A/N: Thank you so much for the feedback guys! Especially for those of you returning from when I originally posted this story! It will be similar to what you have read already with very minor adjustments, but I'm mostly hoping to just develop it way more than I got to last time. Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy ch2! :)

"Kairi!" Tifa's muffled voice called, from somewhere down the stairs.

"Coming!" I called back, frantically slipping a pair of high waisted denim shorts up my thighs. I threw a white lacey top on and stood in front of the full body mirror that clung to the back of my bedroom door, making sure I looked okay. My auburn hair rested a little past my shoulders as always, and my light indigo eyes stood out against my light complexion. Turning sideways, I examined myself at a different angle and wiggled my lips in indecisiveness.

I don't have time for this.

I rushed down the hall and trotted down the stairs to where Tifa was waiting for me. "You look so cute!" she exclaimed, "We have company," a smile plastered on her face.

I looked at her, trying to force a pleasant smile, but truthfully my stomach was churning up a storm.

When I woke up this morning, I finally got to see Cloud. It felt really good to see him and Tifa still together. When they started dating, he was around a lot and treated me like I was his own little sister. After our little reunion though, Tifa let me know that some old family friends were stopping by for a little barbeque later that day and she wanted me to stick around and meet everyone. Or at least, re-meet them, I guess. Cloud said they all liked to get together pretty often, and are like a giant family.

No pressure or anything.

So now she had me follow her through the hall, past the dining room, and into the kitchen, where Cloud was talking to a man that had his back turned to me. Cloud glanced his gaze from the man, to me, and smiled.

"Kairi, you remember Cid right?," Tifa spoke next to me, as the man turned around, revealing short blonde hair that almost looked slightly spiked, a burly looking face, and intimidating blue eyes.

"Well I'll be damned," his demeanor softened, and suddenly he didn't seem so scary. "Good to see ya kid," he softly nudged my shoulder, in affection.

"Hey Cid," I gave a shy, cheeky smile.

Cid was a very close family friend of ours. Growing up, he lived next door to mom and Tifa, so they were longtime childhood friends. Of course they didn't really get to spend much time together once they were in their late teens. For one, I was born and ironically, Cid also became a dad not too long after. He ended up moving out, further north on the island. He would still come to my birthday parties, and sometimes mom and Tifa would take me on trips to visit him and his daughter for play dates in town. We didn't see each other very often, and weren't nearly as close as me and...my two best friends...but we always got along great.

That's right! His daughter...

"Namine!" he called out, looking into the living room.

A blonde head suddenly surfaced from around the corner, peeking at me, eyes wide.

"Oh my god!" she ran over and wrapped her arms around me. Without hesitation, I hugged her back, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. We took a minute to step back and admire how much the other had grown. She still had her long blonde hair and fair skin that nearly blended in with her pink flowy top and khaki shorts. Her smile was soft and genuine, and it felt like I was looking at the same old Namine I knew back then.

It felt like the seven years I was gone didn't even matter. One of my biggest fears coming back to Destiny Islands was being forgotten and rejected. But Namine made my fears temporarily dissolve. I didn't think she would honestly care that I came back or be this nice.

I glanced over to Cloud, Tifa, and Cid who smiled adoringly at us. "You girls go ahead and catch up, we're going to start grilling out back as soon as a few more people get here. There's snacks on the table and drinks in the fridge," Tifa spoke, a look of satisfaction on her face. She must think I was dumb for worrying so much earlier this morning.

"How have you been, Kairi?" Namine's smile stretched from ear to ear.

I shrugged, "I've been okay. Things are a little weird coming back, but I'm...happy that I'm here."

For once, I was starting to feel better about being here.

She nodded, "Yeesh...Radiant Garden...I can only imagine what you had to deal with, I'd be glad to be back too! I'm just happy to see you again, it was like you fell off the face of the Earth."

