AN- Well, I originally planned to finish up the next chapter of a different fic (Pokémon), but the amount of reviews I got convinced me to go ahead and crank out another chapter of this first. This chapter's mostly back-story on Kairi and Naminé, just so you all know- it's from Kairi's point of view! And *gives cookies* to Amu123 and always-kh for reviewing and correctly guessing that the girl was Kairi (not that I didn't make it totally obvious…) and even pretty much guessing her relation to Naminé. You'll find out in this chapter. Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Warning- This chapter contains many Sora/Kairi, Riku/Kairi, Sora/Naminé, and Riku/Naminé parts, as it's all about the girls' past. Please bear through them, as the end pairings are still the same. Also, you might think you see some Kairi/Naminé in there- it's not like that! Everything is meant as sisterly love, kay folks? Of course, you can see whatever pairings you want to…

Also- There are many sections in the chapter in which everything's in italics- these are flashbacks. Normally, two people are speaking, and one of them is Kairi, but once there are three people, and it gets a bit confusing since those sections are just what people are saying and nothing else. Feel free to ask if you can't tell who's saying what. And the bars usually express longer time skips and the beginning and ending of the chapter, while the row of hyphens indicates shorter time skips/flashbacks beginning and ending. Again, if you're confused, ask me about it!

And the World Comes Tumbling Down

I always took everything from her. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what Naminé thought. It's not like I meant to (okay, maybe when I was a little kid, I did steal her stuff on purpose, but it's not my fault her choice of toys, crayons and paper, were so much more fragile than my Barbies); most of the time I just wanted one of the people I admired most to pay a bit more attention to me. I was so stupid then; so selfish.

I can remember so many times in which I'd snatch her crayon box away, whining that I wanted her to play with me. She always pleaded with me to give it back, and I never would- not until she agreed to play with me. We were both stubborn back then, so usually she never gave in until something was destroyed in our tussle for possession of the crayons.

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"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Naminé! Please forgive me, I didn't mean it!"

"…It's okay, Kairi. I'll ask Mom for a new box of crayons. Lets go play with your dolls."

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When it came to toys, at least she always forgave me for accidentally breaking her favorite color crayon or ripping her newest drawing.

If only it had stopped there.

For about the first five years of our lives, we were happy and everything was fine. Mom, Dad, Naminé, and me. The four of us were a family living peacefully in a small suburb known as Radiant Garden.

Then it all came crashing down.

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Ever since she was born, our mom suffered from an illness. It had never been fatal or anything, but she was constantly bedridden. Not long after Naminé's and my fifth birthday, her condition got worse. Dad says we should have seen it coming, would have seen it coming, and been able to prepare for it, had we not been clinging desperately to hope in such a hopeless case.

Mom died, and our family suffered a great loss from it.

Maybe it's wrong and selfish of me, but I think I was the one hurt most by the loss. I ended up spending a lot of time with her whenever Naminé refused to play with me. Playing with my mother became my passion.

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"…Mommy? Will you please play Barbie dolls with me? Naminé's being mean."

"She just wants to draw, dear. It's her passion."

"I know."

"Do you really?"

"Of course! Say Mommy… what's passion mean?"

"Heh… it means you love something very much, Kairi. Naminé loves drawing."

"Okay, then. Will you play dollies with me now?"

"…Mommy's not feeling well, dear."

"I know! But look, you don't even have to get out of bed! We can play right here."

"…I suppose. Which doll am I playing with today?"

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Our father had known was he was getting into when he married her. He always had to be prepared for such a situation, no matter how much it hurt. He always knew, right from the start, what might happen. He was destroyed inside, I knew, but he stayed strong. I didn't know it then, but that was for our sake.

As for Naminé… I know it's wrong to say this, but she was never really close with our parents. It's not that she just didn't care, I know she did. She was really sweet hearted underneath it all, but she was also really shy. I was pretty much the only one she was close to as a kid; she didn't hang around with our parents very much. The thing about her is that she's always been so reserved, even as a child.

I think this trait about her may have been what made it hard for her to make friends later on.

The three of us (a broken family…) stayed in Radiant Garden for about nine months before we realized that being here would do nothing but make getting over Mom's death harder.

That thought in mind, our dad started looking for a new place, far away and drastically different, to live. Almost two months later, we moved to a place called Destiny Islands.

The house we got was nice enough, a large, three bedroom place with two bathrooms and a view of the beach below. At the time, none of us had any desire to meet the neighbors or have fun at the beach.

