SORA

"How 'bout another race?" I asked Riku. Him, Kairi, and I were sitting on the sand, close enough for the water to reach our feet at times. The sun was on it's way down, creating both a painting in the sky and a calming mood.

"Nah, I'm tired," Riku replied. "Let's just hang out."

"Yeah, well I beat you last time," I commented casually. He looked at me.

"Last time didn't count."

"Every race counts."

"Well I'll get you tomorrow."

I smiled a little and was content to let the subject drop. I kind of wanted to relax myself now that I thought about it.

There was some peaceful silence that we shared for maybe 20 minutes, Then Kairi stood. "Well, I guess I'll be getting back home. You two… stay out of trouble, OK?"

"Yes ma'am," Riku joked. She gave him a playful hit on the shoulder, then walked away. Riku looked after her, maybe to make sure she was out of hearing range, then he said, "So…"

"So what?" I knew he wanted to get at something.

"So, thanks for giving up on the whole Jaelyn thing. I knew you'd see it my way."

"Your way?"

"Yeah. If I'm with her, then that frees Kairi up for you. That's what you've always wanted, right?"

I wasn't sure how to answer. Kairi had always been kind of an unspoken thing between us. Riku knew I liked her even though I never said so, and I knew he liked her, too. But we never actually talked to each other about it… we never seemed to need to.

"Kairi…"

"Yeah, you know, that girl that just left?" Riku explained with a grin.

"Shut up. I know who she is."

"I hope so, because you've seen her every day for the past 10 years." He laughed when I hit him. "You're violent, aren't you?"

"Don't tell Jaelyn," I responded. "She might disown me."

"Yeah. That's kind of a weird cousin you have there. Must be a family thing."

"Hey, Riku, I have something for you." I picked up some sand and threw it at him.

"Aah! My eye!" He cupped his hands over his right eye.

"Yeah, right. Nice try."

"Sora, I'm serious." He sounded genuine, so I decided to believe him.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

His hands fell back to his sides. "Gotcha."

"You get better every time."

"No, you get worse." There was a pause, and then he said, "What?"

I looked at him. "Huh?"

"You wanna say something, I can tell. What is it?"

I shrugged. I did have something I kind of wanted to say, but I wasn't sure how to say it or how Riku would react. But I guess I'd have to say it sometime.

"Well… why are you really so sure Jaelyn will fall for you?"

I could tell that Riku took real offense by his tone. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, looking me dead in the eye. Riku's been my best friend since forever, but even I was a little intimidated by him now.

"I just… you need to be fair to her and give her a choice. I don't want you to push her into anything."

"Oh, I get it. You think I'm a jerk."

"What? I didn't say that."

"You think I'm some jerk that treats girls like property, don't you?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to insult him, but Riku did seem to do that to a lot of girls. But he was my best friend, and if I told him that I thought he was, well… let's just say no one can get mad like Riku can.

"The way you've been talking about her, and even Kairi…"

"What does Kairi have to do with anything?"

I shook my head and looked down. Telling him this had been a mistake. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, you shouldn't have!" he snapped, his voice raised. "Don't you trust me? You should know better! I… I can't believe you think I'd treat people like dirt. What… you think I'm stupid or something?"

"No!" I replied quickly. "I said I was sorry. I didn't mean that, really. I just have a lot on my mind right now, and I guess it's all getting thrown together." That was a lie, pretty much, but I needed some excuse. Riku had never been very forgiving. "Don't be mad, please? I'll let you win our next fight."

A corner of his mouth curled up for a half-smile. "One: I don't take pity. Two: I'd beat you anyway and three: I don't fight anymore. Remember?"

"That's too bad, because you lost your final battle."

"Huh? I beat you…"

"No, against me and Wakka. Your very last fight you lost."

"I was out numbered."

"That didn't keep you from beating Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie."

"Eh, Tidus and Selphie don't count. Let's face it: their skill levels are negative."

This was Riku's way of letting me know I was forgiven. Whenever he jokes around with someone, they're assured that they're on good terms with him.

He stood. "Well, I'm gonna go now."

"Bye, Riku."

"See you tomorrow."