Disclaimer: I do not, and cannot, own Kingdom Hearts. Shame on you for ever thinking that.
A/N: Oh, man. OHMAN. I haven't updated in over a month! Please, give me your best shot and bombard rotten vegetables at me. I prefer tomatoes, but you may use any veggie you wish. Haha. Well, truthfully, I haven't really gotten the chance to type up a chapter. Mmm hmm, and people HAVE been bothering me to update. Fortunately, I've managed to whip up a chapter before everyone gave up on this fic! I hope you guys like this chapter. I don't know when I'll be updating next, because next week is finals week. Joy. But guess what? After that it's WINTER BREAK and I can write as many chapters as I want! xD Perhaps this fanfic will even finish before the year itself finishes... or maybe early next year. Who knows? (:
xoxo Bianca.
Intertwined Destinies
Chapter Twenty.
Sora turned over.
... face and...
... brush against her eyes...
... whenever she was overwhelmed...
... with any sort of feeling...
... but then she'd smile... oh, how that smile warmed my heart.
You could say... that I lov...
"Kairi..."
There were some stifled chuckles and Sora awoke with a start as he felt a finger poke into his stomach. He found himself staring right into a pair of curious blue eyes similar to his own, only lighter.
"Yes?" Kairi tweaked her head to the side. Then, she turned around and shot her hand up. "He's awake, Donald and Goofy! Riku and Toshi... kindly shut up, there's nothing to laugh about—thank you very much."
Donald and Goofy came springing towards Sora and Kairi from the other side of the room. Goofy was devouring a banana, and he seemed to have set his green hat aside somewhere, for the top of his head was completely exposed, with a few black hairs sticking up. Donald looked as though he had just taken a swim, most likely in the stream, for his feathers were slightly damp.
"Gawrsh! We thought you'd never wake up, Sora."
"Finally!" Donald quacked ruefully. "You were knocked out for hours."
"What...?" Sora sat up. He seemed to have been sleeping on a pile of blankets. Near him, above his head, was a window. The sun was gone, the moon was up, it was quiet, and everything was dark except for the stars that took residence in the sky and the candles that lit up the cottage. "What happened?"
"Oh." Kairi scooted over so that she sat next to Sora, and then bumped his shoulder with her own. "You know what? The second we walked in the cottage, you collapsed. You fell dead unconscious. You must have been really tired... you slept for about nine hours straight, I'm guessing."
Sora rubbed his head, everything rushing back to him now. "Oh, right. This is Alexandra's cottage, isn't it? And this is her rain forest... that she said she created herself." Sora coughed, still wondering how that could be possible. "Hey, do you happen to have some aspirin?"
Kairi lifted an eyebrow. "Let me check my pockets."
Noticing the sarcasm in her voice, Sora sighed and then felt a little dumb. "Okay, okay. Sorry. Just give me a few moments to gather myself together."
Kairi stood up and patted Sora's soft, pointed hair. "Fine—"
There was a girlish scream from off to the side. Kairi and Sora whipped their heads in the direction of the pathetic sound, only to see a shocking scene involving Toshi cowering under an enormous, charcoal-colored feline. Toshi shrilled again when the cat-like figure began to paw inquisitively at him. Toshi tried to shield himself with his arms, and attempted to scamper away from the animal but failed wretchedly. He could not get away, over the fact that the feline pinned his shirt to the wooden floor with a few handsomely gleaming talons. It bared its glossy canines at the whimpering boy, in what almost seemed to be a devious smile.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"
Kairi, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared in surprise.
Riku was laughing.
"Oh, my." Alexandra, looking a little flustered, bounded into her cottage through the already-open front door. She looked at Toshi. "I see you have met Mew."
The oversized cat backed away from Toshi and flounced towards Alexandra, lowering its head to rub against the girl's knees. A deep sound that vibrated in the air emitted from its throat. It was a purr strong enough to send fissions down one's spine.
Sora looked at the feline's eyes. They were a vivid, mesmerizing yellow. He swallowed and looked away. Those eyes gave him a peculiar feeling. He still felt the pupils piercing sharply into him.
Toshi, in his fetal position, fell limp on the ground with a relieved groan. "I could have died." He shuddered. "And you named that thing Mew? I swear, it's worthy enough to be called The Terminator—that's not a compliment, by the way."
