Riku was good at focusing on little details. How sand would gather around the edge of a wave once it crested over a beach, how a leaf rocks from side to side as it floats down to the ground, small things, insignificant things. He's gotten good at noticing those things and honing his focus on them so he could avoid thinking of things that he did not want on his mind.

When he was younger it was to divert his head from petty, cruel thoughts about his two best friends. Focus on the sand to avoid thinking about how Kairi keeps stealing looks at Sora behind his back, keep your eyes on the leaf to not think too hard about how soft Sora's voice gets when the subject of Kairi comes up.

Focus on the water, the raft, the far away freedom, the adventure, focus on that and not on how two people you've known for over a decade were leaving you behind.

(A voice from the back of his head stabs him with these thoughts, you were such a shit remember? Such an awful friend, and he takes a breath. Sometimes the voice is nasally, young and arrogant and so sure of his destiny, and sometimes the voice is deeper than a fall in a canyon, full of silk smooth venom and sharp like a dagger, but he's gotten used to reminding himself that the voice is always wrong, so he brushes it off easily enough.)

As he grew older it was a matter of survival, the rustle of the air as holes of pure nothing tore open and things made of twisted cloth-flesh and empty souls were about to pour out, the electricity and dull fire licking his skin whenever creatures of dark and hate were nearby. Things that passed by in a second, things that kept him alive if he noticed them.

It made him good at reading people once things simmered down. The twitch near the corner of Terra's lip when Riku was being difficult, Aqua's left eyebrow raising half an inch to prepare for a lecture, Ven's eyes darting back and forth when you caught out a bluff, Roxas mouth thinning when you hit a sore spot, Xion's shoulder's bunching up if she feels threatened, Lea's fists clenching when he's pissed.

Kairi's nose flaring when she's frustrated, biting her lip to hold back tears, how empty and tired her eyes were becoming every day Sora remained out of her reach.

He used it to be a better friend, when everyone needed him to be more than any other time in his life, he even thinks he managed it fairly alright. Kairi barely gave him the time of day as things dragged on, but he could hardly blame her for that, with how she was wearing herself thin searching for Sora, for their friend.

The one she loved.

If he was younger, spiteful and jealous and so afraid of being alone, that last thought would have been a knife in the back, but seeing Kairi so determined, so driven, so on fire to look for Sora after everything he's done, for everyone, for them, for her, it was hard not to admire her now that he's more secure with his place in their lives and with more years on his shoulders.

And best of all, it paid off.

He didn't even want to begin to think of all the loops and nonsense he and Kairi (plus their friends from Radiant Garden, and the three Masters, and the king, and Roxas and his gang, and who knows how many more) had to jump through to finally find Sora, but they did. He was beaten within an inch of his life, bruised and bleeding from a few worrying places, but he was alive, against all odds and spitting in the face of whatever laws of nature and destiny were dead set on keeping them all apart, he was alive.

And the look on his face when he caught sight of them, caught sight of Kairi, was absolutely worth every second of searching it took to find him. Riku barely had enough time to cast Curaja to heal their wounds before he and Kairi basically attached themselves to each other to hug and sob and be glad to be together again.

They even pulled him into the hug, and Riku was never more glad to get snot and dirt on his jacket. Soon though, as if all the time searching and fighting and hoping caught up to them all at once, Kairi and Sora fell sound asleep, arms still wrapped around each other and Riku.

Prying himself, however reluctantly, from the hug, Riku was left with the question of how to get these two on the Gummi ship and on the way back to Destiny Islands, back home. Thankfully, Aqua, Terra and Ven were close by when things began to wind down, and were able to help him pick the two up and carry them to the ship.

Still hugging even, after all they went through they seemed determined to never be apart again, even while dead to the world and snoring and drooling on each other. It was cute, in a weird and gross sort of way, but he sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to pry them off each other, and the other three weren't too keen on the idea either.

So, they laughed, shared a hug, gave their best wishes and congratulations, and left through their portal, and now Riku was left alone on the Gummi with his two sleeping, hugging friends.

And he was making use of his long developed skill for careful inspection to take notice of every little noise the ship made, the groan of metal and grinding of gears, the flowing of fuel through pipes, anything to keep his eyes open and his arms steady, lest he fall asleep and the three heroes that saved the world a good half dozen times will die as a result of crashing into a huge hunk of rock floating in space.

Because he too, like Kairi and Sora, was practically dead on his feet after the trial that was today, but he was left to be the responsible one and get them all back in one piece.

"As per usual, I might add." He muttered with faux outrage, "I swear, I always have to be the one to actually get stuff done, don't I?" He shook his head with a scoff, "this is just like the time we were building that damned raft, remember that?"

He turned his head back to look at his friends with a tired smile, Sora having moved his arms to envelop Kairi completely, as if protecting her from a wind that would blow her away, and their princess burying her head in Sora's chest, as if to anchor him where he was and keep him there with her.

Otherwise, they snored and ignored his question, typical.

"Exactly!" He shouted, to no reaction from the snoozing pair, "I was running around carrying logs and ropes from all over the island, while you two were sleeping the day away on the beach!" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and shook his head again, paying attention to the give of the leather on the wheel as he steered the ship, "Sora might have been the lazy bum, but Kairi, you always used the excuse to look for him to not have to work and make wayfinders, and that left me to find the two of you only to see you goofing off near the water."

He left it at that for a moment, pistons whooshing in the air and his friends mumbling softly in their sleep. Sora taking a deep breath through his nose buried in Kairi's hair, Kairi grabbing Sora's jacket in a tightening fist.

