Bittersweet Melody: by hikari-aozora
Bold: parts of the chapter's song
Italics: a thought or flashback
Underlined: emphasis on words
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the KH, KH2, or Final Fantasy Characters used, unfortunately ... that would be really, really, really cool if I did ...
CHAPTER FOUR: I'd Rather Be in Love
As night fell upon the islands, Kari, Sora, and Riku returned home slowly, talking about all that had happened over the year that they had been seperated. Riku and Sora told Kairi of the exact events that had occured the day they had been seperated, and how they had been searching for the door to the light and a way to return home. In the end, the door had been their way out of the darkness and into the sun, their way home to her.
Kairi told them of what had happened once the Islands had returned to normal, and what had become of them. She told them of how everyday she had thought of them and awaited their return. She told them of their friends at school and Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka, especially. But she also had news of their families, and the good and bad things that had occured while they were away.
Riku had nothing to worry about as far as family matters went, she told them. Both of his parents had returned to the island safely, but without a clue about what had happened to them after the islands were destroyed. Sora, on the other hand, had only one parent to return to. His mother had returned unscathed but his father was nowhere to be found. Both boy's parents had often questioned her on Riku and Sora's wherabouts, and she had replied every time with a sigh and an expression that said, "Honestly, I don't know."
"I'm sorry, Sora ... about your dad," she said, staring at her feet as she walked.
Sora sighed, but replied with an, "It's okay. I mean, of course I'm sad, but, I never really got along with my father, ya know? Besides, I'm finally home! And I'll get to see all my old friends tomorrow at school! I'm as happy as ever, and what more could I ask for?" He smiled at Kairi and she returned the favor.
For once in their lives, the three reunited heroes were happy. There were no more heartless, no more keyholes, no more lonely days to worry about. They had each other and were safe from everything that inhabited outside worlds. There was nothing to worry about, as far as they were concerned.
"What about you, Kai? Where have you been staying?" Riku asked.
Kairi had not had any parents on Destiny Islands. She had lived with the mayor, who had taken her in as a daughter. But when the Islands were restored, the mayor had not returned. With the help of her friends on the main island, she had straightened up the mayor's old home and was now living in it, completely alone. She had taken on a part-time job at the library where she worked Wednesday through Saturday, mostly just returning books to the shelves. Sora's mother had been kind enough to look after her at times, but now that Sora was back, she wasn't sure what was going to happen.
"You know, you could just stay with one of us now," Riku told her, glancing at Sora.
"Yeah," Sora said. "My mom wouldn't care, and I'm sure Riku's parents wouldn't either."
Kairi smiled, appreciating the offer, but then she shook her head. "No thanks, guys. I've kind of gotten used to living by myself. Besides, after I graduate, I won't have anything to worry about, since I already have a place, right?"
"Never thought about it that way," Sora said, scratching the back of his head as he thought about this concept. Then, he suddenly froze as they approached his front door.
"You're home," Kairi said to him quietly.
"It's you're house," Riku said, pushing Sora forward. "Go in, already!"
"But, my mom ..." Sora began, wondering how his mother would react to his sudden arrival. But he quickly shook off all of these thoughts and turned to give his two best friends a smile. "Wish me luck!" Then he spun back around, opened the door, and stepped inside.
A few moments later, sounds of screams could be heard from inside the house, followed by hysterical laughter, coming from Sora's mother. Riku and Kairi both laughed and continued on until they got to Kairi's house.
"Well, goodnight," she told Riku, and opened her door. Then, as she stepped inside, she turned and added, "Don't freak your parents out too much, okay?"
Riku smiled and nodded. "Don't worry about me," he said. "See ya tomorrow at school, I guess ..." School? Wow, after a year ...
Kairi returned the smile. "'Bye," she said again, and she closed her door to turn in for the night.
I cannot help it
I couldn't stop it if I tried
The same old heartbeat
Fills the emptiness I have inside
"Sooorrraaa ... Sooooorrraaaaa ... Wake up Soooorrrraaaaa ..."
