Likewise: Kairi's View


"Thinking of you, wherever you are.
We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows? Starting a new journey may not be so hard.
Or maybe it has already begun.
There are many worlds, but they share the same sky —one sky, one destiny."

...

Throughout the entire day, I couldn't take my mind off of what Sora could possibly have wanted to talk about. Maybe he wanted to share all of what he went through during the time he was gone, maybe he just wanted to spend some time together...or maybe...

"Wishful thinking I guess,"

I sighed softly as I continued to look towards the moon. It was already nighttime and it was beginning to get cold.

"Picked a terrible night to not bring a jacket with me..."

I turned to the crawlspace to the Secret Place and started to move inside.

"Sora?"

I managed to make it inside the small cave, amazed that I was still able to fit through it despite how much taller I grew in all this time. After brushing my knees clean of any dirt, I looked around the cave, with a strong feeling of nostalgia.

"It's been a while since I've come in here..."

The memories of Riku, Sora and I coming in here as children came rushing back. It was a place where we could have fun, just the three of us. It was where we made a lot of memories, promises and more importantly...it was the place where we decided that we would be friends, no matter what happened to any of us. Little did I know back then that everything would change.

I still don't have much memory of everything that happened after that fateful night two years ago. It was as if I was in some kind of trance...and the next thing I knew, it all went blank. It felt like I was floating in a dark void...I couldn't speak, I couldn't move, all that was there was emptiness. A few times, I felt life return to my body for a brief moment, but it felt too exhausting to do anything else.

Then all of a sudden, I woke up in some place I've never seen before. The first face I saw when I opened my eyes...was Sora's. I had hoped that he would be happy to see me...and for a moment, he really did. But then I noticed the light around his body and that he was falling...so I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, only for him to vanish right before my eyes. Up until that moment, I had never felt so terrified...frozen with fear and having no idea what to do because I had lost the most important person to me.

Though I was alive, Sora had made the ultimate sacrifice to give me my heart back...and the fact that he knew what would've happened to him if he did that made me cry even more upon realizing that he was gone.

He chose me...over himself. Sora was always the selfless kind of guy, but I didn't imagine for a moment that he would give up everything for someone else, let alone me.

My desire to see him again, coupled with just how much I cared about him was the only thing that kept me going and even though I saw him disappear, I refused to believe that he was gone forever. There had to be something that I could do to bring him back...and I was glad that I held that belief. It was terrifying at first; the Heartless surrounded me but somehow...I was able to tell that one particular one was him. He didn't show any aggression like the others and without even thinking, I rushed to his side. I had no way to defend myself, I was separated from Donald and Goofy and I had no idea what I was going to do to bring him back. So I did the only thing I believed could help.

I held him and swore that I would keep him away from the darkness. I had no idea back then that my heart was powerful enough to do something as crazy as bring a Heartless to human form...and once I felt warm arms around me, I had never felt so relieved. He was back, and I could touch him again.

Just when I thought that everything was going to be alright, Sora had to make a choice of staying behind to help the others or to come back to the islands with me. I wanted nothing more than to be with them again...but I knew that Sora was the only one who could help fight the darkness. It was the most difficult decision I ever had to make...I had to let him go. Then, as if he knew my thoughts, he said these words to me:

"I'm always with you too...I'll come back to you...I promise!"

It reminded me so much of the time I teased him just before we left Destiny Islands, when I suggested that we take the raft together...just the two of us. I rememberd how shocked he was to hear me say that and back then, I really was only joking.

"Right now on the other hand..."

I blushed just thinking about it. And the thing was...

Sora would've done it if he had enough time to process it. He always kept his word. He was never a person who would make a promise and then not keep it. I believed in him. And I knew at that moment, just before we parted...that he would keep true to himself.

So I let him go.

It would be the longest year I had ever endured before I could see him again. I spent a lot of my time looking out towards the sunset, hoping for even a sign that they would return. But...my memories of Sora began to fade. I would later learn that it was all because of Namine, interfering with his memories. I never learned the full story...but I knew that I couldn't sit and wait around anymore. I had to do something to find them.

After being offered a chance to see them again, I took it without hesitation. It was a terrifying journey, having met members of Organization XIII and having my resolve tested more than once after seeing what they were trying to accomplish.

Then everything changed when I saw Riku. Even though he wasn't himself, I was able to tell that it was him because of how kind he was to me. He led me to Sora...and that was the first time I had seen him in over a year. Even though he had grown taller and his voice deepened, he was the same lazy bum that I grew up with. But the first thing he said to me...was an apology?

