Work Text:
That day on the Destiny Islands, anyone who came around to the back of what was called the play island by almost the entire population would have seen a very strange sight. It wasn’t the multiple people with oddly-coloured hair, it wasn’t the irritated man in the very out-of-season lab coat, it wasn’t the way some of them casually waved around giant skeleton keys.
Well, it was some of all that. But it was mostly the four medical gurneys set up in the shade. One held a blond, sleeping boy, but the other three held faceless, indistinct bodies.
That day was one that had been long awaited.
It was the day Ventus would wake up, and the day Roxas, Xion, and Naminé would come back to life.
“Axel! Axel, it’s not me, that’s Ventus! Axel! I’m right here! Axel!”
Lea shook himself. “What? Oh. I…” Roxas was waving a hand in front of his face.
“I know, it’s freaking weird, isn’t it?” Kairi said, walking up to him. “That’s one mystery solved, though. Now we know for a fact where Roxas got his good looks from.”
“Yeah…” Lea said. He was having a bit of an existential moment.
Aqua had just walked past him, carrying what he would have sworn up, down, and sideways was Roxas’s body. Fortunately, Roxas himself had come running up first, hurriedly explaining the situation.
It was still world-rocking.
Lea took a deep breath, looking over at the featureless body with the large “R” written on its chest in black marker. That was Roxas’s body; well, body-to-be. His heart had to be removed from Sora, first.
They were almost ready to start. But they had discussed it among themselves, and they’d all decided, Ventus came first.
He’d been waiting twelve years.
It was time.
There was an additional empty bed next to the four occupied ones, and Sora hopped into it. “Ready when you are, Riku!” he said, smiling.
His mother put her hand on his shoulder. “Sora,” she said, quietly.
He looked at her, still smiling. “What’s up, mom?”
She leaned down next to the bed, and whispered in his ear, “I know you’re terrified. It’s okay to admit you’re scared. You know everyone here understands.”
To his credit, he kept smiling. “I… I know that, Mom, but… Everyone else is scared, too. But as long as I’m okay…”
“Hmm,” his mother said. That was something she should talk to him about. He was sixteen. Too young to be carrying that kind of burden. But it was one he’d chosen. “Talk to me about it afterwards, then, okay? Or, if you can’t tell me, at least Kairi and Riku. Promise?”
The smile slipped, just for a second. “…I promise,” he said, and she knew he meant it. He was never good at lying.
Riku walked over to him, much more visibly concerned. “Sora, are you sure about this, I mean, I’ve never done this before, and I don’t want to hurt you, and–”
She was starting to see why Sora was so invested in appearing okay. “Riku,” she said firmly. “You can do this. We both trust you.”
Riku’s face was not that of a confident Keyblade Master. It was the face she remembered that used to hide under Sora’s bed during lightning storms. She reached out and pulled him into a hug. He was shaking. “You may not be my son, yet,” she said, “but I’m so proud of you.”
As she had intended, the “yet” made him blush so hard he stopped shaking. “Thank you,” he whispered, then cleared his throat and stepped back.
“I’ll be right here,” she said, stepping back to stand between Kairi and the blue-haired woman that must be Master Aqua. She looked just as scared as Riku did. She offered Aqua a pat on the shoulder that almost made her jump, but she gave her a quick glance of thanks.
Riku summoned his Keyblade. “Are you all ready?” he asked.
“Don’t grab the wrong one,” Roxas deadpanned.
“He’s not going to grab the wrong one. I don’t think it works like that,” Xion said, more for Riku’s sake since Roxas couldn’t hear her. He smiled nervously, appreciative.
Riku took a deep breath, and placed the tip of his Keyblade on Sora’s chest.
Immediately, he could see bright lights. One felt intimately familiar; Sora. One felt like someone he had helped; Xion. One felt like someone he had fought; Roxas. So the last, brightest one must be Ventus.
The light moved with his Keyblade as he pulled it back. It glowed on the tip, and there was complete silence on the island.
Carefully, Riku moved his Keyblade over to Ventus. The light moved from his Keyblade into Ventus’s chest, almost as if it had been sucked in. It was a reunion long awaited.
Nothing else happened.
“Was he supposed to wake up?” Even asked. He was present to monitor Roxas, Xion, and Naminé’s transitions into their new bodies, but he had been watching the proceedings with interest.
Riku started breathing again. “No, that’s just putting his heart back where it belongs. Sora, how are you feeling?”
Sora was slowly sitting up. “Not that different, really? But…” he shook his head. “I don’t know. Kind of like I had to say goodbye to an old friend.”
“Well, you’ll be meeting him again real soon,” Riku said. He took another deep breath. This would technically be the hardest part. Waking Ventus up.
Aqua stepped forwards. “Riku, can I help with this?” she asked. “Ven, he’s my…”
Riku nodded. “I don’t know if I can Dive with more than one person, but I’ll try. You being there might make it easier.”
Aqua summoned Master’s Defender. Both she and Riku pointed their Keyblades at Ventus’s chest, and Dove.
“Oh crap, forgot about this part!” Lea grumbled, leaping forwards to catch Riku and Aqua’s sleeping bodies before they collapsed.
Aqua and Riku soared downwards through streams of Ventus’s memories, but there were much fewer than Sora’s Dive to the Heart had contained. There were also no floating forms of Ven in midair to run into, which Riku supposed made their task easier.
Until it didn’t.
A dark form surged into the Drop ahead of them. It was a figure in a black suit of armour, one that Riku recognized.
“Hello again, Ventus,” he muttered.
“That’s Ven?” Aqua asked.
Riku nodded. “He did… something that protected Sora’s heart from Darkness during our Mastery exam. Encased him in that armour.”
Now that she looked, the armour was Ven’s Keyblade armour, if stained black. “What do we do about it?” Aqua asked.
“Only thing we can. Get through it,” Riku said, grimly. “We do that, he wakes up.”
“Got it!” Aqua said, brandishing Master’s Defender.
Riku’s own Keyblade flashed into his hand, and the two Dove further down.
The armour was closer than Riku had expected.
“Riku?” Aqua asked in alarm. “Was it… this big the last time?” Had they been standing flat, the armour would have been a good fifteen feet tall.
“No, no it wasn’t,” Riku said.
The armour swung its massive Keyblade (Still the Kingdom Key, Riku noted belatedly, and held overhand… Was this Sora’s doing somehow?) and took a swipe at the two of them. Riku seized Aqua and spun out of the way. “I don’t know why Sora ever thought this was fun!” he grumbled as they stabilized.
“You did this before?” she asked, breathless.
“Giant Nightmares during Dives. Long story. Tell you later!” He flung Aqua one way and rolled another, dodging another swipe.
Aqua frowned, and shot a bolt of Fira at the armour. To her shock, it sliced back at her, sending the firebolt back towards her. Instinctively, she swung to return the shot, and it staggered. Riku took that opportunity to zoom in close and get in a couple of attacks, before it recovered.
“Hey, that works!” he called, grinning.
Aqua smiled. “Your turn!”
They dodged another large cut and Riku launched a Dark Firaga at the armour. It was sent back, he parried, and it was sent back again. On the second return, the armour staggered.
“Aqua?” he called, when she didn’t dive in. “That was your cue?”
Aqua shook herself. Right. Riku used darkness in combat. She had known that. Kairi and Naminé had said that. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. She snapped back to herself, and rushed forwards while the armour was still vulnerable.
And if, on her return to his side, she surreptitiously checked that Riku’s eyes were indeed still a pale green-blue, not gold, well, that was her business.
“One more hit should do it,” Riku said, not noticing her stare. “Or, that’s how these usually go.”
Aqua nodded, and cast a Triple Firaga. To their surprise, the armour knocked the firebolt out of the way, to dissipate against the walls of the Dive.
“That’s not good,” she muttered.
“If it’s not going to play that game anymore, what do we do?” Riku asked.
“Maybe… I can distract it another way,” Aqua said.
