A/N: So this is my first time writing about Kingdom Hearts, and I'm a little nervous about how it turned out. Hopefully it's good enough to make you guys smile!

When he opened his eyes, the bright rays of the setting sun almost blinded him. Sora squinted and lazily shielded his eyes with his arm. He sighed and stretched his back and limbs a little, still covering his face, and let the warm sun soak his skin and warm his body. The sand shifted under him, and Sora burrowed just a little more, gathering as much warmth as possible. There was honestly no better feeling than this one, he thought: the sun on his skin, the sand warming his back, the soothing breeze, and the steady roll of waves in the distance. It was a perfect moment.

"Hey you lazy bum," called a familiar voice from above his napping place. Sora moved his arm away excitedly and opened his sky blue eyes. Riku smirked and tilted his head. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere right now?" he asked with the tinge of sarcasm that almost always accompanied him. It was sometimes still shocking to see Riku standing before him, even though he came home with Sora and Kairi almost two full years ago.

Riku's hair was shorter now, and he smiled more, but he was still just as competitive and sarcastic as ever. Sora grinned and ran a hair through his hair. "Supposed to be somewhere? Hmmm…" He narrowed his eyes in concentration. Riku sighed dramatically and gestured towards the beach. "Sora, you still nap too much. You know, if I was lucky enough to date Kairi, I would never forget about dates, or ever keep her waiting."

Sora flushed. "They're not dates, Riku! Jeez, cut it out," he whined. He rubbed the back of his head anxiously. "And how did you know we were meeting tonight, anyways?" Riku gave Sora a look of mock pity. "Easy. I just saw her waiting down there, and she told me, you bum. Now get up and stop making her wait." Sora jumped up in a flash and shook the sand off his clothes. He turned to go, but paused. Still blushing, he turned to Riku. "It's note a date, okay Riku? We're all friends," he maintained unconvincingly. Riku raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Sure, Sora, whatever you say. Now go already!"

Sora sighed and ran along the beach until he spotted the redheaded princess herself, standing in the surf. He grinned. Meeting her in the evenings like this had become a habit of theirs, and was swiftly becoming his favorite part of the day. They would often stay up chatting and laughing for half the night, easily. Sora peered closer at Kairi, hoping she wasn't too angry with him for sleeping through part of their meeting. Meeting, not date. The water was only up to her ankles, but Sora was sure it must feel wonderful after being in the sun so long. He slowed down, hoping to surprise her, and walked as silently as possible. He paused just where the water broke on the sand and admired the view. The sun was dipping towards the horizon now, and the clouds cast an array of pinks, oranges, and yellows across the sky. The sun silhouetted Kairi, highlighting features like her hair and the edges of her skin. Sora smiled and watched her for a few moments, but then shook himself out of it. When his bare feet slipped into the water, it felt amazing on his warm skin, and Sora resisted the urge to sigh. He didn't want her to know he was there quite yet.

He moved up until he was right behind Kairi, and for a moment he paused, wondering if this was the best idea, but then shrugged it off. It would be worth it. He tilted forward and placed his hands on her hips. Simultaneously, he brushed his lips against her ear and whispered, "sorry I'm late." Kairi squealed and jerked out of his hands, turning around in shock. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks a bright red, and she punched him hard in the shoulder. "What the heck, Sora!" she squeaked. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Sora smiled mischievously, eyebrows raised, and locked his hands behind his head.
"Sorry, Kairi. When I saw you alone like that, I just couldn't resist." He gave her his best boyish grin. Kairi huffed and crossed her arms. "You better be," she murmured, trying to stay mad and failing. After a pause, she asked, "you were sleeping again, weren't you?" Sora laughed the question off and grabbed her hand. Kairi gave him a suspicious look, but let him lead her towards the shore. Sora sat down and pulled her down with him so she was sitting next to him, facing the ocean. He sighed and rested his chin on his hand. "It's such a beautiful view," he muttered. A faint smile rested on Kairi's face, and he knew she had been thinking the same thing. "Even better with a friend," she added softly. Sora lifted his head and looked at her, nodding. "Speaking of which, wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?" Sora asked.

Kairi looked away and tugged at her ear nervously. "Ummm, yeah, I guess there was," she drawled awkwardly. Sora wondered if something was wrong. He frowned and leaned closer to her, placing his hand on her thigh in an attempt to comfort her. Kairi tensed up and still didn't turn to face him. "Is everything okay?" Sora asked. "You know you can tell me anything, Kairi."

