Author's Note: Okay, so I got mixed results for the First POV…well, I don't know. I might fiddle with it again later; never wrote First POV except in poetry (like DUH) but anyways, omfg, thank you so much people! I had never gotten such an overwhelming response to this story like…THIS! Wowzers…
The-3-Amigos: Where's Sora? What a good question! Truth is…I DON'T KNOW MYSELF! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'll get to that eventually, by the way.
Sorasgirl333: Yeah, I have to admit, first person perspective can be real easy to slip into; I kept writing 'I' instead of 'her'. VERY annoying. But yes, the poor dude getting hit by the car – a Porsche, I might add. My uncle has one…lucky him…if you think it's Sora, just keep thinking.
AnimeGamer10: Who is the hooded guy? Well, keep reading. You'll find out, sooner or later.
Princess Kairi: And you call yourself a princess! No, I was just joking, don't kill me! Well, this goes to show just how pure and kind Kairi is. The trench coat man is…and Naminé's drawing is a secret…until she reveals it. You'll see.
MagicianCyborg: Don't we all wonder who the cloaked person is? Keep reading and you'll see!
Viktor Mayrin: True, whatever floats my boat…which I have no idea about, XD
NaruNaru.O.k: Okay, here's the update!
Maiakins: You need some medicine to…er…keep your hyperness in check? Who is it? You'll see! You'll see! You'll see! And yes, I'm hurrying!
Deludedfreak: here's the next chapter and good luck tackling the BIG one…which isn't done yet, amazingly enough.
Wow, the response is like….OVERWHELMING! Damn, thanks people! Okay, okay, I'll shut up now…
Rain of SorrowChapter 3: Not Belonging
It was warm.
That was the first thing that came to mind, the first since rain began to fall. It was warm and dry and that meant he was safe. From what?
He swallowed, felt his throat scratching at the movement, and realized he was thirsty. His mouth felt dry; he needed something to drink.
He opened his eyes slowly, waited for the blurry world to come into focus. He found himself staring at a stark white ceiling, with the paint cracking and chipping in places. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a large window. It was still raining. Rain seemed intent on flooding this strange city he had come to.
" You're awake."
That voice, who was that? It sounded familiar.
" You could say that," he croaked, then coughed. " Do you have water?"
" Just hold on a second." He heard someone stand and a door creaking open and close. Footsteps drifted away.
Slowly he pushed himself up on his right arm, wincing as pain stung at his side. A bed, he was lying on a queen-sized bed of all things. Someone had taken the time to pull a white blanket over him and he pushed it away as he slowly sat up. Slowly he pulled his legs into a cross-legged position and studied the room he was in.
On the opposite wall of the window was a plain dark walnut dresser with a dirty mirror. On the wall adjacent was an old lamp and what he guessed to be a walk-in closet. Next to the bed was a small glass-topped coffee table with a wiry chair next to it. His trench coat was slung over it and his boots stood at attention on the floor next to the chair.
The walls were white, also chipped and cracked in places. This room was strictly Spartan; there were no trinkets crammed on the dusty shelves on the wall in front of the bed; no clock sitting on the coffee table; no accessories strewn all over the dresser. It seemed he was the first inhabitant in this room for fifteen-plus years.
He slowly pulled himself to the edge of the bed and set his feet on the musty carpet. He looked at himself, seeing that he seemed fine externally; the question remained as to how he was internally. Well, that didn't matter, he knew how to fix that.
" Cura," he whispered in that godawful voice and he instantly glowed green.
The light had barely faded away when someone came into the room.
" Oh! Well…you look okay. Here."
A plastic cup came into view. He took it – snatched it really – and downed it all in one shot. The coolness washed over his throat, taking away with it the grittiness that came with dehydration.
" Thanks," he muttered as he set the cup on the coffee table and looked up.
Violet-blue eyes studied him. She was of medium height, slender, but was apparently strong enough to drag him to her house. Her hair was auburn red and long; bangs shrouded her right eye. She was wearing a white sweater over lavender sweats.
