[ It's a good thing he gives her the support, because she starts to wobble a little. And that hand she was using to rub her eyes moves to her forehead instead. It's burning up, but it's not like she can really tell right now. ]
... Yeah. Maybe. [ Shade sounds nice right now.
Forcing a smile through her discomfort. She doesn't want to worry him or anything. ] I'm sure I'll be fine in a few minutes. Maybe I'm just tired from the journey over here.
[ Not likely, but go ahead and tell yourself that, honey. ]
[He tries not to look too worried, even if he can't quite hide it. Between her and Riku, Sora has a tough time deciding who's more stubborn, at times.]
Let's go to the secret place. It's cooler in there. [Even if it does have embarassing chalk drawings that definitely won't be mentioned!!] I brought some water, too.
Okay. Good thinking. [ Both with the water and the destination idea. Ah ... Just thinking about cooling down feels nice.
Too bad her body is still overheating like crazy and uh. Once she takes even one step toward walking there, her knees are practically buckling under her and now would be the time for him to use that hand he'd placed on her shoulder.
Still going to insist she's fine though. So she's stubborn, sue her. ]
[Alarmed, he moves in front of her to steady her, both hands on her shoulders now.]
You look really sick. Let's go home, okay? [Before she can argue, he's moving to put her arm around his shoulders so she can lean on him. Please don't pass out...!]
She's not going to argue with him propping her up like that, because she sure does need it. But she's still going to be stubborn. Just ... you know, weakly stubborn. The kind of stubborn that's easy to write off. ]
Sora ... Really ... I told you, I'm just tired.
[ She says, as she breathes a little heavier than normal. It sure is hot out today. ]
[Yeah, he can definitely see why she and Riku are friends, with that stubbornness. She's getting marched back to the dock, and he offers her a flask of cold water he brought with him.]
Here. If you're tired, you can go home and nap. No one's passing out on my watch!
[He smiles, trying to sound as cheerful as ever despite the worry.]
[ Alright, she can tell she's not getting out of this. Sora's too into protecting his friends for her to get away with trying to not seem sick — not that she was even doing a good job anyway.
So she takes the flask from him, moving the arm she had around his shoulders to open the top, and then placing that arm back on one of his shoulders so she can keep her balance. ]
... Okay. Thanks, Sora. [ She really does appreciate his caring about her, despite her stubbornness to accept she needs the care in the first place.
And she drinks some of the water and boooy does it feel nice ...
But then. ] Sorry, that today had to go like this.
[ She just wanted to have fun!!! With her bestie!! ]
Seriously, Kairi, it's okay. Everyone has rough days sometimes.
[Even Sora. But he always had friends at hand to help him through it, so he knows there's no reason to play tough.
It doesn't take long to reach the docks, so he helps her into her boat and climbs in after her. He can always come back and fetch his own boat another time.]
[ She smiles at his reassurance. He's always been good at that.
And she super appreciates the help getting into her boat. It was kind of hard doing it alone coming here, what with how wobbly boats tend to be, and how much effort she had to expend to get here ... Maybe that wasn't the best idea, honestly. It probably made this worse. But no one ever said she was the logical one of the group. And now she has Sora to help her get back, so that's a relief. It's also a relief to be sitting down. ]
Yeah. I woke up feeling like this. But I couldn't just leave you waiting for me over here. [ A pause. ] And ... I wanted to see you. I was hoping it'd just go away, so we could still have our day.
[ Honesty, she has it. It just took some stubbornness to get to it. Sure, she could've asked someone else to head over here and let him know about her sickness, but she wanted to try to rough it through this anyway, so ... here they are. ]
[Sora pushes the boat out from the dock, then takes the oars and starts to row them both back to the main island. It feels a little mundane to row a boat compared to piloting a gummi ship these days, but hey, sometimes old and familiar things are nice too. Especially when it's with Kairi.]
You'd really put yourself through all this... just to see me?
[He can feel his cheeks reddening, which he hopes he can just pass off as exertion from rowing, or maybe from the glare of the sun. Suddenly he wants to look anywhere but at her.]
Well... We can still have a day together! I'll look out for you while you rest and get better. [It's not quite what she had in mind, but it's something.]
[ She laughs a little at that, and then speaks with a light tone, a little too light for what she's implying. ]
I've gone through worse to see you, you know.
[ Remember that time she recklessly ran into a corridor of darkness, got herself kidnapped, thrown in a jail, and jumped off a balcony for him? Sickness is nothing.
