I know this is late but... Happy New Year!

I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is owned by Square/Disney.

Ten

RikuKairi - "There are so many more people at the party; it'd be much more exciting being there, with them, then out here with… me."

Riku slammed his keyblade into the clumpy sand before sitting down beside it. The sand was cold and slightly moist below him as the snow continued to fall softly to the ground. Light spilled down from the boardwalk and glittered against the ocean's waves as music from nearby parties echoed gently down to the shore.

"Another beginning, another ending," He spoke to no one in particular, cracking open his can of beer. It fizzled, spraying sour foam onto his hand, before he took several long swigs of the acidy liquid. He cringed at its taste but savored the blaze that it left in its wake. That was the only good part about beer in his mind.

It was nearly midnight and just about every adult (and a majority of the teenagers too) were drunk, leaving him as one of the few sober people awake on the island. He couldn't really blame them for being drunk – hell, he couldn't even take that scene sober. That's why he had left the party in the first place.

How could they all be happy celebrating a new year? Technically, it wasn't even new really, but worn in. They all had plans for their new year, like how Riku had to take a test in less than three days. The only thing new about this year was it was snowing.

It never snowed on Destiny's Island.

To tell the truth, it was a nice change. It fit the mood – at least, for Riku anyway.

He took another swig as he leaned against the Way to the Dawn, looking out at the vast, empty ocean. He couldn't tell where the black of the ocean ended and the sky began, like the night sky was bleeding darkness into the water.

"Why are you out here?"

Riku spun around at the sound of her voice. She stood several feet away, her arms wrapped around herself tightly, making her dress ripple in odd angles across her skin. Her strawberry hair flowed gently back and forth in the breeze. Even with her discomfort he could still see the worry reflected in her violet-blue eyes.

Kairi.

Before he realized he was staring, she spoke up again. "You're not… drunk, are you?"

He paused, letting the words roll over him before he burst out laughing. "No!" He chuckled once he calmed down, "I've never gotten drunk; why start now."

"I saw the beer can and I thought…" She trailed off, not knowing Riku's question was rhetorical, a graceful smile lacing her lips. "I should know better but I still wanted to make sure you're okay." She paused, "Are you?"

Riku shrugged, "Never better, but you, on the other hand, look freezing."

Her face twisted into an angry pout as she stomped her foot into the sand childishly. "Am not," She nearly snapped, strolling over to him. "Never better," She mocked him.

"You're not drunk, are you?" He asked with a straight face, trying to copy her earlier words with the same tone she had used.

"Shut up!" She snapped, playfully punching his shoulder as she sat down beside him, laughter ringing in her words.

"You're stubborn, you know that," He sighed, taking another sip of his beer and flinching at the taste. She shook her head. "At this rate you'll catch a cold."

"So, it's worth it," Seriousness filtered into her words as she slipped her hands off her arms and held them out in front of her. He watched as she stared curiously at the snow that floated into her open palms.

A comfortable silence passed over them. Music and laughter from the nearby parties floated down to the shore.

The snow got tangled in Kairi's hair while her shoulders started to shake lightly, though her eyes still continued to watch the snow fall, and melt, in her hands. Without so much as a second thought, Riku slipped off his sweatshirt and placed it on her small shoulders.

She looked away from her hands, focusing in on his aqua blues as confusion slipped onto her face. "I can't have our local princess getting a cold now can I?" He answered her unasked question, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

It took her a moment to except his gesture by nodding, her hands – now shaking – loosely grabbed onto the edges of the fleece material and wrapped it around herself. It was oversized, nearly swallowing Kairi's petite figure, but she still looked beautiful.

"Why are you out here?" She asked for a second time, her voice slightly shaken from the cold, "Both Sora and I were worried about you."

Riku paused. Sora had told him of his wild plan to finally kiss Kairi tonight, of all nights. If things continued on the path they were on now, Sora's plan wouldn't go into action. He couldn't do that to his best friend.

"All the noise, drinking, smoke and people – I just couldn't take it. It was too chaotic."

"Hmm," She nodded, "Everything was getting a little claustrophobic."

"A little? More like a lot."

"Yeah, you're right."

"So where's Sora?"

"Looking for you of course. He thought one of the many young women at the party had kidnapped you."

