard, saying something about grass statues not really suiting the atmosphere.
"Happy birthday, Sora," she murmured, kneeling down, mentally telling herself not to cry. After all, she was supposed to be a princess. Princesses are not supposed to cry.
Kairi dug her hand into the bag belted to her skirt and took out Oathkeeper. It had remained with her ever since Sora had tossed it to Riku, who in turn gave it to her. Hey, she made it for him, originally. She then took out a folded slip of paper and placed it, together with her thalassa-shell charm, right at the base of his headstone.
The folded piece of paper was the note she had sent into the ocean. It had been carefully folded and tucked into Sora's journal.
Thinking of you, wherever you are---
Well...it had brought Sora and Riku back once, right? It wouldn't hurt to hope that somehow it'll bring the brunet back to her...would it? Together with the Oathkeeper...
Sora had promised on the thalassa-shell time that he'd come back...
"You would've been seventeen today, right?" she laughed weakly. "And you would've gloated over the fact that you're already seventeen while I'm only sixteen, even if we're only months apart. And then all of us would've went down to the beach and celebrated, and then you would've just snoozed in the sand, you lazy bum."
She bowed her head.
Tears spattered the manicured grass at her knees.
"Kairi..."
She shook her head, trying to dry her tears at the sound of Roxas' voice. He was standing quite a few feet away from her, hands behind his back and a look of worry etched on his face. "...It's okay, I'm okay Roxas."
He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.
"Well, not really, but I'll be fine."
"See? It wasn't so hard to admit it, right?" he smiled, taking his hands from behind his back. Clipped between two fingers was a slip of paper, and he threw it right at her direction.
It was a card, she found out, a rectangle of paper cut with three triangles on one end. She ran one finger along one side, and not surprisingly, a thin line along said finger formed and blood bloomed from it. The edge was as sharp as a knife's. She flipped it over, and gasped.
"I found it when we were fixing Naminé's room. She was the one who made all the cards Sora used in Castle Oblivion, and, apparently, she drew that one just before starting on rechaining his memories," Roxas explained, crossing his arms and looking away.
On the card was a painting of Sora looking back over one shoulder, with one hand raised in goodbye.
"It has no special use," the blonde continued. "It's just a drawing...and it's yours to keep."
"Thank you," she blinked, and tucked it inside her belted bag carefully, before staring back up at Roxas. "You know," she paused, struggling to remember the dream she had last night. "I had the weirdest dream last night."
He looked confused. "Huh?"
"I dreamt that you stabbed yourself with the Dark Keyblade," she sighed, twiddling her fingers and ignoring the growing smirk on Roxas' face. "And then, you know, it worked, and..."
"You're giving me ideas, Kairi," he said quietly.
She shook her head. "No, you idiot. It was just a dream, I mean, it couldn't be true, since," Kairi stole a glance at him, "You're standing there..."
A very uncomfortable silence.
Roxas grinned.
"Who says it couldn't be true?"
He stepped to the side, revealing an equally happy Sora.
She stared.
Sora grinned sheepishly. "Uhh..." he scratched his head. "Hi?"
- - - - - - - - - - -
"Smooth, real smooth," Roxas muttered out of the corner of his mouth at the brunet, and he rolled his eyes. "Is that all you can say?"
His Other pouted and poked him rather hard at the back of the head. "Shut it, Roxie."
Roxas felt color flood his cheeks. "Don't call me---"
Kairi made a little whimpering sound, and they both turned their gazes back on her. It seemed that she finally found her voice. "A--are," she paused, looking very bewildered. "Are...you for real?"
Roxas stepped away from Sora.
The brunet raised an eyebrow, and glanced down at himself. "Last time I checked, I was."
Quick as a flash Kairi had gotten to her feet and ran at Sora, flinging her arms around him and tackling him to the soft grass, tears sparkling in the morning sun as she did. Roxas was glad he had stepped away as he made his way back over to them, smiling approvingly.
"You're here, you're here," the auburn-locked Princess was saying over and over again, with her head on his chest and her arms around his neck.
Sora had closed his eyes and tucked her head under his chin, with his own arms wrapped tightly around Kairi. Amazingly, he was crying too, probably out of happiness.
Roxas choked at the fluffiness of it all.
Hm. Sora's Plan had worked...although Roxas thought it was a waste of time.
▫three hours earlier▫
"Roxas, Roxas, wake up!"
