HUMAN
A/N: I want to keep the style consistent, actually… I'm sorry if it's irritating, but I'm gonna keep up the no quotations thing till the end. (This was an experiment inspired by As I Lay Dying and Angela's Ashes, after all.) I'll try to keep dialogue to a minimum, then, as a means of "fixing" it. Edit: This is not a mandatory chapter, it sidetracks. Skip to Chapter 5, "Fears" you just want to get to the Sora- Kairi-Riku stuff.
Poor Sora.
Sora. She'd always liked his name. And today there'd been enough chaos. She didn't want to think about confusion. Think of caution, love, warnings, her body so small and his body so perfect, screaming about your best friend's eye, crying over splinters, or when fighting for play might have become fighting for real. So she doesn't think of any of those things.
So she doesn't think of Riku.
She couldn't stand Selphie's suggestive winks at the mention of Sora's name or her angelic pity at the mention of Riku's, because naturally they'd all gotten together afterwards except those two to talk about it.
She could understand it, the way Selphie acted like Sora was the sun moon and stars in the sky to Kairi but Kairi couldn't see it so Selphie sighed romantically for her instead, at every mention of his name. Every single mention. And how she put up a dejected hand to her cheek at Riku this or Riku that like he was already the more obvious catch let go because someone else sweeter came along. That too, Kairi understood.
But it made her hot with anger and slightly sick every time Selphie did it. She understood why Selphie had to fantasize and categorize and get hung up on all this love that was being directed and Kairi and not her, but she hated it far more than even Riku's so-so innocent touches. And the tension between Tidus and Wakka now, who were best friends like Sora and Riku but were now gritting their teeth at each other.
She understood it all, how Selphie was both spiteful and sweet, how she was jealous of the boy's eyes on Kairi but either didn't see that herself or saw it and tried not to care. Which was why she tried to help instead of sabotage, because she was Selphie, the island's most energetic, eager girl who didn't let problems drag her down enough to stop helping others.
What she probably didn't understand that this was one area that she couldn't stop herself from getting bitter, especially since it was too nauseously pathetic for her to even try to notice it. Selphie understands Riku is hot. Sora is cute. And instead of letting herself have these thoughts for herself, she pushes them at Kairi, who took them reluctantly because what can Selphie do with those thoughts herself except hurt herself? But it's still wrong.
Love and romance blurs everything, Kairi thinks, and she knows its most unfair not for her but Selphie, who is a spot of sunshine who shone without a fear until their thoughts put a damper on her innocence. It's something she hates, because Selphie should be allowed to be a spirit of joy who tries to fix real problems instead of wasting all her sweetness and kindness on something so pointless because Kairi really can't appreciate it.
So she walked away, wanting to be by herself and her shameful analyzing of her friends, into an emptier stretch of beach.
But Sora. She wanted to think about Sora.
Sora was her unconditional joy. That was why she was headed to the Secret Place, the place of her and Sora.
A/N: I am going to refer to this as my cop-out chapter. BECAUSE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT SORA AND NOW ITS ABOUT SELPHIE! I'm sorry if people didn't enjoy it as much because it's not about Kairi and the guys, but it does explain how Selphie acts. I had a blackout for two days, so sorry this is late… But to make up for Selphie and lateness, the next chapter is going to be about Sora for sure and I'm writing it today and putting it up tomorrow! Edit: Ok, I like this but it's got little to do with the real fic. So it is now called a sidestory. :-)