Aaah, it's pretty short. Should I post it on FFNet? Shouldn't I? I've been asking myself a lot, but in the end, I decided to. Hope you will enjoy :D
Axel was panting, staring at Kairi who did a cute victory dance. It was her third victory in a row, and he wasn't pretending to lose to make her look good. She was swift, and she was brutal. Never anyone would suspect such a tiny creature could hold so much strength.
"I guess that means you're the one cooking tonight!" she hummed, her cheeks bright red. He couldn't help but chuckle at her happiness.
"Can't help it now, can I? What do they feed you, on your Island? Are all kids born with a sword in hand or something? Or were the three of you the little geniuses?"
She laughed, sitting on their favourite rock. The view from there was beautiful, the kind of sight they would never get tired of. When he sat next to her, she rested her head on his shoulder. He frowned, surprised by the unexpected contact, and looked at her. She was smiling softly, her eyes closed.
"Thank you, Axel."
"No worries. I'm a professional head pillow."
She laughed, leaving his shoulder. There was something off in her laugh, though. As if her heart wasn't much into it.
"Kairi? Is something wrong?" He wasn't good with feelings. After all, he had spent a decade dulling them, pretending they didn't exist because he had been told they weren't supposed to have any. But Kairi was his friend, and he worried about her.
"It's nothing," she said, shaking her head. She stared at the horizon. "It's just that… I'm grateful. I would never have imagined that the two of us would be friends one day, and yet here we are. But when I'm with you, it's not like when I'm with Sora and Riku. It's different. In a good way."
Axel, terrified of where this was going, started to stutter. "Listen, Kairi, you're really a good friend, but you're also…"
She giggled and punched his arm. "That's not what I mean, silly. I'm not confessing my undying love to you. I'm just grateful about the way you treat me."
He felt relieved, and confused as well. "The way I treat you? Do I treat you any particular way?"
"You're not even noticing, and that is what I love. You're not doing it consciously. You're doing it because that's who you are. Never change, Axel."
For a while, he didn't answer. He was trying to think about the way he treated her, the way Riku and Sora did. Of course, they barely saw the duo lately, as they both were incredibly busy, but they made sure to come by once in a while, to see how Kairi's training was doing. They both were impressed by her progress. What was the difference between them? If anything, Axel teased Kairi more than they did, but he felt this might not be what she was referring to. "I give up," he sighed. "What is it that makes me so special? Is it the good looks? The tasteful humour?"
"You treat me as an equal."
The words felt heavy, bitter, and he knew right away this was something she had been keeping for herself for long. He was honoured she decided to share that with him, and didn't interrupt her. "I grew up with them. Destiny Island wasn't my birthplace, but it was my home. Every day, for years, I played with them. We would do everything together. And yet, they never treated me as an equal. We can't fight with you, Kairi, what if we hurt you? they'd say. Don't worry, we'll get these coconuts for you! they'd say. Sorry, we can't play today, we're going out exploring, it could be dangerous. See you this evening! they'd say. Even long before I knew I was a Princess of Heart, they treated me like a princess. They saw me as weak, unable to do half of the things they did. Oh, they loved me, and I loved them, don't get me wrong. I still love them so much. But when I saved Sora from being a Heartless, he told me You'd kinda be in my way, and this was one of the last things I heard from him for over a year. Maybe I could have saved Riku. Maybe the three of us could have come home together."
She was still smiling, but Axel could see how white her knuckles were. He gently took her hand, and she smiled at him.
"When I received my keyblade, when Riku gave it to me, I thought it would mean I could be a part of this too. I was the first one to recognize Riku, you know. I was able to do things, to see things they couldn't. But they left me behind, once again, and again, and again. They see me as a girl. They see me as a Princess. They see me as a weak one. You've never treated me any differently than anyone else. When we are training, you don't care if I get hurt. You lend me a hand to help me back up and you will fight me again. You don't think about the things I might or not be able to do. You just tell me to do them. I like the way you are looking at the world, Axel. Thank you for being my friend."
He was now really embarrassed. He wasn't usually on the receiving side of compliments, and didn't know how to react. But she opened her heart to him, and he knew he owed her just as much.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Of course I see you as a woman. Of course I see you as a Princess. You are both, aren't you? I just don't see what this has to do with being weak. Let me tell you one thing: there was once a Princess of Heart who freed herself from Xaldin's grip, not before hitting him and stealing back what he was holding. A Princess I met, although not of Heart, had the strength to defeat heartless on her own. Have you ever heard of Mulan? She isn't one to be taken lightly, trust me. Even back when I worked for the Organization, Larxene was just as fiery as any other. Why wouldn't I see you as a woman, when that's what you are? You proved me again and again that woman and strong weren't antonyms." He winked at her. "Underestimating you would me my first step to a very painful death, I'm sure."
They both laughed, enjoying the sun on their faces. He could feel that Kairi was more relaxed. How much had this been eating her up? And for how long? He couldn't help but thinking about Roxas. If only they had been completely honest with each other, then maybe he wouldn't…
"Axel?" He realised he had been squeezing Kairi's hand, a bit too tightly perhaps. He quickly let go of her, and her worried face gave him a sudden headache. But as she reached out to help him, he suddenly chuckled.
"You know what, Kairi? You remind me of someone, actually."
"Someone? Who? Are you okay, Axel?"
He smiled, and tears started streaming down his face.
"Am I okay? I don't know. There are many things that I don't know. I don't know her name. I can't remember, no matter how hard I try. I can't remember her face. But looking at you made me remember that she existed. Just like you, she was struggling to prove herself. And just like you, she would show how strong she was, before coming back with a smile on her face. She was the strongest person I know. Just like you."
Kairi softly chuckled. "She must be someone wonderful."
"She is. I'm sure of that." Axel sighed and grabbed Kairi's hood, putting it over her head. "Just like you. Don't you ever change, Kairi."
He jumped on his feet, not even bothering to hide the tears - he wasn't ashamed of them. His pain was the proof he cared for his friends. "I believe I have to cook dinner? Don't blame me if your omelette is burnt, I like them flaming hot!"
She quickly followed him back to their house, now really hungry. Right before stepping inside the Tower, she stopped, looking at the sky.
"Just you wait, Sora, Riku. Soon I will show you how strong I am. The strongest girl… No, that's not right. The strongest person you know."
And this was a promise she intended to keep.
Many feminist vibes in there, I really want Kairi to fight in KH3 and to have some proper development!
The Lucca conference with Shinji Hashimoto is tomorrow, and will be streamed? Do you have any expectations about it? A trailer maybe? I'd be fine with no trailer but I'm kinda expecting a world reveal. Also, and this is more of a dream than an expectation, I'm hoping for that PS4 pro to be announced ;A;
See ya' next week for another story! (I also received my Advent Calendar theme's from SaphirActar so I'll be quite busy writing again, I'm really excited!)