Jamaican Sunshower: Honestly, I couldn't wait to put this one up to see what you guys think. So, enjoy please!

Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts.

The Blue of Your Eyes

Chapter 2: The Library

Yaaaaawwwwwnnnn!

Her eyes filled with sleep tears after her very satisfying yawn, her blurry ice blue vision refocusing on the eggs cooking in the pan. There was a 'clink' noise right next to the stove, Corina setting down her spatula for a moment to take her toast out of the toaster and put jelly on it. She then turned back to the two fried eggs in the pan, scooping them up and placing them on the plate that held her toast and some sausages. Turning off the heat underneath the pan and picking up the plate of hot food, she walked the three steps to the kitchen table and sat down with her food and a glass of orange juice.

"Breakfast alone…what else is new?" she asked herself, taking a sip of her orange juice while looking out the window next to the table.

The view wasn't exactly spectacular since all she saw were the same buildings she's been seeing every morning for the past 5 years, but then again, the morning rays of the sun always made everything beautiful. Corina took a moment of peace to just admire what little of nature was out there before turning back to her breakfast and the mail sitting next to it. It was yesterday's mail, actually, but the blue-eyed girl didn't have the energy to busy herself with it; at the time, her mind was still reeling after her encounter with the silver-headed boy with the diamond studded earring, the incident all she was able to think about even though it had occurred four days prior to this morning.

"Let's see now, bills…bills…bills…more bills…" Corina muttered to herself, looking through the various envelopes before a particular one in a dark blue color caught her attention, "And dad's letter of the month."

The ebony-skinned girl put down the stack of bills and took the dark blue envelope in her hand, opening it and pulling out a single piece of paper that held her father's handwriting on it and several pictures.

My Dear Little Princess,

How are you darling? Fine I hope, everything is satisfactory on my end. I know, I know, you're now wondering 'which end daddy?'. Well, sweetheart, I'm now roaming the large, green fields of Ireland! Exciting no? The locals are so friendly and, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit this, very fond of alcoholic beverages. No, darling, I am not partaking in these events with the locals, but it's just so interesting to witness! Their merriment!… Dearest Angel, I know I've been away for quite some time and that you must be so lonely, but don't worry, my heart, I will return and you and I will be a family again. Daddy just needs some time, that's all, some time…I deposited $7,000 into your account the other day, that should take care of the bills for this month along with the rent and school tuition and also give you some money to live off of until next month. I love you, my darling sunshine, and I will write to you again next month.

Love,

Daddy

Corina read the letter a couple more times before she put it aside and took up the stack of pictures. The first one was of a man with hair a chestnut brown and cut short, skin a light tan, and eyes a deep blue, just like hers. He was standing in front of a large green field peppered with what looked like white sheep. The man was smiling in a carefree manner, his blue eyes twinkling with laughter. This was Corina's father, Matthew Hedson, a funny, silly, hopeless romantic of a man who had swept her mother off of her feet with his sweet words and hilarious attitude. Corina kept flipping through the photos, tears welling in her eyes at the sight of her father so happy yet still too unsatisfied to come home.

Matthew Hedson had left his daughter when she was merely 12 years old, 7 months after her mother, a beautiful African-American woman named Sonja, had passed away due to Breast Cancer. Matthew had lived those 7 months with his daughter in a zombie-like state, too shocked and numbed by the death of his lovely wife to be active enough in his daughter's life, to take notice of her growth. So, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, he decided to take off to the see the world, a dream that he and Sonja had promised to do together before their daughter was born. Don't be too alarmed, the man was still readily prepared to care for his darling angel financially, putting enough money in her bank account to take care of the bills, school tuition, rent, food, and any miscellaneous outings while he was away. This lifestyle for both father and daughter has been continuing for over 5 years now, 5 years Corina had to live without both mother and father present, 5 years of loneliness and sadness. Corina hardly ever got to write her father back; he rarely left a return address on his letters so the young girl could never reply to her loving father and tell him how she was doing. She missed him and wished for his safety everyday he was away from her.

"Come home soon, daddy…please?" she said to the picture of her father, tears starting to trail down her cheeks as she cried in sadness.