"…we never did finish it, right?" He let the question hang in the air for a while as he searched his memory of that one sunlit afternoon that took so long to end, that one storm that changed everything, "well, I mean, we did, but we never really got the chance to take it out to sea." He chuckled at his past self, naïve and sure with his so called plan to seek destiny and a different sky, "not that we would have gotten anywhere, three dumb kids on a rickety raft in the middle of the ocean, wouldn't that have been a stupid end to our story…"

He was quiet again, listening to the sound of his friends breathing, in and out, in and out, two hearts, two souls, two people he could never imagine being without. It is the most wonderful sound he's heard in years, and he strains to commit every tiny detail of it to memory.

"We should build it again." He intones resolutely, eyes dead ahead and watching for their goal, "we should take a day to build it, and actually get it on the water." He starts smiling without even noticing, his heart growing warm in his chest, "not even out to the ocean, I'd like to think the three of us aren't that stupid, just, spend an afternoon floating near the beach, just close enough to swim back if we need to."

He looked at the stars outside the ship, saw them slowly drifting close before floating away, didn't he dream of this? This freedom? To be this far away from a home that gave him nothing but sand and sea water? Look at him now, wanting nothing but to get back there, to the palm trees and glowing sun.

He hums deep in his throat for a moment, "I think we've all earned a day or two of being lazy bums."

"Try a week."

Riku's smile widened for a moment before he tempered it into a cool smirk, "or maybe a month, considering how you two conked out so quick back there." He looked back with that same smirk to see Sora sleepily blinking at him, only just barely awake and hanging on the edge of falling right back to snoring on Kairi without a care, "how long have you been up?"

"Around the time you started talking about the raft, and how I wasn't any help." He used the one hand not wrapped around Kairi to point accusingly at Riku, "which is a big fat lie, don't you remember me bringing in all the food?"

"Oh yeah, all the food, an egg, two coconuts, three mushrooms, and three tiny fish, a very sustainable supply, Sora."

"And water!" Sora added cheekily, grinning widely no matter how tired he was, "don't forget the water!"

"I wouldn't dare! A whole bottle of water!" Riku stifled a yawn along with a smile, looking back over the map as he adjusted his course slightly, "Kairi practically had to twist your arm to get you to pull your weight and get all of that."

A moment of quiet before Sora chuckles warmly, "nah, all she really had to do was ask me."

Riku let out an undignified sound between his lips holding back a laugh, "man, you are so whipped."

After making a few outraged noises, Sora fired back, "excuse you, I prefer in love."

The air stills between them, Riku looks back at Sora with a kind smirk, seeing his friend's face softly glow red.

"Love…" Sora repeated, slowly, as if testing how the word traveled along his tongue, "love…wow…just saying that, don't think I'll ever get used to that…" Sora looked down at Kairi, smiling stretching his face as he buried his nose in her hair again, "love…yeah, I'm in love with her, isn't that crazy, Riku?"

(Why did you think you ever had a chance? Both voices, young and dark, say at once, and he's so far past over that whole jealousy business that the ease and annoyance in which he pushes that thought out of his head is almost laughable. Because I was young, stupid, and afraid of being alone, now shut it.)

"Not crazy at all, in fact it's about time you got it through your thick hair and skull," He looked back at his glaring friend with a grin, "also, same thing as being whipped, buddy."

"Hey!"

Kairi made a soft sound in her sleep, digging her head deeper into her embrace of Sora, shutting both boys up before they woke her. Sora breathed out a sigh before wrapping his other hand around her, speaking to Riku while his eyes stayed on her sleeping form, "I don't think I had a chance to thank all of you guys for bringing me back," he turned to Riku, eyes wet and smile quiet, "so, really, thank you Riku."

Riku was silent for a long moment, face hardening before he gestured sharply with his chin to their sleeping friend, "she's the one you should be thanking, Sora, she's the only person who refused to give up looking for you, no matter what."

Sora blinked at Riku, taken aback by his sudden sharp tone, "I-I know that-"

"Yeah but you don't get it." Riku stalled the ship so it wouldn't move and turned to Sora, eyes stone like and voice tight, "Kairi damn near killed herself looking for you, on more than one occasion and in a variety of ways, no matter how many times people told her to slow down, no matter how much I told her to take a break before she cracked under the pressure." He shook his head with a frustrated breath, memories of those stressful months weighing on his mind, "you have no idea what she had to push through to get you back Sora, no fucking idea."

Sora stared wide eyed at his friend, at a complete lose at what to say to all that, the only thing he could think to do was simply hold on to Kairi tighter as Riku took another breath and rubbed his face.

"No." Riku shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, taking a few calming gulps of air, "no, that was…that came out angrier than I wanted it to be." He let out another breath between his teeth, "I'm not…I'm not telling you all of this to guilt trip you Sora, I…I just want you to understand exactly how lucky we all ended up being today."

Riku's eyes flit over the many wounds and bandages covering his friends' bodies, and feeling the faint thumping of his own injuries, that even after a dose of healing magic from both himself and Aqua he knew would leave scars. He pushes the sight of Sora bleeding from the side of his stomach out of his head, he needs to focus.

"Seriously Sora, today was, bar none, the closest call the three of us of had at losing our lives." An incredulous laugh leaps out of him unbidden, voice a bit hysterical as he went on, as if the danger of the situation has only hit him fully now that he has a chance to look over his shoulder and actually see it, "and considering the shit we went through? That is saying something, don't you think?" He pinches his left thumb and index finger together and then just barely pulls them apart to make a space between, "this close, that was our margin of error, that was how close I was to losing my two best friends in the whole world, Sora. That was how close Kairi was to failing after everything we all went through."

Sora started looking at Kairi mid-way through Riku's plea, the affection in his eyes mixing with something else, something like pride and determination, that look he had when he was prepared to move the stars for the people he loved.

What would he move for Kairi? Riku supposed that wasn't a question worth asking, considering he already had the answer.