She was smiling. " Well, you do look okay. How are you feeling?"
These questions were bothering him. Why did she care? Hell, why'd she even offer to take him to her house; isn't he a complete stranger to her?
" Not bad," he managed. Concise and to the point. That was his motto. " How long was I out?"
" Well, it's four now…in the morning, I mean," she said, pulling up the sleeve on her left arm to look at her watch. " You were gone more than twelve hours. Not bad for a man who got hit by a Porsche and had a fever-"
" People and Porsches." He had to roll his eyes. " Well…that doesn't sound too bad-"
" Doesn't sound too bad?" she stared at him funny. " Most people are totally out and at a hospital when they're run over by cars and get all feverish; all you did was ask for water and then sit up like nothing happened!"
She drew near and studied him up close. " You're not from around here, are you?"
He blinked. How-what!
" Relax. I'm not from here, either." She didn't back off but simply sat on the bed next to him. " I came here about nine years ago and I still don't know where I came from."
" Wait." She wasn't from this world? " You know what's out there?"
" Oh yes, I most certainly do," she was nodding. There was something sad in her voice, though; he could sense it. " I know there are other worlds out there, other people, Heartless…"
He was silent. " So…you're not alone in this, are you?"
He thought she seemed strange and now that she added in her knowledge of the feared enemy, he knew it. " You know what's been going on for the last four years, right?"
" Heartless came four years ago. They took me away," she whispered; she didn't seem to be in this room anymore, mentally speaking. " I was in the cold for such a long time…and then my friend saved me. He gave me back my heart, closed Kingdom Hearts…I've only seen him once since then-"
No…it couldn't be! " Your friend, did he carry around a key?"
She looked up, on the alert. " Yes! He's known as the Keyblade Master! Do you know him? His name's Sora, he-"
She stopped suddenly, stared at him funny again. The room grew warm.
" What?" he asked, annoyed.
" He looks just like you."
First reaction? He rolled his eyes. " Right…"
" No really!" she sounded excited, leaned over as she studied him closely. " Well, maybe the hair…and that frown…but those eyes…they're his-"
" Look, lady," he snapped, backing away. " I'm not Sora! I am looking for him, though-"
" You are?" she asked, looking downcast. She then sighed. " No one's seen him. Everyone who would've been with him…they don't remember. Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, Riku…"
" Riku? Him?"
" You know him?" she was staring at him yet again. Damn those eyes…
" Well, who doesn't? He was a spy in the Organization and helped Sora and the King bust them…but everything went wrong from there. That's what I heard at least," he mumbled, shrugging. " I don't know; that's all I heard."
" Oh…" was her very small reply. " Where are you from?"
Personal question. Oh how he hated these kinds of questions. " I don't know. I woke up in the middle of a city a year ago. Nobody knew who I was or how I got there. Random people helped me along until I managed to strike out on my own. Next thing I knew Heartless and some of those hooded people started following me around. I killed one of those people and took his coat."
" Really?" she asked, sounding more grossed out than intrigued. " But why are the Heartless after you?"
" I don't know," he answered with all due honesty. Then again, he really didn't know. " Everything that happened after was with this man named Cid, some baldy with a weird accent. Told me everything about the Heartless, the King, some man named Ansem, and some war that's been raging for four years now. A while later, he told me that maybe I should go look for Sora. Thought I could find my answers looking for him."
" Why would he say that?" the girl sounded intrigued now. It seemed to him that she was interested with anything that dealt with that mysterious Keyblade Master.
" I don't know, really," he shrugged. " But I had nothing better to do so I went out looking for him. I found my way here…then got run over by a Porsche. Now I see I'm meeting people who know this 'Sora'."
" Yes, there are people here who know him," the girl whispered. " After all, he came from this place, Destiny Islands."
