I don't own the characters; I just write them for my own amusement.
Saturday's Charm
Chapter One: Fireside Chats
Sora's favorite thing in the whole world, he decided that evening, is a good campfire. He never considered it strange for a five-year old to already have a favorite thing in the whole world. Besides, even if it was strange, he had already decided he could live with having a campfire at the top of his list.
He loved the smell from the logs as they burned; he loved the way the flames flickered and reached for the night sky. He loved the sparks of burning remnants of wood that landed in the sand and lingered there for a few minutes, before he decided to snuff it out under his shoes. He especially loved the way the smoke billowed from the fire and traveled in every direction, at complete mercy of the wind.
Sora loved campfires. But the only thing truly better than a campfire itself was having a campfire with friends.
"You know", Kairi said playfully, digging her toes into the sand, "Someone told me once that if smoke from a campfire follows you, it means you're beautiful."
Riku, the oldest of the three friends at six years old, was not thrilled with the idea. He quickly waved the smoke away from his face, his expression sour. "Who told you that?"
"I dunno", Kairi replied. "I can kind of see her face…" she gestured at her temples, then her forehead, indicating her attempt to recall the woman. "…But I don't remember who she is."
Sora scooted towards Kairi, intrigued. "Was she someone from your old town?"
Kairi nodded.
Sora's interest was piqued. "What else from your old town did you forget?" he asked excitedly.
"Don't be dumb, Sora", Riku said, poking the campfire gently with a stick. He quickly retracted the stick at the sound of his father's voice scolding him. "You can't remember stuff if you forgot it."
"I guess that's true…" Sora watched the smoke rise high into the sky, thoughtful. "Well… What do you remember?"
"Um…" It was Kairi's turn to be scolded for poking at the fire with a stick. She drew her knees to her chest, thinking. "I remember a bunch of people in a big field with flowers everywhere, and there's a lady with a soft and pretty face, and there's a yellow-haired man giving her a present-"
"Christmas presents?" Sora interrupted.
She shook her head. "No… It wasn't Christmas, because I don't remember there being all the Christmas lights in the town."
"So it was the lady's birthday?" Riku asked.
"Yeah!" Sora jumped to his feet, quick to change the subject. "You know what, Kairi? Riku's birthday is the day after mine, but he's a year older than me. So we have a party together, and we get lots of presents and a big cake and-" Sora stopped, smiling down at Kairi. "Hey, when's your birthday anyway? If it's the same as ours we could all have a big party."
But Kairi didn't return his smile. She had buried her face in her knees, and Sora could hear her quietly sobbing. He plopped down next to her, confused.
"What's the matter Kairi?" he asked. "Don't you like birthdays?"
"It's not that", she gasped in between sobs. "I just… I can't remember…"
Sora thought for a few minutes before coming to a grim realization. "You can't remember your birthday?" Kairi nodded, gulping.
A sudden silence swept over the children, save for Kairi's crying. Sora stared at the sand, listening to the fire hiss and pop, and to the low hum of their parents murmuring to each other several yards away.
It wouldn't make sense to call upon the aid of his parents, Sora decided. Momma and Dad never really seemed too happy about their birthdays and getting older. For some reason Sora couldn't quite figure out, they never even bothered to throw a party for their birthdays, despite the prospect of receiving presents and cake. Without parties, what was the point of birthdays, anyway? No, a problem this serious was something the kids would have to take care of.
But for solutions, Sora found he was at a complete loss.
"Well, that's not good", Sora commented helplessly, turning his gaze to Riku. Surely Riku would know what to do. He was Riku, and in Sora's eyes he was capable of solving any problem.
Riku reached over to pat Kairi's shoulder rather awkwardly. "We'll just give you a birthday then", he said simply.
Kairi looked at him, a smile spreading across her face, her eyes shining bright from the light of the fire through her tears. "Really?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.
Riku nodded. "Sure. When do you want your birthday to be?"
Kairi shrugged. "Oh, I don't know," she said, frowning. "There are too many days to pick from."
"How long has do you think it's been since you had your last birthday?" Riku asked. Sora grinned, satisfied to see his best friend taking control of the situation with such a great deal of confidence.
"I can't remember."
"I'm willing to share my birthday with Kairi", Sora said.
Riku shook his head. "No, Kairi deserves a birthday all to herself."
"How about this Saturday then?" Sora suggested. Kairi's face brightened at the idea.
"Yeah!" Sora continued, jumping to his feet, his excitement growing. "We can have the cake and games and lots of presents and it'll be a lot of fun! Right?" His grin flashed brighter than the fire.
"It's settled then", Riku said, standing, resting a hand on his hip. "We'll have the birthday party on Saturday, and we'll invite everybody."
Kairi's excitement surpassed even Sora's. She wrapped her arms happily around both boys, hugging them tightly. "Thank you," she whispered.
Sora hugged back. Riku stood straight and rigid, looking awkward.
"Hey Sora", Riku muttered. He reached over to give his friend a noogie. "This means Kairi will turn six on Saturday… You're gonna be the youngest one of all of us."
Sora raised his eyebrows. "Oh man, and my birthday's not for a long time, too." He was smiling, though. He would be the youngest any day if it meant he got to throw a birthday party for Kairi.
Several hours later, Sora buried his face in his mother's shoulder as she carried him home from the campfire. Young as he was, he had a lot of planning to do in the coming days.
What sort of present would Kairi like?