EDIT: July 9, 2011

Hi everyone!

Initially this was meant to be just a oneshot, but I got inspiration two or three days ago for some more 'hand' themes. To that end, I'm re-opening this story and posting several more oneshots under this title. :D I don't know how many there will be, all in all, but I know the last one I want to put up, so I'll try to come up with as many themes as I can.

If you could review each oneshot one at a time I'd be much obliged. :D Each is a different story, there's no real continuity to them other than the fact that it only goes forward in time.


And no, I'm not sure if mixing lemons with sunscreen would work. I would advise you not to try it; I just heard somewhere that lemon juice was supposed to get rid of freckles, but neither of us have been game enough to try.

I know Sora isn't normally this bold, but I figure that this is like a year or two after KH2. So, they're like… 17 in this oneshot. In that time, Sora's gotten bolder. XD

So, I hope you enjoy it!


Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything associated with it. All rights to Kingdom Hearts and affiliated characters belong to Disney and Square Enix.

Summary: His hand was coloured a healthy nut-brown by the sun; Kairi's hand was white as a pearl and slightly translucent. "We're so different..." she murmured, holding up their clasped hands for him to see, "...doesn't that bother you?" "No. Should it?"

Rating: K

Genre: General/Romance

Pairings: SoKai

World: Destiny Islands, Two years post KH2


Coloured Hands

Being a redhead, Kairi couldn't tan.

The closest that Kairi could ever get to a tan would be large clusters of freckles – and she'd waged a long war against the sun kisses that occasionally popped up and dusted her nose and cheeks. Lotions, citrus juices… you name it, Kairi'd tried it at least once. So far, she'd found that applying lemon juice, by mixing it with sunscreen, had the best effect; she didn't get freckles, and as an added bonus, she didn't get sunburn.

But, freckles notwithstanding, her skin hadn't been something that Kairi had ever given much thought. She usually shrugged off her milky pale skin, chalking it up to her heritage in the Radiant Garden; unlike Destiny Islands, where everyone had a tan, the denizens of Radiant Garden had many different skin tones – if Leon and his friends were any indication, that is.

But one evening after school, while she and Sora were walking along the beach on the main island, she'd happened to catch a glimpse of their clasped hands in the light from the setting sun. His hand, rough and calloused from various island pastimes (and, of course, the year and a half that he'd spent fighting the heartless and Organization XIII), was coloured a healthy nut-brown by the sun; the colouring extended up his arm and disappeared into a tan line somewhere around his shoulder, under his shirt.

Kairi's hand, which (despite how careful she was and all the moisturising she did) bore its own share of scrapes and calluses, was white as a pearl and slightly translucent; she could faintly see the blue veins that weaved their way through her body under the milky membrane, which was glowing slightly with the reflected light. Frowning slightly at the contrast, she failed to hear Sora's question.

He halted their stroll and tugged on the hand that she was focusing on. "Kairi?" He used his free one to turn her chin to face him. "You okay?"

Kairi gave a small smile, the one she reserved for only him, and shook her head to clear it of her thoughts. "I'm fine." She assured him. "Just thinking."

"What about?"

Kairi shook her head again at the innocent question. "It's not important."

"If it put that look on your face," Sora persisted, his voice soft as a cloud and smooth as velvet, "then I want to hear it. What's bothering you?"

"Well… it's just…" Kairi paused, trying to put it into words. "We're so different..." she murmured, holding up their clasped hands for him to see, "...doesn't that bother you?" She asked.

"No." Was his very surprising answer. "Should it?"

For the first time in the conversation, Kairi managed to look him in the eye. "It… doesn't?" She blinked. "But…!"

Sora put a finger to her lips. "Kairi, I've been friends with a talking duck, dog, and a mouse King for the better part of the last three years." He patiently explained. "If you think that something as trivial as the colour of your skin is going to change how I feel about you," and here he lifted her pearly knuckles, grazing them softly against his lips, "then you're wrong, you silly girl."

Resuming their walk, Kairi couldn't help but bite her lip to hide her silly grin. He was right, she realised; something that was only skin deep shouldn't have affected her so much. He loved her for her; and she loved him for him – not for what their appearances were.

They were silent for a moment, before Sora remarked, quite casually, "To be completely honest, your skin is one of the things I find most attractive about you. It's rather beautiful; you glow like an angel in the sun and shine like a pearl in the moonlight."

Being a redhead, Kairi couldn't tan.

But she sure could blush.


Like I said in the opening ANs; I know Sora isn't usually that bold, but it's two years after the game. I figure he'd be comfortable enough to say something like that by now, surely.

And ugh. I had a hell of a time trying to phrase that last bit of dialogue in a way that didn't make it sound perverted. 'Cause, we all know Sora ain't a butt-grabbin' monkey.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Feedback is appreciated.

Sparkly Faerie.