one-shot;; sokai
I do not own.
enjoy.
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S P O T L I G H T
dedicated to the astounding BlacAngel.
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She'd always loved dance.
If anyone were to think of Kairi Suzuki, the first word to come to mind would be 'dance'.
It had been a passion of hers ever since she could imagine. It started off as silly little ballet lessons – you know, like the ones that all little girls take – with her friend, Selphie.
Selphie grew out of it after 2 years. She moved onto acting.
Most of the other girls at Destiny Dance School left, too, to pursue their different interests. Only a handful of people were left.
And Kairi was one of them.
Dancing was the one thing she never tired of doing. It was her passion. It was the one thing she could do to make her feel in total peace – it was her getaway.
Dancing gave her freedom, personality, spirit. She loved it. And so for years, she danced and danced and danced, moving onto bigger and better dance academies.
But somehow, she always found her way back to Destiny Dance School. It was the only place that felt right – it was where she had first learnt to dance, and she vowed that it would be where she danced last as well.
The thing she loved most about dance was the performing. She loved being the centre of attention – it gave her heart that warm, fuzzy feeling to know that all eyes were on her, to know that people were entranced by her movements.
The stage was her home. It was the one place that she felt she truly belonged. And even though when she was there, her insides were a flurry of nerves, she still found herself most comfortable under the spotlight.
But there was more than one way to be under the spotlight, as Kairi soon found out.
Ever since she was little, she had been best friends with two boys: Sora and Riku. She had never felt closer to anyone else. They were her world.
One in particular.
Kairi always found that she felt happiest when with Sora – and no, it wasn't that she disliked Riku or anything of the sort. There was just something about that spiky-haired youngster that made her insides turn into butterflies – the sort of feeling that only being in stage gave her.
She took these feelings for nothing. She assumed that she was just closer friends to Sora. She didn't know any better.
And then, when her cousin Namine visited the Islands when they were thirteen, later to move there upon the blonde turning fourteen, she found herself with a girl best friend too.
This was the first time she'd ever been so close to a member of the same sex. And so this too, was the time when she first discovered that what she felt for Sora was something that could be classified as a "crush".
Oh, except it was so much more than that. But even Namine was too young to realise.
For Kairi, on her own, was oh so naïve and innocent. She didn't quite understand the concept of "fancying" someone, having grown up with two boisterous boys that taught her all about "cooties".
And it was even harder for her to believe that she liked Sora in that way because she still saw him as her best friend. She couldn't understand how maybe he could be something more.
But, slowly, innocent little Kairi Suzuki came to realize that her blonde cousin was indeed correct. It just took one small conversation for her to realise that all she wanted from Sora was to be his girlfriend.
"So, have fun with Sora today?" Namine inquired, roughly sketching an outline for her next sketch as Kairi walked through the doorway.
Kairi nodded quickly, a blush making its way onto her face at the thought of her friend, a small smile growing.
Namine observed Kairi inquisitively. "What's that smile supposed to mean?"
Kairi shrugged. "Nothing. It was just a really fun day."
Namine raised an eyebrow, her pencil hovering midair. "Well, what did you do?"
"Oh, the usual," Kairi dismissed, "Hung out at the island, chatted, you know."
Namine let out as small laugh. "I was half expecting you to add on 'kissed' at the end there or something!"
Kairi pulled a face. "Namine," she began, "Why would I want to kiss Sora? He's my best friend."
Sighing, Namine placed down her pencil, retiring to the couch where she sat next to her cousin.
"Because, Kairi," Namine explained, "You like him as more than a friend. You just haven't quite realised it yet."
Kairi pouted. "Would you stop saying that? It's so not true!"
Namine shook her head lightly. "Sure, sure. Okay, then, explain to me how you feel when you see him. Every little detail."
Kairi's face immediately lit up as the image of her best friend flooded her mind, and she began speaking, at first hesitantly, unsurely, but then moving into a fast, high-pitched voice.