"Mom ... just a few more minutes ..." Sora said, turning over in his bed and burying his face in his pillow, swatting away the hand that was gently shaking him.
"Mom? What are you talking about?"
Sora turned his head and slowly opened one eye so that he could see who it was that was waking him up, and found himself face to face with--
"Kairi?" he asked groggily, still not completely sure of his surroundings. He lifted his head a little more. Soon, his vision was clear, and he realized that it was Kairi that was staring him in the face. He jumped and hid himself beneath his covers. "Ahhh! Kairi! What the heck are you doing in my room?"
Kairi laughed and pulled the sheets down over his head. "Sora, you haven't changed one bit. You're still the same lazy bum that you used to be. Now get up!" She lowered her head so that it was level with his. You're gonna be late for your first day back ..." she whispered in his ear. Then she giggled and stepped back as he sat upright and rubbed his eyes.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Sora said, using one hand to shoo Kairi away. "Now go away so I can get dressed! Gosh, talk about an invasion of personal space!"
"Gladly." Kairi smiled and turned to leave, but she stopped to linger in the doorway as she added, "And hurry up! Riku's waiting downstairs!" With that, she left the room.
Kairi made her way slowly down the stairs that led up to Sora's room and met Riku, who was waiting with his backpack on his shoulders at the bottom. With a sigh, the impatient Riku asked,"Is he ready to go yet?"
The girl laughed. "Are you kidding me? I just woke him up!"
Riku shook his head. "Some things never change," he said, referring to Sora's laziness.
A few moments later, the "lazy bum" came running out of his room with his bag, crashing into the wall opposite his door. As he pushed himself away from the wall he had just crashed into, he lost his balance and fell backwards onto his backpack. Immediately, he tried to roll off of his bag, and began to tumble sideways down the stairs. Halfway down, he began to turn and started summersaulting down the last few steps. He finally came to a stop, sprawled out on his stomach on the floor in front of Kairi. Sora lifted his head and smiled innocently at her, stating confidently, "I'm ready to go!"
Kairi laughed, but Riku just rolled his eyes. He marched in front of Kairi, reached over, and yanked Sora to his feet by his backpack. Sora was truely a sight to see-- his hair was a mess, his black shirt was on crooked, and his shoes were on the wrong feet, but none of that mattered. They would surely be late to school if they loitered any longer.
So the three teens grabbed their things and raced down the road to Destiny Islands HS.
The school day went by quickly. It started off with Riku and Sora recieving their schedules and locker combinations, and then Sora hopping in late to class shouting, "Why didn't you tell me my shoes were on the wrong feet?" It was full of plenty of girls like Selphie shrieking in joy and exclaiming, "Oh my God! Look! It's Riku and Sora!", boys like Tidus saying, "Hey, Sora. Hey, Riku. Took you long enough!", and guys like Wakka shouting, "Hey, Riku! Sora! What's happenin'? What ya been up to?" And it ended with Sora being chased out the front doors by a gaggle of screaming fans and their "girly obsessions", and Riku and Kairi just watching, laughing harder than they ever had before at the sight of it.
Later that afternoon, after the mob of girls that was chasing Sora had been shaken off, the three best friends sat idly on the paopu tree, staring off into the distance, and talking of their many journeys, telling tales of the worlds they had visited and the people they had met along the way, laughing and smiling together.
"Just like old times," Kairi said with a sigh, grinning and staring off at the horizon.
"Huh?" Sora said, turning his head to look at her. "Did you say something, Kai?"
"Hmm?" Kairi hadn't realized she'd said that out loud. She looked Sora in the eye and just shook her head. "No, nothing." Then, as an awkward silence befell them, and Sora and Kairi just stared at each other blankly, Kairi decided that she was uncomfortable and stood up. "I'm going to go look for shells. I never finished that Thalassa necklace, you know," she said, and she began to walk away.
"Okay, see ya, Kairi," Sora called as she walked off, and he watched her go. Meanwhile, Riku, who had been leaning against the trunk of the tree, placed his hands behind him and pushed himself up so that he was now sitting beside Sora. He looked at Sora, or rather, the back of his head, and smiled.
