So this is it. The end. And honestly, its bittersweet. I'm sad that my Kairi's adventure is over; that there is nothing more to write. I'm relatively happy because i finally finished a story. :] And I'm lucky enough to say that I am satisfied. I am also so thankful for ALL of the reviews. I never dreamed i would get so many. And also, i really hope you guys, the readers, learn from this story. There are so many obstacles in life, and sometime, it seems like there is no way through. Like you're drowning, and there's no one to save you. Now, you may not have a Sora like Kairi does in this story, but there is ALWAYS a way out. It is the god-honest truth. It just takes time, love, and faith. And if you have neither of those at the moment, you will. I promise that.

Now onto a lighter topic, I know a lot of you are sad that this is over so quickly, but really, what is there more to write? That Riku magically shows up and challenges Sora for Kairi's love? BITCH PLEASE. Riku only represents the past in this story. Perhaps I will do a Riku-based oneshot soon to make up for it? Well, keep your eyes peeled and add me to your AUTHOR ALERTS if you must!

So thank you SO MUCH for everything. Without your support, i am 100% this story would never have met its ending.

This chapter you guys will both love and hate. ( it is also the longest chapter in the history of EVER. I hope your proud of me. ) Ohhh we shall see.

REWRITE/EDITED


-Where Tear Drops Fall-

- 8 -

-THE FINAL CHAPTER-

Selphie was back full time, and she was better than ever.

We were all glad to have her back at our table, even Axel kept his mouth shut for a while. She told us stories of the nurses and drama about the girl next to her in the emergency ward. She said she was able to hear every ounce of gossip that anyone said, and that she had some juicy stuff. We laughed at some of the ridiculous rumors that probably weren't even true, and for the first time in a long time, lunch was enjoyable.

That day I discovered I had been bumped up a few behavior levels, the chart that basically determined your amount of freedom at the Center. It was sort of like a reward system that gave you certain freedoms and responsibilities if you are doing well in your treatment. And so I was asked to run an errand for Yuna, my first one too, and she chose something out of the blue that really didn't matter, but I suppose she did it just so I would feel good. It was something stupid and trivial, something easily overlooked. But those are the things that often go wrong, I suppose. And things did go wrong, very quickly.

I was supposed to return a dinner plate to the kitchen, a place I've never had access to before, one that she had apparently borrowed the night before. So I went, walking easily through the hallways, not worrying particularly about how close I was to the dull yellow wall, or how many "happy posters" were on the perched up today. Just normal. Something I also hadn't felt in a while.

I reached the large two metal swigging doors to the kitchen. It was after lunch, and there usually wasn't anyone there. So not worrying if anyone was going to ask questions, which would have resulted in me having to tell them what level status I'm on, I marched on through.

The kitchen was much different from what I expected. I always thought it would be dirty and gross, reeking of last night's taco left-over. But most of it was stainless steal and sleek; I was impressed. I traced my fingers along the soft metal absently as I looked for the dish washing stack.

I found it, but there was something next to it that caught me off guard.

A knife.

A knife. There was a knife in plain view, left there, the person probably paying no heed to the fact that there were sick teenagers living here, trying to overcome their problems. Kids trying to resist their temptations. Just trying to get by. Someone like me. But there it was, beckoning me, with no one around as a witness. Suddenly, I forgot the dish, and I dropped it with a loud clatter that I barely even heard and just stared. My mind was a war zone, fighting and jostling common sense and sheer pining in one huge mosh pit. I was confused, I was disoriented; and I knew what I wanted.

I grabbed the knife, mind blank, in unnecessary haste and held it in my hand. It was silver with a smooth black grip. It wasn't too big, wasn't too small. Just right.

I hesitated for a long while.

I could hear my mind screamed, wailing, crying, knowing what would come out of this, knowing I would just spiral all the way down again. But my hands moved faster than my mind, and suddenly I was clutching it and pulling back my sweatshirt sleeve. My mind was a mess, and my body was shaking, trying to fight perhaps, but I wouldn't let go of the weapon.