“Another… how?” Riku asked.
Aqua squared her shoulders, as best she could in freefall. “Like this,” she said, and moved forward. “Ven!” she shouted. “It’s me! It’s Aqua! I’m here!”
To Riku’s surprise, the armour actually froze for a second, turning to focus on her, and seeming to forget he was there.
…Aqua..? seemed to rumble through the area, not spoken, more felt.
“Yes, Ven! I’m here to bring you back!”
The armour practically snarled, and swiped again at her – Riku wasn’t one to read into situations, but that probably meant something one way or another – but Riku was able to glide in and launch a massive attack on the armour’s face.
The armour shattered. Nothing appeared to be inside. The shards faded into the walls, and Riku and Aqua banished their Keyblades, panting. Out of the corner of his eye, Riku spotted a memory scene flapping like a flag in wind. It was threadbare, tattered, and unlike the other ones that featured Aqua, Terra, and to Riku’s mild surprise, King Mickey, it was static.
A barren field, and three boys and a girl. The boys had short black, pink, and white hair; the girl, long black.
It was gone as soon as soon as he saw it.
At the end of the Dive, the two gently touched down onto Ven’s Heart Station. The image on the stained glass was clouded, but Riku could make out Ventus, as well as depictions of Terra and Aqua, and an older man who was probably their master.
In the centre, a blond boy was slumped over, asleep. Aqua immediately ran to him. “Ven,” she said, gently rocking him. “You’ve been asleep long enough.” She smiled. “It’s time to wake up.”
To her delight, Ven stirred, and opened his eyes. “…Aqua…?” he asked, weakly.
“Ven!” she beamed, and went to grab him in a hug, but he slipped out of her fingers, and through the stained glass surface of the Heart Station.
Riku came over and put a hand on Aqua’s shoulder. “That’s normal,” he said. “But we should get out of here. He’ll be waiting for us.” He didn’t like being in someone else’s heart. There was always the feeling of being watched.
Aqua nodded. “Lead the way.”
Riku and Aqua jerked awake, both having been gently laid down against the rock wall. Aqua struggled to her feet, and rushed to Ven’s side, as the blond boy’s eyes opened for the first time in twelve years.
“…Aqua…?” he asked again. “W…where are we?”
“Ven!” Aqua cheered, and hugged him tightly.
“Whoa! Aqua, why…” Ven trailed off. “My… head hurts. And… I’m really hungry.”
Sora’s mother walked over. “I thought you might be. Aqua, I brought blankets and food. They’re in the cabin on the other side of the island. I figured you two might want some time alone.”
Aqua lifted Ven up, with only minimal resistance. “Thank you so much, ma’am, that would be wonderful,” she said. She looked over at Riku, at Sora, at Kairi and Naminé. “Thank you all, so much,” she said, tears starting to fall down her eyes.
“Aqua, what’s wrong?” Ven asked. “And… who are these people?”
Aqua smiled through her tears. “They’re friends of mine, Ven. I’ll tell you more about them after you eat. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Ven was frowning. “Aqua… where’s Terra?”
Aqua’s grin froze. “…We’ll talk about that, too,” she said.
“Okay,” Ven said, too confused and hungry to argue. Aqua brought them through the pathway in the island, and smiled grimly.
One friend still to save. But now she and Ven could do it together.
Terra? Stay strong, she thought. We’re coming.
Sora immediately moved to get back on the bed, but before he could, Naminé stepped into his path.
“Sora,” she said, “Roxas, Xion… Will you please let me go first?”
“Sure,” Sora started to say, but Roxas interrupted. “Why?”
Naminé steeled herself, and looked him right in the eye. “Because I’ve taken so much from the two of you already. If something goes wrong, I would rather I got hurt than either of you.”
“Naminé?” Kairi asked in alarm, but her former Nobody was shaking their head. “I don’t think something’s going to go wrong, Kairi, but my point stands. I’m not letting either of them get hurt again if I can help it.”
“Naminé,” Roxas said. “What happened to us… that wasn’t your fault.”
She laughed. “Roxas, I convinced you to give up your body for Sora. I convinced Xion to give up her existence for Sora.”
“And what exactly would you have done if either of us had said no?” Roxas asked.
Naminé blinked. “…what?”
“If I had said no, in the simulation. What would you have done?” Roxas asked. His tone… wasn’t angry.
“I… I would have…” Naminé started, but the question had brought her up short.
To her surprise, Roxas smiled. “Naminé, what happened to me was never up to you. All you did was let me know what I was choosing – let me know that what was going on was bigger than me alone. You gave me a choice, and let me make it. And you didn’t have to.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry – if I knew you felt like this I would have said something earlier. I was never mad at you personally. Just at the circumstances.” He seemed to realize something, and frowned. “Well, you were being unnecessarily cryptic for most of it, but besides that.”
“I… um… Sorry?” Naminé tried, and Roxas laughed.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I forgive you.”
Those three words lifted a weight Naminé hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying. Roxas closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, Xion was looking out at her. She rushed forwards, hugging Naminé to her.
“Xion?” Naminé gasped.
“You watched over him,” she whispered. “You kept your promise. How could I be angry at you?”
“You died,” Naminé whispered back. “You died and no one could remember you.”
“That wasn’t your fault. You didn’t make me,” Xion said. “You didn’t put Sora’s memories in me. You tried to help me. You were used as a tool just as much as I was.” She hugged Naminé tighter. “You were in trouble, and you put yourself in danger to help Roxas. I know. I saw. I watched.” She sighed. “I never blamed you. You did your best to help both of us. You have nothing to apologize for, but if it helps…
“I forgive you.”
A second weight, previously unnoticed, lifted. A tear rolled down Naminé’s face, and she held Xion tighter.
“But, if you really feel like you need to be sure, I don’t mind you going first,” Xion said.
Naminé let out a choked snort of laughter, and wiped the tear away. “Thank you,” she said, and broke the hug. With an encouraging smile from… actually it could have been any of the three people in Sora’s body, but it made her feel better regardless of who it was, Naminé hopped up onto the bed, and laid back.
Riku walked over. “Are you two ready?” he asked, looking completely unready himself.
Kairi smiled. “Completely. You can do this, Riku. We believe in you.”
He flushed, just a bit. “Naminé?”
She nodded. “I trust you, Riku. Go ahead.”
Carefully, Riku brought the tip of his Keyblade to Kairi’s chest. The light almost blinded him. He looked carefully, but there was nothing but the singular, intense bright light.
He pulled the Keyblade back, confused, and also scared. “Uh, guys? I… can’t find Naminé’s heart. No, it’s definitely in there!” he added, upon seeing the look of blank terror come over Naminé, “but Kairi’s light is too bright, I can’t tell where she stops and you begin.”
“Do you think… that’s because of the integration we did?” Kairi asked. Her voice, at least, was unworried and calm.
“Maybe,” Naminé whispered. “So we would need to…”
“Let go of each other,” Kairi finished. She squeezed Naminé’s hand. “You need to give up control completely.”
That was a scary thought, after so long in partial control. Naminé took a deep breath. “I trust you, Kairi.”
Kairi smiled. “I’ll see you when you wake up.”
Naminé leaned back again, and let go.
Kairi turned to Riku. “Now, quickly.” Riku nodded, raising his Keyblade again.
The light was still intense, but there, hiding in its “shadow”, Riku found it: a second, smaller light. Gently, he teased it out of its hiding place, and raised it with his Keyblade.
While this had been going on, Lea and Even had maneuvered the bed with the body marked “N” next to the bed where Kairi lay. Riku slowly brought the light to its chest, and let it make contact.
Unlike Ven’s heart, which had readily and greedily rejoined its body, Naminé’s drifted slower, leisurely, and sank into her new chest. They waited with baited breath for what would happen next; Even had said the features would form once the heart was transferred, but what would that look like?
