Blind Sighed
C h a p t e r / O n e
( Delicate )
She had always been a very pretty child. Short red hair, cropped neatly just at the nape of her neck with no split ends. Porcelain skin and a complexion so pale one could compare her to a ghost. Pouty pink lips that never seemed to get wasted or chapped in the wintertime. A beautiful array of clothes, all neatly hung up in her wardrobe from red to indigo.
Yet the things considered the most alluring and attractive about Kairi were her eyes – huge glassy orbs of sky blue with a neat pin-prick of black pupil in the middle, carefully outlined by a fringe of violet. Studded around the corners were luxuriant lashes, long and black like coals, and they seemed to flutter an awful lot, like twin butterflies.
It was on a fairly grey, April morn that our story begins – Kairi, sat close-up to a mirror with her fingers pressed daintily across the surface, humming something under her breath about April showers. She could sense, in the ways that mediums commune with the dead, that it was going to rain.
A smile pulled at her cherry lips. Ironic, really. If that oncoming downpour had chosen last week to burst forth from the heavens, maybe she wouldn't be sat here now, ribbons in her hair and fingers on her mirror.
Cold, sleek glass. It bit into her skin, yet she didn't let go, not even when Axel asked her what she was doing.
"Admiring my reflection," she replied, voice dripping – literally dripping – with sarcasm. "Are we going to go now? I do get quite tired of waiting."
Axel raised an eyebrow – or at least, she supposed he did. "Cheek. You're the one who spends half her life in the bathroom putting on make-up and God only knows what else. You'll dehydrate your skin, Kairi- not that you care, I suppose."
"No. I don't," Kairi replied softly, feeling blindly for her dark glasses. She felt exposed without them, even in front of her big brother. He lovely, kind big brother who had taken her in after… After that horrible fire.
The fire that had killed her parents, her favourite pair of lorikeets and, ultimately…
Her beautiful eyes.
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"Where are we going, big brother?" inquired Kairi, tones light and airy. She always spoke like that – impossibly formal, far too strict and iron-clad for a young teenager. Perhaps it was down to mom and dad's influence, Axel thought idly.
Even at the words 'mom and dad' Axel found himself rolling his eyes, absently tapping a tune against the steering wheel with his leather-clad fingers. Oh yes – Ariel and Eric. Mother dearest and father darling, respectively. Damn, they had been rich. Money seemed to pour out of their ears. It was perfectly normal for Ariel to find a spare hundred dollar bill tucked into one of her flouncy skirts, or for Eric to summon forth a normal person's yearly wage in his polo pants. The whole of the Panettiere family had been rich buggers, actually – theirs was just a generation blessed with a long string of good fortune, which had been passed down through the generations for many, many years.
Axel snorted, bad habits showing very little for his strict upbringing. He was the rebellious sort – no matter how hard authority pushed, he would pull right back. In the end, Ariel and Eric had given up trying to refine him and turn him into some perfect gentleman. Instead, they had focused their full, undivided attention upon little Kairi, who must have only been about six or seven by the time Axel had packed his bags and left home.
They got to her at a young age, and the results of all their primping and preening was sat right behind him in the car. Her legs were crossed, hands folded, outfit impeccable with not a speck of dust in sight. Even the twin ribbons in her hair lay perfectly symmetrical to each other, and she could no longer see what she was doing.
Axel's hair lay in an untamed mess of porcupine spikes, impossible to tame – impossible to try.
"We're going to that pet shop you like – the one you bought the pretty birds from."
"I assume by that remark you are referring to the lorikeets."
"Yuh-huh. The pretty birds – lorikeets – whatever. Sora and Riku, right?"
"Yes," Kairi affirmed, nodding her head slowly. Once up, once down. Just like a little lady. "They were my friends…" And she sighed.
"Hey. Don't worry, princess," Axel tried to reassure her, turning at a red light to give her a charming smile. The same charming smile that had all the girls hanging off him. But this wasn't about Aqua or Tifa or even Larxene, his longest live-in girlfriend with the weird hair. This was about his favourite girl of all.