Roxas shifted, and wriggled deeper into the warmth of his blankets, praying so hard that the person who was shaking him awake (who was probably Axel, the conniving best friend that he was) would just go away and leave him alone.
"Roxas ---"
"Go away, it's a Saturday and I want to sleep in," he mumbled into his pillow.
"Roxaaaaassss..."
"I told you---" he paused. Axel never whined when dealing with Roxas; usually, it was Roxas who did the whining. He blinked and peeked out from under his covers.
Roxas would've screamed if Sora had not stuffed his fist halfway down his throat. Okay, that might've been an exaggeration, but still.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he blinked, and paused. "What the hell am I doing here?"
Sora hovered over him with his sky-blue eyes big and mischievous and freakin' scary. Considering that Roxas himself had killed the owner of those eyes, it was scary indeed.
The brunet put a finger to his own lips and got to his feet, motioning to Roxas to follow him out. He sat up and rubbed his forehead, feeling a bewildered headache coming on. Surveying the room, he almost fell out of his bed when he saw Naminé sleeping peacefully on the bed opposite his.
Resisting the urge to yell out loud and run around in screaming circles, he hurried outside his room and quietly shut his door.
Sora greeted him with a loud cheer and a huge grin. "I don't know how, and right now I don't care. Kairi's sleeping in the room I woke up in, and I want to surprise her."
Roxas blinked. "Dude, she's going to be surprised if she just sees you."
"C'mon, please?" he pressed on, turning his eyes into puppy ones. It suddenly hit Roxas on how effective his puppy-eyes were, since staring at Sora was like staring at a mirror. "Please, Roxas? I mean, it's my birthday! Please?"
He sighed, and slapped his forehead. "Fine. Wait until I get over my shock, then fine."
The grin Sora had on his face was enough to power Halloweentown the whole Christmas season.
"Okay, okay," he said hyperly, as if he had just woken up from a nap rather than from death-fading into Roxas. "I just cast sleep on her. Portal us over into Destiny Islands and I'll explain on the way..."
--
"Now what?" Roxas asked irritably as he and Sora crouched among the bushes that were right underneath Kairi's window.
"Wait for her to wake up then tell her you two're going to Disney Castle, y'know, 'cause I'm supposed to be dead," Sora explained with the energy one would not associate with somebody who was supposed to be dead. "Riku's back in the Castle that Never Was, so make up some kind of excuse or something. Act sad. Look gloomy and furrow your eyebrows like you usually do."
"I can't act!" he said indignantly.
"Yes, you can, you're a Nobody!" the brunet shot back. "Now---wait, there's a centipede on your shoulder, let me--"
Roxas panicked (for centipedes were not his cup of tea, thank you very much) and hurriedly brushed it off, making a ruckus in the process for the hundred-legged worm was thrown right at Sora, who he found out had a large aversion to those things.
They froze (with centipede escaping underfoot) when Kairi threw her windows open. Sora prodded Roxas repeatedly until he got the message that he was to portal up to her room now.
So he did, and the charade started.
"Kairi? What're you doing?"
▫present▫
Sighing, Roxas slapped his gloved hand to his forehead at the surrealness of it all. Here he was, watching as Sora and Kairi hugged on the green grass of Disney Castle's courtyard, when he himself was supposed not to exist anymore. What happened? Last thing he remembered was saying goodbye to Naminé...
"Well, somebody had gone over the top with the PDA."
Kairi suddenly sat up, and Sora propped himself up on the grass on his elbows. Roxas looked over his shoulder to find a smirking Riku standing behind him. The platinum-haired boy walked up to his side and cocked his head thoughtfully. "Get a room," he drawled.
Kairi blushed with a previously unknown shade of red while Sora's mouth dropped open. The brunet carefully sat up and then got to his feet, mouth working indignantly.
"That," Roxas managed to get out between chuckles, "Is priceless, Riku."
"I try, Roxas," he replied before grinning. He turned to face Sora once again and his grin mellowed into a smile. "Nice to see you back."
Sora mutely extended a hand. Riku took it with his opposite one and they shook hands. Somewhere in the middle the two boys were hugging each other tightly and Riku's voice was cracking and Sora was grinning and crying at the same time.
"I missed you," Riku was saying, eyes gratefully shadowed by his long silver bangs. "Honest to God, I really did miss you."
