Chapter 21: Kairi's Birthday

February 21 meant that it was Kairi's birthday. She used to always make a big deal about it has a kid, but as she got older, especially after moving to Destiny Islands, she preferred to keep it lowkey and just hang out with some friends. Although her birthday was on a Friday this year and she had the opportunity to do something bigger, Kairi insisted on just keeping it lowkey, especially with Roxas and Namine being in Twilight Town that same weekend. In fact, Kairi kept on wondering how Namine was doing at the seminar. She knew how badly her best friend needed the scholarship.

After a day's worth of friends wishing her a happy birthday, Kairi got home and immediately went upstairs to her bathroom to shower. Both of her parents were working and Sora had apparently planned something for the two of them for her birthday since Kairi didn't want to do a group get-together without Roxas and Namine.

"Hey! You ready?" Sora asked, grinning widely. Kairi smiled and nodded. She said bye to Xion before the two of them hopped into Sora's car. He seemed to be in a hurry and on a time constraint leaving Kairi curious.

"Where are we going?"

Sora winked. "You'll see."

Kairi looked out the window as they got onto the freeway. "We're going a little far, aren't we?"

"Trust me, I promise you're gonna love this!" Sora sighed. "I'm gonna need you to close your eyes at some point while in the car, so bear with me."

"Alrighty, I trust you." Kairi shook her head.

After driving for about 30 minutes, Sora told Kairi to close her eyes. He had her sit in the car and wait once they had pulled the car over. The longer she had to keep her eyes shut, the more curious she got. Sora kept on reminding her to wait and keep her eyes closed, which she did. After what felt like 10 minutes, Kairi was helped out of the car by Sora, still with her eyes shut. As he guided her, she could hear the sounds of waves crashing getting louder. Her lips slowly curled into a smile as she started to catch on where Sora was taking her.

"Now, can I open them?" Kairi asked laughing.

"Okay…" Sora stopped and got behind her. "Now!"

Kairi's eyes cracked open. A gasp escaped her as she saw the setup in front of her. There was a large picnic blanket on the beach with small candles that illuminated the dusk setting. On the blanket was a tall, thin glass vase with cherry blossoms, and a large pizza box. Her smile grew as she walked closer towards the blanket. It seemed like her heart had started to melt faster than a hot fudge sundae in the middle of August. Nobody had ever done anything like this for her. She wrapped her arms around herself as she started to tremble at the overwhelming happiness she felt.

"This is beautiful…" She gazed at the candles.

Sora wrapped his arms around Kairi. "I wanted to do something special for your birthday, Kai. Something unique."

Kairi sighed. "This is perfect." She turned and looked at him funny. "But why'd you drive out so far?"

"So we could be alone." Sora smiled and leaned against Kairi's forehead. He kissed her cheek. He took Kairi's hand and walked her to the blanket. "I hope you're hungry, because I have here…" Sora sat down and opened the pizza box. "Pepperoni, black olives, on thin crust, and extra cheese."

"My favorite…"

Sora reached over and grabbed a tumbler. "We've also got hot chocolate, blankets," He pulled out blankets from the backpack that was left next to him. "And…" Sora tapped on his phone and started playing music. "Pandora...the best wingman a guy could ask for."

Kairi laughed. "Thank you, this is wonderful." Sora scooted closer and pulled her close to him. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I wouldn't have you any other way." Sora whispered. Kairi leaned in and pecked him on the lips. Sora smiled and rested his hand on the back of Kairi's head gazing into her eyes. "So cute…"

"Thanks," Kairi said blushing and resting her hand on his arm.

"Alrighty, let's start this party!" Sora clapped his hands together. "Now, you wanna eat first? Or…" He pulled a small box from his pocket. "I can give you your birthday present first."

Kairi gasped. "You got be a present? You didn't have to, this was perfect!"

"I know, but I saw this and thought of you." Sora set the small box in Kairi's hand. "Open it up!"

Kairi opened the box up to reveal a gold, paopu fruit-shaped pendant attached to a silver chain. Her heart started racing and her lips curled into a wide smile as she lifted the pendant out of the box. Sora watched as Kairi held the necklace by the chain to get a good look at it. She fiddled with the pendant between her fingers and turned it around and saw a word engraved on it. Kairi let out a laugh before looking up at Sora, who looked at his girls with complete sensitivity.

"Chikai?" Kairi asked.

Sora smiled and nodded. "It means 'oath'." He watched as Kairi's eyes began to water. "May I?" He held out his hand.

