Last Kairi knew, she was drifting, fading. There was pain in her back, but it faded along with the rest of her body. She fell deeper, farther, faster, her Light dimming ever so slowly. All around her was dark, and she soon closed her eyes. She was tired.

"Kairi," a soft familiar voice called to her.

She opened her eyes, only to shield them from the bright sun. She lay down in sand. Waves crashed against the shore just out of sight.

She stood and dusted off her favorite white dress, the one with the little white halter strap behind her neck. Her dad loved when she twirled in it, and she hoped he wouldn't be angry that she got sand on it. Why had she been napping on the beach, anyways? And why did her back hurt? She hoped she hadn't fallen into a prickly bush again. Her dad would be so upset.

"Kairi."

She looked up and saw a young boy her age, but it wasn't just any boy.

"Sora!" she ran clumsily and stopped in front of him, "I'm so glad to see you!" Already she was planning their day in her head. They'd fish in the shallow water, then climb the coconut trees, and maybe add more drawings to their Secret Place.

He giggled, "I did it, Kairi, I saved you just like I said I would."

"What?" she had no idea what he was talking about. Was this some game he and Riku were playing without her?

He took her hand, "Don't worry, you're gonna be okay," his soft childish voice said to her. "Home is waiting for you. Everyone will be there."

Wait, but she was already home, wasn't she?

Sora wore a beaming, contagious smile on his face. Her eyes fell to his hands, and a sinking feeling rose in her stomach. It was starting to feel like a dream, yet she was positive the Sora in front of her was real.

"Will you be there?" she looked him in the eyes.

At her question, Sora's expression fell, as if he didn't want to talk about it.

He shook his head.

The island around them began to drift, breaking apart grain by grain. In the blink of an eye, the boy in front of her transformed into a young man - the same man, only older.

It all came back to her. She wasn't a little girl, she was a young woman, a Princess of Heart, a Guardian of Light. She joined Sora in his fight. They'd shared the paopu fruit of legend.

And she'd died.

But if she'd died, and Sora was in front of her, then that meant...

His words hit her like a crashing wave. Tears flooded her eyes, and her breathing fell short. She shook her head vigorously, as if protesting enough would make it all go away.

"It's not right," she cried, stepping away.

She hated crying in front of Sora. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her sad, but she couldn't control herself. She was like a child again, unable to fight away the nightmares.

"All I-" she choked, "All I wanted, was to save you."

"You did, Kairi," he knelt down to her level, "but I promised to keep you safe too."

He stood and began to back away.

"No!" She reached for his hands and held onto them for dear life. Suddenly, her height doubled. Her hands were no longer that of a child, but a woman. "I won't let you go!"

The sand beneath them faded away, but while Kairi remained floating in place, Sora was falling down with it. Her tears fell into the abyss below them. Whatever force was pulling Sora down continued to do so.

"Remember what I said before," Sora nodded, "I'm always with you."

Still he smiled at her, bringing her heart some sense of ease. That was, until she realized it'd be the last time she'd see it.

"What about the second part?" she asked, "About coming back to me."

His hands slipped out of hers, and he muttered his last words to her.

"Thank you, Kairi. For everything."

She lunged forward as desperately as she count, in any attempt to get him back. Her efforts fell in vain, though. She refused to tear her eyes away from him, and even when he'd faded completely, she kept her gaze forward, cherishing her last sight of him as long as she could.

She wrapped her arms around her body, "You promised..."

Soon, her knees met sand once again. Her gaze lifted to the beautiful orange sunset she'd always known and loved. A bright paopu fruit hung above her head. As she held herself, laughter of those on the island filled her ears.

It mocked her.

All of it mocked her.

She stood and screamed at the horizon, "You promised!"

Her strength quickly failed, and she fell onto her hands and knees. Her fingers dug deep into the sand.

It wasn't right.

It wasn't fair.

He should've lived. She was the weak one.

The laughter had died, and now several pairs of footsteps were crossing the bridge over towards her. She dared to lift her head and look back.

Riku came into sight first and frozen in surprise.

"Kairi," for a moment, he smiled, but she knew she wouldn't need to say a word for him to understand. She was back, but Sora wasn't with her.

Instead of meeting her with disappointment, however, he let out a deep sigh and ran to her. She couldn't control herself and threw her arms around him. It all came pouring out. Her pain, her anger, her sorrow, he braced it all.

Sora was right, everyone had been there. All except for him. But even the relief of seeing Namine didn't help.

Their faces showed the same somber expression, but no one said a word. She was grateful, though.

Nothing needed to be said.