Disclaimer: Yeah. I don't own 'em. I just rent 'em.

A/N: Oh my fuckin' god! It's the last chapter! Well, not really. There'll be an epilogue.

Chapter 18

The Walk

It's not meant to be like this,

Not when I planned it all.

I'm not meant to feel like this,

So that makes it all your fault.

"The Walk"

Imogen Heap

The water was beautiful.

Kairi had never had a reason to appreciate it before. Growing up on the coast, her childhood playground had been the chain of tiny islands just a boat ride away. The sea had always just been there, a part of everyday life. But now it had become a work of art, pale azure turning to burnished gold in the presence of the setting sun, and finally fading to deep blue in the distance.

Beautiful.

Kairi extended her arm, opening her hand and flexing her fingers. There was a flash of light and she felt the now familiar weight of her keyblade. Strange. She remembered Sora telling her there was only one wielder. So what did that make her and Riku? And king Mickey, for that matter? Sora may have been wrong, of course, or the universe may have made an exception. Maybe it thought they'd needed it. The good guys.

She slashed horizontally overhead, spinning and crouching down low, blocking an imaginary attack. The keyblade was beautiful as well. It had helped her do some beautiful things.

Beautiful and terrible.

I killed people, she thought. I killed people and I don't even care.

To be fair, they hadn't really been people. They'd been remnants of people, hearts and souls. How twisted would someone have to be in order to wind up with Sai'x for a soul? Kairi shuddered. He was someone she certainly didn't regret killing. But at the last moment, when she'd delivered the final blow that had sent that orange-eyed beast back to the darkness he'd crawled from, something had changed. Something in his face, something in his gaze. For the briefest moment, he'd found peace. The Kingdom Hearts he'd been searching so fervently for had been in his grasp. Maybe it had been an illusion, but it had been real enough to fool the senses.

Slowly, the keyblade faded from her grasp.

Kairi thought she knew how Sai'x had felt. Clinging so tightly to a belief, letting it guide you through. If it ever changed, if it were ever to be broken, you'd be lost. Throughout all of this craziness, Kairi had always had one thing to depend on. Her love for Sora. Her burning need for him. It had been like marble, solid and unchanging.

But she needed to realize something. If she didn't admit this to herself, it would destroy her, and possibly him as well.

She didn't love Sora. Not the way she thought she had, at least. He was her best friend, and she'd always feel that way. Always depend on him, always need him by her side. But not in that way, not in the way she'd needed—

"Axel…"

Fiery hair sprang to her mind, and skin much too pale to be healthy. Blinding green eyes and tear drop tattoos. So evil, yet so beautiful. Wait, not evil. Empty. Lost. Without.

Sora…Sora was all of it. A hero, a savior, a pure-hearted, genuinely good person. But after all the things he'd seen, all the creatures he'd killed in the name of preserving the universe, was his heart still as snowy white as it had been to start with? And what of herself, of Kairi? Of a Princess of Heart?

She doubted she could even claim the title anymore. Destiny had forced her into play, and she'd become a fighter and a killer. Neither of them were the people they once were, the silly little boy and girl from the islands who had been two shy to tell each other their feelings. They were…beyond that.

"Kairi?"

A shadow fell across her. She glanced to the side, and laughed.
Well, speak of the devil.

"Hi, Sora," she said quietly, turning back to the sea. "How's…everything?"

"The same," he said, sitting down next to her. "Everything's exactly the same as before the darkness came. Nobody even realized we've been gone." He ran his fingers through his hair, so much lighter than Kairi remembered it. "My mom's making shrimp for dinner. My favorite. Selphie and Tidus were making out in the seaside shack, and Riku…"

"How's he coping?" Kairi asked, glancing at him.

"I'm not really sure," Sora admitted, hugging his knees. "I think he's still kinda in shock."

Kairi smiled. "Yeah, I guess I understand that."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the sun in its glorious descent. I'll be able to see this everyday again, Kairi thought idly. I'm back home. It really only has been a week, but it feels like an eternity.

"Kairi?"

"Hmmm?"

