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Those Stars Above
ONE-SHOT

«A/N & Disclaimer:»
Don't own KH!
Hiya, peoples! Thankies for clicking on the link to this story! Errr, or maybe you clicked on it by accident... -shrugs- Oh well! Stick around! This is really short, anyways! xD
ENJOY, and may the Moogles be with you! ...huh?

«Summary:»
The streets were wet; the air was moist and crisp. The stars glimmered in the dark sky above, and he asked her,"Shall we dance?" (One-Shot;SK)
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Rain splattered against the windows.
The strong winds can be heard from even inside the auditorium.

A sixteen year old girl sat on a wooden stool, kicking the legs with her heels. A gentle breeze brushed against her cheek and made her shiver. It was cold inside the auditorium, and Kairi rubbed her hands together to keep warm. The soft sound of humming made her want to get on the stage and dance her heart out.

But no.

She was Curtain Girl. Curtain Girl! "And Curtain Girls don't dance," Kairi had said to herself. Kairi took a firm grasp of the thick rope in front of her. "They pull open the curtain."

After a few moments of watching (that's really all she does), Kairi let out a sigh. She knew, that deep down inside, she will always be some stupid Curtain Girl. See, there has always been a curtain around her heart. Not even the smallest glimmer of light has been able to shine through that curtain. Well, ever since that little 'incident' about two years ago.

It all started with some hope, a dream, and two boys. One was named Riku, and the other was Sora. Sora. That name made Kairi hug herself with her arms. "Sora," she whispered under her breath. Then she shook her head. No, Kairi thought, I need to concentrate.

Kairi hesitated for a moment, and then laughed. Concentrate to pull a curtain? Ha! What a joke. Some of her auburn hair fell onto her forehead. She lifted a hand and tucked the loose hair behind her ears. For a second, Kairi had felt a hand brush her right arm. She let out a shriek and fell backward, pulling the curtain rope with her as she fell. With a loud THUMP!, Kairi landed on her back...and it hurt. A lot.

Applause.

Kairi heard applauding. Were they happy that she fell down? Kairi sat up, rubbing her aching back with a hand. The dance teacher, Mrs. Carl, came up to her with a beaming smile across her face.

"Great job, Karina! You finally pulled the curtain in one tug!" 'The Carl' said. Kairi gave her a nasty glare.

"It's Kairi. K-A-I-R-I."

But Mrs. Carl didn't seem to have heard her because she was already walking back to the dancers. Mrs. Carl never really liked Kairi. In fact, she actually pitied her. Everybody knew Kairi was a freak, that's probably why Mrs. Carl never let her dance.

With a soft sigh, Kairi pulled up the stool and sat back down. This was how life was for her now.

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"You...WHAT!?"

"I want to quit the Dance Program," Kairi said, nervously tucking some of her hair behind her ears.

It was a rain-free afternoon. The dancers were packing their things when Kairi had confronted Mrs. Carl. Mrs. Carl's loud, booming voice echoed throughout the auditorium.

"I'm sorry, Karla, but the contract you signed about a year ago said you can't quit 'til next year," Mrs. Carl said, shaking her head back and forth.

"Contract? What contract? I don't remember any contract."

"Honey, you signed a contract. You just, uh, don't remember."

"That's not true!"

"DON'T YELL AT ME!"

"I wasn't yelling at you!!"

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT, YOUNG LADY!"

"You know what, Mrs. Carl? I don't remember any contract. I do clearly remember asking you to join the Dance Program, and you just said it was okay! Now, I don't remember any contract. Ask any one of these dancers. Maybe they signed a contract, but I didn't! And anyway, all I do is pull the stupid curtain! Do I dance? NO! Do I sing? NO! So why don't you get your ass in your office, erase my name off the board saying, 'KAIRI - CURTAIN GIRL', and let me freakin' quit the stupid DANCE program!!!"

THUMP!!!

The room seemed to shake as Mrs. Carl fell backwards onto the floor.

"...Mrs. Carl? Mrs. Carl!? Hello!?" Kairi said,"...why aren't you moving!? Somebody call the hospital!!!"

...and that was how Mrs. Carl died.

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Later, the police and an ambulance arrived on the scene. The dancers have gone home, leaving Kairi to explain what had happened. Apparently, Mrs. Carl had had a heart attack during Kairi's speech. She wasn't planning on attending her funeral.

