A/N: Here it is, the (not-so) long awaited rewrite of 'For Love', a fic I wrote years ago and always intended to go back and edit due to some really bad plot holes. But as I reread it, I got new ideas for even better improvements and good changes to make, but the only way they would work is if I completely rewrote the entire thing.
So here I am, nearly a year after I decided to rewrite, with all of the chapters planned out and ideas for a few interludes later on, and what is hopefully a cohesive plot. I hope you all enjoy it~
There is an update schedule posted to my profile page, along with a link to my tumblr, which is where I spend most of my time. (And where I will probably post bonus goodies and chapter previews and stuff.)
(After this chapter, all notes from me will only be posted at the very end of the chapter. That way you can just get right to reading the fic and not have to scroll past my rambling.)
Fragmented Memories
Chapter 1: Just a Normal Day
Kairi Sinclair yawned, trying not to drift off to sleep in the middle of history class. She stared down at her notebook, trying to make sense of what she'd written so far, but found that most of the page was covered in silly doodles. She slumped over her desk, tucking her hand against her cheek, and began adding to the drawings.
To her right, Sora Strife looked just as bored as she did, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. His twin brother, Roxas, sat behind him, angrily tapping the lead of his pencil against his paper while glaring at the back of his brother's head. It seemed he still wasn't over Sora accidentally dropping his phone and cracking the screen.
A paper airplane glided past her and she looked up in time to see it collide with the shoulder of one of her classmates. She stifled a laugh as he flinched and swiveled around to glare at the back row.
The teacher, Mrs. Johnson, cleared her throat and turned away from the chalkboard. "As I was saying, it is important to remember the actions of kingdoms and worlds of the past so we may not repeat their mistakes. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the stories of Radiant Garden, a once prosperous world brought to ruin by the follies of its monarchy." (From the corner of her eye, Kairi saw Sora sit up straight, all of his focus on Mrs. Johnson.) "Because of their actions, it became an uninhabitable world. All that remains now are ruins and- is there a problem, Roxas?"
Kairi turned her attention to the blond twin, who was frowning as he lowered his hand.
"That's not right," he said. "The king and queen had nothing to do with the fall of Radiant Garden! They did everything they could to save it and their people! They didn't just sit there and let it happen, they were right there fighting alongside everyone else!"
Mrs. Johnson raised an eyebrow and the class collectively held its breath, waiting to see how she'd respond. "Well then, since you seem to know so much about a kingdom that fell a thousand years ago, you and Kairi can do your final project on it."
Roxas didn't look pleased, but he didn't complain either.
"Each of you will be assigned a partner for this project," Mrs. Johnson said, eliciting groans from the majority of the class. "You have until the end of the month to complete it. During the last week, you will give a presentation to the class. You may choose a world from the paper I'm about to hand you, but no pair may use the same as another. If you're not sure which to pick, I will help you and I will be happy to answer any questions you have." She paused for a moment to let her words sink in and for the complaints to quiet down. "Partners will be as follows: Roxas Strife and Kairi Sinclair, Sora Strife and Tidus Clearwater, Selphie Tilmitt and Pence White, Olette..." She continued on down the list, pairing off her relatively small class of sixteen before instructing them to get together with their partners and decide what to do their project on.
The next ten minutes were spent with the sound of desks and chairs scraping across the floor as the class rearranged itself. Mrs. Johnson walked around and began handed out pages of information.
Roxas carried his chair over to Kairi's desk, not seeing the point in moving his desk when he could share Kairi's. Sora excitedly gestured for his sandy-haired partner to leave his corner in the back and join him in the second row, which the cheerful teen was happy to do.
"Nice of Roxas to open his big mouth and get you assigned to a world instead of being able to choose," Tidus joked as he sat down. He winked at Kairi and nodded towards Selphie, who was more than likely chatting off Pence's ear. "At least it's an interesting world. How much do you wanna bet that Selphie will convince him to do theirs on Trabia?"
Roxas immediately fixed Sora with a hard look – a fair mimicry of their older brother's no-nonsense stare. "No. No more dumb bets."
Sora pouted. "It's just some harmless fun!"
"It's not, because then you run out of allowance and have to beg me and Riku for snack munny. Or you go to Cloud and he gets annoyed and then I get lectured for letting you foolishly spend it all!" Roxas complained.
Sora was about to say something else, but shut his mouth as Mrs. Johnson swooped over to hand over their instructions. He smiled charmingly at her. "We were just discussing what place we want to cover. I think Gaia would be interesting, but Tidus hasn't told me what he'd like to do yet."
Tidus scratched the back of his neck, a sure sign that he was feeling nervous about his suggestion. Or it could've just been because their teacher suddenly focused her attention on him. "I, uh, I was thinking we could do ours on Zanarkand."
Sora looked intrigued. "That's in Spira, right? Alright, lets do that! I've done loads of stuff on Gaia before, so this'll be a nice change." He quickly informed Mrs. Johnson of their decision, to Tidus's great joy, and then began asking his partner questions so he could learn more about the most magnificent of Spira's ancient cities.