It was about halfway through summer. Our birthday (Mom's death date) was swift approaching. All three of us silently agreed that we wouldn't celebrate Naminé's and my sixth birthday- it was too close to the one year anniversary of Mom's death.

Our family spent the rest of summer locked inside our new house. The only one who went out at all was Dad, and that was only to get a job.

I spent my time sitting by the window, wishing I had the guts to go outside by myself (pining for freedom; get me out of this nuthouse!), but never actually managing it.

Even when I was six years old, I clung to Naminé like a toddler, and she never wanted to go outside, so I pretended I didn't, either.

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"…Naminé?"

"Yes?"

"Do you… wanna go outside and play? I saw some boys who look like they're our age. I bet they'd play with us."

"Sorry, Kairi. I'd rather just stay in here where it's air-conditioned and I can draw in peace."

"…Oh. Okay…What are you drawing?"

"It's a picture of your friends from Radiant Garden."

"My friends…?"

"…I'm drawing it for you."

"Okay, thanks. I just wish our friends could see it."

"…Yeah."

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School started a few days after our birthday (it started on the day Mom died). I stayed home, faking an illness. I didn't want my first day of first grade (we were always the youngest in our class…) to be one where I cried all day.

I remember Naminé had asked whether or not I wanted her to stay home with me. I told her (yes, yes, oh god, yes, I can't handle this alone; I need you) to go on without me.

I skipped the whole first week of school.

Naminé tried to help me on the little bit of homework I missed out on, but mostly spent her time describing people to me. I was amazed to learn that within one week she'd made friends.

She told me all about a boy named Sora, with his chocolate-colored hair spiking out all over the place and his deep sea blue eyes that could see right through you. She told me he was kind ("So nice, Kairi, I've never met anyone like him!"), how he'd offered to share his animal crackers with her. She was only six, but I could tell she liked him.

Naminé had always been mature for her age.

She told me of another boy, this one named Riku. He had long silver hair that I would later think was styled like a girl's, but at the time just thought sounded cute, and sharp sea green eyes that could pierce the soul and freeze you from the inside out (his icy glares killed). Naminé said she thought he was nice, too, but not nearly as nice as Sora. He was kinda cool, though, in his own way.

For the first time in a long time, I saw her smiling again. She was happy, so I was happy, too. If school had that effect on her, I couldn't wait to go, myself!

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"And then Riku dropped a crab right on Sora's nose! A crab! Sora got all freaked out, running around and screaming 'Get it off! Get it off!' It was so funny, Kairi!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I'll draw a picture of it later for you."

"Thanks. Hey Naminé…?"

"Yeah…?"

"You seem… kinda different since starting school."

"Really? How so?"

"I dunno… I think you're… happy."

"Happy?"

"Yeah, happy!"

"Heh… I am happy. What do ya know?"

"I'm happy, too! Can we be happy together?"

"Of course! You start school on Monday, then I'll introduce you to Sora and Riku and we'll all be the best of friends, right?!"

"Right!"

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My first day of school, everything changed.

To this day, I still don't know quite how or why it happened, but five steps into the classroom, I'd gained two very avid admirers. I blame it on the fact that back then, all it took to gain a guy's attention was looking pretty, and I had put my prettiest outfit on in hopes of making a good impression. But still. Aren't boys their age supposed to think girls have cooties or something?!

Naminé was happy that I became fast friends with them as she hoped. She was happy for me because they both admired me instantly. But still I knew what she was thinking (What about me? I was friends with them first, so why…?).

It's not that she was jealous (okay, maybe a little), it's just that suddenly it was all about me. For the first time, she'd made friends, and suddenly I appear and she's all but forgotten about.

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"My friends… really liked you."

"…Yeah. Are they always so, uh…"

"Excited? Enthusiastic? Hyper?"

"…Could you explain what those mean to me, please?"

"…Never mind. But yeah, they're often like that."

"Oh. They were… nice."

"That's just the way they are, Kairi. You know, Sora… was really taken with you."

"Huh?"

"I mean, he liked you right away. Riku, too."

"But didn't you say they're always like that?"

"…Yeah."

"You know, I understand what you meant about them now. They're really nice, and I feel like I fit right in 'cause of all you told me 'bout them!"

"Really? That's… good."

"You were totally right about them, Naminé! Riku's cool, and Sora's super nice! He even gave up half his cookie for me!

"…Really."

"Yeah! I like them."

"That's… great."

"Naminé?"

"…Let's get working on the addition worksheet."

