Kairi could hardly wait. Her fingers trembled and shook as she did her weaving for the day. She had to finish up in time. She had to. For soon, very soon, she would be allowed to cross the Amanogawa, the Heavenly River, to see her beloved.

Cheeks flushed with excitement and heart pounding, she flew through her work. The sooner she got it done, the more time she would have to spend with Sora. But it had to be high quality too, or she would have to redo it all.

What was Sora thinking? Was he as excited to see her as she was to see him? Would he have the cows on his side of the Heavenly River gathered together in time?

And the river! She'd checked it this morning, but if it started to rain and the river swelled up too much, the magpies might not come to make the bridge. That had happened before, and she never wanted it to happen again. Seeing the sorrow on Sora's face as he'd realized she wouldn't be able to meet him that year had broken her heart.

When at last she was finished with her work for the day, her father Tentei, the Sky King, came to inspect it.

"How does it look, my honorable father?" she asked, bowing her head and averting her eyes because his approval (or lack thereof) would determine whether she got to see Sora. It was because she'd so foolishly slacked on her work, and Sora on his, that they had to endure this current situation. How she wished she could rewind time to when they'd first gotten married and do things over again. Then maybe they could live together like husband and wife should instead of enduring this punishment for their foolishness.

Still, her father was not without mercy. Her sorrow and tears had moved him so deeply that he'd adjusted his original punishment and allowed her to see Sora once a year. Maybe, someday, if they both continued to work hard and be good, they could live together once more.

"It is your best work yet, my daughter," her father said at last, and she allowed herself a small smile before quickly covering her mouth with her hand. It wasn't proper for a young lady to bare her teeth.

"Thank you, father."

She glanced at his face before averting her eyes again, and she could tell he was pleased.

"This will be plenty to keep the heavenly court clothed for a while," he said. "And if you don't mind, I will select my favorites to keep for myself."

She nodded and waited patiently for him to make his selections. Every member of the heavenly court contributed something to keep life running smoothly, and it was her duty to make cloth, just like it was Sora's duty to tend the cows. If even a single person neglected their duties, the entire court would start to fall apart at the seams. That was the disaster she and Sora had unleashed on everyone several years ago, and she didn't want to hurt them again.

Her father cleared his throat, and she waited patiently to hear what he had to say. In his arms were a few choice pieces of the cloth she'd woven, and her heart sped up as she waited for him to speak.

"I have made my choice. Now, my dear daughter, go see your husband."

She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face this time, but she hid it with a deep bow and then thanked her father and left with as much dignity as she could muster once he had excused himself from the room. Her feet carried her as fast as she dared move till at last the Heavenly River was within sight.

"Sora!" she cried as she reached its banks. He was already on the other side of it waiting for her, and his face lit up when he saw her.

"Kairi!" came his delighted voice over the sounds of the river. This year, they were lucky. This year the water flowed smoothly and was at normal levels.

"My dear magpie friends," Kairi called, "please, make me a bridge so that I may be with my husband."

A few moments passed, then the flock of birds descended and spread their wings till they'd formed a bridge for Kairi to cross. She thanked each one by name as she stepped on their wings, growing closer and closer to Sora till at last she was on the other side. He brought her into his arms and held her tight, and her eyes filled with tears. How she'd missed him, missed feeling his warm embrace.

"I'm back," she said softly.

"You're home."

When he finally leaned back, it was so he could look her in the eye. "You're as beautiful as ever," he murmured as he cupped her cheek, like he couldn't bear to look away from her.

"And you're as handsome as ever."

He smiled and found her hand. "Come," was all he said, and she nodded and squeezed his hand. She paused to turn back and thank the magpies one last time, then followed Sora's lead.

Sora sighed as Kairi slept soundly in his arms. A part of him wished they could stay awake the entire day they had together, from sundown to sundown, but they'd tried that before and it had just made them both too tired to fully enjoy their time together.

Still, there was something nice about holding her as she slept. She was in his house and in his arms, which was how things were supposed to be. His only regret was that she couldn't stay with him always. But that was thanks to their own foolishness. What he wouldn't give to rewind time and do things over again.

Looking out the window, a deep sigh escaped him. "The moon sure is beautiful tonight, isn't it?" he murmured, then kissed Kairi's cheek. "Sleep well, my wife."

