Greetings, KH fans! I'm samuraistar, a fan like yourselves of the Sora/Kairi pairing! Um, this is my first attempt at a KH fic, so go easy on me, please! I've never done this before, but I just felt inspired to do this, so...here ya go! And I warn you: This is all Sora/Kairi FLUFF (with a funny Riku part at the end!) It also has lots of ellipses! So if you hate it, don't say I didn't warn you! ;)

"I want to line the pieces up...yours and mine."-Sora, Kingdom Hearts 2

10 Things I Love About You

"Kairi!" he hissed outside her window, "Kairi!" He was perched on the huge limb of a tree that grew right next to the house; he and Kairi and Riku had been climing in and out of that window as long as they could remember. The limb actually touched the sill, acting as a bench. Now Sora was kneeling on it, trying urgently to wake up the redhead inside it.

Finally, her light came on and her flimsy pink curtains were swept away to reveal Kairi wearing a pink tank top and PJ shorts. Her hair was tusseled from sleep, and her eyes widened when she saw Sora, fully clothed in his black and blue outfit, kneeling before her on their tree. She lifted the window, ducked her head out, and leaned over.

"Sora?" she whispered, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he smiled, "but I have to talk to you now; it can't wait."

"Okay," she said, "Just let me get my shoes." She quickly slipped into her open-toed white beach sandals and climbed down with Sora. She didn't worry about her Pjs; one, it was warm, and two, her friends had seen her in her PJ's plenty of times...at like, sleepovers and stuff.

When they got to the ground, Sora grabbed Kairis' hand.

"C'mon!" he urged, running off with her.

"Sora!" Kairi had to laugh, "Where are we going?"

"The beach!" he grinned back at her, "Where else?"

"Um...okay." She didn't say anything else until they were standing under the stars by the gently waving sea. Sora took a moment to look at Kairi: Her cheeks were flushed from the run, her orb-like eyes were full of wonder, and the wind had blown the tussels out of her hair. He was still holding her hand.

"Sora," she asked, "what is it? Are we meeting Riku?" He shook his head.

"Believe me, Kairi," he said, "This isn't something I can do in front of Riku." Her expression turned curious. Sora cleared his throat.

"Kairi," he began, "we've known each other for a very long time...our whole lives...s-so, you know I'm terrible with words, but...I'm always able to say what I need to say." Kairi looked at him with one of those searching looks and said, "Okay, then." He took a deep breath, let go of her hand, and took a folded piece of paper out of his left pocket.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I wrote this half an hour ago," he said as he unfolded it, "It's a list."

"Of what?" she asked, her face blank. He looked directly at her.

"It's ten things I love about you," he smiled. Her eyes widened; she could swear she was blushing!

"Me?" she squeaked accidentally. Sora nodded.

"It's pretty much everything I've always wanted to say to you but couldn't because I was too shy, and then the darkness came and I had to wait even longer to tell you..." Kairi smiled dearly.

'He's babbling,' she thought, 'That's so sweet!' She touched Sora's right hand with both of hers.

"Sora?" she said, still smiling.

"Hm?" He stopped. A blush line penciled across his nose and cheeks. Kairi adored him when he was like this.

"You can read me the list," she said gently. The blush line got bigger. He scratched his head with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah..." He kept staring at her; what was he worried about? This was Kairi! His gaze on her turned soft and meaningful.

"Okay." He held up the list and read it to her.

"One," he read, "I love the way your eyes light up and sparkle when the stars come out at night, and the way the light reflects in them. Two: I love the way you smile when you're happy. Every time you do, I feel light inside." Kairi smiled.

"Three," he continued, "I love the way you laugh whenever I say something stupid." Kairi laughed out loud; she couldn't help herself.

"Like that," Sora grinned, "Four: I love the way your hair blows slightly in the wind, and whenever you tuck it behind your ear." Kairi did just that instinctively.

"Five," he went on, "I love your undaunted courage when it's needed most. It's made the difference between life and death.

"Six: I love your unwavering faith and loyalty to me and Riku; it fueled your journey to us.

"Seven: I love your ability to care for everyone around you. You love effortlessly and naturally, and that's something I wish I could do.

"Eight: I love your strength of spirit and the way it endures hardship." Kairi remembered the hardship of losing Sora and Riku; she still couldn't figure out how her heart had held on for so long.

"Nine," he went on, "I love your heart. It's strong, pure, loving, passionate, unrelenting, and beautiful. It makes you who you are and shines in your beauty. It conquers everything around you..." He looked at her with emotion in his eyes and finished, "...including me." Still watching her, he finished the list as his right hand held it loosely by his side.

"And ten..." He let the list fall from his hand; this, if nothing else, was the part he'd known all his life. He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her intensely.

"I love you, Kairi," he whispered softly as a light breeze stirred. He didn't see Kairi's face explode into such an expression of joy as no girl's face could ever look.

'He loves me!' her heart cried out, 'Did you hear that, world? Sora loves me!' She couldn't speak. Sora held her back; he wasn't done yet.

