Archive of Our Own ^beta

Destiny Islands doesn’t feel any different when Roxas arrives.

It’s the same bright sun, the same white sandy beaches, and the same insufferable heat. It doesn’t look or feel like December. He’s used to… peppermint hot chocolate, plaid scarves, and fuzzy gloves. He’s so out of his element here. He’s tuned into the crisp winds of winter and not the overwhelming heat that accompanies summer and spring.

“We gotta get going!” Sora says, coming up behind Roxas and patting him on the back. He rushes forward, energetically eager as he practically bounces down the beach. “It’s gonna start soon!”

“What is?” Roxas asks, but follows after Sora. He’s much more lax about it, smiling when Sora pouts at him for taking his time.

“The thing I want to show you!” Sora vaguely explains, exasperated. He wiggles and gestures and waves until Roxas quickens his step so that they can get to the main island faster. There’s a celebration being held there today.

A whole big thing that nearly every islander attends. Sora raved to him about it on the phone, talking so quickly Roxas could only catch every other word. He remembers Sora mentioning wanting to show him something, but he never specified.

It looks like he intends to keep it a secret until the very end.

It’s called the South Beach Jubilee and Sora and Riku have attended every celebration since they could walk. Naturally, they included Kairi when she arrived, and it’s become a part of their Christmas tradition since before they could remember.

And Sora, kind, lovable, and sweet Sora, invited Roxas along this year. But it’s only Roxas that he invited, and not any of their other friends who have never attended a single South Beach Jubilee.

It’s something to think about, and Roxas does just that when Sora gets tired of waiting and just grabs Roxas’ hand to drag him to the town plaza. The decorations are abundantly beautiful. Bright red bows, green, white, and gold tinsel strewn about everywhere, a huge blue and silver Christmas tree shining in the center of the plaza. There are so many people walking around. There’s food trucks, stalls with games and prizes to win, ornaments for sale, everything. It’s festive and lively and the spirit of the season swells in Roxas’ heart in a wild rush.

It’s a strange feeling. In Twilight Town there’s an energy too, but it’s more gradual. There’s a build up to the festivities and excitement that Roxas can prepare himself for.

On Destiny Islands, it’s abruptly bright and mesmerizing. A sudden flash of light that his eyes need a moment to adjust to.

Sora doesn’t let go of his hand as they reach the center of the plaza just beneath the large tree. He’s beaming and Roxas has to blink a few times, look away for a second before looking back.

“It’s amazing, right?” Sora asks. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet, blue eyes looking squarely into Roxas’ own.

“It’s—” Roxas takes a breath, glancing around at everything this jubilee had to offer. “Big.”

Sora grinned. “There’s so much to do — and we’re going to do all of it — but there’s something we have to do first. It’s my favorite part of the whole jubilee!”

And Sora’s dragging him off again, leading him around the tree and down one of the walkways. Roxas handles the excuses and pardons because Sora is just laughing with glee. He’s so happy being here, surrounded by people who are as happy as he is. He’s holding Roxas’ hand so tightly and Roxas…he squeezes back, glad to be sharing this with Sora.

But… “Where’s Kairi and Riku?” He can’t help but ask, because really, where are they? They never let Sora out of their sight nowadays.

Sora turns back to look at him, slowing his pace so that Roxas can hear him clearly through the noise of the crowd. “They’re meeting us there!”

Oh. So, they had discussed this before? Over text, maybe? Roxas thins his lips, but decides not to think too deeply about it. It’s hard to focus on something that very likely is nothing when there’s so much joy and energy in the air.

The walkway leads to the town square. There’s a crowd of people outside one of the shops. There’s a table set up in front with several vases on it as well as some papers and other items that Roxas can’t make out. Sora’s giddy beside him, still holding onto Roxas’ hand for dear life.

“Hey.”

There’s a hand on his shoulder and Roxas whirls around to find Riku and Kairi. They’re dressed for summer; Riku wearing a tank top and jeans, Kairi in a short white and green floral patterned romper.

Roxas rights himself, looking a little peeved that Riku snuck up on him. “Hi.”

Kairi grins and Riku points to the table. “Excited?”

“Uh, not really?” Roxas says, shrugging his shoulders. “Sora hasn’t told me what this is about yet.”

“Because I don’t have to!” Sora says from his right. He’s pouting and that’s cute. Roxas wants to tell him so. “They announce the rules every year.”

There’s a few adults by the table and they’re waving their hands for everyone to quiet down. Once the roar has settled into a low murmur, they begin the explanation of…whatever it is they’re doing.

“We’ve picked out ten unique blossoms with ten unique meanings for you to find this year!” The florist, Roxas guesses, explains. “Each bloom embodies a feeling or virtue that we’d like you to keep with you this season. I hope everyone’s been studying their flower language! It’s time to get pumped!”

From what Roxas can gather through the commotion and people crowding around and talking, it’s a competition. Groups of three or less can choose to participate. Roxas turns his head to ask Riku a question and finds that both he and Kairi are gone. Two rather tall people have taken their place in the crowd. Confused, he turns to his left to look for Sora, but he’s nowhere to be seen and Roxas isn’t sure when he’d let go of Roxas’ hand and snuck away.

Okay. On his own, then.

“— to guess the right kind of flower!” The florist finishes, raising their voice to be heard over the noise. “The first group to bring their vase back here with all ten flowers will be the winner of the Bouquet Raceway!” The two people on either side of the table let down a banner with those very words printed in a large, flowery font.

“What do we win?” A voice shouts from the crowd. There’s murmurings and shuffling about as everyone waits for the answer. If the competition required running all over the island to look for certain flowers among the abundance of shrubs and bushes that had them, then the prize had to be worthwhile, right?

