Author's Note: Well guys…I've been thinking about what's left of this story to tell and honestly, I don't think I can stretch it beyond 23/24 chapters. So it's safe to say we're heading into the end game now. It's been fun, and I'd like to thank everyone who's followed or favorited, and especially Yurosoku and honeysweetcutie for the reviews. I look forward to reading your reactions each chapter :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy characters. Or any name brands/restaurants/retail places used.
Chapter 19: The End of an Era
Things were back on track between Sora and Kairi, and she'd never felt happier or more in love. They had talked everything out, both apologized for everything they had done to hurt the other and promised to change the things that had pulled them apart before. They were spending more time together than they had been before, too. Sora had quit Heartless Soul and was taking a break from music to focus on work and getting ready to go to college. Kairi was shocked to learn that he'd made such a huge sacrifice but felt better when he explained it.
"The band was doomed anyway. They pretty much split up when I made the decision and I knew that would have happened even if I hadn't quit," he'd explained. "Rinoa never wanted Leon going anywhere far away or staying out too late if she couldn't be there. Tidus and Cloud were constantly butting heads and couldn't knock it off long enough to get through one practice. And Axel…well, Axel never had a problem with any of us, but he's a fucking train wreck."
"Will you try to get into another band in the future?" Kairi had asked.
"Maybe. I'd like to, probably start my own. The great thing is, Guitar Center allows leave of absence for employees who are in bands going on tour. So, I'd never have to sacrifice my job to be successful."
In the meantime, she was secretly glad she didn't have to worry about Sora packing up and leaving for weeks in the foreseeable future. She didn't want their newly rekindled relationship to start on a rocky edge.
She spent nearly every night of the week sleeping at Sora's apartment. He hadn't officially asked her to move back in, but he didn't have a problem with her being there all the time. She had brought over a small collection of outfits and toiletries so that she didn't have to drive back and forth constantly, but she wished he would just add her to the lease. She knew why he didn't though. He wanted to make sure things were truly okay first.
She found she really enjoyed having Roxas around, too. He could cook, he was hilarious, and he didn't put any strain on Sora and Kairi. He had two flaws: he was a bit of a slob, and he had a habit of falling asleep on the couch instead of in his room. Kairi remembered the first time she arrived at the apartment and found him sleeping on the couch—she'd nearly mistaken him for dead because he'd fallen asleep with his eyes partially open. Sora had found her reaction amusing and explained that it was "because Roxas has bug eyes".
The three of them spent the evenings cooking together and watching shows together or talking about life while drinking cheap booze. Kairi loved it. She felt like she had a little family there in that apartment.
XXXXXX
Kairi loved it when her schedule allowed her to meet Sora for lunch when he was working. His face always lit up when she came strolling through the doors of the store, and his coworkers always greeted her with enthusiasm. Some of them couldn't remember her name and just referred to her as "Sora's girlfriend", but she didn't mind, because they still knew who she was. If she got there and he was in the middle of closing a sale, his boss, Dave, or one of the other workers would come talk to her to keep her busy until he was finished.
On this particular day when she went to meet him for lunch, she finally met Rikku—the girl who had caused a fight between her and Sora during their breakup. Well, she supposed it was unfair to think of her that way. Rikku's text had been completely innocent and Kairi had overreacted. Regardless, she still felt her stomach tighten when she saw the girl leaning over the greeter's stand at the front of the store, her pretty green eyes shining and pink lips forming a slight pout. Her golden blonde hair was twisted into an array of braids, and it, along with her eyes, contrasted beautifully with her slightly tanned skin. She smiled brightly at Kairi.
"Heeeeyy, welcome to Guitar Center! Are you looking for something in particular today?"
Kairi cringed. Even the girl's voice was sweet, like honey. She hated her already. "Just my boyfriend," she said curtly. "Is Sora around?"
Rikku squealed delightedly. "Oh my gosh! You must be Kairi! God, Sora doesn't do anything but talk about you! I'll go find him." She bounced away, toward the back of the store.
