Written for a spring challenge by Ginger Ninja!
Checks pockets and realises that she still doesn't own KH or any of the characters.
She Is
She is five, newly arrived in this strange place and with no memories of her past. Her left hand is tightly clutching the older woman - the lady who insists she calls her by her first name - and her right hand cuddling the stuffed bear she has been given protectively to her chest. Her eyes scour the scene in front of her, pastel shades of green, yellow and pink decorating the large hall were they stand. Crepe paper streamers hang down from the ceiling, waving steadily from the slight breeze that drifts in from the open windows, the smell of the sea just out of view eclipsing the aromas of freshly baked cakes and fizzy pop.
With a light push on her back the lady ushers her forward, her feet taking small deliberate steps as she cranes her head up to peek at her shyly, her eyes questioning whether she is doing the right thing and receiving the heart warming smile that ensures that she is.
She is nervous and the sights and sounds all around her do little to calm her nerves. Children of all ages run around the hall, boisterous and noisy, some are wearing costumes of animals and others carrying platters of food and following the orders of the adults. It is the spring festival and she has been told that it is an annual occurrence. A chance to celebrate the season of growth and give thanks for the new life that is to come. She is tempted by the excitement, a bubble of anticipation floating up inside of her, the colours, smells and activity making her grin happily as she is lead further into the bustle of people.
A long table stretches out before her, its length filled to the brim with food of all kinds, she peers at the goodies with interest, the lady informing her what each individual dish is. Her favourites, she decides, the bright yellow juice that smells sweetly of tangy fruits and the chocolate treats that she is told are chocolate nests; three miniature candied eggs nestled inside of each one to resemble a chickens nest.
She is tempted to pluck one from the plate, her fingers itching to taste the home baked treat, but knowing that it is wrong to just take. The lady pats her lightly on the head, informing her that she will be back shortly and that she is to enjoy herself and get stuck in wherever she wants. Her head bobs up and down. Temporarily distracted from the table as she watches her newly appointed guardian walk away and join a group of women. The group are chatting happily, occasionally looking her way and flicking her a wave and smile when she catches their attention.
Eventually she turns back, losing interest in the women and the smell of the food distracting her concentration. Her fingers creep onto the table, moving up and down as her eyes glance to the side, wondering whether she has the chance and the nerve to steal a chocolate nest when no one is looking.
"You can take one if you want."
She jumps, caught in the act, her head turning to the right and coming face to face with a boy in a yellow fluffy chick costume. She can barely make out the human inside, the vision in front of her a big puffball of yellow fluff, the ensemble completed with yellow tights and orange webbed feet, a discarded beak hangs carelessly at his neck awaiting the opportunity to be worn on top of his nose.
He grins brightly at her and she faintly recognises him, a handful of the children her age having introduced themselves to her just a few days before. Politely, she smiles back, eyes following his fluffy wing, which is pointing to the plate of treats that she has hungrily been eyeing up.
"My Mom made them. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we tried them out before anyone else."
Her head dips shyly, suddenly feeling self-conscious as this stranger talks to her. She casts a quick glance over her shoulder for the comforting presence of her guardian but this time she is nowhere to be seen. The costumed chick however carries on, oblivious to her sudden bashfulness.
"They're really good too. She let me try one before we came." He moves his wing towards the plate, attempting to pick one up with his costume still on, but only succeeds in knocking a nest around, the chocolate treat tumbling off of its plate and onto the table creating crumbs.
"Sora!"
The boy stumbles back, hands shooting innocently down to his side as if he had not just been trying to steal from the table. Her hands quickly follow suit, leaving the table instantly as if it has burnt her fingers. She swivels around and clasps them simply behind her back, the picture of sweetness.
The shout is from another boy, the one who accompanied Sora to the mayor's house when she first arrived. The taller of the two is dressed in a woollen lambs outfit, complete with a set of lambs' ears atop his silver hair. He pierces Sora with a stern stare, the look still managing to convey annoyance despite his appearance, mittened hands landing on his hips. His voice is a firm whisper, "Your Mom told you not to go anywhere near the food table. You'll get us in trouble again."
Sora looks up at Kairi, his cheeks flushing a tomato red, before he turns his attention back to the older boy. "I was just saying hello to the new girl."
The older boy pins her with a stare and she feels her own face growing warm in response.
"This is Riku," Sora throws a careless wing back at the still staring boy, "and I'm Sora. We came to see you the other day." She nods, eyes cautiously flicking between the two. "You're not in costume?" He peers quizzically at her, as if it is strange that she is not dressed as an animal.
Riku rolls his eyes. "She's only just arrived; of course she's not in costume. She won't have been given a part in the play. Dope."
For a second Sora looks annoyed, blue eyes glittering dangerously at his friend, and then just as fast it's disappeared, smile back in place as he turns towards her. "I'll show you to your seat, you can sit on the first row." He grins at her. "They're the best seats. Then later on we'll show you around." He takes her hand.
She is accepted.
