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 ... don't you agree?
(A/N: okay, heads up, this is a long chapter. hope you like : )
CHAPTER FIVE: Let's be Happy
"Geez, it's about time!" Riku exclaimed as he, Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka sat at the lunch table across from Sora and Kairi, who had just broken the news to their friends about their relationship. Sora turned his head and beamed at Kairi, who squeezed his hand and smiled back. Riku laughed. "You two are the most stubborn people I have ever met!"
Selphie grinned and clapped her hands together. "Ooh, how exciting! You two make the cutest couple ever!" Selphie jumped out of her seat, ran around to where Kairi was seated and threw her arms around her.
Continue without asking anything ...
If this is "happiness"
Then I want more
Meanwhile, Tidus, Wakka, and Sora exchanged handshakes and high-fives, as if Tidus and Wakka were congratulating the boy. Riku just sat still, smirking, thinking to himself, Good job, Riku, you got them together. Sure did take forever, though. Around him, his friends were chatting away about the news as if it was all a big surprise, when really, they all knew it would happen eventually. I really wish they'd shut up about it now, though. Then, he glanced down at his watch.
"Oh, would you look at that, lunch is almost over!" he said, interrupting the conversations taking place at the table. He looked around to see Kairi, Sora, Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka staring at him, weird looks on their faces. It's not like it was strange of Riku to break up a conversation, but his sudden outburst seemed out of place. "What?" he said, eyeing them suspiciously. "I don't wannna be late. Got a problem?"
After a moment's hesitation, his friends shook their heads in unison.
"Alright, then," Riku continued, "let's go!" The boy grabbed his trash and walked away to dispose of it. His friends stared at him for a minute, and then shrugged it all off as if it was just "typical Riku."
Soon, everyone followed Riku's examples and threw away their trash, for lunch was about to end anyway. Tidus pushed open the lunchroom doors and steped out. Following closely behind him were Wakka, Selphie, and finally, Sora and Kairi, Sora in the lead. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie rounded a corner at the end of the hallway to head to their lockers, and just as Sora was about to follow them, Kairi grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
Whenever I seem to forget
I want to exchange again the quiet vows
Although it would have been better if it was the first time
"Wha--" Sora began, but he was cut short, for his lips were soon occupied by Kairi's, for she had pulled him against her as she stood with her back to the wall. Sora wrapped his hands around Kairi's waist, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss, wanting more, but just as quickly as Kairi had begun the kiss, she stopped it, putting a finger in front of Sora's mouth.
Kairi giggled. "So," she said, a mischevious grin on her face, "what are you doing tommorow afterschool?"
"Nothing important," Sora said without even thinking about it, leaning forward to kiss Kairi again, but she stopped him.
Let's be happy
The official ambition
"Are you sure?" Kairi asked. "It didn't look like you gave that much thought."
"Whatever it is, I can cancel it," Sora quickly replied, leaning in yet again, but just like the last time, Kairi kept him from reaching her.
Tomorrow wil be even better than today ...
"Want to go see a movie?" Kairi asked, using her other hand to play with a strand of Sora's wild, spiky hair.
"Sure, that's fine with me," Sora said with a nod, and he pushed Kairi's hand gently aside so that he could reach her mouth, determined to kiss her, but Kairi was equally as determined to stop him, and she did once again. Sora rolled his eyes.
Let's become lovers
Let's walk hand in hand
"What movie?" she asked, giggling when she saw Sora's reaction.
"You can pick, Kairi," Sora told her, brushing her hand aside again. "Now, darn it, woman, let me kiss you!"
Kairi laughed. "Alright, you win," she said, and she threw her arms around him again, molding her lips over his, pulling him into a fiery kiss.
I love you more than anyone ...
But just as they had begun to enjoy themselves, the bell rang.
Kairi and Sora gently pulled apart, annoyed that they had been interrupted, but then they just smiled. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," Sora said, removing his arms from around her waist.
"Don't forget," Kairi said, kissing him quickly, one last time. "'Bye." And she rushed off to class.
