Chapter 37 – Affection

Kairi held her hand over her eyes, waiting for the light to return to normal. When she could finally see again, she noticed puffy clouds streaking the pink and blue sky above. She was in some kind of garden, its gold and blue walls all around her. A fountain nearby spouted crystal clear water, and rose trellises were arranged in a perfect circle around it. Beneath the shining tiles of the pavement, there wasn't anything. No ground, only sky.

She was standing in the courtyard of a giant floating castle. That was cool, but it was also kind of terrifying. What if she fell off the edge?

But more importantly, where was everybody else?

"Sora? Riku?" she called.

"Kairi, there you are!" It was Aqua. She wore a radiant smile on her face as she raced over and grabbed Kairi's hand. "C'mon, everyone's waiting!"

"Waiting for what?"

"You'll see."

Aqua led her through a series of gardens and courtyards. The flowers were beautiful, their fragrance wafting to Kairi's nose and reminding her of Radiant Garden. There was something else about this place, too, something familiar—

At last they entered an enormous hall, and Aqua pushed aside the double doors. They went inside a grand throne room. Stained glass windows lined the walls, letting in colorful light that flickered and flitted across the shimmering floors.

Wait, those stained glass windows were familiar. With a shock Kairi realized why she recognized them. They were Sora's Heart Stations. A warm feeling settled in her chest when she saw how many times she was featured on them.

Ven and Terra and Master Eraqus all smiled as she passed them, and Roxas and Naminé did, too. Vanitas managed a half smile, which was pretty good, coming from him. Lea winked and squeezed her hand, and Isa nodded ever so slightly. That was okay though. Apologies could come later.

She waved at Xion and the Riku Replica, who were hanging out near Mickey and Donald and Goofy. The four of them gave her a thumbs up, and finally she was standing next to Riku.

"You're late," he whispered, but he was grinning.

"Kairi."

She turned to look at the source of the voice, so familiar, so dear. Sora was seated on the throne above them. His right leg was crossed over his left, and his hand rested on his cheek. His crown was perched on top of his head, his spikes poking out of the top and supporting the sides. And the light still glowed in his eyes, hinting at the power held within him now.

So he really had become the ruler of Kingdom Hearts. This splendid palace must be his new domain. She could feel every eye in the room on her as she stared at him.

What should I do? He… he's more than human now. What do I even say?

Sora's presence had always been comforting and safe, but looking at him now, she wasn't sure what to think. He was still Sora, and yet he wasn't. There was something almost intimidating about him now, an air of dignity and authority that commanded her attention. She was rooted to the floor, unable to move or even say anything as he searched her face.

Thankfully, he spoke again. "Kairi, I'm glad you're here."

She finally found her voice. "Yeah, me too. I'm glad you're here, too." She looked at her shoes and the shining floor beneath them. "Sora, about the χ-blade… "

She knew how he'd felt when he'd been forced to hurt her, because she'd been forced to hurt him, too. They all had. The memory of piercing his heart would be with her for the rest of her life, and when he'd died, a part of her had felt like it had died, too. He'd told her it wasn't her fault, but… it was hard not to feel like she was the cause of his death, and she wanted to apologize.

But he wasn't about to have that. "Kairi," he said, leaning towards her, "I am more than okay now. Please don't blame yourself for what happened." He gave her a gentle smile, then addressed everyone. "I don't want any of you to blame yourselves for what Xehanort made you do. It's not your fault."

"That goes for you too," Kairi said, giving him a pointed look.

"I know," he said softly.

Had he… had he finally forgiven himself?

"Anyway," he continued, addressing them all again in a louder voice, "I wanted to thank you guys for your help. Xehanort's been defeated for good, and peace and order have been restored to the worlds."

With that, everyone cheered, and Sora smiled. He'd smiled a lot lately, but it was still so good to see his smile again.

"You guys are free to go home. Thank you for everything, and good luck."

Wait, he was sending them all home? She looked at Riku, who just shrugged.

"But what about you, Sora?" Donald asked, giving voice to her thoughts.

"I… I have to stay here," Sora replied. "There are things I still have to do." His eyes flickered upwards. The weight of the crown on his head was a symbol, a physical reminder of the role that had been chosen for him.

Kairi wondered if it was heavy.

"Y'mean, you can't come with us?" Goofy was not pleased to hear this news, not one bit.

