The Wrong Finger
.SOKAI.
She heard stirring on the opposite side of the bed. The slight shaking and weight being relieved from the mattress wakened her slightly, but she welcomed the comforting sanctuary of her dreams once again. It was only minutes later that she felt a presence in front of her. The girl adjusted the arm that was tucked under her pillow, the other lightly touching the tips of a few strands of her red hair. Lying on her side, she cracked one eye open.
A pair of amazingly blue orbs greeted her, gracing her with a "good morning". They were unlike any other set of eyes she had come to know, and she would never love ones such as these.
"Sora…" She sighed and closed her eyes, no longer seeing the man's eyes that peeked just above the edge of the mattress. Still a goofball after all these years.
"Good morning, beautiful," he said gently, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "You know what today is, don't you?"
Kairi rolled over, humming softly as she stretched. "How could I forget?" Today was a special day, one that they celebrated on this exact date every year.
Sora approached their large wardrobe set, pulling open one of the drawers and reaching inside. Kairi sat up in bed, admiring his toned bare back and the way his lean muscles stood out against his tan skin. When he turned around, a light suddenly flashed.
"Sora!" Kairi whined, her eyes wide as she stared at the camera in his hands.
"What?" he said, shrugging. "I can't get a picture of my lovely wife on the morning of our 7th anniversary?"
Kairi smiled weakly. "Why must it have to be when I first wake up?"
Sora held the camera in both of his hands as he stood a ways from the bed. Kairi couldn't help but admire his sculpted muscles he had acquired back in his teens, still loving to wake to him in just a pair of lounge pants. "I want to capture the moment you first realize that it's our anniversary, Kai. You appear so…peaceful and content in the mornings, too."
The young woman couldn't help but smile at the mention of the name he'd used for her; he'd continued to use it since they were kids. "Well of course I'm going to be happy, silly. This is one of my favorite dates in the year—"
There was a knock at the door, and both of the young adults' gazes fell on the white wood. After a brief period, the door quietly opened, revealing to the two their most cherished blessing. There stood a young girl, no more than a few inches taller than three feet. She was a spitting image of her father, inheriting his big eyes and hair color. Her hair fell past her shoulders, having the same texture of her mother's. She rubbed at her eyes before opening them fully, revealing their cobalt blue color—another gene she took after her father.
Kairi instantly smiled. "—But I can't forget about somebody else's very special day, either."
"Mommy? Daddy?" she said, her voice matching her small size. Kairi couldn't help but locate the childlike innocence in her daughter's eyes, something she still sometimes saw in Sora's.
"And there's my other beauty!" Sora said happily, catching his daughter's attention as he snapped another photo. "No wonder it's so bright outside—our sun is up."
The small girl's lips spread into a smile that was identical to her mother's. Kairi took her hands off her sheet-covered knees and held her hands out to the child. "Akina, honey, come here," she called gently. The girl shuffled her small feet over to her mother's bedside, being picked up and set in the bed next to her. Kairi then looked back up at Sora. "Don't mind Daddy. He's being goofy, as usual."
Sora gave Kairi a look before setting the camera down on the wardrobe set. "How're you this morning, angel? Sleep well?"
Akina nodded, batting her bright eyes. "Uh-huh! I dreamed a good dream!"
"You did?" Kairi asked, looking down at the young girl. "What did you dream of?"
"That you, me, and Daddy all went to the beach. And we danced and played, and swam and had fun!" she chimed.
Sora grinned. "That's great, sweetheart. What do you say we do that this weekend, huh?"
"Okay!"
Kairi giggled, looking from Sora to Akina. "But first we have to get through this week. Are you looking forward to seeing Uncle Roxas and Aunt Naminé this afternoon?"
"Yup," her daughter said with a smile. "Uncle Roxas promised me he'd take me to the park, and Aunt Naminé said she'd color with me!"
"Good! You always have fun with them, Akina," Kairi said with a smile, one arm around her child's back. "What do you say we have some pancakes to celebrate?"