She smiled at him; he shifted uncomfortably, waiting for her to continue. " All his childhood friends are here…but some people are gone now. His mother, for one; she couldn't live any longer without her son and gave up six months ago. Took one of our rowboats one stormy night; we haven't seen her since."
He nodded, felt nothing for this woman. So she was filled with grief for her missing son, went out and killed herself; well shit happened and he damn well knew it. This was nothing to him.
" You don't feel anything, do you?" The question came flying out of the blue, catching him off-guard. " I can tell. I can always tell with people. But I just don't know about Riku…"
She sighed and stood up. " Sorry about that. I guess it just happens when you've been waiting for someone to come home for…a long time."
" Things happen when you don't know who you are, either," he muttered under his breath, hoping she didn't hear it.
" By the way, just to remind you in case you didn't hear me, my name's Kairi." The smile had returned to her face yet again. " What's yours? You didn't tell me."
" You never asked."
" Sorry but shouldn't you say your name first?"
" I thought there were no rules to this sort of introduction."
" Well, I always thought grateful strangers introduced-"
" It's not that I'm not grateful but I think this is a very pointless argument-alright, my name's Tetsu. That's what people called me. It was the name I called myself, really."
He sighed, stared at his fingers, listened to the rain.
" Well…" she drew near again. " If you need help, just call my name. Okay?"
Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder, then she pulled away. The door creaked shut; he was alone.
" Kairi…that's a nice name," he thought as he slowly stood up. He winced as he heard his knee crack, then hobbled over to the mirror to take a look at himself.
Despite the stains he could see a pale, gaunt face staring back at him, with fiery blue eyes and brown hair burned by the sun. He ran a hand through his hair, groused over it's unkempt and very shaggy look, then staggered back to the bed.
Picking at his black shirt, Tetsu grimaced at his present condition. What he would give for a shower and some fresh clothing…
Pulling the blanket over his head, he decided to try and sleep and escape those violet-blue eyes staring at him.
''
She sat on the couch downstairs, toying with her hair. It was seven now, on a Saturday morning, but she could care less. More important things were on her mind.
That man, Tetsu, he didn't come from this part of the world. He came from another place, where Heartless still roamed. He didn't remember where he came from or who he was…and he had to deal with the hooded people, the ones Riku and Naminé could both describe perfectly. The Organization.
And not only that, he looked like Sora.
" But not really," she murmured, making herself smaller as she huddled up against the cushions. It was cold but she didn't bother to turn on the heater. " He's too pale, too thin, and so…emotionless. That's not Sora; Sora's never like that."
But still, despite all that he did look familiar…and his eyes, those blazing blue eyes, they were his. That she was sure of.
" And his hair." She had to smile at this. " Probably bed-hair but that makes him look more like…Sora."
But who knows how Sora looks like now; two years can change a person's appearance a lot. As well as outlook on the wider world.
" He doesn't remember anything," she murmured, remembering that fact. " He woke up in the middle of a world not knowing who he was. What is it like, waking up to strangers around you, not knowing your own name…"
At least I knew mine…when Sora found me that day nine years ago…
Sleep refused to come, forcing Kairi to get up and attempt to make breakfast. She stood up and turned, only to bump into someone.
" Gah! How'd you get here?" she demanded, looking up into Tetsu's face. " Shouldn't you be in bed?"
" I feel fine and I feel hungry," he shrugged. He seemed to have forgotten that he was practically run over by a car. " You got food?"
She shoved him aside, mumbled, " Yes", and strode for the kitchen, moving quickly to hide the subtle smile on her face. Men and food…so like Sora-
There was a lump in her throat as she came to a sudden stop in the middle of the surprisingly clean kitchen. " Sora…"
Shaking her head, she headed for the fridge. " Wait…how'd the guy get down here without making a sound? The stairs creak, for all I know…"
Scowling at this mysterious fact, she hunted out eggs and some cheese. Omelets were on her mind.
''
" How old are you?" Kairi asked, watching Tetsu attack the cheese omelet like his very life depended on it. She poked at her own breakfast, suddenly not hungry.