"Do not call her a thing!" snapped Alexandra, her long fingers gently stroking her jaguar's black, sleek coat. "Mew was only wondering who you were. She is harmless... most of the time... when she is not hungry... and when you do not aggravate her... or make faces at her... or harm her—" Alexandra stopped herself. "All right, so maybe you should be more careful around her next time."
Toshi scurried over to the other side of the room with the others, away from Alexandra and her jaguar. "Next time? There won't be a next time! Keep that cat away from me!"
Riku stood up from the chair he was sitting on, tossing his head back and laughing. "Aw, Toshi's afraid of a kitty cat." He approached Mew and put out a hand. "Hey there, beautiful."
Mew cocked her head at Riku's outstretched hand. She nudged his fingers with her slightly damp nose and placed her majestic head underneath his hand. Riku grinned in satisfaction and petted the soft area around her silken ears.
"See?" Riku dropped his hand to his side, smirking in Toshi's direction. "No harm done." Mew bumped Riku's hand again with her head, demanding that he pet her more. Riku obeyed.
"Riku has a way with all girls," Sora mused, standing up.
"Even felines," agreed Kairi. Then she paused. "And except for me."
Alexandra smiled. "Mew says she likes you very much, Riku."
"I like her very much, too," Riku replied—but the thing was, he was looking straight at Alexandra.
"This is great." Sora huffed in a sarcastic manner. Everyone had decided that they were tired and worn out, so they opted to go to sleep. They had spread out the blankets on the ground, stretched out on their own spot, and fell asleep quite quickly. But of course, Sora already had been asleep before them, so he couldn't just go right back into slumber.
Now he was the only one awake.
Sora saw no use in staying inside the cottage, especially if it meant having to listen to Toshi's snores. Sora wondered if he ever snored so vigorously like Toshi.
Sora grumbled incoherently, unlatching the cottage door and stepping out. He was greeted with a desirable breeze accompanying the scent of fresh turf. The stream seemed to croon softly; it reflected thousands of flaring stars, but no moon. Sora looked up. There was no moon.
Was this another world? It had to be. It wasn't where they had been before, which was known as the Stained Glass Realm. It was not Traverse Town, obviously. So where were they? Sora only knew that it was a place neither he nor the others had gone to before. And he knew, of course, that this was Alexandra's home. She made it. So she made the world? Or did she create the rain forest upon a world? It was all so confusing, Sora tried not to think about it too much. Maybe he'd ask Alexandra later.
Sora began pacing in no particular direction whatsoever. He crossed the river through the bridge and stepped around a few trees. Sometimes the ground underneath him crunched as he stepped on pebbles and dry dirt, and sometimes the ground squished wetly. Sora did this all in the darkness, with only the stars as his source of light. All of a sudden, his knee bumped into a splintered branch jutting out of a hollow log on the ground, and he felt it scratch through his pants and deeply into his skin. Sora winced, and bent over, pulling up his pants leg, trying to see how bad the impact was. It couldn't be that bad. Sora decided he needed a brighter place, so he rolled his pants leg back down, straightened his posture, and turned around—
"AHH!" Sora smashed into another body. He reeled backwards and fell on his butt.
"Sora?"
Looking up, Sora saw no other than a slightly puzzled Kairi standing over him. He took a deep breath, relieved, and exhaled slowly. His knee stung and he quickly placed a hand over it. "What are you doing awake?"
"I couldn't sleep." Kairi kneeled down next to him, her eyes scrutinizing his clenched teeth, and the way he flinched as her face approached his. "Are you okay?"
Sora clamped his other hand over his knee as well. "Yup. Never better."
"What's wrong with your knee?"
"Nothing."
"Do you think I'm that stupid?"
"I just bumped it. That's all."
"Can I see?"
"No."
"Let me see."
"I said no."
Kairi stood and took Sora by the elbow to bring him up with her. "You're such a baby! Seriously, sometimes I don't even know why I lo—" Kairi didn't continue, and decided to say something else. "I want to help you." She sat down on the log and pulled him down next to her. "Now, roll up your pants leg for me."