Even after all he went through, after all the battles he's fought and the situations he's been in...he was apologizing for not keeping his promise?

My feelings finally gave way and I grabbed him in the deepest hug I had ever given someone, so happy that I was finally with him again. Even though the three of us were reunited again...fate would once again test my resolve as I got separated again from them. I felt powerless; even though I was supposed to be a Princess Of Heart and I was capable of using a Keyblade, there was nothing I could do to help my friends and once again, I was sent back to Destiny Islands, where I could do nothing but hope that they would overcome the darkness.

The final time...was when I saw them fall from the sky. When they got to shore and Sora gave me his signature smile...that was the happiest moment of my life.

"And here we are after training for the coming storm..."

"Kairi?"

I jolted from my thoughts and turned around to see Sora crawling through the hole. He got to his feet before comically sneezing from the dust on his nose, causing me to laugh softly.

"Took you long enough you lazy bum," I teased.

He laughed nervously and put his hand behind his head.

"Sorry about that, doing all that stuff took longer than I thought," he replied.

He approached one of the walls and placed a hand on it.

"Sure brings back memories...doesn't it?"

I nodded in agreement.

"Sure does!"

I did my best to sound happy because I could tell that he really felt sorry for making me wait here. Sora crouched down and began to run his hands along the drawings, laughing softly to himself. I happily joined him as I started to joke about how silly some of these doodles really were. It didn't take long for us to get lost in the fun as we went over just about every square inch of the cave, commenting on each of the drawings for several minutes at a time. Though I knew that Sora called me here for a reason, I didn't mind just having fun with him; it was rare for me to get the chance to do so. Upon reaching a particular drawing however, I couldn't help but pause and blush; it was the drawing of us sharing the Paopu Fruit. I was thankful that Sora was giving the wall all of his attention, else he may have noticed my obviously red face. However, he caught me off guard when he sat next to the drawing before looking right at me. His eyes showed he was...nervous?

"What's wrong Sora?" I asked.

He looked to the ground next to him and patted it. I joined him, though my eyes refused to leave his for even a moment.

"It's...really hard to put it into words," he said.

He broke eye contact with me for a moment and took a deep breath.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately...about this coming war and everything that's happened in the last year," he began.

I had never seen him look so concerned; he was a difficult person to get down due to his very optimistic nature.

"The one thing I keep coming back to...is you Kairi," he said.

Once again, I felt immense heat build up in my cheeks. My heart rate suddenly doubled and an immense wave of pure warmth coursed through my body. He then placed his hand on the drawing, particularly over the special part that he knew I filled in.

"I didn't tell you...but the first place I went when we got back was here," he said.

I felt my heart begin to soften greatly and even though I was insanely nervous, I could sense the happiness in his words...but it wasn't the usual happy-go-lucky kind of happiness that everyone expected from Sora...no. It was different...much more pure.

"...I couldn't believe that you came back here and filled it in," he said with a soft laugh.

He turned back to face me with a grateful smile.

"You're the only reason I was able to get this far...whenever I felt that all hope was lost, your voice kept me going," he said.

Much to my astonishment, Sora reached for one of my hands and held it lovingly.

"I was horrified when I saw you that day in Hollow Bastion...and when I had the choice of giving up everything to save your life, I did it without a second thought...because you mean the world to me Kairi," he said.

I knew my cheeks were bright red but at this point, I didn't care if he saw them. Unconsciously, I found myself inching closer to him, though he didn't seem to notice. Every word that came out of his mouth caused my smile to grow increasingly genuine until I was completely convinced.

"...He really does care about me..."

"Nothing compared to the happiness I felt on the day I saw you again in The World That Never Was...that you were alright and more importantly, that nothing changed between us; we were still friends,"

He looked away for a brief moment, as if to try and calm his clearly racing heart. I had never seen Sora open up so much...in fact, I don't think I've ever seen Sora get so emotional before.

"Ever since Riku and I got back, I've wanted to spend more time with you because I missed you so much...it was the hardest year I've ever had to endure but then all of this started happening," he said gesturing towards the air.

I subconsciously continued to inch closer without him noticing. My eyes left his for a brief moment to look at his lips...and it was then that I realized just how handsome was.

"And now that we could be called at any time...I felt terrified that I'd never get the chance to say what I've always wanted to say to you Kairi," he said.