"Blueberry? Please, Mommy? Pretty please with sugar on top?" Kairi watched as she softened her big blue eyes and poked out her lower lip. The young woman looked to her husband in slight disapproval, knowing her daughter had adopted that trait from him.
Her periwinkle eyes rested back on the brunette child next to her, and she nodded. "Sure."
"Yay!"
There was a grumbling noise and both of them looked over at the man standing near the edge of the bed, his eyes wide and hand on his stomach. He chuckled, raising a hand to the back of his head.
"But we better get to the pancakes before Daddy does," Kairi said then. "He sounds mighty hungry." Sora's smile transformed into a mischievous smirk and the redhead lifted Akina off the bed. "Go, before Daddy beats us to the table!"
Akina proceeded to shriek as she ran out of the room, and Kairi ran after her as Sora roared in a playful manner. He chased the girls through the hall and down the stairs, laughter bouncing off the walls of the cozy home.
"Akina, sweetie! You almost ready?"
"Yes, Mommy!"
Kairi walked away from the staircase, her heels clinking as she walked across the wood flooring of the foyer before she entered the well-furnished living room. Sora was sitting on the sofa, bent over as he tied his dress shoes. He was dressed in black dress pants with a burgundy-colored dress shirt, all completed with a black blazer and a burgundy, white, and black tie.
"Ready to go, Sora?" Kairi asked, one hand resting on the back of the couch.
"Yeah, just finished with this shoe—" He turned his head, his voice leaving him when his eyes landed on his wife. Sora instantly rose to his feet, facing her. "Wow. Um…you look wonderful, Kai."
Kairi smiled sweetly, instinctively looking down at her wardrobe. Her black heels went well with her dress of the same shade, a bow tied at the waist. Her ruby hair was curled at the tips, her jewelry in place on her wrist, neck, and ears. "Thank you," she said kindly. "You don't look half-bad yourself."
Sora smiled proudly, tugging at the lapels of his blazer. "Why, thank you." Kairi giggled, hearing the small thudding of footsteps against the stairs not too far off. Turning around, she noticed Akina dressed in shorts and a t-shirt—perfect attire for a play day with her aunt and uncle.
"Ready!" Akina said.
"Alright!" Sora smiled, approaching his daughter and picking her up. He then turned to Kairi. "Let's head to the car."
Kairi led the way up to Roxas and Naminé's porch, glancing behind her to see Sora carrying Akina on his shoulders. She smiled as she ascended the small steps and rang the doorbell. In less than a few seconds she recognized the long blonde hair of her best friend. "Naminé," she greeted. "Hey."
"Hello," the young woman replied, standing just inside her door. Her sky-blue eyes drifted from the redhead to the two joining them. She then gasped. "Akina!"
"Aunt Naminé!" Akina's blue eyes brightened at the sight of her, and Sora gently brought her off his shoulders and set her down. The girl instantly ran to Naminé, hugging her waist.
Naminé laughed softly as she hugged the girl the best she could in that position, one hand resting on Akina's head. She then lifted her eyes to the couple before her. "Hello, Sora," she greeted with a smile.
"Hey, who's here?" came a voice from inside the house. Sora and Kairi peeked around Naminé and saw the man approaching, smiles coming to their faces when he suddenly grinned. "Is that my best pal?" he called, his azure eyes finding the small girl hugging his wife's waist.
"You are talking about me, aren't you Uncle Roxas?" Akina said, pulling away from her aunt.
"Who else? High five, kid," he said, lowering his hand. Akina smacked her hand against his and Roxas turned his attention to the couple standing just outside the door. "Hey guys. You two look like you have an expensive evening ahead of you."
"Roxas!" Naminé hissed, whacking him in the chest. He rubbed the sore spot as Sora chuckled.
"Special occasion," he said, looking to his side at Kairi. "It was only fitting."
"I think Mommy and Daddy look pretty," Akina stated with a smile, her blue eyes looking up at her mother and father.
