This is an idea after I listened to "Piano Man" the hundreth time. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

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"Uhg, this is hopeless!"

Kairi threw the want-ads down on the table angrily. Not one job she could do! Scratch that: no job she was willing to do. There were a few jobs that said "Female Entertainer" that she took to mean "Stripper", which was so not happening, no matter how much she needed money. And she needed it. The red-haired woman had lost her job, and she was desperate to get anything she could. Well, almost.

"Mom? Are you Ok?"

Kairi turned to look at her ten-year-old daughter, Alex. Her blonde hair was mused from sleep, and she looked drowsy. Kairi sighed lightly as she looked at her.

"Honey, what are you doing up?"

"I was getting a glass of water, and I heard you yell."

Kairi sighed again, unsure of what to tell her daughter. Should she tell her that the landlord was breathing down their neck, demanding rent money they didn't have? Should Kairi tell her that when she had swallowed her pride and asked her mother to help them, she flat out refused, saying "Maybe you should have thought of this ten years ago"? Should she tell her that Kairi thought her hair was falling out at twenty-six?

No. Instead, she said, "I'm fine sweetheart; I just haven't been able to find a job yet. I will, though."

"I know you will, Mom. You always do."

Kairi smiled. It was true, she had pulled them out of the fire many times, but this was a pretty big fire. They were in debt up to there eyeballs, and nobody seemed willing to help them. Wait. Maybe…

"Honey, go get your water, then wait in the kitchen.

"Ok, Mom."

As Alex went into the kitchen, Kairi screwed up her courage and picked up the phone and just stared at it. Was she really about to do this? Then she thought about what might happen if she didn't. She thought about the both of them, evicted from their home and in the streets… Well, that settled it. She dialed the number.

The phone rang once… twice… after what felt like an eternity, the phone was picked up on the other side, and a voice said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Namine. It's me, Kairi."

"Kairi! I haven't heard from you in forever! How are you?"

Kairi almost cried. Namine was her sister, and Kairi was so glad to finally hear a friendly voice. "Not very good, Namine," said Kairi, quietly so Alex couldn't hear. "I have these bills piling up, and the rent is due, and to top it all of, I just lost my secretarial job. I-I'm afraid we might be evicted soon…" Now she could feel the tears pour down her face as she started to cry. "D-Do you think that Alex c-could stay with y-you until I g-get a job? Please, it w-won't be for long, o-or for free, I p-promise. P-Please, Namine, I need help, I'm so scared, i-if we lose the apartment, I want t-to know she's o-ok, please?" She broke down then, crying in earnest, sobbing hard.

She heard Namine's voice say, "Shhh, shhh, it's ok, I'd be more than happy to board Alex for a while. Just calm down, everything will be fine. And forget about paying, we're family."

"Oh thank you, Namine!" cried Kairi. "I promise it won't be for long. Just until I get a job, I swear. I won't inconvenience you and Roxas for long."

"Eh, what inconvenience, Roxas loves Alex, you know that. I'll come pick her up tomorrow, if she wants"

"Thank you so much, Namine."

"It's al right Kairi. See you tomorrow."

"See you."

Kairi hung up the phone and wiped a hand across her eyes. Then she called Alex in and had her sit on her lap.

"Alex, how would you like to spend some time with Auntie Namine?

"Really? That sounds great! How long?"

"I don't know, Alex. A week, maybe more. At least until I get some things in order. I promise it won't be for long. You know I love you, right?"

"I know, Mom. I love you too."

"Good. Now go to bed, sweetie."

As Alex went up to bed, Kairi picked up the want-ads again. Now she really had to find a job. She started to look at the jobs she discounted at first (excluding the "Female Entertainer" ones), and she saw one that looked interesting…

Job opening for a live-in nurse

To aid a blind man.

Must do well with dogs.

If interested, please call

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Well it was either this or something referred to as a "lad assistant", so she called up the number. Again the phone rang, and she waited patiently for someone to pick up. Finally, someone did.

"Hello?" The voice was a man's.

"Hello, I, uh, called about the nurse's position…"

"Oh, yeah, my ad! What time do you want to come in for the interview?"

"Uh, how about 3 o'clock?"

"Sounds good. Let me give you the address…"

After taking down the address, Kairi thanked the man and hung up. She was exhausted, and fell asleep almost instantly. Comforted by the fact that she had things more in control than this morning, it was the deepest sleep she had in weeks.

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Alright, this was a little short, and it sucked a little, but please bare with me! It'll get good(I hope!)