She stood up on shaky legs, too unhappy to finish her breakfast, and instead set about getting ready for school. By 7:15, she was fully showered and clothed in the Destiny Prep Academy uniform: a white blouse, black and green plaid skirt, black knee length socks, black shoes, and a forest green blazer with the school's initials in front of their crest, a shield with a sword and staff crossed in front of it. Her hair, usually a mass of pure black curls, was once again combed and brushed down to look straight and put into a long braid over her shoulder. She picked up her shoulder bag, swung it over her head and prepared to leave. Corina turned back to the moderate apartment she used to share with her father, looked upon the solitude of the living and kitchen, stared down the hall to the empty rooms, before she adjusted her glasses upon the bridge of her nose and exited the humble abode. She walked down the two flights of stairs to the street below before she was stopped by an old, motherly voice from above.

"Corina, dear, leaving for school already?"

The ebony-skinned girl looked up to where her apartment was held to the see the old, wrinkled face of her apartment neighbor, Mrs. Shirkson. Mrs. Shirkson was a kind and gentle woman with hair as white as snow, skin wrinkled and milky, and a stature short and stout, very grandmother like. Ever since Corina's father left, Mrs. Shirkson had taken it upon herself to assist the young teen in anything she may need within her power; from cooking her dinner and sweets to patching up her clothes to just allowing her to stay with her for the night because she was lonely, the old woman did it all simply because she loved the young teen and felt pity for her.

Corina smiled up at Mrs. Shirkson, readjusting the strap of her bag, "Good morning, Mrs. Shirkson and yes, I am leaving for school right now. I want to beat the rush before it gets too crowded for me to walk around."

The old woman nodded her head at the teen, a warm smile across her wrinkled face as she replied, "Very well dear. You have a good day, now, alright? Will you be coming over today after school? I'm baking cookies and brownies and Mr. Freckles will love to see you again."

Corina let out a soft giggle at the offer, the image of a sleek, dark brown feline with tiny black spots peppering his fur lounging lazily in her lap crossing her mind.

"Sure, Mrs. Shirkson, I'll come over today if you want me of course," the young girl replied, the smile on her face never once reaching her eyes.

The old woman frowned at the deeply rooted sadness but said nothing on the matter and accepted Corina's words with a warm smile, "Wonderful dear. See you this afternoon."

Corina returned the smile, though half-hearted, and turned on her heel to start heading to school. The walk to the academy from her apartment was no more than 15 minutes and that was on a slow day. The young teen often spent this time daydreaming, taking her mind somewhere happy, somewhere with her father, before she had to endure reality for 8 hours of her life. It was fairly early in Radiant Garden, the city she lived in, but still, the streets were alive and buzzing with activity. The tram carrying various students who lived farther than she did from the school drove past her. Shops and shopkeepers were awake and ready to sell, advertising their merchandise like always. Radiant Garden was a fairly beautiful place, but Corina found it difficult to enjoy much of it. She was too down trodden to enjoy much of it, unfortunately.

"…Hmm? I'm at school already?"

Corina snapped back into focus when the entrance of Destiny Prep Academy came into view; 15 minutes of freedom from torture and torment never lasted long enough to satisfy her. She stared up at the imposing structure, feeling smaller and smaller the longer she looked at it, and the longer she stood while the other students bumped into her as if she wasn't there. After the last person nearly knocked her over, she decided to move a little ways away from the entrance, opting for standing somewhat behind a bush. She fixed her glasses higher up onto her nose and took a deep, calming breath.

"Just be strong, Corina, you can do this. You've been doing it for 5 years now, another day won't make a difference," she mumbled to herself, lowering her head systematically, "Daddy would want you to be strong…and so would mom."

She stepped out from behind the bush, keeping to the shadows and moved along to the entrance. She hugged her books tight to her chest, one hand on the strap of her shoulder bag to make sure no one tried to take it from her again, and swiftly moved through the crowds of bustling teens. Her form was slight and tiny, making it relatively easy for her to avoid being jostled too harshly. She stayed close to the lockers, her eyes downcast, as she retreated back into her own mind, something she did often. She started to think about Riku and the afternoon he had saved her from Seifer's bullying. She found the act to be sweet and kind yet very frightening at the same time. No one besides Mrs. Shirkson and some of the teachers had ever shown her kindness and Corina couldn't help but feel that Riku was just playing with her emotions, waiting to strike out and harm her just like everyone else.

