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Author's note: Thanks for all the nice reviews!!! ^^ Remember: The more reviews I get, the faster the nxt chapter comes up!
I have to know if people like it so I don't just dump it ya know. ^.~ So anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
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The bell rang and Kairi walked out of her classroom. She walked silently down the hall a little ways, but Sora and Riku
quickly came running up behind her with joyous laughs. Riku was walking infront of the group, backwards.

"Tomorrow's my birthday, guys! You two are coming to my house to celebrate, right?" he said joyously.

Kairi and Sora nodded. "Fifteen already, you're lucky." Kairi said.

Riku shrugged it off. "Eh, it's no big deal. Say Kairi.... Sora and I were thinking, and do you think that maybe he and I
could stay at your house for a little while tonight?

Kairi bit her lip. "Um, I don't think my foster parents would allow that.... can't we meet at the paoupu tree as usual?"

The two boys exchanged looks. "Well, it's just that we've never seen the inside of your house..." Sora said innocently.

Kairi giggled some, as she was expected to. "Well, it's just that there isn't really much to see. I'll meet you guys at
the paoupu tree at six."

The three had reached Kairi's house and she walked in with a smile, waving to them. As soon as she was in however,
she glanced aroundn at all the mess and clutter, letting out a deep sigh. It seemed her foster parents had gone out, so she
went into her room and dropped her backpack to the floor.

She layed on her back apon the bed, staring up at the ceiling with her hands behind her head. "That was close... I
wasn't really sure what I would say to them if they'd actually come over... this place is a mess... they'd suspect something
for sure..."

Kairi closed her oceanic eyes and let out a tear. She opened her eyes again and took out her locket, peering inside
at the picture of her parents that she barely knew. More tears began to streem down her face, and as she cried, she put her
face in her pillow and softly cried out for her mother and father, her real mother and father.

A few hours later, her parents arrived home, with the food items to cook supper. It was around five o'clock-- Kairi's
foster parents liked to eat early. She had fallen asleep, so she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She stood up, and looked in the
mirror, seeing that her eyes were no longer swollen and red from crying, much to her relief.

"Kairi!!!" called her foster mother up the stairs, "Get down here and help me with dinner!"

Kairi was reluctant to leave her room, but knew better than to disobey. She ran down the stairs, and into the kitchen,
ready for the orders she was sure to recieve from her foster mother.

"Set the table and cook the burgers already Kairi, my head hurts." said her foster mother, taking out a ciggarette and
inhaling deeply.

Kairi nodded without a word and took out some paper plates, moving over some papers on the table to set them down.
Her foster father sat in a chair, reading the newspaper without a care.

"The burgers are burning! Can't you do anything right, girl!?" the woman yelled.

"I'm sorry." Kairi replied, running over and flipping the burgers, that weren't really burnt at all.

"You're going to drive me insane one day." came the woman's harsh voice.

Getting glasses for them to drink out of from the dishwasher, one of them was still wet with water. It slipped through her
hands, making a loud crash on the floor. Immediately, Kairi bent down, starting to pick up the pieces of glass with her hands. But
Kairi's foster mother grgabbed her by the arms quickly, pulling her up and shaking her violently.

"Can't you do anything right?!" the woman screamed, shaking her hard, her grip tight, giving Kairi bruises.

"I'm sorry!" Kairi yelled, eyes filled with fear.

"Oh, you bet you're gunna be!" came the woman's reply, taking her fist, and beating down on Kairi's weak, slender body.

Kairi screamed in a mixture of both fear and pain, as she was continually struck by her stepmother's fists. But the more she
screamed, the harder the beating was. Kairi's eyes were now filled with tears as she was struck again and again, wishing for someone,
anyone, to save her. But her foster father just sat, despite all the commotion, reading his newspaper, without even glancing up to see
if Kairi was alright, or what his wife was so upset about.

But what no one noticed, was that outside, were Riku and Sora. They had suspected something all along and came to check
on Kairi. There eyes were filled with horror as they watched their friend and crush be beaten, neither one of them sure what they should
do.

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Author's note: Alright, now I have made a new rule. I will not put up the next chapter until I get at least 3 reviews. After all, I need
to know that you people like this so I'm not just waisting my time. And if you don't like the story, then that's cool too! Just any
review on this would be great, especially how I could make it better, what I've done wrong... blah blah blah. Thank you! ^^
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