s c a t t e r

---
A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory
A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream

-- . ♥ . --

I want to line the pieces up
Yours and Mine

---

"What is it?" she asks, her eyes glowing timidly as she watches the tiny, white bristles sway in the breeze. "Angel dust?"

I can't help but laugh. I mean, I know she's new to the island and all, but not knowing what dandelions are?

And I thought I was slow.

"You've never seen dandelions before?" I ask, my words forming awkwardly as they mix with my laughter.

She looks at me strangely, as though trying to understand what I just said. Watching her turn her gaze back towards the flowers that carpet the ground around her, I can't help but feel a strange jump in my stomach. Like I have just looked over the edge of a really tall hill on a roller coaster, getting ready to take the plunge.

She drops to her knees and sticks a finger out to poke the soft, cottony ball curiously. "It doesn't look like a lion," she says, firmly, coming to her decision. I just smile at her and lay back in the tall grass, looking up at the sky and watching the different shapes float by. It just seems so surreal. Like, all I have to do is swipe my hand and it will all disappear. Like a dream.

My dream is cut short as she pushes her palms flat against my stomach, knocking the air out of me. I sit up and start to glare at her complacently, then pull back, seeing her face exactly the same as mine. She looks as though I have just told her a big, fat, lie.

"Well . . . ?" is the only thing she says.

I'm confused.

"Well, what, Kairi?"

She just continues to stare at me, a strong expression of disappointment spread across her face, unchanging as the seconds tick by. It's actually beginning to scare me. Not that I'll admit it, though.

"Well what do you do with them?"

I laugh again, nervously now, and I feel my body relax, knowing that, at least for the time being, I'm safe.

I jump to my feet and take her hand, picking two dandelions on my way, and leading her up the nearby hill.

I love the look on her face as she peers down cautiously at the island below us. Curious, but kind of afraid. I squeeze her hand tighter, letting her know I'm here. She smiles at me, and I feel that jump again. Man, oh, man, there's no way Riku will ever let this go.

I sort of like that idea.

"Sora?" she says, causing a wave of heat to rush to my face. I probably looked like an idiot just then, with some stupid grin that went from ear to ear. Stupid Sora. Stupid Sora. I turn to her, and she's still waiting, so I shake it off.

Handing her one of the dandelions, I spread my feet apart, hold my own out in front of me, and draw in one huge breath. It causes some of the seeds to blow back at me, and I sneeze, knocking me backward as the force takes out my dandelion seeds. I pout in disappointment as I watch the wind pull them up and away into the air, away from me.

Rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment, I turn to Kairi,

"Sorry, that wasn't how it was supposed to happen."

But she's not looking at me. She's still watching the dandelion seeds, swirling around and around until they become too small to see. Then she looks at the flower she's holding in her hand, and for a second, it looks as though she's going to cry.

"One by one," she says, her voice quiet and soft, "they all drift away . . ."

Then I realize she's not talking about the seeds anymore. She's talking about her family.

Kairi didn't come to the island by choice. At least, that's what our parents told us. They said that she had to come here, that something happened where she came from and they had to send her away. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like, to be taken away from her home, from her friends and family, without a choice. It made me sad.

But it didn't seem to bother Kairi. She always seemed so happy, her eyes always dancing and shining so bright. At least, until now.

"I'm sorry," I say, not knowing what else I can do. "We can, uhh, leave now, if you want."

I start walking down the hill, but she doesn't move. I think that maybe she didn't hear me, but then I see her face. She's smiling, her eyes warm and sparkling in wonder as she stares down at the weed she's holding.

Stretching her arms out as far as possible, she takes a really deep breath, and then blows her lungs out, doing what we thought was impossible by getting all the seeds with one try.

I look at her in awe.

"I thought you were sad from the dandelions," I stammer, still amazed that she was able to do what both Riku and I could not, "I thought they reminded you of your home."

She looks up into the air and her eyes follow the seeds as they float and spiral away. They catch every movement, and for a second, it seems as though she'll fall back from dizziness. But she doesn't. She just closes her eyes and smiles, before turning back to me.

"They do. And it did make me sad, for a little while, having to watch them all go away from me like that." She pauses, walking up to me and crouching, her eyes glittering in excitement, like she's getting ready to tell me a secret. I feel my face flame again. "But you know what? That's okay."

"How?"

She grins. "Because, I know that even though they had to go away for a while, they'll come back to me someday. I know they will."

And then she begins to walk down the hill, leaving me staring at her back as it grows smaller and smaller in the distance. At first, I don't know what to do. It feels as if my feet are glued to the ground. But then she looks back over her shoulder, and I find myself running to meet her. She smiles at me again, and I take her hand in mine as we begin to make our way back down to the beach, where Riku is waiting, looking up at the sky and watching tiny threads of white float into the ocean, and drift slowly onto shore.

---

I got the idea for this while I was at Target with my family. Off a book I glanced at. I think it was called Like Dandelion Dust, but I'm not sure. Anyway, just a simple one-shot to keep my readers happy I guess. Hehe, read and review!

-hearts-

xsyntheticsmile