"Well…when I first see him I always feel really happy, and everything just seems to…brighten up, you know? And then my heart always goes faster and my cheeks sometimes go red when he talks to me, and I get all hot and…I always say stupid things, and I can't think straight, and I go all nervous and stutter and - ,"
Namine held up a hand, cutting Kairi off from her babble. "Okay, Kairi!" she chuckled. "I get it."
"Well, you said every detail," Kairi huffed, defending herself.
Namine grinned. "Huh. I did, didn't I? Well, whatever. Anyway…can't you see?"
Kairi's forehead crinkled in confusion. "See what?"
Namine rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "You are entirely hopeless! Okay, now describe what you did with Sora today."
"We rowed to the Islands, and then Sora was really nice because my canoe was leaking and so he let me share his, and then he rowed the whole way, and then we just messed around and chatted and stuff and it was so funny because Sora told me this hilarious joke, and then we hung out at the secret place, you know, where Sora and I have those pictures of each other, and we were drawing and stuff and then it was so cute because all of Sora's drawings sucked, and he was getting all pouty, and then we played in the sea for a bit, and it was so annoying because Sora kept chucking me in the water and stuff, and wow, he's so strong, and then we just chatted on the dock for a bit, and Sora told me he hoped we would stay best friends forever, and then we were looking at the sunset, and then at each other, and oh my god, he looked so good, what with the sunlight glowing on his face and – oh."
Kairi broke off abruptly, her eyes unfocused, her mouth still opened slightly, as Namine sat there with a triumphant, "told-you-so" expression on her face.
"Having an epiphany?" Namine asked casually, picking up the sketchbook that she had dumped on the coffee table.
Kairi's lips parted more, as if she was going to say something, but no sound escaped. A thoughtful expression took over her face as she sat with her eyes glazed, looking at the floor, hands motionless on her lap.
"Um…" Kairi mumbled something incoherently, causing Namine to lean over to her.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Namine asked the innocent thirteen-year-old nonchalantly, causing her cheeks to graze pink.
"I…um…I think I…f-fancy him?" Kairi asked, the tone of her voice questioning, her naivety shining through.
Namine nodded approvingly. "Too right! Finally, my ickle Kairi is growing up! Jeez, I didn't realise you were so clueless though!"
Pouting, Kairi gave her cousin an irritable shove, before the two erupted into a fit of girlish, excited giggles.
And so that was how Kairi came to the conclusion that Sora was more than just a friend to her. But this knowledge still gave her no initiative to actually act upon her feelings.
For two years, until they hit fifteen, Kairi and Sora continued their relationship of being 'just friends'. Never more, never less.
Of course, by then, it was palpably obvious to both the two involved and any onlookers that they wished to be more. It just seemed that they were both too scared to do anything about it.
Namine urged Kairi to do something, whilst Sora's cousin from Twilight Town, who was coincidentally Namine's best friend when she lived there, insisted on Sora making the first move.
But both were too shy, and oblivious to the others feelings. They persisted that it would 'ruin their friendship'; but everyone knew this was just an excuse.
It seemed that everyone on the Islands wanted the two to get together – that is, except for one person,
That one person came in the form of their very own best friend, the third in their friendship group, Riku.
Now, it was known throughout the Islands that Riku had had a slight crush on Kairi – a feat she was entirely oblivious to.
For Sora, however, it was just another of those reasons for as to why he shouldn't confess to Kairi. Riku and him were in a constant competition over her attention, and Sora always had the feeling that he came out bottom.
In his eyes, Riku was smarter, funnier, better looking, stronger….everything.
What Sora didn't realise though, was that Kairi adored the dumb comments he accidentally let out, found his silly little antics hilarious, thought his cheesy smile and crazy hair were simply too cute for words, ignored Riku's bigger muscles and saw in to the heart, of which she found Sora's was stronger.
Of course, Sora was never able to find this out. For Kairi was too afraid to tell him so.
And so Riku used Sora's and Kairi's fear of revealing their feelings to his advantage. He reckoned that as long as Sora stayed out of the picture, he would be able to woo Kairi.
