Kairi walked slowly as she headed to his house, giving herself time to think it over, to make sure that she had made the correct decision. But no matter what angle she looked at it from, she couldn’t see how it could be wrong. She felt it deep in her heart, and nothing could change her mind.

She stood in front of his house. It would take every ounce of courage in her body and then some, but she had convinced herself that it had to be done. She opened the front door without knocking and headed up to his room, where she knew he’d be, eagerly awaiting news of her decision. She pushed his door open wordlessly.

There he was, hope and fear mixing together in the expression on his face. He looked at her, silently begging to hear what she had to say.

Her emotions overwhelmed her. She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. She gave him a soft peck on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “You win, Sora.” She stepped back and looked into his eyes. At first she saw only confusion, then he got it. A small smile tickled the corners of his mouth and he nodded at her. Yes. He got it.

She turned to leave without saying another word. She didn’t need to. He knew where she was going. He understood her intentions. He got it. Now came the hard part.

Kairi slowed her pace once she reached the street. She wanted as much time as possible to think over what she was going to say to Riku. And once again she was reminded of how right the choice she’d made felt. It would be hard, but she couldn’t avoid this forever.

She found him down on the beach skipping rocks deep in thought. She approached him from behind. She hated to disturb him, but she knew that she couldn’t just leave without doing what she’d come to do.

“Riku?” she asked tentatively. He jumped a little at the sound of his own name bringing him out of his trance.

He didn’t turn around to see who it was. He already knew. He’d recognize her voice anywhere. It was a voice that would haunt him forever. The voice that represented all that he had lost. He pretended not to have heard her and threw another rock, but he knew that she could see right through it.

That had been his last rock. If he wanted to find more he would have to acknowledge her presence. He couldn’t bring himself to do that, so he just stood there wishing he was still alone.

The sound of crashing waves surrounded them as the sun began to set in a spectacular display of color. Neither of them moved and neither knew what to say. Kairi wanted to tell him the decision that she’d made, even if he thought he’d already made it for her. She wanted to tell him how she understood the sacrifice he’d made for Sora. She wanted to tell him how Sora had done the same thing for him. She wanted to tell him how she felt, who she thought she should end up with. But she could find no words with which to tell him these things.

Kairi approached him slowly, stopping when she stood next to him. He was looking straight ahead, still refusing to accept the fact that she was there trying to talk to him, and she did the same. She was afraid of what she’d see if she looked at him. What if looking into his eyes was enough to convince her that she’d chosen wrong? What if he refused to accept her decision?

Thoughts of “what ifs” and “maybes” raced through her head, but she forced herself to push them aside. No. She had made the right choice. She just had to gather up her courage and tell him. That was all that was left to do. Unfortunately, that was also the hardest part.

Kairi’s hand found his and grasped it. He didn’t pull away. So far so good. She slowly turned away from him and began walking, tugging gently on his arm. He followed her reluctantly. They walked in silence for about fifteen minutes. And Riku couldn’t help but notice all the people staring at them as they walked by. “Look at that,” they seemed to be saying, “How sweet. How romantic. What a lovely couple they make.” If only they knew the whole story.

When they finally stopped they found themselves once again standing in front of the slanted old tree that they used to spend so much time on. But this time they didn’t sit up on it’s trunk. They just stood there staring at it, watching the sun set behind it, old memories being dredged up in the backs of their minds.

Kairi squeezed the object in her hand gently; just to make sure it was still there. She had to do it.

She took a few steps until she was standing right in front of Riku, forcing him to look at her, their still-clasped hands hanging between them. She lifted her hand, bring his with it, until it was at the same level as his waist. She removed her hand from his and opened his, palm up, so that it looked like he was expecting her to give him something. She took a deep breath. After this there was no going back. Things would never be the way they were before, but she preferred it this way. She brought up her other hand and placed the object in his, wrapping his fingers around it before he could see what it was.

Riku stifled a gasp as he felt the soft object on the palm of his hand. And even as he opened his fingers to see what she had given him, he knew. There, in his hand, lay the small yellow fruit that he had given to her earlier that day. But what did it mean? Had she accepted his offer, or was she just returning it to him?

His question was soon answered as she took it in both of her hands without lifting it off of his palm and tore it in half. She looked up at him expectantly, begging him not to reject her offer.

Riku’s gaze shifted from the fruit in his hand, to the look on Kairi’s face, and back. He wanted more than anything to say yes, to just take a flying leap and hope that he wouldn’t fall flat on his face, but his common sense got the better of him.

“But… Sora?” he asked. How could he explain to her that he couldn’t be with her? That he loved her with all his heart, but he had promised that Sora could have her if that was what it took to preserve their friendship?

“He knows,” Kairi reassured him.

Riku had been all set to launch into a long explanation of all the reasons why it wasn’t fair to Sora and he couldn’t be with her, but he stopped short. “He knows?”

She nodded wordlessly and a sudden understanding washed over him. “But then…?” He didn’t want her to choose him just because Sora told her to.

“It was my choice alone to make. And this was my decision,” she answered him, understanding without even needing him to finish his sentence.

His searching gaze melted away to reveal an expression of pure love and honest gratitude. He had always been so good at hiding his feelings from the rest of the world, but no matter how hard he fought he couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. He glanced once again down at the yellow fruit she had placed in his hand, but this time the sight of it didn’t fill him with remorse and longing. No, this time it filled him with hope and joy.

He picked up one half and handed it to Kairi. She picked up the other and handed it back to him. They slowly raised the two halves to their lips, never taking their eyes off of each other. Then, with one fluid motion, they both popped them into their mouths.

Neither of them chewed, for fear of crushing its magic, but instead just let it dissolve on their tongues. It was heavenly. It tasted like love, sweet and sour and shocking and tart and wonderful and disgusting all at once. At first it was smooth, but soon its many ridges and valleys became apparent. It was hard to swallow, but impossible to spit out. And all too soon, it was gone.

They looked at each other. They hadn’t expected to feel any different once it had been done. They had expected only to be able to come back to each other always. But something had changed. It was as if not only their destinies had been intertwined, but also their souls. They were now a part of each other, and it was incredible!

Kairi’s pulse quickened and she felt Riku’s follow suit. They were now bound together forever. Wherever they went, whatever happened, they would always be together.

Riku didn’t know how to find words to describe what he was feeling, but he didn’t need to, because Kairi felt it too. And besides, actions spoke so much louder than words. He grabbed her around the waist and spun around in circles holding her up in the air.

Kairi threw her arms up over her head and laughed out loud. She had never been happier in her entire life, and when he brought her back down she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, hard and passionate, refusing to let go.

A sort of blissful peace settled over her. She no longer had to worry about hurting Sora. She had the man she wanted and she would never be without him again. He heart soared and she was filled with excitement as she realized that this was what they meant when they said “happily ever after”.

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That’s the end. I hope you liked it, and thanks to all of you who have made me so happy with all your reviews!

Which reminds me: Don’t Forget To Review!!! Just because it’s the last chapter doesn’t mean you’re off the hook!