The Perfect Fall

Chapter 11- All That I've Got

About an hour later, I some how ended up at my sisters house. She seemed just as surprised as me when she opened the door to see me shivering in my thin jacket. Of course she pulled me inside her warm apartment pestering me with questions.

"What happened?" Yuffie asked walking me over to the couch where I sat down sighing from exhaustion. "Did you run away?"

"No." I answered as she sat next to me.

"Arguing with mom and dad?" She went on.

I shook my head. "No."

"Run out of gas?"

"No."

"Are you ever going to just tell me?" Her voice was finally calming. I looked at her to see her face go from shocked to worried.

"Seifer and I got into a fight..." I was hesitant to go on, contemplative of whether or not I should go into detail of what I had seen. Yuffie's green eyes looked at me carefully as she tucked a piece of her short black hair behind her ear. "His dad hit him."

"What?" She was stunned by this piece of information.

"Seifer told me not to follow him up the stairs to his parents house, but I did anyway, and him and his dad ended up arguing about Seifer's step mom. His dad ended up hitting him across the face which caused Seifer to go to the guest house, where he lives. I tried to make things better but he pushed me away," I sighed. "Then he went into his bathroom and a while later he came out trying to be all sweet, but I noticed he was drinking. I got upset about it and wanted to leave and he didn't stop me."

Yuffie sighed and looked out the window to see the early evening sky. "Do you think he gets abused a lot?"

"Well he told me that his mom was very violent and I think his dad is too, especially after tonight." I said.

It was quiet for a long while before Yuffie finally spoke. "Watch out okay?"

This kind of took me off guard and I had to quickly remember what we just talked about to even understand what she was talking about. "For what?"

"Seifer comes from an abusive background," She looked at me carefully, "it's quite possible he may end up that way himself some day."

This was hard to believe, but then again, after tonight, I wasn't too sure on anything.

---

My sister ended up dropping me off at home where Olette was waiting. The rest of my cousin's stay was fun and I made sure I made up for leaving her. Seifer and I didn't end up talking at all until he decided to drive me to school on Monday. Even in the car, we acted like nothing had happened between us. At school, Riku avoided me like usual, while Namine and I talked. This was all becoming a routine.

It was after school and I was waiting outside for Seifer to pick me up. A group of three senior girls who I had seen around before but was never aware of their names were walking my way. As soon as they spotted me, the came up to me giggling.

"Are you Kairi Hikiri?" A blonde in a short pink skirt asked.

"Yeah..." I replied. The girls started giggling again which automatically brought me back to middle school memories.

"Are you really dating Seifer Almasy?" A brunette asked with a smile.

"Yeah..." I stared at them as they began to whisper and giggle again. This was slightly annoying.

"You are so lucky!" The black haired girl in a ponytail exclaimed. I wasn't expecting to hear this at all. I wasn't even aware that people at Douglas even knew him. "He is the hottest guy ever!"

"Um..." Not sure how to answer, I just looked at them.

As if the blonde read my mind, she said, "we saw him at a party over the weekend. He ended up winning a beer pong tournament. The whole party was aware of it. He is so amazing and dreamy."

"So many girls were all over him that night too. I'm surprised you're not on his case about it. I mean, I would if I were you." The ponytail girl said. "I wouldn't be able to take the thought of sharing him with anyone."

My heart began to race from the idea of anyone but me hanging onto my boyfriend. "... Yeah. It is difficult." As if on cue, Seifer pulled up by us. He rolled down the window and smirked causing the girls to go ballistic. It was as if he was famous or something.

"We better go," the brunette smiled. "Bye!" The girls hurried off into the parking lot while Seifer and I watched them disappear between some cars. I shook my head and got into the passenger side.

"What was that about?" Seifer asked as soon as we pulled away so he could drive me to work.

"Some girls that were at the party you were at this weekend. They were telling me about it." I said not wanting to look at him.

"Oh really?" He hummed as if nothing was wrong.

"How come you didn't tell me about the party?" I asked.

"I didn't figure it was that big of a deal." He answered putting his hand on my knee. "I'm sorry if it's bothering you."

