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, Disney, Final Fantasy Characters, etc, etc, that i may have used, unfortunately. However, if I found out that by some strange occurance I was the heiress to these awesome things, I would be forced to inflict pain upon myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Thank you for understanding.
(A/N: okay! so! next chapter, the end will start to unfold. just letting you know.)
CHAPTER TEN: Doin' Fine
"Haha, look at this one, ya? Tidus, Selphie was all over you, man!"
"Let me see that!"
"Woah, chill out, man! It's just a picture, ya?"
"Oh my god! Sora took a picture of that? When he gets back, I'm gonna kick his a--"
"But you have to admit, Selphie, that is pretty funny."
"Oh, Kairi, not you too!"
"Okay, that's it, I'm deleting it!"
"Aw, Tidus, you're no fun ..."
"Oh, no you're not!"
"Wakka, give that back!"
"What are you guys doing?"
We are what everyone wants to be
We are young and carefree
Life's a breeze for people like you and me
Riku had just walked into Kairi's house to find Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka sitting on the couch, arguing with each other, tugging a silver camera back and forth, or at least, that's how it was. However, the scene had changed slightly since he'd arrived. He had dropped the gift bag he had been carrying to gesture with his hands, his eyes wide and his eyebrows raised quizically at the sight. The other four had turned to look at him, freezing in their current positions, momentarily putting and end to their chatter. Tidus had dived on top of Wakka to retrieve the camera in his possession, while Selphie was leaning over them, her hands on her hips. Kairi was leaning forward, still seated on the couch, as if she were about to stand. Seeing Riku, she smiled, and rose from the sofa to greet him
"Yay, you're finally here, Riku!" she said, throwing her arms around him in a momentary embrace, before she proceeded to pick up his gift sack and carry it over to a table with similarly-wrapped items. "Aw, thank you, Riku, you shouldn't have!"
Riku dropped one hand down to his side and lifted the other to scratch the side of his head. "Umm ... okay ...? Eh ... happy birthday, Kairi." Then he looked around the room, noticing there was someone missing. "Kai ... where's Sora?"
"Oh, he was here earlier," Kairi said, placing Riku's present down on the table and returning to his side. "He got here a little early to help me clean up the place. Then he ran back home to get his gift."
"Ya, and he left his camera here! Lot's o' funny pictures on this thing, ya?" Wakka said, shoving Tidus asside and waving the camera around for Riku to see. Tidus stood up as well and dusted himself off, while Selphie just straightened out. Wakka made his way over to Riku, a stupid grin plastered on his face, shoving the camera in front of him and flipping through the pictures. "Like this one here, after the dancing and what not, where we were playing chicken in the water, ya? This one's o' Kairi and Sora 'gainst me and that hot chick from school. Man, we lost so bad ..."
If you look
Life lays out just like a road
It's for us to grab ahold
There's no one that can tell us no
Riku laughed. "Haha, yeah, I remember that. Then that girl was crying 'cause you landed on her." He punched Wakka lightly in the arm. "Then you tried to make her feel better. Heh, like that was going to work."
"Hey, you're just jealous 'cause she was spendin' time with me. Yeah, dat's right. I saw you checkin' her out, man." That earned him a glare from Riku, but the boy just shook his head and continued to the next picture. "Oh yeah, and there's this one, ya know, with Selphie and Tidu--OOMPH!" Tidus had tackled Wakka to the ground in mid sentence, attempting to strangle him, while the others just stood there, bewildered. Meanwhile, the camera had been sent flying through the air to be caught by none other than--
"Sora, you're back!" Kairi said, leaping over the two boys on the ground to greet her boyfriend with a quick kiss on the lips. From his hand opposite the camera she snatched yet another gift sack, uttering a "Thank you" before she placed it with the others
Sora, a little let down by the hasty greeting, sighed and looked around the room, glancing at each of the guests. "This it?" he asked, as if he were expecting more of a crowd.
Kairi giggled. "I like small parties, okay? Now, come on, I'm really anxious to open all these presents!"
So come on, baby
Let's just have fun
Let's breathe stardust into our lungs
Let's drive too fast
Let's go too far
When our hearts bleed
It lets us know we are alive
And that we are doin' fine
So everyone, including Tidus and Wakka, who managed to stop their bickering for Kairi's sake, gathered around Kairi in a circle on the floor, with the presents strewn about around them, awaiting their unwrapping.
After a few moments, Kairi had unveiled a charm bracelet from Tidus ("Selphie told me girls like jewelry so ... yeah. Don't ever ask me to go into that store again!"), a stunning, yet beautiful, jewel-studded necklace and earring set from Wakka ("It was Selph, man. It's not like I like jewelry or nothin'. Too bad I was outta blitz balls, ya?"), a cute orange and pink skirt and a matching top from Selphie ("I already told the guys to get you jewelry, so I got you clothes!"), along with a few fun-sized chocolate bars she threw in for the heck of it ("You can never have too much chocolate!"), and a best-seller book that Kairi had made it clear she wanted from Riku, wrapped along with a small stuffed bear. The only present left to open was Sora's, and he set it in front of her with a huge, goofy grin plastered to his face. "Open it!"
Kairi dug through the bag to get to the bottom, tossing sheets of tissue paper this way and that, only to find a small box at the bottom. After grinning at him with a remark of, "What a pretty box, Sora! Thank you!" and recieving a smirk in reply, she gently opened it, only to let out a gasp in surprise as she lifted out its contents.
It was Sora's silver crown chain.
She put her hand to her mouth as she dangled it from her fingertips, glancing at Sora, eyes wide. "B-But ... you love this ..." How could she not have noticed he wasn't wearing it? He never went anywhere without it! She almost felt guilty taking it from him ...