----------

Unstable as it was, the friendship between us four lasted just fine for many years, with Naminé slowly growing used to the fact that both boys liked me, despite the fact that she was clearly head over heels in love with Sora.

The four of us went to the beach and hung out together every summer, not to mention were always together during the school year- although Riku was a grade higher, so this was a bit more difficult.

Sometimes, Sora, Riku, and I would go swimming and end up splashing each other like crazy while Naminé sat in the sand smiling softly watching, sometimes drawing the scene. Sometimes Sora and Riku would fight with wooden swords (they were fighting to impress me…) and more often than not Sora would get his butt whipped, all while Naminé and I watched from the sidelines.

Sometimes, on these hot summer days of fun, Sora would walk on over to Naminé and either ask her to join them in the fun (she'd blush and politely decline) or ask what she's drawing (she'd tentatively hand over her sketchbook to show him and explain), after which he'd compliment her on her drawing capability (she'd blush like crazy and stutter out a thanks) and come back over to Riku and I to play.

----------

I spent over five years trying to convince her to ask Sora out, despite the fact that he was becoming a bit more bold in his flirting with me (I didn't like him like that; not yet).

She finally plucked up her courage and did it after we turned fourteen. I was right there with her, helping her every step of the way.

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"What…?"

"You heard what she said, Sora."

"I- yeah, but…"

"Please."

"Naminé…?"

"Please give me a chance, Sora. I know… that you don't care for me… that way, but still, I-"

"But Naminé-"

"Let me finish, Sora. I like you. I may even… no, I know that I love you, so please give me a chance, Sora."

"But I-"

"Come on, Sora. Naminé is a great person, and you do care for her."

"As a friend!"

"God, Sora, stop interrupting! As I was saying, if you'd just give her a chance -give a relationship the chance- you may end up liking it! You love her as a friend, I know, but in time, who knows? Maybe if you gave this a chance, you'd fall in love with her, so please give her a chance!"

"But…"

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I'd locked eyes with a distressed Sora that day, and seen something I really shouldn't have. Naminé loved him, but looking into his eyes, I could tell he loved me. I had the sinking feeling Naminé knew, too. I had closed my eyes in despair (I sent one of the people I care about most headfirst into a situation that could end up with her heart breaking) and held back a groan. If she was rejected, it would be my fault (could I handle that guilt?).

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"Go out with her, Sora."

"Kairi…"

"Please. Give her a chance."

"I…"

"…Would you do it for me?"

"…What…?"

"Sora, I want you to go out with her. It's your choice, of course, but will you do it for me, if no one else?"

"…Okay."

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And it was okay for about five months after that. Naminé and Sora were an item, and everyone thought they were great together. Our group of four still hung out often, but now every now and then Sora and Naminé would go off on their own on dates, leaving Riku and me alone. Neither of us minded, me because Naminé was happy (I finally got to see her smiling again) and Riku because it meant he got to hang out with me alone (no more competition or worrying about hurting Sora's feelings).

And yet… something was wrong.

Even after dating for a while, the two never got very close. The most you'd ever catch them doing is kissing, and Naminé was always the one to initiate that. For such a touchy-feely guy, Sora avoided touching her more than necessary. Normally, the only sign that they were more than friends is that they held hands- otherwise, no one would be the wiser.

One day, everything changed.

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The night before, Naminé and Sora had been out on a date; she'd gotten back late, but went straight to her room (something's wrong). She wouldn't talk to me, so I did the most logical thing I could think of: I called Sora over to ask him if he knew what wrong.

As soon as I saw him, a sinking feeling (oh no, please don't tell me that they…) of realization hit me. He looked horrible. His eyes were puffy, his nose was red; it was clear he'd been crying, and Sora, being the bright, optimistic person he is, just doesn't cry.

When I told him why I called him over, he hung his head in what could only be shame.

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"I'm sorry, Kairi, but I, I just couldn't!"

"Couldn't what, Sora? What happened?"

"I… I broke up with Naminé last night."

"WHAT?! Why, Sora? Do you have any idea how upset she probably is right now?!"

"You have to understand, Kairi, I never meant to hurt her! I just, I can't be with someone I'm not in love with! All that was coming from that relationship was pain and awkwardness!"

"How do you know you couldn't have fallen in love with her if you stuck it out longer?! Why couldn't you at least try?!"

"I did try, Kairi! I've been trying for five months now, but it's not helping! I'm sorry, I really am!"

"Well you should have given it more time! You might still have fallen for her! Why, Sora, why couldn't you hold out any longer?!"

