Author's Notes: Thanks for keeping up with the story! I hope you'll like the next chapter! Took a little inspiration from Chain of Memories!

Sibling Rivalry (Sora, Kairi, and Namine side of the story)

Chapter 20: Outside Looking In:

In the hallway of school, Kairi turned her head curious. Afterwards, a smile appeared once she saw a certain, spiked brunette. "Sora!"

After he heard her voice, a smile instantly came on his lips as well. It was a usual afternoon, one he had become accustom to since he was finally home again. After classes were done, he would walk and hoped to see a certain crimson haired girl before he left to go home. Even if he couldn't catch her at school, he always had the option to see her later if he tried. Kairi left from Selphie's side to go over to Sora. Selphie shook her head as she let out a smile and placed her hand on her hip. She started to believe that, whether friend or boyfriend, that Kairi would pick the boyfriend most of the time. The two continued to grin toward each other as Kairi continued to head toward Sora.

"Sora!" Sora turned his head curious to see Namine head toward him from the other end of the hallway. It now became a matter of who would reach Sora first. "Hi!"

Sora blinked surprised. "Hey Namine."

Namine stopped beside him as she held out her canvas for him to see. "I wanted to get your opinion on my painting. Is that okay?" Kairi caught up just in time to hear Namine's request.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "Um…?" As much as he wanted to help, he knew that Kairi planned to walk home with him. He tilted his body toward the side as his eyes met with Kairi's.

Namine took notice and turned around. She looked surprised at Kairi who stood behind her. "Oh! Hi Kairi!" She looked down a little uneasy. "Sorry… You two seem busy-."

Kairi placed her hands behind her back as she smiled. "It's fine." She stood beside her. "Do you mind if I look too?"

Namine nodded as she smiled nervously at what their opinion would be. "Sure…" Both of them leaned over.

Sora looked surprised and then smiled at the landscape. "Oh! It's really good Namine!"

Instantly, she let out a smile. "Thanks! I've been working on some others that I've shown Kairi, but not you yet. I was hoping... you would take a look at them…?"

He nodded. "Sure!"

Without thinking, he responded. Then, his eyes lifted up to Kairi who gave him a sweet smile. "It's okay. I can wait."

Afterwards, Sora smiled. She really did have a way of being understanding. Sora looked toward Namine and nodded. "Let's go!" Namine smiled and walked with him toward the art room.

After they were further down the hall, Kairi's smile disappeared as she sighed. Selphie went to her side, confused. "How come you let him go?"

"Sora is one of Namine's closest friends. She values his opinion." Kairi's eyes lowered toward the floor. She knew Namine felt something for him, but she didn't want to break the bond that they shared or what they had left...

The next day, Namine's paintbrush moved smoothly across her canvas as she sat in the art room. Namine smiled as she admired her undone painting. She enjoyed painting when she was alone in her free time. It made her feel happy to still do so. Then, she glanced over toward the window. She stood off her stool and leaned against the glass. Outside, she caught a glimpse of Kairi run across the schoolyard. Namine's eyes lowered with disappointment. She returned back to her chair and held her paintbrush to her painting, but her arm refused to move. She closed her eyes as she sighed. She knew that Kairi was off to see Sora. Something she wished that she could do. She placed her paintbrush aside and put her hands on her knees. Her eyes lowered toward the ground. She tried to spend time with Sora in hopes that he would return the same feelings toward her, but he still cared about Kairi. She wondered if there would ever be a chance...

On the island, Kairi stood with Sora near the ocean. The salty breeze blew softly past them. They usually went to the island since it was the only time they could spend together alone. Kairi skipped a rock across the water as Sora stared over at her. "So? What other idea did you have in mind?"

She placed her hands behind her back as she turned to him and smiled. "You mean as far as spending time together? I was thinking there's always night."

Sora looked surprised. "But I thought your parents gave you a curfew."

She grinned as she placed her finger on her cheek. "Yeah, but there are ways around that." She turned to the ocean as the smile slowly went off of her face. "I just don't get to see you as much anymore."

Sora stepped closer to her. "I just don't want you to get in trouble or I'll never get to see you."

Kairi could understand the risks, but she was willing to take it. "Don't worry," she assured him. "I'll be careful. How about tomorrow night here on the island? I heard there are going to be a lot of stars out."

Sora grinned. "You can always see the stars." Kairi grinned back as elbowed him playfully in his side. Sora rubbed the back of his head as he smiled. "But yeah. I'll come out here tomorrow night." Kairi smiled. She leaned her head against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his. Sora smiled, glad that she was happy.

