Shadows of a Dream: Final Mix

Epilogue

The smell of the sea assaulted Sora's senses as they appeared on Destiny Islands. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he knew from the smell, the feel of the sand under his shoes, the sound of the waves, and the calming breeze that he was home. He heard someone walk close to him, and he felt that person place their warm hands on his cheeks. His eyes opened and he stared into Kairi's own indigo ones. He smiled warmly at her, resting his hands on the curves of her hips and just staring at her.

Kairi lowered her hands and move close to him, resting her head on his chest while his hands went around to the small of her back. As he hugged her close, he took the time to look around. The last time he had been on Destiny Islands it had been a dead, decaying world, but now it was home again. It was fully of life. It was exactly how he remembered it. At the same time though, something about it seemed a little smaller than before.

Maybe it was the fact that Sora knew there was so much more out there, or maybe it was the knowledge that this wouldn't be the last time he left the islands, or maybe it was the fact that these islands used to make up Twilight's Destiny, along with Twilight Town and those five other uninhabited worlds, but whatever it was he decided to ignore it for now.

"We're home," Kairi said loud enough for everyone else to hear.

Sora leaned his head close to her ear and whispered to her alone, "I didn't need to come back to the islands to be home."

She frowned lightly and turned around so that the back of her head was leaning on his chest while looking up at the dark sky, "That's right, you're one of two Princes from Twilight's Destiny. Any of those other worlds or even Twilight Town could be your home too."

Sora laughed and said, "You're a Princess from Radiant Garden too, remember. That's not what I meant anyway. I meant as long as I'm with you, I'm home."

She smiled warmly and said, "You are such a sap."

He shook his head and turned slightly as Roxas took a deep breath and said, "It's odd, being here and being my own person."

"I know," Naminé agreed while kneeling onto the soft white sand, picking up a handful and letting it strain through her fingers, enjoying the feel of the soft minerals. "I felt everything Kairi did while I was within her, but to feel it on my own…"

"It's different," Roxas agreed while nodding his head. He knelt down next to her, wrapping an arm around her comfortingly.

"What do you think Midori?" Riku asked his friend while placing a hand on her shoulder.

She glanced at him with her deep brown eyes before looking up at the sky and saying, "It's beautiful but I—well I'm just used to bigger cities. I'm not a fan of heat and you know I'm not all that thrilled with water. I'm sure it'll grow on me eventually, but I still have a problem."

"Oh?" the silver-haired young man asked.

"Yeah, I don't have any place to live," Midori said while rolling her eyes. "You dragged me through the portal before I could point at out to you Silver."

"That is a problem," Naminé agreed quickly, "and it goes for us too." She motioned to herself and Roxas.

"Don't be silly," Kairi said with a frown, "you're staying with me Nami. You are my cousin after all."

"And Roxas, you're stuck with me bro," Sora said with a grin.

"Where are we supposed to go brother dearest?" Roxas said sarcastically. "The house is still there, but if you remember correctly, neither of us are legal adults for another year and, well, your mom…our mom is…you know."

"That's a good point," Naminé said quickly. "What about Riku and Kairi's parents? How do we know they're here?"

"I guess we'll go and look," Selphie piped up. She, Wakka and Tidus had gathered together the children a little ways away, leaving the other six to their own devices until now. "We'll let you know if anything comes up. Besides, we have to get those kids back to their parents soon. They probably think that they're dead."

Sora nodded and they watched as Wakka and Tidus helped load the children into the boats that had been left on the beach. It was only after they were out of sight that Naminé asked, "How are we getting back over?"

"Sora can get us over," Kairi said. He looked down at her curiously, and she sighed while nudging him and saying, "Light portal? As long as you've been there or have a connection to a person in the location you want to go to you can get there."

"Oh, right," he replied sheepishly.

"That's nice and all," Midori said, crossing her arms in front of her and glaring, "but not only do I have nowhere to go, but Sora and Roxas are alone and underage. They'd need at least someone who is legally an adult to live with them."

"No one will bother them really," Riku said with a shrug. "There's no much for policing here on Destiny Islands. At least not on this specific island."

Roxas suddenly snapped his fingers and said, "That's it!"

"What's it?" the green-haired girl asked.

Sora stared at his Nobody ("Brother," he quickly reminded himself) before grinning and saying, "That's a great idea!"

"What's a great idea?" Kairi asked while looking up at him.

"Roxas' idea."

"He didn't say anything," Midori said with confusion.

