Hello, friends! The World Only Began Today here. I am excited to share my four-part KellynxKate story with you all! The story is set in the gameverse after Darkrai's dramatic capture at Altru Inc., an event the characters refer to as "Darkrai's rebellion". I take liberties with imagining Kellyn as Kate's official Ranger partner; therefore, he was with Kate for the story's climax, not Keith. But never fear! Keith and Rhythmi are a fun part of this story…
Without further ado, I hope you enjoy!
I awoke to rain drumming a gentle staccato on the cabin roof. The world outside my window was gray and peaceful, a little blurred by the streaks of water running down the glass pane, but beautiful and beckoning like an invitation all the same. It was a stark contrast to the nightmare I had just woken from. Shoving the dark thoughts back, I tossed aside my twisted sheets, scooped up a wrinkled sweatshirt from the floor, and padded to the door of the still-quiet cabin.
Weak, watery light filtered through the slate gray slab of the sky. It was earlier than I originally thought, and cooler too. The sweatshirt I pulled over my head matched the clouds: soft, gray, oversized, comforting. The fabric nestled my skin with the gentleness of a Minccino as I curled up on the swinging bench and tugged the material over my goosebump-covered shins. Thunder rumbled in the distance like an empty threat, intimidating but lacking strength.
I don't know how long I sat there before the cabin door creaked open again, emitting a rumpled and sleepy-eyed Kellyn. He stood a moment, blinking as if the sun shone directly in his eyes instead of straining to penetrate the thick cloud cover. He turned to me, a crooked smile sliding onto his face, but not before I noticed his expression soften with relief.
"Hey. You're up early." His voice was sleep-roughened as he sauntered toward me, hands in pockets, his gait as lithe and gracefully athletic as it had ever been. If not for the bulky brace encasing his left shoulder, anyone would have guessed he was in tip-top condition.
"I could say the same to you." I replied, scooting over a bit as he lowered himself next to me. The swing jerked, then resumed its gentle rocking as our weight settled. Kellyn's good arm stretched behind my head along the length of the swing, his solid warmth mere inches away tempting me more than I cared to admit. I tightened my grip on my knees.
"I got up to use the bathroom and noticed your door was open." He shrugged, his ice blue gaze focused on the rivulets of rain spilling off the cabin roof. "Thought I'd check on you, make sure you're alright."
He said it nonchalantly, as if it were normal that he would need to check on me. As if it were normal that only one of his arms worked properly. As if it were normal that we were here in a cozy cabin tucked deep in the Fiore mountains instead of in Almia doing the only job we'd ever trained to do. He said it as if I wouldn't normally have scoffed at him for saying such a thing, for implying I was vulnerable in any way. He said it as if nothing had happened to flip the world upside down.
"Thanks." I meant to sound normal, but my voice came out softer than I intended. Breathy and tense.
Scared.
I swallowed hard, hoping Kellyn would attribute my shivering to the dank morning chill. I felt his gaze rest on me.
"More nightmares?"
His voice was a low, gentle rumble. I nodded, unable to look at him. Afraid that if I did, I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears I felt building behind my eyes.
"I honestly thought they would have stopped by now." My voice was hardly more than a whisper. "I guess I was wrong."
Kellyn's arm drifted down to rest across my shoulders, the gentle pressure reassuring and steadying. He took a breath as if to speak.
"Aww, man, it's raining?"
Kellyn and I jumped at Keith's bawling voice. I hadn't even noticed him appear at the door Kellyn forgot to close. Judging by how Kellyn's head whipped around, I assumed he hadn't either.
"The day I decide to get out of bed and do something with myself, it rains? Seriously?" Keith ran a frustrated hand through his shaggy red hair before jamming it back into his pocket. "And it's freezing too!"
"I'm impressed you feel even remotely cold with all those layers on," Kellyn commented dryly.
My mouth twitched up into a smirk. Keith's black Almia Ranger sweatshirt bulged to the point of comedy, a testament to the number of shirts he had somehow managed to stuff under it. Combined with the black sweatpants and fluffy white socks cushioning his feet, he looked like a Snorlax—a very unhappy Snorlax. I considered pointing out the similarity, but my heart just wasn't into it.
