Author's Note: Before I begin Chapter Two, I want to address something very important. In the original story, I made Kairi schizophrenic. But I felt as if I didn't fully understand the disorder enough to write about it, so I instead chose a disorder that I have much more personal knowledge on.
Kairi having autism was not intended to offend anybody with or without the disorder. The reason that I'm having the other students judge her because of it is because I'm trying to bring awareness to the fact that people often judge them unfairly. Sora is intended to show how you should treat someone with autism—like a completely normal person.
Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that everybody experiences it differently. Most people with autism can lead entirely normal lives, but it relies heavily on the way that they are raised as well as how they are treated in social situations.
While Kairi was raised very well by her mother, Xion's constant pushing has caused her to recoil from society and refuse to interact with anybody but her family. The kids at school, not understanding her disorder, have treated her like an alien. This has pushed her even further into her shell.
Sora treating her like he should, absolutely normally, has shown her that she can trust him. That's why she opens up to him how she does.
Again, I am completely aware that very many of the people with autism are very high functioning, and I would never try to say that autistic people have any kind of limitations with what they can do with their lives. I've grown up around people with the disorder, and I've seen them graduate college and start amazing careers.
If I have offended anybody, I genuinely apologize. I chose this disorder not to upset people, but because I'd like to bring awareness to it through my writing. I almost ommited it entirely because I didn't want to upset anyone, but then I thought about it and I don't care. If somebody chooses to be offended because I included a realistic disorder (that affects many people) in my story, then that's just unfortunate for them.
x-x-x-x-x
Chapter Two
Mirror Image
"I think my lunch just moved…" Sora mumbled, poking at the odd looking substance on his tray. Day two of school was going well until he saw what they had for lunch.
"Yeah, what is this supposed to be…? Are those flakes?" Namine lifted some with her fork, examining it. "I thought it was mac and cheese…"
Xion sniffed at it and nearly gagged, "Oh gross, it's tuna!"
The group of friends all pushed their trays to the center of the table at once, none of them able to stomach the disturbing mixture. "Anybody else wanna get some fries?" Riku offered, standing up and dumping his tray in the trash.
"Yes please," Xion lept to her feet as well. "Anyone else? We'll go through the line."
They all handed over a couple dollars for fries and the couple disappeared into the crowd towards the snack food line.
"So… Kairi, tell me more about yourself," Sora said, looking over at the cute redhead sitting beside him.
She blushed deeply, looking up at him through another hoodie. "Like… what?"
"Well… what do you like to do outside of school?"
Kairi thought for a moment, "Well… I like to read…listen to music… I write a little…"
All solitary activites, Sora noted to himself. "Anything else?"
"I do like to explore the island… and swim, of course," she added, her voice almost a little whisper.
"Oh! You'll have to come to the island with me sometime. I can show you a ton of things most people never get to see," he offered, smiling widely at her. "We still own the property and house out there, so I can show you the private beach. There's this little tide pool that these two crabs live in… they're hilarious."
Kairi gave a soft giggle, "Crabs… hilarious? Howso?"
"They get all territorial with each other every day like they don't remember that they both live there. Every day at noon they have this little battle where they circle each other for like twenty minutes snapping their claws. It's sooo funny."
Namine snorted a little, "Typical island boy… finding interest in the weirdest of things."
"I think it's cute," Kairi mumbled, meeting Sora's sparkling blue eyes.
"Fries for everybody!" Xion announced, setting a tray with about 6 boats of fries down on the table. The hungry teenagers dug in, grateful for something recognizable to eat.
As they ate, Kairi looked up at Sora, "So... what do you like to do outside of school?"
He shrugged, "I dunno… I hang out with my dad a lot. We used to love exploring the island together. I taught myself how to play bass guitar in my free time, something I still love to mess around with sometimes. Other than that… I guess just swimming and watching the marine life."
"Sounds boring," Xion stated, flipping her hair as she ate a fry.
"And you sound like a bitch," Riku told her, mocking the tone of her voice.
Xion just huffed, "You're so mean to me, Riku…"
The white-haired teen just rolled his eyes, looking absolutely done with her. "Maybe if you knew how to interact like a human being..."
His girlfriend squealed in anger, standing up and grabbing her bag before storming out of the lunch room. The rest of the table remained silent, trying not to make eye contact with Riku.
"I'm going to class," he bit out through clenched teeth, snatching his books off of the table as he ran off.
The moment he was out of earshot, Namine let out a loud exhale, "Damn… I knew they had been fighting a lot, but I didn't think it was that bad."