As I let it hover over my pale skin, which I was just realizing how fragile and thin it actually was, old feelings quickly returned in a huge rush that nearly knocked the air out of me. My heart started to speed up, just how it used to, my mind hazed out, and my skin tingled, beckoning, wanting…

What was I doing? I knew this would not end well, I knew the consequences. Hell, I've lived the consequences. But still my arms did not move, my muscles locked. Things were going way too fast. Way to fast for my health. Literally just seconds ago I was perfectly fine, under an oath, an oath that may be broken any second. Way too fast. Because, suddenly, time was against me. Just like so many other things.

And suddenly my mind went quiet, because the metal came in contact with skin.

I waited for it - the rush, the feeling of falling upside down, energy pooling out of my skin in ecstasy. The feeling I felt for the first time all those months ago in my cold shower, shivering, smiling. The feeling that also ostracized me, separating me from my friends. The one that resulted from Riku, making me inferior. Instead of pleasure, I felt weak. So weak and stupid easily bent into craving.

Then I felt something stronger. But it wasn't what I was expecting. Pain. Stinging, sizzling pain.

I opening my eyes, which I only noticed were closed then, and stared at my pink slashed arm, and seeing the one that was now forming to red. I saw the red liquid pool out of my skin in thick, scarlet droplets, and my stomach did a turn. I felt bile run up my throat and I suddenly felt sick. It hurt so badly…why was it hurting so badly?

I clutched my arm, eyes glued open, staring, never wavering. It hurt when I touched it, something that wasn't supposed to happen.

Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

I started to shake, scared. Where would I go? No one would accept me, no one would look at me. I would be known as the girl who snuck into the kitchen, just to relieve my crave. I would ruin my reputation, ruin what I have worked for. But I already did. It's all gone. I'm nothing, once again.

My eyes stung, and I wasn't sure if it was the pain anymore.

And suddenly I was running, running faster than I ever have before. Through the halls, down the stairs, tripping and sloppily hitting the wall in the process, then getting back up to run again. I probably should have ran to the nurse, come clean on my actions. I probably should have gone to Yuna, to have an emergency session. I could have even gone to my room, and dealt with my misery by myself. Actually, why didn't I just fall to the ground right then, and sink into the floor and disappear? No one would notice.

But I didn't. And suddenly I was in front of dorm room 12.

I rushed in, the door not being locked and all, and stood inside. Sora was on his bed, the only bed in the room, reading something I couldn't and didn't feel like making out. He jumped at the slam of the door and look up at me. I must have looked pretty bad, because he immediately stood up, eyes wide. A moment of silence passed, and we just stared at each other. I wondered if he could guess what was going on.

"Kairi, you-"

He wasn't able to finish, however, because I fell into him. He caught me, even when the weight of my fear and troubles wore on my shoulders, and held me there. I suddenly took notice to the fact that I was sobbing, shaking, sputtering. I would have felt horribly embarrassed if I didn't feel so warm at the moment. I could feel his heartbeat pulsing through his skin and thin, soft T-shirt, his even, low breathing…

And for a moment, I couldn't feel the stinging in my wrist, my heart, my soul, only the warm, odd, electrifying current that pulsed through us. It was quiet for a long moment, only my breath spasms and this speeding heart could be heard in the background. His body felt harder than I thought it would, and I was pleased to find, deep in the back of my head, that we fit perfectly together. Like a puzzle, but my side of the pieces were falling apart, and he was just starting to reach down to pick them up.

I wasn't really sure how long we stayed like that, for time wasn't real. From one second to the next everything changed, and now, everything was changing all over again. How much could I take in a day? Where was my limit? Was there even one? Or would I just keep sinking deeper, deeper, deeper…

I wasn't really sure.

Sora pulled away abruptly, touching the back of his neck, where my arm had been, and looked at it. The liquid on his hands were red, and for a moment, the room was still. I half expected him to throw me out of the room and just hand me into the nurse. But instead he grabbed my wrist and pulled back me sleeve. He sucked in a breath.