" If I knew I'd tell you but I'm guessing around your age. Maybe older, I don't know," he muttered. " Definitely not younger."
" You don't look it," she agreed, taking a bit and congratulating herself at making a decent breakfast. She stopped inviting people over months ago for breakfast, given her terrible talent at cooking, and had resorted to cereal. Not this time, though. " Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…"
Tetsu didn't answer; he was finishing the omelet with gusto. Kairi smiled. Maybe she wasn't that bad at cooking…
" What are you smiling at?" he asked as he dropped his fork on the plate.
" What? Oh no, I was just glad that, uh, you enjoyed breakfast," she answered hastily, gesturing to his plate. " I normally have cereal because I have such bad luck with cooking…I hope you don't get sick-"
Tetsu looked at her funny. " You hope I don't get sick? That's nice to know; I'll keep that in mind when I make the trip to the bathroom…wherever that is."
He looked around the kitchen, then saw the almost-whole omelet sitting on her plate. " Can I have that?"
" Bottomless stomach here, is it?" she asked, pushing her plate to him. " I'm gonna go take a shower. Don't wreck the house; I don't think house guests are supposed to do that."
" Relax, lady, I have my manners," Tetsu grumbled. " Cid taught me. Well, he wasn't the best at it…"
Kairi froze for a second just outside the kitchen. Smiling again, she headed for the stairs, wondering where life was taking her.
''
" It's almost 3:45 and she's still not here," Auron grumbled while eyeing the others. They shrugged, not knowing as much as he did. " Kairi's normally not this late-"
" Well, can we start?" Yuna asked hopefully. " I want to try out some spells I learned at my school-"
" You want to start?" Tidus repeated, disbelieving every word of it. " How is it that you want to go and get your ass kicked for the next three hours-"
" If you don't practice, you can't fight the Heartless," Yuna smiled.
" Man, you sound like Auron," Wakka groaned, scratching his head.
" Meaning I taught her well," the man replied, tapping the redhead on the head. " Riku, Selphie, did any of you see her earlier today?"
They looked at each other and shrugged.
" Normally she'd be wandering down the beach," Selphie thought for a minute while slapping at the floor with her nunchucks, " but I didn't see her today."
Riku nodded silently; he had been to the beach earlier in the day to look for her but she wasn't there. Maybe he should've gone and checked up on her house, see if she was okay-
" Sorry, sorry!" Kairi exclaimed, staggering in and closing her umbrella. Behind her was Irvine, whose hat was dumping rainwater like the Niagara. Auron frowned at this. " Irvine, get a mop."
" Yessir…" he muttered but managed a wink at the others before heading to the storeroom.
" Well?" Auron demanded while Kairi stowed her umbrella in a corner and shed her jacket.
" I was, ah…tied up in some situation at home," she smiled nervously. " Was practicing summoning the staff…knocked out some stuff. You know, major chaos."
" Riiight…have you done it?"
" Well, basically," Kairi muttered, frowning a bit. Truth was, it was the easiest thing she had ever done; she mastered it the day Auron assigned it to her. " Here…"
She imagined the staff, its smooth hard wood in her hand, and was promptly rewarded with its light weight in her grip.
" Whoa, there!" Wakka exclaimed. " That's serious stuff! I wish I could do that-"
" I told you to practice a month ago," Auron reminded him while eyeing Irvine return to join the others. Yuna and Lulu had already gone to the spell casting room and already seemed busy. " Same with the rest of you lot…besides Riku and Selphie. Okay, Irvine, you're going to come with me because we're going to do some serious stuff. For the rest of you…we're going to practice a 1vs.4 move. I want Riku against Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka. Deal? Here, Irvine…we're going to sharpen your sniper skills-"
" It's sharp shooting…sir," Irvine muttered as he pulled out Ulysses from a closet near a staircase. He then followed Auron upstairs while everyone else eyed each other. Well, most eyed Riku; they had an idea as to what was coming at them.