"No thanks, Doctor Kairi." Sora shook his head once, very aware of her annoyed facial expression. He smiled—he had missed the way she looked at him like that. For so many times at Destiny Islands, she'd look at him with such irritability but he knew that there was something behind that irritation.
"There are two solutions here," Kairi explained, and folded her hands together. "One, you be a good little boy and roll your pants up so I can see your knee. Or two, I become very hostile and rip those pants off of you and not give it back afterwards."
"Um... two?"
"Sora!"
"Fine," Sora leaned down and slowly rolled up the fabric of his pants to the point above his knee. He and Kairi both looked carefully at the thin yet deep slits that ran along his knee.
Kairi poked it.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"I wanted to see how bad it would hurt."
"How kind of you."
"Well, how much does it hurt, exactly?"
"Not that bad, really." Sora shrugged. "Try being jabbed in the side with one of Cerberus's fangs."
"True. We'll bandage it up later," Kairi replied, standing up and swiping her hands together. After tugging down his pants to the appropriate length, Sora stood up as well. Kairi looked at him.
Feeling a little queasy under Kairi's high-powered stare, Sora bit his lower lip again. "What?"
Kairi turned her head a little, still looking at him but now through the corner of her eye. "Nothing... it's just..." Kairi fell silent. She stepped forwards and delivered him a sudden embrace. Sora went stiff for a moment, but then relaxed and put his arms around her dainty frame. She felt so fragile, but Sora felt her practically invulnerable heart radiating past her delicate exterior.
Kairi buried her head against Sora's chest. "According to Selphie, we haven't seen each other in one year, ten months—"
"It doesn't matter what Selphie says." Sora's hands gently pressed against Kairi's back. "What matters is that we're together now."
Kairi closed her eyes and drew in a breath. After all this time, Sora had maintained the same scent. It caused her smile faintly. "Right."
Sora didn't move. He didn't want to move. Kairi's warmth was unexplainable. It was amazing how they could be quarrelling one moment and have their arms around each other the next. "Why couldn't you sleep?"
In Sora's arms, Kairi shrugged slightly. "I don't know."
"I'm not that stupid, either, you know."
Kairi laughed softly into Sora's shirt. "I suppose not. Well, I knew you were going to be awake... I wanted to talk to you."
"About what?"
"Nothing, really... just talk. We haven't done that in such a long time, you know? And with all the others around—not that I mind them being around—we never really had the chance to... to..."
"To what?"
"To talk!"
"Okay. So let's talk."
"We're already talking," Kairi whispered. They both fell quiet for a moment. For a while, they both heard nothing but the light sway of leaves, the bubbling stream, and their steady breathing.
"This is a nice conversation."
They both laughed.
Then, Kairi's hand lifted upwards, her fingers placing against Sora's left shoulder. In the dim light she felt and saw that his shirt was ripped a little, with some dried blood staining it.
"What happened?" Kairi asked softly. She felt like an idiot for not noticing his shoulder earlier.
"Just got thrown against a wall, that's all."
Kairi looked at him skeptically. "It's okay now... right?"
"Pretty much."
Kairi squinted at him. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Kairi." Sora sighed. "Who do you think you are, my mother?"
"No, I'm your—" Kairi stopped herself, her eyes getting wide and blinking once. "Wait." She dropped her hands to her sides and Sora let go of her. She stepped away from him, turned around, and looked in a certain direction curiously. "Did you hear that?"
Sora came up from behind her. "Hear what?"
"Shh." Kairi went on her knees, taking Sora down with her. She parted a few stems, which stuck out from the wet dirt, to the side and gazed forwardly. She murmured, "Look."
Sora's head poked out from behind Kairi's shoulders and his eyes widened. "Guess we're not the only ones awake now."
Kairi and Sora exchanged glances, and then turned back to the scene before them.
With their backs facing Sora and Kairi, Alexandra and Riku sat in front of the stream. They were speaking in soft, barely audible tones, although the night was silent enough for Sora and Kairi to hear their conversation and see what they were doing. Sora and Kairi looked at each other again, both noticing that Riku and Alexandra were sitting awfully close.
Riku nodded, then smiled. "That's awesome."
"Do you really think so?" Alexandra tucked few stray strands of bright blonde hair behind her ear.
