Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or the characters. Just my OC Kara and the plot. Thanks for reading, by the way.
"Now boarding for flight US 7705 for O'Hare airport. Zones one and two are boarding."
Kara looked at her airplane ticket and said goodbye to her mother who was permitted to go with her to the gate. Kara was a minor after all; she was only twelve. It was the second time she was going on a plane and she was going to visit her father.
After everyone boarded the plane, a stewardess came to check on Kara who was taking out a fill-in puzzle book. The stewardess was going to come about three or four more times.
Apparently, I'm important, Kara muttered in her mind with disdain, even though she was nice to the stewardess.
Later, she finally made it to the airport and was picked up by her father. She was going to spend a week of her summer vacation with a father, step-mother, and brother.
I just hope I can survive this.
"So what are we doing today?" Kara asked.
"I thought we could get you settled in today and then maybe go for a walk in the park with your brother. How does that sound?"
Kara smiled. "It sounds like fun."
"Hey, Kara, sweetie, how are you?" Kara's step-mother said in a sickeningly sweet voice that Kara hated so much. Even as a twelve year old, Kara could play along without being fake.
"I'm good and the flight was fine," she responded. "I just want to know where to put my stuff since I'm staying on the couch bed."
"Oh, let me take care of that for you." Kara smiled and agreed but was rolling her eyes inside. She knew she wasn't completely welcome there but she really didn't care.
I really just want to go to the park, she thought as she held her baby brother. He was only five months old, but she felt so connected to him anyway, despite never seeing him for longer than a weekend.
"We have to pack all those months into seven days," Kara whispered to the little baby boy who smiled. "I think we can do it."
Later, Kara and her father were walking through the park and Kara watched a bunch of kids around her age playing with their friends. She thought of the stories her friends told her about visiting their "other families" and about the friends they made.
I wish I could make a friend here. That would be so cool. We could write letters and I could find an excuse to leave the house if things get too bad.
Just as Kara thought that, she was hit by a Frisbee because apparently this park was a place to play Frisbee golf.
"Hahaha, you fail Kuro," one of the boys said.
"Shut up," he said defensively. He ran over to Kara who was gripping her head. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," Kara answered. "I'm fine. I should learn to stop spacing out when I walk. I always fall, anyway, when I'm actually paying attention."
The boy rubbed his head nervously. "Still, I didn't mean to hit you in the head. Are you sure you're-?"
"Kara, what's keeping you over here?" Kara's father said interrupting the conversation.
Kara rolled her eyes and the boy noticed and whispered, "You okay?"
Kara smiled and whispered back, "Yeah, it's just my father."
"Oh, so you made a friend," her father said walking up to the kids with her brother's stroller.
"Um, yeah, I guess."
"Well, we're just going up ahead. I'll let you say goodbye to your new friend. See you in a few."
"So what was that about?" the boy asked Kara.
She sighed. "I'm just visiting my father."
"Ah, parents that don't live together. That's rough."
Kara quirked an eyebrow. "Your parents, too?"
He shook his head. "Nah, my friend's. He has to put up with a lot. I hear about it every day. Anyway, I've never seen you around here before. You new here?"
"N-no," Kara stuttered. "I don't live here."
"Oh," the boy said, his voice filled with disappointment.
"But I'll probably visit here a few times a year."
"Oh?" he asked expectantly.
Kara nodded. "Yeah, I want to see my brother so I'll play nice with my father and his wife and come for a visit on as many breaks as I can."
The boy wore a giddy smile. "So I might get to see you around some other time?"
"I don't see why not. I like making new friends."
"Maybe we can meet here some time tonight?" he suggested.
"Sure," Kara replied. "I'd like that. By the way, my name is Kara."
"My name's Kuronue, but my friends call me Kuro for short."
"Well, Kuronue, I'll see you later."
"So anything interesting happen at the park?"
"Well, Kara made a new friend."
"Oh that's wonderful, sweetie. What's your friend's name?"
Before Kara could speak up, her father answered for her.
"It's that kid who lives down the street, the rebel." He spoke with such disdain that Kara was somewhat surprised to hear.
"Well, that's too bad. We'll just have to make sure he stays away from our Kara."
Kara nearly threw up hearing her step-mother claim her when she knew that she didn't care about her well-being. Why should either of them care who she made friends with?
"I don't see how that's possible. He's my friend now and I'll be friends with him whether you like it or not."
"We'll see about that," her father replied.
Kuronue waited at the park for a long time before Kara showed up. When she ran up to him, he laughed and said, "Where's the fire?"
Kara caught her breath and then laughed with him. "Sneaking out. Apparently you have the reputation of being a rebel and my father and the wife don't want me 'fraternizing' with you and have to keep you away from me…and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."
Kuronue frowned. "I'm not a rebel. I just look like one. So much for the 'don't judge a book by its cover' speech parents always give, huh?"
"Yeah, well, they aren't my parents, anyway, and my mom actually did give me that speech…hence the reason I'm here," Kara said trying to reassure her new friend. It apparently worked and, before Kara got back to her father's house before anyone realized she was gone, they exchanged numbers and addresses.
"Can I see you sometime before you leave?" Kuronue asked.
"Probably not," she answered both sadly and honestly. "After my defying their precious command, they probably won't let me out of sight for the rest of this week."
"Now who's the rebel?" he asked, smirking.
Kara laughed. "Exactly. I'm the rebel here. Anyway, I better get back before they notice I'm gone. I'll write you when I get home in a week."
They said goodbyes and Kara stayed true to her word and wrote Kuronue. The two of them stayed in constant communication for a few years until eventually Kuronue stopped replying to Kara's letters. She stopped writing after months of no response. Little did she know they'd meet up again sometime in the future.