A/N: Well, this is the last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed the ride.

Lies Bring Us Closer

Chapter 16: Calm

Kairi sighed and tucked the letter back into its envelope. Once again Sora had postponed his visit to Destiny Islands; apparently there was an outbreak of heartless in Hollow Bastion he had to take care of. She fell back into her couch and let out another aggravated, lonely sigh. 'I'm beginning to think he's not going to ever come visit me again,' Kairi thought sadly. It'd been two years since the Kingdom Hearts ordeal and Kairi was growing impatient. She'd only seen Sora twice since then. She felt like she was the only twenty-six year old that wasn't married. Even Selphie was happily married to Tidus with a child on the way.

She stood up and slipped on a pair of pink sandals. "I'm going to the beach," she muttered under her breath. She picked up her keys, which were placed by a picture of her and Roxas. She looked around the apartment and frowned. All of Roxas's belongings were still there; she didn't have the heart to throw them away or donate them. She made her way to the door and slipped on a lavender jacket. The weather forecast predicted a storm, but she didn't plan on being at the island that long. She locked the door and trampled down the stairs toward the door.

She could feel the breeze from outside through the outside door. She poked her head out and noticed it was already drizzling. She shook her head. "No, I'm going to the beach," she insisted. She stepped outside and looked toward the sky. The clouds looked dark and ominous; she ignored them and hurried down the street. She was determined to get to the beach.

She reached the shore of the main island within five minutes. She noticed the tide was already coming in. Kairi hopped into her boat and untied it from the dock. She began quickly paddling toward the island. The wind was picking up and she could feel the temperature dropping. Many would call her actions stupid or irrational, but she couldn't fight the urge to go to the island. It wasn't a matter of want or boredom; she felt like something was pulling her toward that island. 'I wonder what Sora would say about this, he'd probably condemn my actions. But who cares, he's not here anyway,' she thought angrily as she pulled up to the dock. She tied her boat and stepped onto the wooden boards.

Kairi breathed in the ocean air. She could see the tide also coming up on the shore here. Kairi jumped down into the sand and walked toward the water. She wasn't surprised to feel the chill. It wasn't freezing, but it wasn't as warm as usual. Kairi wiggled her toes around in the water as she stared toward the sky. She felt a sense of nostalgia wash over her as she remembered the past. It was on this shore that she first met Roxas. She frowned.

"Why does everyone have to leave me?" she screamed at the sky, "Am I just meant to be abandoned?" She kicked the wet sand angrily. The tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. "Do I have to jump into the ocean just for someone to give a damn!" Kairi screamed again. Without a second thought, she ran into the ocean with the pull of the tide. She swam till she could not feel the ground. She looked around as she splashed in circles. She was drifting farther and farther away. No one was there.

Hot tears trickled down her cheeks as she allowed her body to be pulled away. She felt there was no reason to try and go back. There was nothing to go back to, but an empty island full of dead memories. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to begin to sink into the ocean. 'What's the point of living anyway if you have to live alone and loveless,' she thought as her face began to sink into the water.

She felt something seize her shoulder. Her eyes quickly opened and she kicked up toward the surface. Someone had grabbed her. "Are you stupid? What are you doing!" the person screamed at her.

Kairi frowned and chose not to respond. The person pulled her onto the boat and gave her a blanket to wrap herself in. It was now she decided to get a look at her 'rescuer'. She was speechless. She couldn't believe what she was seeing; surely she had taken in too much sea water. The golden blonde hair, the ocean blue eyes, the tanned complexion, his stature and build, and even the scowl were the same. This couldn't be happening. She stared at her rescuer with disbelief.

"What is your problem? Anyone would've done the same. It'd be a waste for someone as pretty as you to drown herself," the Roxas lookalike replied.

She couldn't help but blush. "W-Who are you?" she managed to stammer.

"My name's Ventus, but call me Ven," he answered with a slight smile.

She frowned. She had expected him to smile at her and say his name was Roxas. She had expected him to pull her into a tight embrace and whisper that she was not alone anymore. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. "I'm Kairi," she whispered as she stared at the water below them. Drowning didn't seem like such a bad idea.

"Nice to meet you, Kairi. I wish it could've been on better circumstances, though," he said, "The storm is going to come in soon so I don't think I'll be able to take you back to the mainland tonight. We'll have to find somewhere suitable on that island you swam from."

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Were you watching me?" she asked curiously.

