Kairi sat looking out her window at the hardly visible moon. Something about it disturbed her, but she couldn't place what. A car door slammed outside and she looked down to catch a glimpse of her stepmother before she burst into the house. Kairi sighed deeply and clicked her CD player on, she was almost through listening to her favorite song, "Simple and Clean", when her father threw open her door.
"Kairi? Didn't you hear me shouting at you? Your mother and I are leaving now and we wanted to make sure you remember to clean the living room and kitchen today before we get home. We're hosting another party tonight and we want to make sure the house is clean." He said. Kairi was disappointed, but knew better than to show it. "I will." She replied sweetly. "Ah, good. Well, bye then." Her father left and closed her door behind him.
Kairi watched from her window as their car drove out of sight. They were constantly going out on dates and having parties, and she always had to clean up. She hated it. Nothing had been the same after the Heartless. None of the people in town where the same, her parents we're the same, and she had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't the same either. It distressed her, but there was nothing she could do about it.
She sighed and opened her desk drawer, removing a relatively new picture. Tidus had snapped it, and it depicted her, Sora, and Riku. They were sitting on their usual paopu tree, smiling at the camera and giving each other bunny ears. She turned it over and read the back.
"For Kairi; Happy birthday! We hope you enjoy your presents
and have lots of fun at your party! Sometime we'll even
teach you how to fight, we'll let you win and everything!
~ Love, Sora and Riku *friends forever* "
Kairi laughed quietly as she remembered the day they had given her this, Riku hadn't noticed how bad Sora's hand writing was until he saw the letter just before she got it. Riku had made Sora read it to her before he let him leave. Riku had given her the CD she had just been listening to, and Sora had given her a teddy bear exactly the same shade of red as her hair. She missed them both, and her eyes began to water as she thought of them. Gently, she placed the picture back in the drawer and turned to go downstairs. When she entered the living room, she was horrified, beer bottles and soda cans lay covering the floor and sofa, chips were thrown everywhere, and several people had vomited in the corner! Obviously, these were the remnants of her parents' last party. She sighed and walked into the kitchen, shocked to find that it looked exactly the same! She couldn't stand it, and began crying now, knowing that even if she cleaned it, it would look the same tomorrow morning. I wonder what things would be like if Sora and Riku were still here? She thought. Probably not so bad, she smiled grimly, everything seems better when you have a shoulder to cry on.
She walked out the front door and continued on to the beach. Several people stopped to stare and point at her, no doubt telling their friends the latest rumor about Krazy Kairi. No one had believed her about the Heartless or what really happened to Riku and Sora. Everyone simply thought she had lost her mind. She didn't used to care, but now it began to hurt. She ran down the beach, away from all the staring, pointing people, down to the deserted part of the beach. She then flopped down on her back and watched the clouds go by as she tired to sort out her feelings. She had told Sora that she knew they would always be together, and that she trusted that he would come back to her, but lately, her hope was running out. She had been hurt so much since that day, mistreated by everyone around her since their island was restored. She had trusted people before, and they had hurt her. She knew she shouldn't doubt Sora or Riku, but she couldn't help but think that she was holding on to something that was already gone. She wondered to herself if Sora was even still alive, how could she be sure that he hadn't disappeared with that Heartless world after he had defeated Ansem? She tried not to think about it, but tears were already running down her cheeks.
It was dark by the time Kairi dragged herself home. She knew she was in for it, having not cleaned the living room or kitchen, but she honestly didn't care. She could hear her parents arguing as she walked in the door, they looked up from the living room as she walked towards the stairs. "Kairi! Come over here this instant!" Her father demanded. She obeyed. "Where have you been?" She simply shrugged, " I went for a walk." She replied slowly. "A walk? Why didn't you clean up the living room and kitchen like you said you would? We have company expected in less than ten minutes!! You're grounded! Go to your room and stay there until we say you can come back down!" Her stepmother screeched. Kairi simply turned and walked up the stairs.