"Because, I-"

"Because of you, Naminé's locked up her room, probably bawling her eyes out! So why would you do that to her?! How-"

"I-"

"-could you be so insensitive, Sora, you're not like this! Why- Mmph!"

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He had kissed me then, effectively shutting me up. I hadn't expected it, not from him. I mean, he wasn't the type to be so bold, but even more than that, I was just shocked. Inwardly, I'd known the answer all along (he broke up with her because he couldn't handle being with her while loving me) and had misplaced my anger upon him in futile hopes that I could convince him to give dating Naminé another shot. I should have known better.

Of course, to make matters worse, a small part of me enjoyed the kiss (all those years of him chasing after me weren't in vain). I knew this, too (somehow, despite all my best efforts at resisting him, I'd fallen for him just like Naminé had).

And then there was Naminé. I can only assume she saw Sora through her window and came out to see him (she could have gone without what she saw). Maybe if I'd had the willpower to resist Sora, the scene would have played out differently. I know I would have preferred her to see me breaking away from him, possibly even slapping him and asking how he could do that after just breaking up with her. What she really saw was my eyes fluttering shut and my arms winding their way around his neck of their own accord. Yes, I (betrayed my own family; am a horrible person) should have resisted Sora.

But I didn't, and Naminé wouldn't talk to me after that. Her only consolation is that I snapped out of it and refused to talk to Sora for a while after that. He was too good a friend to stay away from permanently, but I managed to turn his offer of a date down for Naminé's sake when he asked weeks later. My feelings for him would fade, I was sure (eventually, they did).

About two months after Sora and Naminé broke up, Riku shocked us all by asking her out. Naminé was the most shocked out of all of us. She even forgot she wasn't talking to me.

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"I thought… that Riku liked you."

"…Yeah, I kinda did, too."

"Really?"

"Um… yeah. Not to sound conceited, or anything."

"Of course not, it's fine. I mean… you don't like him like that, right?"

"He's just a friend, Naminé. If you want to go out with him, I'm fine with it."

"Okay… Wait. Who said I wanted to go out with him?!"

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Naminé pondered it over for a few days before finally saying yes. She was fairly certain she'd never care about him the same way she had cared (still cared) for Sora, but she'd try.

And once again, everything was fine for a few months. Despite the fact that almost no one had seen it coming, Naminé and Riku went well together. Riku was smart enough that he could hold the kind of intellectual conversation she needed sometimes, and Naminé was peaceful and quiet, which helped keep Riku down to earth, as well.

Unlike the relationship with Sora, it was clear the two were together, mainly due to all the little things the two did for each other (Riku helping her get seated when he came and ate over at our house, Naminé watching shows on TV she'd never have watched before but knows Riku likes, the constant casual and light-hearted banter between the two).

The two were together for a little over four months, and once again, Naminé was happy. But one day she came home acting a bit odd.

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"Naminé…? Is something wrong?"

"You could say that."

"Well…?"

"…He broke up with me."

"What?! Oh my gosh, are you okay? You're not gonna start crying, are you?!"

"No. I'm fine."

"Naminé?"

"I never… fell in love with him. I did grow to love him, and I liked spending time with him, but it's not like it was with Sora."

"Oh, that's… good to know."

"We were right, you know. He told me he likes you, which is why he can't go out with me anymore."

"…Seriously?"

"Yeah. But I don't mind; I knew that all along."

"Then why are you acting so strange? Did something else happen?"

"…He felt sorry for me."

"What?"

"It's why he asked me out. He felt sorry for me because his best friend broke my heart."

"What?! No way, Riku wouldn't do that! That's so stupid and insensitive!"

"He didn't realize that it would hurt me more in the long run. He was too blinded by his pity for me."

"I- I'm sure he never meant to hurt you…"

"I know."

"It's okay, Naminé. Give it a few days, and everything will go back to normal. It'll be just us four friends again, no more of that confusing relationship stuff!"

"Sora and Riku both like you, Kairi. It'll never be the same."

"They've always liked me! I already turned Sora down, and if Riku asks me out, I'll do the same to him!"

"…Will you kiss him, too?"

"…You know I never meant for that to happen."

"I know."

"I'm serious!"

"Sure."

"Listen to m-"

"I'm leaving here soon."

"…What? What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I can't stay here anymore. It's too awkward."

"But you belong here, with Sora, and Riku, and-"

"I've never belonged with them, Kairi. Isn't that painfully obvious by now?"

