Thirty-Nine
I woke up in that gray room, my chest throbbing dully.
I gasped and sat up.
The world swayed and the blood in my head sloshed discomfortingly. I was floating…and not in a good way.
"Slow down," a tender hand eased me back to the ground. "You'll faint again."
I grinned, reaching up to stroke Sara's cheek with my thumb. "Hey you."
Her plush lips curled into a small smile, "Hey." She whispered, putting her hand over mine.
"I'll kill you Riku. I really will."
"Go to hell," Sara snapped, "We're having a moment."
But she kissed my fingertips and put my hand back down, turning to her brother.
"You did it," she gave my hand a squeeze, indicating she was talking to me as well. "You beat me."
"Yeah," My beam grew, making me look like an idiot. "We did, didn't we?"
"Come on," she pulled us to our feet slowly. "Let's get you home."
"Sara," Sora put an arm around her. "Let's all go home."
000
A streak of light hit the water, the sparkling liquid curled into the sky, filling the air with a crisp splash. The figures broke through the water, shaking the water out of their eyes. Slowly, they made their way to shore.
A girl in pink noticed them, calling out and pointing. Without waiting for their response, she hurried to the edge of the water, ignoring the salt lapping at her pink sneakers.
The shorter boy broke out in a run, slapping away water. He was almost there…
His other friends tackled him, knocking him back into the water.
A large mouse ran into the water, bolting for the taller boy. He leapt, the boy caught him, and they hugged.
Finally, the short one managed to get out of the grip of his friends. He pulled something out of his pocket.
"We're back." He grinned.
"You're home," The girl replied.
She held out a hand, and he took it, slipping a star-shaped charm into her grip.
And then she noticed it.
"Where's Sara?"
Both boys froze.
Riku looked up at the sky.
"She said she'd be there if we needed her."
Sora looked down at the sand.
"But she had to sacrifice her home to save us."
"She's never coming back."