kh_drabble | Challenge [108]

Challenge: [108] Belle
Title: Prettiest
Word count: 423
Pairing: Sora/Kairi
Spoilers/Notes: This takes place right before KH1. No spoilers, unless you haven't gotten past the first hour of kh1. G rating. This is more cute than anything else.

Destiny Islands was renowned by its inhabitants for many reasons. One was all the legends and secrets it held, the Paopu legend being prominent among them. Another was its beauty. But if there was anything the islanders hated about their world, it was the heat.

The islands' summers were almost brutal; they were humid and moist and unbearably hot. The sun shone strong on the sand, burning the feet of anyone who walked on it. The island children did all they could to keep from burning up, but sometimes it was too much to bear.

Kairi disliked the heat. Sometimes in her dreams she could vaguely remember her world, the place where she had come from, and somehow she knew it was never as hot there. There was snow in the winter, and the summers were light and cool. Not like this place. But she tried not to dwell on it.

School on Destiny Islands didn't let out for summer break until June, so the last few months were almost torture. Kairi was the one who complained the most, while Sora and Riku shook their heads and told her she'd get used to it eventually. But she hated the heat; it made her sweat and feel dizzy, and turned her cheeks red. Which was embarrassing.

Sora seemed to love summer the most out of all the islanders. Kairi had never heard him complain about it, not once. He'd just go around and grin and tell her not to worry, she didn't look sweaty at all. So she tried to bear it, for his and Riku's sake. At least it was cute seeing Sora blush from the heat.

But one day, in late May, she couldn't take it anymore. It was in gym class when it happened - everyone was outside and Kairi was attempting to kick the ball into the net, sweaty and blushing and dying of heat. But she couldn't do it, and she fell to the ground.

She was mortified, she could just hear the sniggers of the kids behind her and she wanted to just be swallowed up by the ground. But then a cool hand was in hers, and she looked up into Sora's decidedly pink face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, lifting her up.

Kairi blushed. "Um, yeah. I'm so embarrassed..."

Sora only smiled. "Don't worry. You're okay. And, um, you look cute, all sweaty like this."

And suddenly the giggling of the other students didn't matter anymore, and Kairi felt like the prettiest girl on the islands.