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It usually felt nice for Sora to take a rest during his travels. While there was certainly a thrill that came from exploring various worlds, meeting new friends and taking down the Heartless, sometimes he just needed a break from all of that to relax.
Coming to Twilight Town every now and then was one of his regular visiting locations. There were certain memories he had here and a strange sense of homeliness that came with them – though that might just be the part of Roxas that resided in his heart.
But right now, Sora felt reminiscent. He was looking up into what felt like the eternal sunset glow that embraced this world, thinking back on all the adventures that led up to this point. And remembering all that happened reminded him of how it all started.
It made him feel…
Lonely.
…
…
“Hey, Sora!”
Bizarrely, it wasn’t the squeaky voice that gave away that Donald Duck was talking to him, but rather the brash and forward manner in which the duck opened the conversation. And if Donald was here, that meant Goofy was as well.
“Wah! Donald!” Sora exclaimed in surprise.
“Were you off with the fairies again?” the duck asked with a shake of his head. “When are you going to grow up?”
“Gawsh, Donald,” Goofy said. “It looks like ya gave Sora a bit of a fright!”
Donald began to wordlessly blather at Goofy in anger (in an ironic piece of hypocrisy), if only because he felt accused when he thought he was in the right. It should not have looked funny and Goofy should not have chuckled in reaction… but it was and he did.
Sora had to admit that he was at least grateful to have friends like Donald and Goofy with him on his travels. It helped to fill that space that was left by not having his closest friends in Riku and Kairi around.
And just thinking about Kairi was enough to send Sora back to reminiscing.
For it was because of her – albeit not directly – that all of this had come to pass.
Goofy caught Sora’s behavior and opted for a friendlier approach than Donald’s. “Gee, Sora. You look like yer forgot somethin’. Watchya dreamin’ about?”
“I’m just thinking about everything. Everything that led up to this moment,” Sora admitted. “And I keep thinking about Kairi. About how, without her, I wouldn’t have ended up being here.”
“Ya never really have told us before, Sora,” Goofy began asking. “Why is Kairi so special to ya, anyhow?”
“Isn’t it obvious, Goofy?” Donald butted in. “Sora likes Kairi. And I mean really likes Kairi.”
“What? No! Of course not!” Sora quickly defended, before realising that he was lying to himself and clumsily trying to remedy it… only to make it worse. “Uh- I mean… We’re friends, and, I like being around her… B-B-B-But that doesn’t mean I want to like her- NO! Wait! I mean, uh-”
“Obvious denial,” Donald tutted. “Sora likes Kairi.”
Sora felt cornered because he knew deep down that Donald was right. He did like Kairi and he cared about her deeply…
And that was why his reminiscing was making him feel melancholic.
Kairi was just as much a part of him as anyone else he had met across his adventures. She was one of his first and best friends, to the point that she was etched into – not his heart, but his very soul. It always felt like Kairi was with him wherever he was…
But her not being here left him wishing that she was.
“Kairi’s special to me because… well, she’s the one who helped guide me on this journey. Even from when we were little, we had both wanted to leave our home and explore. So when fate intervened, and I lost her… I felt like a part of me was gone.”
“That day, when we were torn apart, was the day our lives changed forever,” Sora added. “It was the day my journey began. That our journey began…”
“Why, thank you, Sora!” Donald thanked… Before Goofy pulled the rug out from underneath his feet.
“Uh, I think Sora might have been talkin’ about him and Kairi, Donald.”
Donald made a shocked ‘quack’ sound as if he was going ‘WHAT?!’ As he went on rambling further and Goofy laughed on, Sora reach into his pocket and produced Kairi’s good luck charm. He had held onto it a while back for her, and even after returning it, Kairi had insisted he kept it with him.
“I remember… Remember Kairi giving me her lucky charm that she made. I promised to give it back to her. I kept that promise… Because Kairi was always there with me, no matter how far apart we were.”
Sora knew he was talking to himself and that neither Donald nor Goofy were listening to him right now, but he didn’t care. The simple act of holding onto Kairi’s charm and talking about her made him feel a sense of peace. He clasped his fingers around the charm and held it tight.
“And even now, I can feel her beside me. As a part of me.”
Kairi sat on a rock atop the bluff, looking out into the valley below in the world Yen Sid had created for her and Axel to practice their Keyblade training in. Kairi had been here for only a few short days, but to her it felt like it had been years. In that time, her Keyblade skills had come a long way, and she was ready to help Sora.
In fact, she was using the down time she had now to think about Sora.
Whenever Kairi wasn’t training, she was usually daydreaming. What she would daydream about was always changing, switching to and fro between whatever was on her mind or in her heart in the moment. From her memories of her grandma and her days growing up, to the occasional flight of fancy where she herself was in a world full of wonder and adventure.