"Mom, I'm home!" Sora called as he pushed open the front door of his house and set his backpack down by the door. Then he spun on his heel and headed toward the kitchen, thinking, Dang, I'm hungry. Then, when he stepped into the kitchen, he saw his mother, but she was doing something he had hardly seen her do before.
She was drinking... alchohol.
"Mom?" Sora looked at his mother questioningly, watching as she downed a shot of some clear liquid.
"Oh, hi, Honey," his mother said as she gulped down the last bit and set the shot glass into the sink behind her. "How was school?"
Let's be happy
Putting sadness to use
"Fine," Sora said as he examined his mother. She dressed for work, which Sora found strange, considering that his mother usually changed as soon as she got home, kicked off her shoes, and passed out on the couch ... or at least, thats the mother he had come home to after being gone for over a year. "How was work?"
Sora's mother was an assistant manager Destiny Islands National Bank, the only bank on the island, and therefore she had a great responsibility. Thats where she had always worked for as long as Sora could remember. It was a good job with a reasonable pay, and Sora always assumed that his mother enjoyed her work there.
Sora's mother dusted off her already lint-free outfit, looking up at her son only to say, "I quit."
We've taken some detours ...
Scratch that. Sora's mother used to be an assistant manager at Destany Islands National Bank.
The teenage boy stood there, his mouth hanging open, unable to think of anything else to say besides, "But, why?"
"I couldn't stand my boss any longer," his mother replied, clanking one heel upon the floor. "He was just ... just ... the most annoying bas--oh! Would you look at the time?" His mother glanced at a clock on the wall to her left and then turned back to Sora. "I'm going to be late!" She began to stride briskly toward the front door.
But let's meet right away
"Late?" Sora raised one eyebrow. "Late to what?"
"My job interview, of course!" His mother grabbed her coat, which was slung across the back of a sofa in the living room, which seperated the kitchen from the entrance.
Job interview? Sora thought as he followed his mother to the door. Wait ... if she already had one scheduled, that means she's been planning this! How long has she been planning to quit? Sora felt compelled to ask his mother this qestion, but instead, he found himself asking a far more important one. "A job interview where?" There's only one bank on the island. Where could she possibly have applied for a job?
Memories are yesterday
"Well ..." His mother looked at him with a face that said everything, but just to make sure he knew, she explained it to him anyway. "Now, don't freak out, but I applied for a job at the Florenia Island National Bank."
Her son was stunned. Florenia Island National Bank was a far larger bank than the one on this island, with far greater opportunity, but it was an hour-long ferry ride away, which meant all sorts of horrible things could happen -- if she gets the job.
"You can't!" Sora protested, but his mother held up a hand to stop him before he could finish.
"I know, it's a long way away, but the assistant manager position just opened up, and it was too good of an offer to pass down. I have to do this, so please don't be angry." She opened the front door, revealing gray, cloud-streaked skies, which had the word "rain" written all over them. "We'll just hope I don't get the job," she continued, a grin spreading across her face. "Besides, I have experience in accounting, so ... there are plently of other job opportunities here for me. Now, I need to get going.I got a motel room across the bay. I'll be back tomorrow morning, Honey." She turned around to look in the direction of Kairi's house, and then turned back to Sora. "Stay out of trouble," she said. Then she leaned forward, placed a kiss on her son's cheek, and closed the door behind her.
Tomorrow will be even better than today ...
"Fine then, don't say ''Bye'." Sora said, rolling his eyes and heading up to his room to do his homework.
Later that night, the rain began to pour, and it continued to rain, relentlessly, into the night. Flashes of lightning streaked the sky and aroused the sea, while the thunder did some arousing of its own ...
Wanting to know what happens next
Kairi sat on the edge of her bed, staring out her window, watching the rain beat upon the ground. The thunder sounded like a war drum, and she clutched the blankets beneath her in fear. She hated the rain. It reminded her too much of her past.
Besides, it rained the day he left, too ...
BOOM! Again the sound of thunder rang in her mind. It was terrifying to her, and she couldn't handle it. She had to make sure it wasn't happening again ... she had to make sure that he was still there ... she had to make sure that the past wasn't to be relived.
