Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

Head On Collision

Chapter One

The neon lights illuminated the otherwise bland blue roof of the bus stop. Large, blue plastic benches lined the inside of the bus stop shelter.

Sitting in one of the benches, her face pressed against the glass windows overlooking the neon lighted streets was Kairi. With medium length auburn hair and a small, pointed nose, Kairi could easily be called attractive.

But not right now.

She sat with old gym sweatpants and a large maroon sweatshirt. She smoothed her hair back, pulling back the hair that had escaped her ponytail. Feeling fat and deciding that she was in need of exercise, she thought it was reasonable to run to the nearest open liquor store for some Pepsi and a few pastries.

After running down six blocks to get here, Kairi gave up running back and instead decided on catching the last bus. The dinner from this afternoon was starting to retaliate when, running to the bus shelter, a dull ache on her side caused her to breath in sharply.

So much for exercise.

She had been waiting for the bus for the last ten minutes. She checked her watch. It read seven o'clock. She stood up, leaning against the bust stop sign, still holding her side and trying to catch her breath.

Kairi didn't know if the bus did run by at this time of night. She didn't know much about Japan in general. She had been visiting Japan for the last week or so. Everyone said it was the perfect place to relax. So far, all she's felt was nonstop hunger and an overwhelming feeling that she might be gaining too much weight. She leant her weight against the side of the bus stop and contemplated maybe just running back home. If she had ran in the first place she'd probably be in her warm room already.

Kairi groaned and looked up at the sky. She just had the worst luck in the world, didn't she?

Just three weeks ago, Kairi had a nice paying job, a secluded, beautiful apartment, and not a care in the world, well, mostly not a care in the world. Then, her office started laying people off one by one, the company unable to support itself any longer due to lack of funds and supporters pulling out.

Kairi should have expected to be fired. She even coached her reaction in front of a mirror. But when the vice president had called her into his office, Kairi was already hoping against it.

The many days and nights spent outside her apartment complex, sitting on the swaying bench just below her window, were depressing. Her only comfort was a Snickers bar and the sound of the rain pitter-pattering against the red shingles on the roof.

When she had resorted to alcohol to drown her sorrows, forsaking the Snickers bar routine, Kairi knew she had a problem and needed help. But it just seemed that companies weren't hiring and jobs had reduced as the years had gone by. When she had graduated college, jobs were opening left and right. Now, it was close to extinct. Damn population problem.

A light, nonetheless, shone down on Kairi's poor forsaken form. A friend from Japan was returning home and he had offered to bring Kairi along.

Sora was Kairi's friend who attended her university to study abroad. They became close friends quickly and now, sensing his friend's sudden depression he insisted Kairi come with him to Japan for a few weeks. He even paid for her ticket to and back. And when Sora "insisted" Kairi come with him, that meant Sora up and packed all of Kairi's stuff and dragged her to the airport.

In the end, her reason of being here was mainly Sora.

But really, Kairi couldn't blame the guy. He was a good friend and she never said she hated being here, she just felt worried about the troubles back home and getting fat. Two completely different things.

--
Across the street, at a small store around the corner, Yuffie Kisaragi was closing up her store. It was a salon hidden deep within the Tokyo nightlife, so mainly her customers were the shadiest, or creepiest, people she'd ever met. Frankly, she grew into the predicament, but she wasn't the one that had chosen the location.

Riku Nagasaki could persuade a dead man to life as well as he could charm the pants off any person. Therefore, it was his Act of Persuasion that convinced Yuffie to open a salon in, of all places, the shady area of Tokyo. He couldn't put it in the downtown area or anywhere safe, no, he managed to get the lot no self respecting shop owner would choose.

It's a good thing Yuffie wasn't a serious business owner. In fact, she knew nothing about hair styling, but she could do a mean job when it came to painting nails. So far, that was what she did. Anything else, she just referred them to the shop on the other side of the block. Their hairstyling was amateur, but Yuffie wasn't one to judge.