Sora probably disapproved of me. He was probably disappointed. He probably hated me. What was I to him? Just another Selphie, I thought. Someone who raised everyone's expectations, only to make them crash down in a thunderous roar. Wasn't it just a couple of weeks before I pledged myself to never be like Selphie Timlitt? I felt sick, I wanted to just disappear, and make everyone forget…this was a feeling I was well accustomed to. And so I did just that. I started to turn around, new tears springing in my eyes, to walk out of the door forever. Rejection was beating strong, and I was wondering why my mind was being so indecisive.

However, Sora held me back by my good wrist. I turned back and stared. I suddenly became aware that the room was dim with only Sora's bedtime table lamp on, and the quiet, peaceful ticking of his watch. I could hear the silence, too. But that didn't really matter, because the electric current that ran from his hand to his wrist just slipped down into my own hand…

I felt his fingers interlace with my limp ones without looking at them. My eyes were too occupied with his own; large, soft, and deep blue. An uneasy yet satisfying tingle ran up my spine and my stomach went from sick to blossoming. I continued to stare at his eyes, even when he dropped mine to look at our hands. He wrapped both hands around my own injured one, blood dripping to the floor. He subconsciously moved closer, and I still couldn't look away.

"You're hurt." he almost whispered, slowly lifting my hand to his lips and leaving them there, looking at me again. The pit of my stomach dropped at the feel of it, and I closed my eyes. He pulled my hands to his chest, along with my body, so that it was an odd, lovely embrace, with just our intertwined hands in between us. My throat went dry and I just nodded my head softly.

"You're better than that Kairi, I know you are."

New, softer tears leaked out of my closed eyes as I bit my lip against his chest. I wanted to stay there forever.

"I-I know…I…" my throat was raspy, dry. I looked up at him and he stared back, the ends of his locks of hair tickling my forehead. "I made a horrible mistake. I-I'm a horrible person, I-"

"You're not horrible, Kairi, and you know that. You are so, so much more than what you think you are. I've seen the changes in you, Kairi, everyone has. Whatever negative things you're thinking, they're not true. They're just not." he took a steadying breath, "You just…you need to let everything go, Kai. Just…let it go." he said softly, slowly, earnestly. I could feel his warm, moist breath of my face. I fluttered my eyelashes. "And once it's gone…all your problems can just melt away. Trust me," he said, looking deeply into my eyes, a small shift of his lips revealed a small smile, "…I know."

I continued to stare at him. For a moment, I was lost. The past? It still held these wounds on my hands, my heart. They couldn't just disappear. They were engraved in me forever. My problem would never go away. This cycle would only just continue, on and on and on until one day I just give up. Never…

I saw something shift in his eyes, and I thought of his problems, his past. He was fine now, even after all the things he had to go through. Alive, healthy. Did he really understand me? It was hard to imagine so, but somehow, someway, I believed it.

He put his forehead to mine. This was much closer than I could ever have dreamed, and I wasn't sure how much more I could take. "Let it go." he repeated in a whisper. My mind was going crazy, working faster than I ever realized was possible. I thought of Riku, my old friends, my family, Reno, and how Spring was finally here, thawing out the cold, and bring in new life. Square one. A clean slate.

Something shifted inside me. And suddenly, I was in a whirlwind. My insides were all a wave of splashing motion in my body. My pores opened, spilling out what has been there for way too long. The wind was so strong, I could start to feel goosebumps arising all over my body. My breath was caught in my throat, and all this wind was making it hard to see. The sound of the air around me sung swiftly through my ears; it was beautiful. Washing, spilling, and floating away with the last Winter breeze. I opened my eyes, only just realizing that they were shut, and blinked. The wind, the sound, the confusion…it was gone, along with the staggering weight that was once on my shoulders. It all peeled away. It was gone. I couldn't feel anymore blood dripping, had it sealed up my wounds too? I sucked in a breath, my first real breath. The beginning of my story just ended, and a whole new chapter was just forming. When I let my first breath out, after it had passed through my lungs, my blood, my heart, the last whisper of the regretful past blew through my lips. Riku wasn't there anymore. He was gone, just like everything else.