" Ready?" Riku smirked, backing up on the blue platform in order to give the others room. The Soul Eater flashed into his hand.
" Aw man…" Tidus swore, concentrating with all his might to summon his water-like sword from the weapons closet. There was some success; the sword punched a hole through the closet and slid to his feet.
" Oh am I out to get you," Wakka grinned, bouncing the blitzball.
" You never get him," Selphie muttered. " You're the first one he knocks out."
" You just had to say that?" Wakka scowled.
" I had to remind you to keep your ego in check," she shot back. " I mean, if I didn't do something, your ego would be this high-" she pointed to the ceiling "-and imagine what would happen if you got beat?"
Kairi giggled as Wakka muttered something under his breath. She then stepped back, giving her staff an expert spin. The steel caps on each end gave it a metallic sheen.
" If that's how you're gonna go at it, you'll kill me," Riku smirked, sticking out his Soul Eater and stopping the staff. Luckily, Kairi had a firm grip and it didn't go flying like it would've. " C'mon Kairi, show me what you've got."
Challenge. She loved challenges. Ever since Sora and Riku left her, she challenged herself physically and mentally; the next time the Heartless came, she had promised to herself three years ago, she'll be ready to meet them head-on. No more damsel-in-distress for her, that's for-
" Ow!" Riku had poked her on the arm with the Soul Eater. " Riku!"
" You're too slow, Kai," he grinned, taunting her as he sauntered off to provoke the others.
" Not really," she smirked. She jerked her staff forward and tripped him.
The next thing she knew, the Soul Eater was coming at her. Reflexes kicking in, she blocked the blow, twisted her staff, then jerked it backwards, hoping to hit him – but not to kill him, of course.
Sparks flew as the steel cap smashed into the Soul Eater; she jumped forward and spun, the staff clashing with the dark sword. Grimacing, she pushed it to the side, then turned the staff to meet the sword from the other side.
Briefly she looked at Riku's face. He seemed shocked; it didn't look like he expected such a response from her.
Good. He needs to be shocked. And for that to happen… she stepped up the pace, forcing him to respond even faster.
The others watched, not quite sure of what it was they were seeing. Was it just them or did Kairi lose her mind?
" Damn, didn't know the girl had it in her, ya?" Wakka hissed to Tidus and Selphie.
" You think we should jump in?" Tidus asked nervously; after all, that was Auron's order.
" Nah," the brunette next to him shook her head. " Breaks the rhythm. They're going good."
Silently they watched as the two duelists moved back and forth in perfect tempo, sparks flying whenever the Soul Eater and a steel cap on the staff clashed.
Thirty minutes…
One hour…
One hour thirty minutes…
Two hours-
The pace was slower now but Kairi was still going at it like her very life depended on it. She wasn't crazy, as she had heard Wakka say thirty minutes ago; she just wanted to see just how good she was with the staff. And apparently, she was holding up quite well-
Her eyes darted to the window on the door as she blocked a blow that would've taken off her left arm. They widened; cat-like green eyes were staring at her-
" Look out!"
Something slammed into the side of her head. Fireworks sparked in her eyes and she felt herself falling, the staff sliding out of her hands. Darkness, so much darkness…
The sea was purple. The ground was cracked, broken; the heart of the island was all blasted out. Black fog covered the crater.
Kairi shivered; this was not the Destiny Islands she grew up knowing. What happened here?
Wandering around, dodging the crevices, she looked for any signs of life. But there were none; she was all alone.
"…I don't belong…"
Who's voice was that? Sora's? Tetsu's?
" I don't belong here, do I?"
" Nah, kid, you don't." An older man's voice, with a heavy accent. " You never belonged here. Sorry about it."
" Its…its okay…"
The voices seemed to echo from across the sea.
"…still searching?"
" Yeah…I can't find anything, though. I just can't remember anything."
" Hm…well I have a good idea."
" What's that?"
" Remember the type of weapons you carry? The ones you used to fight the Heartless…and those unknown people?"