He saw no reason as to why it shouldn't work. He was known as the charmer – girls fell at their feet around him. And he was pretty sure that Kairi would do the same.
But that wasn't the only reason Riku was so insistent upon the two remaining 'just friends'. Riku was scared of what would happen if they did enter that boyfriends/girlfriend zone. He worried that he would be left out, that they would no longer be a three.
And so he used every opportunity to beat Sora at something, make him out to be the weaker, stupider of the two.
Basically, the two young lovers were stuck in a rut – a deep, deep rut – and they had no idea how to get out of it.
Then came the time for the annual Spring Festival dance show. Naturally, Kairi was to dance in it. Sora, Riku, Namine, Selphie, Olette, her parents – everyone was coming to watch her.
It was her chance to prove herself against her dance rival, Yuffie Kisaragi. It was an unofficial competition between the two of them to see who would be invited to the Royal Dance Academy. Everything depended upon this one night.
Kairi was backstage when Miss Gainsborough, the dance teacher, came in, getting the attention of the stretching girls with a quick clear of her throat.
It was tradition at the Islands for people to give flowers before a performance. And this year was no exception.
Miss Gainsborough – or Aerith, as she insisted upon being called – held in her arms a large box, full to the brim with bouquets of flowers.
She pulled the bundles out, one by one, calling out the names that were written on the tags.
"Paine…Yuffie…Yuna…Fuu…Rikku…"
Kairi waited patiently, knowing already that there wasn't going to be anything in the box for her. It was well known that she was allergic to flowers, and as beautiful as she found them, she always requested that she didn't receive any. It was bad enough having to be in the same room as about twenty other flower bouquets, let alone receiving them herself.
Upon feeling the tingling in her nose that she was oh so familiar with, Kairi stood to her feet, smoothing out the red dance dress she was clad in, and proceeded to the door that would lead her to the back room, away from the flowers.
But that was when she heard her name called. She froze at the door, before turning to face Aerith, her face clouded with confusion. She took no notice of the gasps and hushed whispers that now filled the room, for her mind was concentrated on only on thing – the huge bouquet of about 3 dozen red roses, wrapped in fancy paper and ribbons, a posh card attached, with small, neat writing.
Approaching the flowers cautiously, whilst ignoring the outbursts of "how pretty", "lucky girl" and "I wonder who they're from!", Kairi reached over to pick out the card, trying to hold her breath for as long as she could.
Kairi,
If you were to hold these 36 flowers and look in the mirror, you would see 37 of the most beautiful things in the world.
Love always,
R
Kairi raised an eyebrow, tears beginning to collect at her eyes.
"Aw, look, how sweet! She's crying!" A girl called out from the back of the room.
Kairi rolled her eyes, sniffing, not bothering to point out that it was the pollen that had caused the tears to form.
"Aaatchu!" Kairi sneezed loudly, sniffling as she wrinkled her nose. She inwardly cursed Riku for getting her so many flowers – he knew how allergic she was.
"Ugh…" Kairi moaned, "Get these away from me, please."
"Wow, someone's a cold-hearted girl, huh?" Yuffie sneered. "Poor guy, going through all that trouble just for you, only to have you be so ungrateful."
Kairi ignored this comment, retracing her steps to the backroom, eager to stick her head out of a window and get some fresh air. With the way things were looking now, if her allergies didn't clear up soon, she wouldn't be able to dance.
"Kairi, honey, are you okay?" Aerith asked the swaying girl, concerned.
Kairi nodded groggily, raising a hand to her head. "Yeah…just have a bit of a headache…I think I'll go get some fresh air."
Aerith nodded understandably. "You do that."
Just as Kairi was about to shut the door of the backroom behind her, she was interrupted once more by Rikku's high-pitched voice.
"Hey! You missed a flower!" she exclaimed, looking into the box.
Kairi deliberated at the door, turning her head to see what was left.
"Oh," Aerith realised in surprise, reaching down to pull out the flower. "You're right. Um…this seems to be another one for Kairi!"
Kairi groaned, leaning her head against the door. Why was it that this year everyone insisted on getting her flowers, when they knew 1) how allergic she was, and 2) how important this performance was for her?