The florist grins and places a finger to their lips. “It’s a secret!”

A loud, almost deafening chorus of boo’s and general displeasure. The people around him start moving about, forming into groups and collecting their vases. Roxas maneuvers his way out of the crowd, seeking solace at a bench not too far from the square. He spots Sora from his perch and waves once their eyes meet.

“Sorry!” Sora apologizes once he’s ran the small distance to stand in front of Roxas. “I had to squeeze in to get a vase ahead of everyone else. It’s easy to get squashed in there.”

Roxas isn’t surprised that Sora has this down pat. He smiles when Sora hands him the vase and holds it carefully. “About that,” he says, looking a bit sheepish. “Afraid I didn’t get everything we’re supposed to be doing. We’re just supposed to go look for certain flowers?”

Sora beams and turns to stand beside him, keeping the square in sight. There’s only a few more vases left. The race is about to begin. “We have to go around the island, find the ten people who are in charge of handing out the flowers, and then guess the meaning of each one! If we get all ten right before anyone else, we win!”

Simple enough. The trouble comes in the guessing. Sora looks ecstatic though, so Roxas smiles timidly himself to give off the impression that he isn’t worried. He pockets his hands and looks about. Riku and Kairi were here a few minutes ago, but now they’re gone.

“Wait,” Roxas says, looking around for silver and red hair. “Is it just us two?” He supposes it makes sense. They can't all be on a team with there being a limit of three people per group.

“Yup,” Sora confirms with a nod and a somewhat shy smile. There’s a glint in his eye, something mischievous that Roxas can’t help noticing.

“Then we have to beat Riku and Kairi too, right?” Roxas asks.

“Nope,” Sora shakes his head, “they’re not competing.” He reaches over to take Roxas’ hand and their eyes meet. “It’s just you and me.”

With a loud, shrill tone, the whistle is blown and the large crowd of people disperse, veering off into different directions.

Sora squeezes Roxas’ hand, a fire lit in his eyes as he leads Roxas safely out of the commotion and to the white sands of the beach. They run along the shore, kicking up sand and dirt as they race toward…somewhere. Roxas only follows because that’s all he can do, cradling the vase like his life depends on it.

But Sora’s laughter is a cheerful trill on the breeze, heaven to Roxas’ ears as they run along the beach. There’s questions on the tip of Roxas’ tongue as there have been the entire day, but Sora periodically looks back to smile at him, shining that bright burst of sunlight straight onto Roxas’ face and he swoons, weak in the knees.

It doesn’t matter what they’re doing. Sora’s happy. That’s enough.

They keep running for a few more feet and stop by a palm tree. There’s a few bushes near it, peeking out from the fence that runs along the pathway into town. There’s someone standing underneath the shade wearing an orange tank top, swim trunks and flip-flops.

Sora waves a hand. “Hey, Wakka!”

Roxas blinks. Right… Oh, right, Wakka. It’s getting harder to recall Sora’s memories when he’s making so many of his own now.

Wakka turns to them with a smile, waving himself as he places his hands on his hips. “Hey, Sora! Came straight here, ya?”

“Yeah,” Sora grins. He’s still holding onto Roxas’ hand as they join Wakka under the shade of the palm tree. Behind him, the small bushes with delicate yellow-orange flowers rustle in the breeze. They’re vibrant colors stand stark against the dark green shrubbery. Undoubtedly, it’s one of the flowers they’re searching for, but how did Sora know that?

Sora points to the very bush Roxas is admiring. “This is one of them, right? Tidus told me by accident the other day.”

Ah.

Wakka chuckles under his breath. He doesn’t seem bothered by the slip up. He seems accustomed to dealing with both Sora and Tidus’ antics. “Ya, this is one of ‘em. But you know the rules. Can’t give it to ya until you can guess the meanin’, ya?”

Sora blows that off, oozing confidence. “We’ve got this. Right, Roxas?” He turns to look at Roxas with a hopeful expression, perhaps wanting him to be as certain as he is in their endeavor to study flora.

But Roxas isn’t sure he’s got this. There’s so many meanings for things and so many words; how can they guess the correct one while still managing to beat everyone else? They could get stuck here with Wakka under the palm tree, and all the other groups could guess correctly by sheer luck and overtake them.

“Uh,” Roxas mumbles, clutching the vase to his chest. “... Yeah?”

Sora’s smile falters. He bites his lip and then turns to face Roxas, both of his warm tan hands holding Roxas’ shaking one. He looks into Roxas’ eyes, all humor replaced with concern. “Hey, you okay?”

When he’s with Sora, his bravado takes a leave of absence. His hesitance, his fear, and his worry are there on his face for Sora to see. But Sora has met all of the ghosts that haunt him, and Roxas carries Sora’s burdens in his chest. If there’s anyone he should be vulnerable with, it’s Sora.

“I, uh…” Roxas begins, lowering his voice so that Wakka can’t hear. To his credit, he’s giving them as much privacy as he can, looking out at the ocean, staring down at his shoes. “I don’t know much about…flowers, so…”

“Oh!” Sora says, apparently shocked by this confession. His eyes are wide in realization before they mellow out into calm, clear skies. Apologetic and sheepish. “That’s okay! We just give it our best shot. It’s not about winning or anything.” Sora gives his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Sorry, Rox. I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

“You didn’t,” Roxas says quickly, looking down at the sand. He can feel his cheeks burning. “I just don’t know if I’ll be much help.”