"But she won." Riku continued, voice growing steady and certain, "she made it Sora, after all of that she made it, we made it, and that means she's earned something from you."

"Anything." Sora said, voice rock solid and eyes unclouded, "I'll give her anything she needs, everything, what do I need to give her?"

"No Sora, not give." He leaned back on the wheel, crossing his arms and smiling at his friend, "something you need to tell her."

Sora looked between the girl in his arms and his smiling friend, once more at a loss, "what's there left to say?"

"How you feel, Sora." Riku stated plainly, "exactly how you feel, exactly what you see in her, exactly what you want to do with her, exactly how you love her." His smile grows warm when comprehension glows in Sora's eyes, "tell her everything in your heart, even if she already knows what's there from the time she was there, even if you think it's stupid, out loud, in the open, between the two of you, leave nothing to guesswork or implication."

Sora was holding Kairi against his chest, the girl snuggling into his warmth in her sleep but still refusing to wake.

"After everything she did for you, she's earned that, all of it. And you need to tell her," Riku looked aside at a window, watching stardust blow by and the universe turn around them, "…because who knows if this was the last time we get so lucky."

Riku left it at that, letting the implication sink in on its own, turning back to the wheel to start them back on their route, the heavy quiet of his two friends and the noises of the ship his only accompaniment.

"…I called her my guiding light." He heard Sora whisper, just barely, growing weaker, "…my light in the darkness."

Riku blinked, the line of his mouth unsure whether to sink or rise, before another laugh jumped from his lungs and it was all he could do to keep the ship steady, "Sora, of all the things I've heard you say, that has to be the cheesiest." He turned his head to look behind him, voice raising in pitch in a parody of Sora's, "and that includes your famous my friends are my-"

He stopped, seeing Sora once more joining Kairi in dream land, whatever strength he had used to listen to Riku gone like it was never there. Riku would crack up if he didn't want them both to keep resting.

"…power." He shakes his head, looking at the map to see how close they were to home, smiling when he saw they weren't too far. "You two rest," he mutters as he leans a bit forward on the accelerator, just enough not to rock the ship, "we're nearly there…we're back guys, we actually made it."

Another soft voice from behind him, different from before, tired to the bone but full of joy, "we're…home."

He waited for more, but a soft sound of shuffling clothes was all he heard from her, so he let the tears of relief drop down his face, "yeah…we're home."

Kairi was always a heavy sleeper. Maybe it was just how she was built, or perhaps it was a consequence of dropping between worlds and getting her heart stolen when she was young, but waking her was, reportedly, a very difficult task if Lea and Riku and her grandmother were to be believed.

That changed after the year long search into her heart for Sora, in which she spent that whole time sleeping and went away with barely any clue at all to where he might be. After that she barely allowed herself rest, and any sleep she managed was a wired one, where she was set to spring up at the lightest noise or touch in case she needed to summon her weapon and fight.

Sleeping meant dreams, dreams of a sword through her back, dreams of being weak, dreams of her arm being bent behind her until she heard the bones snap. Dreams of him, right within her reach but always too far away, which were the worst of them all. She loathed sleep, loathed the idea she wasted so much time when she could have been out there looking but instead was useless while her friends risked their lives to make up for her weakness.

Sleep was a waste of time, if she had time to lay down on a pillow and be selfish she had time to get on her feet and put the work in to atone for her failings.

And yet, now, it was as if all the sleep that was drained from her in that year of searching came back at once, and all she wanted to do was cling as long and as hard as she could manage to this slumber, this rest sweeter and warmer than she's felt in ages.

Kairi was surrounded by warmth, her head resting on a pillow, her body covered by a blanket, and she refused to be woken. Her mind was still reeling from something she was sure was a dream; Sora, after all that time searching and struggling, in her arms, alive and here, a part of her was afraid of opening her eyes, afraid this was just another illusion brought about by her desperate mind.

So long as she was pressed up to this warmth, so long as she was hearing the steady thump thump thump of a heart she knew better than her own, so long as her eyes were closed and she saw nothing she knew for certain it was real. At least in the moment, as she rested, Sora was with her again.

Opening her eyes would mean risking the chance she failed, again, that she was still no closer to finding him again, that he was once more torn out of her reach, her heart would clatter to pieces in her chest if that were true, she could only take so much.

So, she clung to sleep as long as she could manage, holding onto it in a death grip, even as she heard Sora and Riku's voices float around her, even as she felt Sora's arms wrap tightly around her, even as she felt him put a feather-light kiss to the top of her head.

It was such a wonderful dream, waking would make it a nightmare.

She wouldn't survive that, she was home, she was finally home.

She wants to rest, please just let her rest.

"Kairi! Kairi wake up!"

Her eyes flew open and she bolted straight up, recognizing the panic in Riku's voice as well as being shaken by the shoulder. She saw him in front of her, or at least a blurry mess of colors she thought was Riku, and it took a moment for her to realize her eyes were full of tears.

"R-Riku?" She mumbled rubbing her eyes and blinking rapidly, her mind more sluggish than she was used to when waking, "what-what happened?"

Riku, now perfectly visible that her tears were out of the way, sighed, "you were mumbling and crying in your sleep, you scared me for a second there."

Kairi blinked, "…sleep?" She muttered quietly, a bitter chuckle leaving her as the implications crawled up on her, making her feel cold from every direction, "right…sleep. I was…" She rubs her face with a frustrated breath, scowling, "…I was just…asleep."

Of course she was, of course it was nothing more than a stupid wish, a ridiculous dream, why would it be anything else, of course.

Another day another failure, no one but herself to blame for hopes raising too high.

Of fucking course.

Riku grew worried, his hands raised towards her uncertainly, "Kairi? You okay there?"

