.:Mending the Scars:.
She awoke in the middle of the night. The sweet glow of the starlit sky danced through the curtains and played with the shadows all around the room. She felt the continuous and steady movement of Riku's breathing in prefect sync with hers. She gently released her grip on his hand and gradually sat up. Her head was still pounding slightly, but it was nothing she couldn't live with. Her feet brushed against the warm floor, this time she wasn't trembling. She stood up smoothly and, as silently as possible, left the room. She was careful not to make any redundant noise as she descended the long twisting staircase, her hands moving lightly over the wooden banister. The house was dark and inharmoniously haunting. She made her way to the front door and opened it with a rough creak. She stepped out onto the hollow deck and closed the door with a swift thud behind her as she began to stumble down the front stoop. She carelessly tossed her hair to the side as the wind fought against her. Her bare feet pattered lightly against the cobblestone walkway. She met the cool pavement and crossed the still road without notice. She sighed lightly as she dashed down a grassy hillside. Her feet met the deeply familiar touch of sand that spread out under her soles. She walked, slower now, along the receptive beach. Looking out over the darkened horizon. The sea swept back and forth along the rolling tides. High above, the stars greeted her as usual, bordering the sky with the same proverbial brilliance as always. Kairi lit a smile as her breathing settled down slightly. She ran both her hands behind her back and clasped them tightly to each other. Her gaze shifted almost rapidly as she continued to stroll down the numinous shore.
'Kairi?' came a seemingly apprehensive voice from within the shadows. Kairi swung around to face him, but she was met with nothing but a dark void. She sighed anyway, knowing whom it was.
'Yeah?' she questioned, still trying to pinpoint his exact location. Her gaze strayed about in the darkness.
'What are you doing out here so late...?' he questioned, stepping out of the darkness and coming in to perceivable stature. Kairi looked up into his face, His brown hair, seeming almost black in this light (or lack there of rather), falling in front of his lovely sapphire eyes. A look of concern replaced his usually carefree expression.
'I wanted to talk,' she replied lightly as a small smile tried to surface at the tips of her mouth. It was no use however; Sora's concerned look always seemed to drain her. He looked down at her in so much discomfort that he almost looked scared. 'I'm sorry Sora. I'm sorry for not believing you when you say you're going to stay forever. I'm sorry for worrying. I'm sorry for not being able to control my emotions. I'm sorry for frightening you all the time. I'm sorry you love me, because obviously you're in some kind of great distress over that at the moment. I'm sure you have been for years now!' Kairi shouted. Her voice rose uncontrollably and shimmering tears began to form at the rims of her eyes. 'I'm sorry I love you too, alright?' she nearly whispered. The boundary broke and tears streamed down Kairi's cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but Sora took her hands and set them down, back by her sides. She stared up into his eyes. A moment of silence ensued and an almost visible smile laced Sora's lips.
'I'm not,' he replied in a hushed tone as he wiped her tears away. She just stared at him. His smile faded slightly. He ran both his arms down around her waist and drew her closer to him. He slowly sank down to the ground and Kairi followed, falling into his lap. Her head found its way onto his shoulder. The tears ceased to threaten to fall once again, but she tried to hold them back. 'Don't be sorry Kai, I love you,' Sora whispered. Kairi sighed.
'It doesn't matter if you love me or not Sora. I'm killing you, I know it,' Kairi exclaimed. Sora rubbed her arm lightly.
'You're not killing me,' he snorted lightly. 'You just kind of, worry me,' his voice hushed down. 'You scare me,'
'I scare you to such an extent that you have to leave the room. That's kind of a level above being simply frightened, don't you think?' Kairi questioned stubbornly. Sora sighed and silenced himself. 'It's just me Sora, I'm killing you,' Kairi protested.
'You're not killing me!' Sora insisted in firm outrage. 'I love you Kairi. When I see you in so much pain like that, and there's absolutely nothing I can do to stop, or even help it, I get scared. I'm afraid...' Sora's voice trailed off.
'There's something wrong with me and it's out of your hands, that's why you're afraid?' Kairi questioned. Sora nodded.
'Something like that,' he replied. 'I'm sorry. It's just, I can't help it. Just like you can't help being afraid I'm going to leave again,' said Sora softly. A haunting silence followed his last words. The only sound emanated off of the ferocious sea. Kairi let out a sigh and began to calm her nerves. She bit her bottom lip hard and looked down at the sand. It looked black, but tiny bits of gold flickered in the unfathomable night.
'It's been over three years Sora. Three years of this torture. When are you going to give up on me?' Kairi questioned as she took hold of Sora's hand, lacing his fingers through hers. An old habit she picked up from her mother, as they used to do it all the time when she was young. It was almost as if she couldn't feel completely secure unless her fingers were entwined within someone else's. Sora intertwined his fingers in through hers as well.
'You never gave up on me, did you?' Sora questioned in return. Kairi shifted her head slightly and met her gaze with his.
'Of course not, why?' Kairi asked, almost forgetting that she had asked him a previous question. She had barely meant to say that last statement aloud.
'Why would you expect me to give up on you, if you didn't even have the power to give up on me?' Sora inquired as he tightened his hold around Kairi's back, pulling her ever closer to him. Kairi shrugged and aimed her gaze back down at their hands. She pulled both their hands up in sync with one another and brought his other arm around her neck and wrapped her additional arm around his back; pulling each other into a tight embrace. 'I'll never give up on you Kairi,' whispered Sora softly as he kissed the top of her head tenderly. 'I promise,'
Kairi smiled as she rested herself into his arms. 'I know you won't,' she lightly added as she closed her eyes lightly and let the sweet silence of their endless thoughts fill her mind contently.