"They're not normal brothers Midori," Naminé piped up. "Roxas' soul lived in Sora's virtually all their lives and was only released for a little while when they were fourteen to fifteen and then went back, but was still aware of his own existence. Their minds are connected and they can hear each other's thoughts and speak to one another in their heads, like when they shared one body. It's the same with Kairi and I, but their bond is a little stronger."

"I can't feel Crysita," Midori replied with a frown.

"You wouldn't. Most people wouldn't feel their Nobody, or even know about them. Given that Crysita wasn't even a Nobody, she wouldn't be there anymore," Roxas said. "Most Nobodies fade back into darkness when they become whole. Naminé and I were different. After Kairi technically killed Crysita, what was left went back into you to make you whole again, but she doesn't actually exist anymore herself."

"I'll take your world for that Roxy, but would either you or Sky over there tell me what your idea is?"

"Well we can't live on our own for a little under a year-" Roxas started.

"-And you don't have a place to live-" Sora continued.

"-And we have an entire house to our selves now-" Roxas added, not missing a beat.

"So, since you're legal age why don't you stay with us?" the two boys spoke together in perfect sync.

Everyone stared at them before Riku said, "That's actually a good idea."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora and Roxas echoed angrily.

"Drop it," Kairi said while patting Sora's cheek and Naminé leaned her forehead on Roxas' shoulder.

"Well Midi?" Sora asked after a few moments of silence.

She stared at the younger boys before smiling and saying, "Alright. The only condition I have is, everyone cleans their own rooms."

"Deal," Roxas said quickly.

"That and Roxas doesn't go near the stove."

"Hey!" he whined as everyone laughed. "So I blew up a couple things! Axel, the pyro-maniac, was my best friend! I wonder where he is now…"

"I'm sure he's fine," Naminé answered.

"It wouldn't be bad if you didn't blow up half of a castle only after a few minutes of having your own body," Sora said with a laugh.

"Sora, Roxas isn't allowed near the stove? And we all take turns doing laundry?" Midori said in a business-like manner.

"Deal," Sora said, repeated the same tone that Roxas had used earlier.

"Alright then," she smiled widely. "Looks like you two now have a big sister."

"Can we call you Sissy?"

Twilight appeared in Midori's hand and she glared at the two boys before saying, "If you do you'll both lose some very vital body parts."

Sora shifted so that Kairi was blocking the majority of his body from the 19-year-old and Roxas winced.

"Oh yeah, you'll stab yourself for me," Kairi said sarcastically, "but when Midi threatens you, you willingly throw me between you and her Keyblade. Where's the love?"

"I do love you Iri," he said seriously, "but I do not want her cutting anything off of me."

Riku snorted with laughter at his friends before turning and looking at the ocean. His eyes gazed over the sky, glad to see that it was filled to the brim with stars again. Before, the sky had looked almost like a thick layer of ink with the occasional twinkling star in it.

It was late at night on this world, most likely after midnight, judging from how there were few lights lit on the main island across from their play island. He wondered if his father was still there and okay. The man was tough, that much Riku knew, but he still worried. His mind wandered to his mother who lived on another island with her new husband and wondered if she was alright too. He would have to call later to make sure.

He glanced over at his friends. All of them had scars now. Some deeper than others, but they still all had them. To see everyone smiling and happy again was enough to make Riku smile again. Still, so many people had been hurt in the pursuit of one person's greed. He couldn't help but shake off the feeling that it wasn't over. Not yet at least. He wasn't going to say anything about it though. Everyone was in too much of a good mood.

Sora and Kairi sat on the ground beside each other, Kairi toying with a shell that she had just picked up. Roxas and Naminé were only a little bit away from them, staring at the sky in awe, and Midori sat next to Riku silently, watching the waves lap at the shore.

Sora looked up at the sky and said, "One of these days Iri, I'll take you around to all the worlds without needing to fight. I'll properly teach you how to fly in Neverland, and we'll go back to Christmas Town and play in the snow again." Their last time in Christmas Town hadn't been the best memory to leave a place with, so he wanted her to remember the good times they had there, not the bad ones.

"We'll see everyone again," she added, "including all of those little children we saved. They were all so cute."

"I'm not much of a kid person," Midori admitted after a moment of silence. "Maybe, one day, I might have one."

"Who needs more than one?" Riku asked.

"I'm glad you agree," she said with a nod. "Although I plan on being older. There's still too much to do to be held down by a family."

Roxas laughed but nodded all the same.