"Yeah," Riku looked at his reflection in the stream; the gleaming ripples made his face look wavy and distorted. He looked away, turning to look at Alexandra fully in the face. "So if this world is your heart, then you're not really heartless... right?"
"Well..." Alexandra was completely unaware of Riku staring at her. She looked at her pale legs. "I am not superbly sure. Of course, this is my refuge, my home. Plainly, it is my heart. I am still a Heartless. I still cannot feel elaborate emotions."
"Elaborate emotions..." Riku's voice lowered a decibel. "What about—"
"And," Alexandra continued, cutting him off absentmindedly, "do you see how extravagant and convoluted everything is here? I suppose... that... if in reality I had a heart, it would be a rather amazing one..."
"Alexandra," Riku raised his eyebrows casually. "You're already amazing."
"Oh?" Alexandra looked up at the sky wistfully.
"Yeah." Riku looked as though he had not gotten the reaction he wanted. Out of all the girls he had met in his life, he had to admit that Alexandra was the most tough to attract. That is, of course, with the exception of Kairi. Kairi had always stayed right in the head, and Riku preferred her as a friend anyway... besides, certain people would hate him if he got in between Kairi and Sora.
But Riku knew that this would be tough. Alexandra's a Heartless, after all, he told himself internally. Don't take it too hard on yourself—you're still sexy as ever.
Then again, sometimes it took more than good looks.
Sometimes.
Alexandra clasped and unclasped her hands. "But if this world were ever to be destroyed..."
When Alexandra did not continue, Riku felt as if something were wrong. "What would happen then?" He blinked. "What would happen to you?"
Alexandra chose not to answer him directly. "It would be very difficult to obliterate this world, Riku. Let us not dwell on the matter; apologies for bringing it up."
"Don't apologize," Riku reached over and took one of Alexandra's cold hands, earning a bewildered and flustered look from the girl. "But it would be bad, wouldn't it? If your world, your heart... if it were destroyed, something terrible would happen to you, am I correct?"
Alexandra stared vacantly at Riku's hand in hers. No one had ever really held her hand. His hand was warm and hers was cold. She was always cold. She was cold blooded. Alexandra almost never really felt warmth, but now she was feeling the slightest bit of it. It felt... like something she had never felt before. Then again, she rarely felt. Deep within herself, Alexandra first noticed how she wished there were something to fill the emptiness.
"Well?"
Alexandra blinked. Her head hurt. Usually, she was never one to be in such deep thought. Why now? She sighed. "Oh, I suppose," Alexandra answered lightly, drawing her hand back to her lap. The warmth instantly faded away and her hand was left frigid. It was better than that odd feeling she felt earlier.
Riku had skillfully managed to hide his disappointment. He was very good in concealing emotions, just to maintain a relaxed and laid-back attitude. He learned that majority of the easy girls were obtained that way. Riku stopped his train of thought. For once in almost never, he realized how very much shallow he was sounding to himself at the moment.
Majority of the easy girls...
Obtained...
Riku looked at Alexandra.
This girl... this Heartless...
She had actually made him feel ashamed of himself.
And for some reason... it made him feel glad and relieved, because no other girl had the ability to do that.
Sora and Kairi watched Riku and Alexandra walk back inside the house, Alexandra walking a great deal in front of the silver-haired male.
"Burn," they breathed.
Kairi let the stems she had been pushing aside sweep into their rightful postures. Sora assisted her in standing and they looked at each other.
"So she's a Heartless?" Kairi questioned.
"Yeah," Sora replied. He looked in the direction of the cottage. "But I guess she's harmless... sort of. Pretty cool, huh? You would never be able to tell unless you saw the Heartless emblem on her shoulder blade."
"Do you think she's playing hard to get?" Kairi smirked.
Sora grinned. "No, I don't think so. Remember what she said? She can't feel elaborate feelings. Love, of course, is a very complicated feeling."
"You can say that again," Kairi mumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Kairi..."
"Hmm?"
Sora shook his head. "Never mind, it's nothing." He watched Kairi hide a yawn. "Do you think you'll be able to sleep now?"
Kairi placed a hand on her cheek. "Yeah, I think so."
"Come on," Sora took her hand in his. "I'll walk you there."
Side by side, their shoulders almost brushing against each other's, the two took their time getting to the cottage.
