Author's Note: I haven't written any fanfiction in a while, and so I thought I'd do the 100 Themes Challenge.
Prompt: Introductions
Sora is sitting there at the kitchen table, a bowl of cereal in front of him, when he hears the phone ring. He hears his mother answers it in the other room and exchange pleasantries with the caller before her voice lowers. She hurries into the kitchen and says, "Sora, I'm gonna be gone for a little bit, okay? I've gotta make a house call." Then she leaves.
And Sora pays the situation no attention, until later that evening when his mother mentions to his father the little girl at the mayor's house.
x x x
She is half-conscious. Aware enough that she can faintly hear the people around her. Aware enough to know that these people are not familiar to her.
There are two women, and a man. One of the women is extremely calm, while the other sounds worried. The man seems very worried, too. "…Fine… be fine…" she hears the calm woman say.
Her thoughts are muddled. The exhaustion she feels in her little body is overwhelming. Everything is dark. She has been in the dark for quite a while, though she can't remember for how long. But before, wasn't it a different kind of dark?
x x x
"Mom says that they found her on the beach," Sora says to his friend, Riku.
"Can we go see her?" Riku asks.
"No, Mom says she's still asleep," Sora replies.
Riku doesn't say anything, and he and Sora continue with their trading card game. But he's not focused on the game. He keeps glancing over towards the mayor's house, and thinking about the girl who washed up on their island.
x x x
She is sitting up in bed now, with a tray full of food on her lap. There is a big bowl of soup, some crackers, a sandwich, and a tall glass of milk. A man and a woman are sitting next to the bed, smiling at her somewhat expectantly.
"Are you hungry?" the man asks.
The little girl shakes her head in lieu of a spoken response.
"Oh, that's all right," the woman says. "We can always reheat the soup later."
After a short period of silence, the woman speaks again. "Do you remember your name, sweetie?"
"Yes," the little girl says quietly. "Kairi."
"Okay, well, Kairi…" the man begins, "Do you have any way of contacting your parents? Do you remember your address?"
Kairi stares at him, looking confused and a bit frightened. She shakes her head again, this time somewhat frantic in her actions.
"That's okay, you don't have to answer now," the woman interjects. "Let us introduce ourselves. I'm Amelia Hart, and this is my husband, David, the mayor of Destiny Islands."
Destiny Islands?
"It's very nice to meet you, Kairi."
x x x
Kairi stands in front of two boys. The younger one has wild brown hair while the older one has platinum locks and looks like he could use a trim. Their focus is no longer reserved for the now-paused movie they were watching, but for the little girl standing in front of them.
"Kairi, this is Sora," the woman says, "and this is Riku. Sora's mother and I thought it would be nice for you all to meet." She kneels down and tells Kairi that she and her husband will be with Sora's parents in the next room, kisses the little girl on the cheek, and leaves.
"Hello," Kairi quietly offers.
"Hi!" Sora replies cheerfully. His smile is big for such a small boy. He scoots over and pats the spot between him and Riku. The little girl hops up onto the couch and someone starts the movie again.
Riku smiles at Kairi, too, and though it is less impactful than Sora's, it is equally sincere. "It's nice to meet you," he says.
"It's… nice to meet you, too," Kairi says. She pauses for a moment while the boys laugh at something in the movie. "Uh… um… can – can we be friends?" She's a little embarrassed, and a faint blush spreads over her cheeks.
"Well, duh," is Riku's deadpan response.
"Yeah, we'll always be together!" says Sora warmly. "Too bad you didn't come here earlier, though. The night before, there was an awesome meteor shower!"
And though she isn't sure why, the last remark makes Kairi very, very sad.