Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is not mine. Whoever thinks I own it is SO wrong.

Author's Note: Still low on reviews. I don't blame you all though. My chapters are really short. Sorry for the lack of an update, still a procrastinator. Sorry for the lack of Sora and Kairi fluff! Anyways, here is your update!

Chapter 12: Gone Again

Kairi sat next to Sora on a bench at the park. The gang and Yuffie had to go, sadly. Kairi couldn't complain though. She still had Sora after all.

"What are we going to do once you go back?" Kairi asked quietly, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"I don't know. I guess keep on writing letters to each other." Sora answered. Kairi looked down.

"That's still nothing compared to having you right next to me." Kairi said, letting her head fall on his shoulder.

"I know. I wish that you hadn't moved." Sora said, putting his arm around her.

Kairi was silent. She was not looking forward to him leaving. Sure, she still had other friends, but that was nothing if she didn't have Sora with her. He was her everything.

"I really don't want you to leave." Kairi whispered, a tear falling from her eye.

"I don't want to leave. I have to eventually though." Sora said, turning his head and burying his face in her hair.

Kairi let another tear slide. They both knew why they wouldn't make any moves to be together as a couple. It just wouldn't be worth it if they couldn't be together in person. Neither of them thought that they could keep a long distance relationship.

"Kairi, I'm sorry." Sora said quietly.

"Why?" Kairi sniffed, trying to stop the tears.

"For being so stupid. I broke your heart to try helping you all. I'm an idiot." Sora said, removing his face from her hair and looking away.

"Sora, you were trying to help. I don't blame you." Kairi said, lifting her head to look at him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her.

Two pairs of blue eyes met, and their owners simply couldn't break the eye contact.

"Sora..." Kairi whispered.

"Kairi..." Sora whispered back to her.

Kairi leaned forward slightly, closing her eyes. Sora did so as well. Somewhere deep inside her, a voice was screaming at Kairi to stop, that this wasn't going to help her at all. She honestly didn't care. Their lips were so close to meeting.

"HEADS UP!" Kairi and Sora's eyes snapped open, swiftly breaking away and facing towards the voice, their faces very red.

Whack!

Kairi's head snapped back as a soccer ball connected with it. Sora turned his head to face her in shock.

"Kairi! Are you okay?" Sora asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, momentarily forgetting that they had almost kissed.

"Ouch. That hurts." Kairi groaned, rubbing the spot where the ball had connected with her head.

"Really, Kairi? I had no idea that a soccer ball to the face would hurt." Sora laughed. Kairi punched him in the arm.

"Ow! You're mean!" Sora pouted.

"It's what she does. Now, can I have my soccer ball back?" Sora saw that the ball had landed between himself and Kairi, and grabbed it.

"Yuffie?!" Sora exclaimed, looking up while still holding the ball. Kairi stole the ball from him and threw it in Yuffie's face, causing her to fall backwards.

"Hey! How dare you throw a soccer ball in the face of the great ninja Yuffie!" Yuffie gasped.

"You kicked it at my face first. I thought you left." Kairi narrowed her eyes at the "ninja."

"Yeah yeah. I did leave. To go get my soccer ball. Then I just happened to kick it in the wrong direction, and you ended up eating it. So what are you guys-" Yuffie was cut off by Sora.

"Uh, Yuffie... Your nose is bleeding." Sora said. Yuffie glared at Kairi before bringing her hand to her nose before removing it, seeing the blood and groaning.

"Great. Now I have to go back to that retched house. I blame you." Yuffie said, glaring at Kairi again before smirking.

"No inappropriate stuff while I'm gone you two." Yuffie grinned, running off with her soccer ball.

Sora and Kairi took about a second to process Yuffie's words before glancing at each other and blushing a very deep shade of red.

"YUFFIE!" The "ninja" laughed all the way back to her relatives' house.

Sora and Kairi sat in silence for a moment, refusing to look at each other because of the embarrassment.

