Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix
Sasuke, Momo, and Yamato © to Yamichaos27!
Kaname, Rimi, Mika, and Orochi © to me!
Chapter 6
Sitting on her sofa, Rimi continued sewing on a small pink kimono. Her daughter's birthday party was that night, and, every year, she made her daughter a new kimono, with the same number of butterflies as her age; since she was turning five, Rimi was sewing on a fifth little purple butterfly.
The front door opened and her husband entered. "Hey, darling." He kissed her. "Need anything?"
"I need you to get dressed for the party."
"Rimi… do I really have to?" He pleaded. "That thing is so uncomfortable and…"
The woman turned a scowl on him. "I spent time making that thing. Are you telling me that you don't like my work…?"
"No! No! No! I'll go put it on!"
Rimi smirked, before tying the last knot and folding up the little kimono. "There we are…"
"That is beautiful work."
"What!?" The woman jumped up, seeing Xehanort standing behind her. "Xehanort! Why are you in here; my husband didn't let you in! Get out!"
"Oh, dear Rimi, why do you run? I mean you no harm…"
"KANAME!"
There was a thudding as the captain came stumbling in, shirtless, and Dawn's Might in hand. "What is it!? Oh… Xehanort! What are you doing in here!? Get out of our home!"
The silver-haired man bowed, with a sickly grin, before leaving. Rimi sighed. "Kaname, you could be more graceful and provide a more threatening image when I call for help, instead of stumbling in without a shirt on."
The man smiled sheepishly. "Hey, I was in the middle of changing, ya know. Also, are you saying you don't think he was intimidated by these muscles?" He started flexing muscles, which were not very big but still well toned.
Rimi facepalmed. "Just shut up and get dressed!"
"Yes, ma'am…" he went back to their bedroom.
Ansem, wearing a black kimono with a white obi, sat beside his niece, who wore a blue and yellow kimono, dotted with red and purple flowers, with a yellow obi and a red obijime. Rimi smiled. "I'm so excited!"
"I know you've worked hard for this day."
"I hope they all like them…" she smiled as Kairi came up, attempting to tie her white obijime over her purple obi; the child wore the kimono her mother made for her. "Kairi, do you need me to tie that?"
"Yes, Mommy…"
As she tied the bow, Kaname stomped in. "Rimi, do I really have to wear this?" He flinched as she gave him a look. "Never mind…" The man pulled at his red kimono and white obi.
"Oh darling," Rimi finished tying her child's obijime and approached her husband, "Don't complain; you look so handsome, just like on our wedding day."
"Ohhhh, if we're going on that…" The captain caught Rimi around the waist, dipping the woman before pressing his lips to hers.
Ansem shook his head, with a smile on his face. "There are times when I question why I let you marry my niece, and times when I know exactly why."
"Which time is this?" Kaname laughed.
"I'm thinking…"
The apartment rang with laughter.
"Isa! Hurry up!" Lea shouted impatiently.
"I'm not coming out in this!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Come on, Mrs. Mae spent a lot of time making them for us, and it's for Kairi's party. It'd be an insult not to."
Lea shrugged. "Yea, I know it's weird, but it's for Kairi."
"Fine." The blue-haired boy came out into the open. "I can barely move in this thing." The three boys wore kimonos, made by Rimi; Sasuke wore a green one with a black obi, Lea had an orange one with a black obi, and Isa's was dark blue with a white obi.
"Aw come on," Sasuke said. "They're not really that bad. Personally, I feel honored to wear these to the princess's party."
The black-haired boy jogged ahead of the other two, despite his restricting clothing, carrying his gift. However, Lea turned to his best friend. "Did you tell them?"
"No… it's all for Kairi, they don't need to know about me."
"Come on!" Lea huffed. "It's your birthday too."
"Leave it alone! No one needs to know. This is Kairi's special day, and her party. They don't need to be burdened by me." Isa picked up his present for the girl.
Lea hated his friend's stubbornness, at times, but there was nothing he could do about that.
Rimi threw the door open, her smile lighting up as she saw Dilan escorting Lea, Isa, and Sasuke. "Oh, you three look so handsome! Dilan, thanks for escorting them."
The boys entered the apartment, only for Kaname to throw his arms around all their shoulders. "Hey boys!" His voice dropped to a whisper. "So, she forced you to wear those things too, huh?"
"Yep…" Lea shrugged.
"Good to know we're not alone in this," said Isa.
"Oh," the captain chuckled. "Believe me, you're not."
"And what are you talking about?" Rimi looked at them, arms on her hips an eyebrow raised suspiciously.
"Nothing!" Lea, Isa, and Kaname said in unison, causing Sasuke's eyes to roll.
"Ignore them."
Kairi ran to her three friends, "You came!"
Lea picked her up, grinning. "Of course we did! We wouldn't miss this!" He then gave her a noogie, making her giggle.