"I love you," he repeated, nearly choked with emotion, "You're my light. You're everything I've ever wanted in a friend...in a girl. You kept me going when we were separated by the darkness.

"When I was out fighting the Heartless, all I could think of was you and Riku, how you both needed me. And..." He was struggling now; he thought his heart was about to explode.

"...even though I had you with me everywhere I went..." He looked up; she was closer now, but he knew she'd let him finish.

"...and even now, when you're with me everywhere I go...I-it's not the same." He'd choked out a sob, but no tears. He took her hand in his, twining their fingers together. He continued, drowning in her eyes as he revealed all the love he felt for her, and the pain of their separation.

"It's not the same as having you with me for real...seeing your face...hearing your voice..." She was closer now; his voice and eyes softened.

"...holding your hand...looking in your eyes...agonizing over whether or not to tell you how I feel...watching you stand on this beach every day..." She was moving her face towards his slowly; her eyelids were slightly lowered, as were his.

"...and wondering," he said, "what it...would..." Their eyes were halfway closed now, and their faces were dangerously close.

"...be like..." They were almost closed; Sora managed to get one more word out before the distance between them melted.

"...to..." Then they closed their eyes and kissed. Sora felt Kairi's hand grasp the open collar on his jacket, and was dimly aware of his own hands pressing gently on her back. She obeyed them and leaned in closer to him.

He'd done it at last: He told Kairi he loved her! Kairi thought she was going to cry; she tried to tell herself not to, but her mind couldn't register anything. Right now, all that was there was Sora and his overwhelming love for her. Finally, Kairi broke the kiss. She smiled before opening her eyes.

"There," she whispered, then said in a low volume, "Now you know what it's like." Sora's lips were still slightly parted and his eyes were still closed, as if he was relishing the kiss.

"Wow..." he breathed. Kairi chuckled at him.

"Open your eyes, silly!" she giggled. He did; he still looked entranced.

"Huh?" he said dazedly, "Is it over?" Kairi burst out laughing.

"Well, Sora," she asked, "what's it like?" He smiled at her, his eyes only halfway out of his trance.

"Like I could sprout wings and soar above the clouds," he said, "and touch every star in the sky." Kairi's eyes wavered as she stared at him, his face fixed on the heavens. She couldn't take it anymore; she threw one arm around his neck, one around his arm, and leaned her head over his shoulder as her precious tears poured forth.

"I love you too, Sora!" she cried, "I love you so much, it almost hurts!" Sora was taken aback; he didn't expect such an outburst!

"Well, I," he said awkwardly, "I didn't mean to make you cry." She pulled back grinning like no one's business.

"No, Sora!" she said happily, "I'm crying because I'm happier than I've ever dreamed! I've wanted to tell you I love you for so long, it nearly drove me nuts! And now you're here, pouring out your heart to me! When you told me you loved me, it made me speechless! Now I'm so happy, I can freely tell you that I love you!" She hugged him again. More of her tears leaked out through her closed eyes.

"I love you, Sora," she said emotionally, "From the day I met you, I loved you. I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll tell you I love you every day and night until my dying breath. And it won't even stop there!" She looked up at him, smiling through a face wet with joy. Sora looked at her, floored with humility.

"Kairi...?"

"I will love you beyond death," her voice shook, "It couldn't stop us before, and I'll never let it stop me." Sora stared in amazement and touched her face.

"Then," he said as he drew her head to his shoulder, "neither will I."

"So," Kairi asked, "now what?"

"Now we make it official," he smiled. He took off his Kingdom Crown necklace.

"Kairi?" he asked.

"Yes, Sora?" He held the necklace between them.

"Will you go steady with me?" he asked formally.

"Of course," she grinned and bent her head forward to let Sora slip his emblem around her neck.

"It looks perfect on you," he said tenderly. Kairi smiled and fingered it; the crown rested heavily in the middle of her chest plate.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Does this mean you'll go to the prom with me?" he asked. She laughed.

"On one condition," she said, resting her forearms on his collar bone, "Take me to the sky with you."

"Can't fly alone," he said softly as he held her around her waist. Kairi wrapped the remaining length of her arms around his neck and they kissed again.

On the bridged mini-island nearby, a pair of binoculars was peering from a bush holding a certain 16-year-old silvery-blue haired young man. He laughed quietly to himself.

"They'll never live this down as long as they live!" he grinned devillishly, "Looks like I'll be chaperoning more often from now on!"

THE

END

Author's Review:

I do these all the time. Not bad for my first KH story, huh? I've got another one coming up soon after, and it's really cute! It's a songfic one-shot, and I hope you'll like it...actually, I just hope you liked this one!

I was lying in bed one night, daydreaming myself to sleep, when I just had this vision of Sora and Kairi about to kiss, and Sora's giving his love babble, and then they close their eyes at the same time and kiss! (Sigh) Hope you liked it!

Yours truly,

-samuraistar