"I know," she whispered. Warmth blanketed his hand, and Sora looked down to see Kairi's hand on his. He felt his face heat up a few degrees, and when he looked up, saw that her ears were red with embarrassment. Was she doing what he thought she was? Before he had a chance to say or do anything, Kairi spoke again. "Sora, do you remember the time you stabbed yourself in the heart to save me, even knowing you could become a heartless?" Sora laughed awkwardly.

"Sure I do, Kairi, but that was a long time ago. Why are you bringing it up now?"

"Even after you became a heartless, you remembered me. You found me." Sora waited, his stomach filling with lead. Where was she going with this and why was he so nervous? "Mhmm," he managed. Kairi sighed and finally turned to face him. Her face was a deep shade of red.

"You're always doing crazy stuff like that for me," she continued. "Why is that?"

Sora narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I thought… thought you wanted to tell me something, not ask," he said slowly. Kairi frowned. "Come on, Sora."

He let out a deep breath and smiled shakily. "Kairi, you know why. I do stuff like that because you're my friend."

A crease spread over her forehead, and she looked into her lap. The blush was completely gone from her cheeks. "Is that all there is to it? Because we're friends?"

Sora tried to swallow and found that nothing would dislodge the lump in his throat. He definitely gave the wrong answer. "Where is this coming from?" he asked nervously. Kairi pulled away a little and stared out at the beach.

"Forget it," she said quietly. "It wasn't important anyways."

Sora stared intently at her, but she seemed finished. He tried to swallow again and took a good look at her. The breeze whipped her hair around a little and setting sun cast a few stray beams still that made her eyes shine. She was struggling desperately not to seem interested. Sora swallowed again.

"Okay, you win," he whispered. "I do crazy stuff for you, because, Kairi… you… you are my light," he stammered. "And you are the most important person to me. Thinking of you has gotten me out of some really bad places. It's saved me." His heart was beating like a drum in his ears. Kairi slowly turned his way. Her eyes pierced his. "Sora," she whispered. "Do you mean it?"

Sora swallowed. Again. He nodded. Before he knew the weight of his answer, Kairi closed the space between them and pressed her lips against his. For a moment, he didn't move out of sheer shock and anxiety. Then his lips parted and his hands found her waist and gripped it tightly, pulling her closer, somehow. She ran a hand up his neck and into his hair and it was amazing. This should have happened a long time ago, he thought in the back of his mind. She was warm, so warm, and tasted like sea-salt, salty and sweet at the same time. Sora wasn't sure how long the kiss actually lasted, but when Kairi finally pulled away, her face was flushed. Sora realized his cheeks were the same way.

"Ahh," he murmured in surprise, looking at his lap. "That was—" he was going to say unexpected, but Kairi beat him to it. "Overdue," she breathed, still shaken up. Sora laughed breezily and paused to consider. He thought about that time when he was a heartless and she saved him. He thought about when he begged Siox on hands and knees, just so he could see her. He remembered everything he'd done for her. "Do you remember the Paopu fruit?" he asked suddenly. Kairi smiled a little.

"Yeah. You made that drawing in the cave," she said. Sora laughed lightly. "I did do that," he said. He paused. "Riku and I raced for the right to share one with you. That's why I drew that," he confessed. Kairi, who had finally stated calming down, blushed furiously again, but said nothing. "Um, Kairi?" Sora asked after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm?"

"Uh, would you like to share one with me? A Paopu fruit?" Sora couldn't meet her eyes as he asked. Kairi giggled.

"Do you even have to ask?"

Sora laughed with her and smiled again. Then after a moment's hesitation, he slipped his fingers between hers and stared determinedly at the sunset, which was just a tiny red glow on the horizon now. She tightened her fingers around his and he let out a nervous breath. They sat in contented silence for a few minutes until the sun was finally gone.

"Hey, Kairi, you never told me what you wanted to say," Sora recalled.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Well, what was it?" he asked. There was a pause, and Sora assumed she was nervous. He squeezed her hand gently. She giggled for a moment and squeezed back.

"First, I wanted to say thank you. And, Sora, umm…."

"You can tell me anything," he whispered.

"I love you."

A/N: So much fluff at the end! Haha. Anyways, I hope it was worth your time to read this one and that you enjoyed it. Next chapter is Kairi's POV!