Kairi stuffed cake in her face, the red velvet and pink icing smearing on her face.
"Kairi," her mother came over, wiping her child's face. "Slow down. I know you want to get to present time, but you need to slow down."
Isa sighed, flicking his piece of cake with his fork. He jumped as a hand laid itself on his shoulder. "Isa, are you feeling well?"
The boy looked up at Kaname. "I'm fine, just tired… May I get up and walk around for a bit; it might wake me up?"
The swordsman shrugged, "Go ahead."
The blue-haired boy stood up, going outside the apartment, pacing around the hall. Someone cleared their throat, to his right; Xehanort stood, looking at the boy. "What are you doing out here? I thought you would be enjoying the party."
"I'm just taking a break… what are you doing here?"
"I was on my way to the lab," the man's golden eyes glinted. "The party is only for close friends and family, so I wasn't invited."
"Ok…" Isa went to return to the party.
Xehanort smirked. "You know, you're a very strong young man… putting the little girl before yourself…" With that, he strode away.
"Huh?" The boy stopped. How did he know…?
Lea watched as his friend left the apartment; the moment the door shut, the red-head spoke up. "Mr. Mae… there's something you need to know."
"What is it?"
"Today's Isa's birthday too." The boy said. "He didn't want anyone to know because this was Kairi's party and he didn't want to be a burden."
Kairi gasped. "It's his birthday too!? We need to throw him a party!"
Ansem smiled. "How about, after you open your presents, I'll go have the chef make a cake and a dinner for him. Dilan can escort him to the banquet hall after the party; it'll be a surprise."
"I love that idea!" Rimi clasped her hands. "Once this party's over, we'll go down to the banquet hall for his party."
The talk stopped as the blue-haired boy reentered the room. "Did I miss anything?"
"No," Kaname smiled. "We were actually about to open presents."
As they all gathered around the coffee table, Kairi sat down in Isa's lap, to open her presents. She picked out a box wrapped in gold paper. As her great uncle handed her the package, he smile. "This is from me."
"Ok!" She tore the paper off, grinning as she pulled the lid off the box, under the paper. "Aw! Uncle Ansem! I love it!" She pulled out a little lab coat, just her size.
"Now Even won't be freaking out when you come into the lab without permission. You've got an official coat now, and that's the same coat I gave to your mother when she turned 5." Ansem ruffled the girl's hair.
"Thank you, Uncle Ansem!" The little girl put the white coat on before grabbing a red bag, stuffed with white paper; she looked at the tag and grinned. "Dis is from Lea!" The paper went flying as she pulled it out. Kairi gave an excited squeal. "AW! It's so cute!"
"I knew you'd love it." The young pyro grinned as his young friend pulled out the stuffed white kitten. "There's something else in there, too." His smile only widened as the girl pulled out a scarf nearly identical to his, only a lighter yellow color. "Now we can match!"
Kairi wrapped it around her neck, excitedly. "Thank you, Fire Boy!"
"Anything for you, Flower Girl."
Kaname picked up another package. "This is from Isa."
"Ok!" The little girl took the package, pulling apart the wrapping to reveal a small book. As she read the cover, her eyes lit up. "Is this…?"
Isa nodded. "My mom talked with your Grandma and they wrote down the story she likes to tell you. There's also some pictures for you to color in that go with the story."
"Thank you so much!" She turned around, hugging the boy.
"Now for my present!" Sasuke handed her a square box, topped with a bow. His smile stayed plastered to his face as Kairi pulled the bow and lid off.
"BUNNY!" Kairi squealed excitedly. Inside the box sat a brown and white bunny, with a pink bow around its neck, who stared up at her, nose twitching. "IT'S A BUNNY!" The little rabbit allowed the girl to pick it up.
Sasuke rubbed the back of his head. "I asked your father if I could give you a pet, and he approved. I thought you might like her."
Kairi cuddled the bunny. "I love her! I'm gonna name her Daisy!"
Kaname laughed. "Ok, Kairi, let Mommy hold Daisy while you open your last present; this one's from me and Mommy."
"Ok." She handed the rabbit to her mother before grabbing the long box, wrapped in pink and purple paper. As she pulled off the paper and opened the box, she smiled. "Daddy! Really!?"
"Your mother and I agreed that you're old enough for me to start teaching you. I know, after you met Aqua, you've wanted to learn." Her father smiled as his daughter pulled out a wonderfully crafted wooden sword.
"Thank you! Thank you everybody!"
Isa sighed; the party had dwindled down to where only Lea, Kairi, Mrs. Rimi, and he were left. His best friend sat on the floor, playing with Kairi and her new bunny. He decided to help the girl's mother clean up.
"Isa," Rimi smiled at him. "Go play with the others, I can clean up all by myself."
"I don't mind helping you, Mrs. Rimi." He grabbed the broom. Honestly, he was doing this to keep his mind off the fact that his birthday was today too, but he wasn't getting a party.
