You don't know how you met me, you don't know why
You can't turn around and say good-bye
All you know is when I'm with you, I make you free
And swim through your veins like a fish in the sea

I'm singin' follow me everything is all right
I'll be the one to tuck you in at night
And if you want to leave I can guarantee
You won't find nobody else like me

I'm not worried 'bout the ring you wear
Cuz' as long as no one knows than nobody can care
You're feeling guilty and I'm well aware
But you don't look ashamed and baby, I'm not scared

-- Unkle Kracker, Follow Me

Sora's eyes flickered open with a jolt of surprise. He'd been having dreams of the past lately, but dreams of dreaming always gave him a headache, even if the real dream he'd been having consisted of a memory. God, even thinking about it was making his head pound. He wiped the sleep from his eyes, sitting up slowly. The clock on his bedside read it was five in the morning. Kairi still was fast asleep beside him, her mouth open as she snored sweetly.

He touched her soft hand with a happy smile on his face. This was when he liked it best, the two of them connected by subconscious thoughts and feelings. No words were the best, too, of late. They'd been fighting for the first time, ever. Fighting over someone who was long dead to them.

With a sigh, he broke the small moment of intimacy and stole over to his dresser, pulled out some clothes for the day and went to the bathroom. He turned on the scalding water and jumped in before it had time to warm up fully. The cold water helped him sort his thoughts as he let his mind wander back into time. Back to when he'd closed Riku into the door. He tensed at the memory. He'd always thought he'd be able to open Kingdom Hearts once again, that he'd save his friend from the darkness. Sora only wished that he'd not been so naïve back then. Riku had known what would happen when that door closed. He'd known that Sora wouldn't be able to open it again.

A frustrated cry escaped the brunette's lips. He banged a fist against the side of the shower with a twump. There was a startled snort from the bedroom and he heard Kairi begin to move. Great, now you woke up her royal bitchiness, he thought bitterly. He truly did love Kairi, and he knew he could never stop loving her, but she had been so cruel and hard to get along with.

It'd started up a few weeks ago when they'd started to plan for the wedding. Sora had proposed to her on their old play island, the little paopu island to be exact. He'd handed her wedge of fruit with her engagement ring in it, and they shared the fruit after she'd slipped the ring on with one of her silent smiles. Over all, Sora couldn't have thought of any better way to offer such a thing. But… for some strange reason, even though he'd bought the island for him and Kairi to live on and build a house, to raise a family… it didn't feel like theirs. The ghost of their lost friend haunted it, and raped it of the innocence it had once shared between them.

The fighting started out small. Kairi wanted to have the wedding on the paopu island—Riku's Island. Sora had strongly said no. "But… Sora, that place is so special to us," she'd sighed sweetly, taking his hand. They'd been at Sora's old house back on the main island, and his mother gave him a strange look. She'd known how much that one particular spot had been the center of his young friendship with Kairi.

"No, I don't want us to be married on that tiny little thing," he insisted, not meeting either of them in the eye.

"Please tell me this isn't one of those male things about size," grumbled his mother who rolled her eyes dramatically. Kairi giggled. Sora glared.

"No, it isn't about anything. I just don't want to be married on the island."

"But… you said you didn't want to have a traditional service. Where else would we want to be married, Sora? That's the place we swore our hearts to each other. Isn't it fitting?" Kairi prompted.

"That wasn't ever our island, Kairi," Sora said quietly. "That island belonged to Him."

They never did say his name, it just didn't seem right.

"Sora," Kairi whispered, taking his hands once again. "It's been five years. Things have changed."

Sora pushed the hands away. "You didn't seal Riku up into a place of never ending darkness," he said coldly and walked out of the house, down the road and to the dock where he kept his boat. Kairi's eyes had filled with horror at the use of their old friend's name. It brought back so many painful memories for her, but it ripped a hole in Sora's heart.

Sora shut the water off and wrapped up in a towel just as Kairi walked in. She blinked at him with sleepy eyes and muttered, "Sorry, Sora. I'll let you change." She closed the door with a snap, obviously still mad about last night's bicker about the place of the wedding again. It had been decided that they would not start any other planning until they settled this matter, and it had been three weeks and it still wasn't settled. Kairi was getting very impatient, and showing a new side of her that Sora had never seen. Over all, he guessed this couldn't be very good for their relationship.

He pulled on his clothes and stared into the fogged up mirror. He could make out his wet but still spiky brown hair and his two blue eyes staring at him, waiting for him to do something that would stop the fighting. With a sigh, he brushed his teeth and left the bathroom. Kairi didn't say anything as she hurried in. A moment later he heard the water turn back on. "How can we get on with our lives if we don't even talk any more?" he grumbled and slipped on his shoes. He still wore the similar outfit he had when he was a kid, a pair of shorts that now went down past his knees, and a jacket over a t-shirt. He'd grown quite a few inches, but other than that it was still Sora.

He walked out of the bedroom to the kitchen, with its one large window looking out to the beach. They'd built the house on the island shortly after he'd returned to their home world. It'd taken a year to find a way to get through to this world, but he hadn't started trying until he'd given up trying to find a way into Kingdom Hearts once more to save the king and Riku. Over all, it took two years. Those were the hardest years of his life, and he could never forget the hope that had been crushed when they'd failed so many times to try and open the door.

The island and the mainland had been pretty beat up after the heartless had come. People were still rebuilding in some spots. Kairi and Sora had taken advantage of all the wood on the island and created a nicely sized home, perfect for the two of them. There was a bit of extra room, and Sora didn't want to think about the children Kairi wanted to fill it.

How could she be thinking so far ahead, when there was so much to be done know? He sighed and made himself a bowl of cereal, sitting down at the counter and watched as the waves lapped up onto the shore.

