Yup. Changed the title. (Now the ending theme of Azumanga Daioh. Yeees.) My sister made a rather lewd comment when walking past my room and seeing what I was typing and obviously took 'Down Once More' the wrong way. So now you have 'Raspberry Heaven.' Not only did I not know that you spell raspberry that way, but I've also discovered that this title relates to the plot in absolutely no way, shape, or form.
But does it sound cool? Yes.
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Raspberry Heaven
'Call Me Crazy'
Kairi narrowed her eyes, opening the window of her room and leaning out, elbows resting on the windowsill. A determined smile stretched across her face, and she inwardly assured herself that today would be better then yesterday. She wasn't going to get upset, she wasn't going to make an ass of herself and most importantly...
Kairi was going to be as straight as humanly possible.
Dragging out her old clothes from two years ago, Kairi slipped out of her oversized t-shirt which served as pajamas, tugging on the pink skort and tank top she had once worn all the time. Granted, when Kairi glanced at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but make a small face. It was hard to believe that once upon a time, Kairi had loved and adored those clothes.
Well, Kairi was pretty sure she'd been straight back then. Whatever worked.
Kairi stuck out her tongue at her reflection, the girl in the mirror apparently showing just as much dislike of her and mimicking the action. This was a stupid plan. Kairi was tired and felt like just rolling right back into bed because she'd hardly slept at all the night before. But she was awake, she was dressed. She might as well get out of the house.
Rather than walking, Kairi stopped by the garage on her way out, picking up her roller blades and strapping them on. She couldn't help but smile as she stood up, rolling across her driveway just to give the wheels a quick test run. While every other girl in the sixth grade had preferred roller skates, Kairi was the only one who could successfully roller blade. Mostly, that was just Sora and Riku's fault for buying her the pair of blades for her birthday so that Kairi could go roller-blading with them.
It wasn't long before Kairi once again grew bored of the normal neighborhood surroundings and headed towards the beach. Granted, her last visit there had been pretty disastrous, but the likelihood that she'd run into Yuffie again was pretty slim. After all, how interesting can the beach be, right?
As expected, there were already scads of people out on the beach by the time Kairi arrived. Since she hadn't brought her swimsuit and was alone, she saw no reason to go in the water. Everything was utterly boring, normal, and just plain, well, plain. So she made her way over towards one of the benches seated closer to the sidewalk, not wanting to get sand in her roller blades.
Alright. It's not often that I get a whole lot of time to myself to think. ...Okay, I take it back, nevermind. Ever since Sora and Riku had paired up, Kairi had really been finding herself with more spare time then she would like. Spare time that she would really rather be spending with her two best friends... But she didn't mind. She assured herself she didn't mind.
The morning sun had already warmed the bench up rather nicely, and Kairi found herself wondering if it would be possible to discreetly slip off into sleep while out in the open like that. No one seemed to be noticing her anyway. Certainly she could just lean back, closer her eyes for a while, and catch up on the hours of rest she'd already been losing. It was really just that easy...
"Hey, Kairi, right?"
Muffling a startled yelp with both hands, Kairi's eyes snapped opening, showing her the girl she had been hoping not to see again in a million years.
Or at least... until she'd figured out something to say.
Yuffie stood next to the bench, a warm and welcoming grin spread across her face, one hand holding up the shoulder-strap of a small backpack, the other resting on her hip. Still the same weird hair. Still the same little rainbow bracelet.
I wonder if she's straight?
...No I don't. I don't care.
"Umm... Yeah. That's... me. Ehehe... Hi there, Yuffie." It was hard to sound more enthusiastic about seeing someone when Kairi was having trouble just getting her brain to process simple words and phrases. All the while, that same brain of hers just wouldn't stop bitching about how terribly horrid she was for even thinking of Yuffie that way. Kairi wasn't even a lesbian. So there.
"Mind if I sit down there?" Yuffie asked, pointing to the large void on the bench beside Kairi's skinny frame. Inwardly, Kairi cursed herself for not taking up more space. There was no polite way out of this. She was going downhill pretty damn fast and still couldn't think of a mildly intelligent thing to say. Worst of all, she was starting to have trouble keeping a blush from creeping up on her face.
"Um, um... N-no." Kairi swallowed hard, determined to gain control of her speech once and for all. "I mean, yes... Uh, you can sit there! I just... I have to go soon, ya know." There. Not exactly eloquent, but it was a slight improvement.
