Hello again! I'm already a ways into the next world visit, so have the Destiny Islands chapters sooner rather than later. You're getting your first proper idea of what the narrator is like, in this chapter and the next. They're both a bit short, relatively, but I figured they'd be better split up into two chapters instead of clumped together in one longer chapter.

Chapter 2: The Raft

"HEY, KAEN!"

My eyes shot open as I reflexively jumped away from the shouting in my ear, realizing too late that I had fallen asleep on the bench-like horizontal paopu tree. A high-pitched shriek of fear and surprise tore out of my throat despite my pride —and my lack of girlishness— as the water appeared beneath me. For a moment time seemed to slow down and I was left staring into the approaching sea, memories of the dream flashing in and out of my mind.

Riku and the tsunami...

Falling falling falling...

Darkness and stained glass...

A voice, living shadows...

I plummeted into the water with a rush of cold and a dull splash, limbs flailing. As fast as I could I collected myself and swam up, head breaking through the surface. I spat out the salty seawater, shaking my head like a dog and doing nothing for how my pinkish-red hair was sticking to my neck and the front of my face.

Riku's laughter reached my ears from his place atop the steep mini-island, and my jaw clenched tight.

"DAMMIT, RIKU!" I screamed again, this time up at him. I pushed my hair back as his laughter only grew louder. I glared at the island, as if my eyes could pierce him through the earth.

I ground my teeth, fuming. His laughter rattled around in my head, and it wasn't a hard decision to avoid His Silver-Headed Jackass by opting out from taking the easier option and climbing up the ladder at the back of the side island.

Instead I half-swam half-stomped to shore, eyes only hardening as I saw the undoubtedly amused Sora and Kairi already at the beach. My feet squished inside my white shoes with every step, the footwear soaked through-and-through from Riku's idea of a joke.

With a gross squelch I stepped onto the dry sand, toes wiggling uncomfortably as the two stared at me. Clearly, they were struggling to keep their faces straight. I, meanwhile, struggled to keep myself from glaring at them both.

"So, Kaen," Sora said, standing up and absently brushing sand from his silly red romper. He brightened, grin coming to his face as he stepped back — half-next to and half-behind Kairi. My stomach twisted. "Do you remember what your hometown was like?"

My mouth twitched and I stifled a groan, dropping my face into my hand.

Nine years ago Kairi and I had arrived at Destiny Islands, all without warning. One day they were without us, and the next we were just... there. The adults had fretted, asked us anything and everything, especially about our parents. In hindsight it was to be expected, what with how we were two little girls who just showed up out of nowhere.

Thing was, though, that we couldn't remember anything about our pasts. We knew our names, each other's names, and how we were close, but otherwise? Nothing. We were as lost inwardly as we were literally.

The only thing we'd had was each other, holding hands and refusing to let go whenever someone tried to usher one of us away. Luckily the mayor was open to taking in both of us, and after some adjustment we'd only ever known him as our dad.

Then, not long after we'd come to the islands, we'd met Sora and Riku; our pairs of friendships became one group of four best-friends.

Still, as fine as everything had turned out, it didn't answer all of the questions. How did we know each other? How had we gotten to Destiny Islands? Where were our birth parents?

More than that, where had we come from?

The main island was plenty large, especially when combined with the smaller islands, but not so much that it was hard to find someone who went missing. Simply put, no one knew us or had even glimpsed us before our arrival.

We had to have come from somewhere else, but no one knew of anywhere else.

That left only one option left.

"Do you ever—" Sora continued his usual array of questions.

"Want to go back?" I cut in dryly, knowing what he'd ask. He nodded energetically, raising his fists like a giddy child. I shook my head. "No. My home is here, and that's all that matters."

Kairi's head tipped to the side, and I could sense the question about to come.

"Is that why you weren't working on the raft?" a familiar voice interrupted before she could even start, and I whipped my head around to glare at Riku. He was carrying a log over his shoulder, as smug as ever as he approached.

He tossed his log over to Sora, who fell back onto his rear in his fumbling attempt to try and catch it. Unsurprisingly he failed, and the log fell to the ground.

"What about you?" he eyed Kairi. "You're just as lazy as they are!"

I heard her giggle, but I was too preoccupied burning holes into his head to look at her. "So you noticed. Okay, we'll finish it together."

Huffing, I turned my head back around to give her a peeved look. Her smile only widened.

Riku dropped down to sit next to Sora, and I was ready to do the same before I remembered his little idea of a practical joke. I glared at him again, still damp and dripping, and resisted the urge to smack him upside the head.

I could swear he smirked.

"I'll race you!" Kairi cheered suddenly, pointing.

