Her heart was thumping. Her adrenaline was rushing. Her ears seemed to be picking up every sound around her. Her keen eyes were staring straight ahead… she refused to look anywhere except at her opponent. And her opponent was glaring back. It was almost like drawing a breath to quickly would set the other off. And so she waited… who would make the first move?

And then it came soaring at her, it looked like blazing fire ….

In a blink of an eye, she kicked it, and before her opponent could react, it collided with…well, his groin.

The only thing that bystanders got out of this, however, was, "Take th-OOOOO!!!!!"

Wakka fell to the ground, clutching himself.

"Whoa… Kairi, that was awesome! I didn't even see you kick it!"

Tidus came running down to aid Wakka, who was now rolling on the ground. Yelling. Lots.

"Kairi goddammit that was so cheap why I outta-"

"You lost fair and square Wakka. Get over yourself." Selphie joined Kairi in laughing. "But really Kairi, that was good. You beat him in less than a minute!'

Kairi blushed a little. "Thanks… is he okay?'

"Probably not." Selphie shrugged.

"Hm. I'm not feeling guilty. Is this a problem?"

"Nah."

"Good. Want to go get something to eat to celebrate?"

"Okay. Are we celebrating yet another victory for you, or are we celebrating the fact that now there will never be annoying little Wakka juniors?"

Kairi smirked. "A little of both."
"Kairi!" Wakka was yelling after them as they walked away, barely able to stand. "I demand a rematch! Right n- I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

"Did you hear anything, Selph?" Kairi asked as they walked still.

"Only a blow in the wind Kairi. Now, about that food…"

"Kairi!!!!!! DAMN YOU!!!"

Kairi and Selphie started to laugh. Wakka would have attempted to chase them, but he tripped on a cocoanut and hit his head on a palm tree and fainted. Hopefully he will stay that way.

---

"So… how does it feel?"

Selphie was sipping on a strawberry daiquiri ayt one of the tables outside one of the small restaurants, (it was a beautiful day to be outside) while Kairi was just opening her water. The sun was hung high in the sky.

"How does what feel?" Kairi asked.

"To be the best on the island, of course. Just a couple of years ago, I could have beaten you. Now Wakka and Tidus aren't even a challenge for you."

"I'm not the best…" Kairi insisted.

Selphie rolled her eyes. "Your so modest, Kairi. But you know it's true. God, it just shows how pathetic I was with my jump rope. I would constantly hit myself in the head…"

"Well, when YOU still used your jump rope," Kairi pointed out, "you were better than me. I didn't even fight back then."

A waiter came to take Selphie's glass, and the two were quiet until he left. (he was a creepy waiter, ok??)

"Ha! Yeah right." Selphie continued after he was out of hearing range. "You could have taken me without a weapon. I sucked. AND I was full of myself."

Kairi laughed. "You WERE. You would always challenge Tidus to fights, and when you lost, you would say that you were distracted by his hotness and then glomp him."

"I was PARTIALLY honest!"

"You're such a loser, ya know?"

Selphie slammed her fist on the table. "Don't say 'ya know' at the end of sentence! You'll sound like an idiot!!"

The two laughed some more, as Selphie did a lovely impersonation of being hit in the balls and dying. The other people outside the resturaunt were wondering about her sanity.

"But seriously Kairi… you're the best."

Selphie got up and seemed to get a little more serious.

"I am not. Quit saying that!"

"Kari is the BEST, in the woooorld!" She loved being difficult.

"Stop!"

"She is SO good, Jackie-chan looks like a toddler next to her!"

"Seriously, Selph…"

"I bet that you're better than Sora was when-"

Selphie instantly clapped her hand over her mouth, and her eyes widened in shock. She didn't mean to say his name, really!

Kairi just sat there for a moment. Her hands were both clutching her skirt tightly, and her eyes just stared off into space. Finally, she said, "I have to go.', and she left Selphie sitting there, feeling both guilty, and extremely stupid.

---

Kairi walked, not caring where her feet led her. She wasn't so sad that she was crying, but she was sad enough that she wanted to be alone. She hadn't seen him in years… four and a half years to be exact.

At first she could talk about it. But as time passed… people started to say

they would never come back. That they drown while they went out on their raft… and whenever she told then about the heartless, they laughed.

At first, they were nice about it, they had pity for her.

"It was just a dream honey…"

"Of COURSE that's what happened, Kairi."

"Heartless…? If that's what your heart says Kairi."

But eventually.…

"That never HAPPENED, Kairi."

"Get a GRIP, Kairi!"

"You're CRAZY, Kairi!"

"SHUT UP, KAIRI!"

Soon, only Selphie was still nice to her, and told her that she was right, and to ignore them. But she never really believed her… Kairi could tell.…

She somehow ended up at the secret place. Usually, Kairi avoided coming in here. Whenever she went in, she would remember too much. Sometimes she would cry, or refuse to leave for hours. Her heart would hurt so much…but right now, she wanted to just be alone. It would work.

