Disclaimer: I don't own it. Which is why it's fan fiction.
Just one more thing, I feel obligated to point out once more, for those of you who can't catch hints (mainly my friends), Kairi would be nearing her 17th birthday at this point. Ya know, the official Squaresoft images of Ansem seriously don't look like the Ansem you see in the game.
Well, I know he's probably a lot older, but since this is a fan fiction, let's just say that Ansem is around 28 right now, how's that? That's about the most popular vote right now on my little poll anyway, so, meh.
One more thing, in the game, Squall and his little group of friends clearly state that they grew up in Hollow Bastion and that Ansem was their king, just in case you didn't actually play the game. I hadn't realized it before, but this story is gonna be hella lot longer than I thought it was going to be back when I said it was going to be hella long.
~~~~~
Kairi stared at her friend in astonishment, unable to believe that she was actually standing right in front of her.
"Yuffie, what are you doing here?" She repeated, watching as the slightly ditzy ninja dusted herself off and rubbed her bruised knee.
She looked back up to the red-head, pouting, "To be honest, I'm here to make sure you're alright." She cast a scowl over in Ansem's direction, "Apparently you two are getting along just fine, though."
Kairi bit back a smile and glanced over at the white-haired man. He had his back turned to them again, flipping through the pages of another book and appearing as though nothing had happened.
Yuffie scowled darkly at him and stomped away, cursing angrily under her breath as she tried to tear the images of them out of her mind. She managed to cast a weak reassuring smile at Kairi before disappearing around the corner of the shelves, still muttering icy curses.
Kairi couldn't help but giggle when she looked up at Ansem and noticed his unusually stiff posture. To the untrained eye, you might never catch on that he was slightly embarrassed.
She smiled as she walked up to him, reaching out and gripping the sleeve of his coat. He slowly turned and looked down at her, his thoughts hidden behind his golden eyes. Kairi was about to say something when Yuffie's startled shout rang out inside the library.
"KAIRI!" She howled as the familiar replica rose out of the floor to inspect her.
Kairi gave Ansem's arm a reassuring squeeze before she darted after the ninja, calling out to her.
~*~
Yuffie stared around the room, dumbfounded. "This is your bedroom? This has to be one of the fanciest rooms in the castle!" She exclaimed as Kairi hastily shoved various things into a bag the replica had gotten for her.
"Where did you get all the new clothes, anyway?" She asked, examining the black dress she had worn the day before.
Kairi snatched it away, folding it and placing it in the bag. "Ansem said I could have anything I found in one of the old bedrooms…" She sighed, wondering again about its previous owner.
Yuffie thought for a moment, "So, how are you, anyway?" She asked quietly, glancing suspiciously toward the doorway.
Kairi shrugged, "I'm fine. Or did you mean, how has he treated me?" She replied, looking up at the other girl.
Yuffie ran a hand through her hair, "Well, yeah." She said, sounding a bit guilty.
Kairi grinned, "Actually, he's been a perfect gentleman." She giggled, leaving out the part when he abandoned her in the Chapel for several hours.
Yuffie was about to say more when footsteps sounded in the hall, Ansem appearing at the door moments later. He said nothing, simply leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and watched as Kairi finished packing. It didn't take long for the two girls to notice that he was ignoring Yuffie.
She huffed slightly, grabbing the bag as soon as Kairi finished packing it up and stomping out the door. "I'll go get the gummi ship ready." She muttered, trying to tone down the bitterness in her voice as she shoved past Ansem.
The two watched her as she disappeared down the stairs.
"I think she's mad at me." Ansem stated dully.
Kairi laughed, "She'll get over it." She looked up at him, noting the slightly disappointed look on his face. "I'm sorry.. I wish I didn't have to go." She said quietly, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. "But, especially after what you told me, my friends need my help…" She trailed off as he turned and looked back at her.
He forced a small smile, "Sora, needs you." He said softly, looking away again.
His words hit her like a slap in the face, and she almost gasped. "You know that's not what I meant." She whispered, "I-I love you." She looked up at him seriously as he slowly turned to face her.
He stared at her wordlessly for a moment, "I love you, too.." he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she pulled him into a hug.
"I'm sorry." He said softly, nuzzling the side of her face.
"Why?" She asked, leaning back to look up into his eyes.
He gazed sadly at her for a moment, "Because it can never work.."
She stared at him, completely lost for words. She felt a sudden wave of anger toward Sora and the others. Angry tears slowly began streaming down her face, and she pulled him down to her in a desperate kiss. She was shaking when he pulled away, reaching down and taking a thick book from a shadow Heartless and handing it to her.
"Here, take this. It's a collection of plays written years ago by a poet named Shakespeare. It was one of my favorites, and, I want you to have it." He said quietly, handing the book to her and turning back out into the hall.