And this time I didn't need a blade to release the pain under my skin.

I stared up at him, a new feeling arising in my body.

"It's gone." I whispered. He pulled his hands away to frame my cheek. A smile spread across his face.

"I told you you. Wounds can heal if you let them." Sora gently brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and then let it rest again on my cheek.

I wasn't sure who started it, perhaps it was me, perhaps it was him, but suddenly my lips were on his. It was soft and incredibly warm, yet my body was simmering, pulsing electrifying heat through my veins. I involuntarily shivered as his lips continued to blend with mine. He pulled away and looked into my face.

"Living in the now isn't that bad." Sora smiled, his eyes blazing in a way I've never seen before. But I didn't respond, I just reached up and pulled him closer.

The month had slipped away very quickly.

Because suddenly, it was only two days before graduation. And that means I was going to stay here for one more month (Yuna broke the news to me the day after the incident, and no matter how relieved and happy I was, the guilt bled through), and Sora wasn't. He only came here as a last step to his recovery. I was happy for him. So, tremendously happy for him, but I couldn't help but feel selfish. I didn't want him to go. I didn't want him to go somewhere far away from me, far enough that I could no longer hold him in my arms.

And it was horrible, too, because what we had, whatever that may be, can only really last for two days longer. We barely had had a week together. It was frightening, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do about it.

However, I tried my best not to focus on the near future. I had to do what Sora said, live in the now. And so I was determined to do that, and Sora being part of every second of it. And that meant breaking a few rules along the way. I mean, first of all, there technically isn't supposed to be any relations with the opposite sex. Second of all, we were sneaking around a lot.

What we had, however, wasn't really some hormonal teenagerish fling where we simply couldn't get our hands off each other. We weren't that physical, really. Mostly during those intense and bad-ass sounding escapes, we wouldn't do very much at all. This was mostly because, even if there were limited days, we weren't in a need for a rush. What we did, sweet kisses and timid touches, just felt more natural than going the average hormonal teenage route.

Naminé, naturally, was very happy with this outcome. I never knew this about her before, but she relished from relationships. I realized she had an unhealthy obsession with it. She would always wink at me purposely and make me go bright red. Like right now, when we were all sitting at dinner and made a very obvious wink at me to the fact that Sora and I were sitting comfortably close to each other.

At least she didn't notice Sora was playing with my fingers underneath the table. Now that would have been embarrassing.

I drifted off to the playground after dinner and sat on my normal swing and began to swing at a slow, swaying pace. I had been thinking, and thinking hard.

I was leaving in one month. That should have felt great (it was a relief), but really, it only left me frustrated. Sora was leaving, and I was staying. I couldn't help but feel sad about that. I mean, I was human. But it wasn't even that. I might never see him again. And that ripped me to the core. We had gotten so close…and now I couldn't imagine my life without him. Would I be able to face my old friends without him by my side? My parents? I wasn't quite sure. And even as good as life felt now, I couldn't help but feel smothered with this dilemma.

Life was moving fast, and I was just trying to keep up.

I wasn't sure how long it was until I heard soft, muffled footsteps coming up behind me. I knew who it was, and I smiled to myself. I felt the stir of the creaky swing as he took place in the one next to me.

"You looked like you could use some company." Sora smiled as I looked sideways at him. I returned the gesture and then stared ahead into the snowy wasteland that was becoming less and less snowy and wasted each day.

"What're you thinking about?"

I turned to look at him in his navy sweatshirt, dark jeans, and old sneakers. I suddenly felt warmth, and it wasn't only his presence. It seemed that the clouds had broken for once and the low, afternoon sun spilled through, lighting the whole landscape into dazzling diamonds. The gloomy trees suddenly looked a little more vibrant, and the frozen pool of water not too far away was reflecting the light of the sun. I looked back at him, his hair was spiky and glistening in the new found sun. I never realized the natural honey-blonde highlights in his hair, and his eyes looked even more amazing than before.

