Summary; Sitting on the docks one evening after Sora's return, Kairi and Sora decide that maybe the paopu fruit isn't what they need to tie their destinies together.

Tohrue's Note: This is one of those 'aww' romantic one shots. This one was a little emotional to write for me, but then again, I'm a pretty hyperactive sensitive person. When I was younger, my day care lady would say the most 'whatever' things and I would burst into years. But maybe my sensitivity isn't such a bad thing if I always get these fic&one shot ideas.

More Than Destiny
Tohrue
March 26, 2006
(Three Hours until Kingdom Hearts Two! )

Kairi giggled, turning the paopu fruit around in her hand for examination.

"It's a lot smaller than I remember of last time from holding it."

"Yeah, you could say that again."

Both Kairi and Sora sat on the edge of the dock; their bottom extensions hanging off and dangling teasingly above the water. Suited in her lightly pink blush color outfit with extents of zippers and Sora perfectly clad in his outfit that was now mostly a color of charcoal, there couldn't have been anywhere else the girl would have wanted to have been at this moment. And she was surely confident that Sora felt this way as well.

He'd came back. Just as he'd promised a couple of years ago. He'd been back now for a couple of days, but still, peoples' shock and amazement was just as fresh as it was when he'd been discovered upon the shore. Though it may have sounded a little selfish, Kairi was sure that she had been the one who had missed him the most and was absolutely sick with excitement and butterflies when the news had spread across the Island of the boy on shore. Possibly more than his mother, really.

Though they were the same people, their characteristics had grown and matured; while some traits were now history and others were new news. Kairi still laughed a lot, but that girly little giggle she had once carried, was now a thing of her first couple of teen years. Compared to when she was fourteen, she didn't enjoy as going out as much and being on the beach with friends every weekend now. Instead, she enjoyed staying home or going places alone. It seemed these days she'd picked up a talent with the camera as well.

Sora too, was the same. As younger kids, Sora sometimes had found himself having trouble trying to roll of his words from his tongue while talking with Kairi. And when he did talk to her 'comfortably,' there was usually a good hint or two of a faint blush. Kairi had always adored it and found it cute but now as they sat there present in time, he seemed to have no trouble with words -- and to her disappointment, he no longer blushed.

"Do you remember when we were kids and everyone seemed to be infatuated with the fact of the paopui intertwining Destiny and all of that?"

Sora released a laugh and nodded. "Yeah, Riku tried to get me to share one with you."

Kairi soon too, was laughing. "Did he really? Well, that sure does sound like Riku."

Unlike Sora, Riku hadn't returned yet. Whether he was strolling down a path paved in the darkness or out 'mingling' around in cities and worlds -- much like Sora had done when the Islands had been swallowed into an abyss of darkness--, they weren't sure. Though she still cried about Riku, her worry factor wasn't up as high as it'd been for Sora. Not that she loved Sora or anything more, but really just the fact that she knew Riku could handle himself well. And not say the stupid mindless things that could get him in trouble like Sora always had found himself doing.

"Hey, do you remember .." Kairi paused. "When were eight?"

His gaze tore away from the paopu in her handling and up towards her face to look into her relaxed orbs of blue. Giving a slight shake of his head, he showed that he didn't.

"Well .."


Eight Years Ago

"Sora, you can't share it with Kairi!"

"Y-yes, I can!"

Kairi sat upon the face of her shore, her legs drawn close to her chest as she hugged them; a worried expression drawn out across her face. A couple feet in front of her, Riku and Sora stood, tugging hardly at the yellow plush fruit of a paopu. Riku a bit taller than Sora, was lean and boney -- in his 'growing period' his mother had told them all. Sora was still had his chubby little kid face but he was hardly chubby.

"I'm the King! She's the Queen! We get to eat it and join D-destiny!"

"But I'm the knight! I get to save her from YOU and share it with HER," Sora gave the fruit a tight tug.

"No! You don't! I will make sure your body is slaughtered and your head is chopped off before you can come into my castle and steal my l-lady!"

"Stop it you guys! We can all share the fruit!"

Despite her attempt to bribe them, they continued to pull back and forth at the fruit as if it were a chew toy between two puppies. They'd been playing 'Castle' again -- this time Kairi was Queen, Riku was King, and Sora was the Knight. After an hour or so of running around, hiding in their secret 'fortress', and battling each other with wooden swords, Riku'd came across a paopu fruit that'd fallen astray from the trees all around. After explaining the story of it, he claimed that him and Kairi had to share destiny and live with each other forever because they were King and Queen.

"Are you kidding! I don't want to be stuck with HIM for the rest of my years! And do you know how ugly his face is gonna look as an old geezer!"

"Not uh, Riku! You're gonna look ugly with that girl hair!"