She wonders when he'll grow sick of her, get tired of her scowling and glaring at him every time he shows her concern, wonders when he'll just get a clue and give up on her, leave her to this impossible mission that will probably kill her before she drags him down with her.

She won't stop, even if it costs her everything she won't stop until she finds him, that was the simple truth of it, if it cost her Riku than she'll live with it if she needs to. If he'd just hurry up and give on her it might be better, but if Riku lost his heart over her (like they were all twelve all over again and nothing changed) after all the growing up he's done she'll never forgive herself.

He reaches out again, concern still clear on his face as he attempts to put a palm on her shoulder, "Kairi?"

"It's fine." She dismissed him with a snap, sharper than he deserves but she'll curse herself for it later, rubbing a spot at the back of her head, "I'm fine Riku it was just…just a dream." She sighed harshly and pushed against the warmth of her pillow and the bed she laid on, one hand holding her up, "don't worry about me just give me a-"

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Kairi is frozen, every bone in her body locks in place, her heart seizes in her chest and she waits, waits for that steady rhythm under her palm, to make sure she wasn't going crazy after all this time, after all that searching.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Tears start flowing down her cheeks as she slowly turns to her left, to see what she's laying her hand on. She's met with the lazy bum who stole her heart, her hero and her friend. She sees Sora, soundly snoozing under her palm like nothing in the world was amiss.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Her face lights up with an impossibly wide grin, her whole body bursting in flame to burn away the ice that froze her not a moment before, all while tears continue to flow down her cheeks as she sees Sora breath in and out in peaceful sleep.

"Kairi?" She turned to Riku, his face torn between a relieved smirk and a worried fret, his eyes jumping from spot to spot on her body, not quite sure where to stop, "are you…Kairi what's wro-"

"This is real."

Riku blinked, "what?"

"This." She emphasized by bunching up the fabric of Sora's shirt in her hand, her eyes never leaving Riku as she smiled and cried, "this is real, all of it, right?" A desperate edge sharpened the end of her question, a bit of panic floating in the air, her grin unstable at the corners, "he, Sora, he's really here right? We did it, right?" She took her second hand and grabbed Riku's shoulder, her fingers shaking, "this isn't a dream? I'm not seeing things, right Riku? Is he back? Right?"

He grasps her by the shoulders, steadies her by with a solid stare and a steely grip, and when the panic drains out of her, he smiles, "we did it Kairi, this isn't a dream." He leans his forehead on hers and her tears nearly double, "we did it."

She crumples into him after a few disbelieving spurts of laughter, hiccupping as she buried herself into the crook of his neck and used one arm to hug him fiercely, the other still bunching up the fabric of Sora's shirt nearest to that precious heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

A soft groaning rose beneath her palm, and she leaned away from Riku to see Sora slowly rousing from his slumber, mumbling incoherently as he sat up, "Mmn…wha…?" He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he managed to sit up straight, smiling slowly as he took in the image of his two best friends in front of him, "hey guys, did I sleep long?"

Kairi's grin nearly split her face, the arm she had wrapped around Riku and joining its twin near Sora's heart, "no more than usual, lazy bum."

Sora matched her grin inch for inch, all his teeth on display as he wrapped one hand over the two she placed on his chest, eyes soft as he took her in, "man, been a while since I heard that…one…" He trailed off as he finally noticed her tears, Kairi could only imagine how blotchy her cheeks were, the red rimming her eyes, but all she could see was the love and concern filling his face and weighing down his voice as he brought his other hand to brush a few stray drops from her left cheek, "Kai…don't tell me I did this…"

He did, he is the reason she was crying so openly right now. He wormed his way into her heart years ago and refused to leave, even when he left her memories her heart remembered him. Yet he seemed chronically out of her reach, every time it seemed they would have a moment together it was snatched away by shadows and men who cared only for their curiosity and not for anyone they might hurt in searching to satiate it.

He protected her time and time and time again, putting his body and his soul on the line to keep her safe even as the sight of it robbed her of sleep. And when the time came to repay him his bravery, she failed, and her failure costed her more than she was ever willing to pay.

She got to stand by his side, lending her strength to him like she wished to do so since they were both children, lost in a war they had no business in waging. She held him in her arms and walked with him through so many worlds and saw so many things…and then he was gone again.

Yes, he did this, he was the reason tears were staining her face and her body ached with bruises and sores from yet more fights and yet more war that she waged herself to find him. He was also the reason she was able to push through all of that, the reason she was able to wake day after day with the hope that she would find him again, that they would have time again.

She loves him, and he's made her cry for all sort of reasons over the years, so he shouldn't be so surprised that she's crying now.

Instead of giving him that answer, instead of telling him all of that, all that mess of emotion and muddled thoughts that have crept into her mind after the long search for him, she settled for leaning her head forward, closing her eyes, and capturing his lips with hers.

A shock went through him for a quick second, Kairi having felt him jump as her lips landed on his, but soon his arms crushed her in a hug as he returned the pressure and they were lost in each other, the whole universe falling away as they simply existed in the moment, together at last.

…at least until Riku very loudly cleared his throat to remind them that he was still in the room.

"You guys good?"

They reluctantly separated, suddenly sheepish now that they remembered that reality wasn't limited to themselves, faces glowing red as they looked at each other uncertainly for a moment before big, goofy grins stretched their faces again. They laughed loudly, some combination of elation and relief, smiling at Riku who returned his own understated smirk.

"I'll take that as a yes…and as my cue to leave." He turned towards the door with a light and easy step, waving over his shoulder, "I'll see you two in the-"

He's stopped when both Kairi and Sora grab one of his hands, their faces worried at his sudden departure, "Riku," Kairi started, guilt at how she treated him when she woke up gnawing up her stomach, "you don't-you don't have to leave, you know were not pushing you away right?"