A smile broke over his face as he said, "Your hair look really cool right now." I stared at him in confusion as I looked at my hair. It was left down, and reasonably tidy. He was right; it was redder than I had seen it in a long time.

I took one more look around at the sparkling atmosphere around me. I could barely recognize it; it was so magnificent, I had to shield my eyes from the almost setting sun in front of me. I guess a little bit of light went a long way.

Sora looked out to the horizon again, eyes squinting from the brightness. I marveled at his features, suddenly so crystal clear to me that I was dazzled. He might as well have been sparkling like the snow. A soft smile spread on his face.

"You never answered my question." he said, turning back to look at me.

I made a small laugh. "Um, just about what's going to happen in a little more than twenty four hours."

It got quiet after that, he was shuffling the snow beneath his sneaker as he sat there.

"Kai, I-" he stopped and look up at the sky. I waited. He looked frustrated, and then he turned to look at me, letting the full force of his bright eyes boar into mine.

He started again. "Kairi," he began hard, sincerely, "I don't want to be away from you." I just stared at him for a while, my face softening, barely even believing he was saying this to me.

"I don't want that either, Sora."

We both looked down at the ground. "Do you remember that first day that I came, in group therapy?" Sora asked quietly. Of course I remembered. What kind of question was that? Still, I nodded.

"Well, I said that Riku moved away to Destiny Islands. Do you remember what I said after that?" Once again, yes I did. What he had said was always whispering in the back of my head. However, I was too scared to believe it. Perhaps I would jinx it, and then I would never see Sora again.

I took a breath. "Yes, yes I do." He nodded, looking at me with an exasperated look on his face.

"Well right now that's a fifty-fifty chance. Me moving to Destiny Islands, I mean. I don't know if you remember, but Riku's dad and my dad work for the same corporation and we are often sent to the same places." He swallowed, "Well I talked to my dad yesterday and he asked me on my opinion on where I wanted to go. Apparently he had another job offer over in Agrabah, so he's not sure."

It was silent for a few moments. I made a small sigh, I was sort of expecting this. Still, my legs felt numb from this news. I wanted him to come straight to Destiny Islands, straight to me.

"I told him I wanted to go to Destiny Islands." he said, staring at me seriously, a long, silent moment passed, "I want to be with you, Kairi."

A sad smile crept up on my face. "You shouldn't be making these kind of decisions based on me." The sun began to set, the winter wonderland starting to get darker.

"Well, I'd rather have you in Destiny Islands than no one in Agrabah." Sora laughed lightly, then continued, "And anyway it may never even matter in the end…"

Silence passed between us, with only the creaking of the swings and the light sound of early night's breeze.

"It's getting dark out, we should leave soon." Sora muttered, and then turned to me, his eyes serious and intoxicating. His next question threw me off.

"You ready?"

I couldn't help but feel the weight of his question, and the real meaning behind them. Was I ready? I looked into his eyes for long moment, and then smiled.

"Yeah."

My mind was quiet as he took my hand, walking toward the main building. I wasn't sure what to think about what was to come. All I knew was that I wanted Sora, forever.

It was the night before graduation and saying goodbye.

I was unnaturally fidgety at dinner that night, and Sora kept giving me odd looks, scared that I might combust. However, I soon became distracted, because everyone was trying to guess what the movie was going to be that night.

Oh, right. End of month movie night. Lovely.

Of course we reviewed every Disney movie created it, ranking them, and hoping for a select few. But when we sat down in all the seats of the cafeteria later that night, me sitting next to Sora again (willingly this time), the movie took us all by confusion.

I blinked. It was The Notebook. Again.

Were they trying to torment us? I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. Sora, however, burst out into a fit of laughter. I couldn't see what was so funny. I mean, we had only seen the film a month ago, and I couldn't help but remember how uncomfortable that one was. I couldn't imagine how this one was going to be.

