He tried hard to fall back asleep before opening his eyes, but it was practically impossible. The strong Destiny Island sun shown too bright into the room, so the cyan windows to his soul fluttered open. His rough hands rubbed the sleep out of them as he sat up. He flinched as the deafening grandfather clock outside the door rang 10 times. The depths of his stomach rumbled to display his hunger as he recalled dinner wasn't one of his meals yesterday. His nose sniffed the air as he smelled the freshly cooked bacon and eggs. He reached for his shirt at the end of his bed and pulled it over his head, covering his toned chest. He swung his legs over to the end of his bed, stood up, and walked out of his bedroom. The carpet in his hallway felt soft on his callused feet as he walked towards the kitchen.
His aging father sat at the head of the mahogany breakfast table with the Destiny Island Tribute covering his face. It was obvious his mother had been slaving over the stove for an hour as she had done so every day since the teenager had returned. "Good morning, Sora," his mom said with a smile as she sat a plate stacked with bacon and eggs in front of him. "Happy birthday, sweetie." She moved the few hairs hanging down on his forehead and kissed it.
"Mom!" Sora exclaimed with a scowl. He noticed her disappointed frown, so he forced a sincere smile onto his face. "Thanks for the food, Mom. It looks delicious." He hugged her from his seat, knowing how sad she had been for the two years he was gone. Her soft arms squeezed his shoulders tightly before letting go. She sat down next to her husband and began eating breakfast.
"Happy birthday, son. You're one step closer to becoming a full-fledged man," his father said with a straight face as he put the newspaper down. "I saw your friend Wakka in the Sports Section today. He did very well last night winning that surf competition." Sora smiled at his dad through a mouth full of bacon as he spoke. Once the family finished eating, Sora and his father cleaned the dishes and his mother left the room.
She returned with a brand new surfboard in her arms. It was shining white with a single crimson red stripe running down the middle of it. Surfing had always been a passion of Sora's since it was such a huge event on Destiny Island. Before the darkness had whisked him away, Sora's surfboard had snapped in half. "Thanks you guys," he said to his parents as his mother handed him the smooth board. She hugged him once again, weaving her hands firmly into his brunette hair.
After she released her grip, Sora walked back to his room. He proceeded to remove all his clothing and dawn his dark blue plaid swim trunks. His backpack was already packed with two shirts, shorts, boxers, and a sleeping bag for the night on the beach. He swung it over his bare, tan back and grabbed his crown chain. As he put it on, the doorbell rang. He picked up his new board and walked to the front door, opening it. He saw the familiar face of Riku, standing at least three inches taller than him. The silver haired seventeen year old was wearing yellow swim trunks and holding his green board. He was more toned than Sora, but the younger one was catching up. His jade eyes gazed down at Sora as he smiled.
"Happy birthday, man," Riku said, his grin getting wider. "Are you ready?" Sora nodded, and then went to say goodbye to his parents. Once he returned, the two began the short walk to the docks. Their sandals protected their feet from the hot concrete as they made their way there; speaking about how great the weather was for surfing.
Wakka and Tidus were already sitting in Wakka's motorboat with their boards in their hands when Riku and Sora reached the docks. "Wow, nice board!" Wakka marveled at Sora's birthday present as the two teenagers sat down in the boat.
"Where's Kairi?" Sora wondered aloud as he noticed her boat was gone. She had texted him happy birthday last night at midnight, so it only made sense that she would've wanted to be one of the first to wish him happy birthday in real life.
"The girls headed out to the island about an hour ago, bra," Wakka explained as he started his boat up. "Something about catching some rays." He steered the boat out of the docks and into the open ocean.
"Maybe Kairi will give you sixteen kisses for your birthday," Tidus said with a laugh. Sora's cheek immediately changed from tan to pink as he blushed. He still hadn't admitted his feelings for her, even though he had tried several times over the past three months. Every time he had changed his mind about telling her how he really felt. It always came out as "You're the best friend ever" or "I hope we'll be friends forever" instead of "You're the most beautiful girl ever" or "I hope we'll be together forever."
"Sora, you should just kiss her. I know you have a lot of trouble verbalizing your feelings, so maybe it will be easier for you," Riku said into Sora's ear. Sora thought over this, and nodded at Riku. He would at least try.
Before he knew it, Wakka was tying up his boat next to Kairi's on the island. The four boys stepped off the dock and into the warm, soft sand. Two bodies were visible lying on the beach about fifty yards away. Wakka and Riku kicked off their shoes and ran to the water while Sora and Tidus strode towards the girls.
Even though Selphie had a very nice body, all Sora saw was Kairi. She was lying on her stomach, the sun making her pale skin glow. Her red hair was pushed over her shoulder to reveal her beautiful back to the light. The purple bikini that covered the best parts of her body was untied in the back to avoid tan lines. Everything about her made him sweat, from the crook of her shoulder blades to the small of her back.
Sora looked away as Tidus fell into the sand next to Selphie. "Good morning, ladies!" He shouted as he poured sand onto her stomach. Selphie pushed him away from her as she glared.
"Fuck off, Tidus!" She yelled as she sat up, throwing a handful of sand at his face. He turned away just in time, and then stood up. He wrapped both his arms around her waist and lifted her up over his shoulders. She punched his back over and over again as he carried her to the water. Her body splashed into the ocean once he threw her in, then he dove in with her.
"Hi Sora." The brunette looked away from the spectacle to rest his eyes on Kairi. She was sitting up and facing him, her perfect lips smiling. She pushed her body up to stand, then threw her arms tightly around his shoulders. "Happy birthday." He felt her warm breath on his ear as she spoke. He stuck his board into the sand so he could wrap both arms around her tiny waist. Her whole body pressed against him for only a moment, because she soon pulled away. Sora felt his cheeks grow hot and he looked away so she wouldn't see his blush. "Hey, I helped your mom pick that out!" Kairi said as she pointed at the board.
Sora faced her once again when his blush disappeared. "Really?" He raised his eyebrow as he asked. She nodded with that lovely smile on her mouth. She pulled her pink board out of the sand, and gestured towards the water. Sora grinned as he nodded, but before he knew it Kairi was racing towards the water. He quickly followed her, and the water splashed against their bodies as they entered the sea. The drops of water reflected the sun off of her body, making her shine in the light. Both of them laid down on their boards and began paddling out to sea.