"Why have they been fighting?" Sora wondered, having noticed their discord right away.
"Xion won't tell us… but it seems really bad," Kairi said softly, shifting in her seat a little.
Sora looked down, sighing softly, "Wow… I mean, why don't they just break up?"
"They've been together since middle school… and supposedly are in love. I can see why they wouldn't want to throw that all away," Namine said with a shrug.
"That's some heavy stuff… Do you think they'll be able to resolve whatever it is?"
Namine shrugged, "No idea. I honestly never really thought they were good together. They're polar opposites, if you hadn't noticed."
"I did notice that," he agreed, nodding. "But then why have they been together for so long?"
Kairi sighed, "We honestly have no idea. But between us, I kind of like Riku better than Xion…"
"She really likes to push you, doesn't she?"
"I…" Kairi faltered, looking down at her fiddling hands.
Namine stepped in, "Xion doesn't understand Kairi's disorder… She thinks that she's faking it for attention."
"That's… horrible. That is actually the worst thing I've ever heard," Sora said, his mouth gaping with disbelief.
Kairi sniffled a little, "I… I'm not faking anything…"
"Honey, I know you aren't…" Namine tried to comfort her sister, "Xion just wants the spotlight all the time. She couldn't understand why Mom had to pay more attention to Kairi sometimes."
Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Are you sure Xion doesn't have some kind of disorder?"
"Nah, she's just a bitch," Namine said with a shrug, sighing softly. "Kairi, you need to eat your food, honey… don't play with it."
Sora looked over, watching Kairi line her fries up in a row according to size.
"S..sorry…" Kairi mumbled, but couldn't make herself stop.
"It's compulsive… she can't really stop," Namine informed Sora.
He shrugged and smiled at Kairi, "I think it's cute."
x-x-x-x-x
"Roxas… this might sound weird, but were you at any point wearing a brown wig today?" Demyx blind-sided his best friend with the odd question as he joined him on his way to lunch.
Roxas turned to him, raising an eyebrow, "Uhm… you've asked me a lot of stupid questions before, but this one takes the cake. I definitely was not."
"I passed a guy in the hallway earlier that looks exactly like you… I mean, mirror image, carbon copy. Except the hair, of course," Demyx told him, seeming thoroughly weirded out by it.
"I'm sure it's just a coincidence, Dem. Lets just go to lunch."
Demyx didn't seem to want to let it go. "No, you need to come see this guy. He looks so much alike you that I thought he was you! I said hi to him and he gave me the weirdest look."
"I'm not about to hunt some poor kid down and gawk at him like a moron!" Roxas exclaimed, laughing at his friend's incredible lack of common sense.
Fate must have been paying attention, because right at that moment Roxas collided with a tall brunette man, both of them falling to the ground on their asses.
"Fuck… ow… I'm sorry…" Roxas mumbled as he pulled himself to his feet, extending a hand to the other teenager.
He stared up at Roxas, his deep blue eyes wide. The two girls beside him kept looking from boy to boy, trying to wrap their brains around what they were seeing. "You… you look…"
"Exactly like me…" Roxas finished, lifting the other boy to his feet.
"Who the hell are you…?"
Roxas seemed almost in a daze, "Roxas Fair… who are you?"
"Sora Strife. I just started here yesterday."
The two continued to stare at each other, completely baffled. They were the exact same height, exact same skin tone, and their faces could have been mirrored. The only actual difference was their hair color.
"I almost don't want to ask, but what's your birthday?" Roxas cringed a little, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
Sora bit his lower lip nervously, "May 16th… Yours?"
"May 16th…" Roxas let out a deep breath, running his hand through his messy blond hair. "God damn… that really doesn't sound like a coincidence…"
"No… no it doesn't…" Sora groaned, wondering why his life seemed to be developing into a three-ring circus. "Do you know your dad?"
Roxas shook his head, "I have a step dad, but I only know my birth mom."
"And I know my birth father, but I've never had a mother…"
"Oh my God… I bet you two are twins!" Demyx cut in, saying what was on everybody's minds.
Namine squealed a little, "Holy shit, they probably are!"
Roxas felt like bashing his head against the closest locker. "Just… gimme your dad's name and I'll ask my mom about him."
"Cloud Strife…" Sora said, "What's your mom's name?"
"Tifa Lockhart is her maiden name. Look… don't get your hopes up or anything. The chance of us being long lost brothers is highly unlikely," Roxas told him, sighing heavily. "If anything… maybe we're cousins or something."
