Disclaimer: Insert interesting disclaimer.
I am so bored it hurts. Please review after you read, I'm suffering from loss of motivation.
~~
Riku rested on Kairi's bed, the younger red-haired girl sleeping fitfully, curled up at his side. He watched her as she slept, obviously troubled by the lack of parental love even in her dreams. He stroked her hair, amazed by the color, it reminded him of autumn, and he thought it fit her personality perfectly.
She whimpered a little and snuggled further into Riku's side, shivering slightly. He grabbed a blanket and pulled it over her, tucking it around them. She relaxed and he continued stroking her hair.
He stopped suddenly when he noticed a small mark on her cheek, hardly visible, but definitely there. He wondered about it for a while before shrugging it off. She had been so upset when he got there, her parents hadn't even said goodbye, they just left her there. She had wanted to forget about it, saying it didn't matter. To Riku, it was a serious issue, but to Kairi, it was everyday life.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when she sat up, still sleepy, but too excited to go back to sleep.
"Riku.. I thought you were going to take a nap. How long have you been awake?" She asked, yawning.
He smiled up at her, "I couldn't sleep." He said innocently, brushing her hair out of her eyes. He remembered the mark he saw on her cheek and ran a finger over it, sitting up to get a better look.
"Kairi, what is this?" He asked, touching the small spot with his finger. She ambled over to her mirror and examined it.
She blushed when Riku appeared behind her, gazing questioningly at her reflection. She ran her hand over it and turned to face him.
"It's nothing, really. Last night, me and my step mom got in an argument, right after I got home. She asked me where I had run off to and when I wouldn't tell her, she slapped me." She stated quietly, looking away from him.
Riku was positive he hadn't head her correctly. "What?" He asked, grabbing her shoulders and looking worriedly at her, "Your stepmother slapped you and left a mark?" He still couldn't believe it.
Slowly, Kairi nodded, nervous about his reaction. She didn't want him to do anything stupid, such as pick a fight with her father over her treatment.
Still, she couldn't help but smile at the concern in his eyes. "Merry Christmas, Riku." She said, trying to change the subject. He opened his mouth to say something about her father, but she pressed her lips against his, muffling whatever rude sentence he had been about to say.
~
Riku and Kairi walked slowly down the sidewalk, admiring the Christmas lights in front lawns. Kairi was about to comment on a line of small snowmen decorating one house, but she was cut off when a blitzball slammed into Riku's chest, knocking him off his feet. He pulled himself to his feet, stumbling and clutching a blitzball to his sore ribs. Tidus, Wakka, and Sora all run up from different directions.
"Sorry about that, Riku. Guess we caught you off guard!" Tidus laughed, shoving Sora playfully.
Riku scowled darkly around at the three boys, holding the blitzball up so they could all see it. "Who threw it?" He asked challengingly.
Tidus and Sora immediately pointed accusing fingers toward Wakka, "It was him!" they cried simultaneously. They caught the familiar glint in Riku's eyes and dashed away, leaving Wakka by himself.
"Heh, sorry 'bout that, man…" He said, trying to sound friendly. He smiled once before dashing off after the other two boys, Riku right behind him, the blitzball aimed at his friend's head.
Kairi laughed as she watched the four teens chase each other down the street, Riku missing Wakka by inches and finally tackled him, giving up on using the blitzball. Selphie trotted up beside Kairi, joining in with her laughter as they watched the two boys wrestle playfully in the frosty grass of Sora's lawn. After a while, Tidus and Sora began to feel left out, so they dove onto their two friends, Tidus helping Riku and Sora helping Wakka. Their shouts reverberated up and down the street, bringing them disapproving looks from their neighborhood.
Kairi yelped when she noticed the tall blonde man standing beside her. She blushed after a moment, recognizing him as being Sora's friend Cloud.
He cleared his throat, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He said calmly, flexing his wing as he stared down at her.
"Oh, hi, Cloud! I didn't see you there! What's up?" Selphie chirped, smiling sweetly at him.