So, due to her fear of being humiliated, she avoided the young silverette male at all costs. She ran from him whenever she saw him in the hallways, bolting out of sight before he had a chance to even realize that she was there. She hid among the moving bodies of the other students to hide herself from his view, took the long ways around when she went to her classes, and basically did every pathetic thing she could think of to avoid having another run in with Riku. She felt safer this way and hoped against hope that by not seeing her at all Riku would then forget she even existed and the both of them would continue of with their lives.

"Hey! Corina!"

Riku had been with his friends that morning, hanging out by Sora's locker with said brunette and several of their friends as well. There was Roxas Himura, a blond boy with blue eyes who could have been mistaken for Sora's twin if people didn't know better, Kairi Yutaka, a pretty redhead with deep azure eyes, and Namine Shio, a quiet blond artist with innocent sky blue eyes who also happened to be Roxas's girlfriend. The five teens were conversing amongst each other, four of the five watching as Sora attempted to break into his own locker. It got stuck frequently and it was always entertaining to watch him struggle with it.

"Sora, maybe you should just try the combination again instead of just giving up after the first attempt failed," Roxas suggested to the fuming brunette, chuckling as Sora pouted.

"This locker hates me and it deserves to be punished!" he shouted, taking the hammer he had somehow mysteriously acquired and brutally bashing the metal door.

Kairi giggled into her hand at her friend's actions, Namine looking around slightly worried.

"Isn't hitting your locker with a hammer destroying school property? That's vandalism isn't it?" the blond female asked, looking around for any teachers that might be coming down the hall at any given moment.

"At this point, I don't think he cares," Kairi giggled again, shaking her head as Sora threw the hammer to the side and just straight pulled on the handle, forgetting that the lock was still on the handle therefore keeping it sealed shut.

Riku chuckled at his crazy brunette friend before his eyes moved to scan the crowd for the umpteenth time that morning. Roxas didn't miss how distracted the taller, stronger male was, and addressed the issue as casually as he could.

"What's up with you, Riku? You seem distracted today? And yesterday and the day before that too," the blond boy questioned playfully, crossing his arms over his chest.

Riku turned his pretty aquamarine eyes to the blond boy, blinking in slight confusion before shaking his head and leaning back against the lockers.

"It's nothing really. Nothing at all," he mumbled, his eyes involuntarily scanning the crowd again.

"Yeah, I bet it's nothing," Sora muttered in irritation, glaring at his locker now, "He's been that way ever since he finally met the shadow of the school a few days ago. That Ghost Girl."

"Ghost Girl? What's he talking about, Riku?" Kairi inquired, looking to the silent male who merely looked at the ground with a light dusting of pink across the bridge of his nose.

"Th-There aren't any ghosts here…r-right?" Namine questioned with a stutter, her eyes widening in fear. It may seem silly, but Namine did believe in the supernatural, claiming to have seen ghosts when she was a child.

"No, babe, there are no ghosts. That's just Sora's nickname for that girl no one knows," Roxas replied, putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her temple a light kiss.

"Does anybody know her name?" Kairi pressed, putting a finger to her chin in thought.

"It's Cathy or Carla or something to that effect," Sora replied, attempting his combination again but with no avail.

Riku glared at the brunette before pushing him aside and spinning the combination himself.

"Her name…is Corina," he responded as the lock finally took the combination and the door flew open after one firm tug.

"Hooray! You did it! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Sora cheered hyperly, latching himself onto Riku's back and hugging his neck.

Riku narrowed his eyes before pushing his friend off and muttering a 'whatever' before moving to lean against his locker. It was at this moment that he scanned the crowd in another attempt to spot a female with sandy brown skin, black hair, and glasses hiding the saddest eyes he's ever seen. Luck was on his side this time as his eyes landed on said figure, walking almost in a daze on the other side of the hall, her arms tight around her books and her eyes downcast. His heart stopped for a moment, his aquamarine orbs widening in surprise at his stroke of luck. Riku had been trying to find Corina for close to five days now, wondering how she could be so evasive for so long. When she was nearly past him, his brain started working and he pushed himself off the wall and called out to her.

