Some Things Never Change
Summary: Even though they were the best of friends, nothing could prevent their separation. What happens after Sora and Kairi reunite 10 years later?
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(A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I've had a serious case of writer's block. A gigantic thank you to MavsGirl22 for editing this chapter for me. You guys should go check out her stories. They kick ass like you wouldn't believe. One more thing, I WANT MORE REVIEWS! I've gotten 113 hits and only 5 reviews. I'm decreeing now that if my review count does not reach the 20's, you can forget about Chapter Four because I'll give up right there. What's the point of writing stories for people to read if no one's gonna give any feedback? Reviews people!)
And now on to the story…
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In the last Chapter:
Then Kairi said something Sora never thought she would say. She rested her forehead against his and looked into his eyes. She was so close, just like when they were in the pool house. They were so close they could feel each other's breath.
"Sora, there is something I need to tell you. It's really important. I need you right now Sora, more than I ever thought I could need someone."
"Kairi what's going on?"
"The reason I'm here today is because…"
"Because what? Kairi, what's wrong?
"I…I ran away from home."
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"Talking"
Thinking/Thoughts
YELLING/SHOUTING
Emphasis
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Sora was shocked by what he was hearing. Kairi running away? Sora never thought that Kairi would be the kind of person to do that sort of thing.
"You ran away? How come Kairi? What happened?"
"I—I, well…never mind. Forget about it."
"I can't Kairi. This is serious. Please tell me what happened. I want to help you."
"I know you want to help Sora. I'm trying not to think about it though. Please, just let it go, just for a little bit. I promise to explain myself later okay?"
"…Alright Kairi. Remember I'm here for you. Your best friend will always help you."
Kairi just smiled. "Even after all these years, you and I are still best friends huh?"
"Of course. It's gonna take more than ten years of being apart for me to forget that we were the best of friends. I hope you feel the same way."
"You know I do Sora. You were always there when I needed a bit of cheering up. You were my best friend and still are to this day."
Kairi buried her head into the crook of Sora's neck. Like old times, she needed a friend and once again, Sora was there with her. Sora just leaned his head against hers and stroked her hair.
"Hey lovebirds!" Riku called out. "Y'know this is a party. Let's have some fun." (A/N: Leave it to Riku to ruin a perfectly good intimate moment…)
Sora and Kairi let go of each other and smiled.
"Alright, let's have fun then. Let's play some chicken."
Riku's face brightened up a bit and he turned to face Namine and grinned. Namine just looked at him with a weird look, and then it came to her.
"Don't even think about it." Namine warned.
"Too late, babe." Riku replied. In a swift motion he did the same thing Sora did and picked Namine up bridal style and jumped in. Luckily, Namine was already in her white bikini.
"You boys are so dead tonight. Kairi and I are so getting you back for this."
"Uh-huh. Right." Riku taunted Namine while keeping his grin on. She couldn't help but giggle a little bit. She swam up to Riku and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She pulled away, but Riku wanted a little bit more and gently placed his hands on both her cheeks and kissed her softly.
"Hey lovebirds," Sora shouted, "Y'know this is a party. Let's have some fun."
Riku just laughed at having his own joke used against him.
"Very clever, Sora. Fine let's go."
The four of them swam over to the shallow end. Both girls climbed on top of the guys' shoulders, Kairi on Sora and Namine on Riku.
They played a few rounds of chicken with Sora and Kairi being the victors every match. Namine just didn't have the strength to push Kairi off of Sora. She had gotten close the second match, but Sora's balance was too good. He was able to keep from falling over and his strength allowed him to pull Kairi back up before she could fall back off his shoulders.
The two girls soon became tired after a few rounds and decided to call it quits.
"Hey Riku, what time is it?" Sora asked.
"Don't know. Why?"
"Just wanted to know. Can't wait until we go to that park. I hear it kicks ass."
"Well, we will definitely find out when we get there."
"Yeah, well I'm gonna get out." Sora said and glanced at Kairi, who happened to catch his gaze.
"Already?" Riku asked, surprised.
"Me too." Kairi interrupted.
"Kairi, how come?" Namine asked.
"Because I wanna go take a walk with Sora. We have some catching up to do."
Sora was a little taken back by this. He was already planning to take Kairi for a walk later after she had finished swimming. It seemed mind reading was happening frequently tonight.
"Okay, jI'll give you a call before everyone gets ready to leave for the park" Riku told Sora.
"Alright, cool. See ya later." Sora replied.
They hadn't been in the pool that long, but it's not like Riku completely objected to the idea of Sora and Kairi leaving. It allowed him some quality time with his girlfriend, who he couldn't deny looked absolutely hot in the white bikini she was wearing. Riku had never seen Namine's exposed body before. She was always wearing her favorite white dresses, so not much of her skin was exposed for viewing pleasure.
