It should be a crime to have finals on such a beautiful day, Kairi thinks.

Thick beams of sunlight are falling in through the windows and across the room where students sit hunched over their papers. From her seat on the left side of the room, Kairi can just see through the window a strip of blue water edging the beach, and though she isn't positive, she thinks that the two figures sparring might be Sora and Riku.

Lucky them. They get to play outside while she discusses symbolic interpretations of death in literature.

She sets her pencil down for a moment, glancing at the clock. She had always been a fast writer, and it baffles her how anyone could possibly need three hours to write two essays. As it is, it has barely been 45 minutes since the exam started, and she is well into her second prompt. But her brain, understandably, doesn't want to think about the structure of her paragraphs.

Though she is wearing one of her sleeveless uniform blouses today, the tie around her neck still feels too warm, and her feet feel suffocated in closed-toed shoes. Summer should never be a time for closed-toed shoes… in fact, if Kairi had anything to say about it, no one would be able to wear shoes in the summer at all. She always loves the way that her feet become calloused and rough from barefoot walks down the road to the beach.

Maybe she is just made for warm weather, Kairi thinks idly. Sora and Riku, too, always seem happier in the brightest and warmest months (or at least, they always had in the past… hopefully that wouldn't change). It seems absurd to her that they ever managed to survive anywhere but on this island, but then, maybe survive is a good word for it. It had hardly been anyone's choice to leave in the first place, and – she stops herself from continuing that thought. No point revisiting what can't be changed.

Kairi herself is feeling lighter these days, and though it could just be coincidence, she attributes it largely to the sun. It's hard to remember anything bad on a day when the water is cool and the sand burns her toes. She's hoping that the weather will have a similar effect on the boys. To their credit, though, they both seem to be making an effort to be more social these days, which makes her happy.

Maybe she'll head down to the beach after she finishes her test. She's taken a few days off training in order to study and really needs to get started again. Kairi is suddenly thankful that she's taken to keeping a spare bathing suit in her school bag – she can hardly fight in her flimsy plaid skirt. Maybe Riku can finally get around to showing her that new kick that he's been practicing. Maybe she could even persuade them both to head down to the old obstacle course; what had been a struggle for her at fourteen would probably be pretty easy now.

Maybe, if they have a productive enough day, they could find that old upturned tree and sit there when the sun sets. Maybe things were getting better every day.

Someone coughs, and Kari shakes her head as she snaps back to reality. With new motivation, she picks up her pencil and enthusiastically attacks the second half of her essay. If she paces herself right, she could be out of the school and at the beach in half an hour.

The sunshine was waiting for her.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot points referencing any of the games in the Kingdom Hearts series. Reviews are appreciated.

Sorry that it's been a while, real life keeps getting in the way.