"With the same birthday and the same face?" Demyx stepped in again, showing skepticism. "Come on, Rox… it's gotta be true."
Roxas brushed his friend off, rolling his eyes, "Bullshit. There's no way this guy is my brother. Now come on, let's go."
As he walked away from Sora, Roxas couldn't help but look back for a moment. They looked so much alike that it made him honestly wonder if maybe he really did have a twin. But… he kept walking. He would talk to his mom that night… if she wasn't smashed.
x-x-x-x-x
"Dad… can we talk for a minute?" Sora asked, stepping into Cloud's bedroom.
"Sure son, what's up?" Cloud wondered, patting the spot next to him on his bed as he set his newspaper aside.
Sora took a deep breath and just went for it, "Does the name Tifa Lockhart mean anything to you?"
That caught his father's attention immediately, "Sora… where did you hear that name?"
"I ran into this kid today in the hallway… he looked exactly like me, but with blond hair, and we have the same birthday. That's his mom's name," Sora explained, fidgeting a little.
"Oh, Sora… Tifa Lockhart is my ex-wife… she's… your mother," Cloud admitted, sighing.
Sora thought he would be prepared to hear that, but he was absolutely wrong. "Dad, you told me that Mom died when I was a baby…"
"Because I didn't want to tell you what really happened… that she abandoned you with me and ran off with my best friend," Cloud said, clenching his jaw a little.
"Would his last name happen to be Fair?"
Cloud chuckled softly, "So they got married…"
"What the hell, Dad?! How could you not tell me I have a brother?!" Sora exclaimed, whacking his dad on the arm.
"Sora, I had no idea…" he trailed off, then finished his story. "See, your mother was still pregnant with you when she left me. A few months later, she showed up on my doorstep with you and a document that forfeited her parental rights. I… I signed your birth certificate as your father and she told me never to contact her again. She never once mentioned that she had twins… Why would she only give me one of you?"
Sora groaned, laying back on the bed and rubbing his temples, "My brain hurts…"
"Is this some sort of joke, Sora? Did you Google your mother and decide to play a prank on me?" Cloud felt the need to ask, laying back next to his son.
"Dad, come on… I couldn't make this shit up if I tried," Sora laughed a little. "His name is Roxas… Roxas Fair. He… he actually looks a lot like you with his blond hair."
Cloud started to chuckle loudly, shaking his head, "Oh God, Sora… Tifa had the thickest dark brown hair I've ever seen, just like yours."
"Apparently we took after the wrong parents," Sora joked, feeling a little bit of the weight lifted off of his chest. At least his father had been honest with him.
"I have another son…" Cloud repeated the idea out loud, still finding it hard to believe. "Do you think he would want to meet me?"
Sora frowned, "I… I'm not sure, Dad… he seemed pretty upset that there was even a possibility of it being true. He's talking to his mom—our mom… right now, probably."
"Oh… well… I'd love to meet him if he ever wanted to…"
"I'll try Dad, but I'm not promising anything."
Cloud nodded, "I understand… are you going to want to meet your mother?"
"Well… I don't know, Dad. Do I want to? I mean, did she really run off with your best friend? Cause that kind of sucks…"
"It's… much more complicated than that. Tifa is a decent person, and I don't blame her for leaving me," Cloud told him, shrugging.
Sora eyed his father carefully, "What did you do…?"
"I don't want to talk about it, Sora… But I think that if you have the opportunity to meet her, you should."
The teenager huffed, "Just tell me what you did! I mean, she was the one having an affair with your best friend."
"Yes… but I had an affair first. Tifa turned to Zack for comfort when she found out, and that's when they ran off together."
Sora sat up straight, looking down at his father, "Dad! You had an affair?! With who?!"
"That's not important, Sora… it was a long, long time ago. I fucked up, and it cost me my marriage. I thought I had lost everything until she brought you to me."
"Did she ever tell you why she didn't want me?" Sora wondered, tilting his head to the side curiously.
Cloud only shrugged, "I can only imagine it was the money. She was a waitress and Zack was still a law student. They were broke."
"But… they obviously kept my brother…"
"Maybe they thought they could afford one of you," Cloud speculated, "I'm honestly not sure. That's something Roxas needs to ask his mom."
Sora nodded, "I'm sure I'll hear all about it tomorrow… I just can't believe it's actually true. I have a brother…"
"Sora… try not to let yourself get hurt. Roxas might not want a brother, remember? It's been 17 years… I wouldn't expect things to just change suddenly," Cloud warned, sitting back up.