" Yes. What about them?"
" I have heard…of someone who uses them, too."
" Have you now?"
" I'm not lying, boy! I did indeed hear of someone who uses those weapons to fight the Heartless and Nobodies."
" And what's your point, Pops?"
" Don't call me that, boy. Anyhow, I think you should go looking for him; I'm thinking that if you two use similar weapons, you could figure things out between yourselves. Including where you came from."
" That's very nice but that doesn't make sense."
" I think it should; there are, for the record, only three people using those weapons. So there you go; find any one of them and you'll get your facts straight for you. And for the record, look for a guy named Sora. Supposed to be one of those people wielding a damn fangled key thing-"
Kairi gasped. Sora? News of Sora?
" Sora?"
" Well, the problem is, no one's seen him for the last two years."
Oh…
" You want me to go and look for a guy no one's seen for just how long so that I can figure out my past? What about the other two?"
Silence.
" Great. They haven't been seen, either? Pops, you're killing me."
" Kid, he's the only one I know. And don't call me Pops."
" Okay, Pops. Well, thanks for the idea. I'll go look for him now, shall I?"
" I told you…"
The voices faded, leaving Kairi to continue staring out at the purple sea. They didn't know anything about Sora, either.
" Tied to the darkness…soon to be eclipsed…"
Shivers ran up her back as Kairi slowly turned around. She knew that voice, knew who spoke.
A brown-hooded figure floated behind her. She could see nothing beneath the shadowed cowl.
" You think you know so much…understand so little…"
" Wh-what do you want?" she demanded, putting iron in her shaky voice. " What do you want with me?"
" They are coming…all will fall…Paradise…"
Paradise?
" The eyes will close…"
The island was fading. She could still see him, see Ansem hovering like that, still mumbling to himself.
"…Kairi…"
" What?" she snapped. How dare he utter her name!
" …Kairi!"
" Kairi!"
" Kairi!"
" What!" she yelled, sitting up and smacking someone with her head. " Ow…"
" Damn, Kairi, what's with you, today?" Selphie asked. She had knelt by Kairi's head but she wasn't the one in the line of fire.
" I think I broke my nose…" was Riku's muffled reply. A drop of blood hit her right arm.
" Oh my gosh, Riku, I'm so sorry!" Kairi turned to him and held a hand to his face. " Heal."
There was a green glow and he removed his hand from his nose. " No, its alright. But are you okay? I mean, I was the one who smacked you in the head with the Soul Eater."
" What are you talking about?" Kairi asked, totally confused. Then it came back to her. " Oh…"
" Hey man, I think you got her too hard, ya?" Wakka joked; he, Tidus, Yuna, and Lulu were at her feet, watching her with a mixture of worry and relief. " She couldn't even remember what she was doing five minutes ago!"
" You are alright, right?" Yuna asked tentatively; she and Lulu had heard a commotion while they were busy healing themselves and had to see what was going on in the next room.
" Alright, you lot, what's going on here?" Auron demanded as he and Irvine, who looked utterly exhausted, came downstairs. " You three, you look like you've done nothing."
He was pointing at Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, all who had the 'Oh shit' look on their faces.
" And Kairi, what happened here?"
" Uh…"
Riku answered. " I…got on her nerves, Auron, and we were fighting for…a few hours. I smacked her on the head and knocked her out, though-"
" Someone got on Kairi's nerves?" Auron gave the redhead a skeptical eye. " Never heard anyone use that term before…"
" I'm alright, really…" she smiled weakly, staggering to her feet. " Ow…"
As soon as she stood up, she felt a dull pounding on the side of her head. " Yeah…I think I'm alright…"
" Kairi, go home. You, too, Riku. Same with Yuna, Lulu, and Irvine. Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka; you three stay. I need to get work into you lot…"
" What! Oh man…I knew we should've interrupted their fight…" Wakka groaned while the others who were dismissed for the day went about finding their coats and umbrellas and dismissing their weapons.
