Once again, I wish to thank everyone who read and reviewed LiTT! You guys kept me going until the end! Thank you very, very much!
This is the final chapter. Enjoy!
"Sora, where are we going?" Kairi asked. Sora had told her to close her eyes and he was leading her by the hand.
"You'll see in just a sec," he answered back. "Watch your step."
Kairi was going to ask what he meant when she suddenly realized that they were going up a staircase. Once they reached the top, she could feel a gentle breeze hitting her.
"Okay, open your eyes," Sora said.
Kairi opened her eyes and saw that she and Sora were above Twilight Town. Directly in front of them was the beautiful sunset the town was famous for. "Wow, it's gorgeous!" Kairi exclaimed, her eyes wide with fascination.
"Someone told me the clock tower was the perfect place to watch the sunset," Sora explained. "Glad I took his word for it!"
Kairi smiled and continued to gaze out at the lovely sight. "Thank you, Sora. It's really beautiful."
Sora's attention had strayed from the sunset and was now focusing on his childhood friend. Her dark red hair was blowing in the breeze and she was bathed in the glow of the sun. "Just like you," he muttered, not realizing Kairi had heard him until she turned toward him.
"Hmm? What were you saying?" she asked.
"N-Nothing!" Sora quickly blurted out, his face red up to his ears. Sora, you idiot! This is the perfect opportunity to tell her! he thought.
This is the perfect opportunity to tell him, Kairi thought to herself. The two of them were alone and moments like this were rare. Just go for it! It's like Zidane said: it's supposed to be simple, right? She looked at Sora and wondered if she should tell him the truth, that Zidane was helping her practice her confession. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.
"I have to tell you something!" they both said at the same time. They then stared at each other for a few seconds before either of them said anything.
"Um, you go first Sora."
"No no, you go first Kairi."
Kairi found herself trembling once again. Now that she was about to confess, she suddenly realized how nervous she really was. She then remembered what she had done when she practiced with Zidane: she took a deep breath before she started talking. "Um, you know when you found me with Zidane?"
"Yeah…" Sora answered, tilting his head. What was she getting at?
"Well, he was actually helping me practice something… something very important," she continued. She could feel her face heating up and her heart beat faster as she spoke. "Something I really should've done a long time ago."
"What is it?" Sora asked as he unexpectedly moved closer to her.
Kairi looked at the boy she was about to confess her feelings to. The sun shone brilliantly on his face and hair, and she found herself gazing at the boy who risked his life for hers. There was no turning back now.
"Sora, I love you."
Sora released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The three words he wanted so badly to say had just been said to him by the girl he loved. He reached out and gently cupped Kairi's cheek in his hand.
"I… I love you too, Kairi," he replied before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.
Kairi was startled at first, but after a second she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as his other hand went around her waist. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect moment. After a day of craziness and confusion, this first kiss before the setting sun made it all worthwhile.
When they pulled away, Sora noticed the tears trailing down Kairi's cheeks. "Are you okay?" he asked as he wiped the tears away with his thumb.
Kairi nodded. "I'm just… I've never been so happy in my whole life."
"Same here," Sora said with a soft smile. "I love you so much," he whispered before kissing her again. It was then that he firmly decided to take Zidane's advice: he would never let Kairi go for as long as he lived.
…
Zidane sat on the rooftop and watched the setting sun. He smiled at the thought of Kairi being with the boy she loved, but at the same time, he knew he was going to miss her.
He turned when he heard footsteps behind him. "Still thinkin' about her?" Blank asked as he sat down next to his friend.
"Yeah," Zidane answered, turning back to the sunset.
Blank just sighed. "You had to let her go, Zidane."
"I know," Zidane replied. "She's with the person she loves, and that's all that matters." He then looked at his friend with a smile. "But there are plenty of other ladies out there, so don't worry about me, okay?"
"Who said I was worried?" Blank retorted. Honestly, Zidane was always so upbeat, it made him wonder why he even bothered worrying about that monkey-tailed idiot.
Zidane just grinned in response. His expression then softened as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. "Of course, it'll probably be a while before I find someone as special as Kairi."
Suddenly, Zidane heard someone singing. Whoever it was had the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. He suddenly found himself standing up and running toward the edge of the roof.
"What the-? Where are ya goin'?" Blank called after him, but Zidane was already on the next rooftop.
He kept leaping from rooftop to rooftop, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, he stopped and what he saw, standing on a small balcony surrounded by white birds, was a girl about his age. She had long, dark brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail and she had soft brown eyes and fair skin. Zidane found himself staring at this beautiful girl and listening as she continued to sing.
Okay, so I was wrong, he thought with a smile. No complaints here! And on that note, he slid down the roof and landed on the balcony of the house next to the girl's. He walked over to the edge and leaned on the railing, hoping to catch her attention.
The girl finished her song and, apparently sensing Zidane's presence, turned in his direction. At the same time, the birds all flew away towards the setting sun.
"Oh sorry, did I startle you?" Zidane asked.
"No, not at all," the girl responded. "I'm just not used to people listening to me sing."
"Is that so?" Zidane muttered as he continued to stare at her.
"Um, why are you staring at me like that?" the girl asked nervously. "Do I have something on my face?"
"Oh, no. You see…" he started to say before he leapt onto the girl's balcony, landing right in front of her. "I just thought maybe you were the one I'd been looking for all this time."
"You were looking for me?" the girl asked with a confused expression.
"Yeah! I've dreamt of meeting you here ever since I was born!" he answered enthusiastically.
The girl tilted her head. "Are you mocking me?"
Zidane let out a short laugh before answering. "No, of course not."
The girl smiled and giggled at Zidane's attempts to flirt with her. "You flatter me, um…"
"Zidane," he finished. "My name's Zidane. What's your name, lovely?"
"I'm Garnet."
Fin
Yep, even Zidane had a happy ending. Thanks for reading, everyone!
And no, I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy IX (sadly).
Until next time! ^^