It’s been a long wait, and I doubt it has been worth it… I haet this chapter xD
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Thankfully, the others had followed Sora as he passed through the portal. Sure enough, they ended up in that same oasis they had previously used to leave Pyra; in this sandy, warm expanse, it was night, perfect for travelling.
The starry skies twinkled above them as they had walked, providing the azure backdrop as Sora explained all that had occurred when he and Riku had taken on Loki. It had taken a lot of explaining - after all, not much of it would have made sense without further elaboration - but, now, the others were beginning to understand how complicated that fated night had been. And now that they understood, they felt less compelled to talk about it. Only now were the feelings of joy emerging; the delight that they had been victorious in their journey.
Feeling a long, relieved sigh emerge from his chest, Sora smiled, letting his eyes find the clear, sparkling skies above him, seeming to reach up from the rolling blue hills. A pleasant breeze brushed over his skin. His body ached a little after the strenuous battle, but, other than these niggling, dull pains, the thought of his battle with Loki was far from his mind.
He wouldn’t admit it, but there was only one thought on his longing mind. Home.
Thoughts buzzed through him, each one bringing a new feeling, a memory, or regret. At the start of this journey, he was simply aching to leave the all-too-familiar surroundings he detested so; his house, his workplace, the city, all of these places were getting too much for him. Even returning to Destiny Island was not enough for him, not enough to quench his thirst for adventure, his longing to return to the exciting life he once had.
“I was so stupid,” he thought to himself, eyeing the silver moon with a ginger expression. “To think, I was desperate to get out of there, even when I had so much…”
His eyes darted to the people around him; Kairi, Riku, Imari, and the baby. All of them had been his devoted, trusting friends, and he had been taking them for granted. Feeling the warm touch at his hand, he felt his stomach quiver. He’d taken her for granted most of all. Feeling a tug on his arm, he looked down at her, met with a soft, blue gaze.
“Are you alright?” she asked, letting her free hand caress his forearm. “You look very… pensive.” He smiled at her, nodding.
“I’m fine,” he reassured her. He turned his gaze to the horizon once more. “Just… thinking.”
“What about?” she questioned. Even after all these years, she had not lost her childlike curiosity.
“Everything,” he replied. Upon realising how general his response had been, he elaborated. “Just about all that’s happened… here, and at home.”
“At home?” she repeated, wrinkling her nose. Her following blank expression told him she hadn’t a clue about what he was talking about.
“The way I was feeling,” he explained, “just before all of this happened.” At first, he was surprised that she did not remember, but, upon further thought, he understood; chances were, she was trying to forget those dreadful months had ever passed. He let his hand leave hers, but quickly curled his arm around her waist. “I didn’t realise how lucky I was.”
Kairi smiled softly, leaning into him as they walked.
“What makes you say that?” she asked quietly.
“Just… all of this,” he concluded after a brief period of silent thought. “I guess it was seeing Loki so distraught after what I did to Sable; that really set off my thoughts, but I never had a chance to think it over until now.”
“What do you mean?” she questioned, looking up at his eyes.
“Just seeing him so scared,” he replied quietly, replaying the hideous moment in his mind. “He didn’t realise just how much Sable meant to him until he thought he’d lost her. She was everything to him and it took a near-death experience for him to understand that.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it got me thinking about how I had been taking everything, and everyone for granted… especially you.”
Kairi sighed sadly, thinking back to this time. She didn’t want to return to these times, not ever.
“I was so busy thinking about all that I could do,” he continued, “instead of the doing the things I had to. I should have been acting like a man. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“That’s debatable,” she joked, beaming at him.
“You know what I mean,” he said. “When we get back, things are gonna change.” He looked down at her. “I’m gonna stop taking everyone for granted. We’re not gonna be around forever, so I want to make the most of what I have.”
Kairi smiled, without making a comment; though, the look in her eyes told him that she agreed entirely.
“How much longer is this gonna take?” a voice grumbled from behind.
Looking over his shoulder, Sora gave a stifled smile. Riku was walking along as best he could, though, his body was clearly aching. Imari walked alongside him, the sleeping baby curled up warmly in her arms.
“Not much longer,” he replied to the question. “We can stop if you need to.”
Riku shook his head, giving a smirk.
“Nah,” he grinned. “I know how much you want to get home.”
“Speaking of which,” the King broke into their conversation, “where do we go now?”
Riku looked to Sora, as if searching his face for an answer. Unfortunately, he gave no such thing.
“Our home,” Sora said, his tone making the King unsure if this was an answer, or a question being posed to his silver-haired friend. Riku shook his head, answering regardless.