When he woke up the next morning, delicious smells greeted his nose. Kairi had cooked all his favorite foods, and his heart melted when she greeted him as he sat down to eat. She joined him soon afterwards, and they thanked the other members of the heavenly court before eating their breakfast.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked her as he ate pieces of tofu from his miso soup.

"Well, I'd love to write wishes together on tanzaku paper and then hang them on bamboo like we always do."

"Sure."

They did that every year, wishing that this would be the year they could finally stay together for good.

"And then I want to see your herd of cows."

"Of course."

Kairi had names for all of them, and she liked seeing how they were doing.

"But what do you want to do?" she finally asked after drinking the rest of her miso soup.

"Be with you. Really, that's it. Every moment we're together is precious to me."

Her cheeks flushed a little and she averted her eyes. "My husband, you flatter me too well."

"You deserve to be flattered."

He pulled her into his lap and kissed her, and she giggled.

"We can't spend all day in your house," she chided even as she didn't stop the kisses he was trailing down her neck.

"But maybe, just a few more stolen moments…"

"Just a few more stolen moments is all we have," she said, her voice low and her eyes drooping, and he paused.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad."

"I'm tired of this," she told him as she ran her hand through his hair. "I'm tired of being separated from you. One day a year isn't enough. It just isn't enough to show you how I feel about you."

"I know." His heart was heavy at the prospect. "Still, one day is better than nothing at all, and I don't want our time together to be poisoned with sadness."

"I don't either." She took a deep breath and smiled. "Enough talk of this. Let's be happy while we still can and save the tears for later."

"Yeah."

They had so little time together as it was. Sora wanted to make sure the memories would be happy ones. Good ones that would tide them over until next year.

For now, that was the best they could hope for.

Even though they did the same things every year, Kairi treasured them every time. First they saw Sora's cows, and he introduced her to the new members of the herd and asked her to help him name them. Then they wrote their wish to always be together on long, rectangular strips of tanzaku paper and tied them to bamboo that had been laid out for the summer festival. Various other activities followed until it was time for lunch, which Sora made for her this time.

For the early afternoon when the heat was most intense, they remained inside Sora's house, and when the cool of the day had arrived, they ventured back outside again. The cicadas were buzzing loudly in the trees, and Kairi felt a pang in her chest as she thought about how much she wanted to spend every season with Sora, not just one day a year during the summer. They would never get to watch the leaves turn red and gold together. They would never get to experience the first snow together. They would never get to welcome the coming of spring with the cherry trees blooming together.

"Kairi?" Sora asked as they strolled along the river. They only had a few hours left together, and she would be punished harshly for being late. So at this point in the day, they usually just walked and talked together till it was time for her to go.

"I'm okay, I just… wish we could experience every season together."

"I do too."

She couldn't bear to look in his eyes right now. Despite their best attempts, their impending separation was looming heavy on their hearts.

"Have you tried asking your father again to have mercy on us?" Sora asked quietly. "Surely we've more than made up for what we did. Seven years, Kairi. It's been seven whole years of living like this, and it's hell. I can't take it anymore."

"I fear that if I do ask him, he will revoke even this one day we do have."

"Does he really love his daughter so little that he would doom her to a lifetime of misery over one mistake?"

"It's what we deserve, for neglecting our duties," she said, her throat tight. "We're lucky he lets us meet at all."

"But we've worked hard these seven years," he said. "We've apologized for what we did. Now the heavenly court is more prosperous than ever. You saw how many new cows were born this year, and you told me that your weaving is your best yet. What are you so afraid of?"

She paused, and he stopped too.

"Kairi?"

"I'm scared that if we're allowed to be together, the same thing will happen all over again," she confessed. "When I'm with you, I don't care about anything else anymore. Not my weaving, not my duties, just you. All I can think about is you, and all I want to do is be with you. But we can't live like that. We have to do our part. At least this way we get to spend a whole day together guilt free because we've earned it."

"No," Sora said. "This isn't natural. It's not good for us to be separated like this. I don't care what happened in the past. We won't neglect our duties this time, and we deserve a second chance. How will we continue my family name if we're robbed of the chance to have children? How can we say we're truly married when you're not allowed to live with me, your husband?"

"But what if my father says no?" she asked, so quietly she couldn't hear her own voice. "What if he bans us from ever seeing each other again?"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. I vowed to protect you and to provide for you. You deserve better than one day a year of that." He put his hand under her chin and gently tilted it up so she would look him in the eye. "And besides, your father loves you. He wants what's best for the heavenly court, it's true, but you're his family, and he takes his duty to his family seriously too."