"Oh sweet jesus…" I heard a low mutter to my left. I jumped, not realizing Roxas was sitting there. I blinked hard as he looked up at me, his face in his hands, eyebrows raised at me. He smirked. "Calm yourself, Kairi, you're looking a little anxious."

Anxious? Me?…Fuck. I crossed my arms and looked straight ahead, deliberately ignoring Roxas. He chucked beside me and nudged me on my side. I rolled my eyes.

I looked around the room as the beginning credits started to roll, realizing how much of a déjà vu this was. There was Sora next to me, wearing something very similar to what he was wearing the first time: instead of a Hanes white shirt, it was just well-fitted dark blue shirt and most likely the same plaid pajama pants. I was sitting next to Roxas too, with Aerith on his other side. I could hear Selphie and Naminé talking excitedly in hushed tones somewhere to my right. I could see all the girls clinging onto the boys beside them like before as well.

Weird, I thought.

I felt like I was going through this whole thing over again, like there was some sort of glitch in space and time, linking these two moments together as one. I furrowed my eyebrows. What was I like this time a month ago? An empty shell, a mute? It was hard to believe that that was the same girl as I was now. I didn't think I looked much different. Sure, I had a little more redness in my cheeks and my lighter hair was cooperating, but I was still different. I couldn't really put my finger on it. I was the same physically, I knew that.

The movie began, but I was detached, my mind contemplating in the world of truth and lies, unlike a month before when I felt so constricted. I breathed in and out. Air was going in easier, why was that? I reached my hand up to my chest, feeling it rise and fall underneath my T-shirt.

No, my lungs were the same too.

I looked at my hands. I had hidden those before, away from view, somewhere in the depths of my pockets. Yet here they were, polished and clean thanks to Naminé's manicure last night.

No, my hands were the same as well.

I felt so confused. That was the same girl, but not really. How does that work?

I slyly turned my head, allowing my hands to lie on my lap, and looked up at Sora. He was the same boy, wasn't he? Had he changed as much as I felt I have? He felt my stare and he smiled down at me. I felt his hand slide onto my lap, allowing me to feel the heat of his path and feeling very conscious of where it was, and held me own. I made a weak smile up at him.

Sora was the same. I wasn't.

Only as his eyes began to smother mine did I realize. All the things that changed, all the things that were different, were within me. I felt different. So no, my hair wasn't brighter, its just that it was finally seeing the sunshine of life. And my cheeks? They haven't changed, they were just finally feeling the colors of life again. My lungs? They weren't constricted anymore. They were always there, but they were finally letting the air in, letting life in, unafraid. And my hands certainly were there before, but now they were taking matters into themselves, facing things they never had before. Even my words. God knows I didn't use them for months. Yet suddenly, I found my voice again, almost like it had never been gone in the first place.

However, I felt it wasn't only these physical traits that had changed. It was my heart, that was what had changed the most. Not my anatomical heart; that was always there (god knows I could feel it). Perhaps it didn't beat as fast as it does now, but that was still a physically change.

No, it was my soul. The soul within my heart, willing it to pump, willing to finally let me live. My life was changing, I could feel it happening. It was an odd thing, the present, especially when you knew that the future was suddenly in clear view, lit up in a clear path, and changing quickly. All this déjà vu wasn't a coincidence, it was signifying a new start. I could make my life up as I went now.

So I smiled, looking up at the boy that surely changed my soul, and wondering if I had changed his. He smiled back, lacing his hands with mine and held them tighter. He could not only hold my hands, he could hold my heart as well for as long as he wanted.

Realizing this, I looked back to the screen, untroubled as I saw Noah and Allie passionately kiss, and latched onto Sora's arm, ready to hold on until the end.

The day had come.

It was hard to believe that this month, a month so full of changes, both good and bad, was coming to a close. Most were leaving, but I was staying behind.