She was hurt, she felt like she was completely alone. She didn't have a single friend anymore and she knew it. Angrily, she pulled a messenger bag out of her closet. She began shoving things into it, a change of clothes, the picture Sora and Riku gave her, a box of crackers, and several odds and ends. She looked around her room one last time, and climbed out her bedroom window.
"Kairi? Didn't you hear me shouting at you? Your mother and I are leaving now and we wanted to make sure you remember to clean the living room and kitchen today before we get home. We're hosting another party tonight and we want to make sure the house is clean." He said. Kairi was disappointed, but knew better than to show it. "I will." She replied sweetly. "Ah, good. Well, bye then." Her father left and closed her door behind him.
Kairi watched from her window as their car drove out of sight. They were constantly going out on dates and having parties, and she always had to clean up. She hated it. Nothing had been the same after the Heartless. None of the people in town where the same, her parents we're the same, and she had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't the same either. It distressed her, but there was nothing she could do about it.
She sighed and opened her desk drawer, removing a relatively new picture. Tidus had snapped it, and it depicted her, Sora, and Riku. They were sitting on their usual paopu tree, smiling at the camera and giving each other bunny ears. She turned it over and read the back.
"For Kairi; Happy birthday! We hope you enjoy your presents
and have lots of fun at your party! Sometime we'll even
teach you how to fight, we'll let you win and everything!
~ Love, Sora and Riku *friends forever* "
Kairi laughed quietly as she remembered the day they had given her this, Riku hadn't noticed how bad Sora's hand writing was until he saw the letter just before she got it. Riku had made Sora read it to her before he let him leave. Riku had given her the CD she had just been listening to, and Sora had given her a teddy bear exactly the same shade of red as her hair. She missed them both, and her eyes began to water as she thought of them. Gently, she placed the picture back in the drawer and turned to go downstairs. When she entered the living room, she was horrified, beer bottles and soda cans lay covering the floor and sofa, chips were thrown everywhere, and several people had vomited in the corner! Obviously, these were the remnants of her parents' last party. She sighed and walked into the kitchen, shocked to find that it looked exactly the same! She couldn't stand it, and began crying now, knowing that even if she cleaned it, it would look the same tomorrow morning. I wonder what things would be like if Sora and Riku were still here? She thought. Probably not so bad, she smiled grimly, everything seems better when you have a shoulder to cry on.
She walked out the front door and continued on to the beach. Several people stopped to stare and point at her, no doubt telling their friends the latest rumor about Krazy Kairi. No one had believed her about the Heartless or what really happened to Riku and Sora. Everyone simply thought she had lost her mind. She didn't used to care, but now it began to hurt. She ran down the beach, away from all the staring, pointing people, down to the deserted part of the beach. She then flopped down on her back and watched the clouds go by as she tired to sort out her feelings. She had told Sora that she knew they would always be together, and that she trusted that he would come back to her, but lately, her hope was running out. She had been hurt so much since that day, mistreated by everyone around her since their island was restored. She had trusted people before, and they had hurt her. She knew she shouldn't doubt Sora or Riku, but she couldn't help but think that she was holding on to something that was already gone. She wondered to herself if Sora was even still alive, how could she be sure that he hadn't disappeared with that Heartless world after he had defeated Ansem? She tried not to think about it, but tears were already running down her cheeks.
It was dark by the time Kairi dragged herself home. She knew she was in for it, having not cleaned the living room or kitchen, but she honestly didn't care. She could hear her parents arguing as she walked in the door, they looked up from the living room as she walked towards the stairs. "Kairi! Come over here this instant!" Her father demanded. She obeyed. "Where have you been?" She simply shrugged, " I went for a walk." She replied slowly. "A walk? Why didn't you clean up the living room and kitchen like you said you would? We have company expected in less than ten minutes!! You're grounded! Go to your room and stay there until we say you can come back down!" Her stepmother screeched. Kairi simply turned and walked up the stairs.
She was hurt, she felt like she was completely alone. She didn't have a single friend anymore and she knew it. Angrily, she pulled a messenger bag out of her closet. She began shoving things into it, a change of clothes, the picture Sora and Riku gave her, a box of crackers, and several odds and ends. She looked around her room one last time, and climbed out her bedroom window.