Kairi winced as she pulled on her jacket; she had never felt so sore before. Shouldn't do that again, ow…next time, I'm not going to go full out for more than an hour-
" Need help?" Hands helped her pull the jacket on successfully.
" Oh yeah, thanks Riku," she said gratefully. Remembering the staff was still here, she bent down – slowly – and put a hand over it. Concentrating, it vanished, hopefully back to her house. Then she slowly got back up and reached for the umbrella.
" Hey, no need to open that up. I'll walk you home," Riku smiled, taking the umbrella and giving it to her. He gestured to his own. " I owe you at least that much after whacking you on the head with my Soul Eater."
" Thanks, Riku," she said; she doubt she could hold up her umbrella, let alone open it up. " Gods, I hate this weather…"
She saw him frown. " What?"
" Oh, nothing…" he muttered as he opened the door for her and opened up his umbrella. They began to walk down the street in the opposite direction of the others, who really looked like a huge mass of enchanted umbrellas hovering along the sidewalk.
" Oh…"
Silence. Rain pattered on the umbrella, sliding over and out in miniature waterfalls. Rainwater was bursting over the sidewalks and the dark streets were flooded. She saw one or two people hurry by, huddled in coats under umbrellas. Few cars were roaming around in this miserable weather; nearly all the streets were closed, save the gas station and several grocery stores.
" Watch your step," she heard him warn and barely avoided landing ankle-deep in water. The things that happen when you try to cross a street.
" Thanks."
" No problem."
Silence. The rain continued to fall. Kairi wondered at the clouded sky. Why was the sky like this, so heavy and full of rain? In all her years on Destiny Islands, she had never faced weather as bad as this. Destiny Islands had never been so wet and so…cold.
" You okay?"
The question was just as haze as she dove deeper into her mind. She always found solace in her memories and thoughts; when the going got too rough, she pulled up barriers around her, and lately she's been doing that.
Sora, have you ever seen rain like this? It rains day and night every day. I don't know why it's like this; it's like the sky's crying. But why? Sometimes I think the sky's crying because of the hole in my heart. Must be a selfish way of putting things; putting my own thoughts before anyone else's but all I can think about is you, where you are, why you're so far away, when we'll meet again. I feel so sad, Sora, so sad and so tired. Whenever I imagine you, my heart grows heavy and I feel like I can't live any longer. Should I just…let you go, like your mother did? Or should I keep hoping-
" Kairi?" That nagging voice in the back of her mind became clear. It was Riku talking and he sounded worried. " Kairi, are you okay?"
She blinked, realized they reached her house. " Oh! Yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm fine…"
She sighed, stared at the raindrops as they fell on the sidewalk. " I think I'm fine…"
" It's Sora, isn't it?" he asked quietly.
She nodded. " I just wish…he was here, to see the rain."
" Hey…" Fingers lightly touched her cheek and turned her head. She blinked in surprise; Riku was watching her, worried, concerned for her. " It's okay, he'll come back. He has to; he promised, didn't he?"
She smiled at this. Didn't he? Sora did promise to come back…twice. The first time he fulfilled it but the second time…
" He never breaks his promise, Kairi. Remember that."
She looked at her silver-haired friend. " Thanks, Riku."
" No problem. The things I have to do for a best friend, right?" he smiled and pulled her into a one-armed hug. He held her tightly before letting her go. " I'll see you around. Later."
" Later," she called back as she left the safety of his umbrella and ran up the stairs. Her muscles were screaming in protest at this further abuse of her muscles but her mind was retorting that she was getting wet.
Reaching the porch, she looked behind her, saw Riku wave to her one more time before walking down the street to where he lived with his mother. Kairi shuddered suddenly, remembering his embrace.
Something's going on with him…but what?
Fumbling with the keys she pulled out of her pocket, she found the right one and opened the door. Shutting and locking it behind her, she hung up her umbrella and coat on the rack next to the door and kicked off her shoes. She grimaced as she stepped on the varnished hardwood; the ends of her jeans were squishing out water under her bare feet.