A brilliant flash lit up the islands, and if it hadn’t blinded them all, they would have seen the body twist and move, not painfully, but gently as if waking from a nap. Blonde hair sprouted from the scalp, bright blue eyes flashed open, and a breath of air was taken in through a newly formed mouth and nose.
Somehow, and afterwards they never managed to work out exactly how he’d done it, Even had made it possible that clothes would form with the body. A white dress, too small for the fifteen-year-old but the only clothing she’d ever known, formed along with her features, joined by baby blue sandals that thankfully still fit.
Naminé blinked and opened her eyes. Her eyes, not Kairi’s eyes, for the first time in over a year. The first thing she was aware of was a face that looked just like her own, save for the slightly more lavender eyes and dark red hair, right in front of her.
“Kairi?” she started to ask, but was cut off with a gasp as Kairi threw her arms around her, hugging her tight.
“Welcome back,” Kairi said.
Naminé sniffed, barely holding in her joy. “I’m home,” she whispered.
Sora approached from behind Kairi, a broad grin on his face. “Naminé, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” He leaned over and joined Kairi in hugging her.
“Naminé, thank you!”
That started the tears. She barely noticed Riku, Lea, and Sora’s mother joining the group hug as she cried, and laughed through her tears, fully, completely, and in every way, a Nobody no longer.
“I’m going next,” Xion announced, once Naminé had been allowed to stand up. “I… kind of want to be the first thing Roxas sees,” she admitted, embarrassed.
“Aw, that’s adorable,” Kairi teased. She still had an arm around Naminé.
Xion blushed, and sat down on the bed. Riku came up and put a hand on her shoulder, and she nodded, confident. Riku brought his Keyblade up and once again saw the lights in Sora, now only three. Carefully, he selected the one he knew to be Xion, coaxed it out, and brought it over to the body marked with an “X”.
A second blast of light obscured the body as it grew black hair, and Xion’s blue eyes opened. A familiar black coat covered her, pants, boots, and gloves also springing into existence; the only outfit she’d ever had.
Lea was there in an instant. “Xion? Xion?!” he asked, on the verge of panic despite Naminé encountering no problems.
His fears were cured in an instant as Xion rose and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You kept your promise, too, Lea. You brought me back.”
“Of course I did. It was a promise to a friend,” he choked out, hugging her back.
Xion smiled, then seemed to realize what she was wearing, and frowned. “I don’t suppose we could go get me something else to wear? I’m a tiny bit sick of this uniform,” she said, peeling off her gloves.
Sora’s mother pressed a hand against her back. “I brought spare clothes, just in case,” she said, smiling. “But absolutely we’ll get you your own. You can change now, if you’d like,” she started to add, but stopped when she saw Lea start to shake his head as Xion eyed Sora, Riku, and Even, and started turning red.
“Yeah, that might have to wait. Standard-issue Org XIII outfit was the black coat, black pants, the boots, and the gloves. That’s it,” Lea said.
She blinked. “No… no shirt?”
“Nnnnope. Dunno why, but we just didn’t wear shirts under the coats. Would mess up the lines or something, probably,” Lea said, rolling his eyes.
“Wait… was that why we could always see your collarbones?” Riku asked, incredulous.
Lea nodded. “Yeah, but you wore the outfit too, didn’t you? You should know this.”
“I wore my normal clothes under the coat,” Riku said, equally confused. “You know, like a normal person?”
“You underestimate the potential of peer pressure,” Lea replied.
“Particularly when those peers hold large weapons,” Even muttered.
Kairi frowned. “Wait, so Larxene…?”
“Eeyyyuppp,” Lea said. “Probably why she was such a bitch all the time.”
“No, she was just a bitch,” Naminé muttered.
Roxas cleared his throat. “Not that this isn’t fascinating, but…”
“Oh, jeez, sorry Rox,” Lea apologized. Roxas shook his head, smiling. He got up off of his bed, walked over to Xion, and took her hands. “Guess what?” he practically whispered.
“What?” Xion asked.
“I was right. You’re beautiful.”
Xion blushed immediately. “I look like Kairi with black hair.”
Roxas shook his head. “No, you look like you.”
Lea’s mouth dropped open. “Where… how… I did not teach you that!” he stuttered.
Roxas grinned. “No, but lucky for us you’re not the only person I learn from.” He turned his head and smiled at Sora’s mother, who gave him an approving nod.
Xion was still bright red. “I can’t believe you actually said it.”
“Why? It’s true.” Roxas offered. She was having an impossible time meeting his gaze.
Riku cleared his throat. “Roxas, would you mind waiting a couple of minutes before you start flirting? I thought you wanted this over with.”
“Hah. Like we can talk,” Kairi commented, nudging Naminé with her elbow. Naminé smiled and nudged her back, then looked excited as she realized what she’d just done.
Xion hopped off of her table, and Roxas climbed back on his. Lea and Even wheeled the last body into position, and Roxas nodded to Riku.
“I’m ready.”
Riku carefully moved the last light that wasn’t Sora out of his body, and into the new body designated for Roxas. There was a final flash of light, covering the body as it grew blond hair and blue eyes. However, there was one slight surprise.
“Why’s he wearing the Organization coat?” Kairi asked.
Naminé bit her knuckle, thinking about it. “… it must be because the clothes he was wearing in the simulation weren’t real.”
“They weren’t?”
Naminé shook her head. “No. You remember DiZ’s opinions on buying Nobodies new clothes, right?” she said, waving her hand to emphasize her own outfit.
Roxas slowly opened his eyes, smiling broadly as Xion’s equally broad smile came into focus. “I’m back,” he whispered.
“I told you I’d see you again,” she whispered back, then hugged him tightly, tears pouring down her cheeks.
Roxas had less than a second to process this before Lea enveloped the both of them in a massive bear hug. “Roxas,” he breathed, reunited with his best friend.
“Axel,” Roxas said, then realized he was also crying. “Axel, I’m happy. Why am I crying?”
Lea laughed. “Tears are how we Somebodies handle excess emotion. Like, a release valve. You can cry from too much sadness, too much anger, or… too much happiness.” He was also starting to tear up.
His friends had come back to him.
He wasn’t alone anymore.
And then Sora, Kairi, and Naminé piled on as well, and he realized, he hadn’t been alone for a long time.
Even coughed. “Congratulations to the lot of you, but as it seems everything has gone well, I believe I shall take my leave.”
“You’re sure? Not gonna stay and monitor just to make sure everything’s working perfectly?” Lea asked, partially mocking him and partially actually concerned.
Even rolled his eyes. “I assure you, I made sure their bodies were perfectly functional. My concern was with the implantation process only. If there hasn’t been a problem yet, there won’t be one. So, if you don’t mind, please open a Light Corridor to Radiant Garden?”
“You sure?” Lea jeered. “We could fly you there in the gummi ship again–”
“Light. Corridor. Please.” Even ground out.
“Fine, fine,” Lea relented, and created a portal to Radiant Garden. As Even started to walk through, Roxas turned to Lea. “You sure he’s not going to try to get revenge on you for… pretty much this entire trip?”
Lea scoffed. “How? He knows I’ll kill him again if your bodies don’t work.”
Kairi cleared her throat. Lea rolled his eyes. “No, no I don’t think he’d mess with your bodies to get back at me.”
Riku was standing on the other side of the portal and was a little disturbed to see the smug smile Even was wearing as he entered it. He wouldn’t have messed with the bodies; it was probably just pride in a job well done. Probably.
Well, if he had done something, they knew where he lived, though Riku was smart enough not to threaten him within earshot of Kairi.
Sora, meanwhile, had had an odd, strained look on his face since the process began. His mother caught his eye and nodded at his scared look. He cleared his throat and took Riku and Kairi’s hands. “Can I… talk to you guys? Somewhere private?”
“Sure, what’s wrong, Sora?” Kairi asked.
He shook his head. “Private. Please?”
“Sure, but…” Riku started, but Sora dragged the both of them away from the rest before he could finish.