Kairi smiled, bending down slightly toward her child. "Thank you, sweetie. Will you be good for Aunt Naminé and Uncle Roxas?"
"Promise!"
"Good." Kairi straightened, her gaze darting between the two blondes before landing on Roxas. "You know the rules, Roxas. No sweets before dinner."
The young man rolled his eyes, proceeding to bend down and pick up his niece. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't worry about it."
Naminé turned to Kairi and smirked a little. "I'll watch him carefully for you," she said with a wink. Kairi laughed softly.
"Be sure to look after my brother for me, will ya?" Roxas said, eyeing Sora. "Even at his age, he still overdoes it when it comes to dessert."
As Sora rolled his eyes and shook his head, Kairi nodded with a smile. "Of course."
The couple bid the blondes and their daughter goodbye, leaving the property and heading for their night out. Kairi found herself near the ocean, Sora leading her into the seaside restaurant. She took in the interior of the restaurant as they were guided to their table, seated next to floor-to-ceiling windows. Kairi thanked her husband softly when he pulled out her chair for her, watching him as he took a seat across from her.
"Same seat every year," Sora said. "I wonder if they memorized our orders…"
His words were a faint mumble to her ears. She set her elbows on the cloth covering the table and linked her fingers together, resting her chin against them. Her head tilted to the side a little as she stared at the man before her. A brief glimpse of him when he was in his teens flashed before her eyes, the young woman smiling slightly. He had changed, but he was still the same Sora she knew and loved. His personality hadn't altered the slightest, though he did take some things more seriously. However, he continued to act like a goofball, especially when he was with his daughter.
But his looks—Kairi felt they were what changed the most about him. His hair was still a spiky mess, but the color was a light brown ever since he went away for a summer, back when they were fifteen. His eyes never failed to be the ocean-blue she found herself swimming in sometimes. The childlike features disappeared, though; he didn't have much of a baby face anymore, and he had a stronger jaw line—whenever he was angry it flexed, she noticed.
"…Kai?" The young woman blinked, her chin resting atop her fingers. Sora was staring at her, one eyebrow arched in curiosity. "You alright?"
She nodded with a small smile. "Perfect."
They ordered their food a few minutes later, even though the waitress recognized them immediately. They had been going to the same restaurant for the last seven years on this day, though they did come in occasionally on a date night. They ordered their usual and Kairi sipped at her water, glancing above her glass to see her husband gazing at her.
"What is it?" she asked politely, setting the glass down.
Sora shook his head with a sweet smile. "It's been seven years. Just…wow."
Kairi giggled lightly, naturally lifting her hand to gaze at her finger. The diamond ring glimmered in the cozy lighting of the restaurant. "I guess it is pretty unbelievable. You proposed during college."
"Hard to believe I didn't do it sooner," Sora said with a loving expression against his features.
Kairi smiled softly to herself as she slid her ring off her finger, turning it in her grasp. She read the inscription, Always Within My Heart. "Well, you were pretty serious with a girl during high school," she said nonchalantly. However, a nerve was struck at the thought; she had loved Sora throughout high school and even though they were now happily married, the thought of him with another girl sparked something within her.
"You mean Xion?" One of Sora's eyebrows arched.
Kairi looked up from her ring. "You remember her name?" she softly asked.
Sora shrugged. "Why wouldn't I? She was my first serious girlfriend, Kairi."
The redhead nodded wordlessly, her eyes finding her ring again. Somewhere inside her she felt jealousy begin to form, and she knew it was because of the mention of Sora's past girlfriend, Xion.
"Kai? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said, her eyes glued to the words engraved into her wedding ring. But she suddenly felt something puncture her heart—a flashback to high school, when Sora had only been her best friend.
His room was a mess, clothes scattered everywhere. She laughed softly to herself as she tip-toed around the floor, barely seeing any of his carpet. "Sora, you lazy bum, you need to clean this up!"
"Oh, I'll get to it later," he chimed from the hallway, coming in behind her. "Homework is most important, is it not?" He grinned at her and she shook her head.