Sora pulled back and beamed a shaky smile, swiping at the edges of his eyes. "You should've."
They laughed together, and Kairi clasped her hands in happiness as she joined in the hug.
Roxas sighed wistfully and took a step back, leaning against Sora's headstone. It was like intruding into a very private moment --- although he had spent more than a year with these people, he still felt like a stranger. After all, the trio had shared a colorful past. He himself had no past to speak of, so he was understandably sad.
After a few minutes of just basking in the knowledge that Sora was back, impatience got the best of Roxas and he voiced out loud his curiosity. "Does anybody know how exactly I'm still here?"
Sora furrowed his eyebrows, tapping a finger against his chin. Kairi alternated her gaze between the three of them. Riku just smiled and put a hand on his hip.
"You never did ask me for help, Roxas," the platinum-haired Wielder slowly said. "I was watching the whole time..."
- - - - - - - - - - -
Axel ran soundlessly across the Colonnade, going unnoticed by the three Wielders and one Princess of Heart. Well, Roxas' eyes had darted in his direction more than once, and the corners of the blonde's mouth were upturned into a ghost of a smile.
It had caused quite an uproar when the blonde flaxen-haired girl had walked, yawning, into the kitchen earlier, demanding breakfast. Lexaeus, who had been scrambling eggs, stared at Naminé for a good five minutes before setting down a plate of eggs in front of her with directions for the toast.
She was halfway through breakfast when Larxene asked her casually if she had had a good night's sleep. Naminé probably remembered what had happened to her (and the fact that she was supposed to be gone forever) judging from the way she blanched. Xemnas then portalled into the kitchen, asking why Kairi was in the room next to Roxas'.
As if it wasn't enough, Rinoa, wings spread wide and amber irises bleary, appeared on the stool next to Naminé in a flash of feathers.
Understandably, the kitchen burst into chaos.
Zexion then entered the picture, and soon enough, they calmed down enough somewhat to try and find where Sora, Riku, Roxas, and Kairi might be.
Naminé led them to Disney Castle. Unfortunately, they had to get through manually; the Cornerstone had been partially reactivated --- alllowing them to enter but preventing the use of the Corridors.
So now Axel was running. He wasn't really used to it; he was more of a portalling person.
He blinked, and skidded to a stop. The Cloaked Schemer was leaning against a pillar standing near the main stairs, staring fixatedly at nowhere.
"Zexion?"
The lilac-haired Nobody blinked, turned to him, and then resumed staring off into space. "Fifth floor, left wing, right stairs."
"Huh?"
He smiled. Honest-to-goodness smiled. "Don't play dumb. Now shoo; find her, and good luck."
Axel raised an eyebrow before nodding, and climbing the stairs. Zexion was sometimes just unreadable.
- - - - - - - - - - -
▫ten hours earlier▫
Riku watched sadly as both Roxas and Naminé faded into strands of light and back into the two figures lying on the marble. Swiping a hand to the edge of his eyes, he walked over to Sora and Kairi, wondering what he was to do next.
They never even asked him for help.
He sighed and he turned back to where he was standing earlier, beside the entrance to the Addled Impasse. "You two can come out now," he called loudly, knowing that there was no way on earth that Sora and Kairi would wake up so instantly.
A few seconds later a sheepish Rinoa and a blank-faced Zexion walked out of the shadows.
"Aheh, forgot you were a bloodhound too," the ebony-haired sorceress laughed weakly, coming to a stop next to him. Zexion followed wordlessly, eyes scrutinizing the two. "So..."
"...I guess it's over," Riku supplied, peering at his two best friends lying unconscious on the cold marble floor. "Idiots, all of them. Roxas was a close friend. Naminé was too."
"Well, the things you do for love," Rinoa said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Wait," he said, cocking an eyebrow in their direction. "Why're you here, anyway?"
"I wanted to check out a book from the Library. Zexion here was there, apparently debating with himself if he should go after Roxas or not, who just asked him if he knew where Kairi was," she explained, all in a span of ten seconds.
Zexion let out a noise of outrage. "I thought we agreed on no mind-reading!"
"I wasn't reading your mind, I was reading you. Besides, I can't read your mind even if I wanted to."
"Why not?" asked Riku curiously.
"I don't know," she shook her head. "He's strong in darkness, and I can't read Heartless minds. Weird."
Riku turned to number Six and smiled. "You're the most powerful in darkness in the Organization, right?"
