Word count: 530
Genre: general
Rating: worksafe
Note: Several years old, never before posted but also not re-written from the original style.
To others, Sora was cute and Riku was handsome.
To others, Sora was childish and Riku was cool.
To others, Sora was a fun friend and Riku was an unsolvable mystery.
To Kairi, they were all that and more.
Sora was really cute, there was no way to get around that fact, and she smiled to herself as the – still slightly scrawny - young man on her right yelped and gave a soft curse as his half eaten ice cream dripped down his hand and arm. She rolled her eyes and scolded him softly as he raised his arm to lick it off – only to have the remaining part of the ice cream slide off the stick and into his hair.
But although Kairi loved those parts of him, she had also seen the hard steel of his mind working below the shell of big, blue sparkling eyes, long legs and unruly brown hair that met you when you cast a first glance at him.
And that only made her love him more.
And Riku. Yes, Riku was indeed very handsome, even more so now than before, she noted as she glanced at the – not scrawny at all - young man on her left. Strong jaw, soft pale hair that blew in the wind… And that cocky smile that could make any girl's legs turn into over boiled pasta.
But again, Kairi had seen what the man-turned-boy hid below the surface. Although she may not have been aware all of the time, and her heart had been with Sora, she had still been able to feel Riku from time to time. Feel how desperate, how frightened, how… small he actually was in there.
How uncertain and inadequate he had been.
And again, knowing that only made her love him more.
Where others saw childishness, Kairi saw hope and light. And she knew that the reason why Sora was so popular, even though he often was called immature and naïve, was just that. Sora was a promise of a hopeful future, and everybody who ever came in contact with him could feel that.
Where others saw coolness, Kairi saw restraint. She knew that Riku was afraid of the darkness hidden in his heart, that he was afraid that it would take over once more. Yes, Sora had restored the worlds and saved Kingdom Hearts, and she knew that while Riku didn't mistrust the other young man's abilities, he didn't fully trust himself either.
It made her long to smile and hold him close, when she remembered that. Because when they were all together, like this, she could feel how the pale haired man allowed himself to let go of the tight hold he had in his control. Only a little, so far, but still. The trust was there. They would get through this, they would make the uncertainty fade, and this time, they would do it together.