Kairi.
Little Kairi.
"I'm your friend, too."
Kairi frowned a little at this, pick pick picking at the hem of her skirt as she did so. "Of course…"
But the tone of her voice clearly said-
then why did you leave me…?
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It was the smell of incense that stirred Kairi's memories - rich and heavy and oh, almost suffocating. Kairi didn't mind. It was so haunting and beautiful she would rejoiceat dropping down dead amidst such splendour.
Although she couldn't see, the perfume brought about a long string of nostalgia. It was with this far-away feeling that she was able to paint her surroundings. She could feel the wooden door under her fingertips, trace the patterned wallpaper from corner to corner, feel the floor, firm and solid, under dainty footsteps, toes pointed like a dancer's. The shelves of pet food would be here, the rabbit cages a little to her right – or was it left? – no, definitely right. She could hear them, a din of squeaks just audible above the shopkeeper's voice.
Yuffie Kisiragi.
Kairi could remember their first meeting as though it were yesterday; in reality, she supposed it must've been a couple of years ago. The wannabe ninja seemed bright and bouncy as always, judging by the way she giggled and went "oh, hello Kairi!" And then, as the female red-head quirked a brow in minor confusion, "yeah, I remember your name! Never forget a customer!"
Kairi couldn't see her outfit, of course, but she guessed she was attired from head to toe in something blue or green, perhaps with a belt or five thrown in for good measure. Long stockings and fishnet gloves, black hair braided carefully at the back and laced-up boots falling apart at the soles – that was the oriental woman's look all over. Cute, but completely crazy.
"I sold you some lorikeets a few years back, didn't I?" asked Yuffie, though it was not really a question. More of a statement, if anything else. "Very pretty things. You wanted to get them some company?"
"I'm afraid not. Oh, I feel so terrible…" the girl sighed, looking down at the floor. Slowly, as though worried she would scald herself, she removed the dark glasses. She felt horribly self-conscious without them, although her outward appearance showed no signs of her ailment. "My house burnt down, and the lorikeets…"
"Oh yes!" Yuffie cried, snapping her fingers. It was a sharp, brisk sound, seeming to crash most unpleasantly against her ears. "There was something about that on the newspaper but, well – ah, I'm not one for reading. I sort of skim through and then give it to Cloud or Aerith – my friends, you know? We live in the same apartment. But hmn… I'm very sorry about the loss of your parents. Burglary, murder and a fire…"
"Yes. But the fire stole something else, too," Kairi continued, tilting her head upwards slightly. Yuffie became aware for the first time that she was staring a little to the right of her, eyes barely beginning to brush her face. "My eyesight."
"I thought a pet might cheer her up," Axel sighed, hand finding Kairi's shoulder. He held on tight, as if worried another fire would come and finish the job. "She was very attached to those birds."
"You poor dear," Yuffie fussed, shifting slightly from foot to foot. "Are you here to replace the lorikeets then, or…?" She paused, not wanting to seem insensitive. She lost her parents to that fire; most likely she did not wish to be reminded of it by the birds.
"Wait, I know," she suddenly brightened, snapping her fingers once more. "Why don't you get a dog? Something big and fierce that'll protect you, like a bodyguard! Sort of… Hehehe…"
"Wow…" Kairi's eyes seemed to light up at this, sunglasses pinched carefully between her thumb and index finger. Yuffie's endless babble was a comfort, much like the dizzying smell of perfume. "A dog? Really? Would… Would that be okay?"
Kairi had always yearned for a dog, ever since she was a baby no bigger than a bag of flour. Ariel and Eric, however, had always refused her demands, Ariel later reprimanding her that it was all wrong wrong wrong for a lady to beg, much less to beg for something with muddy paws and a coat full of fleas that got everything dirty and messy.
Axel wasn't Ariel and Eric, however. One dog probably wouldn't make much of a difference in his already falling-down apartment.