The wind ruffled Sora's hair as he chewed his lip, his mouth puckering into a familiar pout. "It's…It's about…us."

"Us?" Kairi asked nervously.

Sora, there is no us. There can never be an us. That bridge was burned the moment you became a keyblade master. I just didn't realize until I became one as well.

"For the longest time, I thought I was in love with you."

Kairi's brow knitted. "What are you…?"

"Just let me…" Sora closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Kairi, I went looking for you. I thought we were destined to be together, I really did, but now…now, I don't know."

Kairi couldn't breathe. She didn't want to take a breath and risk missing a single one of Sora's words. Was she really hearing what she thought she was hearing?

"I—." Sora seemed struggling with how to continue.

"Let me try," Kairi said, coming to the rescue. "You were in love with the old me, but the new me isn't exactly…up to scratch?"

"No!" Sora said, waving his arms wildly. "Kairi, it's not you! It's—."

"You," Kairi finished. "Because you're in love with Riku."

Sora opened his mouth several times, looking like a fish out of water. He blushed deeply and hid his face in his hands.

"I can't help it," he mumbled. "I…he…I love…he's…"

"You don't have to explain it to me, Sora. I don't think it's something that can be explained. You love him. You just do. Don't be ashamed of it."

Does this mean I'm off the hook? she couldn't help thinking.

"I think…I think this is the way things were meant to be all along," she said helpfully. "Where is Riku?"

"At home," Sora said quickly. "I think he might be sleeping. He's totally worn out."

Kairi raised her eyebrows.

If possible, Sora blushed even more furiously. "That's not…he's not…he's not tired out from sex, Kairi!"

"I wasn't suggesting anything," Kairi said innocently.

"You were too!"

"Was not."

"Yes you were!"

"You just have a dirty mind, Sora," she told him sweetly.

"Hey, look who's talking!" He poked her in the shoulder accusingly and they both laughed.

It was at that moment that they both realized nothing had really changed. Their friendship hadn't been compromised. They'd made it through.

"How does this work?" Reno asked, surveying the undulating portal of darkness suspiciously.

"Do you know the meaning of the word portal?" Axel asked. He was still lying on the sand lazily, watching his Somebody pace back and forth and try to analyze things. "Don't think too hard," he advised. "You might strain something."

"Fuck you," Reno growled. "Where does this thing go? All of a sudden this random transporty thing shows up and I want to know where it goes, yo!"

"Why don't you walk through the thing and find out?"

Reno wrinkled his nose. "What if it drops me off in some medieval world, with like, a brigade of creepy-ass knights and shit?"

Axel shrugged. "I guess you'll be killed, then? That, or gang-raped."

Reno flipped him the bird. "I don't see how you can be so fucking cavalier about this!"

"Ooo, cavalier. Big word."

"Would you just shut the fuck up?" He breathed in slowly, trying to pull in his scattered thoughts. "So this portal will really take me somewhere else?"

"Well, that's what portals typically do…"

"Stop being a dick. So it'll bring me somewhere. But aren't we dead?"

Axel rolled onto his stomach, looking at Reno.

"Seriously? I'm not exactly sure what we are. When I told you we were in the afterlife, it was kind of an in-the-dark guess."

Reno scratched the back of his neck, pulling his hair out of its ponytail thoughtfully.

"Okay…I guess I'll try it." He looked up at his Nobody. "What about you, yo?"

Axel blinked slowly. "What about me?"

"Aren't you coming with me?"

Axel rose to his feet slowly. "Yeah…I guess I am."

Before Reno could make a sound of protest, he lunged forward, grabbing him by the shoulders, closing his eyes, and shoving with his mind.

As he felt his body beginning to dissolve, he though, so this is it, huh? Goodbye, consciousness. But if I ever want to see Roxas again, I gotta get back into the dating pool, right? Can't do that from the afterlife…

"What the fuck!" Reno screeched, clawing at his arms as the feeling of having his soul return filled him. For a moment, he knew nothing but blinding pain, and then…

"Holy shit."

All the king's horses and all the king's men had put Reno back together again.