I laughed, "Yeah...it definitely sucked, that's for sure," more than she even realized, "Well, I'm sure you've got a lot to fill me in on then?" I smiled.

"Oh jeez,"she rolled her eyes, "High school, drama, boys, the usual, I'm sure it was the same in Radiant Garden," she lightly chuckled.

Something like that...

I walked up to the refrigerator, reaching in for a water. Twisting it open, I took a swig, "I guess it is like that everywhere then. Even for such a peaceful island," I joked. I planned on keeping my traumatic past private. Namine seemed so open and so sweet right off the bat, I'm sure I could feel comfortable enough to tell her one day. But for right now, I just wanted to feel normal.

We walked over to the sofa in the living room and sat down to chat. Basically nothing much had happened in the family since I left, other than Tifa and Cloud's engagement. She told me how everyone in our family and friend circle had been doing over the years; what everyone has been doing with their lives. If anything, it was like everything was the same between us, except we had gotten older. It seemed like the real change was with all the kids I grew up with.

Eventually more guests arrived, Cloud's best friend Zack, his girlfriend Aerith, their goofy friend Reno, Rude, Yuffie, and a few others. It felt really good to be surrounded by so many people that actually cared about me, especially because of how lonely I felt while in Radiant Garden. I was shocked that all of these people remembered me so clearly and that I actually remembered most of them. If anything, it reassured me that maybe…

Maybe they would act the same way toward me…

No...that's different. These people are pretty much family, and they're still involved in Tifa's life. Of course they're going to be this way toward me.

All the guys ended up grilling a bunch of food for everyone and Tifa brought out all sorts of snacks and desserts; it turned out to be a better get together than I expected. Everyone was so warm and inviting, it felt like a load was taken off my shoulders.

Now I just had to deal with all the other people on the island, and see how they would respond to me being back.

After a few hours of playing bean bags and joking with everyone, telling stories about the past and making fun of each other, Namine and I decided to take off for a walk on the beach since it was literally down the street.

"So I take it Destiny High is full of drama?" I asked dreadfully as we headed down the road.

"I mean, what can you really expect out of a high school, you know?" she groaned at the thought of everyone she would have to face after summer break."It makes it better that you'll be going to school with me though! The boys are going to think you're super cute."

I cocked my head to the side,"How are the boys here?"

"Well...you know…"she brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Oh?," I looked at her suspiciously. "Ohhhhhhh, so you have a boyfriend?" I squinted my eyes, jokingly.

"I guess there is this guy I sort of, kind of like...a little. I don't know," she blushed.

I flashed her a sly smirk, "Do tell, Namine."

Her face was so red against her pale skin, like a little tomato, "Well his name's Roxas. We started talking in my art class...I guess we're dating, but we're not officially a couple...yet." She turned her head away from me in embarrassment.

I giggled at how bashful she was. From what I remembered, Namine had always been on the quieter side, a shy and cautious girl who found her expression through art. I on the other hand, was more of the daring one when we would hang out. I liked to go explore on the island with the boys, and would rough house and stand my ground if there was ever a problem. I guess that's why I got into so much trouble in high school in Radiant Garden.

"What about your love life?" she asked, curiously.

I looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by. The breeze gently blew my hair and I brushed it out of my face, "I didn't have much of a love life in Radiant Garden."

"I heard the people there are really snobby anyways," she admitted.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, the two of us laughing together. It was true, though. Radiant Garden was considered high end and a town for the wealthy. I definitely wouldn't miss that lifestyle."At least I get to live right by the beach," I recalled my memories spent covered in sand and the smell of salt.

"I'm a little jealous," she teased, "But we better hang out more this summer."

"We will, don't worry. It's going to be so weird when school starts. I'm kind of dreading it."

I could hear the clashing of the waves as we finally set foot onto the warm sand, slipping our shoes off to carry.

"Well don't forget, you'll have me, and I'll introduce you to my friends too," she reassured me. I guess she was right. Besides, it was only the beginning of summer break so I had time to meet people.