Sora shook his head, and Kairi felt a stab of dread in her gut. Were they still going to lose him, even after everything?

"But Sora…" Roxas protested.

"We won't just leave you behind!" Naminé grabbed Roxas's hand, distraught at the prospect.

"Sora, is this what you really want?" Terra asked. Sora simply nodded, and Terra bowed before turning to go.

"Wait, Terra, where are you going?!" Ven demanded.

"Home," Terra said. "Are you and Aqua coming with me?"

Aqua was torn. She looked between Terra and Sora and back again.

"Go with him," Sora said. His expression softened. "You've waited long enough."

"Thank you," she said. She climbed up the stairs to the throne and gave Sora's hand a squeeze, then took Terra's and followed him out the great doors. Ven and Vanitas said goodbye to Sora next. Master Eraqus spoke with Sora for a few moments after that, and then he, too, followed after them.

One by one, the rest of their friends bade him farewell. Roxas and Xion and Naminé thanked him for saving them and then left. The Riku Replica thanked him for giving him a second chance, and Lea told him he better have it memorized and followed after them with Isa in tow.

"Gosh, Sora," Mickey said, "is this really goodbye?"

"Yes. Thank you for always guiding me on the right path."

Donald and Goofy were next. They listed off all the things that had changed about their lives after Sora had met them, shared all the happy memories with him. Afterwards, they hugged him, then they, too, joined Mickey and left.

It was just Kairi and Riku now.

"Look at you, all high and mighty," Riku said. "Still not gonna call you something stupid like Your Majesty though." He grinned and shook his head. "Can't let you get a big head now."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? My head's no bigger than yours. And you better not call me that. It'd be weird if you did."

Of everyone, Riku… didn't seem to be treating this very seriously at all.

"See you around," he said, and waltzed off as if they'd be seeing Sora again tomorrow to hang out on the Play Island.

She stared after him in disbelief. How could he act so casually, knowing this was goodbye? Kairi had half a mind to stomp after him and give him a piece of her mind, but then Sora cleared his throat.

"Kairi—"

"Sora—"

They stopped.

"You first," he said.

Kairi swallowed. They were finally alone, and she still had no idea what to say. She fiddled with her necklace. Words. She had to say words.

"Is this really goodbye?"

"Kairi, look at your body," he gently instructed. She did. With a gasp, she realized her arms were translucent. So were her legs.

"You can't stay here," he said softly. "You're already fading. You belong in the realm of light with everyone else."

"But what about you? Won't you be alone?"

He shook his head. "I'm never alone." Fumbling with something in his pocket, he took out her lucky charm to show her. "See?"

A lump built in her throat. He still had it. Even after everything that had happened, he still carried it with him.

"Is there really no way you can come with us? Are you really… are you really stuck here forever?"

It wasn't fair. Even after everything, they still couldn't be together. Tears pricked at Kairi's eyes at the injustice of it all.

"Kairi," he said, the power swirling in his eyes. "If I stay here, I can heal everyone's hurt. I can right wrongs, stop wars, restore worlds. I can keep someone like Xehanort from hurting anyone ever again."

Be that as it may, the thought of him spending the rest of his days here alone was unbearable. She tried in vain to swallow the lump in her throat before she spoke again.

"I-I know, but it still hurts to say goodbye."

He drummed his fingers across his knee and raised his eyebrow. "Goodbye? Who said this was goodbye?"

Kairi's heart lurched. "Sora?"

His lips were twitching, and a mischievous spark danced in his eyes. "I said, who said this was goodbye?"

She could hardly believe her ears. "But earlier – you said – I mean – you – you want me to stay here with you?"

It was an option she hadn't even considered. She wasn't sure about leaving everything and everyone else behind, but if Sora really wanted her to—

"No." He paused, amused by her utter confusion. "You aren't staying here, Kairi." A radiant smile spread across his face as the meaning behind his words fully sank in. "I'm coming with you."

He finally stood and removed the crown from his head. His eyes never left her face as he spoke, his voice thundering throughout the whole castle.

"To all the worlds and everyone in them, hear me now: I'm giving you back the power you gave me. It belongs to all of you. It's not right for me to keep it for myself."

He was giving it all up? He was giving up his power?

"Sora, wait!" Kairi cried. "Are you sure?"

"If it means I get to be with you?" He grinned. "Really, Kairi, do you even have to ask?"

