Disclaimer- I do not own any of the characters from Kingdom Hearts I or II, or Final Fantasy.

Notes- w00+! I know you may all be wondering why Sora was so merciful... Don't worry. I've got it all figured out. I am the author, after all... so on with chapter 24!

Chapter 24- Reunited At Long Last

Sora ran off in the direction of his friends, dragging Fleur behind him, as she could barely keep up. He had just begun to lose stamina and stumble a bit when he was stopped by an all-too-familiar voice.

"Sora? I... is that you?" Came a sweet, innocent voice.

"K... Kai? Kairi?" He struggled to say her name.

From out of the shadows appeared a lean figure with auburn hair, lengthened from the years worn by. She was stumbling a bit, not used to walking for awhile.

"Sora, it is you!" She gasped, her eyes filling with tears of happiness. She began to run forward but tripped. Just before she hit the ground, two hands came from behind her and grasped her arms.

"So clumsy... and now she's hallucinating..." said a deep voice, talking to himself. The hands lifted Kairi back onto her feet, and were followed by the body of a young man emerging from the shadows.

He was taller than Kairi, with straight silver hair that fell at different lengths. He wore black jeans, black shoes, and a yellow shirt with a black hoodie. His eyes were the purest shade of turquoise.

"C'mon, Kai..." he whispered to her. "We'll get out of here..."

"But look! It's Sora!" She nearly yelled at him.

"Kai! We both know Sora is-" He was stopped mid-sentence as he looked up to see his best friend accompanied by an unfamiliar face.

"No... way..."

"Riku... it's me!" Sora said excitedly.

Riku paused, then running forward with an outstretched hand to prove to himself that he was no dreaming. As his pace slowed, his hand came into contact with Sora's shoulder. He stopped, unbelieving of the fact that he had finally found Sora again.

Sora smiled, and the boys yanked each other into a hug like that of brothers separated for far too long. When they parted, Kairi was standing next to them. Sora grabbed her and held her tight.

"No way... I can't believe it! I thought you guys were done for!" He breathed.

"No Sora... We're here." Kairi said breathlessly. "And... I can't breathe!" She gasped once again, and Sora let her go with a laugh.

"So..." Sora began. "I hear you guys are lookin' for a one-way ticket outta this dump." He said jokingly.

"You know how to leave?" Riku asked curiously.

"Yea..." He answered, grabbing Fleur around her waist. "Hold on!"

Riku and Kairi looked at each other oddly. When they looked back at Sora, he was beginning to glow, and they quickly decided they should do what he said. They both grabbed onto his shirt and became engulfed in the light.

Sora awoke lying on the library couch with Fleur draped over him. Kairi was asleep sitting up, leaning against the couch. Riku was under the coffee table. As Sora stirred and sat up, Fleur awoke as well. Sora looked around the room and saw his friends on the ground, which made him smile uncontrollably.

"Should I have rooms prepared for them?" Fleur asked quietly, but loud enough to wake Kairi.

"Yes... two I think..." Sora answered. He looked down at Kairi who had crawled over to Riku.

"Riku... Riku..." She shook him gently. "Wake up..." Getting no response, she leaned down and kissed him lightly. He rolled over and looked up at her.

"I love you..." He said before his head hit the ground again from fatigue.

"Maybe... on second thought, just one." Sora corrected himself.

Notes- Woohoo!!! Home again, and with more friends to fill the castle... Happy Holidays! Maybe I'll do a Christmas chapter... What do you all think? Yes or no for the holiday special? R+R!

-VarekaiSoleil