Sora dragged them out to the circular island he and Riku used to spar on. He stopped in front of the bent-over tree, and wouldn’t meet their eyes.
“Sora,” Kairi prompted. “Please tell us what’s wrong.”
“Nothing,” he said, too fast. “Or… I… I… I don’t know. I need to check something important.”
“Check what?” Riku asked, but Sora just shook his head, anxiety written over his face. He screwed his eyes shut, as if he didn’t want to see what he was about to do, stuck out his hand, summoned his Keyblade, and… slowly opened his eyes upon feeling its weight in his hand.
Upon seeing the Kingdom Key, he let out a massive sigh of relief and would have collapsed if Riku hadn’t caught him in time, steadying him and keeping him on his feet. “It’s still here. It’s still here,” he murmured to himself, almost shaking.
Kairi frowned, and stepped in close. Sora still wouldn’t look at her. “Sora,” she asked. “This whole time, have you been worried that having Ventus removed from you would take away your Keyblade?”
He still wouldn’t look her in the eyes. “…yes,” he eventually mumbled.
“And you didn’t think to tell us you were worried?”
He shook, still leaning against Riku. “You two had so much to deal with already I didn’t want to add…” he trailed off.
Kairi cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. Tears misted in the corners of his eyes. Riku held him tighter, and Sora leaned into him, desperate for the support.
“Sora,” Kairi said. “I love you. But you can be a huge idiot sometimes.”
He looked confused, almost like a puppy that had been accidentally stepped on. “But… but I just didn’t want you to worry about me…” His voice was choked and he could barely get the words out. Riku stroked his back.
“We always worry about you, dork,” he said. “We love you. We live dangerous lives at the moment, and we want you to be okay.”
“But,” Kairi added, “that doesn’t mean you need to pretend to be chipper and upbeat when something’s eating at you. You can rely on us. You can lean on us. We’re here for you. You’re not alone.”
That was the last push Sora needed. Hot tears streaked down his cheeks as he sobbed into Riku’s chest, overwhelmed by the events of the day. Both Riku and Kairi held him tight as he cried himself out, occasionally whispering words of encouragement. Eventually, he quieted down.
“’m sorry,” he mumbled into Riku’s chest.
“It’s okay,” Kairi said. “Just please don’t do it again.”
“We can’t help you if we don’t know you need help. And we’ll always want to help you,” Riku said, running his fingers through Sora’s hair.
Eventually, Sora pulled his head back up. “…I feel like you already know this but I want to say it out loud to be sure, you two are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Kairi beamed, and held back a snicker at Riku’s blush. “I love you,” she said to both of them.
“I love you,” Riku echoed.
“I love you,” Sora said, wiping the last of the tears off his face.
Kairi smiled, warm and happy. “Sorry for being so sappy, Nam–” she started to say, then it hit her.
Naminé wasn’t there. Naminé was away over on the other side of the island. By the same merit, Roxas and Xion weren’t there either.
For the first time since they had started dating, she, Sora, and Riku were finally completely alone.
“Earth to Kairi,” Riku quipped. “You still there?”
Kairi’s mind was reeling. All her thoughts were centering on one thing, wondering if now was the time, or if not now, when? How would they react, was this a good idea, were they ready, what if it was too soon?
Kairi’s heart told her mind to get stuffed, and she leaned forwards, grabbed Riku by his jacket, and yanked him back towards her, pressing her lips to his.
She only let the kiss last long enough for Riku to register what was happening, then broke the embrace, seized Sora’s lapel, and pulled him over to repeat the action.
Each kiss only lasted half a second, more like a quick peck than long, passionate contact. But it was enough for both boys and Kairi herself to blush hard, equal parts embarrassed and delighted.
“That, that was, that, that happened, we, that,” Riku babbled intelligently. Sora’s eyes had widened considerably, and he fixed Kairi with a look of betrayal.
“Kairi, how could you?” he asked. “I wanted to be Riku’s first kiss!”
And then the bubble of awkwardness popped and they all burst into laughter, leaning on each other and gasping for air.
“So you’re a hopeless romantic, huh, Sora?” Riku asked.
“Shut up,” Sora said, sticking his tongue out at him.
“Mmmm, no,” Riku said, and leaned over to kiss Sora himself.
Kairi gave them about a second before putting her chin in her hands and saying, “Hot.”
They broke apart, blushing again, and Riku gave Kairi a look of exasperation. “Ruin the mood, why don’t you?”
“Oh, don’t stop on my account, by all means. Watching my boyfriends make out is fun,” she said, winking.
They both stuck their tongues out at her, and she giggled.
“Regardless,” Riku said, turning his attention back to Sora, “does knowing you’re my first kiss with a guy make you feel better?”
Sora’s face reddened further and he looked away. “…yes…” he muttered.
“I’ve still got first kiss period,” Kairi teased.
Sora rolled his eyes, but Riku was oddly silent. “…I do have first kiss period, right Riku?” Kairi asked.
He still said nothing.
Both Sora and Kairi stared at him. “…Riku, is there something you want to tell us?” Sora asked.
He didn’t look at either of them. “…I was eight. It doesn’t count.”
“The heck it doesn’t,” Kairi said. “Who were you kissing at eight years old?”
He glanced back, then down at his shoes. “…Selphie.”
“Excuse me?!” Kairi gasped.
“We were curious and you know we didn’t wind up interested in each other and really it wasn’t important in the grand scheme of things and I’d be shocked if she even remembered–” Riku backpedalled, but neither of his partners were going to let him live this one down.
“And you never told me about it?” Sora demanded, pouting. “Wow, Riku, I thought we were friends.”
“Why would you have wanted to know back then about who I was kissing?!” Riku said. “Plus if I had you might have asked to try kissing me, too, and I wasn’t ready to admit to myself that I liked you!”
“Not at eight!” Sora protested. “Four, maybe, sure, but not eight!”
Kairi was shaking her head. “And Selphie never told me, even after I started dating you two? Wow, some friend.” It was clear from her tone she was kidding.
Riku shrugged. “Like I said, maybe she forgot.”
Any discussion of makeouts past was cut off by a loud scream from the other side of the island. “It was WHERE?!”
Apparently Naminé had made mention of where the Chamber of Waking had been found. Kairi laughed, and looked at Sora. “Ready to head back?”
Sora beamed, back to his normal, bouncy self. “Sure! But uh, first…”
“First?” Riku asked.
Sora blushed. “Can we… do that again?”
Ven scarfed the food down like… well, like he hadn’t eaten in twelve years. Aqua didn’t begrudge him his table manners; the ensuing conversation was going to be hard enough.
How could she tell him what had happened?
How could she tell him they’d lost twelve years?
How could she tell him Terra was still missing, and in danger?
She had to tell him, but how?
She was so wrapped up in her frantic attempt to figure out how to soften the blow that she didn’t notice Ven had stopped eating until he asked her, in a small and vulnerable voice, “Aqua… is Terra dead?”
She blanched. “No, no, he’s not dead, Ven! He’s alive!”
He still looked miserable. “I could hear… some things, while I was sleeping. I heard him… ask you the same thing I did. To… put an–”
“I didn’t!” Aqua said, cutting him off before he could say that phrase again. “I… tried, but I couldn’t.”
“What happened?” Ven whispered. “Why would he ask you that?”
Sometimes it was better to wait until the cut was fully healed, and use soap and warm water to gently take the bandaid off.
But this was a rip-it-off-quickly situation. “…Xehanort stole his body,” Aqua said. As best she could, she explained how Xehanort had tricked them all, and what his plan with Terra, and his plan for the χ-blade, was.
“So Terra thought… there was no other choice…” Ven whispered. “Just like…”
He stood up suddenly, and rushed over to Aqua, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I’m so sorry I asked you to do that!” he said. “I thought… I didn’t…”
“Ven, it’s okay,” Aqua said.
