Notes: Alrighty so this is the last chapter! Of course, it's expected that this would be short but yeah. Hahaha. I hope you like it! And I will be posting the fic that comes before this shortly. So be sure to look out for that one as well. More at the end.
Chapter 2
All I want is to see you one more time…
"It's getting dark, Riku…we should head back home…" Kairi stood up and smiled at him lightly. "Come on, Sora." She turned her eyes to Sora, who was staring at the sky and she realized it was one of those moments that she shouldn't speak. Sora and Riku both dearly missed the friends that they'd made and she realized that by just looking at them.
Sora's blue eyes scanned the sky for a moment and he stood up to stand right next to Riku whose eyes were also focused upon the sky. "Let's go…" He finally said.
"Wait." Kairi pointed at the sky, "Look at that! Something shooting across the sky!"
Riku and Sora turned back up to the sky and saw it as well. A streak of red flying across the sky and falling on the other side of the island. They hardly noticed it get larger but they felt it when it hit the ground. "Let's go see what it is!" Riku said his mood suddenly shifting into one that was very anxious.
Sora and Kairi both nodded and the trio started off on the beach towards the other side of the island.
"Maybe it was Ailey." Riku said looking from Sora to Kairi.
"It could've been." Sora said slowly.
"You don't sound very sure." Kairi whispered so that Riku couldn't hear her.
"I'm not very sure." Sora said softly. "I hope it is though…for his sake…" He glanced at Riku who gave him a strange look and started walking a bit faster.
Suddenly…
Ailey stood, just a short while later and still dressed in the outfit given to her by Queen Minnie, on the familiar beach that of the small island of shore a larger one. She smiled as all the memories of her childhood came rushing back into her mind and as she slowly looked up to the sky she smiled at the bright sun. This was home.
Ailey stood to listen for a while before starting across the sand. After a short time she kicked off her her shoes and started walking through the sand without them, feeling much more comfortable that way. Closing her eyes she let her body soak up the rays of the sun as she continued to move slowly along the sandy beach, heading in what she hoped was Riku's direction. Or at least Sora and Kairi's.
Ailey opened her eyes and looked at the setting sun before singing softly.
"Inside of the sudden light I awaken
In the middle of the night…"
As if someone had heard all our prayers…
"Maybe it wasn't her…" Riku sighed becoming discouraged. "Maybe we were seeing things…"
"All three of us?" Kairi asked frowning.
"We still haven't even made it to where whatever it was came down, and I doubt all three of us were seeing things." Sora frowned at his friends for how negative they were and urged them forward. The came to a stop when they heard a small voice.
"No matter what the time
We'll always be together
No matter what the time…"
Riku jumped at the sound and look to the side at Kairi with a grin across his face, "That's her. It has to be, I'd know that voice anywhere."
Sora laughed and took Kairi's hand, pulling her forward. "What are we standing around for then?" He laughed.
We came face to face once again…
"Because you're by my side
The light known as 'you' finds me
In the middle of the night."
Ailey stopped singing, suddenly lost in memories as she gazed up at the now darkened sky, smiling lightly. She turned her eyes to the beach that turned slowly before her and spotted in the distance a group of three running towards her. Her eyes grew wide as she noticed each for who they were; Sora, Kairi, and…
"Riku…" Ailey whispered before realizing what she'd just said. She pulled up her dress so that she wouldn't trip and dashed down the beach. Her eyes filled with tears as she rounded the small corner and continued to run forward, closing the small distance between them.
Riku looked up and blinked as Kairi and Sora stopped so he could go and greet her first. "Ailey…" He said quietly, unable to move his legs. He was terrified and thrilled at the same time. Terrified to find out rather she hated him or not and thrilled to see she'd finally come home.
Just as he was sure she was running towards Sora and Kairi her voice echoed out across the sand, "RIKU!"
"Go." Kairi smiled.
Sora laughed, "Don't cry!" He teased, trying to lighten up the moment.
"AI!" Riku was about to run forward to meet her but before his legs would allow him to move, Ailey collided with him and knocked him to the ground.
"Riku…" She said softly.
"So you chose us over ruling an entire kingdom?" Sora laughed looking from Riku to Ailey, "You picked him over a prince?"
"Yes!" Ailey laughed and then looked at Riku, waiting for him to speak.
"Why?" Kairi asked slowly.
A long silence followed Kairi's question in which Riku rose to his feet and pulled Ailey up after him. Ailey hugged both Sora and Kairi in turn, thinking hard about Kairi's question. "Because you're all much more important than some place that I can't even remember. You're my family." She turned to Riku and looked at him for a moment, "This is my home…right here…is where I belong…"
"Welcome home then, Ai." Riku finally spoke.
Ailey looked up at him and a smile broke across her face as she threw her arms around him. "I've dreamed about this since day one…" She muttered lightly, "I'd dreamed of you holding me like this and now it's really happened. It's like I've woken up and…I'm still dreaming. Riku…you're the reason I came back…"
Riku stood still, searching for what to say, "Ailey…you know…I don't really deserve to have you home…to have you here…but…I'm happy you did come home. Ai, I love you."
Ailey smiled hiding her face in his chest before speaking once more, "I love you too…Riku…"
So our story goes to show…
That when you fall in love…
Truly in love…
You fall into a dream…
The best kind of dream…
The one you can wake up too…
All you have to do…
Is trust your heart in the hands of another…
And you wake in a new world…
The world of a never ending dream…
So! That's the end. By the way, the song that Ailey was singing...or the lyrics were taken from the English lyrics of Hikari (not Simple and Clean but seriously the English translation of Hikari) and I have to say all of the inspiration for this story came to me while I was listening to the Piano Version of Hikari so you should all check it out if you haven't heard it because it is truely gorgeous. As I said before, I'll be starting the fic that comes before this one tonight and I'll be posting it soon. I hope you all check it out too and I hope you like it as much as this one.
Thanks for reading.
~ Chas