She awoke in the middle of the night. The sweet glow of the starlit sky danced through the curtains and played with the shadows all around the room. She felt the continuous and steady movement of Riku's breathing in prefect sync with hers. She gently released her grip on his hand and gradually sat up. Her head was still pounding slightly, but it was nothing she couldn't live with. Her feet brushed against the warm floor, this time she wasn't trembling. She stood up smoothly and, as silently as possible, left the room. She was careful not to make any redundant noise as she descended the long twisting staircase, her hands moving lightly over the wooden banister. The house was dark and inharmoniously haunting. She made her way to the front door and opened it with a rough creak. She stepped out onto the hollow deck and closed the door with a swift thud behind her as she began to stumble down the front stoop. She carelessly tossed her hair to the side as the wind fought against her. Her bare feet pattered lightly against the cobblestone walkway. She met the cool pavement and crossed the still road without notice. She sighed lightly as she dashed down a grassy hillside. Her feet met the deeply familiar touch of sand that spread out under her soles. She walked, slower now, along the receptive beach. Looking out over the darkened horizon. The sea swept back and forth along the rolling tides. High above, the stars greeted her as usual, bordering the sky with the same proverbial brilliance as always. Kairi lit a smile as her breathing settled down slightly. She ran both her hands behind her back and clasped them tightly to each other. Her gaze shifted almost rapidly as she continued to stroll down the numinous shore.
'Kairi?' came a seemingly apprehensive voice from within the shadows. Kairi swung around to face him, but she was met with nothing but a dark void. She sighed anyway, knowing whom it was.
'Yeah?' she questioned, still trying to pinpoint his exact location. Her gaze strayed about in the darkness.
'What are you doing out here so late...?' he questioned, stepping out of the darkness and coming in to perceivable stature. Kairi looked up into his face, His brown hair, seeming almost black in this light (or lack there of rather), falling in front of his lovely sapphire eyes. A look of concern replaced his usually carefree expression.
'I wanted to talk,' she replied lightly as a small smile tried to surface at the tips of her mouth. It was no use however; Sora's concerned look always seemed to drain her. He looked down at her in so much discomfort that he almost looked scared. 'I'm sorry Sora. I'm sorry for not believing you when you say you're going to stay forever. I'm sorry for worrying. I'm sorry for not being able to control my emotions. I'm sorry for frightening you all the time. I'm sorry you love me, because obviously you're in some kind of great distress over that at the moment. I'm sure you have been for years now!' Kairi shouted. Her voice rose uncontrollably and shimmering tears began to form at the rims of her eyes. 'I'm sorry I love you too, alright?' she nearly whispered. The boundary broke and tears streamed down Kairi's cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but Sora took her hands and set them down, back by her sides. She stared up into his eyes. A moment of silence ensued and an almost visible smile laced Sora's lips.
'I'm not,' he replied in a hushed tone as he wiped her tears away. She just stared at him. His smile faded slightly. He ran both his arms down around her waist and drew her closer to him. He slowly sank down to the ground and Kairi followed, falling into his lap. Her head found its way onto his shoulder. The tears ceased to threaten to fall once again, but she tried to hold them back. 'Don't be sorry Kai, I love you,' Sora whispered. Kairi sighed.
'It doesn't matter if you love me or not Sora. I'm killing you, I know it,' Kairi exclaimed. Sora rubbed her arm lightly.
'You're not killing me,' he snorted lightly. 'You just kind of, worry me,' his voice hushed down. 'You scare me,'
'I scare you to such an extent that you have to leave the room. That's kind of a level above being simply frightened, don't you think?' Kairi questioned stubbornly. Sora sighed and silenced himself. 'It's just me Sora, I'm killing you,' Kairi protested.
'You're not killing me!' Sora insisted in firm outrage. 'I love you Kairi. When I see you in so much pain like that, and there's absolutely nothing I can do to stop, or even help it, I get scared. I'm afraid...' Sora's voice trailed off.
'There's something wrong with me and it's out of your hands, that's why you're afraid?' Kairi questioned. Sora nodded.
'Something like that,' he replied. 'I'm sorry. It's just, I can't help it. Just like you can't help being afraid I'm going to leave again,' said Sora softly. A haunting silence followed his last words. The only sound emanated off of the ferocious sea. Kairi let out a sigh and began to calm her nerves. She bit her bottom lip hard and looked down at the sand. It looked black, but tiny bits of gold flickered in the unfathomable night.
'It's been over three years Sora. Three years of this torture. When are you going to give up on me?' Kairi questioned as she took hold of Sora's hand, lacing his fingers through hers. An old habit she picked up from her mother, as they used to do it all the time when she was young. It was almost as if she couldn't feel completely secure unless her fingers were entwined within someone else's. Sora intertwined his fingers in through hers as well.
'You never gave up on me, did you?' Sora questioned in return. Kairi shifted her head slightly and met her gaze with his.
'Of course not, why?' Kairi asked, almost forgetting that she had asked him a previous question. She had barely meant to say that last statement aloud.
'Why would you expect me to give up on you, if you didn't even have the power to give up on me?' Sora inquired as he tightened his hold around Kairi's back, pulling her ever closer to him. Kairi shrugged and aimed her gaze back down at their hands. She pulled both their hands up in sync with one another and brought his other arm around her neck and wrapped her additional arm around his back; pulling each other into a tight embrace. 'I'll never give up on you Kairi,' whispered Sora softly as he kissed the top of her head tenderly. 'I promise,'
Kairi smiled as she rested herself into his arms. 'I know you won't,' she lightly added as she closed her eyes lightly and let the sweet silence of their endless thoughts fill her mind contently.