8. Secret

Kairi mentally pumped herself up. Today was finally the day. It would be her very first date with her first boyfriend. Sure they had already gone on outings together but an official date was still special!

She had made sure to dress for the occasion. It had been rather tiring to pick just the right outfit. Kairi had settled on a white blouse with some flower accents alongside a dark skirt. Even more trying than picking the outfit was keeping this private. Today was not a day she wanted to deal with teasing from any of her friends. It was going to a day for just her and sora.

When she left her house, she was surprised to see Sora already waiting by the front gates. Nevertheless she picked up the pace and greeted him.

"Hello, Sora. It's great to see you," she said with a warm smile.

Sora smiled that dazzling smile of his as he let out an impressed whistle. He didn't actually say anything but just kind of stared at her.

She felt a rush of shyness and brushed her fingers through her hair, "Something wrong? You look… distracted."

He blinked and appeared a bit sheepish, "Sorry about that. You're just especially cute today. It's amazing. I never knew dates could do that to girls. We have to go on a bunch more dates now. "

Despite being the reaction she was aiming for, she couldn't help the thrill of pleasure surging through her. "Let's deal with this date before we worry about future ones, but thanks for the compliment."

Sora gave off a laugh before making way for her so they could begin walking. Their destination was a park that wasn't all that popular with the younger crowds mainly due to the lack of sources of entertainment, but it was a rather beautiful one.

Rows of flowers lines the paths with glistening stone pathways. There were ample trees that offered shade over benches that could comfortable seat two. Kairi had never actually walked through the area since it was a distance away and it was easier to just go the islands. It was a decision that she appreciated now since it made the trip a nicer surprise.

Each of the little sights there was enjoyable to take in, especially the clear pond that contained all sorts of tropical looking fishes. The day was turning out to be as wonderful as she had hoped.

"Are you having a good time?" Sora asked nervously.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she responded with a reassuring smile.

The amount of utter relief on his face was amusing to say the least. Sora was just as anxious for this first data as she was, that was good to know. She didn't want to be the only one out of her depths.

"That's good. I was a little worried. I wasn't sure if a walk was good enough. I wanted our first official date to be something nice. A bunch of stuff Riku told me cost a lot more Munny than I could save in short time," he admitted.

She snorted and playfully swatted his arm, "Don't let Riku scare you. You don't have to impress me with a bunch of spectacles. This is nice. "

Kairi offered her hand invitingly. Sora easily slipped his hand in hers. His touch was a mix of gentle and warm just like the boy himself. It was still a thrill to just hold his hand whenever she wanted. Holding hands was such a silly gesture to get worked up on but she couldn't help the giddiness that happened whenever he took up her offer to hold hands. Hopefully he didn't think this was too girly. Sora never seemed to mind and even looked like he appreciated it as much as she did. When she caught his eyes, his smile grew warmer and cuter too.

It was like she was seeing him in his most free and natural state. Bright blue eyes radiated a level of affection that made her cheeks warm and caused her to shyly look away. Kairi had to get over that since she rather liked the way his eyes looked at her these days.

Now that she was looking away she noticed a path that was more dirt than stone that lead through a collection of trees away from the main paths. She tugged Sora's hand and pointed at the discovered path, "Let's go that way."

Sora easily followed her lead as they traversed the path. The plant life was much freer than the main path. It didn't appear that this place faced much if any traffic. All of this felt like a miniature adventure.

"Where do you think this leads?" Sora asked in a curious tone.

She shrugged, "Don't know. Let's find out. Wait, do you hear that?"

Sora hummed in concentration and snapped his fingers, "It sounds like running water. Do you think it's the ocean?"

"We haven't traveled that far and we're pretty far from the coast."

With a few more minutes of travel, they exited the nearly forest like path. It all led to a small waterfall that hid a cove. The waters nearly sparkled in a rainbow hue from the sunlight. Kairi marveled at the sight of it all.

Blue flowers of all shades bloomed on the ground just before the rushing waters fell on stone and she was hesitant to walk closer lest she destroyed the beauty of it all.

While she marveled at the sight, she felt Sora release her hand. Confused she turned to see him making some wayward calculations in his mind as he eyed the flowers and her. Finally, his expression settled to a confident one.

She didn't care for that look, "What's on your min… "Her words were cut off as Sora swept her up in his arms and backed up a few paces before running right at the flowers. Before his feet brushed against the nearest gathering of the flora, he leapt across them and planted his feet just in front of the rocks that led up to the miniature waterfall.

When she was let down, it took a moment for her legs to steady as she leaned on Sora for support before huffing, "Some warning would be nice, you big lug."

"Sorry. I'll keep it in mind for next time," he placated.

Kairi worked to keep down the flush before muttering, "Don't just assume there's going to be a next time."

"I'm going to check the place out. I think I see a chest in the back."

Kairi followed his finger and saw a rather nice looking locked chest just submerged in the water. The moss over it showed just how long it had been there. Without a further word, he dashed through the running waters. She just barely avoided the water flying her way. She had no intention in getting this outfit wet.

Looking in the cove, she could just make out Sora leaping off the various sharp stalagmites that were bundled together. When he reached the back, he began pulling at the chest. Kairi enjoyed the various attempts he made in getting the thing open. He even kicked the thing in annoyance.

Kairi cupped her hands around her mouth and suggested, "Use your Keyblade! Opening locks is kind of its thing."

She chuckled as she saw him smack his forehead. Sora summoned his Keyblade and tapped the blade on the chest and it opened. Taking the contents, he returned to her side.

"You won't believe what I found," he said in awe and opened his hand.

She followed in his awe. It was a golden ring with a diamond of all things right in the middle! The diamond was surrounded by detailed gryphon like creatures. This was the kind of the treasure they hunted for hours as children.

"That's amazing Sora. Who knows how much this costs. You can sell it for a nice amount of Munny," she suggested.

Sora hummed in contemplation before he shook his head, "That's a waste. I want you to have this, Kairi."

She blinked in surprise before shaking her head, "Sora, I can't. This is too valuable. I couldn't even begin to explain this to my parents."

Sora took her right hand and slid the ring on her ring finger, "Then let's keep it our little secret. I want this to mark our first date together. It didn't cost me anything but time. Please accept this."

Kairi say his blue eyes pleading with her and she couldn't help but cave, "Alright, Sora. Thank you, it's beautiful."

Knowledge of the ring's name entered her mind like a soft whisper: Diamond Armlet. A soft light illuminated the diamond and the eyes of the carved gryphons. What an interesting treasure they had found.