First of all, a sincere sorry for the wait. Life's been mildly busier and more distracting than I'd thought it would be.

Secondly. Okay, okay. This will not be the last chapter. But be prepared; the next one probably is going to be - unless I convince myself to write about the wedding. I've also decided that I don't have enough inspiration to write a sequel. Oh, and this is rather serious as well. The humor's kind of fading away as the story nears its close.

Anyway, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: Seriously. You've got the wrong person. No lie. I don't own it.

Hour Eight – Four p.m.

He checked his watch again, suppressing a sigh. They were almost there. The hours had passed relentlessly, and now all the progress made – if it could be called that – would most likely disappear into wisps of smoke because their hell-ride of a journey was coming to a close.

This time the sigh made it past his lips.

Searching for anything to distract himself from the wallowing pity inhabiting his mind, he darted his eyes about, gaze finally falling on the girl slumbering against him. He smiled, his heart twisting in his chest, and then he let his wrist fall gently, fingers brushing against her sleeve in an affectionate gesture.

It was almost over. It was really almost over.

Sighing again, unable to help himself, he looked back down at the redhead. With his left hand he smoothed hair from her face, the only thing he could think of to do, and tucked it behind her ear, feeling his face flush. How it had gone from them not able to have a conversation that didn't include insults to Kairi sleeping against him, he didn't know. But he was pleased with the change; he enjoyed her company.

Suddenly, the bus lurched as the wheels hit a large bump, and Sora hissed and pulled Kairi tighter as he was thrown forward with the momentum. Letting out a breath when the moment passed and all was calm, he leaned back and looked to the ceiling. It was one of the things he hated about traveling on a bus.

They were deathtraps, no doubt.

"Sora?"

He started at her voice, dreading the expression on her face as he noted his arm still around her shoulders. Chilling to the bone, he instinctively let go of his hold on Kairi, looking the other way and rubbing the back of his neck as his face flared, prickling sensations coursing from his cheeks down to his neck.

Honestly, though. Not only could he not act calm, but he couldn't even think of a way to defend himself. Instead, he had to panic.

Kairi made a small, curious noise, one that attracted his attention and stopped him from silently berating himself. Looking over hesitantly, still on guard in case she was prepared to slap him across the face and blame him for being a pervert – and he was not – for his arm that had been holding her against his chest while she slept, he caught her stretching her arms over her head, fighting to rid herself of her sleep-induced stupor. His lip twitched and he eased back slightly, amusement erasing most of his hesitance, albeit some still remained.

But, he reassured himself, if she really wanted to kill him, he always had the empty seat beside them to flee to as a last resort.

Still, he wasn't too sure Kairi being calm about this was good, either; he didn't know what to expect.

He retrained himself from ruffling his hair in agitated confusion. It was rather frustrating to be on edge when he didn't even know if he should suspect Kairi preparing to kill him or not.

Kairi, meanwhile, while he was lost in his mental paranoia, lowered her arms and tilted her head at him, hair falling into her eyes as she grinned. "Guess I ended up using you as a pillow, after all."

Glancing up, Sora stared at her blankly for a second, wondering if this was some kind of secret tactic to catch him even more off guard so she could lure him into a false sense of security. But, deciding that her smile was too infectious for him to think further along those lines, he allowed his lips to twitch hesitantly and then spread into a wide smile slowly. Finally, the smile he'd been withholding revealed to her, he laughed softly, easing comfortably back into his seat.

Running a hand through his hair, composing himself, he nodded his head and glanced out at the scenery briefly, catching the scarce foliage blur past as tall buildings began to spring up, indicating city life. Discontented with what he saw, he then looked forward, interest pinned on the seat in front of him.

He had no interest in the scenery anymore.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked casually.

"Good," she murmured, lingering hints of exhaustion slurring her words slightly. He smiled. "Better than I have in a while, actually. And thanks for not leaving me at a random bus stop."

He smiled at her. "I thought about it…"

"Well, I appreciate you not giving in to your thoughts."

"And what do you mean it's better than you've had in a while?"

"I'm surprised you needed to ask," she murmured, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. "Well, anyway, I didn't get to sleep until near dawn last night." She yawned again. "I work too much, remember?" she said with a weak grin. "And so all I had to keep me up today was bitter coffee and fighting with you. Only, the coffee wore off."