"Yeah… you're right. But I've got to at least try to get to know him, right?"
Cloud just sighed, "Just be careful, son."
x-x-x-x-x
"Don't you ever mention that name to me again!" Tifa shouted, hurling her half empty bottle of whiskey at her son's head. Roxas ducked, allowing the bottle to shatter against the living room wall. "That man was the worst thing that ever happened to me!"
"Mom, how do you know Cloud Strife?" Roxas asked again, but she had already laid back down on the couch and thrown a pillow over her face. That was her way of checking out of a conversation.
Enraged, Roxas stormed into his step father's office and slammed the door shut behind him. "Care to tell me who the fuck Cloud Strife is? And maybe why Mom just tried to kill me for mentioning his name?"
"Cloud? Where'd you hear about him?" Zack asked, seeming strangely calm about the situation.
"So you do know him!" Roxas shouted, flinging his hands up over his head. "Who the hell is this guy?!"
Zack raised an eyebrow, "Roxas… Cloud Strife is your father. Didn't Tifa tell you that already?"
"Apparently not!" he exclaimed, sitting down in the armchair in the corner of the office. "Damn it… my father? Really?"
"Roxas, I thought she told you years ago… why is all of this coming up now?"
Roxas narrowed his eyes on Zack, "I ran into Sora today at school."
"Oh…" Zack took his reading glasses off and looked down, "Your brother."
"You knew?!" Roxas turned sideways in the chair, hanging over the edge dramatically. "Fuck! Why didn't anybody tell me?!"
Zack stood up, walking over to his step son and kneeling down beside him. "Roxas… giving away your brother was the hardest thing your mom ever did. We battled over that decision for weeks, but… ultimately, we couldn't afford to keep both of you. If we had kept you both, we never would have survived…"
"But… but why not give us both to Cloud then?!"
"Your mother could barely handle giving him Sora… she's regretted it every day since. But… she knew that it was best for both of you. Cloud didn't have the money to raise twins either. It was the only way we could think of to avoid having to give you up for adoption."
Roxas furrowed his brow, "I don't understand… I mean, we're rich now. We live in what could be classified as a small mansion!"
"Exactly… we're rich now. When you were born, I was a law student and your mother was a waitress. We were barely able to afford our own rent."
"Does… does my real dad even know that I exist?" Roxas wondered, trying to absorb the information.
Zack shook his head, "I can imagine he does now if Sora told him about today… but no, Tifa never told him. She knew he would want to see you."
"So she denied me a father and that poor other boy a mother?" Roxas was pissed off again.
That seemed to hurt Zack. "I… I raised you like you were my own, Roxas…"
The blond boy sighed heavily, "I know, Zack… and I'll always appreciate that. But I had the right to know that Cloud existed."
"Like I said… I really thought that Tifa told you years ago."
"How did you and my mom meet?" Roxas changed the course of the conversation.
Zack looked at the floor, "Cloud and I had been best friends since we were toddlers. When we met Tifa in high school they immediately fell in love with each other… but I'd fallen in love with her as well. Obviously I wasn't going to ruin my best friend's relationship by telling them, so I kept quiet about it, all through college. Even at their wedding…"
"So what happened with her and Cloud? Did they fall out of love?"
"Tifa showed up at my dorm one day a good five months pregnant, telling me this crazy story about Cloud. Apparently, she'd found him in bed… with a man," Zack told him, the words sounding off even to Roxas. "She was devastated and just… pissed. Selfishly, I took the opportunity to profess my love to her. Not even a month later we were moving across the country to Twilight Town, I was switching law schools, and she was filing for divorce. When we found out that she was having twins… well, you know the rest of the story."
Roxas cocked an eyebrow, "Another man…? Wow… My dad is gay?"
"According to Tifa… I never did find out for sure if it was true. She certainly seemed upset enough, though."
"Wouldn't you have known if your best friend was gay?" Roxas countered curiously.
Zack just shrugged, "Apparently not. Obviously he had fallen in love with Tifa, so it must have happened somewhere in the midst of their marriage."
"I wonder if Sora knows… but he told me it's always just been them. They lived on the island year round up until now."
Zack chuckled, "Cloud always wanted to move out to the island, but Tifa refused to go with him… that doesn't surprise me at all."
"I… I can't help but imagine what life would have been like if I'd grown up with Cloud… He and Sora seem so close."