"Who were the girls hanging all over you?" I looked at him this time as we came to a red light.

"More like one girl." Seifer said looking back at me. "Fujin had a little too much to drink. Nothing happened. I was just trying to keep her from being hassled by some guys at the party." I stared at him not sure whether to believe it or not. He then leaned over and kissed me gently. "Trust me."

The way he looked at me did help, but didn't fully convince me. I nodded without saying anything the rest of the car ride. Once I got to work, he promised to pick me up afterwards. I went inside and noticed that Sora wasn't working. Rikku informed me that he had the day off. I was curious as to why he didn't let me know, but then she told me that he wanted me to go to Common Park at my break to meet up with him. I was eager to get my first half of my shift done just so I could go. When five-thirty came, I clocked out and walked in the direction toward my childhood park.

My feet just kept moving forward as I watched the children on the playground not caring about much of anything. If Seifer found out I was going to go hanging out with Sora, he probably wouldn't be too pleased and that was the exact reason he wouldn't find out. Guitar music was playing softly nearby. I saw the wild, chocolate colored hair of his sitting by a tree with a few people standing around him, watching him play. I smiled at this. His voice soon worked up some lyrics to follow the rhythm of his guitar. I stood a little off in the distance but close enough to see him playing. Once the last cords of the song he was playing stopped vibrating, the people nearby clapped. Sora smiled happily before putting his guitar to the side. A few people here and there handed him some money before complimenting him on his talent.

"Hey," I said softly as I approached him after everyone had left. Sora looked up at me and smiled. "That was really something."

"Nah," He replied placing the extra money into his guitar case. "Not really. It was just something for fun. I wasn't trying to get money."

"Uh huh." I joked sitting next to him in the soft, green grass. Sora put his guitar way and shrugged.

"I'll find good use for the extra cash. Maybe I'll give it to the animal shelter or something."

"That's really sweet of you." I brushed my hair out of my face. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree and looked up through the leaves and branches above us. I did the same thing as the wind slowly passed by, making the leaves rustle a little.

"It's something that needs to be done. That's all." He said suddenly still looking up. "There are less fortunate people, and animals, in this world and everyone could use a little more help every now and then. There are few people in this world who can make it better, at least to them."

"One of those few happens to be sitting in front of me." I said looking at him. Sora's eyes looked at me before he gave a half smile.

"Maybe." He replied. It was amazing what Sora could do to me. Just being near him brought me peace of mind.

"So, why did you want me to come to the park?" I asked curiously.

"Well, after knowing you for quite a few months now, I've realized that you get really anxious or whatever when you have something planned." He answered. "I figured we would save ourselves the trouble with your boyfriend by just being spontaneous."

I nodded at his thought process. "Speaking of which, we're not allowed to hang out anymore either, except when the band plays or we work together."

"Hum," Sora thought for a second, "that's not entirely fair. I see he's really insecure. I also see that you're the rebellious one."

I smiled. "I guess so." He grinned. Sora and I hung out a while longer before returning to work. What I had to admire about Sora was that even in the worst of situations, he always looked on the bright side.

---

"Hurry Kairi!" My mom's voice traveled upstairs. I grabbed my bag and ran down before getting into Namine's parent's car. It was already the second weekend in December and we were on our way to find out what the sex of Namine's baby is.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her.

"More like anxious." She said bobbin up and down a little.

"What are you hoping for?"

"Either."

"I hope it looks more like you than Clay." Her dad said from the driver's seat. "We don't need anymore reminders of him. That good for nothing -."

"Honey," Mrs. Takumi put her hand on her husband's shoulder to calm him down. I glanced over at Namine who looked away. By the time we got to the doctor's, I saw an old, white, beaten down truck with two people in it. Once we got out of the car, they got out of the truck.

"Hey," Roxas smiled climbing out of the driver's seat. Sora walked around the truck to meet up with us.

"You made it!" Namine hugged them both. She turned around and looked at her parents. "Mom, dad, this is Roxas and Sora."