He shifted his gaze from Kairi to Selphie, "Not much, what are they doing?" He asked, motioning over to the heap of exhausted teenagers, still wrestling in the grass.
Selphie and Kairi both laughed, watching as Tidus turned on Riku and assisted his friends in pinning him to the ground. Riku gave up and rested his chin in his hand as the three other boys seated themselves on his back to keep him from moving. He shifted his gaze over to Kairi and gave her a small wave. She giggled and waved back, receiving a curious look from Cloud.
"They're going out, cute, huh?" Selphie giggled, causing Kairi to blush. She hadn't been aware that everyone knew. She grew even more uncomfortable under Cloud's heavy gaze, something about him startled her.
"He's a good man, despite his dark history. You shouldn't be afraid to trust him." He stated, turning to watch the boys as Riku struggled to escape.
Kairi gasped when she heard Cloud's statement, spinning to look up at him. How could he possibly have known..? She thought to herself, not able to recall telling anyone about her recent troubles. She turned back to watch Riku grimace in pain as he struggled under the three other boys. It was beginning to get rather violent, Tidus had accidentally let something slip about Kairi and in reflex, Riku had yanked his arm free, slamming his elbow into the side of Sora's face. Sora, in turn, had kicked Wakka in the ribs, causing him to fall over onto Tidus, who began panicking.
Kairi began to run forward, stopping abruptly when Cloud grabbed her arm, "I'll take care of it." He said, dashing toward the four quarreling teens.
Moments later, Cloud returned, dragging Riku behind him.
"Perhaps you would like to keep better track of this in the future?" He asked jokingly, releasing Riku at Kairi's feet and smiling behind the cloth covering his face.
Riku sat with his arms linked around his knees, smiling sweetly up at Kairi and ignoring his bloody nose. "Hi." He said innocently.
Kairi laughed and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, holding it against his nose and trying to get him to stop tilting his head backwards.
"I think you're a bad influence on them." She said, laughing as she watched the other three boys begin pestering Cloud. She smiled down at Riku, wiping the blood from his face.
~~~~
I am so bored it hurts. Please review after you read, I'm suffering from loss of motivation.
~~
Riku rested on Kairi's bed, the younger red-haired girl sleeping fitfully, curled up at his side. He watched her as she slept, obviously troubled by the lack of parental love even in her dreams. He stroked her hair, amazed by the color, it reminded him of autumn, and he thought it fit her personality perfectly.
She whimpered a little and snuggled further into Riku's side, shivering slightly. He grabbed a blanket and pulled it over her, tucking it around them. She relaxed and he continued stroking her hair.
He stopped suddenly when he noticed a small mark on her cheek, hardly visible, but definitely there. He wondered about it for a while before shrugging it off. She had been so upset when he got there, her parents hadn't even said goodbye, they just left her there. She had wanted to forget about it, saying it didn't matter. To Riku, it was a serious issue, but to Kairi, it was everyday life.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when she sat up, still sleepy, but too excited to go back to sleep.
"Riku.. I thought you were going to take a nap. How long have you been awake?" She asked, yawning.
He smiled up at her, "I couldn't sleep." He said innocently, brushing her hair out of her eyes. He remembered the mark he saw on her cheek and ran a finger over it, sitting up to get a better look.
"Kairi, what is this?" He asked, touching the small spot with his finger. She ambled over to her mirror and examined it.
She blushed when Riku appeared behind her, gazing questioningly at her reflection. She ran her hand over it and turned to face him.
"It's nothing, really. Last night, me and my step mom got in an argument, right after I got home. She asked me where I had run off to and when I wouldn't tell her, she slapped me." She stated quietly, looking away from him.
Riku was positive he hadn't head her correctly. "What?" He asked, grabbing her shoulders and looking worriedly at her, "Your stepmother slapped you and left a mark?" He still couldn't believe it.
Slowly, Kairi nodded, nervous about his reaction. She didn't want him to do anything stupid, such as pick a fight with her father over her treatment.
