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It was a sunny day in Radiant Garden. The sky was the perfect shade of blue, there was a light breeze that wisped through the air, and it was just cool enough that Sora didn’t sweat underneath the bright sun as he stood with his hands in his pockets. He was dressed simply at Kairi’s insistence, wearing a simple white, v-neck tank and a pair of his older, black pants that he had cuffed right above his ankles. He had even opted to wear sandals instead of his usual yellow sneakers.
When he had wondered if what he was wearing was truly appropriate, Kairi had shushed him and ran one of her hands through his messy hair. “Grandma would prefer it this way,” was her giggled assurance. Sora figured she would know best.
He was standing behind her, almost like a guard, as she knelt in front of the gray headstone that marked her grandmother’s grave. It was not a true grave, much like the graveyard was not a true graveyard. No bodies had been buried there. Radiant Garden had suffered incredible losses from what they now called the “Keyblade War”. While there was no way to remember every heart that had been lost, the Restoration Committee had been adamant about memorializing those they could, so a graveyard was created so those whose names were remembered could be marked. There was a larger, nameless monument at the very center to memorialize those who had yet to be remembered.
As soon as Kairi had remembered her grandmother’s name, she’d insisted on creating her grave. She would visit at least once a month, and sometimes Sora would come along for the visit. Kairi would dutifully clean around the area, adorn it with the flowers she’d brought (today’s were a mix of forget-me-nots and pink gladiolus’s), and then, if Sora had joined, they would meet up at the entrance of the memorial when she was done. It was typically a peaceful time Sora enjoyed immensely, however, today was different. He’d asked to come visit the grave too.
Sora was buzzing with energy as he stood behind her– a mix of anxiety and excitement that he struggled to contain. Kairi finally stood, brushing some stray strands of her red hair out of her face as she did. She turned to Sora with a smile and he felt his heartbeat speed up. She was just as beautiful as she had always been. The years had only seemed to enhance her charms. Her eyes were just as bright, if not brighter. She kept her hair short, long enough to cover her ears, because she felt it suited her best. Sora could not disagree. She was dressed in a white shirt and a pair of violet overalls that she cuffed just below her knees. She stretched her arms above her head, disturbing the charm bracelets on her arms.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
Sora hesitated, earning a curious look from Kairi. Even at 27 years old, Sora still struggled to get anything past her. “Uh, there’s something I need to do first,” he answered, hand shooting up to scratch at his cheek. “Can I meet you by the entrance?”
Kairi rose a single brow and Sora sucked in a breath. He wouldn’t stand a chance if she interrogated him. She eventually shook her head and smiled. Sora exhaled softly. He was safe for now. “All right, Sora. Don’t make me wait too long,” she teased, hand brushing against his shoulder as she walked past him.
Sora waited until she was out of earshot before he moved. He squatted in front of the headstone and took in a deep breath. “Uh, hey, Kairi’s grandmother,” he began uncertainly, “I guess it’s okay if I call you that, right?”
He waited for answer, then laughed at himself. He wasn’t going to get one. “Right. Well, you’re the one person Kairi remembers being close to from her life before she came to Destiny Islands. I know she’s already told you what happened, and I know you already know about me, but there’s something I need to do now and I can’t do it without your blessing.”
Sora blushed. He hadn’t expected to feel so raw and vulnerable talking to, well, no one. Kairi’s grandmother was not truly there, but this was her memorial and he could not think of a better way to connect with her memory.
“I probably should have asked a long time ago, and hopefully Kairi will forgive me for taking so long, but I…I want to marry her.” Sora dipped his head, resting on his hands and knees. “I hope you will continue to watch over us and that you will give me your blessing to ask her.”
“Oh, Sora…”
Sora jolted, dropping to his knees as he turned around. Kairi was standing a few feet away, unshed tears shimmering in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to reach out and touch him but was hesitating for some reason. “You know that I’ll say yes, don’t you?”
He grinned. He grinned so hard his cheeks began to hurt but he didn’t care. Sora stumbled to his feet and ran to her, lifting her up and spinning her around. She clasped onto his shoulders laughing, and he laughed too. How could he not? This was the happiest day of his life.
She was beaming at him. “What took you so long anyway?” she playfully accused with a glare that had no bite.
Sora laughed again. “Guess I was nervous?”
“Our hearts are already connected for life, Sora. We’ll always be together.” Kairi dipped her head to kiss him as though to further press the reminder into his head. He gratefully kissed her back, soaking in all the love and adoration she was pouring into him.