"Where are we, Sora?" Kairi asked curiously as he steered her off the Gummi Ship. Finally, it felt like they'd been on there for ages! Giggling slightly, she attempted to lift the blindfold for a peek, but was stopped by his hands over hers. "Stop it!" he laughed, stepping behind her and urging her forward, keeping his hands placed firmly so she didn't try anything. He didn't want her to ruin the surprise, and he'd worked so hard to keep it secret for so long! "We're almost there, I promise!" Kairi sighed and rolled her eyes from underneath the blindfold, making a small noise and blowing a strand of hair out of her face as she continued to walk. It seemed like he'd been promising that forever, she wanted to know what this was about! Still, she sighed and instead focused on where her feet were going.
"Okay, watch your step..." Sora said, tugging her to a halt, standing behind her.
"Are you going to tell me... Oh!" she gasped suddenly, feeling their momentum shift from a standstill to a sudden upward motion, making her stomach do a flip. "Sora!"
"Just hold still, Kairi! You trust me, don't you?" he laughed, giving a small noise of his own as they suddenly came to a halt. "See, that wasn't so bad! And guess what, we're here!"
Pulling his hands away, he tugged the blindfold off, and she blinked her eyes open, first looking behind her to smile at him then looking forward.
It appeared as though they were in a loft of some sort, with random mismatched items strewn about for decoration. A small table was set up with a candle in the middle, set before a large window that revealed...
"Oooh! Is that a palace?" she said, stepping forward her with her hand over her heart, looking at the breathtaking view. It was stunning! The stars were shining perfectly in the midnight blue sky overhead, as a grand palace lit up in the distance, framed perfectly by the window. "Oh Sora! Where..."
"Why, madam, you are in Agrabah!" came a new voice, appearing out of apparently nowhere. Spinning around, Kairi caught view of a man with light blue skin, mid-section ending to come down in what looked like a wispy, smoking tail. "I am Genie, and I will be catering tonight! Hor'devours, wine, applesauce, you name it, we got it!" he said in a fast, auctioneers tone, making each item appear and disappear as he listed it off, then suddenly appeared next to her, leaning in close and adding out of the corner of his mouth, "Just don't touch the suit, it's a rental."
"Thanks Genie!" Sora said, giving his old friend a large, dorky grin. "I owe you one!"
"Oh, don't worry about it! A friend of Al's is a friend of mine, you know that," he said, snapping his fingers and making two hands appear, picking them up and setting them in their chairs at the table. "Now, what would you like?" The hands were already working on scribbling down orders on a pad of paper.
Sora looked at Kairi and motioned for her to go first, who in turn looked between the two guys, flashing a sheepish smile and opening a menu that had appeared out of nowhere. "Um, let's see... Oh! The spaghetti sounds good," she said, nodding and pointing. "What do you think Sora?"
"I'll tell you what he thinks, he thinks--" Genie started, but was cut off by a sudden nudge to the ribs by Carpet. "Oh, fine."
"I think that sounds great!" Sora said, laughing a bit and shifting in his seat. Genie snapped his fingers, making the menus disappear and replacing them with two plates of spaghetti.
"Bon appetit!" Genie said, before bowing and backing out of the place, closing the curtain to the room behind him. He tried to peek through, but suddenly Carpet was in the way, blocking the opening. "Oooh, I just want to see! The two love birds, he reminds me of Al," Genie said, taking on the form of a rather large woman, blowing into a tissue. "Oh, kids these days! Growing up so fast!"
Carpet raised a protest, putting one of his corners to the middle and twisting around, a gesture of shaking his non-existant head and saying a silent 'shhhhhh'.
Genie rolled his eyes and resumed his regular form, then put his ear to the curtain and listening closely.
"Oh Sora, this is just wonderful!" came Kairi's voice, and Genie could tell that she was absolutely bedazzled by this. It made him feel a swell of pride.
"Do you really like it? I've been planning it for a while, you know..." he said sheepishly, and Genie was sure he was blushing. Oh, that rascal. "Just, after everything... I thought you deserved something special like this."
"Ohhh, that's the cue!" Genie hissed, bouncing excitedly and shooing carpet away. "Go get it, go get it!"
Carpet gave a motion that looked as though he was shrugging his shoulders, then floated off to the other room to get the desserts, where there was a resounding crash.
"What was that?" Kairi asked, startled, looking around from where she sat. "Are they okay?"
