Sorrow's Promise

Chapter 53

A/N:  Happy Fourth, everyone!  Only one chapter left after today!

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It was a little over a week after we had first arrived on the Islands that I finally convinced Mrs. Yoshida to let me make the trek back down to the beach. She inspected my cheeks for color, had me walk around the room to see if I seemed steady on my feet, then sent the four of us off together with plenty of snacks and orders for them to make me eat something while we were gone, and immediately drag me back if I so much as stumbled.

We took the long walk slowly, and I was definitely ready to do nothing but sit and rest by the time we got to the shore. But the sun beaming down on my bare arms and legs felt amazing, as did the cold water swirling around my feet. I almost felt like my healing sped up after that day, and every time we made the trip after that I felt a little stronger and could walk a little faster. Mrs. Yoshida must have noticed the difference, too, because she started making afternoons at the beach mandatory for me. I was not complaining about that prescription at all.

Kairi had just gotten home from school one afternoon when Donald came running into the kitchen. "We just got a message from the King!" he announced happily. "He'll be here sometime this afternoon!"

"It'll be so nice to see him again," Kairi exclaimed. "If we're down at the beach, I bet we'll get to see him come in."

"Well, I'm sure you two are anxious to get back home," Mrs. Yoshida remarked to Donald and Goofy. "But make sure His Majesty knows that you're all welcome back here for dinner tonight, and as long as any of you want to stay after that."

My heart was heavy as we all walked down to the beach a few minutes later. Donald and Goofy were chatting excitedly about their home at Disney Castle, which told me that Kairi's mom was right about them wanting to leave. It seemed like they no longer cared about waiting for Sora and Riku to come back. I couldn't really blame them, though. It didn't make sense for them to just stay here indefinitely, when no one knew if the boys were even still alive. I was going to miss those two idiots. With them leaving, I was going to be left alone for most of the day. Maybe it was time for me to start considering what was next for me, too. But somehow, even though I had all but lost hope of Riku and Sora ever returning, the thought of giving up on them and moving on made me feel like I would crumble into pieces.

We all sat side by side at the edge of the water, wiggling our toes in the surf, making small talk about various things as we waited for the Gummi Ship to appear on the horizon. I heard a quiet but familiar sound, and picked my head up to see a dark corridor wavering in the air a few yards down the beach. Before I had the chance to point it out, someone stepped through, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

Hearing my reaction, Kairi followed my gaze and immediately stiffened. "Is that...Axel?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"No." I couldn't tear my eyes away. "Unfortunately, it's not."

Kairi gave me a wide-eyed stare. "Un?"

"Yeah, trust me...this guy's worse." I pushed myself to my feet with my heart pounding. "That's my ex."

Aiden's eyes darted over to me and narrowed as I walked a few steps closer. "You," he growled. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

The malice in his voice would have frightened me in the past, but now it just made me angry. "Why are you here? No, better yet...how are you here?" I heard my friends scrambling to their feet behind me, and I waved at them to stay put without turning around.