"Why does she dress like that?" Kairi wondered aloud, adding a little swing to their entwined hands. "Really, it's a bit revealing."
"A bit?" Sora chuckled. "Well, I guess she has the right to dress the way she wants. I wonder if Riku's attracted to her because of her physique."
"That would just turn out to be yet another failed relationship."
"If there is any relationship at all. Alexandra seems too... neutral..."
Kairi shrugged. "I'm sure Riku will find a way to break through her heartlessness. This world is her heart, after all. She must not completely be unfeeling. There must be even the slightest amount of love in her."
"You think so?" Sora questioned.
"Mmm hmm." Kairi nodded. "I suppose there's love in everybody... in you, in me, in Riku, in anyone."
They reached the door to the cottage and let go of each other's hands. Kairi's fingers went over the smooth knob of the door. She gave Sora a sideward glance. "Are you going to stay up?"
"Yeah," Sora answered, stepping back. "I think I'll go look for a fruit or something."
"Suit yourself." Kairi fixed her eyes on the doorknob. "Sora...?"
"Hmm?"
Kairi opened the door. "Good night."
She went inside and closed the door behind her.
The sun was high in the sky.
Mew reclined on her haunches lazily. She lifted a dark, large paw and flicked her rough pink tongue against it. There was a shout behind her, and her tufted ears twitched imperceptibly as she turned her head to look at what was happening.
"Ouch! Kairi! That hurt!"
"Oh, quit your whining." Kairi placed a wet, thin cloth on Sora's knee and wiped off the remaining dirt and dried blood. Sora winced. Kairi rolled her eyes.
"I see how it is," seethed Sora, wrinkling his nose. His palms were pushing down on the ground and his fingers clutched some blades of grass. "You like to see me in pain! How sadistic of you."
Kairi didn't look at Sora. She picked up a long, white strip of fresh cloth and wound it around Sora's knee. She made sure it wasn't overly tight, but secure enough to keep it from bleeding too much anymore.
Kairi stood up. "Seeing you in pain is the last thing I ever want to see." Then she stuck out her hand and Sora took it, getting up.
"Thanks." Sora smiled, but it left as soon as it came when he saw Kairi develop a troubled look on her face. "What's wrong?"
Kairi wrung her hands lightly. "There's something I need to talk to you about..."
"So what are you gonna do?" Toshi sat with Alexandra at the foot of the bridge. "I thought you had a task, or a mission, or something. Aren't you going to fulfill it?"
Alexandra let out a small breath. "Do you recall the time I told you that I would appreciate your assistance in my duty?"
Toshi thought back. After a few seconds he nodded. "Yeah... but—"
"I would still appreciate your help. All this," Alexandra gestured to the others, who were all doing their own thing, "caused quite a delay in my plan... my orders."
"You mean... to find Trinity's brother?"
Alexandra nodded once. "Correct."
"But... but that's Riku's job, too..."
Alexandra stared at Toshi. "So are you saying that you are going to help him instead?"
"No. I mean, I don't know." Toshi rubbed his forehead. "I don't know who to help, I don't know if I'm even helping anyone at all. I didn't ask for these psychic powers!"
Alexandra's green eye flashed as she looked away. "And I did not ask to be a Heartless."
Kairi pushed her glass of orange juice away from her. "The hand was so cold... and I couldn't see anything..."
Sora looked at Kairi from across the table. "And then...?"
"Then I woke up in that bright dimension." Kairi listlessly examined a clump of pulp in the juice. "Do you know how frightening it can be, to wake up and find yourself with so many dead people lying on the ground? I mean... they weren't dead, of course... just unconscious... but it seemed as though they were as good as dead..."
"It must have been really scary for you."
"Right." Kairi swallowed hard. "But the thing is... I don't know who brought me there... and for some reason, I feel like I need to know. It's because whoever took me there took Trinity, too. And the whole lot of it makes me feel... very..."
"Angry?"
"Yes," Kairi's voice was like a hushed whistle. "I wish I could fight like you."
"You can't fight for revenge, Kairi." Sora quickly glanced at his Keyblade lying on the other side of the room, and then leaned forward, causing Kairi to turn her gaze towards him.
"And why not?" Kairi asked in a disdainful manner. Then she sighed and shook her head. "I guess you're right. But... you know the whole thing of how I hate feeling helpless."
