Chapter 1: An Act of Kindness

It can make all the difference in a fragile life.

The day started out the same, no breakfast to be made, lingering anxiety, and blue eyes that gazed inside each white cabinet in search of something to calm an alerting stomach. Those eyes became despondent when all Kairi found was a phone number scribbled on a scrap of white paper. It must've been from one of her mother's clients.

Kairi lowered her head, her crimson hair falling forward past her shoulders, and her body began to shake the more she fought back tears. A quiet sob escaped her while she sucked in her bottom lip, and her right hand remained on the cabinet door, clawing it the more she trembled.

A low sigh escaped her lips, and Kairi found herself feeling a headache of some sorts forming. She hadn't eaten in days, and she was hoping she didn't look as thin as she assumed herself to be. For that reason alone, she had dreaded looking in the bathroom mirror that morning, and she opted on just throwing on a pair of blue jeans and a light pink shirt—the only clothing she owned. Still, it wasn't enough to hide her small frame.

She needed to eat.

Her mother had left the unfurnished apartment hours earlier, prepared to try and gather something to compensate for the overdue bills, and Kairi grabbed her blue backpack, noticing the several holes on each side.

It's really worn out, she thought. They were damaged just as much as her white shoes were at the back of the soles…

The time to purchase new accessories had arisen, but Kairi definitely didn't want her mother to add that to her list of things to buy—not when her job was risky business. Besides, after factoring in the legal consequences, the shady clients, and the possibility that no one wanted to do business with her that night, there was no guarantee that her mother would make it home every night.

Trudging over the beige carpet, Kairi headed for the front door, feeling as empty as the temporary home in which she dwelled. Upon opening it, an embarrassing pink notification of eviction had been taped on the other side. Kairi felt her cheeks getting hot as she tore the paper off with her frail fingers, crumbled it, and threw the wad inside.

Today would end like most days, sheer devastation.

On the other side of Radiant Garden—in a gated community that wasn't the slum section of the large city—Cloud Strife was holding his baby brother, Ventus, who was no more than a year old, while his mother handed him the keys to her minivan.

The high school senior took them with a grimace. "Really mom?" he quietly asked, voice rising the more she ascended up the stairs. "The minivan?!" He shut his right eye and leaned back when Ventus decided to touch his face. At least it hadn't been his spiky hair that time.

"You can't take a baby to daycare on a motorcycle!" Mrs. Strife called, a teasing tone in her voice.

"Can't dad take the three of them?!"

"He left early, dear!"

Again? Cloud thought. He doesn't have to be at work until eight…

The twins, both sophomores, raced each other downstairs, their hair flailing about during the rush. All of the Strife brothers had spiky, blond hair, except Sora, who had a chestnut shade. They all shared the same eye color, though, and their choice of attire was… questionable.

"Still wearing black, huh?" Roxas asked as he approached Cloud. He shuffled his gray backpack on, giving his older brother a smirk as he placed his skateboard under his right arm. "You realize you look like a cutter, right?" Roxas wore gray jeans and a white shirt with dark sneakers to compliment his signature look.

"Says the wannabe skater," Cloud retorted, poking the center of the teen's forehead with his thumb. "You actually look like you can use that thing, for once."

Sora, who had stopped at the bottom of the stairs to place his blitzball in his dark backpack, was wearing a red and black outfit with matching sneakers. He resembled the epitome of a school jock. "You two are always picking on each other," he said. He was frowning. "That's not nice."

"Nawt ice!" Ventus chirped, clapping at the idea. His first word had been Sora, and he'd made it a point to mimic the teen whenever given the opportunity.

Sora chuckled and placed his backpack on, heading over to the delicate one year old. He reached for Ventus at the same time the child extended his chubby hands. "Hey buddy!" Sora cooed. He carefully lifted Ventus out of Cloud's right arm, placing a few kisses on the child's cheek, and earning a welcoming sound from the tiny tot. "He's so cute."

"You say that every morning," Roxas spoke up.