Kairi nodded and handed Sora the pendant. She turned around and pulled her hair around. Sora gently wrapped the pendant around Kairi's neck and clipped in the back. She looked down at the pendant that hung down to her chest. She fiddled with the pendant as Sora rubbed his hands up and down Kairi's arms that were concealed by a purple sweater. He wrapped his arms around Kairi and rested his chin against her shoulder. His lips brushed against her jawline.

"Thank you," Kairi said softly holding onto Sora's hands. "I'll always keep this close…" She rested the pendant against her chest. "To my heart…"

Sora sighed. "I'm glad you love it." He opened the pizza box and set it between him and Kairi. "Ladies first."

"Sweet! I'm starving!" Kairi reaches in and took a slice of pizza, the melted cheese hanging from the edge. "Wow, they put a lot on here!"

"I may or may not have mentioned it was a special occasion."

Kairi sighed. "This is so great. Although I feel bad now for skipping out on your birthday."

Sora smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, really. I understand you were going through stuff at the time." He took a slice of pizza. "All that matters is what's happening now."

"You're right." Kairi took a bite of her pizza. The cheese put up a good fight and wouldn't break apart causing it to stretch quite a lot. "Oh my gosh!" She threw her head back trying to break the cheese.

"You okay?" Sora asked laughing.

Kairi nodded. "Yep!" The cheese finally broke and she used her tongue to flick it into her mouth like she would with a noodle. Sora just stared at her with amusement. "Finally!" As Kairi took a breath, Sora pointed to her mouth trying to not to laugh. "What?" She put her fingertips to her lower lip on to have a tiny strand of cheese stick to them. "Oh my gosh! Fail!" Sora and Kairi both broke out into laughter. "Apparently, I can't eat pizza tonight!" Kairi shook her head.

Sora calmed down from laughing. "Oh man, I love you."

Kairi's face lit up. "What?"

"Uh…" Sora's stomach twisted when he realized what he said. "Sorry...I was...thinking...of maybe I wasn't thinking because when I'm with you, I get distracted to the point where everything around us is a blur and when I can't think, the only thing I can do is feel, so then instead of saying what I think, I say what I feel and I—"

"You said you love me?" Kairi asked, her entire internal body feeling light and empty.

"Like…you love something about me, right?"

Sora sighed staring into Kairi's eyes. "No," he said as he shut his eyes and shook his head. "I mean as in…" He caressed Kairi's cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear. "I'm...in love… with you."

Kairi's heart froze. Her mind began wandering in a million directions. She had never, in a million years, ever thought that she would hear that come out Sora's mouth, especially him feeling that way towards her. Considering she had never been in love before, Kairi never expected any of the guys she dated to ever say that to her. Yet, here she was. Not only was she hearing it from her boyfriend, but from a boyfriend that was also her best friend. Kairi's feelings only felt stronger because of their previous friendship.

"Sora…" she whispered.

Sora sighed. "I'm sorry." He shook his head. "If you think I'm pushing things too fast, I'll slow down."

Kairi laughed. "It's not that." She sighed and looked up at the sky that was completely dark now. "Let's just…" She lay down completely on her back. "Lie down next to each other and look at the stars."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Sora lay down next to Kairi. "You're not weirded out by what I said, are you?"

"No, of course not. I think it's sweet. I'm just…" Kairi paused, trying to find the right words.

Sora sighed. "You don't feel the same way…" He said disappointed.

"Please don't take this the wrong way." Kairi sat up and looked down at Sora. "It's just that I've never said that to anyone before outside of my family...and to me...saying that for the first time is taking a big step in a relationship." She paused. "I just wanna wait for the right time to say it, you know?" Sora nodded. Kairi sighed. "Are you mad?"

"Nah, I get it. I wanted to make sure of my feelings and that's why I never said it to any of my exes. Because I was never sure." Sora looked over at Kairi. "With you, everything is different. It's like, all of those typical symptoms you have from having a crush on someone, but they're a thousand times stronger."

Kairi smiled. "Is that what falling in love feels like? Like everything around you disappears and it seems like you have the world to yourselves? Or like you feel like they bring a special ray of light to your world? Or maybe they just bring out the best in you...because they know the real you and nothing can ever change how they feel?"

Sora sat up and took Kairi's hand in his. "Maybe it's all of that, and more…" He smiled.

"Are you cold?" Kairi asked as she got a shiver.

"Yeah, I actually am very chilly." Sora nodded. He reached over for one of the blankets that he brought with him before patting the ground in front of him. Kairi scooter in front until she was sitting between Sora's legs. He spread out the blanket and wrapped both him and Kairi up. He wrapped his arms around her allowing her to lean against his body and rest her head against his chest. "You warmer now?" Sora asked.