"Oh, for the love of—" I nearly groaned, covering my face with my hand again.

"Huh?" Sora looked up at her, her words clearly having yet to fully register in his head.

"What, are you kidding?" I was ready to agree with Riku and his exasperation, only to remember what he'd done. I bristled, souring all over again.

"Ready?" Kairi called, and I nearly swore as she raised her hands to her mouth. "Go!"

The boys looked at each other, both unmoving, before they both jumped to their feet and bolted. I sputtered, even if I was used to their competitiveness, watching them all go as Kairi followed after them at a light jog.

I ran past her, grabbing her wrist and moving even faster with every step.

"He-Hey!" Kairi laughed as she stumbled after me, struggling to keep up. "Slow down!"

"You're the one who wanted to race, you wimp!" I reminded her, grinning when I Sora slump in defeat. Then it sank in just who had won, and I scowled.

"Tomboy!" she quipped back, giggling.

I rolled my eyes pointedly, dropping her wrist and slowing to a stop when we reached the others.

"You know you love me," I cooed with a grin, reaching out to ruffle her dark red hair.

Kairi swatted my hands away in mock-annoyance, smoothing out the short strands. By now, I was sure it was more out of habit than anything else. With how it barely reached her jaw in the front, her hair was pretty impossible to mess up in the first place.

"You two done yet?" Rike crossed his arms, leaning back against the door to the cove side of the play island.

I scoffed, struggling to keep my face neutral when I quickly realized he was being jealous. Again. I didn't get why he let himself get so worked up over his crush on Kairi when he didn't have the courage to tell her.

Sora hadn't, either, but with how he was I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know he liked her.

Kairi giggled, unabashed and seemingly oblivious to the fuss caused over her. She shrugged. "I guess we are."

Riku made a point of rolling his eyes, and I was certain it had more to do with me than my sister. I frowned, trying hard not to glare at him.

"Whatever," he said, giving a flippant wave over his shoulder as he stalked off. I couldn't help but glare at his retreating back. "You guys can work on getting supplies. I'm building the raft."

I bit back a growl, ready and willing to fight him. Unfortunately, His Royal Jackass seemed to be focused on getting the raft done and little else.

"So," fortunately Kairi spoke, snapping me from my thoughts. I looked over to see her with her focus on Sora, her head tipping to the side. "Can you gather the rest of the supplies?"

However, he seemed about as deep in thought as I'd just been; he didn't respond.

"Sora, are you listening to me?"

He nearly jumped as he heard his name, hurrying to nod at her. I held back a snort.

"Okay, here's what you need to go find — two logs, a large cloth, and some rope. Bring everything back here," she ordered, pointing at the ground by our feet. "If you need help, just ask. I'm counting on you!"

He nodded again, grinning. "Got it!"

With that he hurried off, waving over his shoulder.

I sighed, dropping down next to Kairi in front of the door and leaning against the frame.

"...So."

"So?" I dragged my gaze up to meet Kairi's, my eyebrow rising in a silent question.

"You okay?" her eyes pierced mine, and once again I was reminded of how she wasn't the lost little girl I kept remembering her as.

"I'm fine," I wasn't sure how to word it, or if there even was a way to describe the reason I had knots in my stomach. I looked away, frowning. "I just..."

"Just what?" in my peripheral I saw her kneel down to look at me. I pulled my knees up to my chest. I shook my head. "...It's nothing."

"You sure?" she didn't seem so sure; she really was sharper than she let on.

"Yeah," I forced the lie out, putting a smile on my face. I nodded reassuringly at her.

"If you say so," she stood back up, and we continued the wait for Sora in silence. Meanwhile, I felt ready to be sick.

What was I supposed to say, that I wished people liked me the same way they liked her? That I wished she wasn't liked as much as she was?

I couldn't do that to her.

"Pssst."

I stared at the shadow-covered wall for just another moment, enjoying the silence while it lasted. Then I finally turned my head, squinting into the darkness so I could focus on Kairi's face from where she was looking down at me from the top bunk. The wooden frame was digging into her flesh awkwardly, and with the angle she was at her necklace nearly slipped off of her head.

"Can I talk to you?" she whispered, and I was too tired and too focused on sleep to ask why she wanted to talk now of all times. I blinked slowly at her, realized I hadn't given her an answer, and managed a nod.

She smiled only slightly and I shuffled back against the wall, giving her plenty of room. She scrambled down, slipping beneath my blankets and nearly slamming our heads together as she settled into a stop.

I stifled a yawn, watching her face with lidded eyes and forcing myself to focus on her features instead of giving into temptation and letting myself drift back off.

