It wasn't long before they reached the outskirts of the town. Once there, Sora led them over to the edge of the woods. As soon as they stepped foot inside the woods though, a familiar figure caught Sora's eye.
"Kairi?" She looked up quickly as the boys approached, her eyes widening.
"Oh hey Sora, uh...you're here pretty late." She laughed nervously. "But I figured since Riku wanted you to be gone by midnight, you might as well meet your parents now." Sora blinked.
"Parents?!"
"Uh yeah...your moms and grandmas are still looking for you. They called earlier to say they found you and that they're coming to get you."
"Wait, what? My mom and grandma are here?" Sora questioned, his eyes growing wide. Kairi nodded.
"Yeah. They said they'll be here in a couple hours."
"Oh. Well, um...thanks for telling me."
"Yeah. You sure you wanna see them?" She asked cautiously. "You kinda left a mess behind...and I don't want you getting mad at them for bringing you here and then leaving when we're done. Cause I can guarantee that if they find out you ran away on your own, I'm pretty much fucked."
Sora sighed. "...yeah...that probably would make it worse… I mean you're right. It probably wouldn't make them happy..but I have to tell them eventually....right?" He frowned slightly. Kairi hesitated for a moment longer, biting her lip before nodding solemnly.
"I guess so...if you're sure. Come on...let's go."
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Riku bit his lip worriedly. Was Sora angry with him? Was he going to turn on him too now? Was he mad because he hadn't been able to find him? Was he going to hate Riku now because he hadn't listened? He couldn't help but wonder.
"Hey Riku, you okay?" Riku jumped slightly. He hadn't even noticed that the others had left him alone while he lost himself in his thoughts. "What's wrong? You were spacing out. Are you feeling alright?" Donald asked carefully, taking a few small steps closer to him. He glanced between the other two with furrowed brows.
"Oh, um yeah, I'm fine. Just...wondering if Sora is gonna be mad at me anymore," he admitted. He saw a brief flash of concern cross Donald's features and felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He shouldn' t have lied to the guy. He deserved better than that…
Donald gave him an almost pitying smile and wrapped a tentacle around his shoulder reassuringly. "He'll be okay. Don't worry about that." Riku swallowed thickly and gave Donald a weak smile in return.
"Thanks, Donald," he muttered gratefully. Donald released him from his tentacle grip and gestured with his staff for him to continue walking.
As they entered another part of the woods, Sora began fidgeting impatiently beside him.
"Riku, c'mon! We're gonna miss the train!" He complained loudly. Riku sighed.
"Okay. Okay...just a minute." He held up a finger as he dug through his pocket for some coins he had taken from his wallet the night before. They were still somewhat damp from having been hidden under a rock in the forest, but at least they would buy something to eat. After paying for the tickets (with the money the King of Light gave him) the group boarded the train slowly and reluctantly. Once on board, they all gathered together and sat down in the seats along the aisle, which Sora had claimed as his own once Riku had made his decision. The two brunettes sat opposite each other, while Riku and Kairi sat on the opposite ends and Donald sat on the end closest to Sora. Once the doors shut and the train began moving, the two of them shared confused glances with each other before bursting into laughter simultaneously.
"I can't believe we actually made it." Sora wheezed out between giggles. Kairi wiped a tear from her eye.
"I know, right?! This is awesome!" She cheered, bouncing excitedly in her seat. Riku joined her enthusiasm, and a small chuckle escaped him. Sora smiled brightly.
"Yup!" He agreed happily. A few seconds later however, he faltered slightly. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Riku..?" He started hesitantly, glancing at his boyfriend nervously. Riku hummed in response, keeping his attention focused forward. He was unsure why his friend felt so apprehensive, but he didn' t want to push the issue right away.
"Sorry, I got distracted." He answered sheepishly. Sora gave him a questioning look, before he nodded and turned back towards the window.
After a minute or so of silence, the sound of footsteps caught Riku's attention as another passenger exited the cabin.
"Excuse me," they said softly, "I am terribly sorry to bother you all.." Their voice sounded vaguely familiar to him. The stranger continued walking towards their seat, only to suddenly pause halfway through. "Ah...excuse me..." They mumbled to themselves, turning towards Riku with wide eyed confusion.
Riku frowned. "Um...? What is it?"
The stranger blinked for a moment before shaking his head and giving a slight bow. "I apologize for being rude, but could I please borrow a pencil for a moment?" Riku blinked.
"...uh...sure...here. But what does that have to do with--" Before he could finish his question, the stranger snatched his notebook from his hands, tore out the page, and swiftly scribbled out a message on it, ripping off the rest of it and handing it back to him. Before Riku could read what the note said, the stranger quickly exited their seat and hurried back towards where they belonged.
"Huh? That's weird." Riku mumbled to himself as he unfolded the piece of paper. As he scanned the messy, sloppily written handwriting, a bright orange blush suddenly spread across his cheeks. "Wha….what is this?!" He muttered under his breath as he stared in shock. "This is...this isn't possible!"
Riku gaped at the note incredulously for several moments more before his gaze fell upon the name that had been scrawled hastily below the message. He blinked, his mind reeling at what he was reading.
"Naminé...is that really you..? How did you get here?!"
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