Category: Mild Romantic Fluff
Characters: Kairi, Sora
Hi, all! This story is for Day 5 of SoKai Week, for the prompt "Sky and Sea." I hope you all like it!
Kairi's eyes were closed as she stood upon the small circular island protrusion jutting out into the sea, listening to the gentle washing of the waves against the land's edge. The frothy white seafoam splashed onto the toes of her shoes as the water crashed up against the earth. It made the scent of salt and seaweed waft up into her nose. She inhaled the familiar scent with a small smile; it was a modest perfume, even unfavorable to some, but to Kairi, it was the aroma of home. The serene expression on her face gradually brightened as she basked in the sounds of Destiny Islands- the sounds of home.
The gentle crunch of shoes on sand tore her attention away from her contemplative appreciation, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Sora making his way over from the clubhouse. He smiled happily when he glanced up and noticed her watching his approach. He trotted across the wooden bridge that joined the little circle of land to the main island, then hopped over the curving palm tree to join her at the edge of the island.
"Hey, Kairi. Whatcha doin'?"
"Oh, just enjoying myself," she answered with a dreamy smile at the horizon. Her eyes beheld the line of forever marking the junction of sky and sea, sapphire to robin's egg blue. "It's funny how little you appreciate things until they're taken from you," she remarked with a small hum. Indeed, Sora and Kairi didn't realize how much they had meant to one another until they were literally ripped apart and had to journey across dozens of worlds to find their way back to one another. "I just wanted to take a moment to commit this to memory," she sighed, gazing at the beautiful sea through lidded eyes. "I don't ever want to forget."
"Yeah," Sora smiled agreeably and reclined against the sand-blasted trunk of the palm tree, resting his hands behind his head. His blue eyes searched the horizon, and a little twinkle that appeared in the sky-colored irises indicated to Kairi that he'd found whatever it was. The edges of his smile lowered a little and his gaze drooped down to his feet. "Yeah… Forgetting is painful."
Kairi crooned soothingly and walked over to lay her hand on Sora's shoulder. In a moment of thoughtlessness, Kairi had neglected to recall the fact that Sora's memory had literally been wiped at one point in time. The boy, persistently optimistic, shot her a smile when she squeezed his shoulder.
"Ah, I'm okay. I remember now, so that's what matters, right?"
"Yeah!" Kairi giggled with a nod. Sora's smile widened to flash perfect white teeth at her. Kairi had always loved Sora's smile; it was like the sun, bright and blazing. It could illuminate even the darkest of rooms, and never failed to send sadness and doubt fleeing into the dark recesses of her mind, too scared to face against his boundless cheerfulness. Kairi hopped up onto the curved stem of the palm tree, her calves brushing against the meat of Sora's left arm. "Yeah, that's what matters," she murmured, mostly to herself.
Kairi hummed contentedly as she swung her feet lightly, banging her heels against the sturdy trunk. The seascape shimmered like thousands of diamonds as the sunlight struck the transparent surface to scatter white globes of light across the continually shifting waves. Above the horizon line, white clouds moseyed lazily through the endless blue like ships sailing on to various destinations. The sun burned a bright yellow circle in the sky, streaming rays of light like arrows to warm their skin. Kairi rolled her shoulders as the sunbeams struck them and spread a soothing warmth over her person. It was remarkable, she thought at that moment, how different yet alike the sky and the sea were.
Kairi reached out into the air with a smile, splaying her fingers out over the space that joined the two blue expanses. Sora regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
"Whatcha doin'?"
"I was just thinking," she mused with a grin, "that you and I are like the sky and the sea." Sora blinked and looked at the horizon, then back to her with a puzzled expression. Kairi giggled and spread her arms upward. "Sora, you're like the sky! Bright and open and clear… Sometimes the weather changes to get stormy and uncertain, but no matter what, it always returns to the beautiful blue expanse- just like you, always optimistic even after the worst of times." Sora's cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink, and he laughed bashfully, playing with the spiky hairs at the base of his neck.
"Wow, Kairi, thanks," he stammered shyly. Kairi giggled at his adorable reaction and pointed at the sea.
"So that makes me the sea… It takes the brilliance of the sky and reflects it, kinda like how you inspire me to be greater every day." With eyes as wide as blue moons, Sora whispered her name in awe. Kairi giggled and tapped her cheek with the pad of her index finger mirthfully. "But, I'm amazing on my own, too! I'm tenacious!" she grinned and balled up her fists tightly as a show of resolution. "No matter what, I'm gonna keep beating at the shore until I move mountains!"