Kairi smiled and leaned into his face. "Yeah, much more comfortable." She sighed as Sora left a kiss on her cheek. "Hey," Kairi turned, her eyes meeting Sora's. She blinked as Sora gazed innocently at the girl he was holding. "I love you…" she whispered.

Sora smiled warmly as he brushed Kairi's cheek with his hand. "I love you too, Kairi." He took her hand and kissed it. "I always will… that's my oath to you."

Kairi's eyes began to water. The moment felt like a dream. She smiled as a lone tear fell down her cheek. She had definitely shed tears over guys before, but it had been a very long time since a happy tear was shed. Kairi looked down attempting to hide what she considered to be 'silly tears'. Sora laughed and instead, tilted her face up and brushed his lips against hers. This time, the kiss felt different. It felt even more right, almost as if the last couple months had been a test and they passed the test.

Kairi leaned into Sora and deepened the kiss. He was now leaning against the palm tree that they had set up their stuff under. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to lean against, but in the heat of the moment, the tree was not his priority. Kairi wrapped her arms around Sora's neck and began massaging the back of his shoulders. Sora's hand worked his way down Kairi's back while another one brushed through her hair. Attempting to shift herself, Kairi moved from the palm tree only to tumble backwards on the ground, bringing Sora down with her thanks to their entanglement in the blanket.

"You good there?" Sora asked laughing. He was now completely underneath her. A stranger from a distance could mistaken them for doing anything but talking.

Kairi sighed and rested her head his chest. "Yeah...I'm full of all kinds of fails tonight. And now…" she attempted to sit up. "I'm almost 100% sure we're all tangled up in this blanket."

"Oh gee, that's such a terrible thing." Sora said sarcastically. He watched as Kairi rested her chin on her hands and looked down at him. His hands gently massaged Kairi's back and slowly made their way down. "You're so beautiful…" Suddenly, a mischievous grin crawled across his face. "We're tangled up in this blanket…"

"Yeah?" Kairi looked at him funny. Sora's grin grew wider. Her eyes widened. "Oh no…"

Sora suddenly began tickling her sides. She squealed and struggled to escape Sora's grip only to fall to the side. Kairi watched her boyfriend turn to the side and lie on the ground facing her. She locked her hand in Sora's as he leaned in and kissed her. The more his lips went at hers, the tighter he pulled her close. Suddenly, it seemed like all blood started to rush from top to bottom. There was a sense of numbness that plagued Sora's body. His stomach felt like it was running a marathon.

Kairi brushed Sora's cheek with her hand as he began, or rather struggled, to climb on top of her. She laughed against his lips after he stopped for air. An all too familiar feeling overwhelmed her. She ran her hands up Sora's arms and slid under his sleeves. He couldn't help but smirk as the softness of Kairi's hands on his bare shoulders sent a shiver down his spine. His heart began racing while his body temperature seemed to spike. Not thinking, Sora just smiled and began to kiss Kairi, this time more intense than he had ever done. His lips trailed off and moved down to her neck. Kairi's heart skipped a beat as the sensitivity of Sora's lips against her neck made her shudder.

"So soft…" Sora whispered against her skin.

Kairi laughed. "It tickles."

"So, I know your weakness." Sora smiled seductively.

"I'll take that as a challenge to find yours then." Kairi winked. She lifted her head up and kissed Sora. It seemed the more they kissed, the more Sora craved her. This feeling was much stronger than he ever could've imagined nor had he ever felt with another girl in his life. It was more than physical, it was in his heart that only made it harder to control himself. His hand slipped under Kairi's sweater and travelled up her torso. Kairi moaned against his lips as she felt Sora's warm hand cup one of her breasts. "Sora…" she whispered.

"Kairi…" Sora moaned. He gripped Kairi's wrists and pinned them over her head giving him full control. He began to roughly kiss her, his hips rocking back and forth against her.

Kairi gasped. "Sora! Wait! Stop!" She pushed Sora's hands back.

Sora released his grip and hovered over her. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I just think this is too fast…" Her eyes shut, sadness in her voice.

Sora sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't want to push you too far." He shifted so he was lying down next to Kairi. He brushed his hand on her cheek. Kairi smiled and scooted closer to him. "Let's just lay here and look at the stars like you wanted to."

Kairi nodded. "Okay." Sora extended his arm and held Kairi close to him as she rested her head on his chest. "This is perfect. I love this."

"So do I."

Sora kissed Kairi on the forehead and rested his head against hers. The sound of waves crashing against the shore was calming to them. In fact, so calming that both of them drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the sunrise shone on Kairi, who was sound asleep in Sora's arms, her head resting against his chest and his hand resting on top of hers. The bright sun rays caused Kairi to stir. She cracked her eyes open to see Sora sound asleep. She smiled and shook her head before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. Sora stirred his head, a wide smile forming on his face before turning on his side and pulling Kairi closer to him so her face was buried in her chest.

