Words Aren't Needed
By LastCetra
"I'll come back to you, I promise."
Kairi sighed, staring out at the vast expanse of ocean. This was her world, the place she grew up in. This was her real home. She couldn't remember Hollow Bastion all that much. Just images flickered in and out of her mind when she thought hard enough. In fact, the only part she could really remember was when she was with Sora.
Sora…
She missed him so much. Every day seemed like a year to her without him. Every second was tormenting her. It was another second without him, her love. The last three months were pure agony. It seemed like an age since she was last with him. The gentle touch of his hand, fighting not to let go of her. The pain in his beautiful deep blue eyes, knowing that he would be separated from her yet again. His brown hair, naturally spiked…
She smiled. She had always liked his hair that way. Once he had tried to flatten it and all it did was pop back up again. She laughed to herself. One of the fonder memories.
"A laugh!" said a voice from behind her. "I haven't heard one of those for a while."
Kairi turned to see Selphie trying to fix her sandals. She did it so often that it had almost become a trait. It was amusing to see her hopping up and down on one leg to keep her balance.
“Kairi, it’s getting late. Why don’t you come inside?”
“I’ll just be a little longer. Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”
“No you won’t. We’ll stay here until you’re ready.”
Kairi smiled at her gratefully. She really was a good friend. Almost even too good.
“You wanna talk about it?” asked Selphie.
“Not really. Its just..” she trailed off.
“Go on. You can trust me. You’re my best friend Kairi.”
“He’s been gone for so long now. It’ll be three years tomorrow. He promised to come back to me. That’s my only hope left. The only thing of his I can hang onto.” She laughed sadly.
“What is it?”
“Funny. I never thought I could ever be this hung up on a guy. But, if he doesn’t come back, I’ll feel... incomplete. He is me. And I’m him. We are one. I know that probably sounds crazy but-”
“No! said Selphie, cutting her off. It doesn’t sound crazy at all. I mean, that’s what love is, right? Being happy when he’s happy, sad when he’s sad, I think you really do love him Kairi.”
“I known that for a while, Selphie. I do love him. And I know he loves me too. When I lost my heart to the heartless I was inside his heart. And he sacrificed his heart to free me. He became a heartless himself just so I could live. He came across countless worlds to find me. He could have given up but he didn’t. What else can someone do to show their love and care for someone.”
“They can come back to that someone,” said Selphie quietly.
“He will come back, said Kairi. I know he will. And when he does, I’ll be complete.”
“Will you come home Kairi? Its already nine o’ clock.”
“Alright. But first I need to go to the secret place.”
Selphie nodded. She knew about the secret place but she didn’t go there often. It didn’t really interest her that much. All the kids on the island knew about the secret place. The parents didn’t though. Which was the coolest thing about it. Every kid that knew about it had to swear to keep it secret.
“Do you need to be on your own?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Okay,” said Selphie, coming up and embracing her in a friendly hug. “Just come home soon. Everybody is worried about you.”
“I will,” said Kairi. Selphie turned and walked away.
“Selphie?”
She turned around. “Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
Selphie smiled. “Hey, no problem. That’s what friends are for, right?” With that she disappeared inside her house.
Kairi headed for the secret place. It started raining as she was walking there. By the time she had reached it she was soaked through. She hurried inside.
She loved this place. Her eyes went to the door. The heart of this world. Sora had succeded in stopping the heartless anyway, so it didn’t matter anymore. They wouldn’t bother her again. Her only wish was to have Sora back.
The ache in her heart increased. It hurt to even say his name now. She walked over to the drawings they had made. It was the only reminder she had of him here, besides her memories of course. She ran her hand along his drawing. It was so messy. She liked it that way. It was beautiful, like him. Small tears sprang from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She loved him so much. Wasn’t love supposed to be joyful? If so then why did she feel so much pain when he was mentioned? She really should move on. But she couldn’t. Not yet. She shivered. It was time to go.
Going home she noticed something on the ground. The rain had stopped and the sky was clearing quite fast. She stopped and looked closer at it. It was hard to see in the semi-dark. It was... a paupu fruit. She picked it up and put in in her skirt pocket. She made her way home. The stars she used to look at didn’t matter anymore. They were nowhere as beautiful as Sora.
Kairi entered her house to see her Mum cooking in the kicthen. She wasn’t really her Mum but she knew her better than her real mother. Actually, she didn’t remember her real mother at all. She could be Maleificent for all she knew. And Ansem could be her father. He probably was, if she was the princess of Hollow Bastion and Ansem was the King. She shivered at the thought.
“Kairi honey, where have you been? You’ve been out all day and how many times do I have to tell you to come home before dark? You know I get worried sick about you!”
“Sorry mum, I just went away to think.”
“Oh Kairi, she said, going up to her and giving her a hug. I know you miss Sora. Who wouldn’t? He was a lovely charming boy. Just keep your faith in him and he’ll come back. He’ll come back. I’m not going to tell you to move on because you I know you can’t. Just don’t let him hurt you okay?”
“I won’t mum.”
“That’s good. Now go upstairs and get out of those wet clothes. You look like a drowned rat!”
“Alright.”
She went upstairs and changed, putting her clothes on the heater. She brushed her hair and dried it. Then she went back downstairs to say goodnight. As she got into her bed she looked out the window.
Come back soon Sora. Just know I still love you, no matter where you are.
She lay down. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day.
***
Kairi woke up in the middle of the night feeling very thirsty. She went downstairs and got a drink of water. As she poured it she watched the water playfully spill down into the glass, the little droplets forming into one. Everything made her think of him.