"But what about everyone else?" She didn't want him to give up everything just for her sake. Not when so many people's futures were at stake.

His expression grew serious. "Everyone else will be just fine. It's not up to me to control their lives. For you and our friends it was just a few moments, but for me it felt like ages. I changed how time passed in this castle for a while and made sure the worlds would be at peace. I spent day after day after day helping their leaders make agreements with each other. It's up to them to decide what to do with the future I've given them."

"But without you, how will it all hold together?" Kairi could picture it now, society collapsing and the worlds at war with each other because Sora giving up his control would leave a power vacuum behind.

"It'll hold together because we designed it to work like that. Most of the leaders are my friends, and the rest of them respect me. They knew my power was temporary right from the start. I told them I was going to give it up, and that was the basis for all the agreements and treaties they made with each other. We made a council, too, that will vote and make decisions about how to handle inter-world relations going forward. They'll rule over themselves instead of me ruling over everyone."

Well, at least he'd considered that sort of thing. Maybe things really would hold together okay if he stepped down from his throne. Still, she had to make sure. He'd loved using his power to help their friends. Would he really be okay with giving it up? Would he be okay with all the future hurt he couldn't stop?

"Are you really sure?" she asked him again, just to be safe.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop at her question. Black smoke swirled at his feet, and he transformed into his Heartless form, his yellow eyes boring into her.

"You saw me," he said, his voice deeper and with a hint of a growl in it. "You saw how close I was to giving in to the darkness in my heart. I almost abused my power and erased Xehanort from ever existing. Can you imagine how bad that would have been? I could have destroyed our friends' lives out of my selfish desire for revenge."

"It wasn't selfish! You wanted to do it for us." She paused, remembering the look on his face, the agony in his eyes as he'd warred with himself. "You wanted to do it for me."

He transformed back into himself and smiled sadly. "And that's why I can't keep this power. I made you a promise, remember? I've done a bad job of keeping it, but that's going to change, right here, right now."

Kairi chewed her lip. "As long as that's what you really want."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Kairi, there's no question about it. This is all I've ever wanted. I'm only okay because I didn't think we'd have to wait this long. If I'd known from the start—" His voice cracked and his eyes flew open. Glowing power or not, she could still see the hurt in them. "Is this not what you want?"

"It is!" The boldness of her own voice took her by surprise, and her cheeks flushed as she ducked her head. "More than anything." Her hand found her necklace again, and she fiddled with it as she mustered up the courage to say the rest. "I just… you would really do that?" She dared to look into his eyes, bracing herself for whatever she might find in them. "You would give it all up for me?"

Instead of the exasperation or frustration she was half expecting, her doubts were met with an affectionate smile. Like everything she said and did only endeared her to him that much more.

"Watch me," he said, his voice delightfully cocky. Then he lifted his eyes and addressed the worlds once more. "Hear that, everyone? I'm giving up my power to be with Kairi like I promised. That means I'm entrusting you with the future. All I ask is that you use this power for good like we agreed, to help and heal instead of hurt and harm."

She watched as he gave it all up. The light of Kingdom Hearts left his eyes and the power seeped out of his body. It swirled upwards into the ether. Then there was an explosion of light that rang out through all the worlds as the power of Kingdom Hearts was returned to the people.

And her dear, beloved Sora was fully himself again, wonderful and ordinary and human. His blue eyes had never looked as beautiful as they did now.

"There," he said, his hands shaking as he tossed his crown to the side. "Nothing's standing in our way anymore." He raced down the steps towards her, stumbling a bit before he managed to catch himself and continue. Her heart was hammering so loudly in her chest it was a wonder it didn't break through and slam into him as she closed the rest of the distance between them.

He swept her off her feet, spinning her around and around. Their joy overflowed into laughter till it filled the entire hall. And the hall was responding; it was like a living, breathing thing bursting with light and color, the stained glass windows lighting up, the floors shining, Sora's delight and affection for her reflected in every tile and inch of wall and pane of glass in this place.

When he finally slowed down, the expression on his face turned into something else entirely as he set her back on her feet.

"Kairi," he said, his tone making her heart race as pulses of light spread outward from where they stood. He traced her cheek with his hand, and she sighed and leaned into his touch. His breath quickened, even as time slowed down around them. The look he was giving her right now was making it hard to focus on anything else. The whole castle seemed to fade away around them.