Still, she couldn't help but smile at the concern in his eyes. "Merry Christmas, Riku." She said, trying to change the subject. He opened his mouth to say something about her father, but she pressed her lips against his, muffling whatever rude sentence he had been about to say.
~
Riku and Kairi walked slowly down the sidewalk, admiring the Christmas lights in front lawns. Kairi was about to comment on a line of small snowmen decorating one house, but she was cut off when a blitzball slammed into Riku's chest, knocking him off his feet. He pulled himself to his feet, stumbling and clutching a blitzball to his sore ribs. Tidus, Wakka, and Sora all run up from different directions.
"Sorry about that, Riku. Guess we caught you off guard!" Tidus laughed, shoving Sora playfully.
Riku scowled darkly around at the three boys, holding the blitzball up so they could all see it. "Who threw it?" He asked challengingly.
Tidus and Sora immediately pointed accusing fingers toward Wakka, "It was him!" they cried simultaneously. They caught the familiar glint in Riku's eyes and dashed away, leaving Wakka by himself.
"Heh, sorry 'bout that, man…" He said, trying to sound friendly. He smiled once before dashing off after the other two boys, Riku right behind him, the blitzball aimed at his friend's head.
Kairi laughed as she watched the four teens chase each other down the street, Riku missing Wakka by inches and finally tackled him, giving up on using the blitzball. Selphie trotted up beside Kairi, joining in with her laughter as they watched the two boys wrestle playfully in the frosty grass of Sora's lawn. After a while, Tidus and Sora began to feel left out, so they dove onto their two friends, Tidus helping Riku and Sora helping Wakka. Their shouts reverberated up and down the street, bringing them disapproving looks from their neighborhood.
Kairi yelped when she noticed the tall blonde man standing beside her. She blushed after a moment, recognizing him as being Sora's friend Cloud.
He cleared his throat, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He said calmly, flexing his wing as he stared down at her.
"Oh, hi, Cloud! I didn't see you there! What's up?" Selphie chirped, smiling sweetly at him.
He shifted his gaze from Kairi to Selphie, "Not much, what are they doing?" He asked, motioning over to the heap of exhausted teenagers, still wrestling in the grass.
Selphie and Kairi both laughed, watching as Tidus turned on Riku and assisted his friends in pinning him to the ground. Riku gave up and rested his chin in his hand as the three other boys seated themselves on his back to keep him from moving. He shifted his gaze over to Kairi and gave her a small wave. She giggled and waved back, receiving a curious look from Cloud.
"They're going out, cute, huh?" Selphie giggled, causing Kairi to blush. She hadn't been aware that everyone knew. She grew even more uncomfortable under Cloud's heavy gaze, something about him startled her.
"He's a good man, despite his dark history. You shouldn't be afraid to trust him." He stated, turning to watch the boys as Riku struggled to escape.
Kairi gasped when she heard Cloud's statement, spinning to look up at him. How could he possibly have known..? She thought to herself, not able to recall telling anyone about her recent troubles. She turned back to watch Riku grimace in pain as he struggled under the three other boys. It was beginning to get rather violent, Tidus had accidentally let something slip about Kairi and in reflex, Riku had yanked his arm free, slamming his elbow into the side of Sora's face. Sora, in turn, had kicked Wakka in the ribs, causing him to fall over onto Tidus, who began panicking.
Kairi began to run forward, stopping abruptly when Cloud grabbed her arm, "I'll take care of it." He said, dashing toward the four quarreling teens.
Moments later, Cloud returned, dragging Riku behind him.
"Perhaps you would like to keep better track of this in the future?" He asked jokingly, releasing Riku at Kairi's feet and smiling behind the cloth covering his face.
Riku sat with his arms linked around his knees, smiling sweetly up at Kairi and ignoring his bloody nose. "Hi." He said innocently.
Kairi laughed and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, holding it against his nose and trying to get him to stop tilting his head backwards.
"I think you're a bad influence on them." She said, laughing as she watched the other three boys begin pestering Cloud. She smiled down at Riku, wiping the blood from his face.
~~~~