Time for a change, she thought as she headed for the stairs and picked at her purple shirt. It was still blotchy with sweat. Wait a minute, where's Tetsu?
" Tetsu?" she called out tentatively. The first floor was empty, for sure. Maybe he was in his room. " Tetsu? Hello?"
She pulled herself up the stairs, a pain-filled frown crossing her face as she willed a foot forward, then the other. After an arduous trek to the top, she sat down, wincing. Maybe she had gone way too far when sparring with Riku; she wondered whether or not he felt the same way, too.
" Tetsu?" she called out. What the heck happened to the guy? Slowly she pushed herself up and staggered towards the empty guestroom where she had dragged him. " Tetsu, where are you-"
The world suddenly swayed. She leaned against the wall, trying to clear her mind. What was that? She blinked several times and the world came back into focus.
Black boots entered her periphery. She grimaced at this; she did not like people walking around her house with their shoes on. She opened her mouth-
" I'm right here."
She blinked, closing her mouth and looking up. Tetsu was watching her with an amused look on his face. " You were calling me?"
" I was just wondering what you were up to," she muttered. " Which reminds me, what were you up to?"
" Well…" he looked off in the distance. She could tell he had a very bored expression on his face. " I tried to get that black-and-silver box to do something but I think I broke something. It was going all fuzzy and went all gray and white so I, um…smashed it-"
" You broke the television?" Kairi all but yelled. Great, just great; she told him not to break anything and what does he do? Break the T.V.!
" Is that what it's called?" Tetsu looked bemused. Just like Sora… " Funny, I think I've heard of it before…what's a television anyways?"
She gaped at him. " You don't know? You watch stuff on it! News, dramas, advertisements, silly cartoons…"
She drifted off, realizing he was getting more and more confused. " Never mind…"
" Anyways, I decided to look around the house – no, I did NOT break anything else but I noticed a lot of photographs. You, some silver-haired kid, and that dude with crazy hair. Who were those two boys, anyways?"
She stung at his ignorant remarks. But he didn't know; she might as well tell him.
Her dream came to mind. "Sora?"
" Hello? You're phasing out on me, lady; do you do this often-"
" My name's Kairi. And the photographs…the silver-haired kid is Riku and 'that dude with crazy hair' is Sora."
Tetsu blinked. " Sora? That kid is Sora? He's the guy I have to look for-"
" Yes, I know," she interrupted. " But you know…"
She studied his features, mulling over some thoughts, though her eyes kept getting pulled back into his very confused but very brilliant blue eyes.
" Know what?" he asked quietly. He was shifting on his feet, obviously very uncomfortable by her staring.
" You…look like him."
" Yes, you told me that already. But I highly doubt I'm him. Who'd ever imagine Sora looking for Sora not realizing he is Sora!"
" But it is possible," she added, starting to feel a bit of that hope again.
" No, it's not!" he snapped, suddenly angry. " Look, lady, I'm not this 'Sora', okay? I'm just some stranger who doesn't belong wherever he goes, looking for some idiot no one's seen for two years-"
" He's not an idiot," Kairi retorted angrily. " Don't you dare call him-"
" Well I'm sorry but I don't know who he is," Tetsu miffed, the anger wiping away. Now he looked emotionless, just as before. " What happened to you?"
He eyed her critically, saw that she relied heavily on the wall to stand.
" What do you care?" she snapped, suddenly not wanting to talk to him. " I just got back from practice, that's all-"
The hallway swayed again and she staggered into the darkly dressed stranger. Arms wrapped around her and helped her stand.
" Well, whatever you were doing you're in no condition to keep standing," she heard him murmur into her ear. She flushed slightly but lowered her head to shroud it all in her red hair as he helped her to the closest bed there was – the one in the guestroom.
" Relax, I won't wreck the rest of your house," was the last thing she heard before she hit the bed.