Counting Stars
"Sora!" Kairi called, waving her hand up high, to her friend in the distance. Noticing his red haired friend calling up to him, Sora smiled, running to catch up with her.
"Hi! What do you want to do today?" The young blue-eyed boy asked looking down at her.
"Humm… I was thinking maybe we could do a little boat trip along the island! You know, I miss the times we used to do those, remember?" Kairi smiled gently, a smile that always made Sora shiver deep inside. He felt happy everytime he saw it, like there were no worries in the world, no troubles in his mind, everything was perfect. He smiled back at her and nodded. Taking her hand on his they both walked eagerly down the road which led to the beach. Once there, they both pushed a small, wooden boat painted in white with a small line of blue on its edge, to the water and Sora helped Kairi go up inside the small boat. Rowing further onto the sea, but not far enough from the coast, they sat there, enjoying the gentle sea breeze waving their hair.
"Sora… I'm really happy you get to spend the day with me you know? I miss the old times." Kairi started, putting her hand out the boat, feeling the refreshing water. The sun was shining brightly that day, as if it was especially for that day when they finally met after so long. Not a cloud in the sky, clear blue sea water, allowing to see its white sand down on the sea floor.
"I… missed you too!" Sora blushed, scratching the back of his head. She was perfect in Sora's eyes, beautiful, gentle, kind, sweet, all that he could ever wish for in a friend, or more than that. They grew up together on that island, he had known her his whole life but ever since he left to be the keyblade master both of the times, it felt different. She had grown up a part of her life that he wasn't there to follow, and so happened to him. But he was finally there, no more being apart, she could feel it too, and so they smiled even though no words were needed to express it.
"You know what we should do next?" Kairi asked following with her eyes a group of seagulls flying above them in the sky. Sora looked at her. "Eat one of those ice-creams we both love so much!"
"Strawberry and chocolate were your favourite flavours!" Sora remembered as if it had been yesterday.
"Yeah, and you always said those flavours don't match at all!" Kairi laughed.
"Well, they don't!" Sora laughed along. "Strawberry and vanilla match!"
"It's just ice-cream! Ice-cream is great in any flavour!" The girl smiled. Slowly she caught hold of Sora's right hand and turned his palm up. "Let's read your fortune!"
"Ok! What does my hand say for today?" Sora joked, making the girl giggle.
"Well, this line here is telling me that you're not going anywhere right now!" Kairi used her finger to feel the surface of the longest line in Sora's hand. "And… Hummm… interesting!"
"What? What does it say?" Sora asked widening his eyes.
"It's saying here, that you're going to get wet!" And with that, the girl quickly leaned to the side and threw some water over Sora who yelled in surprise and replied to the girl in the same gesture. They both laughed at each other and both wished secretly for that moment to never end. The minutes passed as the small boat went crossing the calm waters, carrying the young boy and girl along the coast of destiny islands.
Reaching the departure point, they jumped out of the boat, they're feet making a small splash on the water and once again pushed the boat to the sand.
"Oh I have an idea! Let's visit our cave!" Sora suggested stretching his arms and pointing down to a grey rock behind some b1ushes up ahead.
"Last one getting there is a rotten egg!" Kairi laughed as she started running up the path to reach the cave's entrance, followed quickly by Sora.
"Ha! I won!" Kairi jumped happily.
"Only because I let you!" Sora replied closing his eyes, looking important.
"Right…" Kairi giggled. "I'll let you think you did."
Entering their secret cave like they used to call it when they were younger, a sense of emotion ran through their spines as they caught notice of their drawings on the wall.
"You know… All this time you were gone… I never came back here." Kairi looked down, tearful eyed, slowly moving her right foot on the ground side to side.
"Really?" Sora asked curiously. "Why?"
"Because, I promised myself I would only come back here with you."
"Kairi…" Sora whispered. His heart started beating fast has they stood there. He noticed a tear gently come down her left cheek, he knew it had been hard for her all this time he had been gone. "I'm here now." He reached for her, placing his hands on her shoulders and pulling her softly to him in a hug. He breathed heavily in, not wanting to let go of her. She closed her eyes, leaning her forehead on his chest and cried, not of sadness but on the opposite, he finally was there. She could breathe again.
"Hey…" Sora pulled apart, placing one hand on her wet cheek. "Now that I'm here, no more tears." He smiled a warm smile to assure her it would be fine. She managed to smile back between one sob and caressed his cheek gently. He felt her soft hand skin on his and closed his eyes. They both knew they would treasure that moment forever.
Once outside the cave, Kairi agreed to have their famous non-matching ice-creams, so they went, Kairi on Sora's back, happily to get the ice-creams and head back to the beach where they wanted to spend the rest of the day.
