I do not own Kingdom Hearts; nor am I making a profit off of this story.

Pairings: Kairi.Sora (one-sided); Riku.Sora

Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated; however, flames will either: one) be ignored, or two) be laughed at.

I was really hesitant about publishing this...

I still am, I think.

The very first time I noticed was the very first time I saw them again. Both were in the water, looking surprised yet enthralled.

...I saw Sora. Sora, with his burnt-cinnamon hair and large, sapphire-sky eyes. Sora, with his happy, wide grin that seemed to melt my heart immediately. (Sora, Sora, Sora. I love you. I can't wait to tell you.)

Riku, the platinum haired boy (no, man, I told myself) with startling aquamarine eyes, watched as Sora hurriedly kicked off, beginning to swim over. He followed suit, and suddenly there was this strange glimmer in his pretty eyes as he followed Sora, seeing him get tackled by Goofy and Donald. For a small moment, a bare, affectionate smile came to his face, before surprise leapt into his eyes--King Mickey was here as well. This happy reunion warmed me to the core.

"We...We're back," Sora stuttered, smiling at me. My heart hitched in my throat.

"You're home."

Everyone cheered and shouted, but my happy expression dimmed just a little as Riku slipped his hand into Sora's and squeezed. No, maybe now wasn't the best time to tell Sora. We would have a lot of time later.

---

The second time was when everyone went to the beach, like in the old days. Selphie, the crazy, hyperactive girl with emerald eyes and brown hair, came, dragging a wide-eyed, sputtering Tidus with her. I had had a crush on Tidus a while ago: he was handsome, after all, with his cerulean eyes and sand-blonde hair. But no, that had been nothing compared to what I felt for Sora.

"'Ey, Tidus, you up for a round, yeah?" an older voice called, and I turned to see that Wakka had been able to make it as well. He looked the same as always: reddish-brown hair set in a strange quiff, and kind brown eyes.

"I'll beat you in two seconds flat!" declared Tidus rather haughtily, and he ran forth to play-fight against Wakka in a mock battle. I smiled, giggling along with Selphie as the two of us shared a short laugh.

"I'm so glad Sora and Riku are back," Selphie sighed, her expression lazy but content. "I wonder where they are now."

"They were supposed to come," I replied, frowning lightly. I wanted to tell Sora now. I wanted to tell him so badly (Sora, I love you, I love you so much.) "Maybe I should look for them."

"Nahh," Selphire drawled, bathing in the sun's warm rays. Today was unusually hot. "Let them rest. They need it. Riku and Sora have been gone for so long, I'm pretty sure they need some time to get reacquainted with island-life." I snorted, but something stopped me short.

Sora and Riku...

They...

Riku and Sora...

They...?

Their names were never apart; always said in the same sentence. I frowned lightly, looking at the old pier as I saw two figures sitting there.

One with platinum hair, the other's the color of burnt-cinnamon.

And my heart dropped.

---

The third, and final, time was the very first time I was able to talk to Sora...alone. I wanted to tell him, but I held back. "Things haven't changed much," the manthatIlovedsomuch said, leaning back. I remained silent, enjoying the presence that could only be Sora's washing over me, like a tidal wave that took away all pain. "I really missed being here, y'know?" I was still contemplating everything.

The three of us were best friends, weren't we? Our names used to be the ones said together. Our names used to be the ones that were inseparable. It was always us three. Our little own world.

SoraRikuKairi
RikuSoraKairi

"It's warm out tonight," Sora mumbled. I calmed myself, counted to three mentally, and steeled myself onward. I grasped Sora's hand suddenly, and the sapphire-eyed Key-Bearer turned towards me, surprised.

"Sora, I..." I began, turning towards him with sparkling tears in my violet eyes. (this is the moment, this is when I tell him, this is...) However, the sound of thudding footsteps against the wooden pier interrupted me, and I looked up to see Riku. He grimaced, holding up his two hands with the palms facing us.