And she looks a little shocked at his last statement. ]
You're okay with that?
[ It's not as fun and lighthearted as the day could've been for them, but she has no qualms with spending the time with him. ]
[ Okay, you got her. That was a good comeback. It brings a genuine, warm smile to her face — he sure is her protector, huh? She's still waiting for her chance to do more for him, but ... in the meantime, she knows she can't resist the way he is. ]
You're right. I guess we're even. [ At least, in regards to doing a lot for each other. In their own ways.
Her smile is cut a little short, though, because she's still really hot, and while normally the wind would help with that, all it does is send a sudden chill through her body, as she places a hand on her forehead again and exhales uncomfortably. If only this little row boat had a place for her to lean back on, because even if she's sitting, the waves are not making this whole balance thing easy. ]
Kairi... [Her discomfort is impossible to miss, but he also can't do much about it until they're back on land, except maybe to row more slowly to avoid affecting her too much.
Struck with an idea, he lets go of an oar and pats his lap.]
You wanna turn around and lie down? It'll be kind of a tight fit and not that comfy, but you might feel better.
[ ... Oh. She looks between his hand patting his lap, and his face, and for a moment she feels like her heartbeat might've gotten a little faster. Maybe it's because she's sick, or maybe it's because the boy she likes just offered his lap for her to lie down on. No big deal. She's not as easily flustered, at least, so a second later, she smiles.
Cracking a small, light joke here. ]
Anything's more comfortable than I am right now.
[ ...... Especially his lap. ]
Okay. I'll try it.
[ And she scoots a little to the side, so that when she lies down, her head is lined up with his lap. Sora's lucky he's got such big, puffy pants. They're comfortable as heck. Like a Sora-pillow.
And she moves a hand to his leg, in front of her face, because she still needs to steady herself a little so she doesn't fall over somehow. ]
[Sora blushes in earnest, holding the oars a bit higher now that Kairi is in his lap. He can only imagine how much Riku or the others would tease him if they saw him right now, but he casts that out of his mind to continue rowing. As long as Kairi feels comfortable, that's the most important thing.]
Wish I could just magic away the sickness for you, but I guess that'd be too easy, huh?
[ She inhales a bit deeply, slowly, before exhaling in a sigh of relief. This really is a lot more comfortable than before. So she closes her eyes while she talks to him — it helps the dizziness and the headache a little. ]
I guess even Keyblade Wielders have to deal with sickness sometimes. [ As strong as they seem. ] So don't go catching this, too, got it?
I got it. You can keep your Kairi germs to yourself.
[He grins widely, and he's sure she can hear it in his voice, even if she has her eyes closed. Maybe it's a little mean to tease her when she's sick, but he can't help it.]
[ She laughs a little in response to that — it's a somewhat weak laugh but it's there!!
And she gently pats him on the leg with the hand that's there — it's meant to be a teasing hit but it's more like a weak pat. She'd bop him on the head if she could. ]
My Kairi germs don't wanna get on you anyway.
[ There's an equally joking tone to her voice, as well. ]
Gross, they're already on me! Get me off this boat!
[He makes as if to jerk away from her as she pats him, but he doesn't actually move. He doesn't want her to feel sicker than she actually is, just make her laugh.]
[He tries to pretend to sulk, but it doesn't work, he's laughing too much. The banter does make the journey go quicker, at least, and before long he's slowing the boat to a stop at a small dock on the main island.]
[ She laughs at his sulk laughing and she's happy to hear they've arrived. She can feel the boat's movements slowing and moving to reach a dock, and she opens her eyes a few moments later, using the hand that's already near her face to shield her eyes for a few moments as she adjusts to the light again.
And then she moves her head to peer up at him, smiling. ]
Yeah. [ Thanks to him. ] You were more comfortable than I thought you'd be. [ Still with that joking tone. She's having fun joking with him, okay. And it helps distract her from how awful her body feels. She's not super looking forward to sitting up and walking to the house, even though the house'll be comfortable to be in once she gets there. ]
What's that supposed to mean? Do I look like I'm made of rocks?
[He pretends to look offended, setting down the oars and tying up the boat while he gives Kairi time to recover a little from the trip. Then he'll move to support her so she can sit up.]