She is eight. Her costumed feet pad softly and carefully over the polished floor. Each step a delicate procedure as she stops her feet from slipping out from under her and landing flat on her back. She wobbles, casting her eyes around the room and searching for a sign of any of her friends.
She is beyond excited; her nose is painted pink, silky ears flopping down to brush softly against her cheeks and cottontail twitching as she walks. The lines she has been rehearsing for the past week are winding in and out of her head, repeating themselves in perfect order until she is almost sure that they are all memorised.
Finally, she spots Riku. Her friend is dressed as a tree, he is stood off to the right and slouching against a wall as he tries to keep comfortable, his costume is restricting, the length and material meaning that he can't sit down until he has taken it off, and so he is glaring down anyone who even remotely looks his way. A fierce glare, she thinks, for a nine year old that even sets some of the older children running. She grins, running over to him, and his unhappy frown turns into a bright grin.
With extreme care, she helps him pull away from the wall, a steadying hand keeping him from toppling over and her from slipping down, and then together they shuffle their way around the hall. As they walk along, he helps her practise her lines, a supporting smile on his face as she gets each one right, her confidence growing with each step.
They pass the bustling of the rest of the children getting ready, a chirpy Selphie, fast loosing her cheer, who is desperately trying to make Sora stop sulking. He is a daffodil this year and unhappy about the arrangement. He wanted -and still does- to be a tree like Riku, but has been told that he is too small yet to fit inside the costume, so instead of smiling at his waving friends he throws Riku a jealous glare and ignores her completely. So in turn, she turns her head and waves at Selphie instead, watching as Sora's head flops down onto his hand and he continues to sulk.
They walk off from the rest of their friends, already prepared and in costume and wanting to calm down as time ticks by too fast as she waits. Her nerves are beginning to show, feeling the words slip out of her head and wondering if it is too late now to change her mind.
He keeps her relaxed, insisting that she has it all down perfectly and will be the star of the show. She giggles, a blush flushing onto her face as she hugs him happily. Her fluffy arms wrapping tightly against the mottled coloured fabric that he wears.
"And if I do forget my words?" She steps back, head tilting up to look at him.
He rolls his eyes as if the question is absurd. "Then I'll be right on the stage with you, I can whisper the lines."
She nods her head, satisfied, because he is her tree, because he is her rock.
She is secure.
She is eleven, and can hardly keep herself standing as giggles erupt from her throat. She is leaning against the wall, chicken wire surrounding her on all sides except one, the one that her friend has just destroyed in a moment of clumsiness.
Five seconds is all that it takes and then he is lying on the floor, flimsy chicken wire crumpled beneath him and a flurry of chicks chirping happily and hopping up and over Sora as they make for their escape. He scrambles up carefully, desperately scooping up any near by chicks and placing them down as far away from the gaping hole as he can reach. The chicks instantly running back the way that they came as soon as their feet touch the floor, pushing past his fingers in a chick free for all.
She watches him with tears streaming down her face. His eyes taking on a panicked look as he realises he's defeated, giving up on his first plan and hastening to straighten the wire instead. His fixing of the fence is a boys attempt at best and so she kneels down beside him, fingers flicking his away as she does her best to fix his mess herself.
Once sorted she takes a step back and throws him a smug smile. Sora sticks his tongue out playfully, resting his head lightly against the fencing, crisis averted or at least that's what he assumes.
Her eyes widen and she elbows him impatiently, he sighs, grumbling at the treatment she is giving his arm and batting her hand away with his own. It is then that he catches site of what she sees, hand grasping hers and groaning.
At least five chicks hop happily just outside of their pen, chirping their surprise as they explore their new bigger surroundings. Sora grimaces and she giggles, watching with an amused smile as he leaps over the pen and attempts to gather the nearest chick into his hand whilst simultaneously trying to keep an eye on the hopping about of the others.
He scoops one into his hand, covering his palm carefully to stop its second escape attempt and throwing her an anxious, pleading look. She gives in with a sigh, daintily jumping over the fence and setting off in the direction of a fleeing chick.
It is only with him that she could get into this situation, she kneels down and coaxes a frightened chick into her hand, thinking that she should have said no when he insisted they take a closer look. She walks warily back to the pen, leaning over the wire and allowing the chick to hop out of her hand and back to its friends.
Sora has rescued two chicks at once and so there is only one more chick out there, but after five-minute searches in which they both look under tables, chairs and in any suspicious hole that there is, the chick is still missing.
She bites her lip nervously and fruitlessly suggests that maybe they counted wrong, both knowing that they didn't and a lost chick is risking being squashed somewhere out there. He gets down on his knees and makes strange chirping noises, instantly sending her into another fit of giggles, which stop as soon as a chick responds in turn.
Except the chick isn't really a chick and is actually Riku. A rescued chick protected safely in his hands and his chirping noises turning into laughter. She watches as Sora gets up off his knees and tries his best to ignore his teasing friend. She takes the chick and safely deposits it back in its home, once safe she turns back to her soon to be feuding friends.
