A/N: Oh, wow. It's been about four months since I've started this fic, and I've finished it! Don't ask why I didn't post them up chapter-by-chapter... it was a personal thing.
Well, since this is the Prologue, I'm gonna add a few side notes here to keep confusion from coming.
The story is in an AU setting in a group of islands near Long Island, New York. They're still considered part of New York state, because well... you'll see. If you live in New York or are familiar with state exams you'll see later.
Yes, this is a SoraXKairi fic, but not completely hardcore fluff. It's more of a... well, if it was a threesome pairing, it would be like SoraXMusicXKairi. No, Music is not a character, I mean music itself. That's how big music is focused on in this story.
Also- about the side pairings. Yes, there are many implied pairings in here, but I leave it up to you to decide what happens at the end in your own head. Sorry, I can't write couple endings for ALL of them, plus I'd be arguing with myself on who would go with who. If you really want a list of implied pairings, here they are: SelphieXTidus, YunaXTidus, YuffieXSquall, SquallXRinoa, NamineXRiku, NamineXRoxas... see the contradiction? lol. Well, there is also a sidestory to this fic, but that won't be coming until after Chapter 11: Falling.
About updating: I will try to consistently update, depending on how much time I have for editing & posting. Because my whole story is written. Really.
Well, that was a really long Author's Note. Enjoy the fic!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Sorry.
Prologue
"Kairi, let's go! We don't have all day, and the concert's going to start soon!"
"Mommy, why do we have to go? I don't want to!" A 5-year-old Kairi screamed, ready to throw a tantrum.
"I've told you before, it's a Christmas benefit concert. We have to go!" The exaspirated mother picked up the little redhead, and brought her out to the car. "Now we're going, whether you like it or not."
Kairi started to cry. After all, she just wanted to stay at home and play with her dolls- was that too much to ask for? But, apparently, her parents thought otherwise- they insisted that she come to the Christmas benefit concert, since they had already bought tickets.
When her parents ignored her sobs, she just sulked the rest of the car ride, sucking her thumb and glaring out the window at the cars passing by.
"Kairi, we're here. Isn't the concert hall so pretty?" her mom asked, trying to make the little girl a bit more happy. She saw that Kairi was about to turn away from the hall, so she gently pushed her in the direction that she was to go.
She looked up and saw thousand of goregous Christmas lights, decorating the hall. There were more colors than she could ever imagine- yellow, pink, red, green, blue... and all of the other colors that a little five year old could name.
"Wow..." she gasped, clearly amazed. "It's so pretty, Mommy."
"Yes, sweetheart... now let's go inside." The mother took Kairi's hand in hers and they walked in. She handed the tickets to the man at the door. Kairi was busy glancing around, her thumb in her mouth. As they walked in with the rest of the crowd, they saw that the inside of the hall was just as fancy as the outside.
Kairi gawked at all of the lights, trying to count them all. Her thumb actually managed to make its way out of her mouth.
"Kairi? The concert's going to start soon. We need to get to our seats." Her mother inturrupted her thoughts with the statement.
Sadly, Kairi sat down in her seat, and waited for the concert to start. Why weren't there any pretty lights in the auditorium? It was so dark... she slumped in her seat and let out a little sigh.
A pianist and a violinist stepped onstage, and the violinist turned to the pianist to tune.
How boring, Kairi thought. I only like the lights here.
The concert itself was nothing too special, just the same old christmas songs, and the same old glares at the people who tried to sing along off-key. Kairi was bored and tried to get up, but her mother pushed her back into her seat. She soon got tired of this and decided to sit down.
As Kairi was about to nod off on her mother's shoulder, an announcer came up and spoke through the microphone, halfway jolting her awake.
"And now, we have our final song, "Silent Night." The booming voice announced.
Kairi looked up lazily, and was completely intrigued by the strange instrument that was brought onstage, what her mother called a cello. It was the perfect shade of brown, in the most perfect shape with the most perfect design... all Kairi could do was stare.
As the cello player set his bow on the string, he played the most beautiful music that Kairi had ever heard in her life. Sure, it was just the plain old silent night... but the way the cello's sound projected was the most amazing sound she had ever heard in her life.