I visited a sage, but when I did
He said, "I won't tell you."
BANG! She jumped off of her bed and raced down the stairs, stopping only to grab an umbrella, and she threw the door open, exposing herself to the evil outside, revealing herself to the rain.
It has to be done ... I have to ...
CRASH! She held the umbrella tightly in her hands and ran through the rain, toward confirmation. Ran drops fell around her in a circle, but they did not touch her. She was protected ... and she was almost there.
Many times after struggling I would arvive
Before the same door
And start to knock on it
DING-DONG!
Sora had fallen asleep on the couch with the television on, and he awoke with a start when he heard the doorbell ring. "What!" He looked around for the remote and quickly turned off the TV, suddenly noticing that it was unbearably loud. Then he looked around for a clock, something that would tell him what time it was. He found one on the VCR.
12:34 AM ... Geez, who could be coming by at this hour?
Groggily, Sora made his way to the front door. He was dressed only in a pair of pants and a baggy shirt, but he could have cared less what he looked like. He was only half-awake, after all. He reached out a hand and groped around for the doorknob, and when he found it, he threw the door open forcefully. "What do you want!" he shouted.
"Sora!"
Before his brain had even registered who was standing at the front door, his guest had thrown her umbrella down and thrown herself around him, burrying her face in his chest. "Oh, Sora," she cried, "thank goodness ... I was so scared that you were gone again ..."
But if you lend me a hand ...
"Kairi?" Sora gazed down upon the girl who had thrown herself into his arms, and he realized that it was, indeed, her. She was dressed in pajama bottoms and a loose-fitting shirt, so basically, she had come in what she had slept in. He wrapped his arms around her and comforted her to the best of his ability at this hour, and said, "Geez, Kairi, if I had known it was you, I would have been a little more polite ..."
Kairi laughed, and he heard her say, even though her voice was muffled, "So, are you saying, if it wasn't me, you still would have been just as rude?"
We'll be happy
A persistent hope
Reality is unexpeted ...
Sora laughed too, and, while still embracing Kairi, he leaned forward and pushed the door closed, blocking out the rain. Then he gently pulled away so that he could focus his eyes on her face. "Now, what's wrong, Kai?" he asked softly, as if letting her know just by the sound of his voice that whatever it was, it was all going to be okay.
"It's ... the rain," Kairi admitted, hesitating a bit. When Sora raised an eyebrow, she explained. "The day that the Island was restored, the very first day that life returned to 'normal', it rained. The first day you were gone, it rained. It hasn't rained since then, Sora, not once ... but now ..." She paused for a second, just gazing into his eyes, realizing that he was trying his best to understand. "Oh, Sora!" she said. "It started raining again, and ... I was ... I was afraid that you were gone again!" A single, silver tear streamed down her cheek, but before it could fall from her face, it was wiped away by Sora's thumb.
"Shh," he said as he stroked her face. "Kairi, I'm still here, I'm not leaving. It's okay."
Kairi leaned back in to rest her head on his chest once more, and he held her for a while, embracing her protectively so that she would feel safe. Really, she did feel better, but she didn't want to leave. She didn't want to feel alone again, or afraid, not again. She wanted Sora to protect her from the rain.
"Sora?"
"Hmm?" Sora asked, stifling a yawn.
"Can ... can I stay here tonight?" Kairi asked.
Let's not decide
This uncertain time
At first, Sora didn't answer, surprised that she had even asked such a question. But, not once did the thought of denying her a place to stay cross his mind. He agreed, and he took her by the hand. Then he led her slowly up the stairs to his room.
Because of it, I must, with you, be happy
"Sora, are you here alone?" Kairi asked suddenly as they made their way to the bedroom.
"Yeah," Sora said with a sigh, and then before Kairi could ask, he added, "My mom quit her job. She has a job interview. Best not to talk about it."
Excuses are useless
Even if we take the long way ...
Kairi nodded. Yeah, I don't really want to talk about it anyway ...
