As I waited tables at Songbird one night in early December, my stomach started to feel queasy. I rubbed my tummy, my face scrunching up. I shrugged it off. It was probably nothing. As the night dragged on, however, the feeling only got worse. I began to get paranoid, constantly looking over my shoulder. I felt like I was in real danger. When a hand came to rest on my shoulder, I practically jumped out of my skin.
"Woah! Are you okay, sweetie? You look pale," Selphie asked, concern drowning her words. I gave her an un-convincing smile and nodded.
"Yeah, just feeling a little weird, that's all." I was shaking slightly. Something was wrong. I wrung my hands nervously, something normally only Namine did. That's when it hit me. Namine! Something must have happened. I ran into the kitchen, almost knocking Sora over as I pushed to get outside. I had to call her. I had to make sure she was okay.
"Hey! Kairi, slow down. Where's the fire?" he asked good-naturedly. I should've smiled—played it off—but I was too worried about my twin sister.
"Sora, I need to call my sister. Let go. Please," I begged, pulling against his grip. He tightened his hold on me.
"Kairi, calm down. What happened?" My frustration began to get the better of me. Since Namine and I were little, we'd always been able to tell what the other was feeling. However, I didn't have time to explain twin telepathy at the moment.
"I don't know, but something must have! Don't ask me how I know, I just do."
Sora opened his mouth to argue with me when my cell phone began to ring. We both looked at the screen, looking at a picture of Namine in front of the art school she went to—her contact picture. After only a moment of hesitation, I answered.
"Hey," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. I knew that if I freaked out, Namine would only spaz out worse. I needed to keep her calm.
"Kairi? I need you…" she trailed off. A lump rose in my throat and I mentally kicked myself for ignoring my gut earlier.
"I know. I'll be there as soon as I can. Where are you?" I was already searching my apron for my keys. Upon remembering I'd left them in my purse, Sora pulled his out of his pocket. I nodded silently as I followed him out into the parking lot.
"Outside the café on 7th. Please hurry…" Namine broke into sobs as I climbed into Sora's old pick-up truck and buckled my seatbelt. My heart hurt as I listened to my sister cry. Someone had hurt her, and I was definitely going to get revenge. I stayed on the phone with Namine until we pulled into the little cafe. It being the middle of December, it had started to snow on the way there. I threw open the door before the truck had managed to slide to a stop on the now-icy roads. Getting to my sister was my only priority.
She was freezing. Snow had collected on top of her head and shoulders, but I wasn't sure whether she was shivering from the cold or fear. I pulled her to her feet, leading her to the warm cab of the truck. I placed her between me and Sora, hoping our body heat might begin to warm Namine up while also helping with the shock. She managed to lay her head in my lap as we drove, bawling as she told me her sad, yet familiar tale. A male coworker had made a move on her again, only this time, it was her manager. She had been respectful at first, but then he had gotten physical. Shaking with fear and anger, she had run away. By the time she was aware of her surroundings, she was half-way down main street and it was snowing. She hadn't had time to grab her coat.
Sora pulled up in back of the Songbird, leading us through the back door and up the stairs, to his and Riku's apartment. He silently went into the bathroom, ran a hot bath for Namine, and left. I helped Namine get into the tub to soak and sat with her for a little while, repeating my mantra of "everything's going to be all right." When she had finally stopped crying, I gathered her wet clothes and promised her that we'd find her a better job without so many shady people. She giggled shakily before smiling and thanking me. I searched the hall for the laundry room, but wound up in the kitchen, where Sora was standing over the hot stove.
"The washer and dryer are behind the sliding door in the hall, on the right. I pulled out some of Yuffie's clothes for her to wear, but if they don't fit she can borrow a pair of my sweat pants and a sweater. I've already called your parents and explained what happened. Due to the icy roads, we both agreed it would be better if you two stayed the night here. Yuffie said Namine can sleep in her room," he explained, gesturing to a pile of dry clothes sitting on the table in the kitchen. I turned to leave, but something stopped me.
"Thank you," I said quietly. Sora's kindness had brought tears to my eyes. Hearing my watery reply, Sora flipped around, a surprised look on his face.
"It's no problem! Really! Riku was the one who suggested you guys stay, and Yuffie's excited to have someone sleep over. Ah, I didn't mean to make you cry, Kairi. I'm sorry," he babbled, flustered words and heart-felt apologies falling from his lips. Seeing him then, my heart began to swell, and I smiled. Before I realized what I was doing, I'd walked across the kitchen and pulled him into my arms, my lips right by his ear.
"Thank you so much for helping my sister. You have no idea what it means to me." I tightened my grip on him, pulling him closer. He was the only thing anchoring me to the shore. Without Sora, I would have floated out into a sea of despair. His arms wrapped around my waist and I felt like I was home. I felt Sora chuckle and my cheeks heated up.
"You should probably get Namine's clothes into the wash and hand her that fresh pair. I'm sure she's tired of waiting for them."
I released Sora quickly, as if he'd been made of fire, grabbed the clothes, and rushed out of the room. How could I have held him so intimately? God, I was an idiot. On the other hand, he had held me, too. After I handed Namine the fresh clothes, I threw her old ones in the washer, watching them spin around in a sea of colors and suds. I had no idea what I was going to do next, but something told me I didn't have to figure it out on my own. I had friends to help me, now. This thought only rekindled the fire in my heart fueling my determination to help Sora and Riku. To stop Xehanort, no matter what he was planning. However, it also reminded me that I couldn't do it alone. Just as Sora had helped me rescue my sister, I needed help rescuing him. And I had an idea on where I was going to find it.
Ah! I'm so sorry this took so long, guys! I knew how I wanted to tie Namine into the story, but I didn't know how I was going to write this scene. I didn't want it to turn out bad, so it took me like, 2 weeks (or something like that. Not like I'm good at tracking time) of writing, deleting, and rewriting in my head to figure it out! For those of you who are wondering, Roxas is going to show up in the next couple of chapters. Thanks again to those of you who are reviewing, following, and favoriting. It really does help me get these chapters out faster and with better quality. Stay tuned for the next installment.
