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“Welcome home, Kairi.”
The sound of Riku’s voice snapped her out of her trance. She quickly wiped her tears away and turned to face him.
“Thanks, Riku. I…” She stopped to think for a second. “It’s good to be back.”
Riku’s smile faltered. Her hesitation had said it all. It didn’t really feel like home. Not without Sora there with them. He took a deep breath and let it out all at once, moving around to the front of the palm tree to lean against it, like he always did.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Kairi said suddenly. “He really was here. Just for a moment. But…” She shook her head, fighting against the threat of more tears to come. “He may have brought me back, but he couldn’t come back with me.”
Riku looked back out across the water. “He’ll find a way. This is Sora we’re talking about. There’s nothing in any World that can stop him.” He thought, maybe, if he said it out loud, he would convince himself of it. He wanted nothing more than to convince himself of it.
Kairi grinned. “Yeah, you’re right.” Her face fell flat once more in the few moments of silence that followed. She knew the others were back there on the beach, waiting for Riku to bring her down for a reunion, but they could wait a little longer. She wanted to stay in this moment for a bit. Just with Riku.
She looked down at her dangling feet and spoke so quietly that Riku had to strain to hear her over the ocean waves. “He saved my life. Not just my heart.” She could no longer hold back her tears. “I was nearly gone for good, Riku.”
And now Riku could feel his own tears rising. Hearing her admit this, confirming just how close a call her rescue was, and - in the back of his mind - realizing how little hope this gave them that Sora would return. He didn’t dare look down; didn’t dare give his tears an easier path to flow. “I know,” he said. “Xehanort, he… He shattered you. Like glass. It was…” He had to stop. Contain himself. Breathe. “It was terrifying. And none of us could do anything.”
Kairi hummed a note of acknowledgement and again there was only the sounds of the waves. The setting sun was beautiful, it’s light radiating off the water in sparkling patterns. She raised her head and once again wiped her tears. Casting a glance at Riku, he looked relaxed, but Kairi could tell he was a little too stiff.
As if possessed, she found herself speaking again. “About Sora,” she started, looking back out to the sea when she saw Riku turn to her. “He’s done so much for me, and I’ve done so little in return. There was the fight with Lea against Xion and Isa, but we were really overwhelmed, and he swooped in to save us.”
“That’s just how he is.” Riku interjected. “He does things for others and doesn’t expect anything in return. He saved me too, against Ansem and my replica.”
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to give him something back.” She huffed.
“Of course not.” But that’s going to be a little hard now. He pushed that thought aside. Not helpful.
“Especially since I…” She trailed off and sighed. She turned her head away from Riku and spoke just barely above a whisper. “I think I like him.”
Riku wasn’t sure if he’d actually heard her, or if he did he wasn’t sure if he heard her correctly. But then again, why wouldn’t she? Sora was everything. He was strong, kind, funny, not the smartest but definitely a unique problem solver, he made friends everywhere he went and spread just a general happy atmosphere and... oh.
“Y’know what?” He said, desperately trying to quiet the newly found butterflies in his stomach. Maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t thought about this until now. He couldn’t imagine having to face Sora right now. “I think I do too.”
“Really?” Kairi laughed. “Well, he’s bound to have enough room in his heart for both of us. He had three other people in there with him, after all.”
Riku found himself laughing as well. Both out of genuine amusement and of an intense relief that Kairi hadn’t taken his admission as any sort of challenge. “Yeah? So you, me, and one other person?”
“Hmm,” Kairi pretended to think for a moment. “I think I’ll draw the line at just us. I couldn’t imagine having to share him three ways.”
“Yeah, good point. I guess we have something to tell him when he gets back, huh?” Riku stood a little straighter, lifting from against the tree, and crossed his arms in front of him. “We should probably go join the others right now though. I bet Lea’s about ready to come up and get us himself.”
Kairi laughed again. “I bet you’re right.” She hopped down from the palm tree and dusted herself off. “We should talk more about this later, though.”
Riku was still trying and failing to stomp out his butterflies, but the thought of having a longer conversation about their mutual love interest made them swell back to full strength. “Uh, yeah, sure.”
He received a look that he could only interpret as a combination of pity and excitement, and then he was being dragged across the bridge to rejoin the group.