Sorrow's Promise

Chapter 54

Springlock2 and Loz_Keyblade_Master:  Yay!  Glad you both enjoyed that!

A/N:  Okay, guys, this is it!  The last chapter!  I'll be posting some final notes right after this, so be sure to check those out, too.  Enjoy!

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King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy ended up hanging around until after Kairi got back from school the next day. Then they said their goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida, and we all headed back down to the beach, with many warnings from Kairi's mom not to get into any more fights this time. She had put up a huge fuss over me the evening before, just like we all expected, making me spend most of it in bed.

The main beach was a little more crowded than usual on this particular evening, so someone suggested that we row over to the play island to spend a few minutes before they had to leave. Kairi and I took seats in the sand next to each other, while the guys wandered around, checking out the treehouses and bridges and such.

"Mm, this place." I inhaled deeply through my nose, relishing the smell. "It seems like another lifetime when Grim and I were standing right over there. My very first time on a beach."

Kairi shot me a surprised look. "Wait, you and Riku were...here?"

"Yeah." I shrugged sheepishly. "A long time ago. Back when Sora was still sleeping. I don't...really remember why we had to come here, but it had something to do with following the Organization. Then we came back briefly another time, when I was learning how to make dark corridors."

"Crazy to think that you were both so close, and I never knew it," Kairi murmured, staring at the spot that I had indicated.

I sighed. "He wasn't ready, at the time, to come back home. Not only did he feel obligated to keep helping Sora, but...he was having a hard time forgiving himself for everything he had done."

"He's always been hard on himself," Kairi agreed.

"He was finally ready to come back, to move on. Then Xemnas had to go and ruin everything."

Kairi glanced at my clenched fists, and quickly changed to a lighter tone of voice. "Did he ever...kiss you? You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

A sad smile played at the corners of my lips. "Yeah," I murmured. "Twice." I cast a sideways look at her and saw the eagerness in her eyes. "Both times were a complete surprise. And I didn't know how I felt about him still, so...I can't say that I really got to fully enjoy either one." I heaved a deep sigh. "My greatest regret will always be that...I never got to tell him...or show him...how I really feel."

"You'll get your chance," Kairi countered. Even after all of this, she was still the eternal optimist. "You have to keep believing that they'll come back!" When I just shook my head and stared down at the sand in front of my feet, she scooted in a little closer to me. "Have you...tried again? To find them?"

"Every day," I whispered.

Kairi momentarily sobered at this news, but didn't give up for long. "I don't care. I still believe that they're out there, and you need to, too. It's like that letter I wrote to Sora, back when he was sleeping..." She stopped to think for a moment, then began to quote.

Thinking of you, wherever you are.

We pray for our sorrows to end,

And hope that our hearts will blend.