"Still," Sora replied. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"So, you're saying that if I fight, I'm going to get hurt?"
"Well, do you know how to fight?"
Kairi took a fast, deep breath. She opened her mouth and then shut it. After a moment or two she slumped back in her seat, her answer quiet. "Not exactly."
"Although," Alexandra laced her fingers together, "I am going to complete my duty, no matter what—with or without your help. I am just saying, though, that if you choose to assist Riku... it will cause a problem for my own job." She looked at Riku, who was leaning against the threshold of the cottage. "And I would like to let you know that I strongly dislike problems, therefore I will do anything to take it out of the way."
"Okay. But..." Toshi looked from Alexandra to Riku. "Don't you have a thing for Riku?"
Alexandra stood up. "I have no thing for anyone. I am not even completely sure if I comprehend what you have just said."
Toshi stared up at Alexandra. She looked so serious, yet emotionless. She looked so mature. Of course she was attractive—very attractive, in fact—but what exactly did Riku see in this girl? Was Riku able to see beyond her exterior?
"Whatever you say, Alexandra."
Was she in denial or something?
Mew padded up to Alexandra. Toshi flinched and edged away. Mew bestowed a powerful gaze upon the boy. Toshi refrained from shuddering, and stood up and walked away.
Kairi leaned forward. "Are you saying this because you think I'm weak?"
Sora raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm saying this because I care about you." He looked at Kairi. Her face was still rigid and stubborn. "Kairi, you know what you said earlier? The same goes for me."
Kairi folded her arms over her chest and cast her gaze off to the side. "And what did I happen to say earlier?"
"'Seeing you in pain is the last thing I ever want to see.'"
Kairi's hands fell to the arms of the chair. She looked at Sora.
Sora exhaled softly. "I don't want to see you get hurt."
The chair Kairi sat upon scratched on the wooden floor as she got to her feet. "Then don't look when I fight."
"Kairi—"
Kairi shook her head at Sora, rounded the table, and stormed huffily out of the room. She would have gotten away with a rather dramatic exit, too, if Riku hadn't grabbed her arm and stopped her when she reached the doorway.
"What do you want?" demanded Kairi, trying to wrench her arm free from Riku's tight hold. Of course, he overpowered her.
"Kairi," Riku rolled his eyes and sighed with exasperation, "what exactly do you think you're doing?"
"Walking away. Until you grabbed me!" Kairi pulled. Her puny biceps were beginning to hurt.
"And you call Sora immature! You can't just be angry at him for worrying about your safety!"
Kairi tugged for her arm but to no prevail. She didn't even notice that Riku must have been listening in on her conversation with Sora earlier. "He thinks I'm weak! That I can't fight!"
"You can't fight, Kairi!"
Kairi slowly shook her head. Her voice began to tremble. "But my heart's strong. It's stronger than most people's. Even Merlin said—"
In a fast move, Riku pulled Kairi inside and pushed her against the wall. "You're actually listening to what that old bastard said?"
Kairi heaved a profound, quivery breath. "I... I don't..."
"He betrayed us, Kairi." Riku's eyes narrowed icily. "He almost killed you."
Kairi looked away. She didn't like the look Riku was giving her. She felt as if his eyes were slicing into her skin.
"Kairi, you could have died that moment. If Sora never showed up, you wouldn't be here right now. He only worries about you because he cares about you—he said so himself! Didn't you hear him?"
Kairi closed her eyes. Riku was clenching her shoulders unyieldingly. She didn't answer.
"God, Kairi! What the hell is wrong with you? Sora cares, and you repay him by walking out on him?" Riku's fingers were beginning to feel like snow. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
A few silent moments passed. Kairi's breaths turned vaguely ragged, and when she opened her eyes they were glittering, fixed on the wood on the ground. Riku slowly let go of Kairi's shoulders, leaving her sleeves wrinkled. He turned to look at Sora, who was still sitting at the table, and who had watched Kairi and Riku the whole entire time.
"I'm sorry," Kairi whispered. She turned herself to face Sora. "I'm so sorry."
She walked out of the cottage.
Riku sighed, watched Kairi leave, and then turned his eyes back to Sora. "Mood swing?"
Sora stood up and walked over to Riku's side. "For her, maybe."
