A/N: Thanks to some very inspiring words by SuccubusYuri (oh the irony), I came up with this little quickie. Kairi seriously needs more attention than being like Girl-chan… and a less girly Keyblade.

TYPO MANIA! After reading this over, I noticed just how much spell check sucks, so I'm revising all my newer stuff for typos and republishing the story. Sorry if you think something has a new chapter and whatnot... but I think FF fixed that. Please, if you see any errors let me know.

Flower in Withering

Kairi was somewhat glad her friends grew out of sneaking to her house and playing on the beach at odd hours. She enjoyed the solitude, but at the same time she wanted to be surrounded by them. Mainly the two that mattered most, Sora and Riku.

Ever since their battle with the darkness began, she was literally the princess in distress. Just like in a fairy tale. At a younger age it would have been romantic to be asleep and have her prince wake her up, but no, it wasn't the lovely dream she thought it to be.

She wasn't able to ride away with Sora, she was forced back to her castle, her home. There she waited, and waited, and at one point even forgot who her friends were. Though even when she remembered, she was still forced to wait.

After finally being able to fight alongside her friends, she apparently still wasn't worthy of joining them. The night after they left, again, Kairi sat on her bed and stared into the mirror across from it. It was full length, and wide enough so when she awoke, she could practice waking up like a princess. It was something she came up with as a child, and only did it for fun now that she was older. She found herself just staring at it tonight.

Sometimes she could see Namine staring right back at her, but after she blinked she was gone.

Why?

Why was she just the support girl nobody ever saw? She could wield a Keyblade, and after watching Sora and Riku spar, she just copied them. She may not have been as strong or fast as them, but she wasn't exactly a dainty flower petal. Was she?

In the moonlight, she raised her arm and looked at it. She really was thin, and her freshly cleaned skin glittered from the lotion she applied. Her skin wasn't tough like Riku's, nor did it have a tan as deep as Sora's. In the mirror, she observed her face. No scars or blemishes. Frequent treatments prevented acne, and Selphie often waxed her eye brows making her one of the prettiest girls on the island. Were pretty girls even allowed to fight like boys?

Her wardrobe definitely wasn't that of a fighter's. Short skirts, dresses, and other cute things she had rather not see torn filled her closet and drawers. She did own a few shorts and maybe a few long jeans, but those were meant for those rare cool days, not being clawed at by demons from a child's nightmares.

Kairi frowned as she recalled being taken to The World That Never Was. She was helpless as Axel dragged her along. One moment she was trying to pull free, and the next she had to re-adjust her dress because it hitched up an inch too far as she struggled. How pathetic.

Also, thinking back to the castle, couldn't she just slip through those bars? Aside from placing an arm through them, it never occurred to her she could have just slipped through.

She may have been open to an attack any time, but at least she would have done something. After being joined with Namine, many memories that weren't hers flowed through her mind. She wasn't sure if she was envious of herself or someone different, but she felt it.

Namine's dress was much shorter and she never adjusted it. Never paid attention to her looks, never gave up her goals, and went through twice as much in a day than Kairi did in 2 years. She was a part of her, but for some reason she couldn't measure up.

She would have been terrified in Castle Oblivion. Namine did show defiance to Marluxia and Larxene, but it usually resulted to a hit to the face. Through the pain, she kept on and the moment she was free she escaped. Kairi wasn't sure if she could accomplish the same. The paranoia of having that pink haired man after her with that wicked scythe may have rooted her to the spot.

It was time for a change.

Looking to her digital clock, Kairi read that it was nearing 11:pm. Aside from the night patrol and desperate crooks, most of the island would slowly be falling asleep. From her high window she could see the empty beach. She would go there tonight, and the next. She would train, and teach herself how to fight. There would be no more giggling about boys, finding the right lip gloss, or trying to fit into skirts one size too small. She would fight by her friends' side, and learn how to protect them.