Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING, except this little plot-let. :D

"Hey, Sora, do you want to come over in a little while?" she asked him through the phone.

"Sure! I'll be there," the voice on the other end replied, enthused.

"Okay! I'll see you in a bit!" Click. Kairi put the phone back on the cradle and walked to her vanity. She sat on the little seat and gazed into the mirror, which was surrounded by little lights. 'What do I say to him? He was gone so long… For all I know, he could have changed completely. Lost any feelings he may or may not have had for me… His eyes, they seem so much deeper than they were before. I can't ever tell what he's thinking anymore…'

"Kairi, Sora's here," her mother called from across the house. Kairi stood up and walked to her door. She grabbed the handle and took a deep breath, readying herself for a possible awkward situation. She walked through the house into the entryway, where her best friend stood. 'He got so much more handsome when he was gone…' She half forced a smile and gave him a quick hello hug.

"Hey, 'Ri, what do you want to do today?" he asked her, using her nickname from when they were little.

"I don't know, bake cookies maybe?" she suggested.

"Sure! That sounds like fun," he replied with a grin. 'His smile, it's so genuine. Exactly the way I remember it.' They walked to the kitchen and she got out the cookie dough. "Pre-made dough? What, are we lazy now, 'Ri?" he asked, laughing.

"Well, no, but I'm terrible at mixing dough. You should remember that, Sora," she replied, smiling. They washed their hands and started spooning the dough out onto the cookie sheet, chatting about nothing all the while.

"Hey, 'Ri, can I ask you something?" he asked, almost nervously.

"I believe you just did," she smirked.

"Well, something else," he replied with a slight chuckle.

"Okay, shoot," she said, curious what he had to ask.

"When Riku and I were gone, did you think of me often?" he asked, almost so fast she couldn't understand.

"All the time… Why?" she responded honestly.

"Um, just wondering," he said, after a moment's hesitation.

"Oh… Okay…" she said, disappointed. 'Darn… I was hoping he'd say he thought about me, too… Maybe he really doesn't feel the same as he used to…' They resumed their friendly chatter until the cookies were in the oven. Sora strode over to the sink to wash his hands again, and Kairi followed. She had just squirted the liquid soap into her palms when he grabbed her wrists, causing her heart to flutter.

"No, no, no, you're doing it all wrong," he said, sounding serious.

"Sora, I believe I know how to wash my hands correctly…" she laughed.

"Nope, you don't. Let me show you," he laughed. He stood behind her and started clapping her hands together.

"What are you doing?" she giggled. He started rubbing her hands together, spreading the soap. They were both laughing almost hysterically. Finally, he pushed her hands back under the stream of water and rinsed all the soap off. "That is not how you're supposed to wash your hands, Sora," she laughed.

"I know," he smirked. His expression changed, but she couldn't read it.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, as she had no idea.

"Well, when I asked if you'd thought of me when I was gone, I really didn't know what you'd say… I had hoped you'd say you had, but I just didn't know… I asked you because, I thought about you every day. The thought of seeing you again, and getting to come home to you and the Islands is what kept me alive those years. I missed you so much, 'Ri…" he said, quietly. A silent tear fell down her cheek. 'He… missed me…'

"I missed you too, Sora. More than you could ever imagine…" she replied, equally quiet. He looked up at her and wiped the tear away with his thumb. "Don't ever leave me again, Sora. I don't know if I could take it…" She was crying softly now. He pulled her into a soft, comforting hug.

"I promise, Kairi. I won't leave you again," he whispered, holding her close. She pulled away and looked him straight in the eyes. For the first time since he'd left, she knew what he was thinking. "I mean it," was what they said. 'I love you, Sora…'

Their moment was shattered by a loud beeping, signaling that the cookies were done. Kairi walked over to the oven and pulled the tray out, setting it on the stove. Sora walked over to the counter and pulled himself up to sit on it, motioning for her to follow suit. When they were both seated on the counter, he reached his arm around her and pulled her to him. She looked up at him, hoping her eyes wouldn't give away how she felt. Once again, she couldn't read the emotion in the deep blue oceans set into his face. What he did next completely shocked and enthralled her. He leaned his face down and kissed her gently, pulling away instantly. "Um, I'm sorry… I don't know why I did that, um, I guess I should be going…" and he jumped down off the counter to leave.

"Wait, Sora, don't go!" she called after him, but he was gone. 'He kissed me! Maybe he does feel the same! Oh, I have to go find him!' She jumped down and ran out the door, shouting goodbye to her mother. She ran to his house, only to find he wasn't there. She tried the beach, but he wasn't there either. 'Oh, where could he be? OH, der, our island! Why didn't I think of that earlier?' She ran as fast as she could and paddled as hard as she could toward the island they spent so much time on as kids. When she got there, she didn't see him. 'Maybe he's at the cave…' She went with her instinct and walked to the cave, which no one save Riku, Sora, and she knew of. "Sora?" she called quietly. She listened for a response, but heard nothing. She dejectedly strolled over to the drawing of her and Sora giving each other little star-shaped fruits and put her hand on it. "Oh, Sora, why did you run off? Where did you go?" She sank to the ground and sobbed quietly.

She felt a strong pair of arms wrapped around her and opened her eyes. "Kairi, are you okay?" Riku asked her.

"Eh, yeah, I'm fine… Thanks," she said, forcing a smile. Riku's expression told her he saw through the faked smile.

"What's wrong?" he asked, removing his arms and sitting beside her.

"I still can't find Sora, and I need to talk to him…" she said, knowing it'd be useless to try and lie to him.

"I don't know where he is either…" he said. "You know, Kai, you've got to give him time to get used to things."

"What do you mean?" she asked, curiously.

"We just got back, and he's still trying to re-wrap his head around daily life aside from fighting Heartless and Nobodies and saving worlds. He may not have enough headspace to deal with how he feels about you just yet, you know? Sora's always been a little narrow-minded," he said.

"You know, I hadn't thought of it like that. All I'd been thinking about was if he had feelings for me or not, instead of the possibility of him not being able to manage them just yet…" she realized aloud.

"See? Just give it a while and I'm sure things will work out," he smiled. "You know, we should probably get home. It's after dark, and Mom's probably worried." He stood and helped her up, and they went home. 'It's so nice having a brother like Riku.' She lay down in her bed to sleep, and she got a strong feeling that everything would be okay.

Fin.

Well, that was my first KH story, so I hope you liked it! :D PLEASE review and tell me what you think! :D