“You kidding?” Sora asks. He lifts his free hand and pokes Roxas on the nose. “You and I are gonna knock this outta the park.”

Roxas isn’t sure about that but he’s not going to argue.

“Now,” Sora says, moving to stand beside Roxas and pointing toward the yellow-orange daisies with a sure hand. “What’s your guess? I’m leaning towards danger.”

“Wrong,” Wakka speaks up.

Sora huffs. “Dang.”

Sunsets are Roxas’ first thought. The yellow-orange color is reminiscent of Twilight Town and the sweet chime of the clock tower. Nostalgia? Memory? Roxas isn’t sure, and his stomach twists itself into knots as he thinks too deeply over the meaning of a flower. But he can’t let that feeling of twilight go. He remembers his first time on the clock tower and how something so simple and small had meant the world to him.

Back when he knew nothing of the world. Back when he was…

“Innocence?” Roxas whispers, more to himself than to Sora or Wakka, but his soft-spoken words are heard and Wakka jolts to attention, pointing a finger in Roxas’ direction.

“That’s right!” He says, looking impressed. “It’s an Everlasting Daisy, ya? It means ‘innocence, childhood, and holding onto things forever.’”

Sounds like Roxas’ kind of flower.

Wakka takes out a small pair of shears and carefully frees a single daisy, which he gives to Roxas to place in their vase. He cut it at an angle and left enough stem so that it stands up nicely, yellow-orange and near red petals soft to the touch.

“Congrats,” Wakka smiles, nodding his head to them both. “Nine more to go, ya?”

Sora’s giving him this adorably knowing smile, looking cocky and confident as he nudges Roxas’ side. “See? Knew you could figure it out.”

Roxas flushes. “Sure that wasn’t just luck?”

“Hmm,” Sora hums, walking around Roxas in a circle and in turn causing Roxas to spin around since Sora refuses to let go of his hand. “Pretty sure. Thanks, Wakka!”

And they’re off again, moving further down the beach before Wakka can say ‘goodbye’ or ‘good luck’ or anything. Sora is a laughing ball of energy as they nearly trip over themselves.

“Do you have any idea where to go next?” Roxas asks, not tuckered out, but running on sand isn’t exactly easy or fun to do.

Sora slows his pace, turning to face Roxas and walking backward. With how well he knows these beaches, Roxas knows he won't run into anything. “I’ve got a few spots in mind,” he answers. “There’s a spot where flowers grow further down this beach. There’s got to be one there!”

Roxas sighs fondly, the evening sun hitting Sora’s eyes just right. “Lead the way.”

There’s a girl with lavender hair sitting near the shore. Her knees are pulled to her chest with her left arm wrapped around them. Her right is holding a bundle of yellow flowers. When the breeze grows in strength, a few petals are lost to the sea. Sora brings them to a stop and things seem to slow down. A calm settles in the air, the sound of the festivities a distant memory.

Sora makes a gesture and they join the girl in the sand. Sora sits closest to her and Roxas sits down beside him with the vase between his legs. Their hands are still connected but with a dainty touch of fingertips.

All three of them stare out at the sea. More petals fall and drift down into the shallow waves. Sora takes a long, deep breath and lets it out slowly. Then, he turns to the girl with a smile. “Hey, Lyra.”

“Hi, Sora,” she says. She hugs her knees closer to herself and turns her head, looking at them both with a neutral expression. “You’re the second group to find me.”

“Really?” Sora asks, surprised. His fingers jump and accidentally or purposely touch Roxas’ hand. Soft fingertips skim faintly along the back of Roxas’ palm.

Roxas refocuses his attention on the view and the yellow petals that are carried out to sea.

“Yes,” Lyra replies.

Sora nods his head to the flowers she’s holding. “Did you cut those off the bush and move out here?”

Lyra smiles wistfully. “I like the view.” She extends her hand, holding out the bouquet of flowers for them both to inspect. “Care to guess?”

They’re yellow blossoms with dew drop petals that remind Roxas of roses. They’re bright and beautiful and he thinks that he might have found a new favorite flower.

Sora hums, sitting back on his hands as he looks at the flower. He tilts his head back and forth, stretching his legs out along the sand. The water touches his shoes and ankles. “What about…hope?”

Lyra shakes her head.

Roxas bites the inside of his cheek and gives it a try. “Good fortune?”

Again, Lyra shakes her head.

They both take a minute to carefully think out their guesses. It’s still the afternoon, but the sky is beginning to change just a little. Their hands brush against each other again and Roxas is hit with the fact that the scene would be pretty romantic if not for the third party and the whole competition thing going on. He blushes, touching the delicate petals of the Everlasting Daisy in the vase.

Sora’s traps Roxas’ middle finger between two of his own. The whole ‘trying to guess’ thing flies out the window as Roxas starts sweating, his hand trembling in the sand.

“Uhm,” Sora continues, touching the tips of his sneakers together. He blows out a puff of air, looking lax as he mulls over what it could be. “I don’t think it’s this obvious, but…happiness?”

Lyra stares at them for a moment before smiling in earnest. She pulls one yellow flower from the bouquet and hands it to Sora. “A yellow begonia, meaning cautiousness, contentment, and happiness.”

With gentle fingers, Sora takes the flower, bringing it close to his face to sniff. Roxas can’t look away as yellow petals kiss Sora’s nose and cheeks. Happiness…that’s perfect. It’s fitting.

Sora hands the flower to Roxas to put in their vase. Two down, eight more to go. He hopes they're making good time, but it’s impossible to know. Even if Sora doesn’t care about winning, Roxas’ competitive spirit burns slowly.