"Hey! Corina!"

Corina's head snapped up, startled, before she whirled around to find the owner of the voice that spoke. Her eyes then landed on the figure of Riku and his friends, all of them staring at her curiously. Her heart began to beat rapidly at the attention and in her panic, she did the only thing she knew how to do. She turned around and ran for it.

"H-Hey! Wait a minute!" Riku shouted after her, turning to get his bag and address his friends, "See you guys at lunch! Corina, wait up!"

Sora, Kairi, Namine and Roxas all watched him take off down the hall after the quiet, studious girl that everybody hardly knew. Namine had her eyes glued to the girl, her brows furrowed in confusion before realization hit her.

"Oh…that's Corina," she mused aloud, drawing the attention of her friends and boyfriend.

"Do you know her Namine?" Kairi questioned the blond artist.

Namine nodded slightly, bringing a pale hand up to brush golden locks out of her eyes, "Not personally, but I do recognize her now. We both have Expressive Art and Creative Writing together. She's awfully shy, never really talks to anyone; she just sits in her seat doing whatever it is she is asked to do. It kind of reminds me of myself before I met you guys."

Roxas smiled softly at his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and lightly kissing her neck; "And I still think you're super cute when you're shy."

Namine couldn't help the burning blush across her cheeks at Roxas's show of affection, Kairi giggling into her hand as Sora rolled his eyes with a smirk and folded his hands behind his head.

"You know, that's a handy bit of information right there. Once Riku finds out that you share a class with his new love interest, he'll practically beg you to help him out," the brunette voiced with a cheesy grin.

"Love interest?" Kairi repeated curiously.

"Yeah, wouldn't you say so? Riku's practically obsessed with this girl, so there's gotta be some deeper feelings going on," Sora answered in a knowing voice, closing one eye and wagging his finger at his friends.

"The man's got a point," Roxas chimed in, a smirk of his own crossing his lips, "I've never seen Riku show any interest in any girl up until now."

Kairi hummed thoughtfully, turning her attention down the hall where Riku had run off, "Riku in love…I actually like the sound of that!"

"This is going to be a memorable year," Namine voiced, smiling sweetly with a twinkle in her eyes.

"I'll say. Can't wait to see where it takes us," Sora chirped, him and his friends staring in the direction that Riku had left.

The silver-headed male ran after the swift moving girl, dodging the other students in his chase. Corina felt panic course through her, cursing her absentmindedness that made it possible for Riku to see her at all. She turned a corner, seeing the refuge of her class come into view, and dashed for safety. Too bad her slight form didn't give her any more of a speed advantage for Riku had caught up to her in to time and took hold of her wrist in his large hand and yanked her back, much how he did a few days ago when she tried to walk away from him. Corina's first reaction to the sudden roughness was so protect her face; therefore she threw her free hand over her head and braced herself for bodily harm. Riku stared at her trembling form, pulling her closer to the wall so as to avoid being bumped by the other students on their way to class.

"Hey…Corina," he started in a soft voice, releasing her wrist to lower her arm over her face.

This action only made her tense up even more and cringe against the wall. Riku then placed both hands on her raised arms and, as gently as he could, coaxed them down.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Corina, it's okay," Riku told her, pulling on her wrists again.

Corina cautiously cracked one eye open then two when she deemed it safe to do so. She gazed up at the boy in confusion, wondering what he could possibly want from her that he would chase her down the hallway. Riku tried to look past her glasses into her ice blue eyes, but was unable to see them clearly due to the glare from her specs. He wanted to see those sad blue eyes that had captivated his heart, but he won't push it.

"What do you want?" Corina questioned in a timid voice.

"I just…I just wanted…"Riku was at a loss for words; what did he want?

He wanted to know her, he wanted to talk to her, he wanted to make her smile and laugh and be happy for a change. He wanted to protect her from jerks like Seifer and he wanted to see those blue eyes bright with happiness. Which one of these answers were safe to say?