But Sora just kept smiling as he put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a look that said 'I love you more.' "It's so no matter what happens, you'll never forget me."
We lay down
Look at the sky from upside down
There's nobody we have to be
Let's live fast and see where it leads
Kairi tilted her head to one side, dropping her hand down to its place, a look of sadness on her face. But ... I don't want to think about that, Sora ... But, in the end, she smiled. She knew that it was an act of love, and she appreciated it. She would guard the trinket with her life. "Thank you, Sora," she said, and she proceeded to lean in and kiss him, but their moment was brought to an end quickly.
"Ew ... alright, that's it, I'm getting the cake and ice cream," Tidus said, getting up and marching into Kairi's kitchen, calling behind him, "Get a room, you guys!"
Wakka was next to leave, chasing after Tidus while shouting, "Man, you just don't wanna watch cuz you'll be thinking 'bout doin' that with Selphie da whole time!"
That remark got Selphie moving. "You're gonna get it Wakka!" she called after him, leaving only Riku behind.
As Sora and Kairi broke apart, laughing, Riku decided it was his turn to leave. "Yeah, I'll go help with that ... cake and ice cream ... yeah ..." And he, too, left the room.
So come on, baby
Let's just have fun
Let's breathe stardust into our lungs
Let's drive too fast
Let's go too far
When our hearts bleed
It lets us know we are alive
And that we are doin' fine
As soon as they were out of sight and earshot, Sora grabbed Kairi's hand. "Come with me," he said, pulling her swiftly to her feet and into the dining room, not far from where they had been sitting before. When they were there, he dropped her hand and turned to face her, as she began to speak.
"Sora, what--"
"Shh!" He silenced her, putting a finger to her lips, leaving her with an utterly confused look on her face. When the boy began to dig through his pocket, that look changed from confusion to curiosity, and when he pulled out a small, white box with a red ribbon around it, her eyes widened in shock. It was relatively flat, the top of it about an inch or two on each side, not really big enough to hold anything.
Let's get lost
In love like wine
"Another present?" She asked, reaching out to take it from him, but he pulled it away from her.
"No!" he replied in a loud whisper, for which he recieved a raised eyebrow in reply. With a sigh, he lowered the box back down, taking Kairi's hand in his. He turned her hand so that her palm faced upward. Then he gently lowered the box into her grasp, his hand still lingering on top of it, as he began to explain. "Look, Kairi, you can't open it yet, alright?" he said, a strange look in his eyes.
Kairi's gaze locked with his, and she could see that he was completely serious. But still, she just didn't understand. She shook her head in response, and Sora sighed again.
"What's in this box is very important," he said, stressing the last two words, "but you have to believe me when I say that right now, it's worth nothing, okay?"
"Oh," Kairi's head dropped, as if she was disappointed, but really, it was all just confusing her. Why won't Sora let me open the box and get it over with? I mean, It couldn't be that important ... could it?
Sora released his grip on her wrist and brought his hand up under her chin. With one finger, he gently pushed her head upward until her eyes met his once again, and he gave her a tender smile. "Hey," he said softly, his smile spreading to a wide grin, "I promise, someday, it will be worth more than the rest of your presents combined."
At that, Kairi smiled, nodding in reply. She trusted Sora, with her life, and besides, he wasn't one to break his promises. "Alright," she said, leaning her forehead against his, her eyes closed as the box finally fell into her posession. She placed it gently in the pocket of her skirt, where it fit snugly, and used her now free hand to interlace her fingers with Sora's. She leaned in and gave Sora a tender, prolonged kiss, uttering a faint, "Thank you," afterwards.
Let kisses quench
This thirst of mine
Sora grinned, and with a chuckle he replied, "You're welcome," pulling her closer to him slowly. Kairi rested her head on Sora's chest, letting out a sigh as he placed his arms lovingly around her small frame. His gentle, and sometimes subtle, acts of kindness never ceased to amaze her ... all the more reason for her to love him. In his arms right then, she couldn't have felt more complete, despite all the questions lurking in the back of her mind.
Let me feel
The weight of your skin
Pressing in
She loved him, and he loved her.
That's all that mattered.
They just stood there in that position for what seemed like forever, enjoying the moment ... which, of course, had to be interrupted by Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie, marching into the dining room singing, "Happy birthday to you," carrying a cake, a bucket of icecream, and plates, cups, and plasticware, respectively.
Kairi turned around in Sora's arms, smiling, and broke free of his grasp as they sang, taking a seat at the head of the table, where a chocolate cake with sixteen candles was set in front of her not long afterward. She clapped her hands together in excitement as the song came to an end, awaiting her chance to wish upon each one. Shutting her eyes tightly, she made a wish, and then abruptly opened her eyes with a deep breath, which was exhaled to extinguish the flame on every single candle. This feat was met with thunderous applause from Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie, who wasted no time in digging in right afterward, leaving Sora to laugh from the other side of the room.
So come on, baby
Let's just have fun
Let's breathe stardust into our lungs
Let's drive too fast
Let's go too far
When our hearts bleed
It lets us know we are alive
And that we are doin' fine
Suddenly, Sora felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see Riku looming over him, a smirk on his face. "So," the silver-haired boy began, "what did you do about it?"
Sora grinned his trademark grin in response. "Exactly what he told me to," Sora said, and he turned back to look at the girl of his dreams, eating chocolate cake a table's length away from him.
"You have a great thing here, Sora. Don't lose it."
"Exactly what Roxas told me to."
(A/N: dun dun dun! what's in the box? well, i can tell you now you wont find out for a long time. but i bet if you think about it real hard you can guess. but hey, dont ask me, i'm not gonna tell you.)