His eyes broke away, looking towards the ground. I knew what he wanted to say...but I wanted to hear him say it. I knew that if I made it obvious that I caught on, it would discourage him, I decided to play along.

"What's that Sora?" I asked.

I ensured that my voice was as gentle as I could make it as my other hand enveloped his.

"That I love you,"

There was no pause, there was no struggle or hesitation. He said the words simple and cleanly...though he shut his eyes tightly during it. I could only imagine the flood of emotions going through his head, but he already said the three words that cemented his place in my heart.

"I was always watching you since we were kids...I wanted to make you smile and I didn't ever want to see you frown," he continued.

I drew in some much needed air and as much s started to see tears start to stream out of his closed eyes.

"And after all this time, now I'm sure...I really do love you Kairi; you're everything to me...and I would do anything to protect you,"

Sora took a breath and tried to speak again but he was silenced by my finger. His blue eyes flew open to reveal that they were slightly red and puffy. He was astonished to see the most genuine smile he had ever seen grace my face. His words resonated so much within me, especially when he said that I meant everything to him. It made me feel so special...and so safe. Now I knew that Sora was the bravest person I've ever met. He just confessed everything to me...and did so without having any idea how I would react. Now that I thought about it, perhaps that was the reason he came so late. Maybe he was thinking about what he was going to say. Knowing that he was beginning to get flustered, I gently placed a hand on his cheek

"You don't have to say anymore...because when I finished that drawing...I knew my feelings too,"

He hesitantly backed up until he reached the wall, now realizing just how close I was to him. He was hesitant for an understandable reason; we had no idea what this war would hold for any of us. For all we knew...this could be the last night of peace that we would ever have. Once he saw me begin to lean towards him, he finally managed to grab hold of his frantic heart and face me. My eyes began to narrow as I focused on his lips.

"I never stopped thinking about you...even when I thought I had forgotten you, you found yourself right back where you belong...in my heart,"

I took one of his hands into mine and placed it over my chest.

"...You feel that?"

He nodded solemnly.

"Every day you were gone...it felt like it wasn't beating," she said.

He narrowed his eyes and I could sense the guilt beginning to swell within his heart. After all of what we've been through, he was still worried that he broke his promise? Knowing full well that he would never forgive himself unless I made it clear it was alright, I took another breath.

"When I saw you again that day...when I hugged you and said that it was real...that was the moment I truly knew that I wanted to be with you,"

I moved nearer to him and gave him a smile.

"You didn't break your promise to me...you came home just as you said you would and because of that...you've made me the happiest girl in the world,"

I gently wiped the remnants of his tears from his cheeks.

"I love you too Sora,"

His eyes widened even more and I took the chance to press my lips to his. He tensed for a brief moment but within seconds, I felt him slowly allowing himself to return the kiss. His hands released mine as one went to my left cheek and the other gently grasped my right arm. I responded leaning a little closer, ensuring that our bodies were connected, just as our hearts have been for all this time. After several yearlong seconds, Sora broke away from me, smiling and blushing brightly. He then reached into his pocket, before pulling out a Paopu Fruit. I blushed profusely, but didn't shy away from the gesture.

"...Share this with me?" he asked.
"Of course I will,"

He broke the fruit in half before handing me a piece. Once he did however, I didn't place it in my mouth. Instead, I opted to bring it to his. He quickly caught onto the idea before bringing the piece in his hand to my mouth. On a non-verbal count of 3, we gently placed each piece of the fruit into our respective mouths. I always wondered what it tasted like and I'm glad that I got to share it with him. The fruit was sweet and had a very pleasant aftertaste that reminded me a lot of a lime. After several more pieces, the fruit was finished.

"...I guess we're intertwined forever," he said.

He barely had time to catch a breath before I kissed him again. All the words he spoke, all the thoughts he revealed...forget all the others. This moment was now the happiest of my life. I enjoyed kissing him so much. Perhaps he was a really good kisser, maybe I just wanted him to know for sure that I meant everything I said before...or maybe it was because I was cold in this cave. After several more seconds of pure warmth, I pulled away and gave him a smile.

"Even if we didn't share it...you already know that I'm always with you," I said.

I stared into his eyes, ensuring that he believed every word that came out of my mouth. I instinctively placed my hand on his chest and looked into his eyes. He responded by gently cupping my cheek and nodding with a smile.

"Likewise," was his solemn response.