He grinned good-naturedly. "Glad to see I was useful, then."

"Mm," she murmured, smiling, and then leaned back, clasping her hands in her lap. "But I'm in a much better mood now."

"I don't think I can handle that. I've never known a happy Kairi."

She looked over and grinned at him. "To think I make you more uncomfortable when I can actually stand you."

"It's a difficult concept to swallow."

She giggled softly and looked out the window again, tapping her nails on the window. As she quickly became absorbed in her own thoughts, slight smile tipping he lips upwards, he grinned softly and looked down, putting an earphone in his ear. A second's delay and then the music was on again, so that a comfortable silence filled the gap between them as both were lost in their own musings. Drumming his fingers on his knee, he surveyed the bus again, only catching a few heads rising above the seats. Checking his watch again, he frowned.

Why did the time seem to be going faster now?

"Sora?"

He looked over, pulling the earphone out. "Hmm?"

"I thought of a new game," she said, looking from her window to him. "Wanna play?"

He shrugged, cutting the power and shoving everything back into his pocket. Then, grinning, he crossed his arms and looked back to her, interest captured at the prospect of a challenge.

"All right. Let's have it."

"It's called Confessions." She glanced over at him once, to make sure that he was listening. When their gazes caught, she stiffened slightly, blinking rapidly before she looked back to the window to talk to her own reflection. He arched an eyebrow in confusion. "We…we each have a turn, and we have to tell each other one fact we didn't know about the other. And you can't add on to or repeat what the other person had to say."

"So, it's like truth or dare without the dare?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a little more complex? You can't just state an ordinary truth. It has to be about how you felt when something happened, what affected you, and so on."

"In other words, you want to get to know me without actually admitting so."

She turned back to him, expression cross as her brow twitched. "Do you want to play or not?"

He smiled. "Fine. You first."

"No, you this time."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Gee. Thanks."

"I'm listening," she said, folding her hands in her lap.

He found himself laughing at her antics as he leaned back. His smile soon slipping away as a thoughtful expression befell his features, he scanned the writing on the back of the seat before him and then averted his eye to the ceiling. "Should we start at an age limit? That might work better."

"Uh, all right. Let's go with…high school."

He flicked his gaze downward, a dry expression on his face as he pinned her with an impatient glare. "Again. Thanks."

She tilted her head and smiled innocently.

"Ugh," he grumbled. "High school." Leaning forward, resting his cheek on his hand as he propped his elbow up on his knee, he stared forward thoughtfully for some time, recollections flickering in his mind and passing just as rapidly. And then he sat back slowly, shrugging his shoulders as he thought of something. "Well…I hated everyone on my soccer team."

She tilted her head at him curiously, elegant brow arched and hands spread across her lap. He wanted to say she seemed interested, but he also didn't want to be too hopeful.

"Then why'd you play?" she asked.

"Because I didn't hate soccer; I hated the team." He rolled his eyes at the memory of them, rubbing at his arms. "Man, were they all assholes."

"But…you did track, too."

"So?" he asked, not catching the tie-in.

She rolled her eyes. "If you hated teams so much, why did you do another sport?"

"Oh!" he replied, allowing his attention to stray from her eyes as he understood. "Oh, that's easy. It was because I was competing against myself. Out there, it was just me running, or just me racing against a person I didn't have to get along with. I liked the track team." He grinned slightly, remembering how much fun he really did have competing. And then he looked to Kairi, realizing his turn was up. "Now you."

She looked down thoughtfully, fidgeting with her skirt as her lips twitched. "Umm…I studied endlessly."

"Yeah, I know," he replied dryly, rolling his eyes. "You were perfect, remember? Probably never got out of the house or did anything because you were too busy holed up in your room studying for every test and quiz."

She glowered at him darkly, fidgeting hands immediately curling to clench the fabric of her dress. "That is not true. I'll have you know, I went to plenty of parties. I…I even got drunk at a junior party right before midterms."

He arched an eyebrow, starting. "Wait. I heard about that one. Was that the one where everyone was getting high off pills and mostly everyone present became drunk out of their minds?"

She nodded hesitantly, going back to fiddling with her skirt.

His eyes widened in realization. "Nuh uh. You went?"

"Yeah…" she admitted weakly. "But I never did drugs! It was the last one I went to." She grimaced. "And the last time I drank. Spent the rest of the night puking my brains out," she murmured. "I failed the first two midterms, too."