It was nearing half past seven and the night air was chilling to below zero. Pulling the jacket closer to her body, Yuffie continued closing up the store. She twisted the key in the lock and double-checking to make sure the lock was tight, Yuffie headed down the street, toward the corner.

--
Four blocks down, the bus driver drove the bus slowly to the second to last stop. The bus was moderately filled, many people usually getting off at the next stop. He was thinking of what his wife had cooked for dinner tonight when he heard a man approach him.

"Sir, you have to sit down until we stop."

"We ain't fucking sitting down," the man snarled in a scratchy voice. He pulled a gun from his jacket pocket and swerved it around the bus before pushing it against the bus driver's temple.

The passengers screamed at the sight of the gun, and two more men dressed in dark overcoats and turtlenecks stood up and proceeded to shut everyone up.

"Now drive if you want to live." The bus driver felt himself pee just a little bit.

Kairi finally sat up in indignation. She finally resorted to just sitting on the ground near the bust stop sign because her side was protesting against any type of movement.

It was half freaking past seven and Kairi was chilled to the bone. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed forward, feeling much like a bull in Antarctica.

"Screw the bus, I should have walked in the beginning," Kairi muttered sardonically to herself as she headed forward, just intent on getting to the other side before whatever organ in her side decided to burst.

She was halfway through when, speak of the devil, the bus finally came. Except it wasn't slowing down. Kairi looked on with mild confusion before her brain managed to process something besides blank: "Oh shit!"

Kairi pitched forward, then shouted in agony. It seemed whatever puny organ had been hurting on her side had finally decided to give up and burst. She crouched forward, holding her side and trying not to cry. She realized that it didn't really matter if she did cry or not because obviously she was going to die. Kairi sniffled, but couldn't do anything. She was a sitting duck.

Meanwhile, Yuffie had just reached the crosswalk when she noticed A) the bus was not stopping and B) there was a girl crouched in the middle of the road. So Yuffie did she only thing she could do in this situation, she played the hero and ran forward really fast.

The bus driver and the man holding the gun both screamed as they saw the petite redhead in the middle of the street. The man swore and shielded his face. The bus driver tried to process what to do, reaching into the abyss within his mind for any information he had learned during his training. His hands were shaking and the wheel beneath his hands was starting to cut into his skin, he was holding it that tightly.

The man with the gun was screaming and the passengers were crying and screaming. The other two lackeys were holding onto each other, not caring if the people weren't cooperating and at any time could easily overcome the criminals.

The boss started shaking the bus driver, trying to get him from whatever coma he had fallen into.

"Do something. We just wanted to get a few bucks from some of these people, that's all, honest! We weren't going to do anything bad!"

The bus driver was tempted to tell the idiot that he shouldn't have been robbing buses in the first place. What did he think he was doing, robbing a train?

Yuffie had reached the crouched girl, noticing the redhead was semiconscious. Now, Yuffie was in the middle of the street, a bus closing in quickly, and Yuffie realized that she had no clue what to do, that, and she was an idiot.

So, knowing that she was probably going to die anyways, she wrapped her arms around the girl and tried to shield her.

The bus was speeding forward, the headlights illuminating the two figures. The guy with the gun was shouting curses, telling the bus driver to get his "freaking piece of shit car in control". The bus driver finally did something. He swerved in the last minute and crashed the bus into the bus stop and forward until it stopped a few centimeters from the nearby convenience store. The bus had driven into two cars in front of the store, pushing the cars forward in momentum, going all the way into the store, but managing to not hit the store owner who looked perplexed and pale, dropping his manga on the floor and falling backwards into the tobacco stock behind him.

Back on the crosswalk, Yuffie finally lifted her head and looked down at herself and the girl. They were, miraculously, all right. Yuffie exhaled deeply, not believing how lucky she was. Yuffie let go of the girl and leant back and tried to regain her breathing, Now that her head was mildly right again, Yuffie almost hit herself upside the head. What was she thinking going into the middle of the street to help that girl—

Yuffie gasped and turned toward the girl lying on the floor, fallen when Yuffie had let her go. Yuffie moved forward and shook the girl, thinking maybe she just fainted. Yuffie heard a painful whimper.