Grinning at her enthusiasm, Axel leant down to ruffle his sister's hair. "Of course its okay, Kai-Kai! Whatever makes you happy makes me happy."
"But, big brother. What about your wallet? Will it be happy?" Kairi asked, voice soft; obviously, she didn't want the over-zealous Yuffie eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Ah. It'll be fine, Kairi. I'd do anything to make you smile again. Plus…" Axel added, as an afterthought. "I'm sure some of that money's going to go to us, right? They couldn't have written us out of their will…"
"Right-o!" Yuffie beamed, clapping her hands together. "C'mon, Kairi. I've got some lovely dogs round back – no, I'm sorry sir," she blinked up at Axel through thick lashes, voice apologetic. "I'm afraid you can't come with me. I don't want you influencing Kairi's decision."
Kairi allowed herself a small smile at Yuffie's words. Ever since that fateful day where she woke up to a world of blackblackblack everyone seemed to believe that she was some sort of invalid; pallid skin, greasy hair, gaunt face. In reality, the girl had attempted to uphold her normal appearance with painstaking attention to detail.
Even if she couldn't see that detail anymore.
When she had first arrived at Axel's flat she had been a little disoriented, yes, but karma seemed to have come full circle and, subsequently, it had thanked her for being such a sweet, charming girl. In place of her sight were new, heightened senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing.
She was doing fine; could wash her own hair, tie her own shoelaces, walk down the stairs and everything she could do prior to the accident.
Despite Axel's beliefs, she was not a porcelain doll.
She was an independent, strong-natured teenager.
And really, she thought with an internal scoff, she wasn't going to morph into some stereotypical Disney damsel because of some stupid house fire.
She still had her pride.
"Your shop is rather big, Miss Kisiragi," Kairi couldn't help but remark, a chill wind settling upon her face. She had long since abandoned her older brother (doubtless, he was still stood there with his mouth open in disbelief) and her internal monologue had led her through many twisty-turny corridors.
Surely this place was much larger than the average pet shop…?
"Yes, lots of people say that! Ooh, and don't call me Miss Kisiragi! You make me sound like an undertaker. I'm Yuffie," Yuffie giggled, her footsteps clunk-clunk-clunking against the floor. Following the aforementioned clunks like Hansel, Gretel and their trail of bread, Kairi was able to navigate the corridors with little difficulty.
"Of course, Yuffie," Kairi smiled a little, bowing her head. And then, a few seconds later; "I can smell the incense again, even down here…"
"Oh, it's nothing, really. I burn it to hide the smell of the animals – Cloud says I'm a lazy sod, but you wouldn't see him helping me out!"
"Do you have a lot of animals here, then?"
"Oh yeah. Lots and lots," Yuffie said, her footsteps taking a slight detour to the right. Kairi followed. "I've always loved animals, you know? Working here's sort of like a dream come true! Hehe!" And then there was a pause, a halt, a jangle of keys. "Alright, Kairi, come in after me…"
"It's quiet… Where's the dog?" Kairi asked, taking tentative baby-steps over the threshold of the room. She had expected to hear cheerful barks, wagging tails, the pad of paws – not this quiet, almost clinical silence. It seemed so different from the rest of the shop; it seemed so different from Yuffie, bouncing back and forth on her heels.
"He's close by," Yuffie said, still bouncing. She seemed almost too cheerfulto be allowed in such a sombre room.
"I can't hear him…"
"All my dogs are extremely well trained," the girl explained, a steady symphony of clack-clack-clack accompanying her words. "They won't approach until they have your permission."
Kairi deliberated for a few seconds, before another rare smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Well, then… I guess it's rather strange to say such a thing to a dog, but… Uhm… Would you shake my hand?" And she proffered the limb with a kind of flourish, still grinning despite herself.
How silly this all seemed to be. Then again, Yuffie was a rather silly girl herself.