Water was leaking down from the roof. Kairi stood outside the locked-up auditorium, sitting on a damp wooden bench. Kairi didn't care if her jeans were wet. Well, nobody would care, actually. The rain had stopped earlier, but the streets were still wet; the air was moist and crisp.

To Kairi, the sky was a pretty blackish color. Stars glimmered just above her, blazing throughout the skies. A smile crept onto her lips. She knew the stars represented different worlds and stuff like that. Somewhere out there, she knew Sora and Riku were coming.

"Kairi..." the wind seemed to whisper.

Nights like this acutally made Kairi...well, happy. Scared, no. Happy, yes. It was actually safe here. The streets were free of anybody dangerous (well, to Kairi it was). For two years, she sat on this very bench every night, looking up at the sky. Yes, she felt that this was the safest—

"AAAAHHHH!!!!" Kairi screamed. A cold hand had grabbed her shoulder. She bolted off the bench and stood up, her heart beating fast. Turning around, she prepared herself to attack...but to her surprise, a familiar boy stood before her.

"S-Sora!" she stammered, pointing at him with a shaking hand. It was him. The boy who had left her two years ago! The boy with that cheesy trademark grin! He was right there!

"Hi, Kairi," he said, almost in a whisper. He took her breath away. She couldn't talk, she couldn't move, she couldn't do anything! Kairi felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Sora's cheerful, bright blue eyes made her want to gaze at them forever. She mentally slapped herself on the head. Say something, you idiot!, she thought.

But honestly, she had nothing to say. She was just too happy to say anything. So she simply hugged him, afraid of losing him again if she let go. A minute passed, and kairi finally managed to say, "Where's Riku...?"

"Riku?" Sora said, as if surprised,"Riku...he's at a better place now. He's...gone, Kairi. Gone."

A needle went through Kairi's heart. The curtains will never open. A light will never shine. "...What!? Riku...is dead?"

Sora laughed. "Dead? Nah, he's at his house."

Kairi playfully punched Sora's arm. "Arg, don't do that again, Sora! You scared me to death!"

"Heh heh, sorry."

She smiled and sat down again, motioning for Sora to sit next to her. For the next ten seconds, there was an awkward silence between the two. Those ten seconds seemed like a year to Kairi. Finally, breaking the silence, Kairi said,"You've kept your promise."

He nodded. "Sorry I took so long," and then Sora looked at her,"You have a dog?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. How did you know?"

"I went to your house to look for you and, er, your dog attacked me."

"Fluffy attacked you!? HA! You've got to be KIDDING me!" Kairi burst out laughing. Sora pouted,"Hey, that's not funny!" But he laughed with her anyway. He stood up, stretching his arms. "So what's up with you and that dance thing? I never knew you liked dancing."

"Well, I don't exactly dance," she sort of shuddered at the word, "I'm, uh, Curtain Girl."

Sora raised his eyebrows. "So you never dance...even though you're in a dance thing?"

She nodded. Sora thought for a second...and suddenly went down on his knees. He reached for Kairi's hand, kissing it gently. He whispered,"Shall we dance?"

Kairi cocked her head. "Right here? You're crazy."

"Yeah, sure."

"But there's no music."

"I'll hum a song."

"I'm not wearing anything nice, you know..."

"I think you look pretty."

"What if I slip?"

"Then I'll catch you."

"Well," Kairi said,"I'd be honored. Only one problem: I don't know how."

Sora shrugged. "So? I don't know how, either!"

Before Kairi could make a comment, she was already being dragged in the middle of the slippery streets... into the middle of the dance floor. She smiled and put her arms around his neck, as he put his arms around her waist.

"Sora..."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

...Then they slowly started to dance.

And for the first time in two years, Kairi felt as if the curtains had opened.

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«Author's Notes:»
See? Told ya it was short! Kinda sucked, but that's just what I think xD

Well, hoped you liked it!
If the rating/genre should change, be sure to let me know!

REVIEW!

Below is just an extra scene. Optional.
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(Meanwhile...)

Knock, knock, knock!

"Kairi! You there? It's Riku!" Riku shouted, pounding a fist onto the front door. After visiting his parents, Riku wanted to see the one he secretly loved. Giving up, he muttered,"Guess she's not here yet."

Grrrrrr....

Riku froze.

"What. Was. That...?"

He slowly turned around...and in front of him stood a nasty, mean lookin' poodle. "Nice doggie...nice doggie..."
Fluffy's back fur stood up, preparing to launch itself on the poor silver haired boy.

"AAAHHHHH!!!!!"