The woman bit her lip. "Kairi, go put Daisy in her pen and take Lea outside. I'll escort Isa out in a minute."
"Yes Mommy…"
The blue-haired boy watched as the two left before going back to his sweeping. "Isa," Rimi grabbed the broom handle, "You sit down; I'll take care of this."
He moved to refuse, but the look in her eyes made him shut his mouth. So, he went to the couch and sat down. He watched the rabbit hop around its pen, munching on lettuce.
A hand laid itself on his shoulder, startling him. "Come along, Isa. Let's go."
"Yes ma'am." The woman walked beside him through the halls, however, he noticed that they weren't going the way towards the exit. "Mrs. Rimi, where are we going?"
"Come along, Isa…" She brought him to a large door. Pushing it open, she shooed the boy inside the dark room.
"What is going o...?"
The lights suddenly turned on, blinding the boy. "SURPRISE!" Isa stared in shock at the table full of food and the room full of guests. A banner hung from the ceiling, bearing the words "Happy Birthday Isa".
Isa's mother came up to her son, hugging him. "Happy birthday son. "
"Wh-what is this?"
"What do you think it is!?" Kaname exclaimed. "It's a surprise party!"
Kairi tackled the boy's legs. "You came to my party and now we throw you one!"
Isa looked around in shock. "But… how did you know?"
"I told them." Lea nudged his best friend. "You didn't really think I'd let you get away without celebrating your own birthday, did you?"
The blue-haired boy's face of shock, melted away into a smile. "Th-thank you… everyone…" He felt a hand grab his own; Kairi stared up at him, her kind eyes glimmering.
"Come on, Isa," She pulled him to the table. "You gotta blow out the candles!"
Isa blinked in surprise as a cake was brought out, with 16 candles decorating the top. The guest began singing "Happy Birthday" and bit his lip to hold back his tears of joy. This was the best birthday ever!
After Isa's party, everyone went their separate ways. Xehanort stared at the three boys, as Kaname led them out of the castle.
"You sure have been doing a lot of digging into those boys." Braig came and stood beside him.
The silver-haired man kept his eyes on the boys. "I find the three of them rather intriguing. In fact, they might be useful in the future."
"Looking to use a bunch of kids, eh?" The two began walking away, so as not to be heard by anyone who may pass them by. "What's so useful about them?"
"Well," Xehanort began, "there's the red-head, Lea Fahrenheit. He hold a great deal of resentment towards his father, Reno, for never being home, because of his job as a Turk. That hatred might be useful, though his closeness to the little princess is holding it back."
"I get it; if nothing else, his naivety may be useful."
"Yes," the man nodded. "And then there's Kaname's apprentice, Sasuke Kazekiri. The boy's father, Yamato, died before he was born. While not emotionally damaging, it nonetheless put a hole in his heart, and then there's his anxiety regarding his slowly dying mother. In truth, he has just as much potential as Kaname. Unfortunately, his relationship with his master seems to be filling the empty place in his heart, and is starting to mold the boy into, shall we say, a 'Mini-Kaname'. He is slowly becoming as strong willed as him. I imagine that out of those three boys, Sasuke will be the most difficult to bend to our will."
Braig grunted, "Like master, like student, it seems…"
Xehanort glanced at his compatriot, "Indeed, but there is the last one, Isa Gekko; he has quite a lot of hatred buried in his heart, more than Lea. Hatred towards his father for abandoning him and his mother. He's clever at hiding it, but he can't hide his darkness from me. Out of the boys, I believe Isa will be most useful. Tell me, Braig, what do you know of his father, Seymour?"
The sharpshooter scratched the back of his head. "I don't know much other than he was a high-and-mighty kind of guy, who took lots a trips. One time he came back, after being away for a long time, and he found out that his wife was pregnant when he left and now he had a son. Apparently, he never wanted kids; he stuck around for a few years, but eventually just left them, taking all of his money and possessions with him, including their house. Luckily, Mika was friends with Cissnei, who took them in until they could get on their feet. Last I heard, Seymour was off traveling, and hasn't come back since he left them."
"Very interesting… we shall proceed as planned. Continue attacking Kaname's will through his daughter. However, find a more reliable means, than paying off unruly rebels to do your dirty work…" Xehanort gave him a glare, just to make his point clear.
"Of course! You got it!" Braig mumbled. "Man… you can be just as scary as when you were old and wrinkly…"
Yami: Taking a break from danger and giving you a calm Isa-centric chapter. A double birthday party, too! Also a little display of Xehanort's interest in the boys. You know those gifts Kris put in remind me of my Brother and Sister story.
Kris: I did get the inspiration from his story for the presents, just saying. This was fun to take a break and get back to some fun. I'm really starting to love how dorky Kaname can be, he really just writes himself that way.
Psalm 116:5
"How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!"