She decided to go back to bed. She tossed and turned, but sleep would just not come to her. Frustrated, she got up again. Maybe some air would do her good. She took the now dry clothes off the heater, got dressed and went outside. She made her way down to the beach. She didn’t know why, she just did. Although, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. It was the last place she saw Sora.
She looked up at the sky. They were so beautiful tonight. Like, diamonds on black velvet. Then she realised that the most of them weren’t really stars. They were other worlds. One of them being Hollow Bastion.
A shooting star flickered past in the corner of her eye. And another one. And another and another. It had had been a while since she had seen a meteor shower. Almost even too long. She lay back on the sand to watch it. The meteorites flew past at lightning speed and were gone in a moment. They weren’t ordinary. They were spectacular.
Then one broke through the atmosphere and hit the water, creating a hugh splash. A wave came up and lapped at her shoes. Any nearer and she would have been either soaked through, or crushed. She decided to push that thought out of her mind. It didn’t happen, so why worry about it? She continued to watch to show in the sky, trying to forget about everything for once.
“Kairi?”
No, it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. Not after all this time...
“Sora?”
“Kairi!”
She looked out to sea. It was him, her supposed meteorite standing in the ocean, looking even more beautiful than ever, if that were possible. It wasn’t only shooting stars that were spectacular.
She ran to him, tears streaming down her face. But they weren’t tears of sadness anymore. She didn’t even stop at the edge of the water. She ran into it, the waves having no effect on her pace for even a second. Nothing would keep her from her love.
She reached him, falling into his arms. Her fist thumped his chest a few times, but they weren’t hard.
“Don’t ever, do that to me again, you hear me? If you need to leave ever again, I’m coming with you! I missed you so much, so much...”
She slipped her hands around his neck and buried her face in his chest, crying softly. Sora just held her, never wanting to let her go. He kept one hand wrapped around her waist, and used his other one to tilt her tear-stained face towards his. She looked into his eyes, and her tears stopped immediatly, realising there was no need to cry anymore. This was real, she was real and Sora was real.
Sora gazed into her eyes. Three years. Three long years of hard work, trying to find that door to the light. It was all worth it, just to see her face one more time. It made him so happy. She had grown even more beautiful, her maturity just adding to her already stunning features. She wasn’t a girl anymore. She was a young woman.
“Kairi, a promise is a promise. Look. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I love you Kairi. I love you more than all the worlds there are. I love you more than the deepest sea, or the highest mountain. My love for you is infinite. Nothing can surpass it.”
“One thing can, said Kairi. And that would be my love for you. I love you too Sora. I love you more than anything. And I’m always here for you, no matter what.”
“And I you.” He wrapped both his hands around her, tightly, but not too tight as to make her uncomfortable.
Then Kairi remembered. The paupu fruit in her skirt. She took it out and showed it to Sora who just merely smiled and nodded. Words weren’t needed, they were just happy to be together. She boke it in half, and gave one half to Sora. She kept the other half herself. Gently she put some of her half in Sora’s mouth. She smiled as he chewed it slowly, knowing he was savouring both the fruit and the moment that they were sharing.
He finished, and it was her turn. He placed some of the fruit in her mouth just as gently as she had done. Suddenly she felt flovour explode through her mouth. She had never tasted anything like it. Probably never would again. She found heself savouring it, like Sora had done just moments before. But she had to finish it, and finally she did. Their destinies were now going to be intertwined forever. And there would never be a moment like this again, so she decided to go for it.
“Kiss me,” she said softly.
Sora was surprised by this remark, but he didn’t show it. He didn’t feel nervous at all, even though this would be his first kiss. In fact, he felt perfectly at ease with her. And she seemed so at ease with him. He could be Sora. Not the perfect guy in every girls fantasies. He never wanted this moment to end. He wanted it to last until the end of time.
He lent forward, his face leaning closer and closer with every moment. Kairi closed her eyes, longing for the moment when their lips would meet. She tilted her neck upward slightly and patiently waited for that moment.
And then it came.
The meteor shower in the backround seemed to intensify, billons falling per second. Better than any firework display. But the two lovers didn’t even notice, too caught up in the moment.
Kairi had never known pure bliss until this moment. The world just vanished. Nobody was left except herself and Sora. All she felt was the taste of his lips and the gentleness of his touch. She thought about the paupu fruit. That was nothing compared to him. He was better than anything in the world. His left hand was wrapped gently around her shoulder, while his right hand he had placed at her waist. Suddenly, she felt the gap in her heart being filled.
Sora had felt this too. His heart was full, almost bursting with love for the woman before him. He felt the waves lapping at their waists. Not even a tidal wave could move them now.
They broke apart, somewhat reluctant. Kairi placed a hand on her heart. Sora did the same, but he made sure not to let her go.
“I’m, complete,” said Kairi. Sora nodded. It didn’t even need to be said. They felt a new type of bond had been made with that kiss.
“We are one Kairi. We are one.”
They made their way back towards the beach. The meteor shower was beginning to fade now. They sat down. Kairi leaned her head on Sora’s shoulder. He laid his arm around her waist, and hugged her to keep her warm. They watched the rest of it in content silence. They were happy just to be around each other. The darkness started to fade from the sky while light crept in and took its place. The sun started to rise up from the horizon, and they watched as oranges, purples and pinks painted the morning sky. Sora took something out of his pocket.
“Kairi, one more thing. Your lucky charm. It turned out to be lucky after all. Thank you for lending it to me. Now you can have it back.”
“No, it’s okay. You keep it. I don’t need it anymore. Because I have you instead. That’s all I need.”
“Okay,” he replied, putting it back in his pocket. They hugged each other for a moment longer, Kairi resting her head on his chest and Sora rested his on Kairi’s.
“Sora?” she said, her voice muffled in his clothing.
“Yeah?”
“Welcome home.”
The End.