We had one final group therapy that morning. So, directly after breakfast we went into the oddly-proportioned room and took our seats. It was quiet for a while, everyone still, no one wanting to talk. I slumped in my chair, putting my hands in my sweatshirt pocket. No one had ever been like this before on final therapy group. Usually, most people didn't give a rats-ass. But there was a distinct mood today, one that I could not grasp immediately. But there was something there.

Perhaps it was because we had finally become a group; friends. And we weren't ready to say goodbye.

I bit my lip, looking to the floor. This was going to be a hard day. I felt a hand sneakily snake its way into my jacket pocket and grab my own, taking it out of its shelter, and held it between our legs, almost out of sight. I felt the warm hand lace with mine, making my mind numb over in contentment. I looked up to my left at Sora only to see that he was looking at me, a small, sad smile at his lips. I returned it, than gave his hand a small squeeze before I directed my attention to Yuna, who was uncharacteristically quiet.

I looked around the room. It seemed like everyone was doing the same, not meeting anyone's eyes. The silence was so strong, it pressed into my ears. It wasnt uncomfortable, in an odd way, just…loud.

Yuna made a small smile toward the floor, and then looked up, her eyes warm and sincere.

"It looks like my job here is done." she said softly, looking at each and every one of us slowly. When her eyes connected with mine, I felt a small jolt. I wouldn't call it joy. But when our eyes met it was like relief, as if I had just finally made my way out of a maze, lost for so long with no direction home. Her gaze made me feel like I was out in the clear. I was on the other side. And it felt bittersweet.

The silence continued, but this time all eyes were on Yuna. I made another swift look around. Naminé was shaking slightly, silent tears slipping down her face. Tifa was on her other side, looking at her, however not in a hostile way. It was sympathetic, something I never thought would cross her eyes.

Axel had his arms crossed, trying to look blasé. But he was fidgeting in his seat, chin quivering. Roxas and Aerith were downcast like the others. But as I looked closer, I realized that their hands were clasped together as well, much like Sora and I. Selphie sat in her seat, her legs propped up with her arms wrapped around them. I felt a pang in my heart as I realized she was remorseful for not being able to graduate this month. She knew that she was wrong through, which was a large step. Now we would graduate together. It didn't seem so bad anymore.

Yuna then opened her mouth to speak, faltered, then started again, "Two people are leaving us today." Silence. "Sora, Roxas… you have really made us proud."

I could feel my throat tighten and eyes burn as she said this. The two people I was closest to were leaving. And I wasn't sure how I felt about this. I grasped Sora's hand tighter.

Yuna made a small smile, "You all have come a long way. And now, its time to move on."

We were all outside now.

All the people who were to graduate stayed inside while everyone else grouped outside by a small, wooden gazebo where a bell was, waiting for them to come out. The owner of the place made a small speech, congratulating the graduates and supporting the rest of us. She then began to call names.

I could feel Aerith next to me, and I looked up at her. Her large green eyes were sad, but with a strength that I could not comprehend. It was must have been reassurance. Reassurance that there was hope, that she was going to see Roxas outside of these walls. I envied her. As feeble and weak as she appeared, she was able to hold her head strong. I found myself not hesitating to take her hand in mine. She blinked and looked down at me. A soft, almost motherly smile played at her rosy lips.

"We'll see our boys soon enough, Kairi. You just have to have a little faith." she said, holding her gaze to mine. Faith? Yes, I had faith. It was a new feeling, it had disappeared for a while, but it was there now. I smiled back, and then looked toward the gazebo as they called Sora's name.

I felt an odd sensation as he walked up there, smile plastered on his face as he rang the bell in victory, and then hugged Yuna in thanks. I realized it must be pride. He made it through, his journey has ended. And there I was, on the last lap, not quite in last place, but not in the higher ranks. But I was gaining, getting closer to the finish line, to the end, one step at a time. I watched Sora trot down toward the parking lot where we were supposed to say our goodbyes. Yes, I felt proud, so proud of him.