He eyed her with poorly concealed surprise. "Jeez. I thought you were perfect."

"Well I'm not," she snapped harshly, rubbing at her arm in discomfort. Looking away, she lowered her eyes. "I'm far from it."

Inclining his head gently, he smiled in understanding and looked ahead. "Well, if those are the kind of confessions you're looking for…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, giving a small laugh. "I broke into a house and stole money when I was a freshman." Her head snapped his way, eyes incredulous. "No, not for drugs," he remarked with a frustrated sigh. Tilting his head back, he stared at the ceiling. "We just needed money."

"Did…you get caught?"

"Nope," he said, shaking his head, smiling pulling at the corners of his lips. "It was a one time thing, anyway."

"So you stole, huh?"

He chanced a glance her way. The shock absence in her voice was plain on her face. "Huh. I thought you'd be less surprised."

"Well, you were a dangerous kid, sure, but I never thought you were capable of stealing."

"Well, what about you getting drunk? Tell me that's not unexpected."

She shrugged, waving her hand effortlessly as if it was nothing to stress over. His smile widened. And then Kairi replied, "I cheated off someone on a test I forgot to study for."

He stared at her openly, silent long enough for her to notice and look his way hesitantly. Immediately she cringed and then snapped, "What?"

Shaking his head, he blinked several times.He refused to believe it. "You're lying now."

"No."

Leaning back, he viewed her with widened eyes, running his fingers through his hair. And when the surprise ebbed away, and she was still shifting under his stare, he felt his lips curl until he was chuckling softly, unable to get over how helplessly funny it was.

When Kairi shot him a look, he forced his amusement down as best as he could. "I'm sorry, but that just made my day. To think you would stoop so low…"

She rolled her eyes.

Grinning widely, he scratched his nose thoughtfully. "Well, I got into fights."

"I know that."

He arched an eyebrow.

"You were the talk of the entire school, Sora. You couldn't be beat."

"Huh." He tapped his fingers on his knee again, unaware of the fact that he'd been so talked about. Then again, when he was in high school, he hadn't honestly cared about what people said of thought about him. "Well, that's not entirely true, you know. Riku could beat me up." He tilted his head, grinning. "Come to think of it, I was jealous of him a lot."

She blinked. "You? Jealous of Riku? Why?"

He shrugged. "A lot of things. He was stronger, more popular, better looking, had a better attitude---"

"A better attitude?" she interrupted.

"Yeah." He rubbed at the back of his neck casually, remembering all the times Riku would have to deal with him because his temper would snap for no other reason except that Riku had been better at him in something. And, had all the events in his domestic life not transpired so horribly, he probably wouldn't have been like that, content to let Riku be the better of the two because Sora really was modest by nature.

But he wasn't himself those four years. He still wasn't himself now.

"Riku…well, he was able to hate people openly if he wanted to. He told people off, was straight-forward, and didn't go about dancing on eggshells, you know?" She watched him carefully when he looked at her, apparently still expectant. Sora sighed. "Y'see, I hated so many people when I was going through everything, and yet I forced myself to be nice to as many people as possible, making everything harder on myself. I didn't care what people thought, and yet I still couldn't let go. And I was so bitter because of it, because I wouldn't allow myself open hate every so often." He laughed weakly. "I was never myself then."

"You are now?"

He tapped his fingers on his knee in thought, lips twitching as he fought to maintain his smile. "I'm better."

She bit her lip thoughtfully, eyes searching his troubled expression, and then she smiled. "Well, on the topic of Riku," Sora glanced over at her, "I used to have a huge crush on him. It was when he'd first started dating Naminé, and I didn't know him too well."

"Yeah. I know." He could kick himself for how soft and wounded his voice sounded.

He bounced his knee, looking off to the side as she turned her attention on him. "You do?"

He cleared his throat and looked at his watch, desperately trying to grasp for a distraction, and then nodded. "Yeah. The middle of freshman year. I was stirring up trouble, and you'd just started to learn I was alive, too."

"I…"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair while looking impatiently to his watch again. He suddenly hated this. He didn't want her to know anymore about him, because what was it going to change? All they were doing was masochistically dredging up old memories, when, after this was all finished and the wedding was over, they would never see each other again.

"You know, maybe we should stop this," he offered, shifting.