She steps in between the two and places a calming hand on both.
"I saved the day, sooooo; you both owe me a chocolate nest."
Both smile, immediately relaxing and protesting at the idea of having to buy her anything, arguments and teasing forgotten as she drags them away.
She is in the middle.
She is thirteen, and the Spring Festival no longer seems to hold as much importance to her as it once did. She and her friends are building a raft, they are to set sail in just a few weeks time and all of her thoughts and ideas are in preparation for their journey. Yet for some reason she has still dragged her two friends along with her to the festivities.
Riku is strolling along beside her, his eyes casting a glance at every table that they pass but holding little interest in their gaze. She wonders whether he is feeling the same melancholy as her, the sights and colours of spring bright and reminding her of what she is to leave behind.
In truth, she is a little nervous to think that their departure date is nearing.
Sora is ahead of them, his attention focused on a stall that is selling a homemade style of decorative eggs. When they catch up to him he is delicately fingering one of the products, his fingers brushing over the jewelled shell, his movements soft and unsure as if he is afraid it might break, which with his past Spring Festival record could happen. When they arrive at his side, he throws her a smile, the brightness not quite able to reach his eyes and causing her to wonder whether he is feeling the same.
They pull away from the stall and wander through the rest, the three buying cakes, sweets and drinks whenever the opportunity arises and tempts their stomachs. They spend munny on the games stalls, Riku winning a plant on a tombola and Sora gaining a plush stuffed rabbit, which he gives to her. She tries herself to win a prize but ends up losing every time, her pockets soon empty and with no gift as a result. She is offered some of his change by Riku but declines the offer; the Spring Festival has lost its charm and is only reminding her of what will be missed from now on.
So together the three leave the Festival for what could be the last time, worlds of opportunities waiting for them to explore, and, as Sora points out, plenty of Spring Festivals for them all to enjoy just in different locations.
They make their way to their island. With plans of what food to take with them and whether the new worlds they will visit will celebrate spring at the same time the hot topic of discussion. She listens idly as the two make the last of the preparations, leaving no doubt in her mind that their trip won't come true and leaving her with a quiet sadness.
Their conversation stops and they remark on how quiet she is their faces full of concern. She smiles wistfully at them.
"I was just thinking."
"About the trip?"
She shakes her head. "Of our memories here and the new ones that we'll make."
The sentence quietens them both into their own thoughts.
And so in what could be her last Spring festival, or at least for a little while, the three spend time sitting in their tree, the memories flooding through them like time itself, costumes and smiles, chicks and nests.
She is content.
She is fourteen, and newly arrived back from the adventure that has changed her life. She is alone this time, wandering the hall and stalls aimlessly as she feels people's eyes burrow into her back. She should not be here, just as they are not.
This year the festival seems dull, the bright colours melding into one big blur in front of her eyes. Cakes, juice and even chocolate nests seem unappealing to her and so she politely refuses the treats that stall owners try to get her to buy. Smile in place as if they do look and smell delicious but are just out of her price range.
She passes by the hall as the children's play begins to start and takes an unoccupied seat near the back, a purposeful smile in place as she watches over. The play is a repeat of the year when she played a rabbit, the young girl that plays her part constantly stopping and stalling as she is given her lines. The tree behind her remains silent, no Riku in disguise to lend her a helping hand, and the daffodil that sits to her left has none of the pout that Sora did that day, his wish still to be a tree even halfway through the play.
She claps on instinct as the children bow, standing from her seat and walking back the way that she came, past the chicks' pen, with fences standing tall and proud and all chicks accounted for. This year there is a new pen next to it, a new set of fences filled with small baby lambs that can be fed for twenty-five munny a bottle. She leans over watching the children kneeling on the floor and clinging tightly to the lamb that they feed, as they scramble their mouths towards the bottles of milk. She should be missing this, a witness to spring festivities on a different world, the way that it was planned.
She wonders whether either of her friends has the opportunity to stop and realise what day it is, whether either is thinking of her as they wander a different Spring Festival, missing her as much as she misses them.
She walks past the stalls were people gamble their money away on flicking a coin and the number on a cork. Nostalgia takes its hold in her, fingers digging into her pockets and pulling out enough munny for two attempts. She pays for the turns and waits impatiently, face falling as both times she looses.
She retreats empty handed, her steps taking her to the long food table that was her first experience of Destiny Islands Spring Festival. It is more than half-empty now and looking as incomplete as she feels. Her hands rest lightly on the decorative cloth smudged with food and spilt drinks. Her eyes searching for the plate where Sora's Mom's chocolate nests sat just a few hours earlier, the plate now empty apart from some random crumbs.
There is nothing that she can do to get them back and time seems to slip by so slowly as she waits. She wishes that she could turn back time and relive each Spring Festival in turn, she regrets wanting to leave now, seeing all that they wished to and have left behind.
She wishes for them back.
She is lost.
Let me know what you think…