I don't really remember writing this; I only remember I wrote it after I finished English homework one afternoon last semester lol. But I must say that I simply adore it. I've been in such a Sokai mood lately; not that I'm never not in it, but yeah. I hope you enjoy my portrayal of Kairi as much as I do.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

Simple & Clean

It wasn't suppose to be like this. Every girl was supposed to fall in love with her 'knight in shining armor', right? A flash of my silver haired friend flashed through my head.

"You know, Riku's changed…" I blurted out as I absent mindedly swung my legs back and forth against the dock.

The boy I was sitting next to turned slightly, causing my heart rate to go up as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Of course Sora wouldn't know that side of Riku; he usually tried to pursue me more once Sora was gone. I couldn't just blab to him that Riku's obvious crush was bothering me; he might accidentally say something to him and hurting Riku was anything but what I wanted.

Changing the subject, I exclaimed, "Sora! Let's take the raft and go--just the two of us!" 'Good job, Kairi. You just went from one awkward conversation to another.' I wanted to slap myself. At least if he said yes I would have the time of my life. Sadly, I knew that delusion wasn't likely.

Sora seemed flustered himself, asking, "Huh?"

"Just kidding!" I quickly replied to avoid the anxiety of waiting for his real answer. Besides, leaving without Riku and with Sora would be double the slap in the face for the older teen. Not only would it show that I did not return his feelings, but also that I preferred our other best friend over him.

Laughing and returning his stare out into the ocean, Sora claimed, "You're the one that's changed, Kairi."

"Maybe," I admitted in a quiet tone; Sora's statement actually hurt me a little. It was obvious that he was not the brightest kid when it came to thinking things through before speaking. Riku, on the other hand, would always have the perfect replies to everything; so well thought out and almost as if he had planned them.

Riku in many ways was everything Sora was not. Always calm and collected, smooth, athletic, a straight A student, and the dream guy of every girl of Destiny Islands; everything I thought I'd want. Instead I fell for the dorky, inconsistent, lazy, average guy that was Sora. It made no sense, but my heart had already decided. I just became a step closer to confessing to Sora, in a way, by blurting out my thoughts. Maybe this raft trip held more possibilities then I had thought of before; whether it was me or Riku that got hurt from my confession, we would all still be around each other constantly and hopefully would have to remain good friends.

"You know, I was a little afraid at first…But, now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see…I know I can always come back here." Turning back to the boy, I asked, "Right?"

His head snapped in my direction, answering confidently, "Yeah, of course!"

"That's good." I commented, closing my eyes and feeling the ocean breeze pass through the strands of my crimson hair. I'd always been amused by simple things like that; maybe that explained my love for Sora, too.

"Sora, don't ever change." I knew my request was impossible, but there was no other way of putting it; he was perfect the way he was.

Lips slightly parted but no words coming out, his eyes followed me as I stood. Placing my hands behind my back, I stated as calmly as I could, "I just can't wait; once we set sail, it'll be great."

Sora nodded in agreement, neither of us speaking for fear that it might ruin the moment. And as best friends, we watched the sun set in the sky and began to the first steps of our long journey.