Forever Love

Kairi smiled weakly, though her heart wasn't really in it. She appreciated him trying to lighten the mood, though. "You lead," she requested softly. She kept her hand in his. Sora didn't pull away, either. Did he do that because he was okay holding her hand? Or did he do it as an act of kindess?

Kairi glanced over and briefly met a few gazes before she started forward, clutching Sora's hand. How embarrassing. I can't believe I let that happen, right here in the middle of campus. How could Noel say such things?! I thought he liked me...

"Can we just go, please?" Kairi asked, taking her hands back from Sora's chest. She just needed to get away from the witnesses to this argument. And by "we", she meant for Sora to join her. She...didn't want to be alone.

Noel scoffed. "Man, you are whipped," he said. He lifted a hand. "Good luck. You'll need it." Kairi closed her eyes at the words, refusing to turn around and face Noel. She heard his footsteps as he left, and she was glad. Moisture sprung behind her eyelids. She needed to go.

Okay, this is going too far. Kairi turned her back to Noel and instead stood in front of Sora, her hands finding his chest. "Sora, look at me," she requested gently. "He's not worth it, okay? Let's..." She looked around and noticed for the first time that they had an audience. She lowered her voice. "Let's just go." She...needed to leave.

Kairi clutched Sora's shirt when he pulled her to him, her heart skipping at the action. She kept her grip on the fabric as Noel shook his head at the two of them, eyeing them critically. "Did you just threaten me?" Noel said, taking another step forward. Before things got physical, huh? Noel could hold his own. Could Sora?

Noel chuckled. "Of course you'd show up," he said, rolling his eyes. "This is so typical! If anyone's a tool, it's you. At her constant beck and call." "Noel, shut up!" Kairi hollered. "I am so sick of constantly having to watch what I say or do around you. Sora hasn't done anything wrong, and neither have I. You, on the other hand, have done nothing but make me feel guilty for having friends. I mention them and you snap!" She bent down and picked up her bag, which she had initially set down when things got heated. "I'm done, Noel. Whatever this was, it's over." "Now wait a second," Noel started, taking a step toward Kairi when she turned away. He snatched her wrist. She wasn't leaving just yet.

"Easy, Riku," Light said, placing a hand on Riku's arm. "Let her handle this." At least for now. Kairi could hold her ground. Light knew she wasn't a pushover since the confrontation with those girls at Snow's party. Of course, taking on Noel could be a completely different story. "Insecure?" Noel replied, glare sharpening. "If anyone's insecure it's you, Kairi! Throwing yourself all over Sora in that room like that, and at the festival! I saw you!" Kairi blinked. "I didn't do anything!" That hug? That was innocent! "Measurements, remember?" Noel lifted an eyebrow. "C'mon, Kairi. As if you didn't put out at least once." Kairi ground her teeth, and then her hand was flying. A loud smack resounded throughout the area when her palm made contact with Noel's face. She then pushed him roughly, causing him to stumble back. "Screw you, Noel!" Noel briefly rubbed his cheek. "Funny. You haven't."

Roxas glanced at Riku at that theory, but he quickly returned his gaze to Kairi and Noel. He had only seen that look on Kairi's face when she fought heartless, which meant business. "You honestly expect me not to think something is going on with you two? Give me a break!" Noel cried. "I've seen you with him, Kairi. That's not nothing!" "How many times do we need to go over this before you get it, Noel? We're just friends! Are you that insecure about yourself that you need constant reassurance from me?!" Kairi couldn't believe this was happening. She mentioned going over to her friends since they were nearby and Noel snapped. All because of Sora. But...Sora hadn't done anything wrong!

A few days later Roxas watched from his spot at a table as Kairi and Noel went at it. They were outside, the weather was beautiful, and the campus was busy--but that didn't stop the two from arguing in front of everyone. He couldn't make out what they were saying since they were standing pretty far away from where the group sat, but he knew it wasn't good. Kairi was beyond pissed, and Noel looked no better. "What do you think they're saying?" he asked his friends as he sat atop the table, curious eyes on the two. Lightning sat next to Riku and tilted her head. She could sometimes read lips, but the two were far enough away that it was difficult. Noel and Kairi both seemed like they kept it together until they were alone to duke it out, but that didn't seem to be the case at the moment. Students that walked by them stared openly before moving on, and others just eavesdropped like it didn't matter. "Hard to tell," she murmured. Whatever it was about, neither seemed to care that they were in public for it.

Kairi glanced up at Sora with the same smile before she focused back on her task. Neither of them spoke while she worked, so she got done quickly. She stood and started rolling her tape back up. "All done," she chimed, writing the last of the measurements down. The awkward part was over. Now she just needed to get the fabric together. "Thank you, Sora."

Kairi smiled weakly. Count on Sora to cheer her up so easily. He was good at that. "Sure," she agreed softly. She lengthened her tape and knelt down in front of Sora again, wrapping it around his thigh. Time to get back to work...and avoid any further awkward moments.

Kairi dropped her arms and gripped her tape. "We're almost done, so..." She waved her hand at Sora, prompting him to stand with his feet apart again. She got the measurement for that bit already, so she just needed to do his legs now. She wanted to pretend like Noel never even showed up.