"Of course you would say that to get out of cleaning. Any other time you would say you don't care."
Sora shrugged, carelessly walking on the clothes that covered his floor, as if the mess didn't even faze him. "Anyway, what are we working on tonight?" he asked, plopping himself down on the bed beside her.
"Chemistry."
"Ugh. Gross."
Kairi rolled her eyes. "It's your own fault you took the class; you're the one that signed up for it."
"Not because I'm interested in it." He looked at her like a typical boy would, as if his reasoning was obvious.
"Let me guess: you took the class for some other reason? Does this have to deal with a girl?" She arched a perfectly-shaped eyebrow at him, a small smirk on her lips.
"Yup!"
Kairi shook her head, pulling books out of her bag. "Only boys would risk their grades for a girlfriend."
"But this isn't just any girlfriend, Kai! This is Xion!" When she only looked at him, he sighed. "You know how long I've liked her, and now that we're dating, it's hard to stay away from her."
"Heh, not like you would want to be away from her," Kairi muttered, opening her textbook.
"Of course not." Sora no longer smiled. "Kairi, you're my best friend. You know I'm gonna come to you and tell you about me and her. Riku doesn't listen—he only tells me how sappy I am and stuff." He gave her a warm smile. "I trust you to hear me out and allow me to at least tell someone."
But what if that someone doesn't want to hear it either? The words were to her alone, thought silently in her mind. She couldn't tell Sora how much she cared for him, and as more than a best friend. He wouldn't know what to do. He would probably be very awkward around her and most likely feel like he couldn't come to her anymore. She didn't want that, because it was the only time she really got with Sora anymore, unless he needed homework help.
"Kairi?" Sora was calling. "Anyone home in there?"
She blinked. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."
Kairi fidgeted nervously when Sora stared at her, his blue eyes suddenly skeptical. "You know, Kai… I've always appreciated how you listen to me when no one else will. But lately, it seems like you don't care anymore." He was frowning at her now, something that Sora never did toward her. "It's like you just listen but don't hear me at all."
Kairi's eyes widened, looking up at him. "Sora, I—"
"I thought at least you would be happy for me," he continued, cutting her off. "But I'm not so sure anymore."
She lowered her head sadly, feeling suddenly very guilty. Her eyes wandered to the ground, glancing around Sora's untidy floor. She couldn't look at him. Her violet-blue eyes discovered a sheet of paper on the floor, catching onto the signature at the bottom.
"A.W.M.H.
—X"
Kairi blinked, her eyes still on her ring. The words engraved into the jewelry stood out to her stronger than before. She read them, her thoughts stumbling over each other for the moment. A.W.M.H., she said to herself, picturing the letters on the notebook paper. Then she read off the words from her wedding ring. Always Within My Heart… A… W… M… H.
She gasped just as Sora's lips formed her name, making her look up at him.
He cocked his head to the side, eyes full of concern. "Babe, you okay? You've been quiet for a few minutes. I…kinda feel like an idiot now, because I was rambling and well, you weren't really listening." He ran his hand over the back of his spiky head in discomfort, a habit she recognized from their childhood.
"No," she answered, mostly to his question and not the statement. "No, I'm not okay."
Sora looked at her worriedly, leaning forward slightly. "What's the matter?"
Kairi stared down at the ring in between her fingers and then gestured it toward him. "This. This is what's the matter."
Sora arched an eyebrow, shaking his head. "What? Is the diamond chipped or something?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice. He stretched his hand out to take it. "I can get it replaced—"
"It's not the diamond!" Kairi hissed, trying to keep her voice low in the restaurant. She saw the look of surprise on Sora's face, but it didn't faze her. "It's the inscription."
"Yeah, so? What's wrong with it? Is it scratched or something?" He narrowed his eyes. "They didn't spell anything wrong, did they? I swear, I checked it a million times to make sure it—"
"It's not the physical state of the ring," she replied, feeling close to tears at the realization she had come to. "It's the words themselves. Always Within My Heart, Sora? Don't act like you haven't used that before."