"Nice to meet you." Roxas and Sora both shook her parent's hands.

"Much more polite than Clay." Mr. Takumi smiled.

"Is Riku coming?" I asked.

"Yeah, but not for a little while longer." Namine replied as we began to enter the building. The Takumi's signed their daughter in while we waited in the waiting room. About ten minutes later, they called us inside the examine room. The boys all sat down at the further end of the room while Namine laid in the bed with her mom and I next to her.

"Okay, Namine, this may be a little cold." The female nurse said placing a clear gel on her stomach. She then used the ultrasound camera-like object and began to smooth around. We all looked up to the screen and for the first time ever, I saw the shape of my best friend's baby. It squirmed a little but sat still as we looked around at all angles. "It looks like everything is pretty good."

"Are we going to be able to find out the sex today?" Mrs. Takumi asked.

The nurse smiled and then looked down at Namine. "You want to know?"

"Yes." Namine nodded. I could tell she was nervous as her eyes went back up to see her baby up on the screen. The nurse began to circle her stomach again before looking back and smiling softly.

"It looks to be a girl." She said. I heard a sniffle from Mrs. Takumi and looked up to see her grasping her mouth and tears rimming her eyes. Namine bit down on her lip and looked a little emotional too. "Just remember, it is still early, so this may not be all that clear. As far as I can see though, you are having a baby girl."

"Aw, my baby," Mrs. Takumi leaned over and hugged her baby. I smiled and looked back to see Sora nudging Roxas, who looked to be smirking. Mr. Takumi walked over to hug his daughter too.

---

I sat at home studying for school the last Monday before winter break. It was getting closer to sunset and the bright winter rays were shining into my bedroom illuminating my bed. It was crazy to think of everything that has happened since this school year had started. I was thrilled to hear about Namine having a baby girl. We sat together over the weekend trying to think of names for her if for sure it was a girl.

"I like Winter." Namine said as we sat in my window the day before.

"But your baby is due in spring time," I laughed. "Winter in spring is just kind of weird, don't you think?"

"How about April?" She asked.

I thought about this name, "Isn't she due in the end of May or early June?"

"Okay how about May or June then?" Her blonde hair draped her face as she looked down at her stomach which was now tenser as it was getting ready to expand for the baby.

I laughed, "You're kidding right? Namine, you don't have to name your baby after the month she's born in."

She looked up and smiled softly at me. "Roxas likes the name Jillian." I suddenly didn't know how to respond. Her hand traced her stomach gently and I suddenly saw the motherly glow that all pregnant women were supposed to have. My stomach felt light and a smile appeared on my face.

"I think it's perfect." I placed my hand on hers as she looked up with a smile of her own.

"Me too." She agreed.

I knew that Roxas and Namine had a thing going on. Whether it was official or not, they did have feelings of some sort for each other. It was clear by the way Roxas always looked after Namine when we were around. He constantly checked to make sure she was feeling okay and if she needed anything. It was cute.

"Kairi!" I heard my mother call from downstairs. "There's something for you!"

What did she mean by that? I lifted myself off of my bed and made my way downstairs. My mom, who had her purse in hand and a coat covering her, was standing at the front door pointing down at a small box that was sitting on our doormat. I walked over and picked it up. "Who left it here?" I asked.

"I don't know. I was on my way to the store when I saw it sitting there." My mom answered as she peered over my shoulder to try to see what I had. I popped open the box to see a golden heart-shaped box with a golden bow on the top left corner sitting inside. "How beautiful." My mom awed.

I pulled the golden box out and opened it to reveal a notably sweet melodic song drift into the air. Inside the red velvet interior of the music box was a note. My mom took the box as I unfolded the note to read what it had inside.

My dearest Kairi, I hope you like your 'just because' present that I got for you. The song Memory reminded me of you and I thought you might enjoy it. I hope you'll meet me for a Christmas celebration this Wednesday at my house. I will talk to you soon darling. Tell your parents hello for me. Love always, Seifer.

I couldn't believe how sweet and mature he sounded in his note. I pulled the note close and smiled at my mom who pulled me into a hug.