The next afternoon, Namine was inside of the art room as she sat in front of her canvas. Soon, the bell rung for school to be over. She looked up surprised as she realized that she forgot track of time. It was the only time of day when she could see him. She looked down and noticed the paint over her arms. She rushed over to the sink to try and wash it off. In times like this, it was easier using crayons and her drawing pad again. She washed it off her arms and hands as best she could, but some of the paint still remained. She decided to clean it off later and went toward the door.

Once she looked out, she saw him in the hall alone. She smiled. "Sora." This was her opportunity to speak to him. She was about to step out when she saw him stop. He smiled. When she looked over, she saw Kairi approach him with the same happy smile. Namine's expression turned to sadness and disappointment. She watched as Sora grabbed Kairi's hand. "So? Do you think you'll be able to get out tonight?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. I'll meet you out on the island." Then she noticed the unease on his face. She smiled to assure him. "Don't worry."

Sora smiled gently and nodded. "Can't wait." Namine looked down. She wondered what they were up to. What worried her more was how close they were. Sora slowly let Kairi's hand slip out of his. They headed toward the same direction down the hall. Disappointed still, Namine stepped back inside of the room and headed for the sink to finish cleaning the paint off of her hands. Her curiosity struck her again as to what Kairi and Sora were up to. Soon, she cleared her mind and packed up her stuff so that she could head for home.

Later that night, Namine finished saying good night to her parents and headed up to her room. Her room was lit a little by the moonlight coming in from the window. She sighed and cut on her light. She decided to draw a little before she went to bed. Outside her door, she could Kairi say good night before she heard her door close next door. A couple of hours later, Namine cut off her light after she finished drawing and headed toward her window. She sat inside on the window ceil and stared out of the window. Her head leaned against the glass as she continued to think. She felt alone as she usually did sometimes. What helped with the loneliness was art. Then, she noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye. She looked over to see Kairi run off from their house. She looked surprised, but then remembered the conversation she heard in the hallway hours earlier. Her expression changed to disappointment. She wished that she could go out tonight and meet Sora. One thing that would make her more than happy. She wondered if he would ever notice her? If he would care about her? Slowly, she stepped from her window and slipped under her covers. She closed her eyes as she tried to fall asleep.

On the island, Sora and Kairi sat on the sand. The water from the ocean washed up on the edge of their feet. They stared up at the stars in the sky. His arm lifted up as he pointed to one of the stars. "You see that? That could be another world up there."

Kairi grinned. "The only way we can prove it is if we could go there and see for ourselves. I guess we should've given up on the raft idea so soon."

Sora leaned on her shoulder. "We can still try." Then another thought came to mind. "Hey Kairi? Where did you come here from?"

Kairi looked down as her arms hugged around her knees. "Before I moved here when I was little, I used to live with my grandmother." Then she grinned as she looked up toward the stars. "I remember these stories she used to tell me. About the light… It made me believe that there were other worlds out there. I could remember the stories, I could remember her before she died, but it's weird… I can't remember where I lived."

"Do you miss it?" he asked curious.

Kairi leaned her head against his. "I miss my grandma, but I'm happy here." She parted from him and smiled. "I'm happy with you."

Sora smiled gently. They leaned in and kissed. A few seconds later, they parted and stared into each other eyes. Her arms rested against his chest."I'm glad that you moved here and that I met you."

Kairi grinned. She felt the same. "Me too." They kissed for a few more minutes before they talked and looked up at the stars. They enjoyed their time they had together.

At home, Namine couldn't sleep. She left from her room and went down to the kitchen where she grabbed a glass of milk. Her mind traveled toward the island. She wondered what Kairi could be doing at the moment alone with Sora. She leaned her head against her hand as she sat at the counter. A few minutes, her mother came down. She was surprised to see her up. "Namine?"

Quickly, Namine turned her head. "Oh! You scared me."

Her mother placed her hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong? You seem sad."

Namine shook her head. "It's nothing. I just... couldn't get to sleep."

Her mother smiled gently. "Whatever it is, you can tell me." Namine didn't think it was obvious how sad she was. She turned to her mother who sat down beside her. "Come on... What's wrong? I can't have my little girl sad now." Namine stared at her. She didn't want to let her mother in on why. Her mother sighed with her eyes closed. Then, she grinned as an idea came to mind. "You know. You, me, Xion, and Kairi can have a girls' day together! We haven't had one in so long. Maybe we should try one day soon." She looked toward the stairs. "Maybe we could try now to make you feel better. I wonder if Kairi and Xion are still up. Probably not... Still, it's been a long time since I checked to see if you girls were sleeping."

Namine looked worried. If she went up, she would see that Kairi was not there. She placed her hand on her mother's arm. "It's okay! You don't have to wake up Kairi!"