"I mean it every morning," Sora said, making faces to amuse the child.

Roxas placed his index finger in Ventus' hand, and when Ventus wrapped his petite fingers around Roxas' normal sized one, Roxas leaned forward, placing a quick peck on the digits. The three brothers couldn't help but coo as a wide smile grew on Ventus' face.

Cloud tore his head away from the adorable sight, glancing at the large clock on the vibrant, blue wall. "We need to head out. We're gonna be late."

With a nod, they all paced through the large foyer, their shoes making small thumps along the polished wooden floor. It wasn't until Cloud's hand touched the glass knob that he ran back towards the large kitchen area, muttering something about 'the baby bag.'

When he returned, red bag in hand, he motioned for his younger siblings to exit. "Let's go."

"Can't we skip school today?" Roxas asked from the passenger's seat once they'd dropped Ventus off.

Cloud shook his head as he pulled into the parking lot of Enix High School. "I gave you a freebie with me and Zack last week. You're not skipping again."

Roxas groaned as he gazed out the window. "But Seifer—"

"Do you want me to kick his ass?" Cloud spoke up. "I'm not gonna have you come home with a bloody lip again. Say the word and it's done."

Sora wasn't keen on violence. "Can't you two talk it out first?" He blushed when his two brothers gave him an 'are you serious?' type of look. "It was just a suggestion…"

Roxas sighed, scratching the top of his head as Cloud parked the car. "I want to handle this on my own…" As usual…

Cloud was grimacing at the thought, knowing he'd take matters into his own hands if either one of his brothers came home looking the way Roxas had a few weeks ago. "Right…" That was code for 'I'm kicking his ass later.'

They all exited the vehicle and the twins were eager to go their separate ways to greet their friends. "Hey," Cloud called.

They paused mid-step.

"Lunch money," Cloud said, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. "Mom said to give you this." He pulled out two fives and gave one to each of them. School lunch wasn't expensive, but due to public health concerns, lunches weren't very filling; they were quite small, so the twins always found themselves buying extra.

Cloud stayed beside his car after they gave him a quick thanks and rushed off. He'd been scoping the area for Seifer while watching his younger brothers interact as his best friend approached him.

"Another crazy morning?" Zack asked. Sora had run over to Tidus, talking animatedly about blitzball tryouts, and Riku came over to them soon after.

"He left early again," Cloud stated. "And he's probably with her…" Roxas had made it over to Hayner and Pence, with Olette and Namine walking nearby.

"Do Sora and Roxas know?"

"I'm not sure I should tell them… I don't think Roxas would freak out as much as Sora, though." Sora was sensitive on the subject of their parents, and Cloud knew he'd be crushed at the news.

Said teen was laughing at a Tidus, who'd slipped on the dewy grass in an attempt to strike up a conversation with Selphie. "Real smooth," he said.

His tanned, blond friend was rubbing the sore spot on the back of his neck, wincing as he sat up. "Hey, we can't all look as cool as Riku."

The silver haired teen smirked, folding his arms. "I'm not cool," he said in a reserved tone. "But if it comes across that way, awesome."

Sora rolled his eyes, unsure of whether or not Riku was pretending to be unaware of how every girl ogled him. "Where's Wakka?"

Riku shrugged as they all sat on the school steps. "He should be here soon." His eyes scanned the crowd for him and he sighed when he saw Kairi approaching the campus.

Tidus followed his gaze and huffed at the sight. "I'm getting really tired of the new girl wearing the same clothes," he commented.

Sora rolled his shoulders. "Maybe she doesn't have any more…"

"That's not our fault," Tidus retorted. "She looks like she hasn't eaten in months, too." He scoffed. "I know some pretty hot anorexic girls, but Kairi Alexa is beyond anorexic—and she's a three at best—four if she'd eat something."

Sora was pouting at his friend. "My mom taught me not to rate women by their looks."

"Well," Tidus said, glancing over at him. "What do you rate them by then?"

Sora flushed a deep shade of scarlet and gazed away. "Their heart," he murmured.