“No, it’s not!” he insisted. “You were just trying to protect us, and… and… I’m sorry! I’m sorry I said you were awful! I’m sorry I asked you and Terra to kill me! I’m sorry I got the Master–” his voice choked off and Aqua held him tight.
“Ven,” she said, in a calming voice, “it’s not your fault. We all made mistakes, all three of us. I should have listened to you; I shouldn’t have dismissed your concern for Terra. I shouldn’t have assumed I knew better, than either of you. But it’s because of Xehanort that this happened. And Terra’s not lost to us forever. We’ll get him back, you and me. And we’re not alone.”
Ven sniffed. “Aqua, how long was I asleep?”
“What?”
“That tall guy with the red hair. Either Lea has an older brother or…” he trailed off. Aqua guessed she shouldn’t be surprised. For Ven, it had been less than a week since he had met Isa and Lea.
“You were asleep, and I was lost in the Realm of Darkness for… twelve years.”
Ven froze. “T-twelve?”
Aqua’s heart shattered again. “Ven, I’m so sor–”
“You were alone for twelve years?” Ven whispered. “Aqua…”
That was it. That burst the dam.
Aqua and Ven both collapsed to the ground in a pile of limbs as Aqua’s legs gave out, overcome with emotion. Tears poured down both their faces, and they held one another tight, as the pain of the years they’d lost settled in.
There was a knock on the door.
“May I come in?” Sora’s mother asked.
Aqua quickly tried to dry her eyes and struggle to her feet before saying, “Ah, yes!” Ven didn’t have the energy to bother.
Sora’s mother entered the room, took one look at Ventus, and knelt down to sweep him into her arms. “Hello, Ventus,” she said, quietly. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Ven leaned against her shoulder. “…who are you?” he managed. “You seem familiar.”
She smiled. “You’ve been living in my son’s heart for the past twelve years. That’s probably why.”
His eyes widened. “You’re Sora’s…? Oh. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“No need to be formal,” she said, warmly. “I’m glad you’re finally awake. You seemed like you were having awful dreams.” Aqua tensed beside her.
Ventus sniffed, more tears rolling down his cheeks. “I… they were gone. All of them.”
“Aqua’s here,” she said. “You’re here. You’ll find Terra. I know you will. And everyone here will help you.”
“How?” Ven whispered. He seemed very small, but the tears had stopped.
“You’ll find a way. Aqua found a way back to you. Terra will, too.”
“He’ll find a way,” Aqua agreed, with a tearful, rueful smile. “We’ll all find a way.”
Ven sniffed again. “The three of us… can never be torn apart,” he murmured.
Aqua knelt back down beside him. “That’s a promise,” she said.
Ven reached out a hand and she took it. “I’m ready,” he said, but his face trembled, and his hand shook.
“No, you’re not,” Sora’s mother cut in. “But that’s okay. You will be when the time comes.” She held him tighter. “Rest. Let yourself heal. You’ve only been awake for less than an hour. Take the time you need.”
“But Terra…” Ventus said.
“He’s strong,” Aqua said. “He’s lasted this long. He’ll be waiting for us.”
Quietly, Ven whispered, “Aqua? I’m scared.”
“So am I, Ven,” she whispered back. “So am I.”
He pulled slightly on their grasped hands, and Aqua fell into another hug. It was warm, and safe.
Eventually, Sora’s mother stood up. “You know what will help the way you’re feeling?”
“What?”
“Getting out and meeting everyone else. Go meet Sora, go meet Lea again. They’re all excited to see you.”
Slowly, Ven and Aqua rose to their feet. “She’s right, Ven,” Aqua said. “Nothing fights off the darkness quite like friends.”
His smile was shaky, but it was genuine. “Okay.”
He walked out the door, a little unsteadily, but eager to meet new people. Aqua moved to follow, but Sora’s mother caught her arm. “Miss Aqua?” she said.
Aqua blinked. “Ma’am, you can just call me Aqua, it’s not–” she started, but to her surprise, she found herself pulled into a hug.
“I just want you to know. What you went through was horrible, and unreasonable, and I’m so proud of you for what you’ve accomplished. You two will get Terra back, I’m sure of it.”
Aqua was taken aback. But there was another feeling, a warm feeling, one that she hadn’t felt since… Longer than she could consciously remember.
She pressed herself into the older woman’s arms. Sora’s mother gently patted her back, and her other hand found its way to press Aqua’s head against her shoulder.
Aqua felt… safe. Like for the first time, she could rest. That she had a guarantee that everything would turn out all right.
Like she had whenever…
Whenever Master Eraqus would hold her when she’d had a nightmare, as a young child.
She gasped, and the tears started flowing again, as the other woman held her tight. “Rest, now,” she whispered to her. “You’re safe. You’re not alone anymore. Take the time you need to heal.”
Aqua hugged her tighter, and she hummed softly, a tune Aqua recognized. She’d been singing it herself, not too long ago.
If pretty, little bluebirds could fly over the rainbow…
Now, it was her turn.
She wasn’t home yet, but… she’d found a family again.
“Oh, Roxas, one thing,” Lea said.
“What’s up?”
Lea punched him in the arm.
“Ow! What was that for?!”
“Making me think Xion was dead, twerp!” Lea accused.
“You made him think Xion was dead?” Sora asked. “That’s not nice, Roxas!”
Roxas rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh. I had my reasons.”
“Sure you did,” Lea said, but he had already started grinning again. Sora, Kairi, and Riku had returned from the sparring island, Riku and Sora looking a tiny bit embarrassed and Kairi looking like she’d just been crowned champion of the worlds. She whispered something into Naminé’s ear and the other girl beamed, and high-fived her.
Roxas was also starting to remove his Organization outfit. “So, do you think we can get something else to wear? I kind of miss the outfit I had in Twilight Town.”
Xion caught his arm as he started to pull of the gloves. “Maybe… keep those?” she murmured almost inaudibly. Roxas flushed bright red and carefully stowed the gloves away in his pocket.
The rest of the group elected to ignore that, all of them but Lea familiar with the… note-passing situation and figuring they didn’t want to get involved. Lea could think of several reasons why Roxas should keep the gloves, which meant he didn’t have to ponder what Xion had actually meant.
The sound of a clearing throat interrupted any speculation. Ventus stepped out of the cabin. “Uh, hi,” he said, a bit overwhelmed to be the centre of attention. “I’m Ventus. Call me V–” He stopped short, as he laid eyes on Roxas.
Roxas, to his credit, just shrugged. “Yeah, I know. It’s weird for me, too.” He held out a hand. “Roxas.”
Slightly dazed, Ventus took it. “Ventus. Call me Ven.”
Roxas smiled. “Nice to meet you.” He gasped slightly as Sora slung an arm around his shoulders, leaning on him and sticking out his hand for Ven to shake. “And I’m Sora! I think we’ve met before, huh?”
There was, for a second, a look of panicked recognition and disbelief on Ven’s face. Then, he glanced at Roxas again and shook himself, imperceptibly. “I think we have, yeah. Nice to meet you again, Sora.”
“Everything okay?” Roxas asked, having noticed Ven’s hesitation.
“Yeah, just… nostalgia,” Ven answered. Roxas wasn’t satisfied with that answer, but decided not to push it as Sora brought Ven around to introduce him to everyone else. He met Xion, Kairi, Naminé, and Riku with pleasant greetings, but then they got around to the other familiar face.
“And this is–”
“Lea, right?” Ven said, smiling.
“Hey, you remembered!” Lea said, grinning.
“’Course I remembered,” Ven said. “I had it memorized.”
Roxas shot a look at Lea. “You’ve been saying that for twelve years?”
Ven nodded. “If I remember right, it was because you wanted… to live forever in other people’s memories, right?”
Lea reddened. “Oh, jeez, did I say that to you out loud?”
Xion laughed. “That’s kind of adorable, Lea.”
“You mean kind of cheesy?” Roxas teased.
Lea groaned. One benefit of only being able to talk to one of them at once: he couldn’t get piled on like this.