Kairi felt guilty. Rikku was nice—overly nice, in fact—but for whatever reason, her instincts didn't want to like the girl. She didn't know why. When she had seen Rikku texting Sora and freaked out, he'd had a reasonable explanation, that she was a new hire confirming the scheduled time of her orientation. Then, the night Kairi and Sora had gotten back together, he'd reassured her that he wasn't interested in Rikku. Still, she couldn't help the feelings of jealousy she was experiencing. Maybe it was because the girl was so goddamned beautiful. Kairi felt inadequate in comparison as she caught a glimpse of her own reflection in one of the windows. Her hair looked flat and lacked shine, and her skin looked pasty. Maybe it was the design of the glass, but she thought she looked slightly chubby—her thighs and waist looked too thick. From what she could tell, Riku had a slender hourglass figure to go with her beautiful face. Bitch.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Sora finally making his way toward her. "Sorry," he called out. "I was writing the schedule and had to make some notes so I can remember where I left off when I get back." When he reached her, he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her against his side.
Kairi gave him a half-smile. "It's okay. I didn't wait too long. Ready to go?"
"Sooorrraaaa!" Rikku's high-pitched, sing-songy voice shattered the otherwise quiet environment of the store. "I need you to come help me with something before you go to lunch!"
Kairi felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in a very feline way. "She couldn't have told you that when she went to the back to get you?"
Sora sighed, rolling his eyes, and headed toward the area Rikku had yelled from.
Kairi waited impatiently for five minutes before he returned. "Are we all set to leave now? Or does Barbie need something else?"
Sora squeezed her arm lightly. "Be nice," he warned. "She's still pretty new, she doesn't know how everything works yet. She wasn't even going to bother me with it, but Dave is on a conference call."
As if on cue, Rikku appeared from around the corner. "I'm sorry for holding you up, Kairi," she said apologetically. "You guys have a good lunch, now!" She smiled and waved enthusiastically.
Kairi gave her biggest fake smile and waved back. Nice or not, she still couldn't help but hate the bitch.
XXXXXX
After her lunch with Sora, Kairi returned to the apartment. He was getting out earlier than usual, so she had planned to surprise him with dinner. She saw Roxas's car and was relieved he'd be around to help. She was by no means a terrible cook, but Roxas had surprised her with how much he knew, and he'd taught her a lot.
When she got inside, she headed to the kitchen area to start preparing everything she needed for the meal. She heard the shower running and thought nothing of it—until breathy moans from the other side of the wall punctuated the silence.
She turned as red as a beet. She hoped he wasn't doing what she thought he was doing. She and Sora had to use that shower, too. He knew she was coming back to the apartment after her meeting with Sora, so why would he be so indiscreet?
More moans, followed by a whispered "shhh, be quiet", and then a giggle came from inside the bathroom. Kairi's mouth fell open. The giggle was definitely feminine. Roxas had a girl in there with him. Definitely not what she expected after his revelation of his new condition not too long before.
She fished some earbuds out of her purse so that she could resume her task without having to listen in further on Roxas's frolicking in the bathroom. She was just finishing up dicing some vegetables when he and the mysterious girl emerged from the bathroom, both clad only in fluffy bath towels.
The girl gasped and blushed. She was pretty, with emerald eyes and long, wavy brown hair. "I'm so sorry," she squeaked. "No one was home before…"
Roxas took her by the hand and led her to his room, shooting Kairi a sheepish smile in the process. Kairi shook her head and went back to her work.
Roxas was first to re-emerge from his bedroom, and Kairi removed her earbuds, sensing that he had something to say.
"Sorry you had to meet her that way," he apologized, embarrassed. "That's Olette, by the way."
"So she wanted to go out with you after all?"
"I see you over there, looking all Judgy McJudgerson," Roxas replied defensively, "and the answer is yes. I told her everything. You were right. She still likes me." Following that, he hung his head in shame. "It's just too bad that I'll never know what it's like to have sex without a condom ever again."
Kairi threw a convenient hand towel at him. "You're an awful human being, you know that?"
Finally, a shy Olette made her exit from the bedroom, and Roxas was able to formally introduce her to Kairi. Soon, Olette's shyness faded and she was talking animatedly as Roxas aided Kairi in the kitchen. She was very sweet, with a bubbly personality that made Kairi want to be her friend immediately.
