Chapter 7: LOVE TODAY

Memo: EEK! I've been waiting for this chapter to come along... PS: If you've never heard the song LOVE TODAY by Mika, go listen to it right now! lol, the lyrics kinda fit Rei, cause we all know she's getting something other than the love from her mother. XDDDDD all I have to say is "Bada bing bada boom!!!"

Later That Afternoon

Your pOv still.

*Argggh!! Just say something already!* you feel like shouting at yourself. You've been walking along this dumb cobblestone path with Riku in silence for too long! He seems so sad... Why do you have to be so mean to the poor guy?!!

Suddenly you stop walking. He keeps walking.

*No, stop!* you want to cry out.

Truth is, you didn't leave Katie's side one minute! Why can't he really, truly believe you?

"I-!"

Riku stops, then turns, finally realizing how far ahead of you he is.

"Riku...why...don't you believe me?" you ask quietly.

"Because...I know what I saw, and you weren't there. But...ah, I dunno." He shrugs, lowering his head. "Maybe I'm just seeing things."

"...I'm...sorry, Riku," you finally manage to sputter out.

"Sorry? For what?"

Holy crap. Is he really this nice?!

"I'm sorry that I snapped at you earlier, I...don't know why I did."

"It's okay. I understand."

*But you don't, do you?* you think, walking up to him.

"Strange things have happened to us before. We should be able to take them in stride," he murmurs, hugging you.

So he doesn't believe you after all. Or does he? Ahh...it's hard to tell.

Well, whatever. It's not really worth getting all upset over.

"You're right," you admit. "Let's just go home."

You start walking again, but still...something just isn't right. He's acting different, you can tell.

"Is there...something else bothering you, Riku?" you ask, your hand automatically linking with his.

"Well..." He sighs. "Yeah, but I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Are you going to really, or are you just saying that?" you tease, laughing.

"No, I'm serious. I promise that I'll tell you later."

"..."

Even though he says he will, something tells you he's lying.

*Why am I doubting you so much all of a sudden?* you wonder.

"So, Rei, what do you want to do tonight?" he asks you suddenly, tearing you out of your thoughts.

"Hmm...let me think about it..."

What is something you really want to do...?

Frankly, you don't want to do anything. Just kind of...relax. Maybe go swimming...ooo, and have a cookout! And then you can roast some marshmallows! And just run around and laugh until it hurts to breathe...and then...you can sleep under the stars...and...just live.

You tell Riku this, and he flashes this brilliant smile that makes you want to collapse.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he says, the famous smirk in place.

So, That Night...

Still your pOv

...You know, when you had suggested those activities earlier, you really weren't expecting THIS much enjoyment out of them. But the scent of roasted marshmallows and salt water mixed together is clinging to the very air you breathe. It's extremely enjoyable.

Ah, and then there's the warmth that you've been feeling all night. You can still feel it now, even as you lie here, completely still. It's coming right from his hand straight to yours, traveling up your left arm and through your entire body.

You needed this...you had forgotten how much you depend upon Riku. It's causing you to remember certain things about your last stay on the islands.

You loved him. You love him. You probably always will. Why does that seem so impossible? For goodness sakes, you carried his (love) child for five and a half months! It happened! It's happening! So why does it not feel real?

*Is this what Riku was talking about earlier...with Katie?* you wonder, listening to the sound of the waves. *The whole "mixing reality with fantasy" thing? ...What if this is all just a dream? A really, really long dream? I mean, I've had dreams about this place before, many times. Why couldn't this be any different?*

Holy crap, you shouldn't have started this in your head!!

*What if this is a dream? Or my imagination? What if Riku really isn't holding my hand and lying next to me right now? What if his hand just disappears?*

As if to torture your very soul, you feel the prescense beside you leave, and your left hand, which was once holding Riku's, becomes empty.

Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap.

*This can't be happening right now. No. Not again...* You start to panic. *Gosh! This is really just a dream! Am I still in my room at home?! Why is this happening to me?!*

Everything around you gets quiet. You feel like getting up and running, but you're afraid to even open your eyes.

And then you feel it.

A soft, warm feeling against your lips.

And a hand against your cheek. And strands of hair brushing against your face, mixing with your own hair.

"Sorry," Riku says, causing you to open your eyes. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I wasn't asleep," you say quietly, "but I'm glad you came back."

"I was only gone for a minute."

"It seemed like longer..."

He seems to pick up on your distress.

"Rei, what's wrong?" he asks, peering down at you.

"..."

Without really meaning to, you burst into tears.

"I was just thinking about what you said earlier about mixing fantasy and reality and I started to think that it was happening to me and that this was all a dream and that you weren't really there and then you really WEREN'T there!!" You sit up quickly to keep yourself from choking on your sobs. "I thought you really were gone! I'll be okay now..."

"Oh, Rei..."

You feel Riku's arms wrap around you, but that only makes you cry more. The fact that this whole ordeal is real...was real...and is real (again)...hurts. A lot. Truthfully...you never really got to let all of that pain out completely.

"...I...don't want you to...ever leave me again," you manage to murmur through tears. Your embrace with him grows tighter.