Riku blinks at her, as if the thought never even crossed his mind, "yeah!" Sora added, sharing a quick look with Kairi as he squeezed Riku's with one of his own while the other was still holding one of Kairi's, "we're just-"

"Guys relax." Riku stressed, pulling his hand out of their grip and smiling easily at them, "It's not like when we were kids, I know you aren't doing that, it's fine." He crossed his arms and looked down at them with a raised eyebrow, "it's just I know that you two, specifically you two, have a few things you need to work out," a too smart grin lit his face, "privately."

Kairi could feel her face catch fire from the implication, "Riku."

The grin didn't budge, "am I wrong?" He looked more directly at Sora, "well?"

She turned to look at Sora, face just as red as hers was, when she saw a determined gleam take shape in his eyes, "…yeah, you're right, we do have some things to talk over." Sora met her gaze and she could feel her heart beat a bit faster as he smiled at her, "just the two of us."

Kairi was stuck between being utterly elated at Sora's affection, mortified at Riku's good natured laughter, and confused at what those two boys might have communicated with that brief look.

As she was deciding which direction she wanted to lean towards, she noticed for the first time that she didn't recognize the room Riku brought them two; bare bones with only a bed, a desk, and a window to give it any features beyond the inside of a pale white box.

"Riku, what is this place?" Kairi looked around a bit more, confused, "this isn't…my room, or-or Sora's," she ignored the snigger he sent her way, "where is this?"

Sora nodded, "yeah, I don't think I remember any place like this back home…"

"You wouldn't." Riku said plainly, "this is just a small place the Radiant Garden Committee bought when they were looking for clues to find Sora around here." He shrugged, "when they didn't find anything they gave me the keys to keep safe since my house is the closest to here," He looked at Kairi, "and since your room hasn't been touched or cleaned since Sora disappeared and his room is just a total mess in general, I figured this is the best place to bring you two so you could…" His grin came back, cheeky to the extreme, "catch up, privately."

It was Sora's turn to glare red-faced at their mutual friend, eyes wide and darting between him and Kairi, "Riku seriously you-" He stopped of a sudden, taking another wide look at the room, some realization causing his red face to pale a bit, "Riku…Riku there's-" He gulped in the middle of his halting speech, voice creaking, "there's only one bed."

Kairi blinked, her brain trying to catch up to what Sora sounded so stressed about, and when it did she could practically hear the kettle screech as the inside of her head boiled and she snapped a glare in Riku's direction, his face the picture of perfect innocence.

He didn't.

"Really?" He asked, voice surprised and taken aback, as if he didn't know this room for the longest time out of the three of them, looking around the space as if he was just taking it in for the first time, "well what do you know, there is only one bed!"

That bastard he did.

"Huh, what are the chances?" He started walking towards the door, utterly nonchalant as he pushed on the handle to open it, "honestly, how weird is it that the one place I could think to bring you two that has any privacy would only have one bed, crazy!"

She was going to kill him. She's going to wait until he's sleeping, thank him for all the help he's given her and being a better wingman than she honestly deserved, and then she was going to kill him.

"I suppose you'll simply have to make do with just one bed, guys." The bastard they called a best friend smiled pleasantly as he stepped under the threshold, ignoring Sora's steaming face and Kairi's murderous glare, "honestly this place is really private, so you guys can take as long as you need to talk things out, okay?" His smile turned endlessly smug, "try not to have too much fun!"

They both opened their mouths to shout his head off, but he slammed the door in their faces with an evil cackle more fitting for an Organization member than a guardian of light, leaving them in the room.

Alone.

Together.

With only one bed.

Kairi was going to kill him.

Her plans to horribly murder Riku were derailed when she heard a soft chuckle from behind her, looking over her shoulder to see Sora laughing a bit awkwardly, as soon as he saw her staring at him he sent a heart melting smile her way as his face continued to glow red, "good to see Riku's sense of humor stayed the same."

Kairi smiled back, her chest aching with how much she missed hearing him laugh, seeing him smile, as if to make sure she was aware that this wasn't a dream. "One of the few things that didn't change." She didn't mean it in a bad way, or a good way, simply acknowledging how much shifted since the time Sora vanished, not really caring for any of that currently anyway, far more occupied with the person on the bed with her, twining her fingers with his and leaning her forehead against his shoulder, "like you, you haven't changed much either, Sora."

He's quiet for a minute, putting his nose in her hair again, drinking her in before he sighed, "…but you did." He said finally, smiling thinly as he squeezed his fingers around hers, refusing to let go, "you changed a lot Kairi."

There's a note of sadness there alongside the pride, a twist of guilt in his voice she does not intend to allow to grow, "it's been a long time Sora, a lot happened to me, to everyone," she laughed mirthlessly for a moment before nuzzling into him, basking in his heat, "besides the obvious, of course."

He's silent again for a brief second, and then he pulls away slightly, locking his gaze with hers, showing her there was still some guilt in there, a sense of responsibility for what happened. Like he allowed her to die, like it was his fault she needed to be saved, again, and the price he had to pay for it was nearly too much.

She would have to fix that way of thinking, wouldn't she?

"Kairi…" He started, and she could hear the despairing, heartwarming speech coming from a mile away, "I…I'm so sorry for-"

She silenced him with another kiss, hungrier than the last, more confident. She liked the feel of his lips against hers, she decided, and she also decided that she had a lot of time to make up for, and that the single bed they were laying on was perfect for that purpose.

(She was still going to kill Riku after this, of course, no question of it, but first thing's first…)

She wrapped her arms around him, and soon he did the same, his mouth clumsy on hers, eager yet uncoordinated, not the she was much better. They were both severely lacking in practical experience, bumping their noses and clacking teeth on more than one occasion, but they made up for it with passion and desperation.