[ Still joking. She means he might have rocks in his head. Which could mean they're elsewhere as well! But moving on, she sits up once he's supporting her, slowly because she knows if she goes too fast she'll end up feeling dizzy. She shuts her eyes for a moment once she's up, to prevent her vision going weird.
And then she smiles and looks toward him. ]
I think so. I'll try to.
[ She doesn't want to make him have to carry her or something. ]
All right. If you feel too funny to keep going, tell me. Don't push yourself.
[He really isn't against carrying her, but he also doesn't want to embarrass her or anything by offering when it might be overkill. He gets out of the boat first, and offers her a hand up and onto the dock.]
Don't worry, I'll tell you. You already won that argument.
[ She knows she can count on him anyway, and she doesn't feel too embarrassed to admit her current weakness anymore, considering she's already shown how much it's affecting her, oops ... She gave in already with being too stubborn, he knows she's sick, it's over.
So she takes his hand, carefully standing, wobbling slightly, and then trying to step up onto the deck and being very grateful that he's holding her hand because here she goes, stumbling forward. Getting off a wobbly boat is hard when you're sick. ]
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... Yeah. Maybe. [ Shade sounds nice right now.
Forcing a smile through her discomfort. She doesn't want to worry him or anything. ] I'm sure I'll be fine in a few minutes. Maybe I'm just tired from the journey over here.
[ Not likely, but go ahead and tell yourself that, honey. ]
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Let's go to the secret place. It's cooler in there. [Even if it does have embarassing chalk drawings that definitely won't be mentioned!!] I brought some water, too.
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Okay. Good thinking. [ Both with the water and the destination idea. Ah ... Just thinking about cooling down feels nice.
Too bad her body is still overheating like crazy and uh. Once she takes even one step toward walking there, her knees are practically buckling under her and now would be the time for him to use that hand he'd placed on her shoulder.
Still going to insist she's fine though. So she's stubborn, sue her. ]
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[Alarmed, he moves in front of her to steady her, both hands on her shoulders now.]
You look really sick. Let's go home, okay? [Before she can argue, he's moving to put her arm around his shoulders so she can lean on him. Please don't pass out...!]
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She's not going to argue with him propping her up like that, because she sure does need it. But she's still going to be stubborn. Just ... you know, weakly stubborn. The kind of stubborn that's easy to write off. ]
Sora ... Really ... I told you, I'm just tired.
[ She says, as she breathes a little heavier than normal. It sure is hot out today. ]
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Here. If you're tired, you can go home and nap. No one's passing out on my watch!
[He smiles, trying to sound as cheerful as ever despite the worry.]
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So she takes the flask from him, moving the arm she had around his shoulders to open the top, and then placing that arm back on one of his shoulders so she can keep her balance. ]
... Okay. Thanks, Sora. [ She really does appreciate his caring about her, despite her stubbornness to accept she needs the care in the first place.
And she drinks some of the water and boooy does it feel nice ...
But then. ] Sorry, that today had to go like this.
[ She just wanted to have fun!!! With her bestie!! ]
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[Even Sora. But he always had friends at hand to help him through it, so he knows there's no reason to play tough.
It doesn't take long to reach the docks, so he helps her into her boat and climbs in after her. He can always come back and fetch his own boat another time.]
How long have you felt bad? Since this morning?
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And she super appreciates the help getting into her boat. It was kind of hard doing it alone coming here, what with how wobbly boats tend to be, and how much effort she had to expend to get here ... Maybe that wasn't the best idea, honestly. It probably made this worse. But no one ever said she was the logical one of the group. And now she has Sora to help her get back, so that's a relief. It's also a relief to be sitting down. ]
Yeah. I woke up feeling like this. But I couldn't just leave you waiting for me over here. [ A pause. ] And ... I wanted to see you. I was hoping it'd just go away, so we could still have our day.
[ Honesty, she has it. It just took some stubbornness to get to it. Sure, she could've asked someone else to head over here and let him know about her sickness, but she wanted to try to rough it through this anyway, so ... here they are. ]
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You'd really put yourself through all this... just to see me?
[He can feel his cheeks reddening, which he hopes he can just pass off as exertion from rowing, or maybe from the glare of the sun. Suddenly he wants to look anywhere but at her.]
Well... We can still have a day together! I'll look out for you while you rest and get better. [It's not quite what she had in mind, but it's something.]
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I've gone through worse to see you, you know.
[ Remember that time she recklessly ran into a corridor of darkness, got herself kidnapped, thrown in a jail, and jumped off a balcony for him? Sickness is nothing.