Her mother looked confused. "What? I wasn't going anywhere." Her mother became suspicious as she saw how worried Namine was. "Namine…?" She looked down, worried. It wasn't helping with her mother's suspicions. She stood up. "I think I will ask her to come down here with us." She started walking away as Namine watched. She stopped once she hit the living room. "Namine...? Is there something you would like to tell me?" Namine looked down as she wondered if she should tell the truth.

Later that night, Kairi laughed as she stopped in front of her door. Sora followed behind her as he laughed along with her. Kairi looked over to see that they made it to her house already. She placed her finger to her lips. "Shh!" They quieted down so no one else would hear them. They smiled toward each other. "I guess tonight's… already over."

Sora rubbed the back of his head. "Well… We can't stay out all night."

Kairi moaned. "I know..." Sora stepped in closer and lifted up her chin softly with his fingers. Kairi opened her eyes to stare into his blue ones. He leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss. She could feel her body weaken. Gently, her hands slid along his neck. He pulled her body closer to his. At that moment, she wanted more of him. Slowly, Sora pulled his lips away from her. His eyes partly opened. Her eyes did the same. His hand slid off her face as he smiled. Kairi's cheeks became flushed with red. He could see her blush through the darkness. "Good night," he whispered.

She continued to stare at him. "G-good night…" He turned and walked off as she watched him. The last thing she saw was his smile, one of the things she loved about him.

Soon, she walked inside as she kept the smile on her face. When she closed the door lightly behind her, she leaned against him as she sighed, happy. Tonight was the most fun she had in a long time. Then, a light cut on to reveal the angry glare on her mother's face. "And where have you been young lady?!"

A scared look appeared on Kairi's face. Her hand pressed against her chest. When she calmed down a little, she looked toward the ground. "I…um…?" Her mother stood up as she crossed her arms. Kairi's eyes traveled from her to the ground. "I…I just…I just went to the island."

Her mother became more upset. "At this time of night?! You were supposed to be in bed hours ago!" Her mother pointed toward her room. "You are grounded! Now go to your room!" Kairi headed back to her room with her head down.

In her room, Namine laid on her bed awake. She didn't mean to get Kairi in trouble, but she didn't want to lie either. She hoped that in the morning things would be better.

After the hours passed into morning, Namine sat at the kitchen table eating. She still felt bad for what happened last night, but still hadn't confronted Kairi yet. Namine looked down and then, stood up. She walked toward the kitchen counter where the sink was as she carried her plate toward it. She wasn't hungry much as she was still worried. Nearby, Namine could hear footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked back to see who it was. A few seconds later, Kairi stepped into the kitchen and went into the fridge. "Morning."

Namine looked down, worried. "Morning." She looked toward the side. It was hard to say what was on her mind, but she gathered the courage to do so. "I'm sorry," Namine whispered.

Kairi turned to her surprised and leaned back against the counter. "Sorry for what?"

Namine pushed her lips together tightly before she spoke. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to. Last night, mom was going to see if you were still awake so I panicked and tried to stop her from going up there, but she went anyway and saw you weren't there."

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed as she became confused. "Wait... How did you know I was going out?" Namine eyes widened. She gave herself away. "You knew… didn't you? You knew I was going with Sora?" Namine looked down, worried. Kairi didn't want to believe that Namine tried to get her in trouble on purpose. It was crazy to ask, but she had to know. "Did you…want mom to know I was gone?"

Namine shook her head as she closed her eyes. "No. I didn't mean to-. I-."

Kairi shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm grounded anyway. I'll just have to get through it." Her head lowered, disappointed. "Actually... I was supposed to see Sora today and we were supposed to go to the island together…but now…I'm not sure I can with mom watching me..." Kairi continued to get her breakfast. "I guess I better let him know the bad news…" Namine looked down disappointed along with Kairi.

After school was over, Sora walked out of the building when he heard a familiar voice nearby. "Sora!" He stopped as he looked back. Namine caught up to him.

He looked calm. "Oh! Hey Namine!"

She looked curious. "Are you walking home alone?"

"Yeah," he sounded a little disappointed. "Everyone else is busy. Kairi won't be able to come out for a while."

Namine looked disappointed as well. "That's too bad..." Soon, her expression changed to nervousness. "If it's okay…I wouldn't mind… spending time with you."

Sora smiled. "Sure. That would be nice." After they left from school, Namine traveled to the island in her boat along with Sora in his boat. Once she got closer to shore, she saw Sora on the edge of the dock. She got her boat close to the island. "Sora." Her boat rocked a little as she tried to stand up. Sora grabbed onto her arm which she looked up. Instantly, her body became stunned as her eyes got caught in his.