"Um... well I'd better go back to Riku's place." Sora said, getting up and offering a hand to help Kairi up.

Kairi watched as Sora walked away. Once he disappeared from her sight, she walked back home. She walked upstairs and into her room, sitting down on the bed.

A tear slid down her face, followed be a second one. Soon they were coming out like a faucet.

"Kairi?" Kairi didn't even notice her mother walk in and place her arms around the redhead.

"What's wrong?" Her mother asked.

"I don't w-want Sora to g-go back..." Kairi sobbed, wiping her tears away.

Truth was, she had fallen for him. Hard. And it really was taking it's toll on her life.


Days passed by. Kairi spent each day with Sora, savoring every moment she had with him. Time was their enemy.

It was now the day before Sora left. He was leaving the next day at 6 a.m. Kairi felt bad for him. She would hate to wake up that early. But she was going to anyways. There was no way she was going to miss her last chance to see him for who knows how long.

Kairi went to bed extra early to make sure that she would wake up early NO MATTER WHAT.

"Kairi, one of your friends is here." Kairi's mom called. Kairi raised an eyebrow but ran down the stairs, shocked to see who was at the door.

"Axel? What are you doing here?" Kairi asked, letting him in.

"...Riku and Sora aren't at Riku's house. Riku won't answer his phone, and no one has heard from them. Have you seen either of them?" Axel asked.

"No. Does Riku usually answer his phone?" She asked.

"He always answers it. He always keeps it charged and with him at all times." Axel said.

"Um... maybe... uh... I don't know! Riku's your friend!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Well Sora's yours!" Axel retorted. She glared at him.

"Yes, but your friend is probably dragging mine around. So I blame your friend." Kairi said, crossing her arms.

Suddenly, Axel's phone rang and he quickly answered.

"Hello? ...Riku! Where are you? ...You're... oh... oh... okay. I gotcha." Axel said with a smirk Kairi's way. She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay... Alright... Bye." Axel hung up and smirked at her before opening the door and running away. Kairi stared in his direction.

Well that was weird. I wonder what they're doing. Kairi thought before shrugging it off, closing the door, and walking back upstairs.


Kairi ran as fast as possible out of her house. There was NO WAY she was going to miss Sora's departure.

"Sora!" She called, running into the train station. She gasped for air, bending over.

"Kairi? Are you okay?" Sora asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. After regaining her breath, Kairi straightened up to look Sora in the eyes with a grin.

"Yep! I had to get here so I could give you this before you left. I figured you should get your Christmas present now in person instead of in the mail." Kairi held out a small box to Sora.

Sora, in turn, reached into his pocket and pulled out an equally small box.

"I had a feeling you'd come here. I was with Riku yesterday looking for something." Sora said, handing her the box.

"Oh, so that's why Axel ran away from my house with a smirk." Kairi said. Sora raised an eyebrow at her.

"Axel came to my house wondering if I knew where you and Riku were." Kairi explained. Sora laughed, before being tapped on the shoulder by Riku.

"You have to go." He said, pointing at the train.

"Oh yeah. Remember, you can't open that until Christmas!" Sora said, turning around and running off. Kairi blinked and watched him run off.

He didn't even say goodbye... She thought. A tear formed in her eye.

"Kairi, are you okay?" Riku asked. Kairi wiped the tear, but more formed.

"What's the matter?" Riku asked, wrapping his arms around her to comfort her.

"He didn't even say goodbye." Kairi sobbed.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Riku asked. Kairi nodded, and they walked back to her house, where Kairi thanked him and walked inside, up the stairs, and into her room.

Tears fell from her eyes, not stopping. She couldn't believe that Sora didn't even say goodbye to her. She let the tears fall, not bothering to wipe them away.

He just left. He didn't say anything but to not open the box.

Kairi looked at the box sitting next to her. That was when she knew. She didn't have a crush on him. She didn't like him. She loved him.