"I've been thinking," Riku began, causing Sora to snap out of his daze and turn to face his friend. Riku then continued. "You and Kairi have been best friends for a long time. You love her, and I'm pretty sure she loves you. So why not take it to the next level?"
Sora's eyes grew wide. "Ask her out?" he blurted out. "You're not serious, are you?"
Riku was shocked. He hadn't expected Sora to act this way. Actually, he had expected Sora to jump on the idea like he had been thinking the same thing all along. Riku just shrugged. "Why not?"
And I've heard that you can't fight love
So I won't complain
Sora shook his head in disagreement. "No way! I couldn't do that! That is a bad idea, Riku, a bad idea."
"No, it's not!" Riku protested. "I mean, c'mon! I've seen the way you two look at each other! I know how you two feel! There couldn't be a more perfect match!" He slapped Sora on the back of the head. "Now, quit being stupid and ask her out!"
Sora rubbed the back of his head. Oww, that really hurt. But he didn't say anything. Riku's last words were still fresh in his mind, echoing over and over again in his head. 'Quit being stupid' ... maybe I am being stupid. Maybe I should ask her out ... I mean, I really want to ... He turned his head and his eye caught Kairi, who was stringing together the shells she had found as she paced the shore. I really, really want to ... Then the boy shook his head. "No, I can't. I want to, but I can't."
"And why not?" Riku asked.
"Because," Sora said, turning back to face Riku, "what if I did ask her, and she turned me down? Things would just be so ... awkward between us after that. And if agreed, I'm sure we would break up eventually. Then ... then, it would never be the same between us."
'Cause why would I stop the fight
that keeps me going on?
"What if she agrees and you don't break up?" said the boy with silver hair.
Sora glanced off at an angle, averting his eyes from Riku. "What if I had to go away again? I can't ... I can't break her heart like that." He paused for a minute, and then he looked back up at Riku. "Besides, I don't even know if she feels the same way about me."
'Cause when there's you I feel whole
and there's no better feeling in the world
But without you, I'm alone
Riku opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly closed it when no words came. Sora, for some reason, had his heart set on making an excuse not to be with Kairi, no matter how much he wanted to. There had to be something, someway, that could convince him of her feelings and completely change the boy's mind. Then it came to him, instantly, like a bolt of lightning. He had remembered something he had seen, only a few hours earlier, after school had ended ...
"Hey, Sora," Riku said, "remember the Secret Place?"
Sora shrugged and said, "Yeah, what about it?"
"Maybe you should go check it out," Riku suggested. "Ya know, take your mind off things. Those old drawings are always good for a laugh."
Sora looked behind him and saw, in the distance, the entrance to the old cave that they called the Secret Place. The entrance was hidden by vines, even more than had been there the last time he had entered. The boy chuckled. "Yeah, good for a laugh," he said. Maybe Riku's right, Sora thought. Yeah, it probably would help me take my mind off things. And with that, he stood up and headed toward the Secret Place.
Riku watched Sora leave, and as soon as the brunette had parted the vines and stepped through, he too stood. He saw Kairi in the distance and smiled, thinking, One down, one to go.
"Hey, Kairi ..."
And I'd rather be in love with you
Sora made his way through the entrance to the Secret place and down the long, winding tunnel to the cave. Soon, though, he reached the cave, which was lit only by the light pouring in from a hole in the roof of the cave. The walls of the cave were covered in numerous chalk drawings that had been put there when Sora and his friends were young. There were drawings that Sora realized now looked a lot like the things he had seen on his journey to other worlds and the people he had met. That's weird, he thought. He ran his hand along the wall of the cave as he walked, examining the drawings one by one, wondering what the artist was thinking when they were drawn. Then his eye fell upon one curious drawing near the floor of the cave.