Riku understood though. Namine always was a fragile girl and always so shy. She didn't talk very much, but it seemed like she had a special power. She had the ability to make friends with anyone she met (A/N: a little bit of passage stealing from Naruto. Kakashi-sensei rules!). This ability somehow reached its fullest extent with Riku. Normally, Riku had a posse of girls following him everywhere he went, mainly because of his muscular body. Finally, he found a girl who cared about him for the person he was, not how he looked.
Just as Riku planned to savor the time he had to spend with Namine, Sora also planned on taking advantage of his alone time with Kairi by coaxing her into talking about her running away problem.
Sora and Kairi dried off and returned to the pool house to change back into their clothes. After they had changed back to their casual clothes, they made their way through the crowd of partying teenagers and out Riku's front door.
"So where should we head?" Kairi asked.
"Don't know. The walk was your idea." Sora replied.
"Come on, I know you were thinking the same thing when you got out of the pool."
"Haha, true. How did you know?"
"Because you kept looking at me after saying you were gonna get out. One thing you should know Sora, I catch on rather quickly."
"I see. Well then, follow me."
"Where are we going?"
"You'll figure it out as we walk, seeing as how you catch on quickly" Sora taunted.
Kairi just playfully hit him on the arm. It felt great to be spending time with Sora again. Kairi hadn't had a true friend in quite a while, as Sora was going to learn very soon.
The two teens began walking down the street, silence falling between them, until Sora broke it.
"So…"
"I know what you want to ask Sora. I'm ready to let it all out."
"Good, I was hoping you'd share it. I'm worried Kairi. You never struck me as the kind of person who would just run away from your problems."
"I'm not running away! I'm trying to find a solution! Don't judge me!" Kairi shouted in anger.
"I-I'm sorry Kairi. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm not judging you. I-I just…I just want to know what happened so I can help you."
They stopped walking. Kairi sighed. Just thinking about what had happened gave her the chills. Tears were already forming in her eyes. It wasn't going to be easy to explain this to Sora.
She took a deep breath…
"I saw my father murder my mother."
Sora was at a loss for words. He didn't think the problem was going to be this serious.
"The thing is," Kairi continued, "he doesn't know that I know."
"Have you told the police?" Sora asked.
Kairi remained silent. Sora thought that maybe she didn't hear him.
"Kairi?"
"I-I haven't…told anyone…except you Sora."
"Kairi why not?"
"Because I'm afraid of what might happen."
"Why what's gonna happen? All it will take is a simple phone call and he's locked up forever."
"I know, but…it's more of a selfish reason really. It's really stupid too. I don't have any other family. No aunts or uncles, my grandparents have already passed on, and there just isn't any place for me to go."
"Wait, I thought you said Namine was your cousin?"
"Truthfully, Namine isn't really my cousin. She's actually just a friend. I arrived here last night. I stayed at her house last night, but her family planned a trip for this weekend. With them gone, I don't know where to go. I have no place to stay."
Sora just stood there in thought. He thought about possibly bringing her to his house. He was sure his mother wouldn't have a problem. His mom was always so sympathetic to everybody. She knew that Sora and Kairi were good friends. They always had sleepovers and stuff when they were younger. There were even a few nights where, instead of running to her parents, Kairi ran to Sora's house and knocked on his window. The two of them would be found in bed together by Sora's mom the next morning (A/N: NO! NOT LIKE THAT).
The two of them had only been together for five years, but they had so much history. Sora didn't even realize it until now. He decided he was going to ask his mom about it. He was positive there would be no problems.
"You're absolutely sure there isn't anywhere for you to stay?"
"Yeah. I don't know what I'm going to do. I should have planned all of this out. Running away was just sort of an impulse decision. I should've stopped and thought about it."
"Don't worry Kairi. That's what your best friend is for. I'm going to ask my mom if you can stay with us. I'm sure she won't mind."
"Are you sure Sora? I don't want to feel like I'm intruding or anything."
"You won't be. Besides I'm sure my mom will be overjoyed upon seeing you. I doubt she's going to say no to you, especially at three in the morning when she's tired."
"Haha, true. She probably won't know which way is up that early in the day."
"I said she'd be tired, not drunk."
The two teens just laughed at this. It was just like old times: spending time together and making each other happy. These were moments that both of them had missed. They certainly weren't going to let them go to waste.
"Come on Kairi. I've got something I want to show you."
Sora grabbed her hand, and they both began running towards the beach.
"Sora! Where are we going?"
"The only place where we can be kids anymore!"
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(A/N: No they're not going to Chuck E Cheese, although that's a fun place to go. Can you figure out where they're going? If you're a Kingdom Hearts fan, then the answer should come to you instantly.
And remember, I WANT REVIEWS!!!! The count reaches the 20's or the story will die. I'm not kidding either. Review, review, review, and then review some more, and even more after that. I don't care what kind of reviews they are, just submit one. Until next time, hopefully!)