On this particular day, she found herself thinking about Sora. More specifically, how much Sora had come to mean to her.
Looking back over all of the memories they had forged together, from their childhood on Destiny Island to some of their recent ones in the worlds they visited, Kairi had come to feel a sense of Sora was with her wherever she went. It was a strange one, one she could not describe with words…
But she knew that it was one she felt in her heart.
…
“Hey, Kairi!” Kairi heard Axel’s voice behind her and turned around to see her newest friend approaching.. “Whatcha up to?”
“I’m just… taking in the view.”
Axel chuckled to himself and shook his head. He could tell Kairi wasn’t telling the complete truth. “You’re thinking about Sora again, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. I was,” Kairi admitted with a smile. She gazed back out at the view as sunset took hold, Axel beside her doing the same thing. He sat down on the grass next to her, taking the opportunity to talk and rest from their training. “You know, Sora and I used to always sit and watch sunsets like this.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I used to do the same with Roxas. Was it ever the same for you? Sit here, watch the sunset and just shoot the breeze?”
“Kind of. Yeah,” she answered. “I remember dreaming of other worlds to see, and always being there with Sora. Neither of us knew what lay out beyond the sea, but it never stopped from getting excited, and sharing that excitement with Sora.”
“You got a little thing for Sora, don’t you?” Axel inquired.
“Sora and I have been through a lot together, Axel,” Kairi answered. “Without him, I probably wouldn’t be here. He was able to save me, and in turn, I kept him safe.”
“Hm?” Axel tiled his head, not quite understanding what Kairi meant.
“A while back, Sora and I were torn apart when our home was taken over by darkness,” Kairi recounted. “Riku was tricked into allowing darkness into our world. My heart ended up trapped inside Sora’s, while my body was captured by Ansem. Sora saved me, and then went back to save Riku. He promised me he would be safe and come back, just as we were separated again.”
“Hey, you found each other in the end,” Axel replied. “All’s well that ends well, right?”
“It’s more than that, Axel,” Kairi continued. “That feeling of being separated from Sora, of almost forgetting him… Even then, I could feel him in my heart. He was still with me. And I k new that I was still with him.”
“Huh. I think I get what you’re saying,” Axel responded. “It’s like with me and Roxas. Even when he left, I could feel a part of him was with me… Heh. I think I can feel him now, too.”
Axel also felt like he could feel someone else just being near Kairi. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it seemed like it was something he should be remembering.
“Yeah. It is like that,” Kairi nodded in agreement.
“Our journeys began when we lost someone special to us,” Axel went on to explain. “For me, it was Roxas. For you, it was Sora. But deep down, we know that they are still with us, no matter where they are. They’ll always be a part of us.”
Kairi smiled, finding a sense of ease and comfort in what Axel was saying. “Axel, when did you become so philosophical?”
Axel seemed to think about it for a moment, but his answer after a second dispelled the notion. “You know, sometimes I don’t even know myself.”
Kairi chuckled – not at what Axel said, but with it.
“I will give you this, Kairi: Sora is special,” Axel added. “The way he has touched so many hearts, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s still a part of you with him now.”
“Oh? You think Sora’s still thinking of me?” Kairi inquired.
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t. You clearly mean a lot to him. I guess you could say… He’s got you memorised.” Axel tapped his head the way he usually does when telling people to memorise his name.
Again, Kairi giggled. “Thanks, Axel. I know I wasn’t feeling down before, but you’ve made me feel a bit better about Sora.”
“Hey, no problem,” Axel acknowledged. “I’m about to go do some more training. You wanna come with?”
“In a moment, Axel,” Kairi replied. “I wanna take another moment.”
“OK,” Axel said as he stood back. “When you’re ready, you can join me. Don’t let your daydreams get in the way, though.”
Kairi chuckled one last time. “I won’t, Axel. Thank you.”
Axel turned around and left, leaving Kairi alone to her thoughts again.
Her mind continued to swim with thoughts and memories of Sora, thinking back over all of the events that lead to this moment – the good and the bad. But even with the bad memories, she found a way to smile through all of them, because in each of those memories, Sora was there.
And just seeing that big goofy grin of his was all she needed.
As Kairi watched the sunset drop further, she remembered something she said to Sora one time.
“Sora, wherever you go… I’m always with you.”
Sora’s and Kairi’s thoughts of one another were tied together, linked by the hyperbolic red string that connected hearts together. Some call it destiny, others fate. But the meaning is the same, and the feeling is mutual..
In that brief moment, Sora and Kairi could have sworn they felt each other’s presence right next to them…
It didn’t matter that they were far apart, in two very different worlds.
They were destined to be together.