The drawing was one that he and Kairi had completed together when they were little. He had drawn Kairi's head, and she had drawn his head. Before the island had been destroyed, though, Sora had added something, something he hoped no one had seen. He had drawn an arm, stretching from under the drawing of his head to the drawing of Kairi's, with a hand at the end, clutching a star-shaped item, a paopu fruit. The part he had added symbolized his feelings for Kairi. Yet, as he stared at the drawing now, he realized that there was something else there, as well. He crouched down so that the drawing was level with his face, in order to see it more clearly.
Turn out the lights now
To see is to believe
Yes, something else was there ...
Stretching from under the portrait of Kairi's head was a mirror image of what Sora had added to the drawing. It was Kairi's arm, returning the fruit, sharing with him as well. Sora's mouth fell open as he observed this. Kairi added this, he thought. But ... that means ... she feals the same way!
Then it dawned on him why Riku had told him to come here. Riku had seen this! Riku knew everything! This was all part of Riku's plan to get them together ... and it had worked. Sora felt more confident now than he ever had that Kairi, indeed, loved him back. It was all clear to him now! He couldn't keep his feelings from her any longer.
The only problem was how to tell her.
Then he remembered something else. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, star-shaped charm with a face carved into it, made from shells. It was Kairi's lucky charm, the one he had promised to return to her.
Well, I have to give this back to you anyway, Kairi.
"But ... but ..." Kairi stuttered, gaping at Riku.
"It's like I said, Kairi," Riku explained. "You love him, he loves you, so naturally, you two need to be together!"
Kairi closed her mouth and shook her head. "But, I can't, I can't do that!"
The boy groaned. "Why are you two so stubborn?" he asked rhetorrically. Then he stood and began to walk away, but added before he left the girl alone, "Just, take some time to think about it, but sooner or later you'll realize I'm right."
As Riku walked away, a stunned Kairi just sat there, staring blankly at the necklace she had just completed. That was ... awkward ... she said, referring to the talk she and Riku had just had. But, maybe he is right. I ... I do need to think about it ... a lot ...
The girl stood and made her way to the paopu tree, shoving her necklace into the pocket on her sweatshirt. She took a seat on the trunk of the tree and stared out at the horizon, as she often did when she had nothing better to do, dangling her feet carelessly below her. Then, all of the sudden, something bounced off of her head and fell into her lap.
"Oww!" Kairi exclaimed, rubbing her head. "What the heck was that?" Then she looked down at the item that had fallen in her lap and picked it up. It was a paopu fruit. Well, duh, I mean, I'm sitting on a paopu tree. It's not like it could have been anything else, right? Then, as she stared at the item, thoughts began to swim through her head ...
Meanwhile, Sora had spotted her on the trunk of the tree and was now standing a few feet behind her, just staring, his heart racing, thinking about how to talk to her. But one thing was certain: it had to be done. He took a deep breath and, slowly, began to approach her.
I just want you near me
I just want you here with me
Kairi saw out of the corner of her eye that he was coming up behind her, a curious look on his face, and helf up the fruit so that he could see what was in her hands. "You know," Sora heard her say, "I always wanted ... to share want of these with you before ... you know, to see if the legend was true ... since you're my best friend and all. But now ..."
"But now what?" Sora asked, sitting himself beside her on the tree trunk. The way she had said those last words were causing him to doubt himself again. What does she mean by that? He stared at her, but she kept her gaze on the fruit.
And I'd give up everything
Only for you
"Its just that, the legend says that when two people share one, their destinies become intertwined," she said, turning the fruit over nervously in her hands. "Aren't we ... aren't we already like that?"
Sora cocked his head to one side. He hadn't considered that before, but come to think of it, she was right. "You're right," he told her. "We are .. aren't we?"
Kairi nodded, and she held up the paopu fruit. "The kind of bond a paopu fruit could give you isn't ... real, you know what i mean. The one that we have ..." She turned to face Sora, and they looked deep into each others' eyes. "The one that we have was formed from our friendship and when ... when your heart protected mine ... our hearts were one." There was an awkward silence here, and she stared back at the paopu fruit. "Th-that kind of bond means so much more than one a fruit can give you." She raised the fruit up and behind her head, like she was going to toss it into the ocean, but as she brought her hand down, Sora grabbed her wrist, stopping her action.