"…You belong with me."

"We're fifteen now, Kairi. You don't need me anymore."

"But…"

"Just hear me out, okay?"

"…Fine…"

"I've got this pen pal over in a place known as Twilight Town. Her name's Olette. She-"

"I didn't know you had a pen pal."

"…I didn't tell anyone about her. As I was saying, she and I have been writing each other for a little over two years now, and we agreed that if the other ever wanted to visit or needed a change of scenery, we'd go to each other. You got it so far?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I can't stay here any longer; what with the incident with Sora and now Riku, it's just too hard. So in my last letter, I asked her if I could come stay with her, and yesterday I got her reply: she said yes. I'm taking the next subway out of here and heading for Twilight Town."

"But in your last letter, you were still dating Riku, right? Why would you ask to stay with her when you were happy here?"

"…I had a feeling it wouldn't last. And I was right, wasn't I?"

"Naminé…"

"It's not like this is the end, Kairi. I'll have my cell phone with me; you can call anytime."

"…Okay."

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And that was that. Just days after we had turned fifteen, she left and I was (all alone; don't leave me!) truly on my own for the first time in my life.

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"Tell Sora, Riku, and Dad I'm sorry for not saying goodbye to them."

"Okay."

"And tell them… that I love them."

"Of course."

"Goodbye, Kairi. I… love you."

"Yeah. Bye, Naminé. I love you, too."

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Sora and Riku both felt guilty that she was gone, blaming themselves. I told them it wasn't their fault (it was mine). For a while, the three of us had a very tense time interacting, but two months after she was gone, it was like Naminé had never been there in the first place. When I finally realized the three of us had moved our friendship on without her, I felt so guilty.

It seems I was the only one who truly missed her. In our father's defense, he did occasionally say he missed her, but he was so busy with work, he didn't even have time to care for the daughter in the house (pay attention to me, Father; I'm not invisible, you know), much less one three-and-a-half hours away.

One year passed astonishingly quickly; I find it ironic that our sweet sixteen (one of the most important birthdays) was the first one we celebrated separately.

I had called her often, but her phone was usually turned off, meaning more often than not, I had to wait for her to call me to know how she was doing. She had called about a month ago to say she had met someone and told me Olette and the gang were doing okay, but didn't say much else. I was getting worried.

I resigned myself to waiting for her call when something happened; I received a phone call.

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"Hello?"

"Hello?! Is this Kairi?!"

"Uh, yes. Who is this?"

"My name's Olette! I'm a friend of Naminé's!

"Oh, yeah, she's talked about you before. What's happening? Why do you seem so frantic?"

"I- I think something bad happened to her."

"To Naminé?!"

"Yeah! I mean, lately she's been ditching us to go hang out with this guy, which, while rude, I thought was okay. She talked about him constantly, and he seemed like an okay guy, even if he was a little old for her."

"Excuse me?!"

"She was dating this pink haired guy, I think she called him Marluxia? He's like twenty-two or something, but he seemed nice enough, so I let her be, but now…"

"What happened?! Where is she?!"

"…She's not here anymore. I got home to find the room she'd been staying in a complete wreck, and a note on the table saying 'Gone to Hollow Bastion. Don't follow me'."

"WHAT?!"

"I think that guy r-"

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I had hung up, packed a few bare necessities, left voice mails explaining my absence to Sora and Riku, and boarded the next train to this mysterious place known as Hollow Bastion.

Something had happened to Naminé, and I was going to find out what.

I had been tense and unsure of what to do next and so I remained on the train even as it stopped at multiple points in the city, and then a guy with flaming red hair had gotten on and made me forget all about my troubles, at least for a while.

He was, I hated to admit, pretty hot. Not the type of guy I'd usually go for (he's clearly only in it for the sex), but I figured I'd match wits with him for a while. It had made for a good distraction.

He had been flirting with me, I knew (maybe I was flirting back, just a bit). For the little while we bantered, I forgot all about Naminé, all about my dead mother, all about the two boys who were probably worried sick about me now (I went to a dangerous city all by myself. I hope I don't die here; I never bothered to tell Dad goodbye). Hell, had our conversation lasted any longer or his proximity gotten any closer, I might have forgotten my own name. He had touched my arm at one point (hot, hot, hot; his touch burns) and it had had the strangest effect on me.

But then he was gone and the spell was broken (do you have to go so soon, Axel?).