They stand up, their two blossoms spinning around in the vase. “Thanks, Lyra!” Sora says, waving goodbye.

Lyra smiles at them both before turning her attention back to the water. “Good luck.”

The next flower they find is under a group of palm trees. It’s relatively close to the beach, but near the path that leads to a neighborhood not far from the town square. There’s patches of grass amongst the sand, small bushes, and a bench that is occupied by a man drinking a smoothie.

It’s the owner of the local supermarket, Sora tells him. Roxas shouldn’t be surprised that Sora knows every single person on the island with how sociable and talkative he is. They walk over and Sora takes a seat on the bench, inviting Roxas to do the same. The flower they have to guess at is petite and pretty with little red petals. It’s vibrant and fiery. Sora and Roxas shout out answers one after the other: “Fire! Truth! Passion!”

None of them are correct and the man doesn’t even look sympathetic towards them. They sit on the bench for a while and take in their surroundings. “Sometimes, the area where a flower grows can give you a hint,” Sora points out, using his previous experience to help them out.

The flowers grow in groups, through sand and rock and whatever other obstacles that stand in their way. They’re bright red and small. They’re…persistent. Strong.

“Strength…?” Roxas guesses, and the man stops sipping his smoothie, pondering Roxas’ answer.

In the end, he gives them the flower, a lantana. The actual answer was hardiness. “But strength comes close enough,” the man says, returning to his smoothie, tilting his sunglasses back down over his eyes.

Sora and Roxas don’t argue. They take their flower, put it in their vase, and continue on. They take their time though, and as they walk through the palm trees, Roxas reaches over and takes Sora’s hand this time.

They follow the palm trees further inland. The sand gives way to grass and smaller trees. They step on sticks and warn each other about tangled vines and indents in the earth.

They find Selphie in the underbrush. She’s surrounded by bright red plants with pine cone shaped petals and yellow petals that look vaguely like tulips. She’s wearing overalls, a red plaid undershirt, brown boots, and a sunhat. She’s crouching down, inspecting the plants and looks up at their approach.

Sora and Selphie engage in the usual greeting. She makes a point to look at their joined hands, but doesn’t bring it up. Roxas wouldn’t know what to say if she did.

“Well,” Selphie says, stretching her arms out. “What do you think of these lovelies? They’ve got personality, don’t they?”

They’re surrounded by the flowers on all sides. They’re growing brilliantly, overtaking the dirt, grass and sand underneath with their leaves. Sora’s taking everything in, blocking the sun out of his face as he looks up to the palm trees overhead. They’re in a nice, shady area after walking about in the heat. It’s a nice break.

“They look nice,” Roxas comments, bending down to look at one closely. He touches one of the yellow petals, expecting a silky texture and being surprised when he’s right. Despite the fact that he’s bent down and Sora’s still standing, their hands are still stubbornly intertwined together. Roxas’ hangs awkwardly in the space between them, fingertips hanging on for dear life.

“They’re pretty!” Sora says.

Selphie nods with enthusiasm. “I know! Don’t you just love the two colors? And the shape!” She sighs dreamily, spinning around as if she’s in her own private garden. “I’m so glad I was assigned these this year. I can’t get enough of them.”

Sora’s lips quirk up as if he’s holding back a laugh. “Uh, Selphie? Can we start guessing?”

“Oh!” Selphie waves a hand. “Sure! Go ahead! Sorry. Y’know how it is, Sora. Once I start talking it’s hard to stop!”

Roxas stands back up, looking at the vase that holds their first three flowers. Red is a prevalent color in all of them. He thinks of fire first when he sees the color red. But after that, he sees yellow, orange, and green. Desperation. Guilt. Sorrow. A burning desire.

“Passion?” Sora guesses.

Selphie claps her hands. “Ding ding! You’re correct! It’s the red tower ginger, and its meaning is fiery passion and strength!” She bends down to cut their flower for them and Roxas turns to look at Sora. He wonders if they’d both recalled the same memory.

They find the jasmine flower next. It’s a flat-faced flower with petals that are yellow in the center but turn white as they spread out. It’s daintily sweet, and the old lady who’s in charge of handing them out is a bit of a slow talker, but nice.

It only takes Sora and Roxas a second to guess correctly on the meaning: purity. The white in the petals gave it away. Roxas stacks it in the vase with the others and they move on.

They have to travel around the island in order to find all ten blossoms. They’ve cleared out the beach and the area near it, so they look for any areas with shrubbery. They pass groups on their search and try and look at what flowers they have, but each person holds their vase close to their chest, not wanting to give away hints.

But they’re not in any huge rush. As they make their way back toward the neighborhoods, they pick up warm chocolate chip cookies to munch on. The only downside being that they can’t hold hands while they eat, with Roxas already holding the vase in one hand.

The next flower waits on a street corner, poking up from under the fence of a rather large house. There’s a middle-aged woman fiddling with the pair of shears in her hands and she smiles as they come over.

The flowers are orange and yellow. They sprout from the earth and aim toward the sky, soaking up all of the sunlight that they can. The petals are oddly shaped. They look like claws or the beak of a bird.

Roxas makes a face, clearly stumped. The petals are throwing him off, but the bright orange color is mixed with yellow to make a warm gold. All of his guesses are answers for flowers they already found. But he’s gotten as many answers right as Sora has. He’s getting the hang of it with all the tips and tricks Sora’s given him. Look at the color and placement. Look at how the flower grows. Sometimes the answer is obvious.

