End

Sora approached his old apartment building and walked through the hallway. He knew where his old unit was, but he eyed each number until he found the pair he was looking for.

Apartment B-2; across from it, Apartment B-4.

He smiled.

The door looked like it had been painted a while ago. The scratches along the finish near the door handle—the side-effect of trying to insert a key on drunken nights—had been covered up. His eyes fell down to the doormat, which said "Wipe Your Paws" in a cursive font. The new tenants must have been dog owners.

It looked different, but the memories were still there. He and Kairi had sat in the space right next to the door and ate their melting ice cream. They had also encountered Roxas and Naminé that day, a fact that they never told the couple even to this day. And, if Riku was a reliable source, a pile of sand from a fillable sign had been dumped out here on one of the crazier nights.

Sora chuckled and grabbed the doorknob. The sound of metal on metal clinked as his ring tapped the metal handle. He let go.

He did a lot of growing up in that apartment. He had practiced his cooking in that kitchen and slept in the living room more times than he cared to count because he had been too far gone to make it to his room. He had ambushed his friends around the corners for a cheap scare, he'd hidden clothes in the cupboard, and he'd met the woman of his dreams who had, probably illegally, taken residence in this three-bedroom, two-bath apartment in the room across the hallway.

He turned to look at Apartment B-4. He knew its secrets: it had started off as a project and actually combined two apartment units. It had hosted many parties, some more low-key than others, and it had never failed to deliver the fun. Sora never thought his neighbors would prove to be lifelong friends. He had been glad to find out that, despite his knowledge of their activities when they thought they were alone and unheard, he could appreciate them as irreplaceable friends with incredible values.

The tenants of B-2 and B-4 had moved on years ago. Now, they probably housed recent graduates or budding families.

Sora left the building and walked out of the parking lot. A new gate had been installed since he had lived here. Seeing as how it was incredibly easy to sneak in, perhaps they needed to beef up security. Or maybe the gate was a fixture meant not to deter people who wanted to see their old residencies, but to grant the current tenants peace of mind.

Across the street was the park, which had remained unchanged despite the passage of time. Two people were using the swing set: one a mother, the other a daughter. Sora watched for a moment before crossing the street, away from the apartment of his past and toward his wife and daughter.

There were memories on this swing set too, but they were slowly being overwritten.

His daughter's laughter echoed louder with each push, her red hair flying wildly behind her.

"Daddy! Daddy! Watch this!" his daughter yelled. She launched herself off the swing despite her mother's protest and tucked into a roll, kicking up sand as she bounced back to her feet. "Look how far I got!"

"Now where did you learn that?" Kairi asked, a hint of a smile on her face as she tried to give her daughter a disapproving look.

Sora held a finger to his lip. His daughter shook her head.

"Me!" their daughter declared. She ran over to the slide and started climbing the steps.

"She got farther than you got, if I remember correctly," Sora said as he wrapped his hand around his wife's waist.

Kairi rotated her wedding ring, a tic she had developed in recent years to keep herself calm. She tilted her head as she watched her daughter clumsily climb up the slide stairs. She sighed in relief and cheered their daughter on as she slid down.

Kairi turned back to Sora. "Rolling doesn't count," she said with a smile.

Sora cupped her cheek and kissed her. "It does, though. I definitely came out a winner here." He released her and began walking toward their daughter, ready to swoop in and scoop her up. "Besides, are you really going to tell her that rolling doesn't count?"

Redeeming Endeavor: This was never supposed to amount to anything. It was supposed to be an idea dump, and it was supposed to be a hot mess of random happenings and exercises.

And then it morphed into a plotless but connected string of stories. So if it needed wrapping up, here it is.

With this, I'm officially done. Redeeming Endeavor ends today.

(Except, of course, when Kyorii and Jomatto come calling for some collaborations. They're my baby daddies. Mommas. Yeah.)

In case you don't read my other story, LPA, I'll say it again: that's it from RE! I'll be moving on in a serious attempt at writing as a career. If you want to follow me beyond this point, just let me know and I'll give you some details!

Thank you very much for the support, the laughs, and the encouragement I got from your kind words. You readers are all incredible, and for that I'm extremely grateful. It was a pleasure writing for you all. It was the least I could do for what you've given me.

Thanks for finding entertainment in this short hot mess of writing whimsy. Take care, and maybe I'll see you around someday.