Tidus chuckled. "Wow… you're really sappy, Sora—aw, seriously, don't take it like that. That's a good thing. You know I have no tact."

Sora peered over at Riku to see that he was nodding, and the three teens glanced back at Kairi. "Maybe we should help her," he said. "She looks starved."

"So does Namine," Tidus said.

Riku smacked Tidus on the back of the head, indifference on his face. "That's my cousin—and you know she's going through issues."

"Yes, wasting food is 'going through issues,'" Tidus agreed with a nod. "Why not force feed her and strap her down until the food digests?"

Riku gave Tidus an odd stare. "…As creepy as that sounds, it just might work—if my aunt's up to it."

As Kairi passed by them and into the school, Sora got a good look at her pale face. Her cheekbones were visible, and her skin gave her hollow shaped features, reminding him of a walking corpse. As she opened one of the double doors, ignoring the people who gossiped on her behalf, Sora noticed that her fingers resembled twigs.

It was daunting to witness.

"You interested in the Walking Dead, or what?" Tidus asked as the first bell rang.

Sora gave him a small glower. "You were right; you've got no tact whatsoever."

Tidus shrugged. "But that's what everybody else calls her."

"Hey!" Wakak said, waving as he ran over to them.

Sora took that as his moment to discreetly pace inside the school, following behind Kairi. Near the parking lot, Cloud and Zack were eyeing them with foreshadowing gazes.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell him?" Zack asked. He combed his hand through his dark spikes, his blue eyes appearing concerned.

Cloud shook his head. "It's not my place…" Then who's place was it?

Inside the building, Kairi had just reached her locker when Sora had walked up to her. "Hey there!" he said with a timid wave. His smile was as bright as his eyes, or so Kairi had been thinking. She'd really wished that they could've met under better circumstances, and she felt embarrassed when her stomach started to rumble.

Oh God, she thought. Not in front of Sora… Does he think I'm a zombie, too?

If it were me, I'd want someone to help me out, Sora thought. He'd only seen Kairi around campus a few times since she'd started attending last week, but it was only in random passing. They'd never spoken before, so he felt about as nervous as she looked when he took her hand and clasped it together. "I'm Sora Strife."

"K-Kairi A… Alexa," she said hoarsely. She wasn't used to speaking because no one ever bothered talking to her.

He unclasped their hands and stepped back, grinning at her when she recognized what he'd left in her palm. "I'm not asking for anything in return," he spoke up. "So don't even think about paying me back."

"B-but—?"

"Promise," he said.

She gulped, peering down at her hand. "I…" Blue eyes gazed back up at him. "I promise…"

The bell rang again and Sora started to walk away. "I've gotta go, but take care. Okay, Kairi?"

The statement made Kairi flush, and she was at a loss for words. All she could do was gaze, flabbergasted when Sora even gave her a quick wave as he hurried to class.

Onlookers gave her curious glances as she turned to face her locker, her cheeks burning.

When she was sure that her audience had left, due to being uninterested, she peered down at her palm again. Carefully, thin fingers unraveled to reveal printed, green paper. Five dollars, the same bill that had been given to Sora by Cloud earlier, now rested in her frail palm.

Her eyes began to fill with salty tears at the random act of kindness. Perhaps today wasn't going to be as devastating as she'd thought.

…

A/N: I love Ed Sheeran, and his song A Team just had me reminiscing about some times when I was younger (the good and the hellish). One in particular was getting evicted from our home (real life's a bitch sometimes). Also, the KH 2 ending when Sora and Kairi meet again, I was like, "yeah, I can add some canon elements in this!" That's what happens when you sit on your bed when you're supposed to be studying for that exam your evil professor is giving you tomorrow… I also wanted to make this chapter a light/dark contrast, in which you see a glimpse of both Kairi's and Sora's world and how different the lives of the upper middle class are compared to the destitute.

I'm eager to hear your opinions—so go ahead, judge me! I can take it. :) I'd love to have any one of those boxes below clicked.