Passion, hardiness, purity, happiness, and innocence. The flower in front of him is largely orange. It’s pointed toward the sky. It’s petals are unique, standing out from all the others held in their vase. It has a long stem and the petals are elongated, too. It’s beautiful, somewhat overly so. Roxas scratches at his chin. He glances at Sora, who looks as confused as he does. Well, it’s better to just throw out a guess. The only thing they have to lose is time.

“I think…prideful?” He says, even though he’s not entirely sure. Pride is something he’s used to being painted in a negative light. But as long as it doesn’t give way to arrogance, then...

The woman looks shocked. She spins her shears and clips off a flower and hands it to him. “Nice job,” she says. “The heliconia means pride, youth, and great returns.”

Roxas takes it and places it gingerly in the vase. Six down, four more to go.

They find Riku leaning against a fence that brackets the path leading up to the volcano. He’s tapping out a message on his gummiphone when they come close. He looks up and smiles easily at Sora — who’s a bright, beaming star of light right back — and then turns to Roxas, his smile a little more hesitant.

Roxas throws him a bone and smiles lazily at him. There’s not any tension; that’s long gone. They’re just a little finicky with greetings and goodbyes still.

“Riku! Hi!” Sora says, happy to see his best friend. “Can you tell us what the answer is?”

Roxas snorts and dissolves into laughter at Sora’s carefree approach to cheating. They’ve been hanging out too much, because if Sora hadn’t asked, Roxas sure as hell would’ve.

Riku’s lips quirk up and he pockets his phone. He crosses his arms and pins Sora down with a reprimanding stare. “No, you have to guess just like everyone else.”

Sora, a sixteen year old World-saving hero, whines like a child being told no. “Riku, I was counting on you.”

“To cheat?”

“Yes!” Sora stresses. He looks genuinely upset, which makes the entire situation funnier.

Roxas shifts the vase in his arm and squeezes Sora’s hand to get his attention. Then he looks at Riku. “Can we get a hint at least?”

Riku doesn’t look uncomfortable at the idea. He shrugs after a moments debate and reaches down to cut a few flowers free. The flowers themselves are a pale yellow color with upturned petal tips. The stems are thin and weak. Riku takes a few flowers in his hands and turns to them, holding them up to give them a closer look.

“I’m not really good with hints…” he admits.

“Aw, Riku, c’mon!” Sora says, nudging his friend in the arm. “Just a little hint. Please?”

Riku thins his lips. “Can it be a riddle?”

“If you give us a riddle, I’ll step on your foot,” Roxas threatens.

Riku doesn’t look concerned.

“With full force,” Roxas finishes.

A little concern now.

“Fine,” Riku says, rolling his eyes overdramatically. He twists the stem between his thumb and index finger, deciding what to say. He looks pointedly at Roxas and then smirks. “Its meaning is related to something you and I have in common.”

Sora gawks, Roxas blinks, and Riku smirks.

There’s a second of silence and then Sora moves forward, standing between them and looking from Riku to Roxas. “Hmm,” he mumbles, rubbing his chin in thought. “You’re both…stubborn.”

Roxas scoffs. “You’re one to talk, Sora.”

Sora goes on, unperturbed. “You both have a sweet tooth.”

That’s news to Roxas, but he decides now isn’t the time to ask about it. He keeps looking at the pale yellow flower and thinking about something that he and Riku have in common.

“Protectiveness?” Roxas guesses, raising a brow.

Riku appears surprised, but then shakes his head. “Nice guess, but no.”

“Fierceness?” Sora tries.

“No.”

“Thoughtfulness?”

“Nope.”

“... Nice hair?”

“Sora, how can that be a flower meaning?”

“I’m trying, okay? Maybe if you’d given us the answer like I’d asked!”

Roxas racks his brain for the answer. He looks intently at the flower, at it’s yellow petals. He thinks of the other flowers in the vase he’s been carrying. Red, orange, yellow, gold. A mix-match of colors. A beautiful, complimentary blend.

“Oh,” Roxas says suddenly, interrupting Sora and Riku’s argument. He looks up at Riku and the answer becomes clear as day. “Balance?”

Riku lets out a laugh and nods his head once. “That’s right.” He holds out the flower for Roxas to take. “It’s a cosmo flower, meaning harmony, modesty, and balance.”

Sora lets out a loud whoop and claps Riku on the back. “Riku, that was such a great hint!”

“Really?” Riku says as Sora jostles him relentlessly. “I thought it was too obvious.”

“Did you just insult our intelligence?” Roxas asks, raising a brow.

Sora pulls back from Riku quickly, looking offended. “Riku! How could you!”

Riku, again, doesn’t look too bothered. In fact, he’s still smiling at their playful teasing. He leans back against the fence. “You two better hurry up if you want a chance at winning. You’re the seventh team I’ve seen.”

They bid Riku goodbye after a few more jokes, jabs and harmless threats. They follow the path up to the volcano, Sora mentioning that there could be a few patches of shrubs and grass on the way there.

They continue their game of hand holding, neither of them bringing it up, but both of them enjoying it. Sora goes so far as to rub his thumb along the back of Roxas’ hand, causing him to stumble and nearly drop their vase full of flowers. Sora asks him questions as they walk, and Roxas replies as best he can with the sound of his heartbeat ringing in his ears.

As they draw closer to the volcano, Roxas looks up, impressed by the size of it. There’s signs with information on the path, but he doesn’t have time to read them. They’re searching for plants or anyone standing inconspicuously with a pair of shears. There’s grass and plenty of rocks, but nothing of interest until they walk around and the path begins to lead them back into town.

There’s a young man looking to be about three or four years older than them slumped against a trash can. Beside that trash can is a row of bushes and tall grass. White bunches of flowers are growing within that tall grass, minuscule and fragile along the sidewalk.