"I don't want it," Kairi told Aerith, the smell of flowers intoxicating her.
"Oh, I think you'll want this one," Aerith replied with a knowing smile.
Kairi didn't wait to see what she meant, and instead walked into the backroom, rushing to the window and pulling it open, inhaling deeply. She heard someone enter the room and then exit, but didn't bother turning around.
After being satisfied that she had cleared as much of the hazy flower smell out of her mind as possible, Kairi retired to the couch, leaning her head back, her mind foggy.
Oh, how she despised Riku at that point. She couldn't imagine getting up and dancing now. She felt tired, groggy, as if she had just woken up from a long sleep, and she was positive her nose was bright red from all the powerful sneezing she'd been doing.
Closing her eyes, Kairi decided to take a quick nap, in hope that it would clear her head and prepare her for her dance.
After what felt like hours to her, but was in actuality only one, Kairi was brought back to reality, one of her eyes opening hazily. Rubbing her violet orbs, Kairi let out a yawn, stretching her arms in the air.
Sighing, she reached over to grab the glass of water that had been placed upon the table, gulping it down eagerly. It was then that she noticed an addition to the table – a single flower lay on it, a piece of paper wrapped around it messily, fastened with a band of tape.
Reaching her hand out for it, Kairi smiled, instantly recognizing it. In her hands she held a beautiful amaryllis, her favourite sort of flower, the white petals tipped with a pink-red colour.
And the most important thing that Kairi noticed was that the flower wasn't actually real – it was fake, but a very good fake at that – she only realised that it wasn't real after noticing it's lack of smell.
Unwrapping the note from around its stem, Kairi's smile widened as she read the scrawly writing.
"A flower for a flower!"
Sorry Kai! I know that's cheesy but I couldn't resist! Anyway, seeing as you never get flowers cuz you're allergic, I thought this year I would be different and get you the next best thing – a fake flower! And I know you hate those cliché flowers like roses, and I remember you saying something about amaryllis, so here it is! I hope it's the right one!
Break a leg!
Love, Sora
Kairi giggled, thinking how Sora-like the note was. It was the sort of thing she could imagine Sora saying, and she felt her heart flutter at the familiar image his name brought to her mind.
It was then that Kairi realised just how different her feelings for her two best friends were. She realised that what she felt for Riku was nothing to what she felt for Sora – and that what she felt for Sora was oh so much more than a silly school girl crush.
Jumping up, the amaryllis and the note clutched in her hand, Kairi rushed backstage, where Aerith sat on a stool, a small frown on her face.
"Hey Aerith! What's up?" Kairi asked, unable to keep the happiness from her voice.
Aerith's head shot up, her eyes wide. "Oh, Kairi! You feel better now?" Kairi nodded in affirmative, and a relieved smile replaced the frown on Aerith's face. "Oh, that's good to hear!"
"So, when am I on?" Kairi asked, bouncing on her heels.
And then the frown returned, Aerith's eyebrows pushing together. "Oh, Kairi, honey, I'm so sorry. You missed your slot. You feel asleep, and when Yuffie went to wake you, she said you wouldn't budge! So she did that dance which she did at the Christmas festival instead."
Kairi's face immediately fell, her heart dropping to the ground with a thud. An overwhelming sadness rose inside of her, joined by a summering anger at Yuffie.
"But…but the scouts are here!" Kairi groaned, her eyes glazing over with tears. Aerith nodded sadly, placing an arm comfortingly on Kairi's shoulder. "And I wasn't sleeping deeply! Yuffie must've been pretending so that she could get the invite to the Royal Dance!"
"Now, now, Kairi, I'm sure Yuffie wouldn't do something like that," Aerith comforted. Kairi exhaled sharply, tears springing out of her eyes, not believing it. The music of the current dance faded into the background, the sounds dragging into a heavy drone.
"Kairi?"
Hearing a familiar voice call out her name softly from behind her, Kairi spun around, coming face to face with none other than Sora.