"Okay. I'll ask him. But there's no guarantee he'll say yes."

"Yeah. But imagine if he did." Sora wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "I could come home to you every evening after a hard day's work. I'd get to tell you, "I'm back," and you'd get to tell me, 'You're home,' like it should be. Then after dinner we'd have the entire evening to ourselves to do as we wished, and the entire night to spend in each other's arms. And then, maybe someday, there will be a few more cushions in our house—"

"Don't, please," she said, her throat tight. She didn't want to think about the life they couldn't have because of what they'd done.

"Why not?" he asked as he pulled back. "Why not let ourselves dream a little?"

"Because dreams always end in disappointment. You wake up, and then they're over, and you feel worse knowing what you could have but can never get."

He shook his head. "Not this dream. This dream can be real."

"If you say so."

"We have to at least try."

She looked to the sky. The sun was setting now, and they didn't have much time left.

"You're right. We have to at least try."

They spent the remainder of their time together mostly in silence because some things didn't need to be said out loud. Then Sora walked her to the place where the magpies always came as the moon rose again. As the loyal birds gathered to make the bridge, she turned to her husband one last time.

"Well, I'm off."

"Goodbye, Kairi," he said, ever so softly. "Return to me safely."

"Goodbye, Sora. You know I will."

She released his hand and started across the bridge the magpies had made, thanking them again for their help. When she looked back at Sora, his hand still lingered in the air, and she could tell he was trying very hard to stay brave.

She had to look away at that point or she would start crying for sure. Each step away from him was tearing her heart asunder because he had a part of her heart and always would. And as she walked away from him, she knew she was carrying a part of his heart with her, too.

"Until we meet again," she called to him when she'd safely crossed and the magpies were flying away.

"Until we meet again."

At first, Sora was hopeful that he would hear word from Kairi's father. That the great Sky King would have mercy on his beloved daughter and her husband and let them be together. Despite the punishment he'd doled out to them, he was generally a merciful ruler, just and fair. And he'd already relented once to the pleas of his daughter. There was a chance he would relent again.

So Sora herded his cows with a spring in his step and anticipation in his heart. He would work harder than ever to prove that he and Kairi deserved to be together again and wouldn't slack on their duties. He was out in the fields from sunup to sundown tending to the cows, and even though the work was hard, it was sweet, knowing that any day now he might hear word from the king.

A week passed like this. Then two weeks. Then a month. But still he heard nothing. Doubt crept into his heart. Surely Kairi would've asked by now, right? And if her father had said yes, surely he would've sent word to Sora already. But nothing happened, and Sora's heart began to falter.

Was there a point to this? To any of this? Why work hard if nothing ever changed? Why slave away all day when he had no wife to come home to? Could he really keep doing this for the rest of his life? All for the chance to see Kairi only once a year, if her father deemed her work good enough and deemed his work good enough and if they lucked out on the weather and—

He groaned and sank onto his cushions. "To hell with this, I'm this close to swimming across that damn river even if it kills me."

The night breeze blew through the window, and it made the tanzaku papers he'd hung all around the room flutter. Normally, after the summer festival was over, the bamboo branches with the tanzaku papers attached were floated down the river, but he'd always saved the ones he and Kairi made. He had precious few mementos of her, so every single one of these papers was precious to him.

Maybe… maybe this was a test. To prove to her father they deserved to be together. If he gave in to his despair and stopped working, he might fail the test and jeopardize any chance they had of being together for good.

So that meant he had to keep working. Had to put in more effort than ever in the hopes it would be enough.

One month melted into two months, and two months blended into three months. Some days were easier than others, but Sora began to doubt that Kairi's father would ever relent. He wouldn't see her again for another nine months. The weather was getting cooler and the leaves were starting to turn colors. Summer was over, and this year would be like all the rest.

Kairi had woven him a special kimono several years ago that would keep him warm in colder weather, and he layered it over his other clothing one cool autumn morning. Even on cold days though, the sun often shone bright overhead, so he also donned one of his hats to keep the sun away and set out.

Rain or shine, no matter the temperature, he had to look after the cows, and so he treasured the gifts Kairi had given him. They made the job easier, and they reminded him of her. And yet his heart was still heavy. He wanted to do nothing more than stay in his house and sleep. Because at least in his dreams he could be with her.