She examined the book for a moment, then dashed out to say goodbye. She looked up and down the hall, but he had already disappeared. Wiping the tears from her face, she quickly made her way down to Yuffie's gummi ship, ignoring the ninja's questioning gaze as she slammed the door shut and buckled herself in.
She peered back out the window as they rose up above the falls, watching as Hollow Bastion came into view. Before the gummi ship jumped into warp, she was sure she caught a glimpse of Ansem, standing on a balcony and watching as they departed.
~*~
"Yuffie's back! YUFFIE'S BACK!!" Selphie shouted joyously as she bounded into the dining hall. Immediately, meals were abandoned as the sound of chairs scraping against the floor filled the room as a wild stampede made for the doors.
"Already?" Sora and Riku exchanged suspicious glances and dashed after the others.
~*~
"Yuffie, promise me one thing." Kairi broke the long awkward silence that had settled between them since their departure.
"Huh?" Yuffie replied, slowly bringing the gummi ship down outside the castle gates.
"Promise you won't tell anyone about me and Ansem?" She pleaded.
Yuffie giggled, "Sure, just as long as you don't tell anyone I got caught."
Kairi smiled happily at her friend, unbuckling herself and grabbing her bags as the ship landed.
Yuffie threw open the door, receiving a hearty welcome from the large group of bystanders.
"Yuffie!! You're back! How'd it go?" Selphie shouted, giving her friend a big hug and bouncing around with her.
Curious shouts and welcomes were shouted out at her from the crowd, reverberating off the castle walls as she tried to calm everyone down.
Sora stepped forward, "What about Kairi? Did you see her?" he asked urgently, Riku grabbing his arm and stepping up next to him. Both were focused intently on the small ninja as she gazed soberly at them.
Kairi gathered her bags together and climbed off of the ship, setting them down and closing the door behind her. "Hey, guys." She said nervously, everyone turning to stare at her in surprise.
"KAIRI!" They all screamed at once, dashing forward to check if she was alright.
Sora and Riku jumped on her, nearly crushing her in a group hug and swinging her around. "You're okay! Don't do that, Kairi! We were so worried about you!" Sora cried happily.
~*~
Everyone had managed to calm back down and had settled into the garden once again, preparing for another meeting.
King Mickey walked in and seated himself next to Kairi. "Now, Kairi, while you were in Hollow Bastion, did you manage to overhear anything that Ansem might be planning? Anything could be helpful, so please don't hesitate to tell us even if it's something small." He said, urging her to speak up.
She took a deep breath, gazing around at the anxious faces before telling them what Ansem had told her.
~*~*~*~~~~
Just one more thing, I feel obligated to point out once more, for those of you who can't catch hints (mainly my friends), Kairi would be nearing her 17th birthday at this point. Ya know, the official Squaresoft images of Ansem seriously don't look like the Ansem you see in the game.
Well, I know he's probably a lot older, but since this is a fan fiction, let's just say that Ansem is around 28 right now, how's that? That's about the most popular vote right now on my little poll anyway, so, meh.
One more thing, in the game, Squall and his little group of friends clearly state that they grew up in Hollow Bastion and that Ansem was their king, just in case you didn't actually play the game. I hadn't realized it before, but this story is gonna be hella lot longer than I thought it was going to be back when I said it was going to be hella long.
~~~~~
Kairi stared at her friend in astonishment, unable to believe that she was actually standing right in front of her.
"Yuffie, what are you doing here?" She repeated, watching as the slightly ditzy ninja dusted herself off and rubbed her bruised knee.
She looked back up to the red-head, pouting, "To be honest, I'm here to make sure you're alright." She cast a scowl over in Ansem's direction, "Apparently you two are getting along just fine, though."
Kairi bit back a smile and glanced over at the white-haired man. He had his back turned to them again, flipping through the pages of another book and appearing as though nothing had happened.
Yuffie scowled darkly at him and stomped away, cursing angrily under her breath as she tried to tear the images of them out of her mind. She managed to cast a weak reassuring smile at Kairi before disappearing around the corner of the shelves, still muttering icy curses.
Kairi couldn't help but giggle when she looked up at Ansem and noticed his unusually stiff posture. To the untrained eye, you might never catch on that he was slightly embarrassed.
She smiled as she walked up to him, reaching out and gripping the sleeve of his coat. He slowly turned and looked down at her, his thoughts hidden behind his golden eyes. Kairi was about to say something when Yuffie's startled shout rang out inside the library.
"KAIRI!" She howled as the familiar replica rose out of the floor to inspect her.
Kairi gave Ansem's arm a reassuring squeeze before she darted after the ninja, calling out to her.
~*~
Yuffie stared around the room, dumbfounded. "This is your bedroom? This has to be one of the fanciest rooms in the castle!" She exclaimed as Kairi hastily shoved various things into a bag the replica had gotten for her.
"Where did you get all the new clothes, anyway?" She asked, examining the black dress she had worn the day before.