"Kidnapped me? Oh come on, I'm invincible."

Kairi let a small burst of giggles pass her lips while she leaned gently against the older teen and looked out at the ocean. The smell of her strawberries shampoo mixed with the faint, acidly sent of smoke and alcohol from the party met his noise and he shivered. They weren't usually this close.

He could feel her gently sway back and forth from cold, see the puff of warm air pass her lips and become a glossy cloud in the night air and feel the cold of her hand touch his arm, tauntingly. His heart lept into his throat while his breathing became uneven and short. When her fingers, icy from the snow, gently brushed against his he shivered again.

"What? Are you cold now?" She asked, shaking him out of his weird trance.

He shook his head, then remembered she couldn't see him. "N-No," He mentally kicked himself from his own stutter, "Just tired."

"Well, it's not much longer until midnight. Out of all people, I think you can make it."

Riku took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, before blurting, "Why don't you go back to the party. It'll be much more… memorable."

She turned to him so fast that, if he wasn't already looking at her, he would have thought she had been looking at him all along. Her face was darkened with the dim light, but her violet-blue eyes still pierced through the darkness with a look of hurt.

He swallowed, painfully, trying to think of what he had done wrong.

She beat him to the punch.

"How is being out here with one of my best friends in the galaxy not memorable?" She pressed, leaning against him a little more heavily, fire sparking in her eyes. Her face was twisted into a scowl now, dark and dangerous, and he blinked in surprise.

"I meant – I thought…" He sighed, taking a deep breath and looking away from her, "There are so many more people at the party; it'd be much more exciting being there, with them, then out here with… me."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kairi shake her head and felt her exhale. "Riku," She sighed, but he ignored her and took another swig of beer. It burnt on its way down this time.

"Well, if that's what memorable is, I don't want it," She nearly snapped, startling Riku at her sudden burst of anger. But before he could turn to look at her, he felt something cold slip into the palm of his hand and grab his fingers.

It was Kairi's hand.

He stiffened at her touch, knowing that it was wrong – that Sora liked Kairi – but his heart still leapt up into his throat and his insides went through a rollercoaster of twists and turns. His mind and heart fought over the matter, to let this go on or not, like the bitterness of beer but the warmth of the alcohol.

Hesitantly, Riku looked down at Kairi and saw her staring back at him, her gaze soft and warm.

It's not supposed to be like this! Riku's mind pleaded with him in anguish. You know Sora likes her! She deserves someone better than you!

"Kairi…" He trailed off, trying to force himself to look away or say something that would make her back off, but the words didn't come.

They sat there for what felt like hours, the snow gently falling around them. It wasn't an odd silence, Riku actually found comfort in it.

Then, chanting swayed down to the beach from all the parties onshore.

"Ten, nine, eight!"

Riku stole a quick glance towards the pier. Sora wasn't anywhere in sight – no one was. It was just himself and Kairi, waiting for midnight to come.

"Seven, six, five!" The chanting got louder, echoing down to them louder with ever number.

"Riku?" Kairi asked, noticing the mix of emotions he let slip onto his face. She was confused at its sudden appearance, but at the same time, she looked calm and content beside him.

No, no, NO! His mind screamed at him, louder above the beats of his heart.

Then, it struck him.

"Four, three, two…!"

If his heart wanted this, then did it really matter what his mind was saying?

With that final idea, he let the hype of the chants run through his body and let himself get caught up in the moment. He dropped the beer out of his hand and heard it splash and fizz against the cold sand.

The hand that dropped the soda in the first place grasped the side of Kairi's head. His finger's pressed through her hair and down to her skin while her thumb gently circled her cheek.

This was all going so fast, like a train flying off the tracks, but it didn't matter. Nothing did.

"One!"

Riku couldn't say that this year was anything but memorable.

After notes: ... -is shot-

Okay, I didn't have them kiss, or have the after kiss scene, because I wanted you to make it up for yourself! I thought that would make it memorable - get it? I love Sora, by the way, I just am in a RikuKairi moment.

If you're wondering, this fic. would probably take place when Riku was 18 while Kairi and Sora are 17. And the test Riku has to take in three days is a history test XP

Hope this was a memorable experience for all of you! Drop me a line to tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, just please don't be too harsh 8)

Remix 16