As we walked further onto the beach, I went to the shoreline and looked out to the small desolate island from my childhood. The water was cool as it ran over my feet, and back into the ocean; an ancient repetition that was melodic to the Earth. Being here reminded me of my memories with my childhood friends, especially the last time I was ever here was with them.

This beach and that island is where we spent all of our time, and there wasn't a single thing I treasured more than those memories. Maybe that's why it's so hard to get over. I guess I wanted to preserve time and by coming here, it's a sharp reminder that those days really are long gone.

"You okay?" Namine asked, looking at me a little worried. She then looked out to see what I was staring at and I'm sure she realized what was going on in my head. Namine was always an understanding person and had a keen sense of just knowing things. I might have brought her to the island once or twice during her visits to my house, but what she knew was mostly just from the stories of my friends and our adventures I would rave about all the time.

"Let's collect some shells," I broke from the trance and came up with a way to distract my mind.

"Okay!"

The beach was enormous, covered in the finest, tanned sand that warmed your feet every time you set foot on it. It was almost therapeutic to be here - the tranquil clear blue water and smell of sea salt, a tropical scented breeze and palm trees scattered all over; we lived in paradise.

Namine and I walked down along the shore, our shoes dangling from one hand, stopping whenever we saw a shell we liked. Back when we were children we would save the really cool ones for our collections, and use the rest for crafting.

We carried on, passing a few families all laid out on beach towels; a young girl building a sand castle, two little boys fighting with wooden swords, and from the distance, there seemed to be a group of people playing frisbee.

"Oh god," Namine suddenly became frantic.

"What's up?" I asked, bent over and snatching a shiny rock that had molded into the shape of a heart.

"Those guys over there," she eyed the group with the frisbee. They were pretty far off so I couldn't see their faces very clearly, not that I would recognize any of them anyways. "Roxas is over there."

"What? Which one? We have to go over there!" I mischievously grinned a toothy smile. I knew Namine was still a little shy, just as she had always been. She really seemed into this guy and what harm could it be? Maybe a little summer romance, who knows.

"Kairi, no!" she latched onto my arm.

I spun around, cocking an eyebrow, "Why not?"

She looked around, trying to find an escape, "B-because I have to go soon and we should probably head back," she stuttered.

"Right."

"I'm serious, Kairi!" she whimpered.

"I thought you guys were pretty much together," I challenged.

"W- we are! But he has no shirt on for the love of god, I am not prepared for this!"

"Mhm," I started to walk toward them, her body trying to anchor me into the sand. "Namine...Let….Go…," I tried to shake her off, but she persisted.

This Roxas guy must be a real gem for her to be this hung up.

"Alright, alright, fine," I stopped, turning around to face her, "You win," I gave up. I didn't want the girl passing out on me.

She sighed of relief, "I just don't know what to say to him. I mean, I'm pretty positive that he likes me but he hasn't made the next move so what if he doesn't like me and I look stupid or like a stalker and then I feel more stupid and have to see him at school and," she gulped for air, her sentence scrambling on until she couldn't breathe.

"You shouldn't worry Namine, I'm sure he - "

"Look out!" a voice yelled as I suddenly felt a whack to the back of my head.

Son of a…

I hunched over, grabbing the back of my head in pain. My eyes shut close and and I clenched my jaw, trying to let the shock pass over, but I could feel my brain throbbing and it wasn't making my temper any better.

"Hey, are you okay?" another voice asked.

I opened my eyes and saw a frisbee laying by my feet. "I'm fine."

Grabbing the frisbee, I stood up, infuriated with these idiots. Probably a bunch of douchebags thinking it was hilarious. I'll show them. Maybe I should just throw it into the ocean.

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to - "

I spun around to shove the frisbee back at them with a glare, but my face fell the instant I looked into those familiar blue eyes.

The same blue eyes as…

"Kairi?"