"Roxas told me you guys went to school together," Kairi said. "You been up to anything interesting since graduation?"
"Nothing over the top. I teach boot camp and Zumba classes at the 24-hour fitness center by the grocery store. You ever done Zumba?"
"I haven't." Kairi giggled. "To be honest, I have a terrible sense of rhythm. I tried out for cheerleading when I was in high school and my audition was embarrassing."
Olette smiled. "This is way different from that. I mean, there's no reason to be self-conscious. Everyone's there to have fun and get fit, no one's there to judge you. I'd love it if you'd come try a class with me some time!"
"I would love to come take a Zumba class with you, babe," Roxas interjected.
Olette winked and stuck her tongue out at him. "I wasn't asking you." She turned her attention back to Kairi. "I'm gonna start teaching aqua Zumba classes in the summer, too. I bet you'd have loads of fun at one of those! I really wanna open up my own studio someday."
The front door opened, signaling Sora's arrival home. "It smells absolutely amazing in here," he said blissfully.
"All kudos goes to your wife-to-be", Roxas said, making Kairi blush.
"Hey Olette," Sora said brightly as he noticed the brunette. "Haven't seen you in literal years. What's up?" He looked over at Kairi, addressing the next part to her. "Olette was really into photography in high school. She did the photoshoot for Ynitsed."
"I think I still have all those pictures on my laptop," Olette laughed. "We should go through them some time for nostalgia's sake."
Roxas's eyes glazed over. "Those were the days, man. I'd love to be back in a band."
"Let's do it, bro!" Sora gushed. "You and me. We can get on Craigslist or something and post an ad."
Kairi cocked her head to the side with curiosity. "Roxas was in your band? Somehow I don't think I knew that."
"Oh, yes," Olette practically swooned. "Roxas was the lead vocals. He sings like an angel, believe it or not."
Roxas cast a smug look at her. "Why, Olette, if I didn't know better, I'd think you had a crush on me back then."
She giggled and blushed. "The world will never know."
"Dinner's ready," Kairi chirped. "Let's dig in! I'm excited to find out how this turned out."
"Wait," Sora stopped her. "Let Olette and Roxas go ahead…I need to see you in the bedroom."
Roxas and Olette exchanged an eyebrow-wiggling look.
"Oh, stop," Kairi scoffed. "Sora and I keep our sex life private, unlike some people."
Sora raised a hand and shook his head. "I don't want to know what that means."
Kairi laughed and followed him to the bedroom. "What do you need to see me about, sugar?" She crooned flirtatiously.
He gave her an appreciative smile. "Well, as I'm sure you probably know, our third anniversary was supposed to fall on this week. We hadn't discussed it, so I wasn't sure if it was something we wanted to acknowledge because of the…circumstances."
"Right…" Kairi said softly. "Does it still count if we broke up for two months?"
"I thought it could. And whether you agree or not…I got you something." He moved to the closet and opened his little safe, producing a black jewelry box.
Kairi gasped. It was too big to be a ring box, but she was still touched that he was about to give her a thoughtful (and probably expensive) gift.
He handed the box over, and she wasted no time opening it. Inside was a beautiful necklace. The chain was dainty and silver and hanging from it was silver heart and a silver key, both shimmering with diamond chips. "Oh, god," she whispered. "Sora, this is absolutely beautiful."
"You hold the key to my heart," was his cheesy reply, and he chuckled. "I pawned your promise ring and used the money for that necklace."
Kairi frowned at him, partially disappointed at the news. "Why did you do that?"
"You know I'm not a spiritual person and I don't believe in superstitions…but like I said, that ring is the ring Nate proposed to my mom with." Sora rubbed the back of his head, looking uncomfortable. "Their relationship was crazy toxic and ended in disaster. And when we were fighting…when we broke up, I felt like I was seeing some of the same things I saw in them. So, I decided I didn't want you to have that ring back. Not because I've changed my mind about wanting to spend the future with you, but because you wearing that particular ring feels…wrong. Like a curse." He laughed nervously. "Next time I get you a ring it'll be a new one. Not a hand-me-down from a doomed relationship."