Yuffie shot Kairi a brilliant smile and plopped down next to her on the bench. Possibly closer then she really needed to be, Kairi pointed out to herself. There was a whole three more feet to the bench... Couldn't Yuffie sit down there instead of right next to Kairi? Please?
The magic word had no effect on the powers that be and Yuffie stayed right where she was. Though rather then sitting there numbly like Kairi, the older girl dug around in her backpack a few moments before pulling out a small plastic tube with a triumphant "Ah ha!"
Popping the lid off the tube, Yuffie pulled out a roll of paper and offered it to Kairi.
Reaching out a mildly trembling hand, Kairi took the roll of paper and continued mentally kicking herself. This was absolutely ridiculous!
"I kinda felt guilty about the whole CD thing from yesterday, so I thought this might sorta make it up to you. I mean, it's not a concert recording or anything, but I don't think you'd have it unless you were still into Melissa Etheridge when you were like... ten?" A minor insult on the age thing, but it was easily overlooked. Most of Yuffie's words were easily overlooked in the first place because...
Kairi suddenly felt like she was going to burst into tears.
Perhaps it was the sun, perhaps it was the blood rushing to her face. Maybe it was the fact that she realized just how much of a jackass she'd been lately. Maybe it was even just raging hormones that corrupt and possess poor teenagers at whim. Whatever it was, it was driving Kairi absolutely insane.
Unrolling the paper, Kairi's eyes widened as soon as they set upon its glossy surface.
There before her was probably one of the very first posters ever made of Melissa Etheridge, though it looked as though the singer had been shoved backwards into her late teens as opposed to her mid thirties. Kairi was also well aware of the fact that her jaw had dropped when the amazement hit her, and as she quickly moved to snap her mouth shut, she also noticed one more thing.
When unrolling the paper, a thin hemp bracelet had fallen onto Kairi's lap. Upon closer examination, Kairi was delighted to find that it was nearly identical to Yuffie's own bracelet, with small rainbow beads woven into the fibers of hemp. Shocked and amazed were the only two words Kairi could come up with to describe her emotions.
What happened next is what probably triggered everything else that happened afterwards, and it all blurred into one big string of horrible events. One after another after another, like some sort of badly planned sitcom where the corny jokes just keep pouring down on the pitiful viewer. It was just like that, only minus the jokes.
Kairi began to sniffle, unable to continue holding back the tears that were brimming her eyes. For some crazy reason, this simple little apology gift was starting to shove a whole lot of things into place. It was bad, it was very bad, and poor Yuffie's eyes widened as she realized Kairi was crying.
"Kairi! Are you okay? I-I didn't mean to... I'm sorry!"
"No you didn't do anything wrong!"
"I just saw you looking at my bracelet, so I made you one like it and--"
"I'm just being a little weird, don't mind m--"
Both girls stopped babbling a mile a minute and blinked. Kairi's sniffles started to morph into a small fit of giggles and Yuffie found herself laughing as well. For some strange reason, they found the whole situation rather funny, seeing as neither had picked up the other's apologies, unable to hear them through their own rambling. Kinda silly, kinda sad, but something of an ice-breaker nonetheless.
Kairi was having trouble understanding the whole thing as she finally got herself under control, wiping the tears away from her face and stifling her fits of laughter. The whole thing had completely caught poor Kairi off guard and her mind was rapidly trying to figure it all out as fast as possible.
For as long as she could remember, Kairi had never really considered herself as anyone of any remote importance. Growing up with Riku and Sora as her best friend had only helped to fuel this belief, really. Between Riku's gorgeous silver hair and stunning body and Sora's brilliant blue eyes and adorable features, Kairi thought of herself as being lost somewhere behind them. She didn't mind though. But she was definitely willing to admit that it was just nice to have someone focusing entirely on her, even if only for a few minutes.
And whether Yuffie was gay or not... well, surely it didn't matter. Kairi got along perfectly fine with Riku and Sora. Surely getting along with a girl version of them would be just as easy.
Though somehow, Kairi found herself doubting this fact slightly, though she didn't exactly know why.
"Sooo... you forgive me?" Yuffie looked pleadingly over at Kairi, unfazed by the brilliant red blush that leapt up onto the younger girl's face. Damn hormones.
"Of course! I mean... wow. You didn't have to do this, you know. I mean, it was my fault too that the CD got wrecked... If I'd been watching where I was going..."