Then, unable to bear their separation any longer, he brought his lips to hers. A surge of giddiness and euphoria came over her as he filled her mind and heart. He flooded her senses with the taste of his mouth, the touch of his hand, the warmth of his breath. In that moment, he was the only thing that mattered.

When it was over, she whispered his name and opened her eyes. His lashes likewise fluttered open, only his eyes were shimmering with tears. One even slid down his cheek as she watched.

"Y-you're crying?"

He wiped his eyes. "I'm okay, Kairi, I promise." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers trailed to her cheek again, his touch soft and tender. "This is just…" he paused, his voice temporarily failing him, "…the happiest moment of my life."

Her eyes welled up with a few tears of her own. But it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Not at all. Especially not when Sora gave her another one of his radiant smiles. Her chest tightened, and her arms were around him and her lips against his before he could register what was happening.

He recovered from his surprise and responded with equal enthusiasm. She wove her fingers into his hair and parted her lips, inviting him in, guiding him deeper. His hands went around her waist, and he pulled her close as he explored her mouth with an eagerness that was as much endearing as it was exciting.

He finally leaned back. He was out of breath, and his eyes swirled with emotion as he gazed into hers. What he'd just done had left her aching for more. She stared at his lips and swallowed, not ready to be done yet. And neither was he. Her wordless plea was rewarded with another kiss that sent her head spinning. Any inhibitions on his part were gone, a realization that made her weak in the knees. Good thing he had his arms around her, bringing them together till it was difficult to say where he ended and she began.

But they couldn't stay here forever. Their friends were still waiting for them back home. She finally broke off the kiss, only for him to catch her hand with his before she could return it to her side. All he could manage to say was her name, but even that was enough to tell her he still wanted more.

She twined their fingers together and gave him a sympathetic smile. The glow from their time together was still radiating off his face (and the entire castle, for that matter), and in her heart of hearts she didn't want to bring such a wonderful moment to an end. But they had to think of their friends.

"Sora, everyone's waiting for us. We have to go home." Riku was the only one who had seemed unconcerned about what had happened. Probably because he'd figured out Sora's plan, the sneak. Everyone else was feeling down, thinking they were never going to see Sora again.

"Let them," Sora said, his voice uncharacteristically gruff and the look in his eyes making her heart flutter. "Let them wait. They'll see us again soon enough."

"Sora!" Kairi playfully swatted at the hands that were trying to make their way back around her waist. "Is that any way to talk about our friends?" she scolded, even as a part of her was thrilled at the thought that Sora wanted her all to himself.

"I warned you I'd be selfish, didn't I?" he said, his hands returning to his sides even as his eyes begged for more. "Just a little longer, Kairi. Please."

He used his stupid puppy dog eyes on her, and that combined with the needy tone of his voice did her in.

Well, it wasn't like she minded. One more kiss couldn't hurt. Leaning in close, she whispered in his ear, enjoying his sharp intake of breath as she did. "Well, go on then, kiss me," she murmured, infusing her voice with a sultry tone she'd never used on him (or anyone, for that matter) before. Then she followed it up with the best doe eyes she could muster.

Bet you weren't expecting that. She smirked, and that was the last straw.

Afterwards, Kairi could safely say that was their best kiss yet. Something about her teasing had brought out a side of Sora she'd only glimpsed before, and she was very determined now to get it to come out more often. It was like a secret he shared only with her, and she wanted to know more of it.

"There," she said. "Hope that's enough to tide you over until—"

He grinned and shook his head, and she had to clamp a hand over his mouth.

"Stop, silly. We really do need to go back. The others are going to wonder what happened to us."

This backfired, as he simply caught her hand and kissed it instead. He looked up afterwards, the cheekiest grin on his face.

"Gimme a break, Kairi. I'm trying to make up for lost time. And after that, I have to make up for a whole bunch of future interruptions."

He planted a quick kiss on her cheek, and she jokingly protested before tilting her chin and inviting him to continue. His lips felt good on her skin, soft and warm as they traced a path down her face and neck.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do this," he murmured, his lips brushing the spot above her collarbone and sending shivers down her spine.

She took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to get her voice to sound nonchalant. "Hmmmm… since our reunion at Merlin's house?"

He straightened and kissed her forehead. "Nope. Before that. Though I would have then, if it weren't for Donald."