The days were long and dull even though the sun set earlier and earlier. The work was the same as ever, and he just went through the motions because his heart was far away. The days faded into each other as autumn faded into winter, and then snow coated the ground in a silent blanket. The nights were long and the days were short, and he longed for the coming of spring. Spring was when the world came alive again. Spring was when he knew he was close to seeing his beloved again, because after spring, summer would come once more. And that meant Kairi would come once more.

Unless her father had forbidden her from ever seeing Sora again. But there would be no way to know that until the time came.

At long last, the snow began to melt and the flowers began to bud. The birds were chirping and the animals were pairing up again, ready to bring new life into the world. Everything felt a little less hopeless than it had during the winter as everything came back to life.

The day the cherry blossoms began to bloom, Sora decided to go by the Heavenly River to see them once he was done with work. The sun was setting over the horizon, and the view was incredible. Cherry trees lined the river on both sides, and the few days when they were all in full bloom, they looked amazing. He really wished that for once, he could share this with Kairi, but he'd just have to remember it well enough to tell her about it later.

He stayed till the moon rose and the stars were twinkling in the heavens. Time to go home.

As he approached his house, he noticed something strange. Light shone through the windows, and smoke was wafting out of one of them. Was someone there?

That was strange, he couldn't remember inviting anyone over.

Frowning, he slid the door open and removed his shoes before stepping up into the house. "I'm back," he called, the usual greeting he gave when he returned home.

"You're home," came the voice that was more precious to him than any voice. A moment later, she appeared around the corner.

"Kairi?" he said, hardly believing what he was seeing. Sure enough, she was here in his house, holding his cooking utensils with a big smile on her face. She looked elegant in her layers of robes, and her face was practically glowing and her cheeks were round.

"Is this really real?" he whispered, frozen in shock. He was afraid that if he moved, the dream would be over.

She nodded. "It is real."

"Then—your father?"

A huge smile spread across her face. "We have his blessing."

"We do? But how? I thought, after all those months, that he wouldn't—"

She took his hand and led it to her stomach. He gasped as he felt how round it was, as he realized what this meant, as he figured out why her face was round and why she was practically glowing and why she was wearing so many robes—

"Turns out that the prospect of grandchildren is enough to soften even my father's heart," she said with a smile, then her face turned serious. "I would've come sooner, but he wanted to spend time with me before I left his house, and I wanted to make up for all the work I'll be missing soon. I brought my weaving here with me, of course, but I'll need some time off after the baby arrives to rest and heal."

A lump built in Sora's throat. This was too much to handle. "You mean—you're here to stay? We can finally be together?"

Even as he said the words, he could hardly believe them. Kairi was here and she had her father's blessing? She was here and they could finally start a family? She was here and she was bearing their child, the fruit of all their years of suffering and heartache, of all their love and hope and perseverance?

A tear rolled down her cheek before she smiled, her most beautiful smile yet. "Yes, my love. We'll be together forever."

He couldn't take this anymore. He gathered her in his arms and held her as they both wept and wept and wept. All those years of separation for their foolish mistake were over. The dream had come true, and they would be together every day from now on.

He kissed her after that, kissed her deeply to show her how much he'd missed her, to show her how much he loved her. And wonder of wonders, when the kiss was over, she brought his hand to her stomach and together, they felt their baby kick.

"Welcome to the family," he choked out as he knelt at her feet and kissed her belly, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes again. Kairi was here and their baby would be with them soon too. They were going to be parents, and they would finally get to have the family they'd dreamed of.

When he looked up into her eyes again, she was radiant. A little bit of that radiance must be rubbing off on him, because his smile felt bigger and brighter than it had ever been.

"Welcome home, Kairi."

"Welcome home, Sora."

A/N: Ever since ReMind came out and there was that beautiful shot of Sora and Kairi against the sky, I wanted to write a Tanabata-themed story for them. And as it just so happens, Tanabata falls during SoKai Week this year, so it was the perfect opportunity.

Anyway, I really enjoyed incorporating Japanese mythology into my writing this time. I've written some stories based on Greek mythology, so it was nice to branch out. And though the original story doesn't really offer a resolution (as far as I know), I got to thinking about how the story might be resolved and how the lovers might be reunited again, and this is where my musings led me.

Thanks for reading! And thank you to Alja for the input and feedback!