Sora pushed open the door to his room and let go of Kairi's hand. He walked over to his bed, turned around, and fell down upon it. Then he looked over at Kairi, who hadn't moved from her spot in the doorway. Why is she still standing there?
Do you really really want to see a brigter day
Then look this way, at me
Or would you rather stay unhappy another day?
Then go ahead, not me
"Umm, I can sleep on the floor, if you want," she offered.
Sora actually thought that this remark was funny, and he laughed at it. "You're kidding, right?" he said, and he patted the spot next to him on his bed.
Let's be happy
A natural ambition
Tomorrow will be even better than today ...
Kairi smiled, and she layed down beside him calmly, unlike Sora himself, who had free-fallen violently backward into the position he was in now. They both just layed there for a moment, silent, motionless, as if it made them both uncomfortable that they were sharing a bed. But then, Kairi broke the silence by saying, "Well, goodnight." Then she pulled her feet up and slipped them under the covers, as Sora had already done, and rolled over on her side, her back toward him.
"Kairi ..." Sora called softly.
Kairi rolled back over so that she was facing the opposite direction, toward him, and looked at him. Their eyes locked, and Sora suddenly felt strange, like his body was urging him to make a move, urging him to take advantage of her. Maybe this was a bad idea ...
No, I promised I wouldn't get into trouble, and I'm keeping my promise.
Let's make a promise
Let's talk through the night
Sora stroked the side of Kairi's face again, and she relaxed, closing her eyes. It was then that he placed a soft, gentle kiss upon her lips.
"Don't worry," he whispered, "I'm not going anywhere."
Kairi smiled and curled up beside him. Her shape fit perfectly beside his. Sora lovingly wrapped one arm around her, just to assure her that he wasn't leaving that spot, but Kairi didn't need the reassurance. She knew in her heart that he wasn't going anywhere, he wasn't leaving her, because he wouldn't do that to her. They were too much in love.
We will always be happy
Putting sadness to use
We've taken some detours ...
"Sora?" she called.
"Yeah, Kai?" Sora asked quietly.
But let's meet right away
Beyond memories
"I love you," Kairi said, "and thanks."
Sora smiled. "Love you, too, Kai."
And with that, they drifted off to sleep.
Tomorrow will be even better than today
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
Sora rolled over and routinely slapped the snooze button on his alarm clock, which rested on the nightstand by his bed. The annoying noise ceased to exist immediately. Sora yawned and sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. Then he blinked and opened them, taking in his surroundings. His room looked like it normally did ... with one exception: the sleeping girl curled up beside him on the bed.
At first, Sora was shocked when he saw Kairi, but then the memories of the night before flooded back to him, and he relaxed. It's okay, Sora, he told himself. She was just scared of the rain. Nothing happened. He smiled and gazed at her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful, so beautiful, illuminated by the sun that streamed in from the window behind them. The sun ... Then Sora remembered. Oh crap, it's a school day!
He looked back at Kairi, decided it was best to wake her up, and gently called, "Kairi ... Kairi, wake up ... we have to go to school today ..."
Do you really really want to see ...
Kairi began to stir, and before long, she opened her violet eyes. There, hovering over her, was Sora, and she smiled at the sight. "Morning," she said.
... a brighter day?
Sora returned the smile and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Sorry to wake you, but we have school today," he said.
Kairi chuckled and turned over in the bed so that her back was to Sora. "Okay, well have fun at school," she said. "Goodnight."
"Oh no, you're coming with me!" Sora said, and he playfully pushed her, but he must have pushed harder than he thought, because the force caused the girl to roll off the side of the bed and land with a thud on the floor.
"Ow!" Kairi called from her place on the floor. Sora bit his lip, worried that he hurt her, but he soon realized that he had nothing to worry about when he saw Kairi slowly get to her feet. She looked a little pissed off, hunched over with her fists clenched at her sides, but Sora could only laugh. Seeing her boyfriend's reaction, Kairi grabbed the pillow closest to her and launched it at Sora, hitting him right in the face and muffling his laughter. Now, it was Kairi's turn to laugh.