"Hey, Kaen..." Kairi tucked her arm beneath her head, peering at me with curious eyes.

She seemed sad, almost.

I frowned, shifting myself upright. Screw sleep, I decided; something was bothering my sister. Still, the idea of laying back down remained beyond appealing.

"What, Kairi?" it was so odd, seeing someone usually so cheery with such a somber expression. I wanted to poke her cheek. Maybe to make sure it was real, or maybe to make her cheer up.

"...Do you think it'll work?" her voice was tight, and I saw how shiny her eyes were. My heart clenched. "The raft?"

The raft.

As of recently Riku had become especially interested in what was out there and what worlds existed, to the point our mutual interest in the subject had finally come to something. We lived on islands, which left only one way to leave and get to anywhere else: by sea.

We'd planned out the whole thing —building the raft, the provisions we were going to take— a few weeks ago, and now that everything was concrete we were about to actually start working on it. First would be gathering the wood to put together the raft itself, and then...

Soon enough, we would be heading off. Off to the sea, and hopefully the other worlds that it would lead us to.

"Of course it'll work," I smiled, exuding a level of confidence I didn't quite have. I was sure everything would work out in the end, but with our initial plan? I had no idea how far we'd get or just how much trouble we'd find ourselves in.

As if to prove it, I reached out and briefly pinched her nose shut. She cracked a smile, but only for a moment. I nearly squeezed her nose again, just to see her smile once more.

"Not— Not the raft. I mean," she took a shaking breath, fiddling with her white-bead pendant. She looked away from me, and I saw her mouth quiver. My heart broke in time with her voice. "What if we get separated? What if we don't remember?"

Oh.

Oh.

Of course. When we'd arrived at Destiny Islands from wherever we'd been before, we hadn't remembered anything about our lives. Why would it be any different this time? Still, she was forgetting something.

I sucked in a deep breath and flicked her forehead, scowling.

"Stop it," I said, stern. "Whether or not we get to another world, we'll be fine. We'll be together. We have been since we were little, and chances are we always will be. They're our best-friends; you're my sister. Do you really think any of us will forget? That any of us will be able to?"

Gently, I poked her forehead before continuing. I offered her a smile. "I mean, we didn't forget each other, did we?"

"No," Kairi's lips twitched, and after a moment of soothing silence she gave up and let herself smile. "Gimme a second, okay?"

She rolled out of bed, scrambling back up onto her bunk. Before I could question her or what she was doing she was coming back down, plopping on top of the covers.

"Here!" she stuck her hand out toward me. I blinked, grabbing whatever it was she was offering me before giving her a look.

It was the purple choker I always wore, much like the black one she had. I eyed it, nearly missing the faint glint of light. I lifted it up between my fingertips, a string dropping down from either side of the clasp from the weight of the bead on it.

Like her necklace, I quickly realized. Only—

"Why's it pink?" I blurted out, unable to help but wonder. Hers was white, whereas mine was a pale, reddish-pink color. It was kind of like a rose, really.

"Why not?" she giggled, grinning as she flicked at my bangs. I pouted at her, sticking my tongue out pointedly. "Besides, this way you'll always have something to remind you of me."

I bristled.

"Kairi," I told her icily. "I told you that—"

"I know, I know," she tittered, holding her hands up in a motion of surrender. She grinned. "But it can't hurt, right? Besides, now we'll match!"

I fiddled with my pendant as we headed on our way through the cove, toward the now-finished raft. Kairi was humming underneath her breath, and when she caught me focusing on her she grinned back at me.

"So, you like it?" she beamed, bouncing on her toes with her excitement.

I nearly rolled my eyes, yet I couldn't help but smile. Just how many times had she asked that question since giving me my pendant?

"Yes, Kairi, I like it," I told her for the umpteenth time. I jerked a thumb over my shoulder to point backwards. "Now, what do you think is..."

I trailed off, both of us looking back as the boys' voices reached our ears. I sighed, giving Kairi a look. She merely laughed, rushing to the edge of the broken bridge we were on to call back. I followed her, peering past her to see Sora and Riku facing each other.

"You guys at it again?" Kairi was as amused as ever at their frequent fights, and while I shared the sentiment at times for the most part the whole thing was frustrating; I missed when we spent less time butting heads and more time enjoying each others' company. I went on ahead of her, jumping across the chunks of broken bridge until I was back on solid ground. "All right, we'll judge. The usual rules apply: Take any route you want... First one to tag the tree and make it back here wins."

"Yeah, yeah," I waved my hand, heading over to the door to the seashore and propping myself against the frame. I crossed my arms. "I'm staying out of it this time, alright? I don't feel like feeding you my dust."