"Hehe, yeah, that does sound like you," Sora agreed with a laugh. Kairi pouted at him, thinking that perhaps he was teasing her, but he was grinning amiably at her. His absolute confidence in her sent a warm, fuzzy feeling bubbling up in her chest. The brown-haired boy glanced back at the horizon and smirking knowingly. "Yeah, I agree. You and I are kinda like the sky and sea," he agreed with a nod. "Especially because we're always connected."
"Huh?" she blinked. Sora pointed at the horizon line, the smudge of gray where the glittering sea gave way to smooth light blue. "No matter how far you go in either direction, you can always trace back to the horizon. Just like us!" His blue eyes gleamed at her when he glanced over his shoulder, smiling brightly. "I'm always connected to you, Kairi, no matter how far apart we are." She flushed as he turned around to grasp both her hands tightly, thumbs caressing the tops of them with gentle touches. She fluttered her red eyelashes at him bashfully as he smiled radiantly. "No matter what, I'll always meet you at the horizon," he solemnly promised.
"Oh, Sora," Kairi sniffed with tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. Chuckling, Sora nudged her knees apart with his hips so that he could step between them and reach up to cup her cheeks. His thumbs made those soft sweeping motions again, this time to catch her tears and wipe them away. Kairi leaned into his touch; though his hands had grown callous from his extended time wielding the Keyblade, his hands were still incredibly gentle. "Thank you… I'll always come to meet you."
"I know," he smiled sweetly. "That's what makes me strong. No matter how far away I go, I can keep moving forward knowing that you're at my side, Kairi." The auburn-haired girl smiled lovingly and nuzzled her cheek into one of his broad palms.
"Well, I hope that it'll be a while before you have to go marching off again," she joked. Sora smirked and shrugged slightly.
"Well, y'know, bein' a Hero of Light and all is a pretty demanding job," he jested with a playful roll of his eyes. Kairi snorted and kicked him in the thigh with the toe of her shoe, making him jerk to the side and whine indignantly. "I'm kiddiiiiiing! I hope so, too," he laughed. His smile then softened, and he pushed a swathe of her dark red hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. His eyes went searching again across the planes of her gradually blushing face, but Kairi had no clue what for. His gaze finally settled into her eyes, growing lidded as he stared adoringly into the vibrant depths. "I hope so too, Kairi," he repeated in a husky voice full of feeling. Kairi instinctively inhaled, feeling a strange emotion blooming within the depths of her being. It intensified as Sora's gaze slowly trailed down to rest on her slightly parted baby-pink lips. "Kairi… Can I…" He didn't finish the question, but Kairi knew very well what he was asking.
"Please," she implored in a breathy whisper. Still staring intently at her lips, Sora slowly closed the distance between them. Their eyes drifted shut simultaneously at the first brushing of his mouth against hers. As his lips molded over hers in an impeccably sweet, chaste kiss, Kairi's hands ran up his arms to settle on his shoulders. Sora's hands tentatively found purchase on her waist, holding her steady as she became lost in the constant waves of his gentle kisses.
Kairi's eyes fluttered open when he retreated and found his bright blue eyes tenderly beholding her face. The girl blushed slightly and fidgeted, not used to such overt affection. Sora chuckled at her sudden shyness and stroked her cheek with his knuckles, following the line of her cheekbone before pushing his fingers into her auburn locks.
"Thank you for always being there for me, Kairi. You've helped me more than you can imagine." Kairi smiled coyly and leaned her face into his palm, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"Of course. I'll always be there for you, Sora."
After a few minutes of just staring earnestly into each other's eyes, Sora hopped up onto the sloped palm tree beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled into his side and rested her cheek against his shoulder, smiling warmly as his comforting presence washed over her. Sora grasped her hand and interlaced their fingers, then, with a sly smirk, brought her hand to his mouth to press a lingering kiss to the top of her hand. She blushed at the smooth gesture and buried her brightening face into the fabric of his sleeve. She shook as Sora's shoulder jumped up and down with merry laughter.
Kairi finally calmed down enough to peer out at the glittering horizon. Together, the two teenagers linked by fate and destiny admired the eternally joined blues of the sky and sea.