"I just wanted to say hi!"

None.

Corina cocked her head to the side, pulling her wrists from his grasp and taking a step back. What trick was he pulling on her? Just wanted to say hi? No one ever just wants to say hi to her.

"Okay…hi. Now I have to go," she replied swiftly, moving to walk around him into class since the bell chose that exact moment to ring.

Riku stepped in front of her, gently grasping her shoulders to stop her from running away again. He wanted to talk to her some more. He needed to talk to her, he needed her to know that he wanted to be her friend.

"I also wanted to know if you would like to hang out some time! Like at lunch?" he pressed, his eyes wide and bright with hope.

Corina was a little scared by his persistence, confused beyond all reason as to why he made it so urgent to talk to her or even remember who she was. She felt like this was some trap and she wanted to avoid this at all costs.

"I don't think that's a very good idea," she replied with her head down, missing how Riku's beautiful eyes turned dim from disappointment.

"Well, I think it is. You seem like a really nice girl and I'm sure my friends would love you!" Riku tried again, hoping she would comply.

She didn't.

Corina shook her head in the negative, pushing her glasses up further on her nose and pulling herself away from him.

"It's not a good idea…Riku," she said, finally using his name, "It's not a good idea at all. I'm sorry."

She made a beeline for her class, getting stuck in traffic as other students try to file in at the same time. Riku made another grab for her but missed his target.

"Wait, Corina!" he exclaimed, holding his hand out to her.

She turned to him once and shook her head, before entering the classroom and leaving the silverette standing there in the hallway. He had let her escape once again, let her slip through his fingers as easily as water does.

'What is wrong with me?' he exclaimed in his head, clenching his fists, 'I've never had trouble talking with a girl, so what makes this time so different?'

As if he truly had to ask himself that question; he knew what made her different, what made her stand out to him in the first place. That overwhelming sadness, those devastated and lonely eyes, these are what made her different, what made him chase after her. And until he could see the sadness disappear completely from her eyes, he would continue to chase.

So let her run. He'll only follow.

1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th period came and went in a blur for the silverette, his mind occupied by the image and personality of the young, evasive girl he's come to adore without really realizing it. It was now lunchtime and Riku was on his way to the cafeteria to meet his friends. He soon found himself at the entrance to the cafeteria, stopping just before he walked in and looked at the surroundings. This was the place where friends met up halfway through the school day to unwind some of their anxiety and let loose for an hour. This was the place where his friends were waiting for him, waiting for him to arrive so they, too, could partake in the unwinding ceremony. But all the handsome boy with the diamond earring could think about was that one lonely girl hidden somewhere in the school right now, afraid of everything around her and waiting to be accepted.

He needed to find her.

"My friends can wait," he said to himself resolutely, turning on his heel and heading down the hall, "I'll try the library. If I know anything about her so far, it's that she'll feel safer there."

So off he went in search of his heart's captor, said heart beating a million miles a minute for reasons he couldn't quite explain. After a few minutes, he found himself in the safe, quiet sanctuary of the school library. The place was fairly large with bookcases upon bookcases filled with various reading material. Tables and chairs were scattered throughout the area, making it very convenient and comfortable for students to spend their time and study if they so wished. Riku trekked through the library silently, nodding to the librarian with a smile, in search of a girl with sand brown skin.

'…Ah, there she is.'

Riku made no outward sound after his revelation, his eyes landing on the tiny form of Corina when he turned around the corner of a random bookcase. The young ebony teen was sitting at one of the many study tables set up in the library, curled up in one of the comfy chairs, sitting all alone with her back more towards him than her front. Her bag was discarded to the side of her, a paper bag lunch laying on the wooden surface of the table as her eyes focused on the notepad propped up close to her by her knees. She looked peaceful, relaxed, and unafraid.

This was the perfect opportunity.

He made his way to her as silent as a cat, stopping just mere inches from her and peering over her shoulder at what she was doing. He gasped quietly when he discovered what she was focusing on, his curiosity piquing at the picture of a mother bear cuddling with her young cub in the middle of a peaceful forest. Even though it was merely just a sketch, it was absolutely beautiful and this new discovery of one of her talents made him wonder what else she was hiding from the world.