He wouldn’t trade it for the worlds, though.
“Hey, I was fifteen, and an idiot,” he defended himself.
Roxas shrugged. “We’re also fifteen.”
“No, you two’re two.”
“Almost three,” Xion said, matter-of-factly.
“And I’m lost,” Ven declared. “What are we talking about?”
Aqua and Sora’s mother chose that moment to exit the cabin, catching the last bits of the conversation. “It’s a long story, Ven,” Aqua said.
“Sora, Kairi, why don’t you take everyone to get new clothes, and Aqua and I will fill Ven in on what’s going on,” his mother suggested.
Sora nodded. “Sure. And after that… Oh! Roxas, didn’t you say you guys wanted to go to the beach at some point?”
“Yeah?”
Sora spread his arms to indicate the island. “Well, we’re here, aren’t we? Let’s get you guys bathing suits, too!”
Lea, Roxas, and Xion exchanged a glance, and started laughing. It seemed many old promises were coming true today.
“Honestly, Leila? This top with these shorts?” Selphie eyed the mannequin, critically.
The blue-haired shopkeeper sighed. “Selph, if you want to work here, I can pay you to dress them yourself.”
Selphie snorted. “Once it becomes work, it stops being fun, silly!” It was a constant, but friendly argument the two of them had. It was nice to know the job offer was perpetually open, though.
The door chimed, and opened, and Selphie’s breath caught in her throat. A red-haired girl stepped through, looking around, and gesturing excitedly to the blonde and black-haired girls that followed her.
“Kairi?” she called, surprised.
Kairi’s face broke into a grin. “Selphie!” She ran over to hug her.
“When did you get back? I thought you were on a trip?”
“Like two or three hours ago! Haven’t even been home yet!”
“And you came to a clothing store first?” Selphie asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
Kairi chuckled. “Yeah, well…” She motioned the other two girls over, both of whom looked very confused. “I have some big news.”
“Did you, Sora, and Riku finally kiss?” Selphie asked, teasing.
“Yes, actually, and I need to have a word with you, but more importantly, we found my original island!”
Selphie gasped. “You found your home island?”
Kairi crossed her arms and tilted her head. “The Destiny Islands are my home island. Always will be. But yeah, we found the island I came from, and… I have sisters.”
“What?!”
Kairi looked back at the other two girls, who now that Selphie looked at them, did look quite a bit like Kairi. “This is Naminé” – she indicated the blonde, who smiled nervously, clearly a bit shy – “and Xion,” – the black-haired girl, who also smiled and waved.
Selphie’s mouth dropped open. “That’s amazing!” she gasped. “It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Kairi’s friend Selphie!”
“Nice to meet you, Selphie,” Naminé said, reaching out a hand, which Selphie took and pulled her into a surprise hug. “Oh, this is happening,” she said, startled.
Xion received the same treatment, and Selphie frowned at the heavy material of her coat. “I’m guessing you’re here because they don’t really have proper clothes for the climate?” she asked, amused.
Kairi nodded, sheepishly. “Yeah… Our coming back here was kind of sudden.”
Selphie beamed. “Well, luckily for you I’m here to help! What are you three looking for?”
“Uh, just new clothes?” Naminé said. “Preferably ones that fit properly,” she added under her breath. Selphie had noticed how ill-fitting her dress was, but had elected not to say anything.
“And bathing suits!” Xion added. “We’re going to the beach later!” she told Selphie, excited.
Selphie laughed. “I’d be shocked if you weren’t.”
“Open invite, you’re free to come too, if you’re available,” Kairi added.
Selphie smiled. “Sure, I might have an opening. I miss the boys too, you know. Anything else?”
“No, I don’t think…” Kairi started, then her eyes suddenly widened. “Actually, they kind of need…” she leaned over to whisper in Selphie’s ear.
Selphie cocked an eyebrow. “What were they doing that they didn’t come with those?”
Kairi shrugged. “Forgotten in the rush to go. Can you help?”
“Sure,” she said, “but you get to do the sizing.”
“It feels weird,” Naminé muttered.
“I know, but you get used to it,” Kairi said.
“Why, though?”
“I… am not really sure,” Kairi admitted.
Naminé rolled her eyes. At least that awkward part was over. Selphie was over in the corner looking at bathing suits with Xion, and she and Kairi were looking at normal clothes. Naminé was privately pleased to see that Kairi had been correct; there wasn’t a single solid white dress in sight.
“How about this?” Kairi asked, holding up a dark blue shirt.
“Hmmm… I like the colour, but I’m not sure about the cut.” Naminé mused. “Plus, I have some concerns about freedom of movement. Or if I want to try painting, how easy would it be to clean?”
“Nam… you know you’re allowed to own more than one outfit, right?” Kairi asked.
“What?”
“You’re… it really didn’t occur to you?” Kairi asked again, confused.
“I… But you guys are always wearing the same thing?” Naminé asked.
“Yeah, the specially made anti-Darkness clothes the fairies gave us,” Kairi said. “But they aren’t the only clothes I own, just the most useful. You lived in my head for a year and never noticed I wore something different every day?”
“I had a lot on my mind?” Naminé tried, embarrassed.
Kairi shook her head, laughing. “You poor thing. I know Roxas won’t be finding anything similar to Twilight Town’s fashion here, so I’m pretty sure we’ll go shopping again once we’re there. But in the meantime!” She brandished another shirt. “Yea or nay?”
“…Actually, I think I’d like to try something with a higher collar.”
“More like Aqua’s?” Kairi asked, innocently.
Naminé rolled her eyes. “Sort of. Maybe. Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay!” Kairi said, giggling. “Okay, higher collar…”
Something caught Naminé’s eye. She left Kairi looking through shirts and wandered over to a dress on the wall. The colour choice was somewhat… odd, but it was something she could get behind.
Kairi came up behind her. “Nam… it’s hideous,” she said, non-judgementally.
“It is,” Naminé said. “I love it.”
Kairi chuckled. “Fine, but I’m getting you a jacket to wear over it. That pattern needs to be broken up.”
The dress was about the same shape as her white one, albeit properly sized, and was strapless. The pattern on it contained seven distinct colours, all swirled together in a spiral pattern. Kairi was right, a solid jacket would make it look better, but Naminé was immediately in love.
She could get used to this.
“And I’m saying you can keep them, but you aren’t going to want to wear them here,” Selphie was saying. Kairi had wandered over after Naminé had made her selection, to help Selphie and Xion. More to help Xion from getting overwhelmed, but still.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Your friend thinks I shouldn’t be wearing the boots,” Xion explained.
“Oh, yeah, you won’t want to, it’ll be murder on your feet,” Kairi agreed. “You can keep them, sure, but it’s a bit hot for them on the Islands.”
“Lea’s wearing his,” Xion pointed out.
“Lea isn’t dressed for the weather, either,” Kairi countered. “Other friends that came with us,” she explained for Selphie’s benefit. “Sora and Riku are getting them stuff.”
“Just try the flip-flops,” Selphie added. “If you don’t like them, we’ll get you actual shoes.”
“Fine,” Xion said, and sat down on a nearby bench to remove her boots, pausing to twist awkwardly at the new sensations.
“Has she never been clothes shopping before?” Selphie asked Kairi, quietly. “It seems like she’s afraid she’ll mess up, or something.”
“They both had hard lives, growing up,” Kairi explained. “It’s a big adjustment they’re making here.”
“Personal stuff, huh?” Selphie said. “Well, lucky for us I’m so patient!”
Kairi smiled. It was good to be home.
Naminé ended up with a dark blue, sleeveless light jacket over the patterned dress, which Selphie referred to as “tie-dye”. Xion had fallen in love with a bright sunflower yellow shirt, patterned with white paopu fruit, and had chosen a pair of dark capris to go with them. She had also rejected the sandals, though Kairi and Selphie both had to admit she’d given them a fair shot. She wound up with sneakers instead, as had Naminé, who had already been wearing sandals when she came in.