Ven smiled nervously. "I couldn't help but notice when you started screaming at the sky. I thought you might end up doing something stupid so I kept an eye on you," he explained, "What're you doing out here anyway?"

She crossed her arms. She was so embarrassed. No one was ever out at the island so she didn't expect an audience. "I just felt like I should be out here now," Kairi replied curtly.

He nodded and steered the boat toward the island. "Sounds like the same reason I came out here. Something was just calling me. I can't help but wonder if it had to do anything with you," Ven said as he stared toward the rapidly darkening sky. She couldn't help but notice he seemed perplexed. He looked at her like he knew her, but at the same time she could almost sense his confusion.

'Why do you look like Roxas?' she thought suspiciously. Kairi could only imagine this had something to do with Kingdom Hearts. For all she knew, he was secretly working for some evil organization that needed pure hearts again. She would keep her guard up.

Ven rowed his boat up onto the bank and helped Kairi out. "Do you think that cave will keep us safe from the elements?" he asked as he pointed to the secret place.

Kairi stiffened. She really didn't want to go into the secret place. She looked for alternatives. The shack on the beach would not be a place to be when the tide came in. The tree house was a bad choice during a lightning storm. The other side of the island had no shelter at all. She sighed. "Yes, that's our best choice," she mumbled half-heartedly. She held the blanket tightly as she followed Ven into the secret place. Now she was wishing she'd never come out here.

Once they reached the mouth of the cave Kairi found a corner and sat down. Ven, on the other hand, wandered around staring at her, Sora, and Riku's scribbling on the rocks. She closed her eyes and simply ignored him. She had nothing to say about any of those pictures; they were just past memories of a better time.

"Hey, is this you?"

She opened one eye. Ven was standing in front of Sora and Kairi's paupu fruit drawing. She cringed from the pang in her heart. "It was once," Kairi replied quietly, "That was a long time ago."

"Who's the guy?" Ven questioned.

Kairi was becoming frustrated. She really didn't want to talk about Sora. "Just someone I knew, his name is Sora," she replied as vaguely as possible.

"Does he live here?" he asked again.

"He did once, but he moved when we graduated high school," she answered in aggravation.

Ventus didn't seem to get the hints. "Did you love him?" he asked absent-mindedly.

Kairi growled angrily, "Can you please stop asking about Sora? I don't want to talk about it!" She felt her angry tears. She turned away from Ven and covered herself in the blanket. He walked toward her and sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry for asking. It's just that when I look at that picture I feel angry and I thought you might know why," Ven explained, "I didn't mean to upset you."

She wiped her eyes and faced him. "What do you mean it makes you angry?" she asked curiously. She couldn't help but remember the time Roxas had found her in here crying over that scribbling. He had been angry then too.

"I just look at it and then I look at you and somehow I just know that it causes you pain. That makes me angry. I feel angry at this Sora who let you down," Ven explained, "And it's weird because I don't know either of you, but I feel like I do."

Kairi was silent. She didn't understand. Could it be possible that Ven had lost his memory? Maybe he was a long-lost cousin of Sora? "Do you have amnesia?" she dared to ask.

Ven laughed at this. He shook his head and said, "No. Just a few years ago I fell into a coma and I just recently woke up. It's kind of strange really. I'd never even heard of Destiny Islands before that day, yet I had such a strong urge to come here. So I jumped on a gummi ship and came here and then to this island where I met you," Ven explained, "That probably doesn't make any sense, though."

She gave him a weak smile. "No, not really. I'm sorry you had to go through that, though," she said sympathetically.

He leaned back against the stone wall. "It's done and over now," was all he could say. Thunder roared and it began to rain heavily outside of their safe place. Kairi squeaked at the sound of the thunder. He stared at her. Kairi couldn't help but notice something different in the way he looked at her. It was almost like he could see right through her.

"I-I don't really like thunderstorms," she quietly explained. The thunder sounded again and Kairi gripped her blanket tightly in response. She felt arms wrap around her. Before she could process what was happening, Ven had rested his head on her shoulder as he embraced her lovingly. "Ven?" she called out of confusion.

"Don't worry, Kairi. I'll keep you safe," he whispered to her. She felt so touched. She couldn't explain the feelings she was suddenly having. She was overwhelmed by her emotions. Ven was so much like Roxas. She longed to return his embrace. She yearned to love and be loved by him in return. She could feel her heart reaching out for him desperately. She couldn't help but cry. Ven quickly pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes. She could practically see Roxas in them staring at her with his loving gaze. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

Kairi broke into sobs. She couldn't stop herself. This was just too much for her to handle. "I-I can't go through this again," she managed to say between sobs, "I can't fall in love again just to end up alone."