Biting her lip, Yuffie swiftly turned the girl over. The redhead's face was pale and sweaty. The red locks were sticking to her forehead. The girl was still clenching her side, her face contorting into a deep grimace. Yuffie felt the girl's forehead, feeling a burning sensation. Yuffie quickly rummaged through her pants for her cell phone, intent to call the ambulance.

--
The ambulance came pretty quickly, but they had a long job ahead. As well as attending to the two girls, they also had to check over the passengers and the storeowner was intent they check him too. The police had arrived on the scene minutes later to haul the hijackers into the squad cars. And the criminals weren't so easy to usher in, either.

To say the least, they were pretty indignant to having to do this so late at night.

Kairi was sent to the hospital. It seemed she had had appendicitis and needed to be attended to there. Yuffie offered to ride with the redhead.

At the hospital, Kairi was in surgery and Yuffie was sitting in what was to be Kairi's hospital room. There was one other occupant and two empty beds. The other person seemed to be sleeping and unable to be aroused. Yuffie slouched into the armchair and sat, silently, watching the sterilized white bed sheets.

Damn she was bored.

What a great time to ponder the meaning of the world. Or, in other words, ponder tonight. Who would have known Yuffie had saved a person's life and now, her she was, the saint that she is, waiting for the redhead to be brought in.

Yuffie almost peed herself laughing at the situation.

Honestly, in her long twenty-three years of her life did she believe something like this would ever happen. Especially living in Tokyo's neon-lighted streets and attending its local public school, her life had been one ordinary day after another. It was simply unexpected. Leaning back in her seat, she studied the sea foam green and white tiled ceiling above. The sound of a nearby clock ticked away and the steady buzz of the various machines were the only sounds within the room.

Wrapping her jacket closer around herself, Yuffie wondered how Kairi was doing. How long has it been since she was admitted into the hospital? Despite knowing the girl for less than a minute, actually they hadn't even met, Yuffie felt slightly protective over the girl. Maybe she was developing some savior complex?

Yuffie felt her pocket buzz. Taking out her cell, she saw Riku's name on the screen. She pressed the phone to her ear.

"Yes Riku?"

"Yuffie! Where are you! You're an hour late for the gang's traditional binge fest. Remember, every Saturday?" Yuffie pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. Okay, she totally forgot about that. Well, what to tell them now. It was one thing to tell a sober Riku tomorrow afternoon about tonight's occurrences, but to tell a possibly drunk, and idiotic, Riku this late at night? Yuffie might as well lie and say she broke her foot and was at the hospital.

Which was what she did.

--
Riku Nagasaki hung up the phone, worry and confusion written on his face. If Yuffie was clumsy enough to break her foot, she wasn't the same Yuffie Riku knew. So either he had accidentally dialed the wrong number or Yuffie was lying. For sure, Riku knew the girl was in the hospital. He could practically smell the sterilized room through the phone.

Yuffie was imaginative and smart, but she wasn't original. Then again, Riku was one drink short of drunk, but he relied on his instincts.

Riku smirked and announced to the party they were taking a field trip to the hospital.

--
Yuffie was slowly falling to sleep when the door opened, two nurses pushing a gurney into the hospital room and to the empty bed near Yuffie.

Kairi slept peacefully in the sheets as the nurses carefully carried the girl to the bed. One of the nurses approached Yuffie. The nurse inquired if Yuffie was a family or friend. Yuffie nodded.

"When she wakes up, give her a glass of water. She won't feel any pain, although the anesthesia is soon wearing off. She'll just be a little numb," the nurse instructed, pointing to the glass of water. Yuffie nodded silently.

"No prob." The nurse nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Yuffie reseated herself on the armchair cross-legged.