After the last person rang the bell, we all made our way toward the parking lot. I took my time, scared of what I was about to face. I thought about running, about turning my back and burying myself under my covers like I had done so many times before. But my legs kept moving forward, fighting my way through the sea of uncertainty.

I finally saw him, our eyes meeting at the same time. We stayed like that for a while, people jostling on by between us, just staring at each other. It wasn't long until I sprinted toward him, landing in his open arms. I held on tightly, scared that someone was going to rip him away into the bus, leaving me unable to do anything about it. But here he was.

He pulled away from me and looked me in the eyes. His eyes were calm, sure. Was I the only one worried about the future?

"Kairi." he said, a small smile on his lips. My heart was wrenching, twisting, suffocating. I wasn't sure how much more I could take. His fingertips caressed my cheekbones, leaving blazing trails behind them. "Don't be sad." I shook my head underneath his hands and he chuckled.

"We'll see each other soon." he said. It was almost over, I could feel our conversation coming to a close. My stomach dropped low, my lungs constricted, making it hard to breath again. The buses beeped, snapping our attention away for a moment. I felt someone come up next to me. I pulled myself away from Sora for a moment to see Roxas, his hand clasping Aerith's from behind, but he was looking at me, his eyes pained. He leaned down and left a small kiss on my cheek and whispered into my ear, "Take care of her."

Roxas pulled away and I looked up at him. I barely registered my decision to hug him before I actually did it, and soon, my arms were around his neck, clutching tightly. He laughed in a choked voice and hugged me back quickly before pulling away.

He half smiled, his eyes wet, "We'll keep in touch, Kai. Really, I swear." I nodded at him, the moment ending too soon as he turned back around to Aerith, whispered something to her and then kissed her softly on the lips. My heart made another pang. After all the things we've been through, he was the first to really stand by me the whole way. I was going to miss him so much.

Sora turned me back around to him. I felt his thumb wipe away a tear that silently escaped my eye's grasp, and smiled.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Kairi." he said, holding my face in both his hands again, searching my face.

"I am too." I choked out. I bit my lip . "You know what funny?" I said after a moment, in a tone that made it sound like I didn't find it humorous at all. He only looked back at me, waiting.

"When I was in Destiny Islands I thought I wanted a change in weather, a winter for once. But now, all I want is warmth." I said, reached my hands up to his own, lacing them, so that both of us held my head up high.

He smiled, "Opinions change."

"Apparently." I breathed. The bus beeped impatiently again. He bit his lip in frustration.

"Kairi, I know its going to be hard, but I will see you again." his eyes were blazing, searing with intensity, "We're part of each other now; I'm always with you. Okay? No matter what happens, I'm always there." the bus beeped again, and he looked up at the bus, and then back at me. His eyes were serious, "I'll come back to you, I promise."

He leaned down and left a hard, burning kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes, savoring it, because I wouldn't get anything else for a long time. I opened them again and looked into his eyes. I took his hand away from around my face and brought them to my lips and said, "I know," I swallowed, "I know you will."

The bus made a long, last beep. This was going too fast. Shouldn't I get more time? Sora's eye's were pained now, but he pulled away from me, slung his bag around his shoulder, and ran up the stairs of the bus. I stood there, missing his warmth already, and watched him as the bus lurched into motion. I saw him push a kid over so he could reach the window. I would have laughed at that moment if it wasn't for the silent tears running down my face and seriousness of the situation. He stuck his head out and yelled something to me. However, I couldn't hear him over the roar of the bus' engine and the sound of its final beep.

I wasn't one-hundred percent sure about the future. But I had faith. And one would be surprised on how far that can take you. I should know.

I didn't move, I didn't breath as I watched the bus pull out of the parking lot, down the road, his face still a ghost on the window. It drove on and on and on until it was just a speck, a spot…gone. And as it was swallowed by the gray and white, a mass of light sprang from behind the clouds, sparkling, free, finally ready to take flight.

the end.

-epilogue coming soon, a present from me to you.-

i mean, its the holidays, isn't it?