"I wanted to, though! It was... fun, you know?" Yuffie picked the bracelet up from Kairi's lap and attached it to her slender wrist, tying the hemp off in a neat bow. She smiled at her handiwork, allowing her fingertips to linger on the perfect bow and unintentionally causing Kairi's heart to slam against her chest.
Oh crap, am I having a heart attack??
However, a heart attack was the least of Kairi's problems. As Yuffie looked up from the bracelet, she cocked her head to the side before turning to look at Kairi yet again, a confused expression on her face.
"Hey, do you know that lady over there by the bus stop?"
Kairi looked over towards the mentioned stop and as if her heart hadn't been having enough problems, it must have stopped altogether when her eyes landed on Kairi's mother who just happened to be shooting her daughter the most vile look ever. This was bad. This was so bad, Kairi couldn't even think of how bad it was. Nor could she really articulate it all that well either.
"Oh... um... oh.... eh.... Shit."
"Wait, so who is--"
"That's my mom!" Kairi clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widened in alarm. So very, very bad. It shouldn't have mattered at all, but Kairi was sure that it looked like Yuffie had been holding her hand and Kairi was positive that her mom knew absolutely everything... It was only a matter of time before the world came crashing down around her ears.
"Oh. Um... That's a bad thing?" Yuffie, meanwhile, was completely in the dark.
"YES. It's terrible. It's really, really bad, Yuffie. REALLY bad."
"Perhaps you're overreacting?"
"I don't think so... Aw man, this is bad. Um... I gotta... go." It was by far the last thing that Kairi wanted to do. Every bone, muscle, and tiny cell of her body wanted her to stay there on that bench with Yuffie, maybe even shooting her mother Kairi's own look of contempt. But if Kairi did that... Well, things could possibly get even worse than they already were.
"Oh. Um... O...kaaaay... I'll see you later...?" Yuffie didn't exactly know what to make of the situation. As far as she could tell, Kairi was just being neurotic. Very weird and very neurotic. But she was sure they was a reason for it. She just didn't exactly know the reason. It was just a minor detail. Kairi was a nice girl, there was no denying that fact. But there was definitely something that was tearing the poor kid up inside.
As Kairi apologized profusely and began to back away, Yuffie came to the conclusion that it was up to her to help Kairi with whatever problem it might be in her life. After all, the younger girl was basically the only person Yuffie really knew on the islands. Might as well just try and fortify a shaky relationship, right?
Nonetheless, Yuffie cocked her head to the side in puzzlement, watching Kairi's retreating figure as she sped away from the beach, the wheels of her roller-blades spinning at a dizzying rate. It was a wonder the girl didn't kill herself at that pace. Chuckling to herself, Yuffie placed her hands behind her head and closed her eyes, soaking up the soothing rays of the summer sun. The island wasn't all that bad. Perhaps it would work... Maybe it would work.
More than anything, Yuffie hoped it would all work.
"I think we should be charging you, ya know," Sora said plainly as Kairi let out a defeated sigh. At this rate, her two best friends were well on their way to becoming her two best psychiatrists. And Kairi had the feeling that if things kept playing out as they were, she would definitely be needing that psychiatric help...
Riku looked up as Kairi and Sora entered the room and he shot his friends a brilliant grin, setting the video game on pause. Kairi felt slightly guilty for continuously intruding on Sora and Riku's time together, but it was a difficult thing to avoid really. The two of them sometimes seemed like they were just adjoined at the hip or something. Once again, Kairi had to remind herself that she was okay with this.
They're my best friends. I still love them and I always will.
"Still got girl troubles, Kairi?" Riku asked, unable to keep that smirk off of his face. Kairi just shot him a glare and plopped down on a beanbag in the corner of Sora's room, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the wall. Honestly, the skimpy clothes she was wearing were seriously uncomfortable. But the last thing she felt like doing was going home to change. If possible, Kairi wanted to avoid her mother for a while...
Although Kairi's mother might not be suspicious of anything at all, Kairi knew that parents had the freakish tendency to be able to read their children's minds. With Kairi's luck, the powers that be wouldn't make the most recent incident any exception.
"Camera's rolling, Kairi. Your life's a soap opera and you're forgetting your lines. What's the matter?" Thankfully, Riku's voice had lost most of its sarcastic tone and her friend actually seemed to hold some genuine concern for her. Both Sora and Riku sat side by side, video game now forgotten, devoting their attention to their third friend, their third wheel. Sort of a bittersweet thing, but Kairi was satisfied with it nonetheless. This was the way it was.