She stared at Kairi. Kairi gave no sign of life besides her rhythmic breathing. The slow creep of boredom was making its way up her leg, putting it fast asleep. Yuffie stood up to stretch her legs, straining her arms upward, toward the ceiling. She sighed when there was a low crack behind her. Yuffie, having nothing to do, decided to grab some coffee and leave, making sure to ask the receptionist to inform her of the redhead's condition. After all, she was Kairi's savior in all this.

In front of the door, she leaned forward to grasp the handle and open the door—

SLAM

Yuffie was knocked back, her head tossed to the side when she hit the ground. A mess of brown spikes rushed into the room, racing up to the immobile redhead on the bed.

"Kairi!" the brunet walked up to Kairi's bedside and took the girl's limp, pale hand. His face was crestfallen and a pout was spread on his face.

Yuffie groaned groggily, her hand reaching to her forehead and down to her nose, which had taken most of the hit from the door. She sat up quickly when she felt wetness on her face.

Immediately she regretted the action. She groaned, louder now, and filled with pain. Holding her head with one hand and using her other hand to dab at her nose, Yuffie cursed whatever buffoon had smacked the door in her face. Sora, hearing the groan from near the doorway, gave a sideways glance toward the body sitting upright on the floor. Sora gasped and carefully placing Kairi's hand down, he rushed to the girl in pain.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Yuffie pressed the hand on her head harder, trying to calm her beating skull .The kid next to her wasn't making it any better.

"Idiot.." Sora tipped his head in question.

"Wha-?"

"You're the one who hit me. With the door!" Sora muttered apologies profusely, truly apologetic and guilty now. He didn't mean to ram the door into the girl.

Sora stood up. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were here. I'll get you a moist towel to soak the blood."

Yuffie groaned in pain in response. Great, she manages to not get run over by a bus but a door beats her up instead?

Sora returned like lightening and thrust the moist towel to Yuffie, who grabbed it from the boy's hand.

"By the way, my name is Sora." Yuffie muttered her name in response, still wary of the boy.

Sora called in a nurse to bandage up Yuffie's nose. A few minutes later found Sora sitting cross-legged on the armchair Yuffie had previously occupied while Yuffie lay on the bed to the left of Kairi.

"So how long have you known Kairi?" Yuffie asked, her pronunciation off because of the bandage. Sora heard her nonetheless.

"Oh, since college. I was a transfer student. Kairi was so nice and we got along great." Sora's eyes softened. "She's a really good friend."

Yuffie nodded somewhat, still obstructed by her headache and bandage. This explained his reaction and why he ran here like she was already dead.

"How do you know Kairi?" Sora, his protective side starting to surface. He was still overlooking Kairi, but his ears perked at what Yuffie had to say. After all, he still didn't know this girl. She could be some psycho stalker that was obsessing over his friend, downtown Tokyo was filled with shady characters like them. He knew the types of people who walked into those stores in that area of downtown—he'd have to talk to Kairi about what she was doing there in the first place—and they weren't the most respectable types either.

"The girl needed help so I helped her," Yuffie said casually. She had nothing to care about really. Once her head stopped pounding, she'd be up and gone. She really had no reason to stay.

Sora burrowed his brows then a slow smile stretched out on his face.

"So you're saying you saved her?" Sora swiveled around to look at Yuffie. The black-haired girl gave the boy a perplexed expression, her hands clasped and stretched out in front of her.

"You could say so." Sora narrowed his eyes. Something didn't make sense. Who would risk their lives for someone they didn't now? Usually, bystanders just watched a crash. So why would a person, someone making business in the shadiest part of downtown Tokyo, help someone they didn't know. Unless there was more to this...

"That's funny," Sora said with narrowed eyes. Yuffie tried to remain calm under the stare. Truthfully, the kid was starting to freak her out a bit. He almost broke her nose with the door, what else could he do?

"What do you mean 'that's funny'"? Yuffie said slowly, but Sora was adamant. There was something going on, and this girl was not just some ordinary hero.

"I mean, why would you save her? You don't know her so her life would really mean nothing to you," Sora sad matter-of-factly. Yuffie's fear was starting to slowly come to anger. The kid was asking some paranoid questions that were starting to become insulting.