“We wanted to go to Foris,” he protested. “Can we go there first?”
“What about Tono?” Kairi asked, looking over her shoulder, too. Imari nodded, agreeing with her.
“We said we’d look for Miru for him…” she added softly, a tone of regret heavy in her voice. “Even after what happened, we should go explain.” The King rubbed his chin, eyeing the sandy ground. A while ago, the stone had given way to sand, another sign that they were almost at the ship.
“I can do that,” he assured her. “It would be hard, especially with Sora there to break the news. We’re old friends; I can handle it.” Riku tilted his head expectantly.
“Foris?” he repeated, as if reminding them all again. The King looked to him blankly.
“I am not sure,” he said, a look of concentration upon his face, “if I remember correctly, it is out of the way…” He rubbed his chin once more. “After hitting your world, we’d have to continue going further for a long time. It was even further away than Square-One.” Riku looked around to the others.
“Would that be okay?” he asked, looking to Imari in particular. She and the baby must have been exhausted. King Mickey spoke before the poor woman had chance to answer him.
“I suppose this brings me to another point,” he said, arousing curiosity in the others; except for Donald and Goofy, who exchanged knowing glances.
“What is it?” Sora asked, eager to hear; as were the rest of the group. The pace slowed to almost hitting a standstill.
“I’ve decided to let you all keep the ship we’ve been using,” he smiled cheerfully. He gave a look to Sora, whose eyes were wide with shock. “I think it’s only fair we allow you to reach us, too. I’m just sorry that we did not have this idea seven years ago.” He lowered his voice to a softer tone. “It would have relieved the need for all that you felt, Sora.”
The chestnut-haired man stood silent, unsure of how to react. He could not control the beam on his face, and it seemed to express his delight perfectly.
“King Mickey,” he said, still smiling. “I - we - don’t know what to say!” The King laughed.
“Then don’t say anything,” he commented, continuing to walk. “It’s the least we can do for you. This way, you won’t have to wait for us to crash-land on your world without warning before you can see us again!” Kairi smiled, squeezing Sora’s hand tightly.
“We really appreciate it,” she thanked him softly. Riku, too, offered words of gratitude.
“It’s nothing,” the King said, dispelling their thanks. He smirked, changing the subject. “It’s probably best that you go home for a while before visiting Taiko, Riku.”
“Yeah,” the silver-haired man nodded. He wrapped an arm around Imari’s shoulder, leaving a kiss upon her forehead. “We need a rest before we go anywhere else.”
“Especially after this journey back,” Sora pointed out, reminding them that their journey would not be over as quickly as they had hoped. “We have days and days of flying to go, still.”
Kairi groaned aloud, rubbing her hands against her face in frustration.
“I hate flying,” she grumbled, kicking her heels. Riku scoffed at her.
“Think yourself lucky,” he commented. Clearly, he was exhausted, and irritable. “You don’t have to pilot the Gummi Ship. You could sleep the entire way if you wanted.”
“Yeah,” Kairi retorted, “but it’s not like I could sleep for a month, is it?”
“There’s the town!” Sora grinned, thankful he could use this as a diversion; their argument was tiresome already. He was too tired to deal with the bickering.
Pointing forward, he stood, his sights set upon the cluster of small buildings, just before them now. They stood silent and blue in the night, cradled in pure moonlight. After the momentary rest, eyeing the quaint sight, they continued moving towards it, smiles on their tired faces.
“We might see Potere,” Kairi commented happily. Sora shook his head sadly.
“I doubt it,” he replied gently, with a tone of sorrowful regret, “he’s probably asleep. Besides, we don’t know where he lives, and it’s still hours until morning.”
Kairi breathed a disappointed sigh, but accepted this. She knew in her heart that Potere would understand.
Walking through the silent streets, they peered around the solid stone, finding themselves in the familiar town square. Memories were flooding back, inciting feelings of nostalgia in them all; though, oddly, none mentioned this. They had no time to stand and take in the surroundings one last time; they had to move swiftly and silently to avoid waking the people.
Soon enough, they had left the town, and had found the spot where they’d landed. Stepping forward, Donald moved into the boundaries of the invisibility spell; before him stood the proud ship, unscathed even after being left for so long. Pulling open the door, he hopped in, followed closely by the others. Each took a long look around at the blue desert before going inside.
The doors slammed shut, and the engine clunked into action; they were on their way home.
… inane chatter FTL but I needed something to break up the heavier stuff. This chapter is sub-par in a number of ways - and, most likely, the penultimate. I don’t wanna stretch out the story longer than needs be. (There will be an epilogue; I guarantee it.)
<3