Sora comments that they look more like weeds or herbs than actual flowers, leaning against Roxas’ shoulder, his voice close to his ear. The hair on the back of Roxas’ neck stands on end and he can only nod in agreement, his throat closing up and his tongue suddenly dry.

If it resembles an herb so closely, it probably has some kind of healing property. The white petals are another clue, too.

“Does it mean healing?” Sora asks, and the young man finger guns at him. He adjusts his black rimmed glasses and cuts off a few bunches of flowers for them to take and stuff in their rapidly filling vase.

“White yarrow,” he explains to them, sitting back down against the trash can. “Healing, restoration, and well wishes.”

Roxas manages the placement of the flowers as they continue down the path. Sora waves goodbye to the young man and they slowly make their way back to town. The sunset has begun. The flowers in their vase match the colors of the sky perfectly. Roxas switches the vase over to his right arm and reaches for Sora’s hand with his left.

Sora looks over and smiles at him, pink dusting his cheeks and sunlight playing in his hair. He moves closer and they walk slower, even though they have two more flowers to get. But Roxas takes in everything that they pass; the houses, the park, and the buildings. He breathes in the scent of Destiny Islands. He basks in the warmth of Sora’s body so close to his, their hands intertwined.

They wander into a neighborhood, more extravagant and uppity than the ones they’d visited before. Sora regularly steals his attention away from their surroundings with 'accidental' bumps to his shoulder, nudges, and tugs on his hand. There’s a shy playfulness between them that has Roxas’ heartbeat skyrocketing. An excited hesitancy because there’s no fear of what comes after.

It’s a feeling that Roxas can’t quite place; something young and new and beautiful that fills him up in the best of ways. A constant fluttering in his heart, a delight that matches the glittering of the evening stars above.

Sora has been leading them somewhere despite the touches and flirting. Roxas is surprised. He’d completely lost himself in their little game, forgetting the competition, the flowers, everything except for how dazzling Sora is.

There’s a large mansion at the end of the street that can only be the mayor’s house. They see groups of people coming and going, the flowers in their vases varying in number. It’s hard to tell what position they’re in with everyone on edge.

The gate to the mansion is open and Sora and Roxas step inside. There’s a stone path that leads to a secluded garden near the back of the mansion. They follow it, Sora skipping from stone to stone in the same way he did as a child. At the paths end is Kairi, sitting on a white chair under a gazebo. There’s flora all around her; bushes, flowers, and vines growing upwards around the wood. She’s slumped in the chair, reading a large book that doesn’t look like anything that could be found on this world.

She looks up as Sora and Roxas approach and closes her — it’s a tome. One that belongs to Yen Sid. She smiles, her hair pulled back into a bun. “You two are so slow.”

“Aw, leave us alone, Kai,” Sora says, moving under the gazebo and sitting down on the white bench opposite of Kairi. Roxas wastes no time in joining him. They haven’t had a chance to sit down in a while and he realizes, belatedly, that his feet are killing him. He carefully sets the vase down on the ground between his feet and stretches his arms. The vase isn’t heavy, but his arm is a bit sore from having to stay in that position.

They fall into a comfortable silence, catching their breath, enjoying the setting sun and the cooling heat of evening. It feels like the three of them are just hanging out, which lulls Roxas into kicking back and leaning against Sora. He doesn’t rest his head on his shoulder or anything. That feels a little too close. He isn’t sure what’s going on between them, anyway.

Kairi is looking at him in a certain way and he raises his brow, asking what’s up without opening his mouth. She just smiles and drums her fingers on her book. “Am I the last one you need?”

“No,” Sora says. He feels a little stiff. Roxas wonders if he should sit up. “We’ve got one more after you.”

Kairi nods, sitting back in her chair. She crosses her feet at the ankles. She doesn’t seem to be in any rush to send them on their way. In fact, she looks about ready to head inside and grab some lemonade for them to share, forgoing the competition and everything.

Sora chuckles, jostling Roxas slightly. “You always have the best set up, Kai.”

“Of course,” she says, smirking a bit. “Being the mayor’s adopted daughter has its perks.”

“Has there been any trouble this year with pranks and stuff?”

“No,” Kairi says, and she gives them a close-eyed smile. There’s power behind that smile, power that Roxas respects. “After last year, I’m sure the entire archipelago knows better.”

There’s a story there and Roxas is definitely going to ask Kairi about it later. He’s always interested in tales of badassery.

Above and around them, the flowers growing along the gazebo sway in the gentle island breeze. Roxas is two slow breaths away from falling asleep. He’s just barely aware of fingertips pressing against the rings on his left hand, circling around light and darkness both.

Kairi starts to laugh at them. “You guys wanna guess? Or are you cool with going to sleep under my gazebo?”

Sora yawns to his left. “We can’t do both?”

“I mean, yeah, but if you fall asleep here, you definitely won’t win or place in the top three.”

Roxas turns his left hand over to hold Sora’s fingers in his loose grasp. He runs his fingers over tan knuckles and looks up at the flowers hanging from the top of the gazebo. Light pink petals flare out and then turn back at the end. The leaves surrounding it are a perfect green, and they shroud the gazebo from the sun dutifully. They fall like a mess of curly hair on top of the brown wood. A veil of calm and happiness eases upon them. No wonder Roxas almost fell asleep.

“Calm?” Roxas guesses, his voice drowsy.

Kairi looks at him sympathetically. “Nope.”

“Sleepy?” Sora says. He leans back against Roxas, moving them closer together.

Kairi shakes her head.

“Tired?” Sora tries again, and rubs at his eye with a hand.