"Well... I saw her again at the boardwalk. I think I'm talking somewhat normally around her now."
"That's an improvement."
"Thanks, Sora." Kairi rolled her eyes before once again rooting them to the ceiling of Sora's bedroom. He had some old band posters taped up there, oddly enough. It wasn't as though Sora had completely run out of space on his walls, but there the posters were, staring back down at Kairi with little to no interest whatsoever. Again, this was the way it was. Posters wouldn't change and sometimes people didn't either, right?
"She, uh... She made me a bracelet."
Sora squealed. Kairi's eyes widened and she glanced over at the spiky haired boy in alarm, thinking something had bit him (hopefully not Riku), but she simply found Riku laughing and Sora grinning like an idiot. Obviously she'd missed something. With any luck, her friends would fill her in momentarily. She wasn't disappointed.
"She made you a bracelet??? That is... so... sweet!!!" Sora clapped his hands together with enthusiasm before his grin suddenly turn to a slight pout and he turned to face Riku. "Hey, Riku? Why don't you ever make me bracelets?"
Riku rolled his eyes and punched Sora playfully in the shoulder. "Because you don't wear bracelets, you dork."
"I would if you made me one, Snookybear."
"...Shut up." Even Riku was unable to keep his pale skin from taking on a slightly pink tinge at Sora's embarrassing name for him.
Kairi groaned, cradling her head in her hands. Sora and Riku seemed to carry on as if there was no problem at all! How on earth could they keep up that insane relationship and just be so... carefree about it all?
"Hey, Kairi..." Sora's voice was back to being serious, almost as though the boy were capable of turning that switch on and off in his brain at whim. "Listen. You're smart. I think you can figure this out, I really do. I dunno what we can really do to help, but if there really is something, we'll do it. But I personally think you're strong enough to handle it on your own."
Sora's words were helpful, really they were. They were kind and supportive and they were everything Kairi could expect from her best friends. But...
"If I'm so smart, why the hell can't I figure any of this out? You say I'm strong, but look at me! I'm acting like a baby!"
"You've got a crush on a person who just happens to be the same gender as you. You being Kairi, I'd say you're holding up pretty well."
"...I don't think I'll analyze that statement very much."
"Good idea."
The three sat in relative silence for a few more moments, each of them wrapped up in their own thoughts and seeming quite content to stay there for the rest of the day. If there was one thing Kairi loved about her two friends, it would have to be the fact that they could share moments like that. No one had to be providing a conversation, stimulation or otherwise, in order to keep them together. If they were all just thinking in the same room and breathing the same air, they were being social.
During those quiet minutes, however, Kairi found herself studying Sora and Riku out of the corner of her eye, avoiding catching their attention. It was amazing how far they'd both come in just a few short months with their relationship. In May, Sora had had this weird habit of blushing every time he so much as held hands with his boyfriend, which was odd since the two of them had been playing and wrestling for as long as they'd known each other.
Where all relationships like that, even the ones that weren't romantic?
Several hours later, Kairi found herself walking the familiar road that lead back to her house, her feet dragging reluctantly along. Sora had happily invited her to stay for dinner, but Kairi really didn't want to intrude any more than she already felt she had. Why was it that she always felt she was interrupting something nowadays? Well, it could be because she was. No matter. She was walking the plank as it was, so she might not get another chance to interrupt her best friends.
As she walked up the front steps leading towards the door, Kairi was frantically thinking of last minute escape plans. If things got ugly, she could always pull a James Bond move, slam through the window, glass flying everywhere, and run towards safety. Or perhaps she could--
"Kairi! Where have you been?"
Gulp.
"Uhh... Hey, Mom..."
Kairi's hand was caught up in her mother's as the older woman dragged her inside, closing the front door behind her. Eyes wide with panic, Kairi allowed herself to be briskly led down the hallway in into the living room before finding herself firmly planted upon the overstuffed green chair there, her parents seated across from her. O-kay, this was not looking good. Perhaps the widow escape plan would be necessary after all...
"Kairi... Ehm... Your father and I..." Kairi's mother was obviously flustered for some reason and she looked towards her husband for support. Inwardly, Kairi couldn't help but snort at that wishy-washy expression on her mother's face. If there was one thing Kairi couldn't stand, it was the fact that her mother always turned to her husband. She was unable to go without his support or approval... Overall, it was just... Yuck.