Maybe this was some sort of circus dog that could shake paws, or maybe there wasn't a dog here and Yuffie was playing some elaborate joke, or maybe… Or maybe-
Kairi's breath hitched in her chest, heart half-way up her gullet. Eyes widening, the girl issued a panicky "Oh!" and drew her hand back, as though it had been burnt.
She had distinctly felt another hand take hers.
Another human hand.
"Y-Yuffie!" she stuttered, arms wrapped round her middle in a comforting manner. She was shaking rather badly, up and down, as though her blood had turned into a thousand live centipedes. "This isn't a dog! It's a human!"
"Nonsense," Yuffie's voice seemed to suggest a frown, her manicured nails finding Kairi's shoulders. Holding her steady. "I assure you, this is a dog. A Doberman, to be more precise."
"You're lying. Playing tricks on a blind woman like that – you should be ashamed of yourself," Kairi hissed bitterly, jerking her shoulder away. Trembling, she continued to replay the last few seconds over and over in her head. The warmth, the skin, the fingers… That wasn't a Doberman. Perhaps she should run back into the main room and find Axel? Perhaps she should've demanded he come with her…?
"I'm not lying, I promise," Yuffie said earnestly, backing up against the wall for fear that Kairi's anger exploding into some sort of fist-fight. Red-heads were renowned for their tempestuous natures, and Yuffie wasn't a kung fu master or anything. "If you let him, he'll become your eyes and serve as your bodyguard."
"My… bodyguard?" the red-head asked, voice incredulous. "But he's… He's…"
Not a dog.
"I thought you wanted something to protect you?" Yuffie inquired curiously. Kairi couldn't see her, but she knew her eyes would be large and watery. To think – somebody refusing one of her beloved pets… The scandal! "In case the people who started the fire come back. Although they took your eyesight, you're still a witness to the crime. What if they come back to finish you off?"
Kairi flinched. "That's a terrible thing to say."
"But it's the truth. This dog will keep you safe from harm. He's very loyal; woman's best friend and all that jazz. I should know – I'm the one who trained him!"
"But… But he doesn't even know me," the red-head murmered, still unable to call him a dog. She was very confused; Yuffie didn't strike her as the type to lie, yet she'd definitely felt a human hand take hers…
Oh, if only she could see the creature before her.
But, she reminded herself, if her eyesight hadn't been taken, she wouldn't even be here in the first place.
Unbidden, Yuffie's words danced through her head – "you're still a witness to the crime. What if they come back to finish you off?"
"This dog'll obey his master's every command," Yuffie continued, and Kairi had a vague feeling that wild hand-movements were accompanying her every syllable. "He'll protect you with his very life."
"He'd die for me?"
And, as if the whole thing wasn't bizarre enough, the 'dog' just had to open his mouth (jaw?) and say; "yes."
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"Hey, wasn't that Kairi Panettiere?"
"Oooh. Hello, Cloud!" Yuffie grinned a fifty-thousand mega-watt grin, spinning round in a flurry of green hair ribbons and fishnet tights. "Oh, and Aerith, too! What a lovely surprise! Hey, you guys! I was just about to put on some tea or… Or something… Do you want any?"
The pink-clad woman nodded in affirmation, smiling slightly at Yuffie's boundless enthusiasm. "Sure, if you're asking. Do you have any green tea?"
"Just a sec!" Yuffie cried, bounce-bounce-bouncing her way over to the back of the room. "I'm sure I've got some… Uhm… Somewhere…"
"Hey, Yuffie. Don't change the subject. Was that Kairi Panettiere or not?" Cloud asked, kind enough to tack on a complimentary eye roll. With a yawn, the man walked over towards a conveniently-placed sofa and allowed himself to flop down amidst its comfy depths.
Aerith, on the other hand, was too busy cooing over a hutch of white rabbits ("Yeah, those're Yuna, Rikku an' Paine – and you see that one down there? She's called Lenne!" Yuffie informed her, all the while searching for some non-chipped, non-dirty teacups).