“Try going in the opposite direction,” Kairi supplies, hiding her mouth with a hand. She’s so clearly laughing at them, but Roxas doesn’t mind at all.

Okay, so it isn’t calm or sleep or rest. Something loud, awake and…

Roxas’ eyes are half-lidded as he raises a brow at Kairi. “Energy?”

She ponders this, tilting her head back and forth, biting the inside of her cheek before slowly shaking her head. “Sorry, I was thinking of a way to spin that, but no go. Let me give you a hint.”

“Yes,” Sora sighs, blowing Kairi a kiss. “Thank you, Kairi.”

Kairi winks at him. She points up at the flowers on the roof of the gazebo. “These babies have been growing consistently since we planted them in January. Rain or shine, wind and hurricane, they held strong.” She looks at them, clearly expecting them to get the answer just from that.

Kairi has such faith in them. It’s so touching.

“Determination!” Sora shouts out. Nope, wrong again.

“Stubbornness?” Roxas guesses, because he’s really half asleep and that’s the best his mind can do. Kairi blinks at his answer and makes a motion as if to say ‘you’re close, keep going.’

They already have a flower that means strength and hardiness. Roxas purses his lips, closing his eyes to think. The pink flowers overhead grow no matter the circumstances. So many of the flower meanings remind him of Sora.

“Uhm,” Sora hums, letting out a long huff of air. “I dunno, resilience? Hopefully that means what I think it does.”

Kairi’s face lights up. She snaps her fingers and points to Sora with a giddy laugh. “Right! Oh my god, Sora, you got it!”

“I did?” Sora sounds just as surprised as Kairi. He looks over at Roxas, who finds the energy to sit up and smile.

Kairi gets to work on cutting a few flowers to place in their vase. She even arranges the rest of the flowers in a pleasing way. One more to go. Hopefully Sora has an idea of where to go.

“Rox, you mind going ahead for a second?” Sora asks him before they head out. “I need to ask Kairi something.”

Roxas looks between them but shrugs and follows the path back to the mansion’s main gate. He gives them some privacy, looking around the neighborhood. There’s considerably less people around than when they’d arrived. They’re probably in last place, but the fact doesn’t bother Roxas as much as he thought it would. He’s having fun hanging out with Sora and Kairi and Riku, by extension.

Curiosity gets the best of him, and he turns his head to look back at the gazebo. He catches their conversation at its end. Kairi closes the book she’d been reading and Sora steps forward to hug her. It looks like he puts something in his jacket pocket, but Roxas isn’t sure.

He turns his head around when he sees Sora turn and head down the stone path.

“Sorry about that!” Sora apologizes, rubbing at the back of his head in that sheepish habit of his. “Ready to go? One last flower and we’re done!” He looks at their overflowing vase of flowers and touches the first one, the Everlasting Daisy, fondly. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is,” Roxas agrees, and then looks up at Sora with a smile. “It’ll look even better when it’s finished.”

Sora grins and bashfully runs a hand through his hair. They set off down the road. Sora holds out his hand for Roxas to take and he does.

They’re used to it by now.

The last and final flower is found back where they began. At the northern entrance to the town square, there's a flower covered trellis that guides the way back into the center of town. With the violet and indigo sunset welcoming them back, they look up at the pure white flowers over their heads.

“I remember when they planted these,” Sora says, his voice low. “Late last year, right before New Year’s. There were only a few flowers back then, but now.” He laughs, amazed by the long leaves and flowers that cover the trellis completely. Their white petals touch the ground and some of them hang down in the middle of the trellis, caressing their faces as they walk.

It’s breathtaking.

“Wow,” Roxas mumbles, stunned into near silence. The clouds are sparse and thin, allowing the colors of the sky to really show. He misses those colors in the sky, blue especially.

He turns his head to look at Sora, a piece of heaven sparkling in his eyes. A white flower smacks him in the face and Sora nearly stumbles, blushing madly.

Roxas laughs, but not at Sora. He takes the flower and gently pulls it free, holding it in his hand. It’s shaped like a saucer, its petal tips tilted up slightly near the end. In the middle is a small bit of yellow, much like the jasmine flower.

“Hey! You two aren’t planning on cheating at the finish line, are you?”

Sora and Roxas turn to see Tidus leaning against one of the arches. He’s wearing a large grin and an outfit similar to Wakka’s, but with a lot more yellow and blue.

Sora takes the white flower from Roxas with a smile and a wink and then marches over to Tidus, scowl in place. “We’re not cheating! This flower hit me in the face. That’s assault!”

Tidus blinks, does nothing for a moment, and then nods sagely, crossing his arms. “Then the pulling was warranted.”

“Thank you.”

“Anyway,” Tidus hooks his thumb at the square behind him where a large amount of people have gathered. “You two are the last group to finish. Congrats!”

Roxas looks to Sora, expecting to see some disappointment, but there’s none there. He looks pretty happy despite the bad news. They had fun together, right? Roxas had fun. That’s what matters.

“We’re not worried about it,” Sora says, shrugging his shoulders. He twirls the last blossom in his hand, holding it up for Tidus to see. “We can still guess, right?”

“Sure!” Tidus says, smiling wide enough to show teeth. “Fire away!”

The flower spins in Sora’s hand and he moves it to show Roxas. They both gaze at it, taking the knowledge they’d accrued over the entire scavenger hunt to help them discern it’s meaning. It’s growing along the tall trellis of the square. It’s white with upturned petals. It shines in the evening light, welcoming the night with a sense of peace and calm. It paints a romantic picture.