"Wait!"
Kairi looked at him curiously, but Sora just smiled and brought her arm closer to him. Keeping his eyes on hers, he gently took the fruit from her, saying, "What if I asked you to share one with me anyway?"
Kairi blinked several times before she said, "Are you ... s-serious?"
Sora just grinned wider and said, "Yes, I'm serious." Then he placed Kairi's hand back on the fruit so that they were both grasping half of it. "Will you?"
It's the least that I could do
Kairi didn't know what to say at first, but then she smiled and said, "Sure."
The two of them both pulled on the fruit at the same time, breaking it in half, splitting it right down the middle. Then they shot nervous glances at each other before deciding what to do. They both held the fruit in front of each others' faces and, after a moment of hesitation, took a bite. As they chewed and swallowed the bit of paopu in their mouths, they looked at each other, half expecting something magical to happen, but nothing changed. Before long, they had finished off the entire fruit.
"Well?" Sora asked Kairi, thinking that maybe she had felt something he didn't.
"Well ... it's sweet," she said, unable to come up with anything better to say. "The flavor is sweet, I mean."
"I guess you were right then," Sora said with a shrug. "Nothing happened because we are already connected; our destinies are already intertwined."
'Cause when there's you I feel whole
And there's no better feeling in the world
Kairi nodded in agreement and smiled at her best friend. Sora returned the smile with his own, goofy version. Then, he remembered.
"Oh, Kairi, I have something for you," Sora said, and he dug into his pocket. Then he drew out a small, star-shaped item: Kairi's lucky charm. He stretched his hand out and offered it to her.
Kairi gasped and took it from him slowly. "My ... my lucky charm!" She looked into Sora's eyes. Her own eyes sparkled with joy and amazement. Obviously, this charm meant a lot to her. "Thank you so much!"
Sora blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry I forgot to give it to you earlier. But ... I promised I would return it and ... and I did! There you go!"
Before he knew it, Kairi had thrown her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. He hugged her back for a moment, and then she pulled away, facing him once more. She flashed him another dazzling smile before sighing heavily, her smile fading. Sora looked at her with a worried expression on his face. Her mood had changed so quickly. He asked, "Kairi? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing," she lied, and then she sighed again. "Oh, okay, I'll admit, I'm angry with myself."
"For what?" Sora asked. What sort of grudge could she have against herself?
Kairi turned her head, taking on a different view. "Before you came back, I sat out here, every day, just looking at the ocean. Every spare moment i had was spent here, waiting for you. When I would come here and find that you hadn't come back, I began to doubt you. In fact, I just about gave up on you alltogether. I felt stupid for ever believing you." She looked down at the charm in her hand and smiled. "Now, I look at this charm, and I remember those promises you made, just like the promise to return the charm. You kept your promises, every last one of them. You never failed me, Sora. You came back." Suddenly, she fell silent, and she just kept her eyes fixed on the charm. The face she carved into it was a happy one, and she knew that now she should be happy too, but for some reason she wasn't.
But without you, I'm alone
You never really left, did you? You were with me all along, Sora. Our hearts were, and are still, one.
And I'd rather be in love with you
Sora knew that something was wrong, that something was bothering Kairi. He leaned in a little closer and said, softly, "Kairi, are you okay?" Kairi didn't move, so Sora added, "Kairi, look at me, please."
Kairi did as she was told, and her eyes met Sora's. Tears were streaming down her face once more, and her vision was blurry, so she could not see the painful look Sora was giving her, reflecting the pain he felt inside as she cried in front of him. Sora didn't understand why she was crying, and it hurt him so much to see her this way.
And I feel you holding me
"Please, tell me what's wrong, Kairi," he said, trying his best to understand. "Please, Kairi, please."
Kairi sniffed and said, "Now, I feel stupid for ever doubting you. You never gave me any reason to doubt you, Sora. I am so stupid, so stupid ..." She began to sob harder, causing tears to well up in Sora's eyes, too. He had to stop her crying, he just had to.