"I never will. I'll never leave you," he says.

*As much as I want to believe that...I can't,* you think, crying even harder. *Why on earth am I thinking this way?!*

You want to hit yourself for being so stupid. Again, you cry even harder. You're so pathetic. You can't even imagine how pathetic you must look right now.

For some strange reason, you try to imagine, but the sight only makes you laugh. Riku pushes you away gently, giving you a funny look.

"Now you're laughing?" he says in disbelief. You laugh a little more.

"Sorry, but I was just thinking about how pathetic I must look," you explain, wiping your eyes. "How bad is it?"

"...I've seen you worse," he admits, smirking. You grin back. The sadness has disappeared. He's all it takes.

Suddenly Riku looks past you, furrowing his brow.

"Hey, look at that," he says. You hesitantly glance at where Riku nodded to. Sure enough, there's something nestled in the sand.

"Huh? What is that?" you wonder out loud.

Shrugging, Riku stands up and walks over to the unknown object. You follow cautiously, soon realizing what it is.

"A message in a bottle?" Riku says, picking it up carefully. He squints at it, trying to get a glimpse of the note inside. Huh...wasn't there a message in a bottle from the king at the end of Kingdom Hearts II? Your heart races a little.

"Open it," you insist, curious to know what this is all about.

"Alright, hold on."

Riku pops the cork out with ease and tosses it aside while dumping the message into his free hand.

"Well?" you prod, feeling a little nosy.

He doesn't respond right away but instead frowns as he reads the note.

"Riku, what does it say?!" you cry, growing worried at his dissatisfaction. What could it possibly be?!

"...You'd just...better read yourself," he says quietly, looking somber.

Snatching it out of his hands, you blink a few times, adjusting your eyes to the dim lighting before reading the message out loud.

"'Rei, will...you...marry me?"

Holy crap.

Peering over the top of the letter, you're astounded to see Riku down on one knee, something you never thought you'd see. But, hey, you're glad about it!!

Beyond it, actually...

"!!!!!" you shriek at the top of your lungs, unintentionally crumpling the note in your hand. "AAAAAAAHHHH!! ARE YOU FOR REAL?!!"

"For real," Riku says, surprisingly calm but obviously amused. "Will you marry me?"

"YEEEEEEEEEEES!!! DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!" you scream, tackle-hugging him. What did he THINK you were going to say?!

Kairi's pOv

You can't help but grin at Sora as you watch Rei nearly knock over Riku in joy.

"This worked out just as he planned," Sora says, peering through the binoculars.

"Go figure," you finish for him, smirking to yourself. It seems like Rei and Riku's relationship has just been one unplanned moment after another. Now things are finally looking up.

"They're so happy, it's insane," Sora murmurs, shaking his head. You grin broadly, childishly kicking your legs over the side of the balcony.

You've been watching them this whole time, just like Riku told you to. So you and Sora have simply made camp for the night in the little one-room treehouse...with binoculars.

Truth be told, you're just a little bit jealous. Though there's not much reason to be. You're pretty happy as you are right now. You can't really complain. After all, you ARE younger than Rei and Riku both. Not by much, but you are. Plus, they are both fairly mature for their age.

But you've known Sora much longer and had a relationship MUCH longer... So that's why you're a bit jealous. Which is understandable.

Really though...they're so incredibly happy. You're glad Riku finally found that happiness. He really needed her. And...from what you've observed, she really needed him, too.

"Alright," Sora mumbles through a yawn. "I'm done. G'night."

"Good night," you whisper, smiling at him. He kisses you on the cheek gently.

"Don't stay up too late," he warns you, walking away.

"Yeah..."

Peering out at the dimly lit beach once more, you're just in time to see Riku finally actually slip the ring on Rei's finger. You watch as she jumps in delight, bounding into Riku's arms, embracing him tightly. You smile. Good. This is how it should've been from the beginning. And this is how it's going to stay.

Except...

You're a bit worried about a message you received from King Mickey a few months ago. Sora thinks it's nothing, and so does Riku, but when have you ever listened to either of them?

King Mickey said that the Nobodies that were left--Roxas and Namine--had started to actually take action again. What kind of action, you don't know. You assume it's nothing big. What worries you are the newly found Nobodies.

You know for sure...one of them has got to be Riku's Nobody. He looks a lot like him. The other two are young women...and you suspect Rei's sister and friend.

Hopefully they're not going to do anything. They probably won't.

But still. If they do something bad, there goes this moment.

Rei and Riku could be separated again.

Sighing through your nose, you quickly shake the thought out of your mind.

If King Mickey isn't worried yet, you shouldn't be either. After all, the King said he had it under control. He just had to find "the right one," and he said it wouldn't take long. You assume he means some sort of weapon, but he didn't say for sure, so it could be anything.

Either way, he's got a good plan. You trust him completely.

Yawning, you get up and walk inside the treehouse, not even bothering to be quiet for Sora. He's already asleep, and he sleeps through EVERYTHING.

Lying down, you sigh again. There is nothing to worry about.

Except...well...a wedding.