She narrowed her eyes, "I don't have to prove myself to you. I'm not heartless."

Sora raised a brow," I didn't say you were heartless." Yuffie huffed, Uh, yeah, you did.

"Look, I saw the girl was in trouble, I rushed in to help her. That's is all."

"You're being pretty defensive."

"Wonder why…" Yuffie muttered under her breath. What a little punk!

Yuffie stood up. She grabbed her jacket and walked out, cautiously approaching and opening the door. Sora watched as the girl walked away. He gasped and stood up.

Sora called for the girl to come back, but it was a long day and she wanted nothing more than to get a cup of coffee and go home.

--
Yuffie deposited coins into the slot of the coffee machine dispenser. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and her brows were slightly furrowed. Her mind was still fuming around what that punk Sora had said. He was a really paranoid and discriminatory brat, thinking just because she lived in the shady part of town she was cold-hearted. How could Kairi be friends with him?

Yuffie shook her head. You don't know her. Yuffie reminded herself. She picked up her coffee from the dispenser and sipped away at it happily. She spotted a chair near the coffee machine and decided to finish her drink before she left. Just as she sat down, a nurse appeared from one of the rooms. Her hair was short and brown, tied back into her ponytail. Her face looked cheerful, but her posture was slightly crooked and she was emitting weariness.

The nurse walked up to the coffee machine dispenser and pushed in a few Yen into the machine and waited for her coffee.

The nurse, suddenly noticing Yuffie nearby, smiled widely, dimples appearing on both cheeks.

"Hello. My name is Selphie." Yuffie retorted with a greeting and her name. Once her coffee was ready Selphie leaned down to pick it up.

"Are you a relative?" Selphie asked, her voice high and almost childish sounding.

"I guess I'm a friend. The girl doesn't know me." Selphie stood upright.

"What do you mean?" Selphie asked, her head tipped slightly to the side.

"Oh, well, I helped the girl out of a rough situation, but she doesn't know it," Yuffie said, then immediately retorted," But that's only because I care, okay. I am not heartless, I have a heart and I use it. I mean, you would do the same if you were in my place, right? She was just there looking so vulnerable and of course I had to help her.

"Just because I live in a not so respectable part of Tokyo doesn't make me any less of a person. I have feelings; I cared about her, okay! I am certainly not heartless. Stupid spiky-haired brat…" Yuffie rambled, her last sentence a mutter under her breath. Selphie was lost halfway into Yuffie's rambling, but she heard snippets of it and her eyes lightened up.

She jumped forward, causing Yuffie to jump back in her seat, almost spilling her coffee. She suddenly lost all traces of exhaustion, fueled by her own romantic ideas.

"You mean to tell me you care about her?" Yuffie raised a brow.

"Huh? Wait, no, I think you have this all wr--", but Yuffie could not be heard over the pounding of Selphie's over imagination. It was like the lover watching from afar, not being able to be with the one he, or in this case she, loved, but forever be tormented by unrequited love. It was absolutely tragic, yet Selphie couldn't help blush at how romantic it was also.

Yuffie grabbed onto Selphie's arm, trying to calm the girl down and explain what she really meant, when there came a loud buzz at Selphie's hip. Selphie gasped and retrieved the beeper clipped to her side.

"Damn beeper, it always tickles me," Selphie muttered as she read the message. She started to head down the hall, her face turning from excited to serious.

"Sorry, but it's an emergency. Look, you're story is so cute; I hope you get the girl! Bye!" Then she was gone and Yuffie sat on her chair dumbstruck. She prayed to some God above that that brunette would forget everything she twisted around.

But prayer would not save her. Sora, suddenly realizing how rude he had been toward the black-haired stranger, wanted to find the girl before she left. He just had to conveniently catch Selphie's own interpretation of Yuffie's rambling. Sora walked back to Kairi's room confused beyond belief, yet a small smile was on his face.

-TBC-

--NEXT: the hospital is lost in translation and a visit from Riku and the gang doesn't douse the fire, either.