"I hope so," Sora winced, glancing at the curtain. Oh, man! What was he gunna do?
Meanwhile in the back, Genie went to inspect the damage. "What is going on? Listen here, Carpet..."
Turning stuff over, he wondered where the carpet could've gone. There wasn't many places, or any reasons, for it to hide... Then he saw it, blending in with a wornout tapestry in the corner, flat against the floor with a bulge wiggling in the middle.
"What is it boy, what is it?" Genie said, going over to inspect, lifting the corner slightly and spotting a small, brown ape. "Abu!"
"Abu?" he squealed back, grinning wide as he clung his hat to his chest. Genie noticed there was something odd about him, other than the sneaky manner he was using. Was that frosting on his face?
"Abu! You didn't! Sora's counting on us, you know!" Genie said, appalled and aghast. "Give them back, come onnnnnnn!" Reaching under carpet he reached in and pulled Abu out, holding onto him tightly as the monkey tried to escape. "How could you...?
"What's going on guys?" came the voice of Sora, who had appeared behind them. Apparently, he had gotten up to check on things. "Where's the dessert, where's the ring?" he said, looking at them curiously.
Instinctively, Abu hid his hat behind his back, and then Genie followed suit, hiding Abu behind his. "Oh, they're almost up, So-so, just... a moment..." Pulling the monkey back out, he gave it a ruff shake, the ring falling out of his shirt. "Aha! I knew it!"
"Abu! That ring is important!" Sora said, jaw dropping, diving down to pick it up off the floor and wipe it off, when something made him jump.
"Is everything okay?" came Kairi's voice from the curtain, where she had pulled it back to peek at what was going on. She tilted her head in confusion and made her way towards the group. It was a rather curious sight to behold: Carpet on the floor covered in frosting and leftover cake, Genie dangling the primate by the tail and Sora on the floor, hands tucked in his shirt, all (even, somehow, Carpet) looking flabbergasted.
Sighing, Sora got to his feet and put a hand behind his head, scratching it and furrowing his brow. "Aw man... I... wanted to give you this, Kairi, but it didn't turn out how I planned... I wanted it to be perfect!" he said, sighing and holding out the ring. Kairi's face lit up, and she looked happier than she had all night.
"Oh, Sora! It was perfect," she said, walking over to poke him on the nose. "Perfect isn't always from movies, you know. It's the thought that counts, not the script. I wouldn't have it any other way, and that's why I love you."
"L-love?!" Sora sputtered, gasping as his face flushed something awful. Wow... Kairi had never said that before! He was going to say it tonight, too! Oh, this was great! Sora was utterly speechless as Kairi gave a shy blush and nodded.
"Oh you guys, you guys," Genie said, dropping poor Abu on his head and heading over, grabbing Sora's hand, then Kairi's, and placing them together. "Don't you see? This is perfect. What you guys have is one in a million, and believe me, I know the odds," he said, beaming at them proudly, eyes threatening to water up. "Why, I could give you anything you asked for right now, anything at all. A brand new car, vintage vase, even a toilet of solid gold... But you can't wish for this."
Pulling his hand away, he left Kairi and Sora looking at eachother, hands folded together in midair. "Believe me, I know, people ask all the time. Riches and gold, it doesn't matter if you're lonely. People wish all the time for true love, but it only happens +once in a lifetime... And that's the magic of it."
Kairi and Sora looked over and Genie and smiled at him, Sora's flush going away as he put the promise ring on her finger.
"I love you too, Kairi."
Kairi looked up at him and smiled, then without warning pulled him into an embrace. Genie, on the other hand burst into tears, conjuring up a hanky out of nowhere and blowing his nose with it.
"Oh you kids! I can't watch anymore!" he said, sniffling. "I think it's time for the grand finale! A magic carpet ride, seated for two!" Turning around, he grabbed two edges of Carpet and procceeded to shake him off with such force the poor Carpet gave a snapping noise in midair. Letting him go he scooped up Sora and Kairi and placed them on the carpet, then gave a sharp smack to the Carpet's backside. "Keep your arms in the ride, hold on tight, and have fun you kids!"
With that, Sora and Kairi took to the skies on a magic carpet ride. They held hands and sat close, it was romantic, it was sweet. It was everything it was suppose to be.
It was perfect.
Author's Note: I needed more cute, maybe. Dedicated to Jen.