Title: On a Dark Beach

Epilogue

Pairing: Sora/Riku, other characters include Kairi and the whole Disney gang.

Notes: Thanks to palatyi for beta!

On a Dark Beach

Epilogue

They're home! Kairi's heart nearly sings as her boys stumble out of the waves and onto the beach with an odd crew of animals in tow. For the next ten minutes all they can do is hug, laughing with joy at the reunion, especially as Pluto launches at them like a dog-shaped missile and barrels Riku over.

"Hey, boy!" he says, getting covered in slobber. Mickey pulls Pluto off him, and distracts the excited dog with a stick.

Kairi gives Sora another hug, her clothes practically wet now. Her hand still grips the charm. "I knew you'd come back."

"Of course!" he says with a cheeky grin, before Pluto decides to barrel him over as well. Kairi sees Riku watching them, so she goes over and hugs him again, too, for good measure.

"Thank you," she tells him.

"For what?" Riku asks.

"For being there for Sora and helping him."

He smiles kindly at Kairi, the look on his face almost apologetic. "I think you have it backwards. He helped me."

Kairi tilts her head at him, curious. The old Riku would have never admitted such a thing.

Then, Goofy is the first to ask, "Gwarsh, where's Jiminy? Wasn't he with you, Sora?"

Riku and Sora freeze.

---

"Jiminy! We are so sorry!" Sora apologizes a few minutes later, even as Riku fishes a little blue hat out of the brunet's hood. "I completely forgot that you were there!"

"I-its quite all right," the cricket says quietly. "I'm just a conscience. Everyone forgets from time to time." Drenched from the ocean water, Jiminy sits with his hands covering his face, rigid and impassive in the crook of Donald's feathery palms. His little cheeks are all red, which is quite impressive for a bug that was naturally green.

Kairi leans over in sympathy, fighting the urge to pet him. "Poor thing."

"If we turn green when we're sick, does that mean he's sick if he's red?" Goofy wonders aloud. "Got any medicine?"

"What did you two do to him?" Donald squawks.

Riku and Sora give each other a look.

"Nothing," Riku states, promptly handing over the hat. Jiminy accepts it, graciously, and then jams it on.

"We could of… squished you!" Sora adds unhelpfully, and flails. "I-I mean, with the fighting, and Xemnas! And the water, and the falling from the air…!"

"Golly! I'm sure glad you're safe, Jiminy!" Mickey says, scooping the cricket up and setting him on his shoulder.

"T-thank you, your Majesty," he says. He takes a calming breath and looks up at last. "These two are quite an extraordinary pair… so I really wasn't in much danger at all. I've chronicled everything in my memo – with some minor edits, of course," he adds, giving the boys a knowing arch of his eyebrow

Riku and Sora both suddenly find the sand at their feet and the lint on their clothes to be very interesting, and unconsciously take a step away from each other in embarrassment.

"Minnie and I will be happy to hear all about it." Mickey chuckles. With that, Jiminy slips into the back of the King's own hood, murmuring to himself about 'from time to time…'

"You two – " Kairi starts as she loops an arm each around Riku and Sora, " – have a lot of explaining to do, too. Your parents have been so worried!"

"Our parents?" Sora echoes distantly.

"Our families…" says Riku. "What should we tell them?"

"Tell them everything," she answers, smiling. "We'll telleveryone everything! They'll be so surprised."

Sora chews on his lip. "Will they believe us?"

"Of course. It'll be hard not to." She tugs them closer, just happy to be with her friends again. "It was really quiet without you two here."

"We're sorry," both boys say, like a children being scolded. They all hold each other; the meaning ofhomecoming is finally starting to sink in. Then…

"Come on, you guys," Sora declares as he darts forward suddenly. He looks over his shoulder, eyes bright. "I'll race ya across the island - all of you! And the winner gets a million munnies!"

"You don't have that much!" Donald shouts.

"Oh yeah?" he replies, turning and jogging backwards. "Okay, I guess I'll keep it all!"

"Not if I beat you, first!" Riku smirks, breaking into a run. It's no surprise when the others join into their caucus race, a strange line of characters running across the bright beach.

She looks at her boys – her wonderful, beautiful boys, who grew up so much while they were away. They came back better friends than ever, knowing what the other was thinking with a glance, or a touch, while Kairi was left half-wondering. And whatever secret she could sense they were keeping… she hopes they'll let her catch up someday, too.

Taking a deep breath, she runs.

---

The End