Noel looked from Sora to Kairi, seeing that she did nothing more than cross her arms as she waited for an answer. So she wasn't going to disagree with Sora... "Whatever," Noel mumbled, waving them off as he disappeared from the room. He wasn't dealing with this. Once Noel was gone, Kairi stared after him, pressing her lips together. What the hell did Noel think he could do? She wasn't going to stop her project because of his insecurity, and apparent lack of trust in her. She had other things to do than be with him and do what he wanted... Kairi sighed, turning slightly to look at Sora. "I'm sorry," she said, speaking of what just happened. Noel was out of line.

"We won't be dating much longer if he acts like this," Kairi said, glancing side-eye at Sora. When her gaze returned to Noel, she saw his shocked expression. She put a hand on her hip. "I'm not going to argue with you on this, Noel. I have to finish this project, Sora's my model. If you don't like it, tough. We'll talk about this later." "Are you serious?" Noel took a step forward, looking from Kairi to Sora. "You asked him knowing what kind of...things you would have to do." Kairi pushed her hair back from her face, keeping her hand on top of her head as she sighed. "Noel. Just go." She didn't want to deal with this. This was embarrassing enough already, and now that he acted like this...

Kairi stood up instantly, face red in embarrassment. Noel looked beyond ticked off. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. "Oh yeah? Wanna bet? Looks to me like you two were messing around," Noel said from the doorway. His eyes darted from Sora to Kairi, whose face rivaled her hair in color. "It's for a project!" Kairi insisted. "I'm just doing measurements! Calm down!" "Measurements?" Noel rolled his eyes. "So that's what fashion majors call it now." Kairi's eyebrows furrowed as she glared at Noel. That was a cheap shot, and totally uncalled for. Who did he think he was? He wasn't even her boyfriend! They went on a date or two, sure, but nothing happened beyond that. He acted like he had right to claim her or something!

Kairi's face was on fire. Not once did she think she would be in this position with Sora, for a school project no less. He knew what he was signing up for, though... He knew this had to happen. So he must be okay with it, right? Kairi kept her hand behind Sora, holding her tape there as she brought it under and up for...that measurement. She remembered the number and was just about to get up when-- "What the hell?" Noel stood in the doorway, eyes hard as he witnessed what had to be some sort of joke. Kairi...and Sora?! Of course it was him! Who else would it be?! What the hell were they even doing?!

Kairi lifted her eyes to Sora and frowned, then punching him lightly in the chest. "Cool it, hero," she scolded, fighting a blush. He obviously made the joke to take away the tension--which she appreciated--but it had the opposite effect. She wrote his measurement down on her notepad and then turned to him. Don't make this awkward. Don't make this awkward. Don't make this awkward, she chanted to herself as she lowered herself to her knees in front of him. "Feet shoulder-width apart," she instructed. Time for the uncomfortable measurement.

Kairi blinked, seeming to come out of a trance. She looked up at Sora, but only briefly given how close her face was to his. "N-nothing," she replied intelligently. She jotted down the measurements for Sora's hips and then moved back to stand in front of him. She lowered the measuring tape so it went around his backside, the girl pinching the tape and getting another measurement. If she just focused on the task and acted like Sora was a mannequin, she could get this done no problem. But...Sora wasn't a mannequin. He was Sora.

Kairi giggled, both at the taunt and his shorts. "Cute," she teased softly, then stepping toward Sora and wrapping the measuring tape around his hips. She had done this previously for the jacket, but knowing Sora, he'd taken advantage of his food card since then; new measurements were necessary. His cologne wafted toward her when she was so close. Did he have to smell that good right now? His smell added to his appeal, on top of the strong jawline, pretty eyes, and charming smile. He had a t-shirt on, but it accentuated his chest a bit. Did Sora do this on purpose? If he had been trying to get her attention, it was working.

Kairi smiled slightly, but then she smirked in taunting. "Don't make this awkward, lazy bum," she instructed with a squeeze of his shoulders. She then backed up and motioned to his pants. "Take those off. If you have shorts on underneath, you can keep them on." She fought her blush. The thought of Sora in his... Kairi glanced away. Nope. She wouldn't think of that.

Kairi grabbed her measuring tape and turned to face Sora. His paler face didn't go unnoticed. She approached him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Sora, you're my best friend, right?" she asked, looking up at him at his taller height. She had to let him know that this wasn't a big deal. It was just for a project. So this didn't need to be awkward....right?

Kairi took the jacket and carefully hung it, double-checking to make sure none of the pins came out. She also took that moment to keep her back to Sora as a blush came to her face. "...I need to do measurements for the pants," she told him, voice soft. This wouldn't be...comfortable, given where she had to measure and how close she had to be to Sora. Would he stick to being her model with this?

"Uh huh," Kairi muttered in confirmation. She watched Sora with sharp eyes, trying to find any faults in her design. Looks good. Then again, the thought wasn't just for the jacket; Sora looked good too. In the full suit, she knew he would be striking. The pants, however, had yet to be made. She still needed those measurements. She breathed a sigh, both in relief and nervousness. The jacket was good to go--it just needed sewn. But the pants needed done. "Okay, all good." Kairi stepped up to Sora and gently pressed his arms down before moving to take off the jacket, careful due to the pins.

Kairi shook her head at Sora's ridiculousness but otherwise remained silent as she finished pinning the jacket. It only took a few quick minutes. She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, observing her work. "Can you spin for me?" she asked, then biting her lip as she looked at Sora's handsome face. She wanted to see it from a distance and all sides, just to make sure she finished properly.