Kairi accepted that explanation. The thoughtfulness and care he'd put into the situation were enough to override the disappointment she'd felt in knowing she wouldn't be seeing the ring she'd worn for nearly a year again.
She pulled him in close to her and gave him a tender kiss on the lips. "I love you. Happy anniversary."
XXXXXX
The first bit of roommate drama occurred just a few weeks later. Kairi and Sora returned to the apartment after having gone for groceries, and Kairi could feel the tension in the air as soon as she stepped through the door.
Roxas was seated on the couch, his elbows resting on his thighs and his fingers steepled, glowering in her direction. She felt a chill run through her blood when she saw his face. His expression wasn't meant for her though, she learned as Sora walked through the door behind her and Roxas's expression darkened. Olette was sitting off to the side looking extremely uncomfortable.
Sora dropped his bags at his feet when he took in the sight of Roxas. "What's this about, dude?" He sounded pretty casual for being on the receiving end of the type of death glare Kairi had never seen Roxas wield before.
"Are you really gonna stand there and act like you have no fucking idea?"
Sora shrugged, looking puzzled. "I'm not acting."
"Well, here's a hint—I got called into a meeting with my boss today about that little stunt you pulled at my workplace."
Kairi turned her attention to Sora just soon enough to catch the glimpse of worry that crossed his eyes.
"Is it really that big of a deal?" He questioned, sounding unsure of himself.
"You could have gotten me fired." Roxas snarled. "They know who you are. They know you live with me. They thought I had something to do with it, that I helped set you up."
Roxas was an assistant manager at a thrift store—Kairi was really dying to know what Sora could have done. Her phone buzzed. Olette was texting her from the couch.
This is super awkward.
Olette made eye contact with her and Kairi nodded her confirmation.
Noticing Sora was looking very small, she spoke up. "What did you do, Sora?"
He didn't answer.
"Do you want to tell her, or should I?" Roxas asked.
"I'll tell her," Sora said glumly. He sucked in a deep breath before launching into his confession. "The other day when I was bored, I went up to Roxas's store to see if they had anything good in. And they did. They had one of those Apple watches behind the counter. I was curious if it was something I'd like, so I bought it. It was pretty cool—but even used they asked for sixty bucks for it. I thought that was pretty steep and I felt bad about spending it.
"So, I decided to take it back. Except I kinda liked the watch. So, I put an old crappy watch I had laying around in the box and then took it back to return. They didn't look at it thoroughly when they processed the return, so I got away with it. I had a whole excuse ready if they noticed…"
"Oh, Sora." Kairi stared at him in disbelief. "That was wrong. That was so very wrong of you."
He looked ashamed. "Yeah, I know."
"They want the watch back," Roxas cut in, "and you are not allowed in my store again. The associates have all been warned to send you packing if they see you." He stood up. "And when you take that watch back—tomorrow—you will apologize to my boss. In fact, you owe me a huge apology and a thank you, too. Because I defended your fucking ass and convinced them not to escalate it legally."
"I'm sorry. I'm really fucking sorry," Sora said, looking sincere. "I dunno what I was thinking…I've never done something like that before."
Roxas didn't look any less angry. "You picked a great goddamn place to start." He turned to Olette. "Let's go for a walk. I need a smoke."
When the pair left, Kairi remained silent. She hoped her demeanor was enough to relay how disappointed she was. She didn't feel the need to verbalize it since Roxas had done an adequate job of that. Fortunately for Sora, his friendship with Roxas was old and strong enough to weather this type of storm, and in a matter of days Roxas had seemingly forgiven it all and gone back to treating him as though nothing had ever happened.
XXXXXX
Sora and Kairi were trying to take things slow—at least, they had convinced themselves they were, though most would argue that Kairi staying over five or six nights a week was hardly different from moving back in all the way.
Unfortunately for them, Heidi was nearing her first anniversary with her boyfriend, Jeremy, and was already jumping at the bit for him to propose to her. Given her age, she didn't want to waste her time with relationships that wouldn't end in marriage, and she wasn't willing to wait for a man to decide he wanted to marry her. This meant she spent a lot of time projecting her desires onto Sora.