The Wednesday that Seifer was talking about was finally here. It was a little after four and I was finally ready. Dressed in a red strapless dress that went down to my knees, black flats, and a clutch bag as I made my way downstairs to say goodbye to my parents.

"You look so beautiful Kairi!" My mother said running her fingers through my hair and smiling widely. My dad came over and hugged me.

"He's coming to pick you up, right?" He asked peering toward the front window. I nodded looking in the same direction.

"Yeah, he should be here soon." I said straightening out my dress. Tonight was a family dinner over at the Almasy house and of course what Seifer meant by family was that a good number of close family friends, co-workers, and very few actual family members were invited. It was some sort of formal get together that the Almasy's have every week before Christmas. It became tradition when Meredith joined the family. Seifer hated it.

The doorbell rang and I quickly ran to answer it. Seifer stood in front of me dressed in a tucked in dark blue button up shirt with black dress pants and slacks. His dirty blond hair had grown a little more from when I first saw him, it was more shaggy and dangled just barely over his eyes, but not enough to cover them up which I was happy about. He smiled happily when he saw me.

"You look beautiful." He said softly as he caressed my cheek.

"Keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't get hurt." My dad said to Seifer as my dad got closer to the door.

"Of course, Sir. I'll keep her close." Seifer smiled and shook my dad's hand. My mother came over and hugged both of us before standing next to my father in the doorway as I made my way down the sidewalk. He opened the door to his dark blue sports car for me. Once I sat inside, he closed the door and made his way around the car to get in. He buckled up and started the car. I glanced out the window and saw my parents staring at the dark tinted window which I was smiling behind.

Seifer turned to me and put his hand on my leg, carefully sliding up my dress a little so his hand rested on my bare knee. I glanced to see him smiling. "Are you ready?"

"Of course." I smiled back. He nodded with a smirk and shifted into drive. We were off to enjoy the winter night.

---

We pulled up to his house in which we were lucky to find a parking spot since there had to have been over forty cars around their street. I glanced around to see people mingling outside in their well-lit front yard, people meeting and greeting through the windows inside, and of course the quiet, dark pool house where Seifer stayed. I was spacing out and was startled when Seifer opened the door for me.

"Let's go." He said holding on his hand for me. I reached for his hand anxiously as he helped me out.

"I'm nervous." I said looking at his house as we made our way up the path.

He glanced down at me and pulled me close to him. "Why's that?"

There was no way I was going to bring up what happened last time I was here with Seifer being hit by his dad and me having to walk home in the middle of the night. "A lot of people just make me nervous." I said which was actually pretty true.

"Aw," he smiled as he kissed the top of my head.

We walked inside the very busy house. Everywhere I could see was occupied by people, from elderly to young children. There had to have been nearly a hundred people here. I couldn't believe how the Almasy's could know so many people. Seifer tightened his grip and brought me into the living room where I saw his step mom and his dad talking with an elderly couple.

"Oh look!" Meredith said, shaking with some excitement that caused the Champaign in her glass to swirl around nearly slipping through the top once she saw us heading her way. She had to have been already tipsy because last time I saw her, she was so snooty.

Ignoring his step-mom, Seifer introduced me to his dad and the couple they were talking to. "Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Hook, this is my girlfriend Kairi. Kairi, this is my dad, Ken Almasy, and The Hook's who helped my dad get higher in Microsoft."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I smiled sweetly and shook their hands.

"I've heard a lot about you." Mr. Almasy said with a nod after I shook his hand. He made me nervous. I could not imagine this guy ever having a smile on his face. He looked so stern and concentrated, that is definitely where Seifer got his seriousness from.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too dear." Mrs. Hook said politely shaking my hand. The Hook's had to have been nearly eighty. They looked so fragile. What a cute old couple.

"I'm going to introduce her to some more people." Seifer said already looking bored. He put his hands on my bare shoulders and began to maneuver me through the crowd.

"Is your dad always stern?" I asked once we were out of ear shot.

"Unfortunately." Seifer replied.