"Just as you are, together with Sora and Kairi," he shot back, arms folded but looking happy all the same.
True. Even if Sora had the most powerful Heartless inside him, the brunet Keyblade Master still didn't know how to control it. Riku, however, had mastered the use of Xehanort, so technically Riku was the stronger one with the use of darkness.
"Oh, pssh," Rinoa snorted derisively. "I'm more powerful than the two of you combined."
"We know," he and Zexion said tonelessly, before bursting into laughter.
Riku eyed the lilac-haired Nobody laughing quietly beside him. He had never known Zexion could show emotion, much less laugh. Being a Somebody for a short period of time changed him a lot, and Riku thought it suited him pretty well. However, with showing emotions brought a certain kind of weakness...
"Y'know," Rinoa was saying, waving a hand to silence them, "I can bring both Roxas and Naminé back."
Riku stopped mid-laugh. "You can?"
She shrugged. "As long as it doesn't involve life, sure."
"How?" Zexion cut in, looking apprehensive.
"Riku takes on Roxas' responsibility," she explained, ignoring the strangled sounds Riku was making. "I know, light is supposed to control darkness, but technically it's much easier for darkness to control darkness. And then, Zexion, you have to guide Sora, just in case Riku can't take it."
Riku glanced at Zexion. "What do you mean guide Sora?"
The Cloaked Schemer brushed back his waterfall of hair, and Riku understood immediately.
"You'll have to sacrifice a great deal of energy and power, not to mention freedom," Rinoa continued, face turning serious. "You'll have to stay close to Sora all the time if you want to conserve energy. You'll be aware of his antiform every single waking moment, just like Roxas. However, by taking on his job, Roxas will be able to exist with a normal life.
"And you, Zexion...Just in case Riku fails, you're the secondary firewall, or something like that. Or the other way around; you and Riku can talk about this." She laughed. "It's very dangerous --- Sora does have a powerful Heartless. Once it reforms it'll come back with a vengeance, and it'll become progressively harder to deal with."
Riku shrugged. "Sure. I'll do it."
Rinoa blinked. "Uh... very dangerous? Doesn't ring a bell?"
"I'm in," Zexion added, uncrossing his arms. "Sounds good to me."
She shook her head exasperatedly. "Unbelievable. Just unbelievable."
"So, what do we have to do then?" Riku pressed on, becoming more and more excited yet nervous at the same time. He had no idea why, but the idea of trying to keep Antiform manageable sent adrenalin coursing through his veins.
Zexion was smiling again. "I want Thirteen and Fourteen back."
"Fine," Rinoa sighed. "You two'll be unconscious for a good thirty minutes after I bond you both to Sora. Let me ask you again: are you totally sure you want to do this?"
"Get on with it," Zexion cut in irritably.
Riku smirked as Rinoa's wings coalesced out of thin air and her chocolate-brown irises turned amber. "Let's do this."
He could swear he heard Zexion murmur something --- "We have a lot in common, Riku."
▫present▫
- - - - - - - - - - -
Zexion smiled wistfully as he started to climb up the steps where Axel had disappeared earlier, to get a better...view of things.
The bonding was exhausting, and now he vaguely felt the darkness of Sora's antiform formingin Kingdom Hearts. No matter. He'd have to deal with it after Riku failed, anyway. Not that the platinum-haired Wielder would fail, anyway; Riku had one of the strongest hearts Zexion had ever seen.
It was true. He and Riku shared a lot in common.
They both could track scent, and they both had forgone their own feelings for the happiness of the girl they loved.
Riku gave up for Kairi, and Zexion gave up for Larxene.
For Zexion never really reverted to Ienzo in the first place; he had fought and won easily. He only pretended to be Ienzo so that he could stay close to Larxene --- he was devastated when Arlene took over, but what had to be done, had to be done...
He only swore to himself to kill Axel if the pyrokinetic hurt Larxene in any way.
Existing was a puzzle sometimes, and it was a puzzle Zexion didn't mind leaving unsolved.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Riku paused after explaining everything. He raised his head and sniffed.
Sora, Kairi and Roxas looked on with bewildered and bemused expressions on their faces.
The platinum-haired Wielder smirked, walked to a nearby tree, muttered an apology to the Creator, and punched the tree trunk hard.