Kairi snatched it away, folding it and placing it in the bag. "Ansem said I could have anything I found in one of the old bedrooms…" She sighed, wondering again about its previous owner.
Yuffie thought for a moment, "So, how are you, anyway?" She asked quietly, glancing suspiciously toward the doorway.
Kairi shrugged, "I'm fine. Or did you mean, how has he treated me?" She replied, looking up at the other girl.
Yuffie ran a hand through her hair, "Well, yeah." She said, sounding a bit guilty.
Kairi grinned, "Actually, he's been a perfect gentleman." She giggled, leaving out the part when he abandoned her in the Chapel for several hours.
Yuffie was about to say more when footsteps sounded in the hall, Ansem appearing at the door moments later. He said nothing, simply leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and watched as Kairi finished packing. It didn't take long for the two girls to notice that he was ignoring Yuffie.
She huffed slightly, grabbing the bag as soon as Kairi finished packing it up and stomping out the door. "I'll go get the gummi ship ready." She muttered, trying to tone down the bitterness in her voice as she shoved past Ansem.
The two watched her as she disappeared down the stairs.
"I think she's mad at me." Ansem stated dully.
Kairi laughed, "She'll get over it." She looked up at him, noting the slightly disappointed look on his face. "I'm sorry.. I wish I didn't have to go." She said quietly, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. "But, especially after what you told me, my friends need my help…" She trailed off as he turned and looked back at her.
He forced a small smile, "Sora, needs you." He said softly, looking away again.
His words hit her like a slap in the face, and she almost gasped. "You know that's not what I meant." She whispered, "I-I love you." She looked up at him seriously as he slowly turned to face her.
He stared at her wordlessly for a moment, "I love you, too.." he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as she pulled him into a hug.
"I'm sorry." He said softly, nuzzling the side of her face.
"Why?" She asked, leaning back to look up into his eyes.
He gazed sadly at her for a moment, "Because it can never work.."
She stared at him, completely lost for words. She felt a sudden wave of anger toward Sora and the others. Angry tears slowly began streaming down her face, and she pulled him down to her in a desperate kiss. She was shaking when he pulled away, reaching down and taking a thick book from a shadow Heartless and handing it to her.
"Here, take this. It's a collection of plays written years ago by a poet named Shakespeare. It was one of my favorites, and, I want you to have it." He said quietly, handing the book to her and turning back out into the hall.
She examined the book for a moment, then dashed out to say goodbye. She looked up and down the hall, but he had already disappeared. Wiping the tears from her face, she quickly made her way down to Yuffie's gummi ship, ignoring the ninja's questioning gaze as she slammed the door shut and buckled herself in.
She peered back out the window as they rose up above the falls, watching as Hollow Bastion came into view. Before the gummi ship jumped into warp, she was sure she caught a glimpse of Ansem, standing on a balcony and watching as they departed.
~*~
"Yuffie's back! YUFFIE'S BACK!!" Selphie shouted joyously as she bounded into the dining hall. Immediately, meals were abandoned as the sound of chairs scraping against the floor filled the room as a wild stampede made for the doors.
"Already?" Sora and Riku exchanged suspicious glances and dashed after the others.
~*~
"Yuffie, promise me one thing." Kairi broke the long awkward silence that had settled between them since their departure.
"Huh?" Yuffie replied, slowly bringing the gummi ship down outside the castle gates.
"Promise you won't tell anyone about me and Ansem?" She pleaded.
Yuffie giggled, "Sure, just as long as you don't tell anyone I got caught."
Kairi smiled happily at her friend, unbuckling herself and grabbing her bags as the ship landed.
Yuffie threw open the door, receiving a hearty welcome from the large group of bystanders.
"Yuffie!! You're back! How'd it go?" Selphie shouted, giving her friend a big hug and bouncing around with her.
Curious shouts and welcomes were shouted out at her from the crowd, reverberating off the castle walls as she tried to calm everyone down.
Sora stepped forward, "What about Kairi? Did you see her?" he asked urgently, Riku grabbing his arm and stepping up next to him. Both were focused intently on the small ninja as she gazed soberly at them.
Kairi gathered her bags together and climbed off of the ship, setting them down and closing the door behind her. "Hey, guys." She said nervously, everyone turning to stare at her in surprise.
"KAIRI!" They all screamed at once, dashing forward to check if she was alright.
Sora and Riku jumped on her, nearly crushing her in a group hug and swinging her around. "You're okay! Don't do that, Kairi! We were so worried about you!" Sora cried happily.
~*~
Everyone had managed to calm back down and had settled into the garden once again, preparing for another meeting.
King Mickey walked in and seated himself next to Kairi. "Now, Kairi, while you were in Hollow Bastion, did you manage to overhear anything that Ansem might be planning? Anything could be helpful, so please don't hesitate to tell us even if it's something small." He said, urging her to speak up.
She took a deep breath, gazing around at the anxious faces before telling them what Ansem had told her.
~*~*~*~~~~