Sora helped her out of the boat onto the dock as he looked surprised. "Are you okay?"

Namine snapped out her trance. "Um? Yeah. Sure." Namine looked down as she noticed that Sora was still holding her hand. Her cheeks became flushed with red.

"Oh! Sorry about that." Sora looked down and then pulled his hand away. "Tell Kairi that I hope she'll be able to come back to the island soon."

Namine smiled as she looked toward the ground. She placed her hands behind her back, a little nervous. "Sure." The two sat near the ocean on the dock and spent some time talking. Namine got a chance to talk about her art and hoped that Sora would see some of her drawings sometimes which Sora agreed.

Over the next few days, the two continued to spend time together. She had always enjoying doing art, but now that he was helping her, she couldn't help but smile more. "Can I see it now?"

Namine lifted her eyes to Sora who was sitting in front of her on the grass. Quickly, she concentrated as she smiled. "Almost… There!"

Sora stood up and then sat beside Namine. His eyes widened in surprised. "Wow!" It was a realistic, profile drawing of him smiling. It was definitely different than what she used to do with crayons and colored pencils. "You've gotten a lot better!"

She looked down as she smiled and looked toward her pad. A light blush came to her cheeks. "Thank you."

Sora leaned his arm against his knee as he looked over at her. "You've been drawing ever since I could remember."

Namine nodded. "After I graduate, I want to go to art school. I already have a school in mind so I'll be traveling far from the island."

Sora nodded. "That's great! If anyone could do it, it would be you!"

She grinned toward him. "Thanks Sora." Her eyes searched his face. By now, she felt as if she had it memorized. Every feature, every wrinkle he would make when he would laugh. Her eyes traveled down toward his smile. As much as she tried to fight the feeling, deep down she wanted to know what his lips felt like. What it felt like to kiss him...

Then, Sora blinked surprised as he looked up. "Oh no!" Namine snapped out of her thoughts as Sora stood up quickly. "I forgot! I was supposed to meet with Kairi." Sora looked concerned. "Sorry! I got to go!"

Before she could say anything, he took off running. She leaned back against her hands disappointed. Again, their time was cut short because his time was split between Kairi and her. She returned back to the art room and put away some of her supplies. Suddenly, she heard a knock. She turned around to see Riku walk toward her. She smiled as she placed her hands behind her back. "Hi Riku!"

He smiled toward her. "You're still here?"

"I was on my way home." Namine looked curious. "What are you still doing here?"

Riku leaned against the desk. "I was waiting for Xion, but I'm not sure where she went. She usually stays in the library, but now she seems to take off on her own."

Namine looked a little surprised. "I haven't really noticed anything out of the ordinary."

Riku looked off to the side serious. "Expect… I've noticed that every time I go to where she is, Roxas is there." He couldn't pinpoint why, but all he knew was he had a bad feeling about him. "I'm not sure what he's up to, but I think he had something to do with what happened to Xion."

Namine looked a little concerned. "Are you sure?"

He shook his head and looked over at her. "No, but it's just the way Xion acts toward him. I know he used to be in this group…"

Namine smiled a little to assure him. "Roxas has been really nice. I doubt you'll have anything to worry about." Riku sighed. He really hoped so. Namine stepped in front of him. "Don't you think it's time for a haircut?" She brushed his long bangs from his face that seemed to cover his eyes.

Riku smirked a little. "What's wrong with my hair?"

Namine grinned as she stepped back. "If it grows any more, then we won't be able to see your face."

Silently he laughed. "That's the same thing Kairi said." He stepped passed her to look at her notepad. "What did you end up drawing today?" He lifted up the pad to see the drawing of Sora she had just finished. "Wow!" Namine became nervous as she wondered what he thought. "You've gotten better." He handed the pad back toward her. "It helps when you have the same subject over and over." Namine took the pad from his hand and pressed it against her chest as she looked down uneasy. "You've really liked him for a long time haven't you?" The words made a shiver run through her body. It really was that obvious. Namine looked off to the side as she kept silent.

Riku sat down at one of the tables. "Spending time with him is your way of being with him." She kept her head down. "It's better just to let it go." She looked over at him worried. Those were words that she didn't want to hear. "I've known Sora for my whole life. He's always cared about Kairi ever since he met her. She's the most important person to him." Her hair covered over her eyes as she squeezed tighter onto her notepad. She always had to ignore that fact. A concerned look came on his face. "I don't want you to get hurt..." Unable to listen any longer, she took off. Riku stood up. "Namine!" Right away he had felt bad, but he knew it would just hurt later.

Thanks for reading! I'll be back to update!