"Sorry," he grumbled, apologizing. "Did I interrupt something...?" Sora was quick to flush, and gently, he detached his hands from mine.

"No, no, no!" Sora laughed nervously, red staining his cheeks. I bit my lip and lowered my head so that my bangs could conceal my tears. "Nothing was going on, Ri!"

Ri?

Riku chuckled at Sora's attempts to be nonchalant, and ruffled the younger male's hair lovingly. "Sorry, Kai, I have to steal Sora away from you for a bit. Selphie was ranting about how she hasn't seen him in so long, so..." I sniffled inaudibly once, and then raised my head, laughing.

"Yeah, you'd better go. Otherwise, Selphie might just get bored and eat a lot of sugar while you're gone..." Both Sora and Riku paled simultaneously, and my heart lurched before I waved goodbye. It wasn't until the two disappeared from my sight that I burst out crying.

What was going on?

Why...did I have to be...

And on that cool, breezy night, with the pale moon sparkling (laughing, pointing) at me, I knew that my two friends, my two best friends, had found their own true loves.

---

"I...I'm so sorry you had to find out that way, Kai..."

I snort, brushing back a strand of auburn hair. "You know, you guys could have been a little more subtle about it. Like, locking the door, maybe," I suggest sarcastically, eyeing the male in front of me with a frown. I cross my arms over my chest, and inwardly laugh at Sora's (somehow it feels wrong saying his name without Riku's next to it) guilty expression. "And besides, who said I just found out?" Sora's sapphire eyes widen, and my heart still skips a small tiny beat.

We're sitting on that pier, just like those three nights ago, and the moon is high above us once more. It's a crescent this time, but I can still feel it glowering at me. "I..." Sora begins, and he lowers his head with a delicate blush. "I really like him, Kairi." He says my name, and I want to cry again. But no, I hold my tears back, because it's not my time to be selfish. This is a time to help Riku and Sora. (RikuSora, rikusora, it'll always be that way...)

"I know." I try to laugh, but it dies away. And once again, I'm left with empty bitterness biting into my heart. Sora seems to notice this, and he turns towards me with concern shining in his eyes.

"Kai, you seem..." he pauses, and searches for the right word. I don't look at him. "You seem different, for some reason. Like there's something eating away at you." Sora sighs once he doesn't hear a reply from me. "Don't you want to talk about it?"

"You really love Riku?" I cut in, not bothering to answer his question.

"Yes." There's no hesitation in Sora's bright voice, no fear. He's crossed the boundaries of 'friendship' and 'love' for Riku a long time ago. But...didn't I cross those same boundaries for Sora? Why didn't he look at me, too? Why didn't he...

(He loves Riku, I tell myself. Accept his answer. After all...

...the greatest happiness anyone can receive...

...is seeing the happiness of the one they love...

...right?)

"You know, Sora," I begin, softly. I look at the moon, and it no longer seems to be laughing. Instead, it seems to be encouraging me. "I loved you a lot, too." Sora doesn't answer, and I don't bother to wonder whether or not I said the wrong thing.

"I know you did. I'm sorry, Kai."

Just like that, my heart doesn't feel so empty anymore. A grin spreads onto my lips, and I turn towards Sora with a laugh. "If Riku ever hurts you, tell me, and I'll kick his ass!" I declare, holding up my fist triumphantly. Accept his answer. Sora bursts out laughing, and I smile. The summer air isn't so 'summer'-ish anymore. The wind is blowing harshly, and I'm freezing cold.

But during moments like these, I guess it doesn't matter. Like how he accepted mine.

---

It's so horrible. I'm so sorry. It's so horrible. It was meant to be something really sweet, but it turned out all crap-like like this, HAHA! Anyway, this is the end of my one-shot. I hope it didn't waste too much of your time. You can review, if you want, but...

Yeah, okay, nevermind.

.oblivion's pen