Then look this way, at me
"Well, I'm gonna go home and get dressed," Kairi said, heading for the door. "People are probably gonna think I'm crazy, walking around in my pajamas, but hey, I don't care. It's not like they don't already think I'm a nut case because of the way I acted when you were gone." She opened the door and stepped through to the other side. "I bet I can get dressed and get back here before you can, or even get out of bed, for that matter, you lazy bum. 'Bye," she called, and she closed the door behind her and made a run for it, determined to win the bet."
Hearing Kairi's last words, Sora sprung to his feet and bounded over to his closet. He reached in and pulled out his normal black outfit and slipped it on as fast as he possibly could, still zipping it up as he hobbled over to where he thought his shoes were, only to find one of them was missing. Sora dropped to his hands and knees and searched under every piece of furniture in his room. Finally, he found the missing shoe tossed carelessly beside his bed, and he slipped it halfway on. As he sprinted toward the door to his bedroom, he pushed it the rest of the way on. Once he was through the door, he hopped across the hall to the bathroom on one foot while he forced his second shoe onto the other foot. He tumbled into the bathroom and used one hand to run a brush through his wild, tangled hair, while he scrubbed his teeth with the other hand. When he thought he was ready to go, he tubled down the stairs and raced to the front foor, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder on the way. He had the bet won, there was nothing between him and the front door! He pulled the door open and prepared to dash toward Kairi's house ...
... but found Kairi standing on the other side.
"Huh?" Sora said, stumbling backward. "You're ... you're here? Already?"
Kairi laughed. "I knew you couldn't resists a little competition," she said, messing up Sora's hair, "but I'm still faster."
"You cheated!" Sora said, determined still to win. She had to have cheated! Nobody is that fast!
Or would you rather stay unhappy another day?
The girl giggled and shook her head. Then she held out her arms and twirled around once, modeling what she was wearing. "What do you think?" she asked.
Sora looked her over. She was wearing a light-blue T-shirt and a matching mini-skirt with a brown belt wrapped around her waist. Sora had to admit, she looked very pretty, though it's not like she didn't look pretty anyway. But Sora wasn't going to let her win that easily. He smirked. "I liked your pajama's better," he said sarcastically.
Kairi rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully, but as she retracted her hand, Sora grabbed it and placed a kiss upon it, causing a smile to grace Kairi's face. He's so sweet, she thought. It's the little things like this that he does that make me happy.
Then as Sora raised his head and their eyes locked, an equally as beautiful smile spread across his own face, and the sight made Kairi feel warm inside. His smile was comforting to her, and it made all the problems in the world disappear, so that for that moment alone, she had nothing to worry about. She was blissful, peaceful, whenever he was around, and she knew that as long as he was with her, she could never be unhappy. She could never go back to being as depressed as she once was as long as he was by her side.
Then go ahead, not me
Kairi interlaced her fingers with Sora's and tugged him out of his house. "C'mon," she said, still not breaking their eye contact, "let's go to school."
Sora really didn't want to go to school. He would much rather have speant the day alone with Kairi, a day full of moments like this one, but he knew he had to go t o school in order to stay out of trouble like he promised his mother he would. And besides, he thought, I'm walking there with her. We still have a few more minutes before class starts. He nodded his head. "Okay," he said.
Kairi turned around and took off down the street, Sora close behind her, still clutching her hand in his. They ran to school together, deciding not to worry about other things for now, like the rain, job interviews, and what could become of them in the future. It was just the two of them. At least for a few minutes more, before they had to be tortured by the boredom and, dare I say it, learning that came with school, they could be happy.
Tomorrow will be even better than today ...
(A/N: okay, so I know that was long and kind of pointless, but I needed to put that in there, and I had originally called this chapter what I am going to call the next one and had combined the two, but then I realized it was waaaaaayyyy too long, so splitting them up into two different chapters was better. I just added a little detail to this one to make it better. The next chapter's coming soon, I promise. Oh yeah, and the song for this chapter is actually called Shiawase ni Narou, which means Let's be Happy, in Japanese, and it translates to what I used for this chapter.)