6. Fragile
Kairi finally came to a stop. The sheer extent of her exhaustion and sweatiness shocked even her. The tracksuit she was wearing stuck so uncomfortably to her skin that she feared taking them off would leave behind welts. Sweat dripped down her brows into her eyes stinging them while her lungs felt like they were on fire. Even breathing stung at her throat and her legs felt as unstable as a newborn deer. It was almost amazing how out of shape she was.
Still, she wanted and needed this. Never again would she be so utterly helpless if she had a say in it. Though, she was getting the feeling that it would be a good while before she caught up to the boys' athleticism. Sora and Riku had been at this for years. All that time of going at 'her own pace' was really biting her in the butt now.
"Oi, heads up," said Riku.
Kairi caught a bottle of water. She blinked when she realized that she hadn't noticed Riku's appearance. How long had he been there? Despite her questions, she opened the bottle and took a sip. Water never tasted so cool and sweet.
Her drinking brought a smirk to Riku's lips, "What's with the exercise crunch all of a sudden? I thought you'd be too busy being all lovey dovey with Sora."
She blushed against her will. It was still embarrassing for others to bring attention to her relationship with Sora. Sora was her first boyfriend and she didn't want to feel like she was putting on a show for the others.
"Well when you get a girlfriend, I'll take note of your opinion. As a matter of fact, I know some girls that would gladly go out with you. Would you like that? We could even double date," she replied.
"Alright, alright, you win. There's no need to use the death penalty. Man love can sure make a girl crabby. Still what's up with the workout?"
"… I need to stay in shape for Sora!" Immediately, she cringed from the lame and embarrassing excuse. That sounded pretty desperate to her. It was still better then admitting her real reasoning to him. There was still discomfort in discussing other worlds with Riku.
Even though his lips were snickering from her response, his eyes were very suspicious. "You've been pretty dodgy lately, you know?" Riku stepped closer and looked her directly in the eyes, "Do you not want a part of the raft? There are so many worlds for us to see and explore. There is so much more than this dingy little island. We could even find your original world. Why aren't you more into this? "
Kairi's mind returned to the fall of her own world, specifically the last she saw of her grandmother. She made sure to look away before the hurt could flash in her eyes. Sometimes she couldn't understand his problem with such a safe and wonderful island like Destiny Islands.
"Hey guys!" A boisterous voice called out.
Kairi and Riku turned to the voice to see Sora running his way towards them. He had a bright smile and was wildly waving his hands at them.
Both of them broke into a smile.
Kairi felt so utterly relieved by his entrance. Thankfully, Sora didn't seem to notice the rising tension and fraying friendship between her and Riku. When he was in the picture, they felt like an inseparable trio again. Kairi would relax and Riku would instantly lighten up.
Sora slid to a stop when he reached them, "Are you guys excited about building the raft? I can't wait. I wish classes would end already, and then we would have all the time in the world to build the raft and collect rations."
"Well if you don't stop being a scatterbrain, the teachers might just keep you in summer school. Then we'd have to go exploring without you," Riku threatened.
This caused Sora to gasp in fear, "That's isn't funny. I'd die of boredom. You guys wouldn't really leave me behind, right?" His fear skyrocketed when they looked away and whistled, "Come on Kairi, you have my back right? I won't survive without you tutoring!"
When Sora stepped towards her to beg for some more tutoring, she took a quick step backward.
"What's wrong, Kairi?"
Her mind raced for an excuse to appease him. She knew it was a wasted effort when she heard Riku's knowing laughter.
Riku put his arm around Sora's shoulder, "Girls are delicate creatures you see? Kairi here doesn't want her little honey bunches, that would be you by the way, to know that she has the funk."
Kairi face grew incredibly red from both embarrassment and rage, "RIKU!"
"Whoops, I've got to run. I think your girlfriend wants to kill me," Riku said at ease before dashing away from Kairi.
She was right on his heels, her exhaustion completely forgotten. Kairi even began to scoop handfuls of sand and throw them at Riku.
"Hey, knock that off!" he yelled.
"You're the worst!" she yelled back.
"Kairi is sure getting faster," he said with a whistle. He snapped his fingers and began to follow the pair, "Wait up guys! You two need to help me with school!"
