Kingdom Hearts fic: Fire and Ice

[mistressofmuses]

And again after midnight, if barely! Ugh.

This is the fill for Day 14: Witches and Wizards AU

This is a quick post-epilogue followup to my longer fic "All Strange Wonders", which was a Howl's Moving Castle AU. I don't think you need to have read it in order to read this one - I tried to toss in enough context clues for it to make sense.

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They’d all agreed that the ocean would be the first place all three of them went.

Kairi knew that choice had really been made for Sora more than for her or for Riku. Not that they were opposed, it just held a little less excitement for them. Riku had grown up on an island, and for Kairi, well… water wasn’t dangerous to her the way it had been such a short time ago, but she was still a fire spirit. Mostly.

They’d all agreed that the ocean would be the first place all three of them went.

Kairi knew that choice had really been made for Sora more than for her or for Riku. Not that they were opposed, it just held a little less excitement for them. Riku had grown up on an island, and for Kairi, well… water wasn’t dangerous to her the way it had been such a short time ago, but she was still a fire spirit. Mostly.

Still, she was happy to see anywhere. After spending five years trapped in place on a hearth, it would be difficult to find any destination that didn’t hold some appeal.

Riku was equally excited to do any and everything possible. Having his heart back really had made him extraordinarily sentimental, and right now he was extremely delighted by the opportunity to show Sora and Kairi whatever they wanted.

With the extraordinarily powerful speed spells Sora could make, traveling was fortunately a very easy process. They’d made it to a small town along the coast with a gentle morning stroll, and had easily procured a room at one of the inns catering to travelers.

Kairi had left Sora and Riku on the beach to get them all something to eat. There was a nice local market with stalls selling fruits and breads and things. She understood it was mundane, but getting to do this, picking up a piece of fruit and examining it, buying the ones that looked the best, was almost as exciting to her as the ocean had been for Sora.

She smiled. Sora had been craning to see the sea practically the instant they’d arrived in the little town. The moment they arrived on the beach itself, he’d run straight for the water.

Riku had followed with a little more decorum, and had stayed behind to help set up towels for them on the warm sand.

As Kairi was trying to decide between two types of fruit, another customer walked over. He reached over and grabbed one of the fruits out of her hand.

“Excuse you!” she snapped.

He just shrugged and turned to walk away.

She flicked the fingers of her rudely emptied hand, and a spark struck the end of his sleeve.

The man yelped and jumped, hurriedly trying to beat out the spot. It didn’t burn long enough to do more than sting and leave a singed spot, but Kairi found a little satisfaction in it.

“Witch,” the man snarled, though then he hurried away.

“Sure am,” she muttered to herself as she made her final selections.

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Sora and Riku were still in the water when she returned to the beach. She did notice that the towels had amassed quite a collection of seashells.

The other two saw her as she sat down, and waved enthusiastically before heading out of the water and into the sand.

She handed out the fruit and small bread buns she’d bought. A light lunch for a hot day.

Kairi enjoyed the heat of the sun on her skin. If what she had counted as skin, though it seemed close enough. She still ran hotter than an ordinary human, even if she was no longer in danger of accidentally singeing anything. Even if it wasn’t as hot to her as it might have been to others, it was nice to feel after years trapped inside. They’d been voluntary years, but still.

She licked fruit juice off her arm where it had dripped down. Eating was maybe one of the most enjoyable things she’d gotten to discover after Sora had granted her her own heart. She’d always loved the foods she was offered as a fire, but burning something to consume it was a very different experience than eating it. It was a very different sense of taste.

After they’d devoured the food, they sat for a few minutes.

“Do you think you’ll set up another magic shop?” she asked.

Selling charms and potions and spells had been Riku’s primary source of income, though he’d closed down the storefronts.

“Maybe,” he said. “Maybe in place of the flower shop. Or in addition to. Though I’ve had enough of getting dragged into big important quests because of it, thank you.”

She smiled. If another big important quest came along, there was no chance Riku wouldn’t want to be involved, no matter what he said.

“Apparently I can help with spells,” Sora put in.

“You have probably graduated from ‘assistant to the sorcerer’ at this point,” Riku agreed.

“Want a witch in your shop, too?” Kairi asked. She snapped her fingers to create a hovering spark.

“I think that could be arranged, too.” Riku laced his fingers with hers. “I can only imagine how much business we’ll do, with three magic-users providing services.”

“Now,” said Sora, “the more important thing is: Kairi, are you going to come into the water?”

“Um, uh—” she stuttered. “I don’t know if I should. Fire and water, y’know?”

True, she hadn’t had any trouble so far. She’d been able to drink liquids, and while she didn’t enjoy being caught in sudden rain, it hadn’t done any harm to her. She hadn’t learned to share Riku’s love for excessively long showers and baths, but she’d planned to someday try them.

“It’s not going to hurt you,” Sora said.

And of course, if he said so, then it would be the truth.

“All right,” she agreed.

She let the two of them grab her by the hands and pull her to the water.

Feeling the cooler water close over her bare feet was a strange sensation, but not one she could claim was a bad one, and then she was running and splashing along with them.

Impulsively, she reached over and pulled both of them into a hug. They each pressed a kiss to her cheeks.

There were a lot of things to love about the experience of having a heart of her own, and the freedom that came with it. As much as she loved the feeling of the sun, or her ability to shop for produce, or how amazing it was to taste her food… having the two of them with her was absolutely the best.