Understandably, it sent Naminé tumbling down from the branch where she was sitting on, eavesdropping earlier. Riku caught her before she landed on the ground and slung her over his shoulder, ignoring her indignant protests.
Kairi and Sora burst into laughter, with the redhead gushing about how Naminé was back and everything. Roxas was watching her with a particuarly bug-eyed expression on his face.
"Rikuuu," she whined, and whined some more, pounding her fists on his back, giggling uncontrollably all the time. "Put me down!!"
Naminé was the one who told the Organization to search Disney Castle first; she remembered that it was Sora's birthday today, and Kairi and Roxas were very likely to visit his grave. She guessed the brunet Wielder had hatched some Plan, knowing the way his mind worked and such.
Riku picked her up from his shoulder and passed her to a blushing Roxas' arms, with an annoying smirk growing on his face. "There you go, Rox. One sneaky blondie."
Roxas shifted, setting her down gently on her feet. "I thought you were asleep, Naminé."
She smiled mischeviously, peering up at the spiky-haired boy and at his stormy blue eyes. "I was..." she paused, and then continued with the sweetest voice she had ever dared to use. "I just didn't want to miss out on the action."
Naminé didn't like that particularly predatory gleam that suddenly shone in Roxas' eye.
"Action, huh?"
"Y--" she was suddenly cut off as she found herself pinned to the nearest tree with number Thirteen kissing her quite roughly. Naminé smiled against his kiss, and by doing so, allowed his tongue to slip inside her lips. Mhmm. Roxas, unsurprisingly, tasted a lot like Sea-Salt ice cream. Good stuff.
She could hear Riku pretend to gag loudly.
- - - - - - - - - - -
On the one-hundredth forty-two step, Axel paused, panted, and released his chokehold on the balustrade. He's going to kill Zexion for not telling him that she was up in one of the main towers of Disney Castle. Not only did he have to climb almost five hundred steps to get up to the fifth floor, he had to climb up an additional hundred-ish steps on the stupid spiral staircase. Not only was he dizzy, but exhausted to boot.
No matter, he thought, perking up almost immediately at the sight of a black-coated figure on the balcony just across him. It's worth it.
Axel paused for a moment to catch his breath once more ---Zexion's so dead---, and in that moment the figure spoke.
"They look so happy, don't they?" Larxene asked in his general direction, voice cracking.
He walked up to stand two feet from her. She was leaning on the balcony railing, head tilted and arms folded on the white marble. The two long blonde strands sticking up from her head danced in the breeze.
"Larx...You just ran off..." his voice trailed away, remembering how number Twelve squeaked on sight of the happy reunion, and practically sped off into the distance wordlessly.
"I...I was jealous...like I could even feel jealous," she laughed weakly, "You know? They...sheesh...go away..."
Axel stepped closer, and saw the blonde girl's shoulders droop visibly. "C'mon, Larx, snap out of it..." he put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to face him. She looked away, hands clasped together and clenched so hard her knuckles were white. "Please?"
"What about you, Axel?" she asked softly, closing her eyes. "Why're you here? Why'd you care so much for me?"
He sighed. "Because I love you, idiot."
She snorted derisively, but her voice was shaky when she spoke. "...are you in love with me, or are you in love with the idea of falling in love?"
Axel grinned, and wiped away a tear as delicately as possible with a steady finger. He then hooked said finger under her chin and tilted her head up, before stealing a kiss.
"That answer enough, Sparky?"
"Don't call me Sparky, stupid pyro," she muttered, before bursting into quiet tears, sobbing into Axel's coat as she did.
Smiling, he tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms around the Savage Nymph.
Yes. Life was good. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill Zexion after all. This was worth all the seven-hundred something steps he had climbed.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Finally, Roxas and Naminé came up for air. Sora could almost see Roxas' face split from the grin he was sporting. Naminé, on the other hand, was blushing spectacularly.
Riku had a look of mixed amusement and disgust on his own face.
Kairi had attached herself to his arm (not that he minded) and was beaming happily, interspersed with random giggles.
Sora allowed himself another smile. After all that had happened, it was hard to believe that all of them were here, smiling, laughing, having a reunion and everything.
His Nobody caught his eye, and Sora understood what Roxas was planning to do. They both smirked and nodded at the same time. Kairi had let go of his arm and was now eyeing the two of them apprehensively.