Seifer took me around and began to introduce me to more people. I felt like we traced the house more than three times by the time we were done mingling. My feet were worn out and my body was aching. I admired the way Seifer talked to some of the people at the party. He was even playing with some of the kids. A few hours had past and I was more than positive it had to have been near eight.

After dinner, which was served to the large number of guests outside under a large tent in the back yard, I found Seifer talking with some guests sipping on some Champaign. I stood back as I saw some little kids tugging on his pants asking him if they could stay because their parents were about to leave. He smiled and patted their head telling him that unfortunately it was past their bedtimes and they needed to listen to their parents. I saw the little kid's parents come up and hug Seifer goodbye as they reached down to tug their children home. Seifer laughed and looked up to see me watching with a smile.

"Hey stalker." He said walking up to me.

"Hey handsome." I smiled as I hugged him.

Seifer glanced around the area before looking down at me. "Let's go somewhere private." He reached for my hand and began to lead me toward the pool house. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door before pushing it open for me to enter. I stepped inside the cool, dark room and sat on his bed. My stomach twisted a little by the time Seifer locked the door behind him and went into the bathroom. This all reminded me of the same night that I was here last. I had to remind myself that it wasn't the same night and Seifer wasn't hit by his father this time. The whole night was going a lot better. I was enjoying this time with my boyfriend.

I heard the sink turn on as I scooted at the edge of the bed, dropped my bag to the floor, and kicked off my shoes. It was still dark in his room but off in the corner near the couch and the television, there was a small lamp creating enough light for me to see better than before. The sink in the bathroom turned off and Seifer came out with his shirt un-tucked and unbuttoned. I suddenly felt hotter as he made his way closer to me. As he walked by his stereo, he flipped a switch which began to play some music.

Seifer stood in front of me and brushed aside the hair in my face. My stomach twisted and turned when I looked up to see that his hair was slightly damp. The way he looked at him me was as if he was trying to find something meaningful. He put his hand through my hair while I gently ran my finger tips down his chest. I felt the light muscle indents as I traced his abs. I never imagined this night to turn out this way.

Obviously I was still a virgin. Seifer told me that he lost his virginity while he was still in high school. I kept forgetting that he graduated two years ago and that he was only nineteen. With him being nineteen and two years out of high school and me being eighteen and a senior in high school, the gap seemed weird. Seifer gently leaned me back onto the bed while he carefully laid on top of me.

"We won't go further than you want." He whispered into my ear as he left hot kisses from my ear to my neck. He always reassured me he wouldn't pressure me into anything I didn't want to do and for that I admired him. I never really imagined how my first time would be or who with. For some reason though, I would be okay with it being right here and now. I felt safe with Seifer. I wanted to do it with someone I loved and I was with him.

I began to think about Namine and what happened to her. My stomach turned at the thought of it happening to me. "If I got pregnant, you would be there for me, right?" I asked pushing him back a little so I could see his face.

Seifer looked down at me and smiled, "of course. I would do anything for you. I'll be there for you whenever and where ever you need me." He looked me directly in the eyes when he said those words to me. I smiled and leaned up to kiss him.

"I think I may be ready for you." I whispered. He looked down at me and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand.

"We'll go slow," he whispered. "I promise I won't hurt you." I scooted back as he scooted forward so he could be on the bed. He was hovering above me as he made it to his pillows. "Sit up."

I sat up and he moved behind me. His hands traced my back and I moved my hair out of his way. The feeling was romantic with the lightly dimmed room, soft music, and the stars shinning brightly. Seifer found my zipper and slowly unzipped it. I slid the dress off of my body to reveal me in only my strapless bra and underwear. My stomach knotted up nervously when he turned to see me. He smirked and laid me back down. He slid off his shirt and laid his body onto mine. His skin was warm and soft against mine as he began to kiss me. For this being my first time, it was perfect.

Seifer pulled away and looked down at me again. I put my hand up to move his hair from his face to get a better look from a more passionate point of view. Suddenly I noticed something that I hadn't noticed before. In between his brows was a light scar- clearly not a recent one- that traveled down past his nose to about an inch under his right eye. I don't know why I hadn't seen it before, but then again, I had never seen him from this perspective either. I took my other hand and carefully traced the scar with my finger. I suddenly felt his body tense up and he quickly grabbed my wrist.

