Agh… I've got the worst writer's block. I am now taking requests for stories. It can be romance, no romance, angst, fluffy, etc. I'm not too good at writing humor, but I can try.

Your categories to choose from: Kingdom Hearts (1 & 2), Pirates of the Caribbean, Yu Yu Hakusho, or Naruto.

Anyway, this is an angst oneshot I wrote about Kairi. It is a songfic. Hmmm… I guess I like writing Kairi angst, heh, heh…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Kingdom Hearts. I don't own the song either, which is Beauty from Pain by Superchick.

Author Note: Italics are the song lyrics. I put that due to some confusion when I tried to write a songfic before on a different website. Some reader was like, "Good story, but why are all those voices in her head singing?"

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Beauty from Pain

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The lights go out all around me
One last candle to keep out the night
And then the darkness surrounds me
I know I'm alive, but it feels like I've died

A slender girl hugged her knees against the bitter chill that ran through her body. Crimson strands of hair whipped against her cheeks as she lowered her face to her chest, straining to hear what she knew she couldn't.

Her heart, it wasn't there. Gone… as in, it wasn't beating.

'Am I dead?' she asked herself, restraining tears.

And all that's left is to accept that it's over
My dreams ran like sand through the fist that I made
I try to keep warm, but I just grow colder
I feel like I'm slipping away.

—One who has been in the darkness too long merges with it—

Wasn't that what the King had said? Her dreams of being reunited with Sora, Riku, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka—all of it was gone, crushed. 'Just like sand through my fingers.'

Feebly, she tried to stand, but the coldness numbed her legs and she collapsed back to the ground, which in truth, wasn't really ground. More like darkness. Pure and utter darkness.

'I'm slipping away…'

After all this has passed,
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain

But deep down, something inside of her knew that this hopelessness, this feeling of loss, would pass. He had promised her he'd return, and she had faith.

Though it won't be today,
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain

It wouldn't be today…nor tomorrow… but she knew, just knew that he'd come back. Her pain—he'd make it beautiful.

You will bring beauty from my pain.

She used to be gorgeous. She was the envy of all girls, which was the main reason she stuck with Sora and Riku most of the time. Her flaming red hair, sweet, lilac eyes, her creamy, blemish-free skin, slender frame—we could go on and on.

But now, the darkness had taken its toll. Oh, she was still beautiful, but in a haunting, depressive way. Now, she was pale, thinner than ever, but her eyes still held hope.

My whole world is the pain inside me
The best I can do is just get through the day

Closing her eyes, she chose to let time pass. A throughway—it wouldn't matter. Until her knight in shining armor came to rescue her, she was stuck here, in this dark void.

When life before is only a memory
I wonder why God lets me walk through this place

Her life before—walking on the beach with her best friends, building the raft, Riku's teasing smirk, sharing the Papou fruit with Sora—it was all just a dim, wavering memory.

But faith—hope—that God would bring her love back to rescue her. Bring back her heart.

And though I can't understand why this happened
I know that I will when I look back someday

Standing up, a single tear ran down her pale face, hitting the darkness and vaporizing. She didn't understand why this happened. Then again, who did? But she knew Sora would figure out what happened, and find a way to defeat the millions of Heartless and Nobodies.

And see how you've brought beauty from ashes
And made me as gold purified through these flames

That's what she was—pure. She was a Princess of the Heart, and proud of it. Many people, on all worlds, regarded her as royalty, but here was this royalty stuck in a hole. A rut… A thing of despair, illusions, and darkness.

Here I am at the end of me
Trying to hold to what I can't see

The only thing left to hold on to was the promise Sora made to her.

Kairi, never forget. Your heart is in mine, and we're never truly going to be apart. I'll come back to you. I promise

She believed it all right, but she couldn't see it. It wasn't tangible, and it was hard to keep hoping when all around her was crushing darkness.

I forgot how to hope; this night's been so long
But I cling to your promise
There will be a dawn.

A gentle, warm hand softly caressed the side of her cheek. 'I can't hope any longer.'

"Kairi. Kairi, wake up!" A pair of spectacularly blue eyes looked upon her with concern.

Sitting up, she felt the cool, crisp sheets, warm covers, and the slightly rough palm of her best friend, and love's, hand.

"S-Sora?"

"You were having that dream again, weren't you. The dream of that dark place you were lost in…" It wasn't a question. Nodding sheepishly, Kairi gave Sora a smile.

"But it wasn't really as bad this time. Finally, it seemed beautiful, because you rescued me in this one. Beauty instead of pain."

Beauty from Pain

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So…what'd you think? Good? Bad? Forwards? Backwards? Review? (Gotcha)

Please review, and don't forget—Requests for a multi-chapter story are open! First come, first serve!

Readers: O Great Authoress—we'll never forget!

Me: (sarcastic) No pun intended, right? (My other story is titled "Never Forget")

So, please...

REVIEW!

--Alyx the RainWisher