Kairi huffed and said, "I don't know about you, but I want a family young. I don't want to be one of those old hags that their kids are embarrassed of later on in life. The earlier the better, well not too early like fifteen or anything."

Riku snickered and said, "She wants kids Sora, you better get right on that."

Sora's face turned about fifty different shades of red as everyone laughed at him. He tried to snap back but he couldn't seem form a coherent sentence.

Kairi patted his cheek and said, "Ignore them. You're only seventeen, and I'm still sixteen. That's too early."

"Way to suck out the fun Kairi," Midori muttered.

"What about 18?" Roxas asked jokingly, grinning at his brother's glare.

"Oh, that's a completely different story," Kairi said with a serious tone, but a wicked grin that Sora couldn't see crossed her face. "Once I turn 18, since my birthday's after yours and Sora's, everything is a go."

Sora's face turned a deeper shade of red if that were possible. He groaned and hid his face in her long hair, his skin almost blending in with the shade perfectly.

"Well," Naminé said playfully. "Isn't there a tradition of people marrying at a really young age in royal families? You are a Prince and Princess after all."

Kairi blushed as well at this before saying, "Then that means you and Roxas are getting hitched soon, right? Mickey told me that our mothers were the Princesses of Radiant Garden, and though my father and mother became the King and Queen, you technically are royalty as well. A Princess, if I'm not mistaken."

They both blushed deeply but soon everyone was laughing hysterically. Naminé blushed, crossed her arms and said, "Whatever, you'll be the one with a billion children before you're 25. Besides, I'm waiting for marriage so there's no way it'll be me first."

"Sucks to be you," Sora whispered to Roxas, who hit him back.

"It's good to joke around again," Riku said after they calmed down.

Sora looked up from Kairi's head where he had been laughing into her hair and said, "Yeah it really is." He rolled onto his back, and Kairi shifted so that she was lying with her head on his chest, looking up at the starry sky with him.

"Sora?" she asked softly so that no one else could hear them.

"Yeah?"

She leaned up close to him and whispered directly into his ear, "I still find the clothes and the armour insanely hot. Now that we're home, not in a gummi ship or anywhere else, nothing's stopping us from playing Knight and Damsel in Distress."

"What?" he asked her, his eyebrows narrowing with confusion. She just giggled, and his cheeks burned red as he understood what she was talking about.

Beside them, Roxas and Naminé were pointing out different constellations, oblivious to Sora and Kairi's conversation, and Riku and Midori were discussing different things that she could do while on the islands. It was a silent agreement that they'd stay on the beach for the rest of the night.

Soon Naminé was curled up next to Roxas, Midori was fast asleep while pretty much keeping Riku in a bone crushing hug (he didn't seem to mind though, even in his sleep) and Sora was lying with Kairi mostly on top of him.

She looked up, grinning and kissed his lips. He returned the kiss and after a few moments they broke it and simply lay back, enjoying each other's company.

"So, Sora," Roxas said. "How are we going to explain me to everyone?"

"No one here knows dad, actually no one remembers him at all. I'm thinking that the memories were erased or something like that," Sora said with a shrug. "So we can just tell everyone you were with him since they don't know he died when we were babies. Naminé and Midori don't really need stories but—"

"No, no," his twin said while shaking his head. "I mean how do we explain me, Roxas, to someone like Mr. Gates? I was supposed to be your alter-ego to them, remember?"

"Oh right," Sora said with a frown, remembering the day nearly a year ago now when his mother and guidance counselor thought he was insane. "We'll just tell him that you always existed and were always here. Most people don't like him, so I'm sure we could get other people to play along. Make him think he's the crazy one."

"Awesome," Roxas replied, sounding very satisfied with the answer.

"So, Sora," Kairi said, in the same tone of voice Roxas had.

"So Sora what?" he asked as his tired eyes started to close.

"Do you actually plan on going to school now?"

Laughter erupted from Roxas, startling Naminé awake. The laughter caused Riku to wake up and simply glare while Midori blinked with confusion.

"You're all nuts," she muttered before falling back asleep.

Sora sighed and said, "Sleep now."

"But you didn't answer my question."

It was too late; the exhausted Sora was already out like a like.

Kairi smiled at him and whispered, "Some things will never change." Slowly she fell asleep, loving the feeling of being safe at home with all of her friends safe and sound.

"I wanted to meet you."

"I'll be waiting."

"It's always closer than it seems."

"I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you, I promise.

"This is real…"

At least for now.

The End

Krystal Lily Potter