She laughed at the disgruntled tone of his voice. "Since our reunion back home?"

He kissed her cheek. "Close. I wanted to kiss you then, too, but that wasn't the first time."

"Hollow Bastion?"

She was rewarded with a full, lingering kiss on the lips. So that was when he'd realized. She'd always wondered, and now she had her answer. This game was fun. It was like their usual teasing, but taken to a whole new level.

He smiled afterwards. "Yeah. I was too shy to do anything about it though."

"We both were."

"Well—" he said, his arms going back around her waist, "it's a good thing we aren't anymore, right?"

She giggled, very much in agreement with him. This was new ground for them both, and she was very glad they were exploring it together. Her gaze landed on his discarded crown on the floor, and a mischievous idea flitted into her head and took root. She went to pick it up, and Sora got down on one knee and bowed his head so she could place it on his hair.

"Sir Sora, you've been upgraded from knighthood to royalty. I'm going to start calling you Your Majesty now."

She grinned as his face flushed and the tiles and walls turned pink, then grabbed his hand and drug him back up to the throne. Forcing him to sit down, she sprawled across his lap and draped her legs over the armrest. She surveyed their surroundings, giving them a satisfied nod. The walls had gone from pink to bright red. She didn't really need the castle to tell her how he was feeling, but it was still entertaining having his reactions to everything she did on full display.

"The throne and palace are nice," she said, "but that is one dorky crown." She giggled and poked it. "It doesn't even cover your entire head."

"Hey now," he said, his voice mock serious. "I'll have you know you're insulting a king."

"And I'm a princess."

He raised an eyebrow. "But you could be a queen."

The heat rose in her cheeks, and his smile turned downright roguish as she scrambled to sit up.

"Sora, we're only sixteen!"

His expression softened. "I know. But I can dream, can't I?"

She gulped. "Yes, but—"

He swept a strand of hair out of her face. "Kairi, I love you."

Her breath hitched. His declaration was so simple, so sincere and heartfelt. Her moment had finally come. She cupped his cheek and took a deep breath.

"I love you too, Sora."

She put all of her heart into the words, making sure each one was spoken with as much depth of feeling and tenderness as she could muster. He let out a soft cry as he pulled her into his embrace. His arms were wrapped so tightly around her that she could barely breathe, and it still wasn't enough.

When they finally let go of each other, tears were shimmering in his eyes again. Without a word, he brought his lips to hers one last time. He was gentle and tender, each movement of his mouth against hers slow and deliberate. It was a sharp contrast to his eager and playful kisses from before. She melted in his embrace, responding to him with equal passion.

Then her mind was filled with memory after memory of her, each one accompanied by a powerful wave of emotion, and the affection in her heart swelled till it overflowed. She recalled memories of him and the feelings that came with them and sent them back. His heart reacted, and they were both so overwhelmed they had to stop.

She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She was ready. His arms went around her, and then they were falling, no, flying, into the realm of light as the castle faded around them after one last brilliant explosion of light and color. Or perhaps they were the ones who were fading away from this place. She held onto him for dear life, treasuring the sound of his laughter and the warmth of his embrace so that the memory would last long after the moment had ended.

When their heads popped above the waves of Destiny Islands, their friends were all waiting on shore.

It was so good to be home.

A/N: There it is, the long-awaited kissing chapter. Not gonna lie, this is one of my favorites in the story, if not my favorite. The idea of Sora giving up the power of Kingdom Hearts to be with Kairi has been in my head for around two years, and I wrote the first version of it over a year ago, so to finally be able to share it with you all is an awesome feeling. It just strikes me as something that's very Sora-esque, to borrow Riku's description. I knew I had to write it because the idea just stayed with me after all this time and wouldn't leave until I did something with it.

This is technically the final chapter of the story, and what follows is three chapters worth of epilogue material. Those chapters are all written, but they were finished recently and need a little more polishing/editing. Ideally I will post them at the usual time, but if real life happens (and real life has kept me very busy lately), there could potentially be some two week gaps between chapters instead of the usual one week. I will do everything I can to get them out weekly as per normal, but I just wanted to give you all a heads up in case that does happen. Don't panic, I haven't abandoned the story and I'm certainly not going to now, not when we're so close to the end :)

Thank you for the reviews as always, and hope you enjoyed the chapter!