Roxas’ gaze moves from the smooth petals of the flower to Sora’s eyes. “Love?” he whispers, and then blinks out of his stupor at Sora’s surprised expression. Roxas turns to look at Tidus, clearing his throat. “L-love?” he repeats.

Tidus, absolutely oblivious to Roxas’ slip up, gives him a thumbs down. “Nah, try again!”

Roxas is mortified. He stares down at his shoes and avoids Sora’s eyes, his face as red as the red tower ginger plant. He’s still holding Sora’s hand and he doesn’t want to let go, but maybe he should. His heart is beating so fast, how could he say that?!

“Growth,” Sora says suddenly. Roxas glances up and sees Sora looking at Tidus, a warm smile on his face.

Tidus pumps a fist in the air, running over to Sora and ruffling his hair. “Great guess! You’re right!” He leans up and pulls on a vine, grabbing the shears out of his pocket to cut another flower to put in their vase. “This is the moonflower. It means transcendence and growth. Pretty, right?”

Sora takes the flowers and moves in front of Roxas. He places them gently in the vase, completing their bouquet with a content smile. He looks at Roxas as the day gently falls to night. “Right.”

They get a consolation prize for competing. It’s a few coupons for discounts at the supermarket and then a free voucher for some ice cream. They get their ice cream (Sora gets strawberry, Roxas gets chocolate), and Sora steers them back toward the beach. There’s people all around, sitting on the sand or on towels. Something’s about to happen.

Normally, Roxas would ask but his mouth won’t open unless it’s to eat. They aren’t holding hands anymore since they’re eating and Roxas misses that. The vase filled with their flowers is resting in the sand in front of them.

Riku and Kairi are nowhere to be found. Roxas would ask about that, too, but he’s tongue tied. He finishes his treat and keeps the spoon in his mouth, looking up at the darkening sky. He hears someone nearby mention fireworks and he raises his eyebrows. Fireworks? They’re going to watch them? Together?

“Roxas,” Sora says, and when Roxas timidly turns to face him, Sora’s holding something behind his back. He’s blushing a little and he won’t look Roxas in the eye. “I actually… I mean, if you don’t mind… There’s one more flower that I’d like you to guess the meaning for.”

Roxas doesn’t say anything, but he does take the spoon out of his mouth. He stares wide-eyed as Sora reveals three identical flowers. They’re starkly white with petals layered over each other just like a rose. Their stems are long and healthy with two or three dark green leaves underneath the petals.

“Oh…” Roxas says, and he’s a little confused. They’d gotten ten, right? Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten to keep their vase. He looks toward the vase sitting in the sand and counts the flowers quickly under his breath. There’s definitely ten. The three that Sora is showing him now aren’t related to the game.

This is something extra, something meaningful. It’s something important.

Roxas straightens, putting on his game face as he examines the white flower. Sora’s hand is shaking, and he wants to hold it. Sora’s blushing and Roxas wants to ask why. When their eyes met underneath the moonflower covered arches, Sora looked happy. Roxas wants to ask so many questions, but his nerves stifle him. He focuses on the flower in front of him. Guess the meaning.

He considers their surroundings; on the beach at night, a fireworks show about to begin, stuffed full of ice cream. It’s just the two of them, alone.

Roxas flushes, putting the pieces together but too nervous to say them aloud. He accidentally breaks the plastic spoon in his hand. Sora notices. Gives him a worried stare. Roxas looks down in his lap. He needs to play this safe. He doesn’t want to make a fool of himself again.

“F-friendship?” He guesses quietly. Now his hands are shaking. What happend to that confidence from before? When he leaned against Sora without fear? When they held hands? Now that they're acknowledging it, fear settles in.

But Sora smiles at Roxas’ answer. He reaches forward and takes Roxas’ hand, placing the pure white flowers in his palm. “That’s right,” he whispers, looking down at their joined hands. “It’s a gardenia flower and it means true friendship.”

Roxas’ stomach drops. He thought… Well…

Did he fuck that up?

He stares unblinking at the flowers in his hands. He can feel tears coming and he knows if he blinks, he won’t be able to stop them. He’s frozen, blaming himself for not being bold enough to say what he feels. He’s usually so straightforward, but… He doesn’t want to ruin what they have. He doesn’t want—

“But there’s another meaning, too,” Sora continues, scooting closer to Roxas. “It also means…secret love.”

Roxas has never experienced so many emotions in rapid succession before. He blinks and a tear falls but he doesn’t care. He whips his head up and looks at Sora, blue eyes searching the skies for truth.

Sora replies with a beautiful, amazingly embarrassed smile. “But I guess it’s not really a secret anymore! Haha… ha…” He clears his throat but holds on to Roxas’ hand regardless.

Relief floods Roxas’ heart, admiration and love follow. He smiles himself, something sunny and bright to mirror Sora’s. He starts to laugh and holds Sora’s hand in return, the gardenia clasped between their fingers.

The first of the fireworks are set off, a brilliant explosion of fire and color in the sky. More follow after the first, combining into wonderful splashes of color that paint the canvas of the night sky. They’re there for just a second and quickly erased, turning to smoke that blows away with the wind.

It’s during a particularly loud and dazzling blast that Roxas moves closer to Sora. He gathers his courage, leans over, and places a delicate kiss upon a tan, freckled cheek. Illuminated by the fireworks, Sora turns to him, beaming with happiness.

Another set of fireworks lights up the sky. A fleeting imitation of the sun.

Sora and Roxas are blind to it. They lean closer, closing their eyes and coming together with a tender press of their lips.

They feel their own fireworks between them, small and big sparks of joy and affection that outshine the ones overhead.