For Day 22 of the Kingdom Hearts 3 Countdown Challenge - New Friends. Contains spoilers based off of a screenshot I've seen from the Final Trailer as well as E3 2018 Spoilers and TGS 2018 Spoilers.

"I have something for you."

Axel sat on the log next to Kairi and handed her a bar of ice cream. Soon the familiar taste of sea-salt filled her mouth, and she sighed in contentment. Nothing beat ice cream after a hard day's work.

"Thanks, Axel."

"Don't mention it."

They ate in silence, just enjoying the view. Dusk out here was always really pretty, and today was no different. The fading sunlight cast a warm glow over everything and the sky almost looked like it was on fire.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked when they were both finished, gesturing at the paper and clipboard in her lap.

"A letter."

He raised his eyebrow, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes. "Gee, I wonder who it's for."

"Donald and Goofy, obviously."

Axel clicked his tongue. "Better not tell Sora that."

Kairi giggled at this. "Can you imagine how he'd react if I really did write them a letter and not him?"

"If he's anything like Roxas, I can imagine the pouty face he'd make pretty well, yeah."

Kairi paused. Axel talked about Roxas a lot, and she wanted to do something to help cheer him up.

"Axel… since I'm writing to Sora, do you want me to pass along a message from you?"

Axel regarded her with a quizzical look. "Sure, I guess. What did you have in mind?"

"If you could say anything to Roxas, what would it be?" she asked as she picked up her pencil again.

Axel hesitated, and his eyes got a faraway look in them. "I…"

"I can't wait to see you again, maybe?" she suggested. She wasn't really sure if he and Roxas had been on good terms before Roxas had left the Organization, but she could tell how much Axel wanted to see his friend again.

Sure, Sora would be the one reading the letter, but maybe the message would still reach Roxas, some way, somehow.

Axel shook his head ever so slightly, his eyes focused on something far away. "There was something… something I always used to tell them…"

"Them?" Kairi asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, Roxas and…"

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed. "Roxas and who, Axel?"

He turned to look at her like he was seeing her for the first time.

"Axel?" she gently prodded.

She couldn't have predicted what happened next. Tears welled up in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks as she stared at him with a mixture of surprise and dismay.

"A-Axel?"

"I don't know," he said, his shoulders shaking and his voice choked with emotion. "I don't know who it was. But it's someone I feel like I'm supposed to remember." He brought a hand to his face and touched his wet cheek. "Why can't I remember?"

Her heart sank, the all-too familiar pain of her separation from Sora settling over her again. "I don't know, but… even if your mind's forgotten, your heart still remembers."

He regarded her with a sorrowful look. "Yeah." He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "You know, sometimes I miss being a Nobody. Things were a lot less complicated when I didn't have a heart."

"I think you did have a heart. Otherwise you wouldn't have tried so hard to get Roxas back. You even told me you missed him, remember?"

"Yeah. Tell him… tell him I'll see him again soon."

Kairi nodded and added that to her letter.

"Y'know, if you haven't told Sora already, you really should let him know how you feel," he said presently.

She paused and chewed on the eraser. "I think he already knows."

Her mind went to the cave drawing. Surely he'd seen it before he'd gone off to take his Mark of Mastery exam, right?

"Yeah, but that's not the same as hearing it from you. You should tell him in case something ever happens to him… or to you."

Her grip on the pencil tightened. "I won't let anything happen to either of us. I'll keep him safe and I won't let myself get captured again."

"A noble sentiment, Kairi, but our enemies do not play nice, or haven't you noticed? They'll exploit Sora's feelings for you and they'll exploit them ruthlessly."

"They already have," she said, giving him a pointed look.

He sighed. "Point taken. I'm just saying, what are you waiting for? The perfect moment? I can tell you right now, it doesn't exist. All you've got is now. Don't wait, act."

She brought her finger to her temple in his trademark gesture. "I know, I've got it memorized."

He gave her a half smile, and she was glad for that. She didn't want him to stay down in the dumps like this.

Her eyes wandered to the piece of paper in her lap again. "I just… I don't want to tell him in a letter, you know? I want to tell him face-to-face."

"Fair enough. But maybe hint at it at least? Say you're looking forward to seeing him? Mention what you like the most about him? He could probably really use some encouragement right now."

Kairi stared off into the sunset. What she liked the most about Sora? Where to even begin?

"Okay, it doesn't have to be everything or we'll be here all night. What about him sticks out to you the most?"

"What about him… sticks out to me the most?"

She thought back on her favorite memories of him. There were so many of them, and her heart filled with warmth as she thought about him.

Out of all of those memories, though, one in particular stood out. The moment he'd raced towards her after coming home, face shining like the sun, not even caring when he tripped and fell in the water because he was so happy to see her.

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She knew exactly what to write about now. The words came quickly to her after that, and before long, she was putting the finishing touches on her letter.

"So," Axel said as they finally stood to go. "What did you write?"

She pulled her eyelid down and stuck out her tongue. "Not gonna tell you. It's between me and him."

"Boo, you're no fun."

She giggled and gave him a playful shove. "You know that's not true. Race you back!"

As she took off running with him right at her heels, shouting about how he was gonna win this one, she couldn't help but smile.

Not that long ago she never would've thought this kind of situation would even be possible. She hadn't trusted Axel, and for good reason.

But something had changed. He'd apologized for kidnapping her. He'd done what he could to make things right. And it was nice having someone to confide in, someone to ask for help with training, someone to eat ice cream with at the end of a long day.

And that someone was Axel.

Sometimes, friends really did come from the most unexpected places.