Some accessories had also caught their eyes: for Naminé, a large straw sunhat, and for Xion, a pair of wire-rimmed sunglasses.
They had also found bathing suits for each of them. Naminé had insisted on a one-piece, which was easily found for her. Xion had been slightly uncomfortable, never having had that much skin exposed before, but Kairi had mentioned offhand how much she was looking forwards to her boys seeing her in the bikini she’d chosen, and Xion had reddened, but decided on a bikini top with a pair of trunks.
They left the store after paying, Leila waving goodbye, and met up with the boys.
“Lea… why…?” Kairi groaned upon spotting him.
“Cause it’s great, that’s why,” he retorted, indicating his bright safety-orange shirt. It had a pattern of white pineapples on it. “Hey, Xion, same outfit!” He was also wearing capris, though his were tan. He also, apparently, could stand sandals.
“Nice!” she said, high-fiving him. Roxas, who had chosen a darker shirt with stencilled patterns, shook his head. “You look nice,” he offered, and Xion flushed. “T-thanks,” she managed.
“Boyfriend?” Selphie whispered in Kairi’s ear, and she nodded. “Aw, adorable!”
Riku walked up to them, shaking his head. “Roxas and I couldn’t talk him out of the shirt, sorry,” he said, by way of explanation. “Or the matching bathing suit.”
Kairi let out a snort of laughter. “And Sora didn’t help?”
“I had to convince him he didn’t need a matching blue one,” Riku said, and she laughed harder. “Although,” he added, taking in Naminé’s dress, “it looks like you had fun.”
“Girl likes rainbows, what can I say?” Kairi said. “Where’s Sora?”
“He stopped off to buy sunscreen.”
Kairi clapped a hand to her forehead. “I knew I was forgetting something!”
“Mm-hmm. Don’t want them getting sunburns when they just got… here,” he finished awkwardly. “Hi, Selphie.”
“Heya, Riku! Kairi’s got clones now, did you see?” Selphie teased.
Riku forced a smile, not wanting to let on how painfully accurate her joke was. “Yep. Weird, huh? Kairi’s secretly been a big sister all her life.”
“I probably could have figured that out. She’s got that kind of vibe,” Selphie agreed.
“Oh, speaking of figuring things out,” Kairi said, grabbing the back of Riku’s collar pre-emptively. “Selphie, I need a word with you about a certain kiss…”
Sora eventually returned with the sunscreen, and after Kairi had explained the point and proper use of such, the group made their way down to the beach.
“Um… Roxas?” Xion asked, nervous. “Would you mind…?” She held up the sunscreen bottle Sora had passed her, and turned her back to him.
Roxas immediately turned bright red. “Oh! Uh, s-sure,” he stuttered, taking the bottle as Xion unbuttoned her shirt. They had worn the bathing suits out of the store, under their clothes.
Lea watched this with a tightening in his stomach. This was… new. He’d known the two of them had… feelings, for one another, ever since Sora had let him know they were alive, but they hadn’t been able to directly act on them, before. And he hadn’t had to see it.
It wasn’t bad, inherently, and on a purely intellectual level he was glad his friends were happy, but it was different. Their dynamic wouldn’t be quite what it had been before. Things grow and change, and you can’t hold on to the past forever, but…
Naminé tapped him on the upper arm, breaking him out of his reverie. “You want to leave the lovebirds to it and help me with this?” she asked, waving her own bottle of sunscreen.
He cleared his throat. “Sure, Naminé, sure. Be good, you two!” he called at his friends, making them turn even redder. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! Or, come to think of it, anything I would do!”
Naminé laughed, but as they walked away, her face turned back to somber. “It hurts a bit, seeing other people happy when you can’t have what you want, huh?” she said, suddenly.
Lea supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. “Yeah,” he said, and held up a fist to her. “Lonely gays?”
“Lonely gays,” she agreed, fistbumping him. “I’m serious about the sunscreen, though. Kairi’s had sunburn before, and she’s lived here for years. I’m really pale and it’s scary.”
Lea laughed, and set to work.
It was suspicious.
Selphie had known Kairi almost her entire life, and there was something she wasn’t telling her.
Her story, though amazing, had thousands of holes in it. Naminé and Xion. While they did bear a strong resemblance to Kairi, sisters? Red and blonde hair, she could believe, but black? And two different shades of blue eyes between them?
And upon returning from a trip, shopping before even telling her father she was home? Or, maybe she had, but Selphie got the feeling she hadn’t.
Their clothes. An ill-fitting dress that might have fit when Naminé was fourteen, and an intimidating black coat, like Xion had been part of a cult. Where had they come from?
Another island. What other island? They were supposed to be going around to the same places Riku and Sora had wound up, right? They had never mentioned a city or town when recounting their trip.
And there was still the nagging mystery of why everyone on the Islands had for a year forgotten that Sora even existed.
But this? This was the final straw. Kairi was lying to her. She was sure of it.
She waited until Riku had chased Sora out into the surf, before grabbing Kairi’s arm and saying, “What aren’t you telling me?”
“What are you talking about?” Kairi asked. Selphie shook her head.
“When we were nine, we were playing on the rocks on the far side of the play island. You slipped, and fell, and cut your arm open, and we all got a lecture. You still have a scar from it, on the back of your left arm.”
Kairi frowned, confused. “Yeah, what about it?”
Selphie cast a glance towards Roxas and Xion, who were awkwardly sitting close but not too close, nervously inching their hands towards each other, and towards Naminé, who was sketching Lea, napping on the beach.
“If they’re your sisters, then why do Naminé and Xion both have the exact same scar?” she asked quietly.
She could see Kairi freeze. “No excuses, please,” she said. “Kairi, you’re one of my best friends. I don’t know what you think you can’t trust me with, but please. Don’t lie to me.”
Kairi looked down at her feet, then up and out across the water to the play island. She seemed to decide something. “Okay, Selphie. Let’s go get Naminé and Xion. I’ll tell you everything.”
It was ludicrous.
It was impossible.
It couldn’t be true.
But Kairi and Naminé were both holding giant keys. Xion and Naminé both had eyes identical to Sora’s. Naminé could list off several things that Selphie thought only she and Sora had ever known about.
It was the truth, though, at least.
“So all this time,” she said, slowly. “My best friend has been an alien princess?”
“Is that what you got out of that?” Naminé asked, confused. “Not me being Kairi’s animated, heartless body, not Xion being a literal clone of not Kairi but Sora, not the impending war that could kill us all, but that Kairi’s a princess from another world?”
Selphie shrugged. “I like to look for the positives.”
Kairi shook her head. “Selph, I’m so sorry I lied to you all this time–” she started, but Selphie was shaking her head.
“I get it, Kairi. It’s huge. It’s bigger than anyone should have to deal with. I’m glad you told me. And I’m glad you two got to be your own people again,” she added, looking at Naminé and Xion.
“Thank you,” Xion whispered. Naminé nodded her agreement.
“Who else knows?” Selphie asked Kairi.
“Sora’s mom.”
“He always was bad at telling lies, huh?” Selphie said, grinning. She then realized something. “Does your dad know?”
“Not… yet. I – we – were going to go tell him after this. Sora’s mom is taking in Roxas and Xion, but I’m hoping Dad will welcome Naminé into our family.” Kairi let out a breath. “I’m kinda grateful you called me on my shit, actually. It’s good practice.”
“Hey, what are friends for?” Selphie teased.
Over on the beach, Sora had managed to convince Riku and Roxas to help pile sand on the still-sleeping Lea. They had him almost completely buried.
“He could sleep through the end of the world, and he’d never know it, huh?” Selphie asked.
Kairi grinned. “There’s gonna be hell to pay when he wakes up, though. He’s not gonna like sand in his trunks.”
Lea woke up, blearily, to the sensation of weight on his chest. And legs. And arms. And everything except his head, actually.