"If you want my advice… talk to him. I'm sure he wants to meet you now," Zack told him, shrugging, "But… don't bring Sora here please. Tifa… I don't think she would survive it if she found out."
Roxas frowned, "Is this why she drinks so much? Because she gave Sora away?"
"It was your first birthday that she started… I knew that she felt an overwhelming guilt for splitting you two up, and I guess it was the only way she knew how to cope with it."
"Wouldn't she want to finally see Sora? To hear that he turned out all right?"
Zack shook his head, "No… it's just better if she never finds out. All he would be is a reminder of what she had to do."
"I feel like she has the right to know…"
Zack looked into Roxas' eyes sternly, "You can not tell her. Trust me, Roxas… if she knew, it would kill her."
x-x-x-x-x
The information rushing through Sora's mind was giving him a headache, and all he really wanted to do was go to bed. But the moment he laid down and turned off the lights, he heard his text message tone echo through his room.
Curious as to who was actually texting him, he grabbed his phone and squinted at the bright screen surrounded by darkness.
Unknown Number: Hi Sora… it's Kairi. Namine gave me your phone number. I wanted to check on you and see if you were okay after today.
Sora smiled a little, flipping his bedside lamp on and turning onto his stomach to text her back.
Sora: That's really sweet of you, Kai. I'm doing okay.
Kairi: So… is it true? Is Roxas your brother?
Sora: Yeah… But my dad had no idea that he existed.
Kairi: How is that possible?
Sora: My mom left me with him when I was a baby… she never told him about Roxas, and never told him where she was going.
Kairi: I don't know what I would do without my mom…
Sora: Do you guys have a dad?
Kairi: I hardly remember him… he left when we were very young.
Sora: Do you know why…?
Kairi: Uhm… it was because of my disorder.
Sora stared at her message for a long moment, wishing that he hadn't been insensitive enough to ask her that.
Sora: I'm so sorry, Kairi… I didn't mean to pry.
Kairi: It's okay… Xion told me awhile ago that it was my fault. She's always blamed me for it.
Sora: Kairi…
Kairi: Really, it's okay.
Sora: I don't understand why people treat you so differently.
Kairi: You've only known me for two days…
Sora: Yeah, and you've been completely normal.
Kairi: Sora, before you came to school, I barely spoke to anybody. Sometimes I exclaim things in class, repeat myself over and over… I can't stop it when it happens. I can see why it's embarrassing to be around me.
Sora: If people can't get over you acting a little differently, then they're not worth your time. Including Xion.
Kairi: She's my sister, Sora…
Sora: And she treats you like shit.
Kairi: I really don't even notice it that much.
Sora: Then take my word for it.
Kairi: You don't have to pretend to care about me, Sora…
Sora: I'm not pretending. I haven't been able to keep you off my mind since I saw you on the island. And that was long before I knew about your disorder.
Kairi: Xion says I can be very hard to be around…
Sora: I intend to prove her wrong, then.
This poor girl was being bullied by one of the only people that should truly be there for her no matter what. It needed to come to an end. Kairi might have had some odd quirks because of her disorder, but she was as normal as anybody else otherwise.
Kairi: If we hang out, people will stare at us… You don't want that.
Sora: Let them stare!
Sora: Hey Kai… I have a question, and I don't want you to be mad about it.
Kairi: Go ahead, Sora.
Sora: Most children with autism aren't as… aware of their condition as you are. You seem to fully understand that you have a disorder. Have you always known?
There was a long pause, followed with a long response.
Kairi: When I was little, I knew that I was different but I didn't know why. I understand that I don't communicate well with others, and I know that some of the things I do can be weird or compulsive. One day when I was about 13 years old, my mother sat me down and explained everything to me. It was the first time she'd used the word "autism" with me, but I finally understood why I was different. It was actually a relief to me.
Sora thought about her response for awhile. It made sense that she would find relief in knowing why she was a little different.
Kairi: I gotta go soon… I kind of stole Namine's phone to talk to you.
Sora: You don't have your own phone?
Kairi: Until now, I had no desire to talk to anyone.
Sora: Why is it so different with me? I didn't do anything special.
Kairi: You make me feel… like I'm not that different.
Sora: Because I truly believe that you aren't.
Kairi: Exactly…
Kairi: I gotta go… Nami's looking for her phone. See you at school tomorrow.
Sora: See you.
He was beginning to understand her a little better. Being friends with her would certainly be interesting, but it was an experience he was dying to have.