Before starting this short story, I advise you to read my previous Kingdom Hearts fanfiction titled "Kindness". This is a continuation tale and the second instalment in a four-part series, with a few side stories to accompany.

Cara is my original character who I've thrust into the realm of the Kingdom Hearts videogame series created by Tetsuya Nomura. I hope you enjoy my work and thank you for reading.

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"You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?" she asked, smiling sadly. He couldn't bear to look into her eyes but caressed her face wordlessly. "Please," she brushed his hair to the side, "promise me you'll be back one day?" He bit his lip.

"Cara, I won't make a promise I can't keep." Her brown eyes welled up with tears that began to trickle down her cheeks. "I just… I needed you to know how I feel."

"I understand." Birds started to sing. "I think I love you too, Vanitas." She begged him to stay the night and he agreed. They lay in bed in each other's arms: kissing softly; loving passionately. Every moment that passed they treated like their last and eventually she fell asleep, curled up against his chest. As soon as he noticed her breathing become heavy and steady, he placed his lips gently on her forehead before climbing out of bed and pulling on his clothes. For a while, he stared at her. She really was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid his eyes on and was glad to have met her. To have loved her.

"Good night, Cara." He whispered, trying not to let his voice shake. "Sweet dreams."

…

It had been ten years since she last saw him. That rainy, autumn day when he had admitted his feelings for her. That rainy, autumn day when he kissed her. Cara – now twenty-five years old – sat at the Tavern in the first district of Traverse Town, sipping at a cup of Earl Grey. She often wondered where he was; what he was doing. If he was even still alive.

"Hey." A familiar voice spoke. "Haven't seen you around in a while."

"I can say the same to you, Cloud." Cara smiled at the blonde, who invited himself to sit with her. "Still looking for him?"

"Last I heard, he was at the Coliseum." He placed his Buster Blade leaning against the table. "I'm back to refuel and to fix up some Heartless damage to my ship. But them I'm going."

"I hope you find him." Cloud had been searching for his nemesis and former idol Sephiroth for years in order to battle his inner darkness, and hadn't been successful yet.

"Thanks. You're still waiting for your guy?" She nodded, smiling sadly. "How long has it been now?"

"Ten years."

"And you really believe he's coming back." She laughed dryly at his scepticism.

"He told me he couldn't promise that. But I can't give up hope." He took a hold of her hand and squeezed comfortingly.

"You must really love him to be waiting for so long." It was strange, but he sounded almost sad? "I hope he comes back to you, Cara. He's a lucky guy."

…

Night fell sooner than expected and Cara bid Cloud goodbye as she made her way back to her house in the second district. She cursed under her breath when she heard menacing whispers from the shadows. Time after time, Leon would lecture her about getting home before dark, and she would always wave him off and tell him that he was just being overprotective. She hastened her pace to avoid coming into contact with the Heartless that were rapidly approaching. A fast walk turned into a sprint; dashing around the corners and ducking through a lantern-lined alley but it was no use. They caught up to her. Soldiers clattered as they bounced against the walls, encircling her. One lunged. She yelped. Armour connected with something hard, with a clang echoing the small space.

"Are you alright?" A boy asked. He held out his gloved hand to help her off the floor – she hadn't even noticed that she had dropped – but she sat frozen; her eyes locked onto his familiar face and spiky hair.

"Vanitas?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, you've got the wrong person. I'm Sora." Her heart drooped down to her stomach.

"Oh, sorry." Now, she accepted his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up. "I'm Cara."

"You shouldn't be alone out at this time." He smiled. Now, she could see the differences. This boy had a golden tan and warm, blonde hair. And his eyes were a deep blue; not the striking, gold that she was familiar with.

"I can say the same to you, kid." She grinned. At times, she didn't feel older than she did back then. But compared to the boy who could be no older than fifteen, she was definitely aging.

"Can I take you home? It's not safe." She thought for a moment and shrugged.

…

"How long has it been since you last had a proper meal?" Blinked Cara as the brunette swallowed his third bowl of tomato soup.

"Daysh." Said Sora, his mouth full of bread. "I got sepawated fwom my fwends Wiku and," he gulped down the food, "Kairi, and I've been too busy trying to find them that I haven't bothered eating more than a chocolate bar."

"Well, there's plenty more. Eat as much as you like."

"Thanks, Cara!" He jumped up and helped himself to a fourth helping. He stopped short of grabbing another bread roll and glanced at her. "Uhm, why do you keep staring at me?"

"Oh." She blushed and looked away, not realising what she was doing. "Sorry. You just look so much like someone I used to know."

"What a handsome beast he must have been." Chuckled Sora. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know." Cara shrugged. "He wasn't from this world. He kept visiting and then he just never came back." Sora thought for a while with his finger on his chin.

"Maybe… he can't get back?" He mused aloud. "My friends and I wanted to leave our island so we made a raft. I guess we always knew it wouldn't have worked."

"So how did you get here?"

"The darkness swallowed my world and I just woke up in an alley way."

"I see." Said Cara. "Well, welcome to Traverse Town. This is the land of the lost where people end up when they have nowhere to go. What do you think you're going to do next?" He shrugged.

"Look for my friends, I guess. I want to make sure they're okay." She stood up suddenly and walked across the room, looking for something. She returned with a piece of paper and a pen.

"If you're going to get out of this town, you're going to need help. Go to the Accessory shop in the first district and you'll find a man called Cid. Give him this note," she scribbled something down, "and he'll help you."

"Really!" Gasped Sora. "Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem, kid. Just try and stay away from the Heartless, okay?"

"Okay." He hugged her suddenly, and tangled one of his hands into her hair. "For some reason," Sora pulled away blushing, "I feel as if I've met you before."

…

It was hard, seeing the retreating outline of Sora waving. She didn't know the boy almost at all, and although he looked bizarrely like Vanitas, they were completely different. Sora was carefree and naïve and saw everything with fresh eyes. Vanitas, on the other hand, was tormented and hardened with pain and suffering. After all those years, she remembered every little detail about him. Cid had tried to convince her to forget about him, but it was just impossible. There were little things around her that were constant reminders of the short time they spent together; reminders that he was real and truly there. The park where she spent the night to make sure he was alright. The second district square where she found him in the snow. The golden fountain in the third district, where they had kissed. She still got butterflies from the memories, even after so long. And her home was full of remnants of the dark-haired boy.

But what if he was dead?

That was a thought that occurred to her often. At first, she cried the moment it popped into her head. But now she just felt hollow, thinking that he could be gone for good. If only she knew for sure what had happened to him, but being realistic, she would probably never know.

Maybe it was Sora's appearance – or maybe it was just time? – but Cara finally made the decision to try and move on. 'I may not succeed,' she thought to herself, 'but I need to try. I can't sit around and wait for someone who could no longer exist.' But as she tried to assure herself that it was the right thing, she couldn't shake how Sora had embraced her: how Vanitas did when he told her he loved her.