"Don't touch my scar." He said quietly and yet lethally.

"What happened." I asked as I looked up at him.

He glared looking away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?" I sat up a little. I knew I probably shouldn't egg on the conversation, but it would be in the back of my mind the whole time and then it wouldn't be as passionate as it began.

"Kairi," he sighed sitting up. "You really need to not be so god damn nosey."

I sat up too and looked at him. "I'm your girlfriend, I have the right to know."

He huffed out of annoyance, clearly not in the mood anymore, and turned to me. "My good for nothing mother gave it to me."

I knew it was serious since we never talked about Seifer's real mom. The first and last time Seifer mentioned her was at the party where I met him and he told me his parents divorced and she left with money. I sat there waiting for him to continue.

"I just finished up my Junior year and my parents were nearing the end of their divorce. My mother was in living room staring out the window with a Jack Daniel's bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other." Seifer began. I sat closer to him and looked at him carefully as he continued his story. "I had come in to check up on her to see how she was feeling. I felt bad because even though she was an alcoholic, she was drinking her sorrows away more than usual with the divorce. I asked how she was feeling and if she wanted company, but she told me to leave because she just wanted to be alone. It was clear that she was already wasted.

"Out of no where she starts screaming at me because I stood too close to her. She yells that she should have just gotten the abortion when she found out she was pregnant because she wouldn't be living like this now. It hurt hearing that. I watched her throw her empty bottle across the room and shatter against the wall. I went to clean it up because I didn't want anyone to step on the glass, especially her since I was sure she wasn't aware what she really did. Apparently she was aware because she starts yelling at me to stop cleaning it up and just have my worthless dad clean up the mess.

"I ignored her and tried to pick up some more shards, but that's when she comes up, grabs part of the bottle that wasn't all the way broken and throws it at me that hit my face. I immediately began to feel the blood drip. I got up and started screaming at my mother for being the worse mother and that she deserved whatever was coming to her." Seifer glared and tightened his hand. I was in awe at how awful the story was. I could never imagine a mother acting in such a way, then again thinking of my own mother, she was so completely opposite.

"The next day," he continued. "The next day was the last court date where my dad got full custody and my mom got some money. That was the last time I saw and heard from her. She never told me goodbye." I could tell he was still emotionally hurt from it.

"Seifer…" I said quietly to get him to look at me. When he did, I put my finger back on his scar. He jumped back and glared at me.

"I told you not to touch it." He growled. I scooted forward with concern.

"You didn't deserve that. No one deserves that. I promise, I won't hurt you. I'll be everything you need. I promise." I whispered softly as I went to touch his scar. That's when I saw something different for the first time I had been with Seifer. His eyes darkened and suddenly he looked so different. Before I realized it, I felt a hard and fast sting across my left cheek which caused my ears to ring when I heard the slap.

I was in so much shock. I didn't move, I stared at Seifer who still didn't look like himself. "I told you," He said for the third time. "Not to touch it."

"I-I, I'm sorry," I choked up, trying not to burst into tears. Never in my life had I been hit and I couldn't believe he was the one to change that. He grabbed my wrists and forced his weight onto me so I was pinned under him. My wrists were starting to hurt under the pressure, I couldn't move, I couldn't escape.

"You need to start listening to me damn it!" He screamed at me. I turned my face and began to cry. I couldn't believe this was happening. When he noticed, he got up and took heavy steps into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. As soon as he did it, I slid my dress back on, grabbed my shoes, and bag, and ran out the door.

The tears were streaming down my cheek and I cried uncontrollably. There were still people at the house not even aware of what had just happened. I slipped through some trees and ended up on the street. I walked barefoot and it tears to the corner where I sat and cried into my hands wondering how this even happened.

A/N: Sorry it took forever for me to update here! I wrote it a couple months ago... just never got my lazy butt to post it.