When the song was over, disappointment washed over Kairi's face. She had wanted it to last forever... yet it was only a few minutes before the cello and the cellist disappeared offstage. She was trying to remember the details of the cellist. He had blue eyes, she thought. And brown hair.
"Kairi, sweetie? Did you like the concert?"
She didn't hear her mother's question, but said, "I want to learn how to play the cello, Mommy." And I want to find that man so that he can teach me. Kairi continued in her head.
Right then and there, her mother realized that her daughter had fallen in love with the music that night. She smiled at the child, and hoped that her love wouldn't die, no matter how long she would wait. After all, the parent's finances weren't exactly doing well...
-
A few years past, and now, it was finally time to register for fourth grade orchestra.
"Mom... I've wanted to play the cello forEVER and now you're saying that I can't?" Kairi was upset; this was the chance of a lifetime, so why give it up? She put on her puppy dog face and pouted.
"Kai, I'm really sorry, but we, just don't have the money to rent an instrument. Dad's already trying his hardest JUST to put the food on our table!" She gave her daughter a you-know-better-than-to-ask look, but when she saw the disappointment on the girl's face, she added, "You'll learn to play one day, but just not... today. I really wish that I could let you, but there's some things that we just can't control."
The puppy dog look was obviously not going to work. She hated this- her best friend, Selphie, was signing up so why couldn't she? A few tears formed in Kairi's eyes before she ran off to her room.
-
Days flew by... soon, the days became years, and high school registration was approaching. How funny that five years could fly by so fast.
"C'MON Kairi, you HAVE to take orchestra with me!" Selphie begged with her usual hyper attitude. She hadn't changed since fourth grade, that's for sure.
"Selphie, don't you get it? I'd be YEARS behind you guys! I'd never catch up!"
"Yes, you would. If you really want to learn the cello, now's your last chance!"
Kairi sighed. Of course she still wanted to play; it was her dream, but now, she thought that she might have to give it up. Everyone else started in 4th grade; she didn't want to start now, and embarass herself.
"I don't know. I was thinking of just signing up for art with Namine, anyway." Namine had transferred to their elementary school in fifth grade, and Kairi wasn't sure how they became friends, but she was sure that their friendship wasn't a mistake.
"Aww, Kairi! You're missing your last chance! I'll even help you over the summer! Plus you do have two electives, so you can still take art!"
Kairi couldn't help but crack a small smile. Even though Selphie had held 1st chair violin for the past two years, she was disasterous on the cello. If you ever saw her on the cello, and never on the violin, you would think that she was some wanna-be amature, which she was- in a way. Of course, no one would ever tell Selphie that. It would only unleash a side of her that no one ever wanted to see.
"Plus, all of the guy cello players are totally adorable!" Selphie squealed.
"You only say that because you like Tidus." Another voice joined Selphie and Kairi in their chat; it was Yuffie. Yuffie had joined them in 7th grade, when she had just moved here, and sat with Selphie during lunch because she was the only person she remembered from orchestra class that day.
"So? Even without Tidus, they're all cute!"
Kairi laughed. It was funny to see Selphie get all worked up over the different cello players, and to hear Yuffie critisize the other violas. Somehow, though, Kairi felt left out. She laughed at their tone of voice, but really didn't understand what was going on. They had so many inside jokes and used so many musical terms.. It was as if they went to a completely different world with each other every day, and then came back just to tell her stories of their adventures. Sure, it was nice, but it wasn't the same as going on the "adventure" with them.
After a bit of thinking, Kairi stated, "I think I'll sign up." She inturrupted Yuffie and Selphie's arguement over how good the basses were. They both turned their heads to her and smiled.
"Ohmygod, you really are? That's so awesome!" Selphie started to bounce around.
"That's great, Kairi!" Yuffie was just as happy as Selphie, considering that they've both been trying to get Kairi to join since the second day of 7th grade.
"Yeah... I guess so." Kairi smiled, and thought, I hope this is worth it. No, she told herself. It WILL be worth it.