"No, it's your turn. You have to confess something."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want the game to end yet."

"That's not a good reason," he pointed out, rolling his eyes in her direction. He realized he was edging away from her as he said so.

"Tell me something about why you picked on me," she said sharply, eyes challenging and posture impatient. He stilled, realizing this was exactly the topic he'd been afraid of, and she'd just brought it to life. "You just mentioned it, didn't you? About how I didn't know you were alive? Why did this bother you, so much so that you made my life hell?"

"Kairi, I don't---"

"You owe this to me, Sora. For all those years that you completely shattered me."

He sighed. "Stop being so dramatic."

"I'm not ending the game until you confess."

"Isn't this kind of against the point? We were supposed to willfully open up---"

"Sora!"

"Fine!" he snapped, making her jump as he drove his hands through his hair, heart pounding in his throat as he looked away. "Dammit, fine. If you really want to know…I mean, I just can't believe you don't already know…"

"Get on with it, Sora," she warned. "We are almost there."

He rolled his eyes at her in impatience and then turned himself physically from facing her, eyes landing on the empty seat and catching sight of other buses and arriving taxis beyond the window. His heart lurched fearfully.

"Fine," he murmured, realizing he'd been saying that a lot. "I had a huge crush on you throughout all of high school and just wanted you to look at me once without hate or no recognition in your eyes." He sighed heavily, closing his eyes tightly. "There. You win, Kairi. You found out my greatest secret."

She didn't speak, and after several minutes of silence – painful, awkward, overbearing silence – he looked to her. She was staring ahead, hair shielding her face from him.

"You did?"

He looked past her, briefly dwelling on how weak her voice sounded, and saw that they were pulling into the bus station. He heard the driver tap into the intercom from above, and then the announcement that they'd arrived, one he only listened to half-heartedly, resounded overhead. Shifting, he looked to her again, and then pulled out his headphones, eyes pained and downcast.

"Yeah."

The bus screeched to a stop and sounds of shifting began to fill the atmosphere.

"Truth or dare?"

He blinked and looked to her. "What?"

"Truth or dare?" she repeated. She still wouldn't look at him.

"Kairi, we're here. There's no more time for---"

"Just pick one," she insisted, meeting his eyes at last. She looked so sad, so desperate, that he thought he felt his heart stop, even if for only a moment.

He started, swallowed, and then looked away. "Dare."

She paused, and he felt her eyes linger on him, but then she inhaled deeply. "Then I dare you to truthfully tell me how you feel. Right now. After this eight hour bus ride."

He looked to her incredulously. "Come again?"

Ahead, the bus doors opened.

"You have to," she said, looking to him, hands fisted in her lap. Her eyes were wide, and silently she waited for him to answer, looking him in such a vulnerable, helpless way that he almost didn't recognize it.

And then he understood. She was begging him for the answer. She really, really wanted his reply.

A shock coursed through bones.

Sora looked at her for a long time, mouth pulled back in an uneasy grimace as his eyes darted over her face, and then he drove his hands through his hair rapidly, sighing as he stood and lowered his eyes. She stared at him mournfully as he shrugged, looking utterly crushed, and then he turned on his music player and flipped through the songs. Glancing at her every now and again, he finally landed on the one he wanted, and then he handed her the earphones.

"You might wanna listen," he said gently, placing the device in her hands – they were shaking – and sparing her the briefest of smiles. The color he'd always thought he'd imagined rushed to her cheeks as their eyes connected, and he wondered briefly, it just a passing notion, if their eight hour ride together had affected her in ways he hadn't noticed.

Pulling away, he rubbed the back of his neck, shoving the thought aside. No. He doubted that was so.

Her brows knitted in confusion as she stood, device in hand, and placed the earphone in her ear. And he turned, not willing to cast a glance behind him for fear that she'd already turned the power to play, and shoved his hands in his pockets, head bowed and feet carrying him towards the bus's exit.

The only thought that entertained his mind as his gloved hand slipped over the railing and he allowed his gaze to fall on the bustling crowd was what was next, and was this really going to be the end to an eight hour bus ride that had changed so much within him?

(falls over)

This needed so much revision. Seriously, I had no idea how much my writing had changed until I glanced over my previous chapters and then reluctantly happened upon the draft of this chapter. I tell you, I almost had a heart attack. (shakes head ruefully)

Well, please review!