Riku gave a hard tug out of anger and sucessfully, ripped the paopu into his grasp. Sora fell back onto the sand. Screaming out in excitement of 'winning,' the boy immediately began to boast. Sora, on the ground, was red in the face from anger as he darted angry looks to Riku. Kairi watched, half amused, half confused. Finally however, feeling bad for Sora, she stood up from the ground and brushed off her white sundress. A couple moments later, she headed over to the two.

Standing above Sora, Kairi offered him a hand off the ground. Without being the slightest bit reluctant, he grabbed it, and then pulled himself up.

"Okay Kairi, let's eat this and be Queen and King forever. We will rule the universe and everyone will love us and the stork will bring us many children!" Still blabbing on, the boy ripped off a couple pieces from the fruit. Immediately, he shoved one piece of it into Kairi's face. Wrinkling her nose, she stared at is as if it was a dead crab of some sorts.

"Eat it, Kairi!"

"Riku .."

"She doesn't want to eat your stupid fruit, Riku so leave her alone! That's your problem! You always boss us around like you're actually the ruler of us! If you don't stop, I'm gonna stop being your friend! Then maybe Kairi will too and you'll have to play all by yourself!"

Kairi looked over to Sora whom stood next to her; bright red and letting out little dramatic exhales of breath. Tracing her stare then to Riku, she could tell he'd gotten a mental slap in the face. Slightly rosey in the cheeks, she watched the two exchange an uncomfortable stare before Riku suddenly pulled back his arm and released a punch directly into Sora's face. Seconds later, the boy went crashing back to the ground.

Present

"Oh yeah, I remember that now .." Wrinkling his nose, Sora raised a hand to his face and traced his fingers around the bone beneath her eye. "Believe it or not, if I push hard enough, it still hurts. I'm pretty sure he bruised a little of bit of my cheek bone for life."

"I'm not surprised. Riku could pack a bunch pretty hard when we were younger. I just wouldn't want to feel it now," laughing, she continued to dangle her feet.

"Like he could ever even hurt you," his tone becoming slightly cold, she noted a roll of the eyes he gave. "He always liked you. Always trying to impress you and make him like you. It always made me really mad. We constantly had to fight for your attention and always no matter what we did, Riku seemed to be better. At times I'm happy that this whole thing happened. It's proof that I'm just as good as Riku. I'm just as strong and smart as him, you know."

"Sora .."

"Where ever he is though, he's fine," Sora continued. "I mean, I worry about him every now and then but I know he wouldn't get himself killed. Funny, really .. he's out there, wherever, and I hardly worry at all .. And even though I knew you were back here safe, I worried constantly about you even though I knew I could trust you in being okay."

Turning her head, her gaze had been fixated upon the sunset out on the horizon. Like a beautifully painted canvas, the hues of bright colors had mixed together to make one beautiful mess. The last time she had sat here with Sora was right before all of that chaotic stuff happened. She'd told him that just him and her would go away -- of course she'd said she was kidding right after it, but not for one second had she believed she really was.

"You know, I feel the same. I trust you with my life -- and of course, you haven't let me down yet." Letting out a small laugh, she drew back a strand of hair that had fallen out of place.

Two years ago, this conversation wouldn't have been happening. Sora would have been choking on words and Kairi would have been swallowed into a foolish feeling of embarrassment. But instead, the words were exchanged casually as if the subject could have been about the weather.

Resting her head upon his shoulder, she continued to fiddle with the fruit. She'd been about able to raise it to her face when Sora suddenly grabbed it and tossed it out into the water. Looking up at him, a confused and worried expression filled throughout her features.

"You know, why do we need a stupid fruit that assures us that our destinies will tied? I don't want to secure my conscience of my fate on some stupid piece of a fruit. And besides Kairi, I think we're always going to be apart of each other lives. We don't need to be dependent of a fruit on that."

Thinking it through, Kairi sat in silence, contemplating what he'd just said. .. The paopu fruit story had always been a swooning one -- about destinies being intertwined, but now that it was thought through, it was somewhat of an answer to insecurities with relationships. If you really weren't sure that your love would last until the end, sharing that paopu fruit with the other would make that a for sure. And even though she couldn't quite come to the fact that she was most likely head over her heels in love with Sora, she didn't need that fruit to secure her hopes. Look at what'd they'd been through in these past two years. He'd risked his life for her and really .. that was enough evidence.

Wrapping her arms around his arm, she closed her eyes and inhaled a deep sigh. A slight smile came across her lips and she was sure too, that she could feel Sora smiling as well.

"I won't ever leave you again, Kairi."

"I know, Sora."

Tohrue's Note: Ahh, I love those two. EVERYONE ENJOY KINGDOM HEARTS TWO! I'LL BE GETTING MY PRECIOUS LITTLE HANDS ON IT, AS WELL AS THE LIMIETD STRAT. GUIDE, TOMORROW. 8D

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