Kairi smiled at him sadly, approaching him slowly.
"Hey," she greeted miserably, taking no notice of the fact that Aerith had stood, quietly making her way out of the room.
"Hey Kai," Sora smiled, wrapping his arms around her in a friendly hug. "What happened? You didn't dance!"
Kairi shrugged. "Riku sent me these roses and then I got real bad allergies and fell asleep and Yuffie didn't wake me for my dance so she went instead."
Sora sighed. "That sucks. Riku is suck as ditz," he commented, to which Kairi nodded glumly. "I mean, I know how much you love dance and stuff, and there aren't many performances, and you love being in the spotlight so."
"Yeah…stupid Riku and Yuffie."
Sora smiled again. "So…did you get my flower?"
Kairi was instantly reminded of the amaryllis she still held in her hand, and brought it up to show Sora. "Yeah…thanks," Kairi replied sincerely, a smile now playing on her lips. "It means so much to me."
Sora grinned crookedly, causing Kairi's heart to melt. "Anything for you!"
Kairi felt her heart lift right back up off the ground, and upon taking in Sora's sparkling eyes, handsome grin, velvet voice, and the general happy aura surrounding him, Kairi felt as if they were the only two people on the planet.
She realised that it was Sora that was having this affect on her. When he was looking at her, he made her feel as if nobody else mattered. He calmed her heart, but made it beat twice its usual speed at the same time. He turned her brains to mush, but then everything seemed so clear at the same time.
He made her feel as if she were on stage, doing a dance, all eyes on her – except ten times better than that.
He made her feel as if she was in the spotlight.
Her eyes regaining all life, Kairi let out a loose laugh, her giggles echoing around the backstage area. Sora observed her, his face confused, yet amused.
"Kairi?" he asked, his tone seemingly smiling.
"You're right, Sora. I do love the spotlight. But…I've realised that I don't need the literal lights on me to get that feeling. All I need is…you."
Sora's eyes widened as he took in what Kairi said. Smiling, he reached down to scoop her into his arms once more, looking deep into her violet eyes with his cerulean beauties.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say something like that," he whispered huskily into her ear.
Bringing his head down to hers, he observed her beautiful face for a few moments, before bringing his innocent lips down to meet hers.
All it took was that light touch to cause Kairi's insides to turn on fire, electricity pulsing through her body as she returned the young kiss. Pushing herself to her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around him, feeling him smile into the kiss.
It was then that she noticed the silence that surrounded the two. Backstage, there was always the hustle and bustle of dancers preparing themselves, the music from the stage, the occasional cheers from the audience. But now, there was nothing.
Abruptly – and much to Sora's displeasure – Kairi broke off the kiss, turning to her right.
And coming face to face with hundreds of wide eyes.
Her mouth dropping open, Kairi realised that the end of the show had arrived, the curtains which hid the backstage pulling up so that all the dancers could come on and give their final bow.
Thus, Kairi and Sora were the focus of all the audience's attention.
A few wolf whistles rang out from the audience, joined by a slow, increasingly louder, round of applause. Kairi giggled, raising her head to make eye contact with her love.
"So…is this more like your style?" Sora asked nervously, obviously uncomfortable under the gaze of so many people.
Kairi let out a laugh, shaking her head. "I told you, all I need is you!"
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So what would you say if I did this?"
Wrapping his arms tightly around her, Sora picked her up, placing a passionate kiss on her unsuspecting lips. Kairi's eyes widened, before closing upon sinking into it.
"I love you," came Sora's whisper into her ear, in the few moments when they broke the kiss for air.
A large grin found it's way onto Kairi's face, and she whispered the same three words back into his ear, before kissing him once more, much to the delight on the audience.
In the audience, Riku smiled, finding that he wasn't actually jealous of the two lovers. He was actually happy for them, he thought, as he took a few more snapshots with his camera phone.
Looking over them, he saw them as the perfect blackmail.
"Now this is more like it."
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end.
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first sokai one-shot :)
so lots of lovely reviews would be just dandy!
you guys actually rock my world.