They hungered for each other, the long absence and coldness in their hearts begging to be filled and warmed. Soon she found herself with her back pinned to the mattress, Sora peppering feather light kisses all over her face as he cupped it in his hands. Her own fingers were busy threading through his hair, eager to feel him, ecstatic at the chance to reinforce the fact that he was here, with her, real and in the flesh and here with her, and that this wasn't another dream.

Because she's had this dream before, many times before, when the loneliness threatened to overwhelm her, her mind would conjure this image of the two of them on a bed, totally engrossed in each other with no sign of slowing down.

It always ended before it got good, which served to fuel her loneliness and frustration. She hoped that, since this was real, that this Sora, unlike the one in her dreams (who was, coincidentally, not nearly as good with his hands and lips as the genuine article), would be so kind as to satisfy this warm pit at the bottom of her stomach.

"W-wait-Kairi wait-"

Oh damn it.

"Kairi I-"

"Sora." She pleaded breathlessly, and the way his jaw hanged loose and his eyes widened proved it was effective at getting his attention, "not now, please not now, please I just want-"

"I know." He says firmly, though he visibly swallows a lump in his throat as he keeps his palms pressed to her cheeks, "believe me I know, and I'm the same," he breathes harshly through his nose when she turns her face to kiss his right palm, clearly fighting for restraint, "trust me on that, but-but Riku's right, I need to tell you something."

She barely stopped herself from whining, putting Sora's face in her hands like he did with her, her whole world warming the space between her fingers, "can't it wait till morning?"

"No." He was firm this time, putting his hands on the small of her back to pull her up as he leaned back to sit on the mattress, gaze burning into her, "I need to say it now, there's so much I need to tell you now because if I don't do it now I'll lose the nerve for it."

Kairi was torn between planting another kiss on him, which she was sure would be enough for him to see sense and continue what they were doing, and biting her tongue to calm her burning nerves so she could listen to him.

Knowing Sora, and she hoped she knew him well enough, it was probably something both very heartfelt, very sincere, and very, very stupid. But seeing how serious he was, the warmth of his hands on her waist, the depth of determination in his eyes, she couldn't help but smile at him.

"Alright…" She allowed, after a sigh, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, leaning her forehead on his, smiling softly as his blush deepened, "tell me everything Sora, if it's that important to you, I'll listen to everything you have in your heart."

Sora blinked at her, a bit taken aback, before matching her smile, "who taught you how to flirt?"

She placed a kiss on his nose before she put her forehead back on his, a toothy grin on her face.

She doesn't think she's ever been this…happy. This content to be with someone and exchange affection like this, her heart bursting with happiness and her face bursting into flame with every little action and smile Sora showed, it was ridiculous.

Sora rubbed his nose with her as revenge, and after a quick giggling fit from the both of them, he locked gazes with her again, as serious as he was when he asked her to listen. He closes his eyes and takes a breath, to steady himself, to straighten his thoughts in the order he wished to share, and then opens them again, and speaks clearly and resolutely, "I love you Kairi, more than anything in the world."

Kairi could feel her blood boil, her face nearly catching fire. She was almost confused as to why, considering she's known what's in heart for a while now. She's known since she saw that picture on the cave wall he made years ago, where he offered her a Paopu fruit, since they shared one while watching a sunset.

She's known since the day he ripped himself apart simply to be able to hold her in his arms one last time before taking her home.

Hearing it though, in so many words, out loud, seemed more than enough to make her heart want to burst out of her chest.

And he wasn't done, the hands on the small of her back pulling her closer to him as his eyes dug into her and refused to let go, "you're amazing, you're the reason I was able to push through the dark when I thought I was going to be overwhelmed, you remember what I called you right? When you saved me? Way back when?" His gaze grew soft as he recalled that moment, where she pulled him out of the dark and back into the fight, "you're my light in the darkness Kairi, I want you to know that, I want you to know how strong you make me feel, how I feel like I can do anything so long as you're by my side."

Kairi could feel more tears falling down her cheeks, she felt overwhelmed, like she was drowning in him, utterly engulfed by him and his love for her. All the doubt and fear she's felt over her search seemed so insurmountable, crushed under the weight of it all. And yet here he was, reaching out his hand again, pulling her up, inch by inch, and wrapping her in his light.

"And…" He went on, that sadness and guilt from before resurfacing, and Kairi had to physically stop herself from interrupting him as he went on, she promised she would listen to him, she promised, "what you went through to find me again? Bring me back? I'll never be able to thank you for that; I'll never be able to pay you back for all of that."

She feels cold. Ice is spreading through her veins, and freezing her from her feet to her heart. He's wrong. He's wrong. She's done nothing he needs to thank her for, she wasn't some guiding light, just an angry girl who didn't know her limits.

A child who walked right off a cliff expecting the bottom to ignore her.

(I'm the reason you were dead, the reason you pulled yourself apart, because I was weak and slow and failed even though I put all that work into training and learning how to use my keyblade I was less than useless I couldn't do anything I couldn't save you on my own I couldn't beat Xehanort alone you helped me don't you see? I was lost and angry and pushed everyone away without you I was weak without you I-)

"Kairi!"

His shout pulled her by the hair out of her sudden sink, a yank that left her out of breath and gasping, her cheeks soaked with her tears. She felt ill, a spike jabbing itself as far as it could go in her gut, she didn't deserve this, all this praise from him, she didn't deserve a love like this from someone like him, she didn't deserve this dream-

He captured her face between his palms again, making sure that he was the only thing she could focus on. He was warm. His hands on her cheeks were warm and gentle and real and she felt like a fool for letting herself fall like this, so easily getting swallowed up by fear and doubt when Sora was right there, right in front of her.

Damn it why can't she just be happy for once!?