"Riku, Riku, Riku!"

"Oof." Riku rolled onto his back. "Holy shit! Don't fucking pounce on a guy when he's sleeping! I was dreaming I was killing heartless."

He opened his eyes blearily, pushing strands of silvery hands behind his ears. A giddily smiling Sora swam into view above him, straddling him and trying to tug the covers off.

"Wake up, Ri-ku! Nap's over!"

Riku grinned. "Calm down, I'm awake." He leaned up, kissing Sora softly and fleetingly. A giggle came from the corner. He froze mid-kiss.

"Get a room, guys," Kairi said, beaming.

Riku glared. "We do have a room, Kairi. You should get out of it."

Kairi laughed again. "No way I'm gonna leave my two best friends to do unseemly things together…not when I'm really freakin' hungry!"

"Let's get food!" Sora said, bouncing up and down in his excitement.

Riku surveyed his new boyfriend with a little grin. "Ladies and gentleman, the keyblade wielder, savior of the universe! Isn't he dignified?"

"Shut it!" Sora squealed, hitting him squarely in the head with a pillow. "Now get up!"

Kairi watched this little display with both sadness and bliss tugging at her heartstrings. Riku and Sora did look perfect together. Light and dark. Sea and Sky. Something she wouldn't fit into even if she tried.

"Where do you guys wanna eat?" she asked, notifying them of the fact that she was still there and watching their every move.

Riku swung his feet onto the floor, reaching for his muscle shirt and pulling it on. "There's that new Bistro on the mainland," he said, running his fingers through his hair, making sure it wasn't standing on end. "It looked kind of good."

Sora looked doubtful. "Isn't it really expensive…?"

Kairi snorted. "We just saved the fucking universe, guys. We deserve to splurge a little. Besides, Sora," she leaned toward him conspiratorially. "Riku can pick up the tab."

"Okay!" Sora exclaimed.

"Hey!" Riku protested, following them out of his bedroom. "Everyone's against me!"

------

Kairi turned into the wind, standing up despite the little boat rocking under feet as it skimmed over the waves. In the distance, the lights of mainland shone invitingly as the trio made for the town. The sea breeze clung at her hair and her dress, filling her with an exhilaration that even using the keyblade couldn't create. Dusk had almost completely descended; there was just the slightest remaining tinge of red to the west above the horizon.

Riku and Sora were sitting on the floor of the boat together, hands tightly clasped as Riku expertly worked the tiller, keeping them on course. Some time ago this would have filled her with a jealousy burning and intense, but now it just made her feel incredibly…well, incredibly something, that was for sure.

She was off for a night of danger-free excitement with her two best friends in the world. Alright, maybe there wasn't anything too exciting about eating at a fancy bistro, but you had to take what you could get, right?

Sora caught her eyes, giving her a thumbs up and a goofy little smile. She grinned back and turned her gaze back to the sea.

She was happy. Yes, she was happy. She was content, but she wasn't going to deny that little bit of regret hidden within her heart, that tiny sliver of longing. A need to see fiery hair and emerald eyes once more in her lifetime, to feel the heat of his skin for just a moment. Kairi couldn't forget it, couldn't forget who it was who had dragged her into this beautiful mess.

She sighed, long and drawn out. A sigh of contentment and unfulfilled desires and unreachable tomorrows.

"What's wrong, Kai?" Sora asked, brow furrowing.

Kairi shook her head. "Nothing, nothing at all," she told him, just as the last of the fiery light faded from the horizon.

-Fin

But there will be an epilogue! Dun, dun, dun!

Regardless, I hoped you guys enjoyed it. It was downright cathartic to me, getting all of it out. And to all of you out there who aren't slash fans, I'm not going to apologize for the Riku/Sora thing, because I think it really works. They fit really well together, don't deny it.

The name of this chapter "The Walk", is an awesome song by Imogen Heap, who is just a fantastic artist. You should check her out. I think the song sums up this fic pretty well, and basically most of Kingdom Hearts.

Well, look for the epilogue sometime next week. It won't take me too long to write.

Until next time!