Inside, the ivy had spread more, and the drawings seemed to have faded since then, but it was still the same. The countless doodles of Sora, Riku and her… The special one of Sora and her and the paupou fruit…

And that damn door.

It was still there. Locked.

Kairi would knock on it relentlessly, slam into it until she felt numb, try saying anything she could, but nothing would happen. She was too weak to even leave a mark in it.

And that's why she hated herself. Sora would have been able to break it open. Riku would have. Wakka might be able to, too. But not her. Never her.

She hated it.

And that was when she decided. She wanted to fight. Everyone else on the island could fight, right? Why not her?

Three months after she returned to the island, she started to take isshinryu (type of karate), yoga, and she started to go to the gym every day. She wanted to be ready if the heartless came back. She wanted to fight them like Sora did…

Before long, she was the best on the island.

And she STILL couldn't open the damn door!!!

"Damn it!" She cursed out loud, kicking the door as hard as she could. "I hate you! It was your fault in the first place! Your fault that they're gone! All your fault!!"

'Oh my God.' She thought as she put a hand to her head, 'I'm cursing at a door. I really am going crazy. Get yourself together Kairi…'

Kairi walked over to the edge of the secret place, trying to get herself to leave, but before she knew it…

"I HATE YOU!!!!!" She was running at the door and full speed.

SLAM!

"Ow… that was stupid…" Kairi held her shoulder in pain as she backed away stumbling.

The door remained unphased.

"Okay. THIS time, I'm going to get it. I'm going to get it open, dammit!" (in case you were wondering why she could spend hours in there at a time, this was why)

"Maybe…" Kairi quickly found the largest rock she could carry. "Aha! Take THIS!" She chucked the rock as hard as she could at the door. "HIYA!!!"

Nothing.

"Ooo, ok, so rocks aren't your style, huh? HUH? PUNK!?: She was pacing back and forth, glaring at the door all the while. "Ok. Fine. How about…" Kairi quickly went and got one of her swords.

"How's aboutz some metal up yo ass, huh?!" She laughed manically. "DIIIIE!"

Kairi slashed repetitively. For hours. The sun went down, and inside the cave it was practically pitch black. She wasn't even sure if she was hitting the door anymore.

She fell to the ground, huffing and gasping for breath. "Why…" Kairi had gone back to depressed mode. She buried her face in her hands and cried. Her sword made a clatter in the ground. Slowly she slid down the side of the cave, until she was laying down on the cold, hard ground.

"I hate you…I hate you…" She whimpered in between breaths. "Sora… you bastard…. I bet you forgot me here…. I hate you…"

It could have been minutes, seconds, or hours that she sat there crying, she didn't know or care. She could have sat there forever in the cold if she didn't hear a noise.

"What was that…?" She sat up, looking around. It sounded like a thump…

It happened again…

Could it be…?

It was coming from the door!

She felt her way towards the door, still unable to see anything. The noise started to happen over and over again. It sounded like something was banging on it from the other side…

CRACK!

………………

Then there was silence.

Kairi stopped groping and looked up. Two bright yellow orbs stared back at her. It seemed to examine her for a moment. Kairi was sure her heart exploded awhile ago.

As soon as Kairi made a move for her sword, the thing leapt. She dodged it somehow, and grabbed her sword, at the wrong end by mistake the first time, but got it right and ran from the cave. When she turned back to look, the whole cave was filled with yellow glowing eyes…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Very little was visible on the beach, though it was bathed in pale moonlight.

Kairi ran as fast as her legs would take her, followed closely by her perpetrators. She thought she saw a light up ahead… Then she heard, "Kairi! Kaaaairi!"

Oh no.

Selphie, Tidus and Wakka were out, Tidus in the lead holding a lantern, all of them calling out for her.

"Hey, there she is!" Selphie yelled when she saw Kairi running towards them. "Where were you? Your mom was worr-"

"RUN LIKE HELL!!!!!!!"

"What..?" Tidus scratched his head. But then they came into view... hundreds of them..

"What the hell are those!?!?" Wakka yelled, taking a few steps back.

"HEARTLESS!!! RUN!!!"

"What are heartless?! What's going on, kairi!?" Tidus yelld as they turned to run.

"No time! Explain later! KEEP RUNNING!"

But Selphie was frozen with fear. "You… you weren't lying…" She staggered backwards for a step.

"WELL NO SHIT! Selphie! MOVE!!!"

But it was too late. Several heartless lunged at her, Kairi jumped in front of her and swung her sword at them instantly, but the rest had caught up by now.

"GO!" She yelled to the three of them. They didn't need telling twice, and they ran as fast they could. Heh. Cowards…

Her hand was dripping in blood, and even holding her sword hurt like hell…

The heartless surrounded her, slowly closing in, waiting to pounce…

Kairi smirked.

"Bring it, bitches!"

--

--

R&R peeps! Mmm… peeps…. drool Peeps are fun to microwave… ahem Anyways. Review! And if there is a couple that you really want, tell me in ur review! I don't like to do yaoi though….I could always use advice too… well, later!

Oh… and I don't own KH. It's a damn shame, too.