Naminé was apparently thinking of the same thing. She slowly backed away from Roxas. "What ---"
"Now!" Sora grinned as he picked up Kairi bodily. Roxas did the same with Naminé, and they simultaneously threw the two girls into the fountain. Riku rolled his eyes and then joined in the laughter.
"Sora! You bum!" Kairi spluttered indignantly, coughing in the two-foot deep crystal-clear water of the marble fountain. "That was just uncalled for!"
Naminé just broke the water's surface and shook her head, spraying water everywhere. "Roxiiiie!" She called, making the blonde boy blush scarlet. "Unfair!"
Sora caught Roxas' eye again, and they burst into laughter.
Unfortunately, they were too busy laughing to notice Riku sneaking up behind them. The platinum-haired boy pushed them with so much force that they both tumbled into the fountain, splashing into the water right beside the girls.
Sora looked up into his best friend's smirking face, and jutted out his lower lip in a pout. "Traitor!"
"Yeah! I thought you were on our side!" Roxas echoed, blonde spikes still managing to defy water.
"Ahhh..." Naminé said dreamily, "A real gentleman always sides with the ladies, right, Kairi?"
The redhead nodded, and Sora resisted the urge to dunk her under the water. Instead, he burst into laughter once more. Roxas stared at him for a second before joining in, and soon enough, they were all laughing like they had never laughed before.
It was nice, to be able to laugh once again, after a year of angst and sorrow.
"What in the world is happening here?"
Sora blinked, and got to his feet, sobering instantly.
King Mickey was running up to them, Donald and Goofy right at his heels. Behind them, leaning on a pillar next to the stairs leading down to the Courtyard, was a Xemnas with his eyebrow raised.
Sora stepped out of the fountain, and glowered. Never mind that he was dripping water everywhere, and that it ruined the effect. He still glowered. And when Sora glowered, it was a frightening sight.
Mickey stopped short.
Silence reigned for a good five minutes. The tension was so thick that it could be cut through with a Keyblade. Dark Keyblade, if Sora could stand it.
The King broke the silence first. "So. It's true. You're back, Sora."
"Have a problem with that?" he shot back, scowling.
"I---I..." to Sora's surprise, Mickey went down on one knee and bowed his head. Donald and Goofy gasped, taking a step back, bewildered looks on their faces. The Reverse Keyblade flashed to life in the King's gloved hands, and he set in horizontally in front of him. "If you want, I will relinquish the throne and Keyblade to you to pay for what I've done."
Sora blinked, and took a step back, heart pounding.
Him...King?
Uhhh.
He bit his lip, realizing what King Mickey was trying to do.
"No; you keep both," he said slowly, not really believing that he had just been offered kingship, and that he had just refused it. His voice and resolved strengthened with every word, however. "You can't buy me off, King Mickey. Anyway...you did it all for the safety of the realm of light..."
King Mickey's face turned hopeful, but the look on Sora's face quickly made it fade away.
"...but don't expect me to forgive you, or to forget this, in my lifetime," Sora finished in a steely voice.
The Reverse Keyblade was dismissed, and Mickey stood up.
He nodded mutely in silent agreement.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Rinoa sighed, and flexed her wings open. She then stretched her arms out and yawned. Seriously, bonding was something she had not done in a long time, and it took a hell of a lot of energy.
"Okay, my job here is done!" she chirped happily from their perch on the Castle's highest roofdeck.
Beside her, Zexion raised an eyebrow. "You barely did anything, Rinoa," he remarked, looking down into the scene in the courtyard below. He was leaning on the railing, with elbows on the marble.
"Eh? Does telling you guys how to control Sora's darkness barely count as anything?" she asked bemusedly.
Zexion pillowed his head in his arms, looking more depressed than anything. He shrugged, shooting Rinoa an exasperated look.
"Anyway..." Rinoa raised her head to look up into the sky, smiling slightly. "I have a Halloween Dance to arrange."
With that, she bid Zexion goodbye and portalled off.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
-ano hino chikai wo ima mo? - do you remember the promise we made? -
Hell, that was long. See? It's a happy chapter.
I brought Roxas and Naminé back. Yay. Only for them to kick the bucket again in the sequel. Maaaybe.
One more left. Yay. It's the Halloween Dance. And it's still happy...I think.
Happiness...
skitty 2004the continuation to your fic is coming soon. I'm still working on it; sooo sorry for taking so long.
Anyway, 400th review gets another fic. Yay.
Read and review; flames are welcome.