Why are we afraid to be in love,
to be loved?
"Kairi, it's okay," he said, placing his hand gently on the side of her face, but she did not stop. She closed her eyes in shame and continued to cry, but Sora only stroked the side of her face, trying his hardest to calm her. "Shhh, it's alright, Kairi, please, please stop crying." He used his thumb to wipe away all of the tears that she cried, all the while pleading, "Please, please, stop crying." Kairi could tell that his voice was shaking as he choked back his own tears, which were formed at the sight of her misery. After a while, she began to stop crying, and only a few single tears fell from her eyes. She gazed into Sora's azure blue orbs, and he gazed into her violet ones. They just stared at each other, their eyes saying everything, before Kairi broke the silence.
I can't explain
I know it's tough
To be loved
"I'm sorry for doubting you, Sora," she said. "I'm so so--"
But she couldn't finish, for just at that moment, Sora leaned in and placed his lips gently upon hers, pulling her into their first kiss. As soon as their lips met, both of their hearts began to race, pounding like drums, and a warm sensation filled their bodies. This was a long awaited kiss, a dream of both of theirs that was finally coming true. But just as quickly as it had begun, the kiss ended as Sora pulled away.
And I feel you holding me
"No," he said, staring into her eyes once more. "I'm the one who should be sorry, for taking so long to come back so that I could tell you how I really feel." He gulped, knowing that the time was now to tell her, and then he said, finally, "I love you."
Kairi smiled. I forgive you, I forgive you, I forgive you, she thought, but those were not the words that came to her. She soon found herself confessing to him as well, with three simple words of her own. "I love you, too."
With that, Sora pulled her into another kiss, this one starting out gently as well, but it soon became deeper and developed into much more. This time, Kairi was kissing him back. This kiss was more like a string of little kisses, each more passionate than the last. It was as if these two teens weren't controlling themselves, but instead were letting their hearts decide the next move. They parted only to take quick breaths, and then continued on. Finally, Kairi ended the kiss by pulling away.
And when there's you, I feel whole
And there's no better feeling in the world
But without you, I'm alone
And I'd rather be in love with you
"Wow," she said with a smile. Her heart was doing backflips. That was amazing, she thought. Who knew he could kiss like that. "I ... I mean ... wow."
Sora chuckled and took Kairi's hand in his. "Kairi," he said in a deep, confident tone, "would you -- you know -- be my girlfriend?" When Kairi didn't answer right away, he began to speak again, this time just rambling. "I understand if you don't, since this all happened really fast and stuff. If you don't want to I can hide my feelings really fast. Just say the word and we can go back to just being best friends, its okay -- oww!"
Kairi had slapped him playfully on the arm to get him to shut up, and she just laughed. "Don't be silly! Of course I will! I'd love nothing more than to be your girlfriend!" She rolled her eyes. "Geez, Sora, talking about being just best friends after that kiss."
And I'd rather be in love
Sora blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I didn't even know I could kiss that way," he said with a laugh. Then he sighed and said, "This is all happening really fast, you know--"
Kairi stopped him by putting a finger to his lips. She just smiled sweetly at him and said, "Don't worry. I'd rather be in love with you than just best friends any day."
Yes, I'd rather be in love
On hearing this, Sora smiled and planted one last passionate kiss on her lips before parting to say, "C'mon, Kai, it's getting late. I'll walk you home."
Oh, I'd rather be in love ...
Kairi nodded, stood and took his hand. They walked across the now dark beach illuminated by the many twinkling stars. Sora was right, it was all happening so fast, but they couldn't care less. They were in love, and that was all that mattered. They walked home, silently, hand-in-hand, thinking only of what tomorrow would bring.
... with you
(A/N: woohoo, it's finished, that took me forever to write, sorry people. a lot of people thought the story was over cuz i didn't update for so long ... sorry, had lots of hw, im sure you understand lol. this is NOT the end, theres a lot more coming, but it might take me a while to write, so don't flip out if i don't update for a while:-)