"Sora?" Kairi called, sitting on the white sand along side of her brown haired friend. He looked at her, taking a spoon of vanilla ice-cream from his cup. "Promise me you won't forget me."
"Kairi, what's that about?" Sora asked coughing, gasping on his ice-cream. "I'll never forget you! Plus, I'm here now and I won't leave you."
"Well, we never know what might happen." Kairi looked down at her feet. "And if you ever have to leave again, I need you to promise me you won't forget me, and come back."
"I did come back now didn't I?" Sora smiled. "I promise you Kairi. I'll never let go of you again, and if it by any chance in this universe that happens, I'll come back, I will never forget you. Not once!"
"What if you meet another girl in your many adventures?" Kairi asked looking jealous at Sora.
"What?!" Sora asked turning red. "Kairi no matter how many girls I meet in my adventures, no one will ever be like you, not even close!"
"Reeeeeally?" Kairi pinched Sora on his arm, making him start tickling her in return. They started laughing as the sun started to went down, leaving the sky a beautiful orange/violet shade on the horizon. Sora noticed that in that light Kairi's eyes shined a perfect blue with gold reflections in her hair. If he could capture one single photograph of Kairi to always carry with him, that would be the perfect one.
"Oh I almost forgot!" Sora exclaimed reaching for his pocket, taking out a small silver bracelet. He reached for Kairi's wrist and closed the bracelet around it. "It's a special bracelet this one. Brings you luck!"
"Oh it's so pretty!" Kairi smiled. "I'll never take it off! Thank you! I feel like I should give you something too!"
"I already have you. I don't need anything else!" Sora smiled at his friend who blushed lightly at him.
"Aren't you confident about that huh?" She smiled and lay down on the sand, her hands holding her head.
Soon the sun had set down, leaving a starry, dark night sky behind to the couple on the beach.
"I'm getting a little cold." Kairi confessed rubbing her arms as a cold night breeze blew, making the girl shiver. Sora placed an arm around her shoulders so to warm up the girl and looked up at the sky.
"Remember when we used to count stars? Hoping to see a falling star just so to wish for something…"
"Yes, we could barely reach the one thousand before starting to fall asleep."
"Yes, and then Rikku would start telling horror stories and you would get so scared you wanted to head back home but we never let you!"
"That wasn't funny!" Kairi replied. "There were times that the smallest noise I heard was a ten feet tall monster with claws hiding behind the bushes!" Sora laughed hard at the girl and she punched him on the arm, making an angry face.
"Hey, remember this one time you caught a shark!" Kairi started. "Me and Rikku heard you screaming, saying you had caught a shark and when we got there, it was a small baby nurse shark that doesn't even eat meat! Oh I laughed so hard I think I cried!"
"For all that matters, it was a shark!"
"Big brave and strong Sora caught a baby shark."
"Hey!" The two laughed under that starry dark night.
"Hey Kairi?" Sora called. "If you could wish for something right now, anything in the world, what would it be?"
"Humm… I don't know. Maybe, for me, you and Rikku to be together again and never be apart anymore, forever."
"Yeah, I'd probably wish for the same thing." Right that moment a falling star passed by them above in the sky, leaving a shiny trace of its tail behind. But this falling star, instead of a wish brought something they both feared it would happen. A sign of distance. They both got up slowly, almost in pain, for they both knew what was coming.
"No, don't go…" Kairi cried, heart beating fast.
"Kairi, remember what I promised you."
"Don't leave me Sora."
"I have to go now… But I'll come back. Remember this, always remember us, our moments, this moment." And with that, Sora leaned forward and kissed Kairi fully on the lips, feeling her warm tears go down her cheeks onto his own. " I love you. I always will. I was made for you Kairi, and my heart will stay here close to yours."
"Sora, I love you. I'm yours forever." Kairi cried, but managed to give him one last smile before anything else happened. She slowly leaned forward once more, to kiss him again gently, softly, enjoying the moment.
"I promise you, I'll be back." Sora said, caressing her cheek. With that, Sora started fading away, slowly, and desperately.
"Sora… No… Sora, SORA!" Kairi yelled.
"SORA!" She screamed as she sat down on her bed, tears in her eyes. It passed a minute before she realised she was on her bedroom, just awaken by the light entering through the curtains of the window. She looked around. "It was just a dream…? But it felt so real… Sora, I remember you." She felt something light around her wrist and went to look at it. A thin silver bracelet was there, on her wrist, the same bracelet Sora had given her in her dream. She smiled at it, a tear fell down her cheek.
Wherever you go, my heart will be with you.
-The end