"Kairi." He repeats, firmly, "are you listening to me? You promised you would listen, are you?" He waited for her to make a few halting, stuttering nods before he went on, carefully enunciating each word as he said it, "You. Aren't. Weak."

She's shocked still for a moment, and then a bitter, cracking laugh raises from her, "I said that out loud?" She laughed herself to pieces, more tears staining her cheeks as her voice grew weaker, "well, I bet that ruined the mood huh?"

Sora stared wide eyed at her for a moment, leaning back a bit to look at her fully, see every inch of her and all the angry red blotches covering her face from her tears. His face calmed, and his voice was a salve for her fraying mind, slowly pulling her pieces back together as he spoke, "Riku told me about what you did to get me back Kairi, how far you went, how you refused to give up." He took her hands in his, rubbing circles on the back of her hand and knuckles, "you pushed and pushed and pushed, you never stopped, you were the first to go looking for me, and you're the one who found me."

He lifted her hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to her fingers tips, and she could nearly feel the refreshing rush of a cure spell working its way through her system, and she slowly found it easier to breathe.

"It took strength to do that Kairi, it took more strength than people who've fought for longer than you and I have been alive could muster, never doubt that." He tightens his grip on her hands, placing them on his chest to feel his heartbeat, more frantic and pounding then it was when she felt it as he woke, "you're the reason my heart is beating Kairi, you've kept me going since all of this started, I want you to remember that, alright?"

She bunched up the fabric of his shirt where she could feel his heart racing, some age old memory of when it was a sanctuary for her own heart surfacing, where his soul kept her safe without knowing. To think he thought the same of her, that she was something like that to him, it was hard to parse, impossible to believe, but he said it so earnestly what else could it be but the truth?

"Okay." She answered, voice wavering, a wet, fragile smile on her face, pulling him closer so she could put her forehead to his collarbone, his chin tucking her in and his arms holding her in place and rubbing soothing circles on her back, "I won't forget Sora, I promise."

"I want you to live Kairi." He spoke into her hair, placing another kiss on her crown, "I don't want you to tear yourself apart to return some favor to me that you never owed in the first place, we're even, you and I, always have been and always will be, and nothing will make me happier than to have you by my side," he pauses for a moment, and she can feel him smiling in her hair, "that sound alright?"

"Perfect." She answers swiftly, a pleased giggle bubbling in her chest as she nuzzled into him, holding him tighter, "that sounds perfect."

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in each other's warmth without moving, Kairi could feel her legs falling asleep but couldn't find it in her to change positions, feeling so utterly content with the world and the angle she's found for herself in it.

Eventually though, she could feel Sora shift slightly in her grip, though not out of discomfort. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if poised to say something but rejecting the words before they could fully form.

Reluctantly, she lifted her head from her cozy spot under his chin and looked up at him, wiping her eyes and smiling tiredly at him with no small amount of affection, "anything else you want to tell me, Sora?"

He visibly struggled under her gaze, pulling away one arm from his embrace to scratch the back of his head in a way the reminded her of a much younger boy, lounging on the sand while the world smelled of sea salt. "…yes." He mumbled eventually, voice subdued as if he wasn't sure he was allowed to speak this out, "but it's...kinda stupid."

If Sora, of all people, thought something was stupid, then it must be something utterly spectacular, which meant that Kairi really wanted him to say it, if only to have something to laugh at to lift the mood a bit.

"Didn't I tell you I wanted to listen to everything?"

"Yeah but…" He looks away with a light blush on his face while scratching his chin and he was so cute Kairi had to hold back from kissing him so she wouldn't interrupt, "but it's…really kinda silly."

"Then you have to tell me!" She smiled up at him, searching for his eyes and smiling wider when she found his sky blue gaze locking with hers, "it's been a heavy few minutes and I could use a laugh."

Sora scoffed briefly, smiling incredulously at her as he sputtered, "well I'm not going to tell you if you're going to laugh! It's important!"

Despite his seeming outrage, he burst out laughing himself soon after, drugging her under as the previous heavy atmosphere from before dissipated completely. As soon as she could calm herself enough she grabbed one of his hands, still chuckling a bit as she squeezed it to get his attention, "if it's important to you Sora, then I won't laugh." She let out a giggle when he raised an eyebrow at her, "okay I won't laugh too much, but I will listen, I promise."

He looked at her for a moment, his mind twisting itself into knots trying to come to a conclusion, before he sighed heavily and got up from the bed, turning her back on her and crossing his arms.

She blinked, flat-footed, "Sora?"

"Just…" He muttered, beginning to pace in front of the bed, his face severe in concentration, "just give me a second, I need…I need to get the words right…"

She blinked again, blank on what could have him so stuck on the words, but she stayed where she was, watching him slowly pace back and forth from one room of the wall to another. His lips moved without sound, as if sculpting the way for the words to come out properly without stumbling over themselves.

A part of her, a very childish, naïve part of her, had an innocent guess at what he was planning to say, but she pushed it back as far as she could before her face turned too red at the idea of it. It was a nice hope, but she shouldn't raise such things so high, lest they shatter when they eventually fall.

Finally, Sora took a steadying breath, stopping right in front of Kairi and turning back to her, eyes nearly glowing with an emotion she found it hard to describe, something intense and bright that left her mouth dry.

Then, he took her left hand and held it between both of his, his palms wrapping it in a comforting warmth, locking gazes with her so she wouldn't look away.

He then got down on one knee, and Kairi could vaguely hear the sound of a fuse shorting out.

She used her other hand to stealthily pinch her thigh hard enough to hurt, and sure enough the image of Sora, down on one knee, looking up at her with upmost love and devotion, did not dissipate and vanish, she wasn't seeing things, this was actually happening.

She was so busy determining the reality of him that she almost missed him beginning to speak, "Kairi," he spoke her name like a prayer, like a vow, softly and reverently, but firm and impossible to miss, "will you marry me?"

