Irony Is Green

By CeruleanSnapdragon

All Standard Disclaimers Apply

(It was the cruelest of ironies that such beautiful eyes were completely useless)

Kairi had never liked the cold. Granted, her island home never got all that cold but still, she was a warm weather person.

Here on the mainland things were different. A biting wind nipped at her extremities, laughing at the way she flinched away from what most people here would have called a nice, autumn day.

The red haired girl tugged her gloves up higher and tightened her scarf. She hoped to all that was good and holy that her dorm room was already warm and ready for her. Kairi sighed, expelling a puff of silvery breath. If only she could have stayed on Destiny Island to get her nurse degree.

But no. Destiny University was small, just like every thing else from her home, and did not have medical training. Clear blue eyes glazed slightly as the girl fell into memories of her home. Warm, sandy beaches, the ocean, the palm trees in the breeze.

A frown marred her tiny lips. Every thing was different here. It wasn't very warm this time of year and the ocean was miles away. And the trees! What kind of trees would change from their nice, normal green to a bizarre mixture of red, gold, and orange?

Kairi had always liked to be in control. Here, nothing listened to her. She was starting to miss her friends, her home, her-

Before she could finish her melancholy thoughts, Kairi slammed into a warm, large body and tumbled backwards. Horror washed over the girl when she relized she had walked right into another person and knocked them over as well.

"I'm so sorry!" Kairi yelped, jumping up and extending a hand, "I was walking and thinking and I…I wasn't looking where I was…going…"

Words died on the girls thin lips as she looked down at the man she had toppled over. He was rubbing gingerly at his backside, a bright, mischievous grin splitting his lean pale face. What looked like teardrop tattoos crinkled slightly as he looked up at her, and suddenly Kairi forgot everything around her.

His eyes were the most amazing shade of emerald she had ever seen, framed by a blaze of vivid red hair which shot out in all directions like a bonfire.

"So you can't walk and think at the same time?" he said, waving a large hand around a few inches away from her own extended arm, "That could be dangerous."

Some small voice in the back of her head screamed about his insult but it was drown out quite easily. His voice was deep and full of laughter, a little mocking and arrogant.

"I was…" she started, grasping for an excuse in her mind, "just distracted."

His gloved hand finally made contact with her bare arm and latched on, yanking himself up and almost bringing her to the pavement in the process, "S'ok, I understand. Women are often caught off guard by my dashing good looks."

Kairi couldn't decide if his grin was attractive or insufferable as a light blush crept across her nose. She opened her mouth to give him a snippy reply but stopped. The man was looking past her blankly, one heavy boot shuffling around on the ground as if searching for something.

That was when she noticed the long white stick on the ground to his left.

"Oh…" she said softly then much louder as the truth hit home, "OH! H-here let me get that for you!"

The red haired man blinked, at bit startled by the sudden change. Moments later he felt a small hand gently press his cane into his own hand. Frowning, the male reached out, waving his am carefully close to where the voice was coming from.

Kairi watched as the strangers hand wagged its way above her head, coming down slowly until it finally rested on top of her soft, crimson locks. A shocked expression flew across the mans slender face. And then he laughed.

Kairi felt her stomach doing a triple summersault twist for no apparent reason. She had never heard any one laugh like this man. It was like sunshine and chocolate running all over her and a jolt of something much strong than lightning shooting up her spine. All the bad things in the world melted away as she listened to that deep, rich sound.

"You…You're tiny!" he laughed, moving his hand to her should and squeezing slightly, "How the hell did a petite little thing like you bowl over someone like me over?"

"I'm pretty strong for my size." Kairi said absently.

He nodded, dropping his arm back to his side, grin still gleaming like a thousand watt bulb, "I've noticed. My names Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

She nodded for a memento before realizing what she was doing and blurted out, "I'm Kairi. I just moved here a few weeks ago."

"Ahh…here for the college?"

"How did you know?" the girl asked in amazement.

He chuckled again, waving his cane around, "Why does any one come to Twilight City? You're either here for a job or an education. You don't sound very old so I guessed it was the latter."

"I happen to be nineteen." She huffed indignantly, hugging herself against the newest blast of wind. Kairi watched as his hair wiped around his face, making it look like his head was on fire.

He shrugged, tapping out a path to the left of her, "And I'm twenty-one. I wasn't trying to insult you. Edgy little thing, aren't you?"

He walked past her, tap-tap-tapping his way towards the coffee shop, "See ya around, Princess!"

Kairi stood there, watching the way he had gone vacantly for a good five minuets before another explosion of chilly air broke her out of her trance. Shaking her head slightly, the girl walked away.

-

Snap: Depending on how this story is received, I may or may not continue it.

Please leave a review and thank you for reading!