And she looks a little shocked at his last statement. ]
You're okay with that?
[ It's not as fun and lighthearted as the day could've been for them, but she has no qualms with spending the time with him. ]
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[Don't ask him how, it just is. Especially when she didn't have a say in half the stuff that happened in the World that Never Was.]
Sure I'm okay with it. I've gone through worse to look after you, too. [He grins.]
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You're right. I guess we're even. [ At least, in regards to doing a lot for each other. In their own ways.
Her smile is cut a little short, though, because she's still really hot, and while normally the wind would help with that, all it does is send a sudden chill through her body, as she places a hand on her forehead again and exhales uncomfortably. If only this little row boat had a place for her to lean back on, because even if she's sitting, the waves are not making this whole balance thing easy. ]
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Struck with an idea, he lets go of an oar and pats his lap.]
You wanna turn around and lie down? It'll be kind of a tight fit and not that comfy, but you might feel better.
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Cracking a small, light joke here. ]
Anything's more comfortable than I am right now.
[ ...... Especially his lap. ]
Okay. I'll try it.
[ And she scoots a little to the side, so that when she lies down, her head is lined up with his lap. Sora's lucky he's got such big, puffy pants. They're comfortable as heck. Like a Sora-pillow.
And she moves a hand to his leg, in front of her face, because she still needs to steady herself a little so she doesn't fall over somehow. ]
... This okay?
[ Is it comfortable for him too? ]
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[Sora blushes in earnest, holding the oars a bit higher now that Kairi is in his lap. He can only imagine how much Riku or the others would tease him if they saw him right now, but he casts that out of his mind to continue rowing. As long as Kairi feels comfortable, that's the most important thing.]
Wish I could just magic away the sickness for you, but I guess that'd be too easy, huh?
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I guess even Keyblade Wielders have to deal with sickness sometimes. [ As strong as they seem. ] So don't go catching this, too, got it?
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[He grins widely, and he's sure she can hear it in his voice, even if she has her eyes closed. Maybe it's a little mean to tease her when she's sick, but he can't help it.]
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And she gently pats him on the leg with the hand that's there — it's meant to be a teasing hit but it's more like a weak pat. She'd bop him on the head if she could. ]
My Kairi germs don't wanna get on you anyway.
[ There's an equally joking tone to her voice, as well. ]
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[He makes as if to jerk away from her as she pats him, but he doesn't actually move. He doesn't want her to feel sicker than she actually is, just make her laugh.]
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I didn't know you were such a scaredy cat, Sora!
[ He's like a kid afraid of cooties right now! ]
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[He tries to pretend to sulk, but it doesn't work, he's laughing too much. The banter does make the journey go quicker, at least, and before long he's slowing the boat to a stop at a small dock on the main island.]
Alright, we're here. You still holding up okay?
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And then she moves her head to peer up at him, smiling. ]
Yeah. [ Thanks to him. ] You were more comfortable than I thought you'd be. [ Still with that joking tone. She's having fun joking with him, okay. And it helps distract her from how awful her body feels. She's not super looking forward to sitting up and walking to the house, even though the house'll be comfortable to be in once she gets there. ]
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[He pretends to look offended, setting down the oars and tying up the boat while he gives Kairi time to recover a little from the trip. Then he'll move to support her so she can sit up.]
You think you can make the walk home?
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[ Still joking. She means he might have rocks in his head. Which could mean they're elsewhere as well! But moving on, she sits up once he's supporting her, slowly because she knows if she goes too fast she'll end up feeling dizzy. She shuts her eyes for a moment once she's up, to prevent her vision going weird.
And then she smiles and looks toward him. ]
I think so. I'll try to.
[ She doesn't want to make him have to carry her or something. ]
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[He really isn't against carrying her, but he also doesn't want to embarrass her or anything by offering when it might be overkill. He gets out of the boat first, and offers her a hand up and onto the dock.]
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Don't worry, I'll tell you. You already won that argument.
[ She knows she can count on him anyway, and she doesn't feel too embarrassed to admit her current weakness anymore, considering she's already shown how much it's affecting her, oops ... She gave in already with being too stubborn, he knows she's sick, it's over.
So she takes his hand, carefully standing, wobbling slightly, and then trying to step up onto the deck and being very grateful that he's holding her hand because here she goes, stumbling forward. Getting off a wobbly boat is hard when you're sick. ]
Ah —