Ven gently cupped her chin forcing her to look into his eyes. "Kairi, I will never leave you. I will always be by your side, I promise," he swore.

"How can you even say such things when you barely know me?" Kairi cried miserably.

He shook his head. "No, Kairi. I do know you. I don't know how, but I do know you. It's like I met you before in a dream. When I woke from my coma the only person I thought about was you. I came here because I knew you were here. I love you, Kairi. When I close my eyes all I see is you. When I sleep I dream about us. Even in my coma, I saw you. I was with you. I know this is hard for you to understand, but I have been with you. I remember living with you, sleeping with you, going on dates, and everything!" Ven explained desperately.

Kairi shook her head. "How can that be? I don't know you at all. The person I'd been with was Roxas, h-his name was Roxas," she lamented sadly, "And he died to save me."

"I know that, Kairi. I remember it. He led you to the light," Ven replied tenderly, "He is me."

She felt so overwhelmed. She didn't understand how any of this could be possible, but she didn't care to know. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled lightly. "You'll never see me again as I am now," she whispered to herself. She stared at Ven. He had the same radiance as Roxas. She could see Roxas within him. They were the same person. Roxas was whole; he was actually Ventus this entire time. She'd only met a reflection of him.

"Do you see now?" Ven asked her.

"Yes," Kairi cried happily, "Oh, Ven!" She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. "You came back to me, you really came back," she whispered tenderly, "I love you so much." She didn't even notice the storm anymore.

"I love you too, Kairi," he whispered back. He pulled away from her embrace and gently placed a kiss on her lips. Kairi's eyes closed as she was consumed by the passion between them. She never thought she would be able to feel this way again. It felt amazing. He pulled away from her and rested his forehead on hers. She stared into his eyes and smiled. "Will you still marry me, Kairi?" he asked, "I don't want to ever be without you again."

"Yes, yes I will," Kairi answered.

Today was the day. Finally, she would walk down the aisle and marry the man she loved. Kairi stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her radiant, red hair was tied into a bun with a white ribbon. Her white, gossamer veil covered her head to shoulders. Her white dress was a simple gown with puffed, short sleeves. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and smiled.

"Kairi, are you ready?"

She turned and saw Selphie waiting by the door. She was heavily pregnant and fanning herself. Kairi couldn't help but think it was amazing that she still had her figure even after giving birth to two kids with her third one on the way. She nodded and said, "I've been ready for years."

Selphie smiled. "Well, let's go. Ventus is waiting for you," she said cheerily. She pushed open the door and the two girls walked out toward the center hall where Kairi would be wed. Selphie peeked into the center hall and signaled for the pianist to start playing. The music began and Kairi felt the excitement build up inside of her.

The ceremony began. Selphie, Kairi's maid of honor, made her way down the aisle. Once she was a good distance, Kairi entered the hall. She was happy to see all of her friends present. She looked to the right side of the room and spotted Tidus and his two children. She was also happy to see Sora, Riku, and Wakka present and dressed formally. Sora smiled at her. She smiled back. She turned her attention to the left side of the room and saw some of Ventus's friends that she was able to meet before the wedding. Aqua, his teacher Eraqus, and a girl named Naminé were seated in the pews.

She looked toward the front of the room. Terra, Ventus's best man was standing and looking sharp. Next to him was Ventus. He was already smiling at her as she made her way down the aisle. She couldn't help but be filled with love. She remembered a time when she never thought this would happen to her. She remembered a time when she just wanted to be washed away into the sea. Those were all distant memories.

She carefully ascended the few steps toward the pulpit and turned to face Ventus. The priest began to speak, but she didn't really pay him much attention. She focused on Ventus. She could see the love in his eyes. She was so grateful to have met Roxas. She was so grateful to have met Ventus. In a strange way, she was also grateful to Kingdom Hearts for making this possible. Without it, Roxas would have never been whole. Without it, she would not be standing in this church. She was thankful for the lies. They brought her closer to him, the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

"I do," Ven stated lovingly.

Kairi felt butterflies in her stomach. She knew there was a blush on her face. "I do," she proclaimed happily.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife."

This was it. This was the beginning of her new life filled with love and happiness. Ventus leaned in and sweetly kissed her lips.