"Sora."

The brunette jumped. He hadn't heard Kairi come down the stairs or approach him, yet suddenly there she was, right behind him whispering in his ear. "Sora… I thought you'd want us to be married there, at Riku's favorite spot."

At the name, he could almost physically feel a blade knifing out his heart. He didn't say anything as he clutched his spoon tighter. This had been the calmest Kairi had been when she'd talked of this subject for a while. He was truly interested in what she was saying for once.

"We… probably won't ever see him again, Sora." Sora hunched his shoulders, not wanting to hear this anymore. He wanted to hear what Kairi was saying, not have a discussion about their friend he'd sealed in a dark hell. "So, isn't that where he'd have wanted us to be married? It's the place we can feel closest to him. I know you would have him as your best man if you could. We feel Riku's memories, his spirit there… and I want us to share that on our wedding day. I know it's hard to think about that, but forgetting Riku isn't going to make it feel any better."

"Why did you pick this very moment to talk to me about Riku?" Sora asked quietly, turning around in his stool to face Kairi. She was wearing her now shoulder length hair in a high ponytail, her bangs still hanging in her face. Her outfit was all pink, and it momentarily made Sora want to roll his eyes. Did she wear anything else? "You never said anything when I first came back, when I was hurting the most," he continued, almost accusingly. "So why now? So you can use Riku as a way to sway me to your reasoning?"

"Sora… I was hurting too don't you know that? God, you're so selfish sometimes! What could I have said back then? Would you have even listened?" She clenched her fists and added with a dark voice, "You insult me by saying I would hang the memory of our friend over you to try and sway you. I'm trying to show you my perspective. I don't even know why the hell you're so mad at the idea of being married on the Paopu Island!"

Sora didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. It wasn't that he didn't want to be near his friend on his wedding day, but… "I don't know Kairi," he finally sighed. "I just… right now memories hurt. A lot."

"When are they ever not going to, Sora?"

When I find him…

"G'morning Sora!"

Sora gave a forced smile to the plump little postman at the mainland's post office. He went to his mailbox and pulled out the letters. He walked out into the bright, early afternoon's sunshine and walked over to a small café. He sat down and ordered lemonade before shifting through the week's mail.

A few letters of congratulations from family and friends were here and there. One was from Selphie, who said that she, Tidus and Walkka would be coming for the wedding no matter what. Sora kept that one so Kairi could read it and he could see her in a bit of a more happy mood.

The last letter was the one he'd been hoping for. It had taken a while no doubt; due to the fact it'd come from another world. World traveling was not as frequent as it used to be. He ripped open the envelope and read quickly.

Dear Sora,

WE CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE MARRYING KAIRI! We always knew you were sweet on her since we met. Of course, Goofy wasn't as quick to catch on. We've missed ya, and we hope after your wedding we can do some world traveling with you (honeymoon idea, ask Kairi).

We haven't had much luck locating the king or Riku. We've had tips of the location of the door. It seems to be shifting from worlds. We can't figure out why for the life of us, but we're looking into His Highness's library with Queen Minnie's permission. She's been doing better; Daisy's always helped her out.

Some of the information we've been gathering is so bizarre that we don't know what to make of it. It's hard to explain in a letter, so when we come to your world for the wedding, we'll try to fill you in then.

Oh, Goofy wants to let you know that there was a strange spotting at Traverse Town. It was a big cloud of black, some people thought it was the heartless returning… an old man swore he saw a door within it, but everyone thought he'd just gone crazy. We don't know if it was the door to Kingdom Hearts or not… but how in the worlds it can be traveling is beyond us. We'll keep you as well posted as we can with how slow letters are. Say hi to Kairi for us.

Your friends,

Donald & Goofy

A strange dark cloud floating of Traverse Town? That was the world closest to Sora's own. Could it be that the next stop would be his world? Would he be able to summon the keyblade and open it? What would happen if he opened it? Would the heartless be released again?

Sora sighed and rested his head in his hands that were propped up on the table by his elbows. There was so much to worry about. He'd left Kairi in silence; both of them too tired to try and raised their voices for a shouting match. Neither of them wanted that anyways.

How could he make her understand that he couldn't forgive himself for sealing Riku away in there? It'd been torturing him in his sleep, in his waking hours as well. It had gotten to the point where he was used to the aching raw pain in his chest, but whenever it flared he wanted to simply die.

"Your lemonade, sir," said the waitress and left it at his table. He stared at the sweating glass and sighed. He wasn't thirsty.

He stuffed the mail in one of his many pockets, downed the lemonade despite the fact he wasn't thirsty at all and began walking back to his boat waiting in the docks. He climbed in and began his row back to Destiny Island. Ever since the day he was thrust into the fight against the heartless, Sora had found the name of his childhood play island a little too ironic for his taste.

Kairi was on the beach when he arrived, staring out at the waves like she always used to do. He didn't bother her, guessing she didn't want to talk again after the morning's quiet but very dangerous dispute. The subject was rickety, and they both knew if they kept it up it would all just come crashing down on them.

Instead of heading back to the house, the troubled brunette slipped into the Secret Place. It'd been a long time since he'd been there. It was another one of those places that had stayed untouched. There were cobwebs and an eerie feeling as he pushed his way past the brush that was forming by the opening.

When he was in the dimly lit cavern, his eyes wandered towards all the childish cave drawings, smiling at the ones of him and Kairi (especially the one of the two sharing the paopu fruit). He felt the same familiar hole in his heart as he saw the ones of him and Riku. It was so hard to accept he was gone…

His eyes strayed to the other side of the cave and he froze.

Standing before him in the gloom, it loomed ominously and extremely out of place in the cave.

The Door had returned.