Kairi and Roxas exchanged amused looks at their enthusiasm and then turned their attention to their own project.
Lunchtime rolled around without further incident. Sora sneaked off to make his usual lunchtime phone call to his boyfriend, Riku, who conveniently didn't have class at the same time as their lunch period. Roxas scowled and set off in search of his twin, leaving Kairi and Tidus to walk outside to their usual spot together.
"So I think I heard Selphie talking Irvine into bringing his charcoal grill to the beach tomorrow," Tidus remarked as they walked through the crowded hallways. "Think she's trying to throw another party?"
Kairi shrugged. "It's possible. Unless she's finally taking Sora's suggestion for food seriously. We'll have to get someone else to help man the grill though, so Irvine doesn't have to do it all on his own. Someone who isn't one of my brothers," she amended, noticing the mischievous look on her friend's face.
Her brothers were fairly well known for their love of fire and pyrotechnics and often got in trouble because of it. Thankfully they'd calmed down more since graduating high school, but every now and then she'd hear of a rouge firecracker getting released in town.
Tidus laughed gleefully. He opened one of the double door leading outside and let Kairi go first. "After you, milady."
"Why thank you, kind sir." Kairi reponded with a quick curtsy before exiting.
Tidus hurried after to, letting the door swing shut behind him. Together the two of them walked over to the outdoor food court, which consisted of several round tables of different sizes. Since there were ten of them altogether, they always picked the largest of the tables. They could already see that most of their friends were already there.
A petite brunette named Selphie Tilmitt sat between two tall boys, one with orange hair which stuck straight up in the front and the other wearing a cowboy hat over his long brown hair, which was tied back in a ponytail like always. The redhead was Wakka Byrd, a boisterous fellow who was captain of Destiny High's prized Blitzball team. The boy in the cowboy hat was Irvine Kinneas, who was rarely seen away from Selphie's side.
To Irvine's left, three others were bunched together talking in hushed tones. One was a heavyset boy with dark brown hair named Pence White, who was friendly and kind. The other boy was a blond named Hayner Trudell who had a short temper and a mouth which often got him into trouble. The last person at their table was Olette Pierce, a stubborn and openly opinionated girl with wavy brown hair.
Tidus grabbed the seat next to Wakka, immediately getting drawn into the tale Selphie was telling. Kairi took her place next to him and tried to listen, but was quickly distracted by what she soon came to realize was a heated argument between Hayner and Olette, with poor Pence stuck in the middle.
"Look, I'm sorry," Olette hissed, trying to keep her voice down. "It came up all of a sudden and there's no way I can get out of it! I have to go back to Twilight Town for the weekend."
Hayner crossed his arms over his chest. "Tell them you've already made plans! They can just reschedule."
"I can't ask them to reschedule the baby shower, Hayner." Olette sounded exasperated. "You three will just have to hold movie night without me. You'll be fine."
"It won't be the same."
"We could always wait until you get back," Pence cautiously suggested.
"No. It has to be on Friday night. It's tradition," Hayner stubbornly replied. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the final two members of their group approaching the table. "Roxas! Tell Olette she has to stay for movie night with us!"
Roxas raised an eyebrow as he and Sora took the last two seats between Kairi and Hayner.
"I just told you I can't!" Olette exclaimed, finally raising her voice.
Roxas didn't look happy that he had to be the one to put an end to their argument. "If Olette says she can't, then she can't. Drop it."
Taken aback by his friend's abnormally foul mood, Hayner kept his mouth shut and didn't complain about Olette ditching them for the remainder of lunch. Instead, he sulked.
While half of the table was in poor spirits, Selphie couldn't look happier if she tried. She stood up, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention. "I'm sure you've all heard about the beach party I'm throwing on Saturday, so now I'm just going to confirm everything. It's going to start around two, which should give everyone enough time to get there. Me and Irvy will be there before then to get a few things set up, so if you wanna join us and help out, that'd be awesome!"
Sora raised his hand in he air and waved it. "Question! We're having it on the play island, right? Not Destiny Beach? Because we almost got in big trouble last time."
"Because Reno thought it'd be a good idea to set off fireworks at three in the morning near the beach houses," Kairi mumbled irritably.
Tidus snickered.
Selphie nodded. "Since it's just our usual group, we're going to the island. That way we can be as noisy as we want and not have people complain! I think it'll be our last fun, friendly get-together before the end of the school year suckfest really begins."
Her words got some chuckles from her friends.
"Is it just the ten of us or are we inviting other people?" Wakka asked.
"I've already taken care of that. Riku, Axel, and Demyx are invited. And I also asked Lulu, of course." (Wakka smiled at the mention of his girlfriend.) "And I think they have a few people they want to invite. Or at least Riku does."
Sora looked a little puzzled by that.
There was a brief moment of silence and then Tidus cleared his throat. "Since no one else wants to ask the most important question, I guess I'll do it. Are we going to play Blitzball?"
Everyone laughed.
End Chapter
Next Chapter: Party at the Beach