Kairi's heart nearly exploded in her chest, her face flushing with heat as blood rushed up from seemingly her entire body to fill it. She had nothing, nothing to say to that, even after getting him back, even after hearing him tell her how he feels for her, her mind simply could not recover from the shock of hearing that.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she spluttered out a chocked, "what?"

Sora mistook her question for reluctance instead of disbelief, and kept going, "sharing a Paopu fruit means tying your fate to another person forever, making sure you'll never be apart, right?" He barely waited for her to nod dumbly before he squeezed her hand between his palms and went on, "we shared two, and isn't that kinda like promising each other two lifetimes?"

Kairi's mind was too busy screeching a few variations of holy shit this is actually happening over and over for her to offer any kind of intelligent response to him, so she settled for a hesitant, "I-I guess?"

"I want more than that." He leapt in as soon as she finished stuttering, her heartbeat going impossibly fast as he smiled up at her with so much hope and love she didn't know how he could contain it all, "I want more than two, or three, or ten, I want every single lifetime I could possibly have to be beside you, I want to be by your side through anything life might throw at us next, I want to fight with you, travel with you, live with you and love you and be happy with you for as long as I can possible manage."

She could feel more tears flowing down her cheeks, warm and happy.

"I…" He stopped for a second to catch his breath from the sudden burst he had earlier, edging closer to her while still on his knees, "I want…forever, with you, Kairi. I want forever, for as long or as short as forever end up being, I want to spend every single second of it with you."

And finally, he's done. Kairi could only sit there, looking down at this boy, young man, who loved her with all of his heart and then some, sit among the love and affection he promised to give her, and feel more at home than she's felt in years.

She pulls her hand from him, and there's a light note of panic in his face when she does, "you were right," she says, with the warmest loving smile she can manage, putting his face between her palms again, "it really was a little stupid."

The note of panic increased for a moment before she leaned down to kiss him deeply and slowly, letting the taste of him and his warmth and his love place itself in her memory, his shoulders lowering with relief.

She pulled away from him, smiling again, "stupid that you actually thought you had to ask when you already know the answer to that question."

He blinked, bewildered both by the kiss and her words, before a sheepish grin lit up his face, "it is wrong to want to hear it out loud?"

She laughed warmly, pulling him back on the bed by his shoulders and leaning her forehead on his one more time, leaning in until their lips almost touched, "ask me again." She pecked his lips quickly, too quickly for him to return pressure, "ask me again and you'll hear it."

He put his hands on her waist, the warmth and weight of his fingers pleasing and calming, and took a deep breath, "Kairi," he started, voice low, tone confident and solid, "will you marry me?"

"Yes." She promised, kissing him again as she did, "yes, I will," she kissed him a second time, a third, a fourth, adding another promise between his lips every time she came up for air, and she's lost in him again, his warmth surrounding her and flowing into her without restraint, "I love you Sora, I want forever too," another kiss, I want forever with you."

He groaned against her lips as he captured them again, his arms crushing her against his frame before they both collapsed on the bed, tangled up in each other so that neither knew where one began and the other ended.

The night passed in warmth and passion, and Kairi knew that this, this place, between the sky and his heart, was where she belonged.

Sora softly brushed a lock of Kairi's hair behind her ear, placing his palm on her cheek as she slowly breathed in and out.

He was awake for about half an hour now, but he didn't want to move, didn't want to ruin this perfect little moment where the morning sun played tricks on Kairi's dark red hair and her face was peaceful and calm and content.

They were both still in bed, of course, covered only by a blanket as Kairi slumbered and Sora waited for her to wake. He wanted this moment to last, to engrave the image of Kairi smiling in her sleep into his mind so he never forgot it, so he can remember his promise to make her happy.

She deserved this and nothing less, he decided, to be able to sleep peacefully in his arms and not doubt herself. Her tears from the night before haunted him, Riku's words about how she nearly ripped herself to pieces ringing loudly in his mind.

He loved her, this truth echoed in him with every breath she took and with every beat of his heart as he laid near her. He wanted to give her peace and joy, to love herself as much as he loved her, he wanted her to believe in herself as much as he did.

He wanted forever, and knowing their luck, forever might not be all that long at all.

Riku was right, they were lucky, the three of them, maybe luckier than they deserved, but he was determined to make sure they wouldn't need to be so lucky ever again.

He didn't know what else the world had to throw at him, but he was ready, ready to fight it all, every single evil thing that lurked in shadow and hate he was ready for. He was ready to fight with her, to put his hand in hers and jump into the unknown with her knowing, knowing, they will come out the other side still holding on.

He'll give her a home, a family, every little thing she deserved, and there was so much she deserved, he'll give her, and nothing will keep them apart ever again. Not darkness or destiny or prophecy, nothing.

Forever would have to wait a while though, for now, Sora will content himself with Kairi's sleeping face, the light catching on her eyelashes as she breathed in and out in a steady rhythm.

After a few more minutes of this, Kairi's face scrunched up a bit, she mumbled in her sleep for a moment, Sora holding his breath to keep quiet and watch, wait for the moment where she saw him, to make sure he was the first thing she saw as she woke.

Soon her eyes, dull with sleep but brimming with joy, caught sight of him, and tiny tears formed at the edges of her eyes as she smiled at him, "Sora…" her voice wasn't relieved, or surprised, but happy, truly happy, truly accepting that it wasn't a dream, that what she was seeing was real and loved her, "you're back…"

Smiling at her sleepy words, Sora leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, breathing her in as she smiled against him with a lazy tilt, nose to nose with her as he smiled back. "I'm home."

Kairi's smile was the most radiant, most sublime thing he had ever seen in his live. She kissed him, and home would never leave him again.