"I think you should color that," he spoke aloud, jumping back when Corina's body convulsed and she ended up atop the wooden table.

Her eyes were wide with panic and shock, her body trembling again from the sudden appearance of the beautiful boy for the second time that day. Corina hadn't been expecting to see him in her sanctuary, her safe haven; then again, with the way things were going between them now, anything was possible.

Riku couldn't help the chuckle at her reaction, adjusting the strap of his bag as he smiled freely at her. For reasons that he couldn't understand himself, he felt at ease with her, comfortable, despite the fact that she nearly passed out on him by just looking at him.

"You really shouldn't scare yourself like that. You'll give yourself a heart attack," he voiced in a whisper, moving to sit in the chair across from her.

"I-I didn't scare myself! You scared me!" she exclaimed in a high whisper, moving off the table and sitting in her own chair, wanting to keep her distance from him.

"Yeah, I guess it is my fault. I shouldn't sneak up on you, especially since you're so jumpy," he chuckled again, propping his elbow up on the table and placing his chin in the palm of his hand.

Corina blushed a bright red, hiding her face behind her sketchbook and taking deep even breaths. She was confused beyond limits; what was Riku planning? Why was he following her everywhere? Why did he bother himself with her when she was absolutely nothing special at all?

"I wasn't lying before, about coloring the picture," he started to say, staring at her with the kindest of eyes, "I think it'll turn out beautiful once the whole feel of the forest comes in. Do you have any other pictures besides that one? I suppose you do since you have a whole sketchbook. I'd love to see them sometime, your drawings. I have a friend that draws too; she's amazing at it! And-"

Corina couldn't stop herself from asking.

"What do you want from me?" she hissed at him, finally done with this game.

She felt it was a game, like he was mocking her in some way she couldn't explain. Riku was obviously a somebody in school with friends and admirers that adored him and yet here he was with a nobody like her going on and on about nothing. This had to be a game and she was just going to fall victim.

Riku stopped talking and really stared at the girl across from him, at her thick black hair, light ebony skin, and the glare from her glasses. He suddenly had a distaste for those spectacles for the reason that they hid from him those very special, very expressive blue eyes. He knew she wasn't going to go changing the way she was so soon, but one day, he would be able to see those blue eyes all the time.

"What do I want from you?" he repeated her question with a quizzical look before smiling at her again, "I want you to accept me."

Corina blinked; "I'm sorry…but what?" she questioned.

"I want to be your friend, Corina, so I want you to accept me as your friend. I think you and I can be great friends, can't we?" Riku reiterated, leaning his chin against the back of his fingers.

Corina looked at the handsome silverette and replied, "N-No…we can't."

Riku blinked in surprise at her answer as she continued, "I d-don't think we can be friends at all, Riku…I don't think that's possible. I don't…I don't believe your claim to be my friend! I think you're lying to me, trying to get inside my head only to hurt me later!"

All was silent between the two teens, Riku staring at the trembling female as Corina stared down at the table, afraid to meet his gaze. She felt small at the moment, so little in the eyes of this handsome boy that was being so kind to her. But she was so beaten by hurtful words and constant bullying that she couldn't accept his kindness so easily. Riku knew that and wouldn't let her be afraid of him.

"I think you should go now…Riku," she said quietly, taking up her sketchpad again and preparing to draw in silence, "I'm sure you have better things to do other than bother yourself with me."

"…I'm not going anywhere."

Corina looked over the top of her sketchpad to see Riku's pale, flawless face smiling warmly at her again, his white teeth straight and perfect, just like him. His silver earring glinted in the sun as he moved his head around, his aquamarine eyes never leaving hers.

"I'm going to stay right here with you, Corina. I'll sit here with you for as long as it takes to make you believe me. I want to be your friend and I'll prove it to you even if it means spending lunch with you sitting here every single day," the boy declared determinedly.

Corina stared at him, shaking her head at his attempt at chivalry, "You won't last very long."

Riku chuckled and placed his chin back in the palm of his hand, "We'll see about that…my friend."

End Chapter

Jamaican Sunshower: Woot! World Record! Read and Review please!