She had grown her red hair out, it now falling over her shoulders to the middle of her back. Her hand hung down, covering her glazed cerulean eyes.
Everyone in town talked about her. That terrible storm; and she was found the next day on the tiny Papou Island staring at the horizon.
"He's going to come back."
She said that for weeks; fierce at first, but her tone soon became wistful.
Soon, she became quiet, going out with friends but not really there. She refused to go to the Destiny Islands; the spark from her eyes and then her grin vanished.
It wasn't long before her friends stopped calling.
But everyone noticed it. Her smile would return when she talked about him.
Whoever him was . . .
Her parents became worried about her as her A's slipped to D's and her school attendance dropped. She wouldn't talk about it – only yelled that they didn't understand. It killed her mother to see her like that; so much that she had a doctor come to look at her.
"Who is this him you speak about?" The doctor would ask, looking over at her.
She'd then launch into a story about other worlds, big keys and large doors and heartless creatures. It was the same every time.
"Does he have a name?" The doctor would try again.
". . ."
She never answered. She didn't know his name . . . it was blank.
Shaking his head, the doctor eventually narrowed it down that something had happened to her on the Island. It was a dream – a figment of her imagination.
The boy in question didn't exist.
She'd gotten angry then; shouting that they didn't – couldn't – understand. He was real, he had rescued her.
"You'll get over it in time."
She turned and stormed upstairs, slamming her door. She didn't remerge for days. She came to school then went home, still believing in her imagined tale.
As the years past, she grew up, but still carried his memory. Countless boys approached her, asked her out, but the response was always the same –
"He's coming back, we promised each other," then she'd smile and look to the sky.
As many of the love struck, high school boys said: beautiful body, but . . .
Always a but, it was her personality.
She'd get up early and stare at the horizon or out the school windows.
Then, one day it returned like a flicker.
Her smile was back, the spark back in her eyes. And for the first time in two years; she went to the Destiny Islands.
Everyone knew about it, spoke about it. She was letting go of her imagined tale, she was growing up . . .
But, they were wrong.
She hadn't forgotten – she had remembered.
He had come back to her: spiky brown hair, goofy grin and his voice.
Sora.
No one else seemed to remember him though. They remembered Riku – they believed the storm had killed him – and thus, believed that's what triggered her 'imagined tale'.
She had written a letter as well, putting the bottled letter into the ocean. Deep in her heart, she knew he would find her letter. He never let her down before.
It had come to her yesterday – although she didn't remember what had happened.
She had been walking home from school with Selphie, for some reason the hyper brunette had stayed with her through her many problems, when all the sudden she had fainted. Selphie had panicked when she collapsed; subconsciously thinking Kairi's imagined tale had finally gotten the better of her. Her bag forgotten on the ground, Selphie had jumped Kairi when she awoke.
"Are you okay?" she had asked, letting go of the red head.
Kairi had nodded, turning her attention to the ocean separating the Island from the Destiny Islands.
Selphie looked blankly at her as Kairi smiled widely – something she hadn't done for ages – before taking off to the beach. "Kairi . . .?"
Following Kairi to the beach, Selphie stopped behind her, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "What's that?"
Kairi was kneeling on the waters' edge, taking a corked wine bottle from her bag. Intrigued, Selphie shifted over to be beside Kairi, watching the red head put the bottle into the water.
Kairi's cerulean eyes never looked away from the water, eyes trained on the bottle bobbing in the waves. "A letter... I wrote it yesterday; to the boy I can't remember. I said that no matter where he is... I'll find him. One day. And when I stopped writing, I remembered we made a promise, something important. This letter is where it starts. I know it."
Selphie sighed. It was so romantic! "Wow . . . I hope he gets it."
Kairi nodded, standing up. "He will. Starts with a "S" right, Sora?"
The bottle bobbed in the waves, now no more then a shining speck in the water, Kairi knew it had to work out in the end.
As long as she was patient . . . waited here for Sora to come back to her . . . it would all work out, right?
She smiled at Selphie as the brunette grabbed her arm and talking about going to the mall, Kairi turned her back on the beach, the bottle gone from view.
As much as she hated waiting, she'd have to do just that.
At least, until she found a way to find Sora herself . . .
Starting up the path to the hustle and bustle of the small city, Kairi didn't see a faint light falling from the sky.
---
Awe, poor Kairi
Third times a charm!
Since everyone liked Nightlight and Forgive Me? I had to try again.
Inspiration: "I Don't Wanna be in Love (DanceFloor Anthem) by Good Charlotte and "Apologize" by One Republic.
Like it?
Review either way . . .