"Morning…" Sora muttered against Kairi's hair.

Kairi laughed. "It's too early…"

"Is it too early for me to kiss you?" Sora asked tilting Kairi's face up. She shut her eyes and shook her head before her lips were greeted by a sweet kiss. They rested their foreheads against each other allowing the fresh breeze to blow through their hair. "I don't wanna get up." Sora said holding Kairi tightly.

"I can't believe we stayed out all night…" She softly said as she began to drift back to sleep. "Wait…" Kairi's eyes flew open as she shot up . "Oh god! We stayed out all night!"

Sora sat up with her. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting us to stay out all night."

"It's okay. Mom and Dad are NOT gonna be happy about this…"

"I'm surprised my parents haven't been blowing up my phone. Probably because they know I'm with you." Sora stood up and began to clean up their picnic area. "Let's get you home before we're in even more trouble."

Kairi helped Sora load everything back into the car. She dreaded getting home to expectedly pissed off parents. It was only 7:00 in the morning, so she hoped that maybe her parents weren't awake yet. Then again, they were used to getting up early in the mornings thanks to their jobs and the fact that they've had to get up at an early hour to get Kairi and Xion up for school. Kairi's heart sank as Sora turned into their street. His hand brushed on top of hers assuring her that everything would be okay.

"You want me to walk you in?" Sora asked pulling into the driveway of his house.

Kairi shook her head. "Nah, it's fine. I don't need my parents to yell at you either."

Sora laughed and pulled her into a hug. "I'll call you later, okay?" Kairi nodded. She kissed him goodbye. "I love you."

"I love you too." Kairi said as her hand brushed Sora's cheek. Wow, I really love saying that! She thought.

Kairi waved at Sora as she turned and walked back over to her house. She took a peek in and saw there was nobody in the living room. Phew! I think I'm safe! Kairi unlocked the door with her key and quietly shut it before tiptoeing over to the stairs. Luckily the stairs were carpeted unlike the hallway, which was made up of tile. She was able to successfully sneak her way up the stairs until she heard a door open from across the hall. Kairi froze as she felt the oxygen leave her bloodstream. She made a mad dash for her bedroom only for Xion to emerge from her bedroom.

"Kairi?" She asked rubbing her eyes and yawning. Kairi shushed her. "Did you just get home?"

Kairi guided Xion out of the hallway and into her bedroom. "Please, don't tell Mom and Dad."

"Tell them what? That you had the best birthday ever and you stayed out all night?"

"The second part of that sentence!"

Xion sighed. "Alright, I won't tell them...but it'll cost ya!"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Alright, what do you want?"

"Let me think…" Xion put a hand under her chin and thought for a moment. "I want us to hang out more."

"Really? That's your price?"

"We never hang out anymore, and you're gonna be going to college soon, and I'm gonna miss you. Who's gonna be there for me when I start middle school? Who's gonna be there for me when I get my first period?"

Kairi laughed. "Don't worry. That's what Mom is for." She sighed and rubbed her hand up and down Xion's back. "I'm sorry, I'll try to hang with you more often over the next few months and not just because I owe you."

"Cool! So you'll take me shopping?"

"How about I'll take you shopping for your first dress for your first school dance this coming fall? I'll come home for a weekend."

Xion perked up. "Deal!" She smiled cheekily at Kairi. "So, what did you and Sora do last night?"

Kairi sighed. "We had a picnic on the beach, and we lay down and watched the stars, and we fell asleep." She placed a hand over her heart. "He told me he loves me."

"Did you say it back?" Xion asked. Kairi nodded, blushing. "Good, because he was a nervous wreck! He kept on telling me how he's felt about you for weeks now!"

"I'm telling you Xion," Kairi lay down on her bed facing the ceiling. "When you fall in love the first time, it's the best feeling in the world."

Xion lay down next to Kairi. "Well, if you wanna stay in love with Sora, you may wanna change into your pajamas, otherwise you're gonna be caught and grounded."

Kairi shot up from the bed. "Right!"

Taking Xion's advice, Kairi quickly changed out of her outfit from the night before and into her pajamas. She sat back on her bed and shared with Xion the events of the night before. It was just the next step in hers and Sora's developing relationship, and it only made Kairi more excited for what the future held for them.

Author's Note: Sorry for the crappy and rushed ending for the chapter! I ran into some writer's block with this chappie and wanted to get this out DX Also, gotta love getting sick the weekend of your Halloween party, right? -_- Anybody got an elixir?