"Kairi, your mother and I have come to a decision."
"I saw you on the boardwalk today, you know."
"And she says you were with a girl?"
"A girl we don't know."
"Now, Kairi, we know you would never do anything wrong..."
"But we do worry about you, Sweetheart."
"And we think it might be best if--" Both parents glanced at each other before giving small nods of affirmation, all in unison. God, that was freaky.
"Kairi, we think..." Oh no, here it was! Her own parents were going to tell Kairi she was a lesbian, that she was gay, that she was... What if they disowned her?!
"Mom, Dad, I can explain--"
"We think you need a job."
Kairi blinked. Her parents blinked. The room was silent.
"What was that, Sweetie?"
"I... ah... I think that's a great idea."
"Oh good! We're just worried about you, you know? I mean, we think it's best that you're not on the street all the time. That girl looked a lot older than you and we just don't want you to get hurt. Is that alright with you, Kairi?"
Kairi nodded and listened as her parents continued to babble on about jobs, growing up, and making good decisions. It was definitely not the first time Kairi wished she had a sibling, that was for sure. Having every ounce of her parents maternal instincts being thrown her way... Well, the whole ordeal was more than just a little overwhelming. Not to mention the fact that it drove poor Kairi up a wall.
And here Kairi had been certain that her parents were going to start accusing her! Hah! They just wanted her to get a job and get off the streets. That was no problem whatsoever. As a matter of fact, a job would give Kairi something to do during the summer. She might even be able to make new friends so she could stop bothering Sora and Riku when they wanted to be alone together.
A job would be good for her.
"...And Marsha told me today that there was a new little restaurant opening up by the beach! Brand new... isn't that wonderful, Kairi? You could work there, I'm sure!"
The rest of her parents' words were lost on Kairi. Restaurant? Sure, okay. Everything was blissfully wonderful so long as her mom and dad still believed that Kairi was normal.
That Kairi was anything but-- Well, it didn't matter now.
Later that evening, Kairi was up in her room listening to the same old voice on her stereo as she once again unrolled the poster Yuffie had given her. A smile lit up on her face as she traced her fingers over the smooth paper, studying the young woman who stared back at her, a determined expression on her face. The album title was printed in old-typed letters at the bottom of the poster and Kairi didn't hesitate in tracing her fingers over that as well. There was no change in texture, nor was there a reason for Kairi's need to feel the surface of the poster itself, but it just happened.
She was thinking once again.
Here was this singer whose entire career-- no, whose entire life practically revolved around making people happy and satisfied with her music and her character. People respected those who could sing well. People adored the good people that could sing well.
So how was it that the rock star was able to be so open with who she was as a person and get away with it? What sort of courage and determination had that taken?
Kairi sighed and retrieved the tape from her desk, using it to firmly attach the poster to her wall. Stepping back to survey her handiwork, Kairi smiled once more. She'd have to find something to give Yuffie in return...
But that was for tomorrow. Tomorrow Kairi would track down Yuffie one more time and she would act like a normal person. Tomorrow she would head down to the beach and see about getting a job at that restaurant. And tomorrow, she was determined to give Sora and Riku some time alone. It was the least she could do for them after all the support and encouragement they'd given her. Not to mention their patience.
Turning off the lights, Kairi burrowed into the quilt on her bed, staring blankly at the wall for a few minutes, trying to put a closing statement on all the thoughts whirling around in her head. Eventually, her eyes came to rest once again on the poster, reading over the text printed below the picture of Melissa Etheridge.
'Yes I Am.'
Am what? What am I?
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And ta daaaa. You have another chapter. Though it wasn't as much fun as I could have made it and although it was basically just rehashing old information, it was in fact necessary. How it was necessary, I don't quite know, but it sure as heck was. Ayep.
Anyway! The next chapter things start getting interesting, I promise. And I know I said I was going to bring Tidus and Selphie in during this chapter, but it just didn't fit. They're going to turn up eventually, I just don't know when.
Aaaand that's all for now. Hopefully there'll be an update later this week. If not, the week after. ...Although with SOLs and finals on the horizon, life might just suddenly blow up in my face, so no promises or anything.
A thank you goes to all the sweet reviewers, though. All of your comments have been wonderful and motivational and... Well, just thank you!
Ori