"Three months of your salary, Sora!" She would loudly remind him for the nth time. "That's how much you should be spending on her ring. "You better not get her anything that costs less than four thousand. This girl deserves a rock for putting up with you."
"Mom!" Sora would sputter, red-faced, and Kairi would attempt to diffuse the tension while assuring him that she did not need a $4,000 ring.
Heidi's aggressiveness was putting a major damper on their spirits. Sora hadn't been ready to consider marriage before the breakup, and that certainly hadn't changed now. The pressure his mother was putting on him was stressing him out.
Kairi dreamed nonstop of the day she would marry Sora, but she knew they weren't at an appropriate stage to discuss it. The more Heidi harped on about it though, the more she felt herself wishing it could happen.
This, in turn, caused tension between Kairi and Sora, because Kairi was starting to wonder when it would be okay to discuss a timeline for getting married and having kids, and Sora wanted less and less to do with it the more he had to hear his mother talk about it.
One day, he finally blew up at his mom. She'd gone over her usual spiel, and he exploded.
"Jesus Christ, Mom!" He bellowed. "If you want Jeremy to propose to you, talk to him about it! If he doesn't want to marry you, leave him! Kairi and I will decide when we are ready to get married, so stay the hell out of it!"
Heidi stared at him in shock, blinking rapidly and her mouth open. For a moment, she looked angry and like she was going to yell back, but she changed her mind. She became extraordinarily quiet for the rest of her visit, and it wasn't too long after that she headed home, leaving Sora and Kairi alone and at peace in the apartment.
Once she was gone, Kairi braced herself and asked the question she'd been dying to ask for weeks since this debacle started. "When do you want to get married?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, now she's brainwashed you," Sora grumbled, looking exhausted.
"No, she hasn't!" Kairi protested. "I mean, I don't want to rush anything, but I also think it's something we should talk about. We're in this for the long haul, right? So shouldn't we know what we want to see in our future?"
His expression softened. "Okay, you're right. We're so young though. We have all the time in the world to figure this out."
Kairi shook her head. "You're just thinking about how you feel about this. You haven't asked me how I feel."
He sighed. "Okay. How do you feel?"
"Well…I always thought I'd like to be a mom when I'm 25." She twiddled her thumbs nervously. "Of course, I don't want to just get married and immediately have kids. I want to get married and have some time—maybe a couple of years—to spend as a married couple, just the two of us going on adventures and getting ready to settle down with kids. Then of course, if you have a big wedding it takes around a year or more to plan…"
"So basically…you're saying if we followed your timeline, I'd have one year to propose to you."
She peered at him hopefully as he considered what she'd said. "It's just how I always pictured my life going. When we got together and things started to get serious I started to think about these things a lot."
"Kairi…I can't promise you that." He made eye contact with her and she could see pain in his eyes. "I've watched so many relationships crash and burn. My mom and Nate, my mom and Chris, probably her and Jeremy too! I'm not even sure I believe in marriage after all that. And what about school, for both of us? Our careers? I can't marry you if you've got all this unpaid student loan debt."
Kairi's chest tightened as she listened to him talk. The things he was saying, though they may have been true, sounded a lot to her like excuses.
"I don't understand," she said quietly. "I feel like you're trying to tell me marriage isn't an option for us. Is that so? Because I don't think I can accept that."
She could see Sora starting to fret internally. "No, I'm not trying to say that." He was struggling to say the right thing now; the thing that would express how he was feeling appropriately without being offensive to Kairi. "I'm just…I'm not ready, okay? I need more time to think about this. I'll let you know when I'm ready to talk about it."
Kairi swallowed hard, knowing that he was just sweeping it under the rug. Her gut told her that he would never bring it up on his own. She would have to lead the charge. However, she knew she'd be getting nowhere with the subject now. She would have to respect his request for more time and make a judgment on when he'd had enough.
She forced herself to smile, though on the inside her heart ached, and said, "okay. Take all the time you need."
Author's note: Every time I've written the band name "Ynitsed" for this story I've asked myself, "how on earth would that be pronounced out loud?"
The answer is: I have no idea. Probably pronounce the Y like a long E. But that's above my pay grade.
There will be a time skip after this chapter; this one is already mostly pointless filler content. See you next time!