As she stared at him, eyebrows furrowed with sorrow and disbelief and anger mixed together, she discovered the transition in his eyes. They were no longer bright with concern, but dim with the words she had spoken. He shook his head, opening his mouth to speak.
But Kairi didn't let him; she held up a hand to stop him. "Don't try to explain," she said, "because I already know the truth." Her sight was blurring as she looked down at the ring between her thumb and forefinger. "This ring... It was meant for her… Wasn't it?"
"Kairi, please don't—"
"You were going to give this ring to Xion!" She surprised herself by closely yelling to her husband, though she didn't think he was really hers anymore.
Thinking about it, he never really had been.
When Sora didn't say anything, she glared at the ring she was holding and put it down on the table. "You can take it to her then, because I don't want it anymore. Enjoy your meal, Sora." She grabbed her purse and pushed herself away from the table, getting up and walking out, not even hearing her husband's calls for her.
She found herself walking down the sidewalks of the Island, regretting that she insisted Sora hold the keys to the car. Her heels clicked with every step and tears streamed down her eyes, black from her makeup. The sun was nearly set now and night was near, which she was grateful for; nobody could see her sorrow as easily this way. Not that they would understand how vulnerable and naked she felt when the ring she thought belonged to her was no longer on her left hand anyway.
How couldn't I have noticed it sooner? If I had only recognized it seven years ago, I would have never had to deal with this lie and the mistakes along the way. No, that was wrong. Her daughter was never going to be a mistake or a lie, no matter how wrong her husband was to give her that ring or how foolish she was to accept it. Akina was anything but.
And so was the relationship she had made with Naminé, who had become her best friend over the years. Kairi was sure it was bound to happen sometime, considering the connection she had had to Roxas over the years. They had been friends, just as she and Sora and Riku had.
Maybe that's how she and Sora should have stayed—just friends. Things would have been less heartbreaking that way.
"Kairi!"
Her head turned sharply at the call, looking toward the street. Her sight fell on the familiar car, the man she had been thinking about in the driver's seat. She instantly looked forward.
Sora only moved the car at her pace along the side of the road. "Kai, please let me explain," he said out the window. "It's the least you can do."
"After what?" she snapped, not looking at him. "All the lies?"
"No!" he cried, and Kairi briefly recognized his tone as one of a teenager's. How childish he was, even now. Sometimes it was cute, but now it was just immature. "Kairi. Would you stop and just listen for a sec? I don't exactly think yelling at each other on the street is a good idea."
"Then why don't you drive off? That way we don't have this conversation."
"Okay, that's enough!" She heard the soft, faint squeak of the brakes and stopped in surprise. Sora got out of the car and marched over to her. She briefly thought about walking away, but the look in his eyes held her in place. "You have to let me explain this. Please."
Kairi's eyes blurred slightly from the tears, but she frowned regardless. "Fine."
Sora brought his hand to the back of his head in slight hesitance, but continued on with it. "The ring… I had planned on giving it to Xion in the past." Kairi winced faintly at his bluntness, her sight darting to the side. "But if you must know the truth, there was never a right time to give it to her. It never came around."
"So I was just the rebound-proposal? Nice."
"No, no that's not what I meant at all," Sora replied quickly, his eyes having grown wide. He sighed, as if in frustration. "What I meant was that Xion and I started growing farther apart once we graduated. That's why we broke up in the first place—we were going different places with our lives, and it would've never worked out."
"And the ring? Why'd you keep it?"
"I wanted to hold onto the past for as long as I could, but I knew it was going to stay there; it was never going to re-enact itself. I stored it away for some reason then, but I know why I did now," he explained. Kairi's watery eyes met Sora's once his hand cupped her cheek, turning her to face him. "You were the reason why I kept it, Kairi. My heart wouldn't lie to me."
"I don't think I understand," she answered honestly. She vaguely registered that her voice was trembling.