"Why… Yes, it was Kairi," Yuffie muttered, extracting three cups from a rather inconspicuous-looking drawer. "She was here about a pe-argh!"
Accompanying her sounds of pain was a rather ominous crashing sound – three of them, to be more precise.
"Oh, Yuffie, you silly girl," Aerith scolded, abandoning the girlie-group of rabbits to join the wannabe-ninja on the floor. "What did you do?"
"Hit head on… Open door…" Yuffie groaned, pointing at the offending cupboard (slightly ajar) with a look of immense hatred on her otherwise pretty face.
"Clumsy," Aerith berated in that motherly way of hers, shooing the girl away before she could break anything else – cups, bones, Cloud's patience, Yuffie wasn't picky when it came to rampant destruction. "No – its okay, you go sit down. I'll clean this up and make the tea. How you've managed to keep this business going for so long, I'll never know…"
"Geez. Thanks for your support, Aeirs," Yuffie mumbled, throwing herself down on the couch beside Cloud (and then wining as her head spontaneously combusted). "What did you wanna know about Kai-argh… -ri, Cloud?"
"She was that blind girl in the newspaper," Cloud muttered pensively. "Her and brother… They're destined to inherit a large fortune, aren't they?"
"S'pose. You know I don't like newspapers."
A comfortable silence overtook them, interrupted now and again by the distant clink of china and the lazy hum of Aerith's voice.
"Hey, Yuffie."
"Wha'?"
"You didn't sell her anything weird, did you?" the stoic blond asked, eyes narrowed. "You remember when you tried to sell me those birds, right? The ones that mated by eating each other."
"Humph," Yuffie 'humph'ed, one hand still pressed firmly against her throbbing temple. "I'm surprised that you have so little faith in me. I only sell animals here. Get that, Cloud? Animals. They're perfectly normal!"
"But your idea of 'perfectly normal' tends to differ from that of the average person's."
"Just because you've got a closed mind. You'll nevarrr match up the amazing awesome that is the Great Ninja Yuf-owwwww! My head!"
Cloud couldn't help but smirk at that. Yuffie's pain was simply priceless.
"Oh, that poor girl," Aerith sighed, walking into the room with a tray of chipped teacups. Yuffie rather hoped she was referring to her, but such foolish hopes were shot down almost instantenously. "Imagine, losing your sight so young. Do you think it's permanent?"
The wannabe-ninja couldn't help but sigh a little at this 'classic Aerith' act, accepting a cup of tea with a quick 'Q!'.
Aerith was the sort of person who'd worry about others, even when she had no ties to them whatsoever. When she was about twelve, it was common to find her in fits of tears over the newspaper, and even now she got a tad emotional when watching the news.
Yuffie, on the other hand, thought that the whole thing was desperately dreary and dull, dull, dull. She had better things to do on a Friday night than watch some boring (and most likely balding) old man in a pinstripe suit talk about depressing things that were happening millions of miles away.
"Hmn… I don't think so," Cloud mused, accepting his own tea with a few scant words of thanks. "The doctors think the blindness was just a psychosomatic response to the trauma."
"Trauma?"
"Well, I don't blame her," Aerith sighed, taking a delicate, lady-like sip of her herbal tea. Yuffie was well aware that she'd already split some down herself, and probably smelt of various animals. Aerith, on the other hand, stayed as fresh as a very fresh daisy.
"Hmn? Why's that?" Yuffie inquired, downing her own tea in two gulps.
"She watched her parents get murdered, Yuffie. And then there was the fire… She barely escaped alive. I don't think I'd want to see any more of such an ugly world, either."
a.n: huh. this is sooo totally based on chapter four of petshop of horrors. oh wellz – i like the idea D the whole story will prolly be about 4 chapters long. this one was just setting the scene. this isn't leon/kairi, this is leon and kairi. it's a friendshippy thing xD
& this story is dedicated to sweet pandemonium. enjoy!