“Oh, you brats,” he muttered, realizing he was buried in the sand. A short distance away, Sora was entirely failing to keep a wide grin off his face. Riku at least looked apologetic, but Roxas was also trying to conceal a smile.
Well, he couldn’t be angry about that. He’d been through too much to be mad at seeing his best friend happy.
“Okay, ha, ha, you ‘got me’,” he called to them. “Now how about a little excavation, if you don’t mind?”
“Serves you right, falling asleep anywhere like that!” Sora said, but did start unburying him.
Riku and Roxas pitched in to help, and Lea sat up and stretched. “Gonna have sand stuck everywhere for days, thanks a bunch,” he grumbled.
“Hey, the ocean’s right there!” Sora said, still grinning.
“And there’re showers over there if you’d prefer not to smell like saltwater,” Riku added.
Still grumbling to himself, Lea went and rinsed himself off. By the time he got back, Kairi and the other girls had returned, toting a picnic basket.
“Food? Nice,” Lea said. “Rox, Xi, eventually you’re probably gonna start feeling a clenching sensation in your stomach. That’s–”
“Hunger,” Roxas interrupted. “We know.”
“You know?” Lea said, surprised. “How?” One of the benefits of being a Nobody was that eating became unnecessary; still doable, but not required to survive. This was how he, Roxas, and Xion had been able to both survive and stay fit on an all-ice cream diet. The same went for sleeping, though Lea had still tried to indulge as much as he could.
“Sora’s body is real,” Xion explained. “So we’ve felt what hunger is through him.”
“Among other things,” Roxas muttered. Well (and Lea intended no pun) that was a relief; he wouldn’t have to explain to them about using the bathroom.
Despite the cloud over their heads, despite the impending war and the need to retrieve two more people, despite everything they’d been through, this was good. Roxas and Xion were back, Naminé was smiling, and Lea himself was happy.
Everything wasn’t right with the worlds, but it was a damn good start.
Sometime later, after their fun in the sun, Kairi stood before her own front door, Naminé standing nervously behind her. Instead of going straight in, she knocked.
The mayor of the Destiny Islands, a greying man in his 40s with a face that could be stern but typically defaulted to kindly, who Kairi knew better as “Dad”, opened the door.
“Kairi?” he asked, surprised. “When did you get back?”
“A couple hours ago, Dad,” she said. “I’d like you to meet someone. This is Naminé.” The blonde girl stepped forwards.
The mayor took in the girl’s terrified expression, her nervousness, her insecurity, but most of all, her resemblance to his adopted daughter. “Hello, Naminé. It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
“Can we come in?” Kairi asked. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“A lot to talk about?”
“Dad… I figured out where I came from,” Kairi said. She wasn’t sure if he knew, about other worlds, about Keyblades and Heartless and Nobodies, about wars past and conflicts to come. But she had to try. “It’s a place called Radiant Garden.”
Recognition lit up the mayor’s face. He nodded, slowly, and stepped aside to let them in. “I think you’re right, Kai. We do have a lot to talk about.”
“So… he did know? All this time?” Sora asked.
Kairi nodded. “He’s never been off-world, but he knew about Radiant Garden. The rulers of worlds used to communicate with each other, and that contact network broke around the same time I arrived, during the Fall. He put two and two together, but he never had a way to find out if he was right, until our conversation last night.”
Riku chuckled. “So he was holding out on me all those times I asked him what was out there,” he said.
“It’s apparently part of his job,” Kairi said. The conversation had gone better than she’d hoped. Her father had not only accepted Naminé immediately, but had understood the stakes of what they were facing and given them both his blessing to do what they had to. Naminé now had… a home. A home that was a physical place, not just comfortable friendships, but a building to come back to when all was said and done.
His face had lit up like a Christmas tree when, after all was said and done, Naminé had hesitantly called him “Dad.” He had immediately told her that she didn’t have to force it, that she could call him by his name if she’d prefer, but she could tell that just the idea that she wanted to think of him as her father, eventually, meant so much to him.
They were gathered on the play island again, where Lea, Sora, and Riku had stashed their gummi ship. It was time to head back to the Mysterious Tower, to regroup with Yen Sid and Mickey and hopefully find a way to win Terra, and maybe even Isa, back.
However, at Naminé’s request, she and Kairi would be taking a short detour. There were promises she’d made, and hadn’t made, that she wanted to fulfil now that she had a body again, and given that Roxas and Xion had found they still couldn’t summon their Keyblades, and that Ven wasn’t well enough to even try to yet, there was time for a short trip.
Sora’s mother caught them just as they were boarding, before Kairi and Naminé left through a Light Corridor. “Were you really going to sneak off without letting me say goodbye?” she demanded, and Sora flinched.
“Sorry, mom?” he offered, but she marched over and seized him in a hug.
“‘Sorry’ doesn’t cut it, young man. Take care of yourself, and everyone else, okay?”
“Will do,” Sora said. “You can count on me!”
She smiled. “I always can.” She turned to Riku and Kairi. “Take care of him while he’s taking care of everyone else, okay?”
“Absolutely, ma’am,” Riku said, grinning, while Sora pouted. “He’s safe with us,” Kairi added.
“I’m glad he has you,” she said, and turned to Naminé. She took her gently by the upper arms, and to Naminé’s surprise, kissed her forehead. “I’m so proud of you,” she said, and Naminé’s eyes widened.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Sora’s mother turned to Aqua. “You’re not alone, and it’s not all on you. Do you believe me?” she asked. Aqua nodded. “Of course I do, ma’am. Thank you so much.”
Ven was next. She brushed his hair, just as she had done when he was having nightmares. “You’ll find a way,” she said, softly. “And if you need a safe place again, my door will always be open.”
He sniffed, on the verge of tears again, and whispered, “Thank you.”
“Lea,” she said, turning to the redhead, who was sneaking up the ramp. “One more friend to rescue?”
He turned, and nodded, caught. “If he’s still there.”
She smiled. “I believe the phrase was, ‘smile on the way down’?”
He flashed his cockiest grin. “Do I ever do anything else?”
“Xion,” she said, stepping over to the girl, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t important, or that you’re not worth it.” She covered her in a hug and whispered in her ear, “And tell him what you’re afraid of. Having the worst happen is so much worse if you’re dreading it beforehand; but the worst won’t happen, I promise.”
Xion gasped, and held her tight for a second. “I’ll try,” she whispered back.
Finally, she stepped over to regard Roxas. “You made it to the beach after all,” she said.
Roxas let out a huff of laughter. “Still think I’m a symptom of Sora going crazy?”
“Hmmm. I don’t think Sora being crazy is the problem,” she said, and hugged him. “Take care of yourself, and everyone else, too. I’m glad to have you as my son.”
Tears started to mist in the corners of his eyes. “Thanks… Mom,” he said.
The hesitation didn’t sting this time.
“Oh, one last thing,” she said, motioning Aqua and Kairi over.
“What’s up?” Kairi asked.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure how the bodies of Nobodies and Replicas work, but I do know how a Somebody works, and I think the two of you ought to keep an eye on Naminé and Xion for at least the next month.”
“Why? What happens in a mo–” Kairi started to ask, then stopped as her eyes bugged out at the realization. “Oh, shit.”
“Language,” Sora’s mom and Aqua said simultaneously. Kairi glared at both of them.
Sora’s mother laughed and handed Aqua a bag. “You’re probably going to need these. Hopefully, I’ll see both of you back here soon.”
Aqua took the bag and walked up the ramp, waving goodbye. Sora’s mother stood back as they took off, and vanished into Gummi Space.
Kairi summoned her Keyblade and looked at Naminé. “So, which one do you want to visit fir–”
“Gran Pulse,” Naminé said immediately. “Please,” she added, a little embarrassed by her outburst.
Kairi smiled. “You got it, sis.” She created the Light Corridor, and made an “after-you” gesture to Naminé. They waved goodbye to Sora’s mother, and stepped into the Corridor.
“Oerba Dia Vanille, here we come.”