With my only distraction from the problem at hand gone, I immediately recalled why I was there in the first place and felt terribly guilty (what kind of girl forgets about a family member in trouble just because a cute guy is flirting with her? I'm horrible…). I couldn't even bring myself to leave the train.

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I stayed there on the subway, while others got on and off. I think I may have fell asleep at some point (please tell me this is all just a dream), because I remember the conductor waking me to say I had to get off, this was the last stop.

Ironically enough, I'd ended up in Radiant Garden.

Not many people would agree to driving you to a dangerous city two hours away when you'd rudely awaken them at midnight and they hadn't seen you in ten years (one of the things I love most about Yuffie is the fact that she would).

We drove in silence, and secured a hotel for the night (I paid as a way to make it up to her for waking her up), whereupon we immediately crashed onto our separate beds.

Considering the circumstances, I had expected to sleep and wake to thoughts of Naminé, and indeed I did fall asleep thinking of nothing but finding her again.

I was highly confused when I woke the next morning thinking about fire.

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After convincing Yuffie I'd be fine on my own, I set out looking for someone who might be able to help me find Naminé (I knew it was too much to assume I'd be able to find her directly), and the first hour of my search was unsuccessful.

Then, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a local musician. He seemed familiar to me, and I realized he'd been on the subway last night. I'd ignored him then, to busy thinking about Naminé (not her; I was thinking of fire, how it burned my skin, how his touch had felt like fire; get out of my head, Axel!), but now I wish I'd talked to him.

I approached him.

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He knew Naminé. This strange boy with the weird looking instrument knew Naminé! Even more than that, he knew where she was. And he was taking me to her!

It's been over a year since I've actually seen her, and I really have missed her terribly. And now I was being lead to her (what should I say to her? How can I convince her to come back home?) by a very enthusiastic young man. The way he'd reacted when I started talking about her made it quite clear that he liked her, but he seemed nice enough for the time being, so if she happened to like him back, I'd be fine with it.

What I want to know is how he knows Sora. I mean, I suppose it would make sense for him to come here, because he's probably feeling super guilty about what's happening with Naminé, but why would this guy lie about seeing him? Unless… Naminé talked about him? Ugh, this is giving me a headache (I don't want to think about it).

We skid to a halt in front of a hotel and then the boy leading me goes barging in, me in tow.

"Excuse me!" he says to the clerk. "I'm looking for a girl who checked in here last night? She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was checked in under the name…"

I blink, his name completely escaping my hearing as he continues rambling on. It just occurred to me that we haven't introduced ourselves to each other yet. I'll have to remember to correct that wrong as soon as I see Naminé.

"What…?" I glance up at the taller boy. Odd. He seems somewhat heartbroken. Why? Was it something the clerk said?

I move my attention to the clerk. "What did you say?"

He rolls his eyes (hey, this is part of your job, no need to have an attitude about it!) and drawls, "I said, "That girl checked out early this morning". She left a message, actually."

The tall boy beside me perks ever so slightly as I bite my lip (please don't be what I think this is; please be a message leading us to you; don't run away again). He practically yells, "Really? What's it say?!"

The clerk sighs (he clearly hates his job). "Just one word. 'Sorry'."

Silence.

The boy beside me visibly deflates, aqua eyes sparkling with something like looks scarily like tears (though who am I to talk? I feel like crying, too). "Just… just like that?"

I sigh and bow my head (so close, so close, so close), shaking as I try to fight off my own tears. "…Yeah. Just like that." Just like that, she had run away again. Even to me, my voice sounds bitter.

For a moment, the boy seems to forget that he was about to cry and focuses his attention on me. "Miss…?"

I'm shaking from the effort it takes to keep from crying. "I was so close!"

So close to finding her- finding my twin sister, older than me by about three minutes. So close to finding the person I'd continually clung to all these years until she'd finally just ripped herself away. So close...

Right in the middle of a popular hotel lobby, I break down and cry.

AN- Whew! All this in one day, and it's the longest chapter yet! Please don't expect them all to be this long though. Typing up FIFTEEN PAGES is a lot of work. Anyway. I really like this chapter, even though not much progress is made. It's easier on me to do a girl's perspective for once (I'm a girl, so girl perspectives are easier for me), and I had fun coming up with their past. Whatcha think? Dramatic enough, or did it suck and prove I can't write anything even mildly tragic to save my life? I also stuck in some subtle Axel/Kairi hints in this chapter *couldn't resist*, hope you liked 'em! As always, reviews encourage me! But I still intend to at least get one chapter of my Pokémon fic done before another chapter of this, okay? Bye!