7 .Celebration
Sora jostled a box in his arms as he waited for Kairi to finish up whatever it was she was doing. He spent his time attempting to figure out what was in the box she had him holding. He couldn't make heads or tails of the contents through his light shaking but didn't let it bother him. Kairi was sure to tell him eventually.
"Thanks for waiting," Kairi said as she stepped out of her house, flashing a smile. She had gone back to her house to wear a rather large coat over her clothing.
Now that Kairi was there, she directed him to follow as they made their way to some location.
"Thanks for carrying all of that for me. It isn't too heavy, is it?" Kairi asked with some concern.
Sora smiled at her in reassurance, "I'm fine, besides I kind of like you relying on me. It makes me feel like you trust me."
"Don't tempt me or I'll make you my personal servant."
The couple shared a smile, though Kairi's laughter was mixed with other emotions.
"Are you alright?"
Kairi wore a wistful expression as her smile waned, "I guess I really shouldn't be surprised that you were able to pick up on that. Don't worry; I'm just thinking about things from long ago. Look we're here."
As she pointed out, they had reached the shore of the island with the waves drifting back and forth on the sands. Kairi had him put down the box and began pulling items from it. She began to put the items together and they formed some kind of moderately made altar with star figurines layered on top of it. She made little adjustments here and there until she was satisfied.
"Take a seat," she instructed before walking closer to the ocean until her feet were submerged. Kairi fidgeted for a moment before unzipping her jacket and tossing it to the sands.
Sora saw her outfit for the first time. It was a long pleated flower patterned skirt that reached her shins. White sash like wraps covered a black shirt with detached pink and white sleeves gripping her upper arm. Her ensemble was completed by an elaborate flower patterned yellow slash that wrapped around her midsection. Kairi never looked so amazing.
"Sora?" she called out to him.
He shook himself out of his stupor, "Sorry. Did you say something?"
She pointed at the box and he saw that there was a decorated rod inside. He tossed it to her and she caught it with practiced ease. Kairi gave it a few trials spins and without further explanation began to dance.
And what a dance it was. Sora hadn't been aware that Kairi could be so graceful. Every spin captured his attention and refused to let go. The dance was hauntingly slow and painfully beautiful. Sways, spins, and twists radiated an ache into the very depths of his heart. As the dance progressed, his eyes grew wide and full with tears. Clutching his heart, he marveled the dance in its entirety. Even the waves seemed to follow her lead and meld into her flowing movements.
Before he knew it, the beautiful dance came to a waning stop.
"How was it?" Kairi asked.
He didn't immediately answer. The dance ran over and over in his mind. Slowly, he wiped the tears running down his cheeks, "It was beautiful but so sad. What was that?"
Kairi took a seat beside him and hugged her knees as she looked at the crashing waves, "In my old world we had an annual festival: The Celebration of the Stars. We believed that each of the stars in sky was a world of its own. The dance was both a prayer that those stars would never be consumed by the darkness of the night and a requiem for the stars already lost and forgotten. I remember loving the dance so much. I was training to finally do the dance myself at the celebration. I never got that chance so I wanted to try it today. There's so many part of the dance I've forgotten though. If you had gone to one of the celebrations, you would've seen some real dancing. I guess you have to make do with my shoddy recreation."
"You're wrong," he denied, "Your dancing was amazing. It was so powerful and emotional. You would've done great when it was your turn to dance at the real celebration. I bet everyone would've cheered for you."
Her laugh was a small thing tinged with a painful nostalgia, "Thank you. I just wanted to share this with you."
Sora pulled her into a one arm hug and rested his chin on top of her head, "It means a lot to me that you shared this part of your past with me. I will etch this beautiful dance into my heart and think of it whenever I think of you. I promise. But, it's getting late. We should be heading back or your dad might kill me."
Kairi's cheeks were warm but she had an expression of contentment. Collecting herself, she nodded her head and picked up her coat from the sand.
Sora broke down the star display and returned them to the box. When he was finished, he easily carried the box with a single arm.
Seeing an opportunity, she tentatively held his hand in hers. In turn, he smiled encouragingly at her and gave her hand a light squeeze. A blissful smile formed on her lips and they walked at a sedate pace to her home.