Sora smiled slightly despite the situation, bringing his other hand up to cup her face. His thumbs rubbed against her cheeks, wiping away the streaks of mascara. "You were always there for a reason, and I never truly knew what it was until that day all of us went out to the club. Do you remember?"
Kairi nodded, the night coming back to her. It had been her, Sora, Roxas and Naminé, and Riku, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka. It was after the first semester of college and they wanted a stress-free night out. That had been the night she forced Sora to dance with her, and after that he hadn't strayed too far from her.
"No matter what happened, you always found a way to cheer me up," Sora continued. "Even when you were stressing over your finals, or worrying about how you were going to get out of another shopping trip with Selphie."
Kairi laughed despite herself. Sora blinked slightly in surprise before smiling warmly.
"When it was inconvenient for you, you were still there for me. That showed me how much you cared, and how easily my heart opened up to you. With Xion, it wasn't like that. I didn't feel like I could share so freely with her, even if I loved her. At first I thought it was so easy with you because we had been best friends for so long, but it wasn't that."
Kairi shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"It was more than that," Sora confessed, looking down on her with bright azure eyes. "It wasn't until then that I knew I had something so different with you, so far beyond the relationship I had with Xion. Kairi, don't you get it? I've loved you all my life, and it took one heartbreak for me to realize how much I didn't want to lose you too."
Kairi's hand curved around Sora's forearm, the girl's eyes overrunning with tears. "Sora…" she whispered, though she couldn't think of anything else to say.
"The inscription on the ring may have been something between me and her, but it has always been something for you as well. When I finally realized my feelings for you, I knew I was an idiot for not seeing it sooner." Sora shook his head, as if ashamed of himself. "You were always within my heart, from the day I met you when we were kids. It has always been you that held that special place inside me. I knew then why I kept the ring. It was meant to be worn by you, Kairi."
Kairi felt the tears cascade as soon as the words left his lips, the girl closing her eyes. Sora only tended to her, caressing her face with one hand while the other pushed her bangs away from her eyes. A small moment passed before she could speak. "You honestly think this is going to change my mind, don't you?" she whispered, looking up at his bright eyes.
"Yes," Sora said with a nod, not even hesitating. "You've given me a lovely daughter and are a wonderful wife. I could never think of being with anyone else. The past is going to stay the past, but I want to build my future with you. I want to raise our daughter together, see her grow up and chase boys around on the playground, and eventually scold her for riding on the back of a motorcycle without a helmet."
Kairi clamped her eyes shut at his words. He was being so honest and his words flowed through her and into her heart, causing more tears to spill down her already damp cheeks. Sora's warm chuckle entered her ears, causing her to open her eyes. His hands left her face and she saw him digging through his pocket. When his hand emerged, it held a piece of jewelry that she had abandoned before.
"Will you wear it again?" Sora asked, glancing up from the ring. "I don't want it on anybody else."
Kairi smiled through her tears and nodded wordlessly. Sora smiled and took her hand, sliding the wedding band on her finger once more, just like he had done at the ceremony.
She looked up at him when he didn't let go of her hand, meeting his soft gaze. He bent his head and his lips met hers, the kiss tender and sweet. When he pulled back, Kairi opened her eyes and gazed up at him.
"C'mon," he encouraged with a small smile. "Let's go for a drive." Sora pulled on her hand and helped her into the car before settling in himself. It was then that he drove off, heading for the rural side of the Island. She recalled taking a cruise with him through there when they were dating in college.
It was then that she knew truly, in her heart, that the ring around her finger symbolized more than marriage. It represented trust, loyalty, faith, and love. As Kairi gazed at the man driving the vehicle, she caught a glimpse of the teenage boy she had longed to call her boyfriend, and then the college student she wished to claim as her fiancé. When Sora turned his head to smile at her and clasp her hand, Kairi saw the future ahead of her, and a man that she couldn't see herself living without.
It feels like forever since I've published a story, but I don't think it's really been that long.
Anyway, just thought I'd jump back into things with another SoKai fic. It's hard to really write anything else. :3
I hope you enjoyed.
R & R