"Kaen..." Kairi laughed softly, shaking her head at me. I shrugged, purposely avoiding her gaze as she made her way over.

"Oh, please. As if you've ever been able to do that before!" Riku laughed himself, earning him yet another sharp glare from me. He may have been the best fighter out of all of us, but that didn't mean he was the best at everything.

I raised my hand, ready, only for Kairi to slap it back down. She eyed me, and I only shrugged again.

"Well, get on with it!" I waved my hand at them all, borderline whining.

"If I win, I'm captain!" Sora easily decided the conditions if he won. "And if you win..."

"I get to share the paopu with Kairi," Riku finished. I wasn't sure whether to gag or scoff or both. Instead I sneered, glaring even harder at him as anger pooled in my gut.

Everyone here knew about the paopu fruit, the half-legend half-belief that sharing one with someone would keep your destinies intertwined for forever. Of course Riku wanted to share one with Kairi; shewas the one he liked, and she was the target of both his and Sora's affections. I understood, I really did, but—

"Okay," Kairi cut off both Sora's open confusion and my inner rage when she spoke, raising her arm into the air. I had to wonder whether the timing was intentional or not. "On my count: Three... Two... One... GO!"

They took off, heading straight for the first chunk of the bridge. Riku literally leaped ahead, whereas Sora continued closer on to the edge. I looked away, dreading the splash long before I heard it as the last boards crumpled beneath his feet and sent him into the water.

Sora scrambled to the land ahead, but it was too late; Riku already had too big of a lead on him to make up. Still, Sora was as persistent as he always was.

"Doesn't it bother you?" I found myself asking, all but blurting it out. Kairi turned to look at me, her head tipping to the side.

"Doesn't what bother me?" she wondered back, blinking curiously.

I was left without a clue as to what to say. Did she really not know? Or did she just want to make sure she knew what I was talking about? I wasn't sure which one I'd prefer.

I shook my head, frowning. "Never mind. It's—"

"'Nothing'?" Kairi butt in, glaring. I jumped, staring at her. She leaned in, features hard and hands on her hips. "That's what you said last time!"

I sputtered, at a loss. I knew she was right, but had she really noticed? I'd known for a long time that she was more attentive and intuitive than most people thought, but...

I looked away, rubbing at the back of my neck. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her eyes narrow, and I braced myself for at least a good talking-to when she opened her mouth.

Then, Riku skidded to a stop in front of us, smirking. He straightened out without a word, laughing quietly. I gave him a look, thankful for the interruption but a bit peeved that he'd won. I liked him fine, he didn't annoy me in the ways Sora often would, but as of late all Riku seemed to do was rub me the wrong way.

Maybe it was just me, but...

Panting and still a bit soaked from his previous dunk, Sora finally made his way back. When he saw Riku had, unsurprisingly, beat him, his shoulders sagged.

"Man..."

"Alright," Riku's fist settled on his hip. "We're naming the raft Highwind. I'll get started on the supplies. See you later."

I soured, lips pressing into a line. Riku could be such a—

"Come on, Sora!" Kairi grabbed me by the wrist more firmly than she needed to, leading the way back over the bridge and towards the shore. "Remember what you're getting?"

"Uh..." I didn't even have to look to see the awkward, lost look on his face.

Kairi laughed. "Don't worry, you'll be able to find everything here! Ready, Kaen?"

"What?" I spluttered, staring at her and shrinking beneath her gaze when she looked back.

"Don't 'what' me! You've got to help, too, you know."

I nearly whined.

"Yeah, Kaen! Help out!" I glared back at Sora, the look only intensifying when I saw the expression on his face. He didn't even flinch.

"Oh, shut u—" a hand cuffed me upside the head. I barely kept myself from pouting, turning back around with a grumble. "...Sorry..."

Kairi beamed, finally letting me go. She dropped down, sitting against the mast of the raft.

"We're collecting provisions for our trip today! Sora, you're looking for..." she counted off on her fingers. "Three mushrooms, three fish, and filling this up with drinking water." She tossed the large bottle next to her up at Sora. Her focus returned to me. "Kaen, you're getting one seagull egg and two coconuts. Bring everything back here. If either of you need help, just ask."

Sora nodded and kicked off. I waited for his form to retreat properly before giving my sister a look, smirking. I wagged my finger at her. "What, are you playing favorites?"

After all he had to get, what, twice as much as me? And it wasn't as if this would be the first time she would have gone easy on me simply because.

She grinned, proud. "No, I just figured you got enough of the water yesterday!"

I wondered if I could get away with throwing the bad coconuts at her.