"How many shirts did you fit under there?" Kellyn stretched out his jogger-clad legs and crossed his ankles. "Ten?"
Keith scowled at his roommate and best friend. "Don't be ridiculous. Only eight."
I blinked. "Jeez, Keith. How many shirts did you bring?"
"Oh, they're not all mine. Some of them are Kellyn's."
"Dude!" Kellyn snatched a broken capture disc from the side table and slung it at his roommate. Keith dodged to the side, his hand just barely darting out in time to snatch the disc from the air before it hit the scowling blond figure emerging from the cabin.
"Boys, didn't anyone ever tell you that hurling random objects is not the way to solve a disagreement?" Rhythmi looked like a bright pink avenging angel in her fuzzy knit sweater and black leggings. Matching pink boots thudded indignantly against the wooden floorboards as she stomped past Keith, ignoring his sheepish grin. Her expression softened with concern as she focused on me. "How are you feeling, Kate? Did you sleep well?"
Heat climbed my neck as three pairs of eyes fastened on me, all earlier squabbles forgotten.
"I'm fine," I managed to squeak out, hoping that Rhythmi wouldn't notice that I avoided her second question. Her eyes narrowed, but I jumped to my feet. "I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?"
The thought of food made my stomach do nauseated somersaults, but I was grasping for anything to deflect attention. I barely resisted the urge to squirm as Rhythmi scrutinized me, but I managed. It wasn't that I didn't want her to know what was really going on inside of me. But Rhythmi had already sacrificed so much for me in coming to Fiore—all three of my friends had—and I desperately wanted to give them some hope of progress, even if it was smaller than what I was portraying.
I must have passed muster, because Rhythmi smiled. Turning to Keith, her smile turned sickly sweet.
"You heard Kate. She's hungry. And you are next on the meal prep list I made, so get cooking."
"Aww, c'mon, Rhythmi, I made something yesterday!"
"You made an ice cream sundae. For yourself. I hardly count that as a major contribution to the team."
"I gave you a bite, didn't I?" Keith snapped, his layers of sweatshirts just barely allowing him to cross his arms in defiance.
"Only because I pointed out that you weren't even sharing with your girlfriend." Kellyn snorted as he got to his feet. Keith opened his mouth, but Kellyn clasped his shoulder. "Come on, Snorlax. I'll help you rustle us up some grub."
"Snorlax?"
"Oh, don't take pity on him, Kellyn." Rhythmi groaned. "Make him suffer—please. I would enjoy it."
"It's not pity. It's self-protection." Kellyn jostled Keith's shoulder. "Have you ever seen this guy cook? He'll need a few pointers if we want to avoid food poisoning."
Rhythmi sighed heavily, but her lips twitched. "In that case, maybe we'd all better pitch in this time. I'll revise my meal prep schedule so Keith is never alone in the kitchen."
"Oh, c'mon!"
"No, you come on." Rhythmi took her boyfriend's hand and threaded her fingers through his, her smile finally letting loose in its full, toothy glory. "We'll help you this time, you big lug. But you'll have to take off some layers so you can move."
"At least it will be warm in the kitchen." A frown still marred Keith's face, but his girlfriend's touch seemed to sooth him.
"As much as you guys roasted him, I'm surprised he's still cold." I quipped to Kellyn as Rhythmi and Keith's voices faded. I expected him to smile, but his gaze pierced me. Rhythmi might have fallen for my quick change of subject, but Kellyn knew I barely slept a wink last night, just like the night before. And the night before that.
We stood there for a moment, his gaze searching with gentle persistence the parts of me that only he had permission to. I loved Rhythmi, and Keith was a good friend, but Kellyn was my Ranger partner. He knew me better than anyone else, and he knew I was not as fine as I pretended to be.
"It's okay to not be okay," Kellyn said finally, softly. I clenched my fists to keep them from trembling. I blinked, stubbornly refusing to let the pressure building behind my eyes form into tears.
"I know." I said, but I lied through my teeth. Kellyn knew it too, but he didn't say anything. He knew me well enough not to push the issue.
A small smile crept to his mouth as he nudged the door open. "Come on. There were some sharp knives in that kitchen—let's make sure Keith and Rhythmi don't murder each other."