"Are you mad at her?"
Sora shook his head. "I think I made it seem like I was looking down on her."
"And you weren't?"
"Of course not! Why would I? I hate making anyone feel inferior, you know that."
Kairi let out a frustrated growl and wiped at her eyes before the tears even had the chance to spill. She hated these stupid tears. She didn't need tears... she wasn't a baby... she was far from one. Not only did her head pound, but her heart as well. Her heart, which was supposedly "invulnerable."
As Kairi stood upon the middle of the bridge, her mind whirled.
Still, I don't want you to get hurt.
You can't fight, Kairi!
He betrayed us. He almost killed you.
God, Kairi! What the hell is wrong with you?
"I don't really know," whispered Kairi. She wiped at her face one more time.
"Kairi?"
Kairi turned around. There was Sora, standing there, awkwardly. She didn't say anything. Her throat tightened.
"Kairi—I didn't mean to make you think that I thought you were—I mean, I didn't want you to assume that I—I didn't really—maybe I should be more careful—" Sora inhaled sincerely. "Okay. Kairi, I never wanted you to think that you're weak. You're far from weak. You're practically the strongest girl I know... the strongest person, in fact. You know why? It's because of your heart. Merlin might have gone nuts, but whatever he said was true. Your heart is capable of so many more things than a regular person's. You're special—you're special to me. Don't pretend that last night never happened... because it did, and what I said, I meant. That, what matters is that we're together now."
Kairi felt the knot in her throat develop tautly. It tightened, loosened, and then tightened once more.
"I don't want to lose you again, Kairi. That's what I meant about you fighting."
Kairi bit her lip. She struggled to keep her voice in one tone, in one steady tone. "Sora... it was... because... because for nearly two years, you've been out there fighting. And what was I doing? Staying at Destiny Islands. You fought, I didn't. You have a weapon, I don't. It doesn't seem fair, Sora. I don't want to seem helpless because I have to wait for you to come back to me. Waiting is fine, but sitting back and knowing that you're in some unknown place battling some unknown thing is really nerve wracking."
One moment Kairi feigned back tears, and the next moment she found herself in Sora's arms.
"Kairi," Sora breathed out gently, warming Kairi's silken hair, "you're sounding parental again." A barely noticeable smile began to appear on his face, as well as Kairi's. "Who do you think you are, my mother?"
"No." Kairi looked up at Sora. Her eyes were still shimmering with unshed tears, the ones that she forgot to thrash away. She didn't seem to be contemplating; all she envisaged was drowning in the blue of Sora's eyes. "I think I'm your girlfriend."
A moment passed. They both blinked, their eyes locking. Kairi felt like smacking herself. Did she really say that out loud?
Then Sora laughed flippantly, drawing Kairi closer to him. "Awesome."
Her bare feet thumped swiftly against the rain forest floor. Her breaths were only obscurely heard. She splashed through a puddle. Deeper and deeper she ventured into the thickets of varying trees, the darker and more sullen the atmosphere grew.
She was running into the dark side of her heart.
She stopped abruptly, and then gazed around languidly.
"I'm here," she whispered.
Citrus yellow eyes flashed. "Good."
"And you know they are here as well, back there. You saw them, of course."
"I did, indeed." The owner of the yellow eyes paused. "Are you in doubt with your plans?"
"No, Master. Does it seem so?"
"I am just checking. Dear, remember what I forbade you to do."
"Yes. It is... forbidden."
"Very good."
"What must we do now?"
"I know you will find a legitimate way to take care of them. Darling... you do know what I am referring to when I say to... take care of them?"
"I know very much of what you speak of, Master. I will do so, as you wish."
"Do not fail me, Alexandra."
SPECIAL THANKS TO...
Iradaceae, Sorasgirl333, Sweet Raine, Heavenly Demon, BattleAngelKurumi, SexyKairi, 3xodus, monkeyluv4646, thesrazrbladekisses, daaku, heartsoblivion, Anoa, Shirozora, kingdom219, KairiGurlPaupo, Cherdafred, Sakura Kamiya101, carbuncle x3, Mysterious Prophetess, Inuyasha-Fan012, sorakairi forever, Pippy99999, paopu, & 3viL Bunni.
You make my heart go ba-dump.