Writer: israelproject

Abandoned Princess

Part 2

They met on the beach, just like Sora had asked, twenty minutes after Ms. Smith, Kairi's foster mother, had fed her breakfast and deemed her ready to leave. Kairi always managed to suppress the small smile and rolling of eyes that threatened to come at the treatment – it's not like she was a little girl anymore. But then, she'd remind herself, she wasn't exactly an adult yet, either – and she was pretty sure that the day would come when she was, and would think back on these days with wistfulness. Ms. Smith always fussed over her.

The day was bright, almost blinding when she first stepped out through the door. Kairi paused for a moment, holding up and hand and squinting, feeling the warm ocean breeze come sailing in, taking her rich auburn hair swinging to the side, along with her skirt. Turning, sneakers scraping the narrow, crumbling sidewalk, Kairi set off at a jog, waving to the familiar faces as she went – which, on this island, was virtually everyone. It was a small community, close-knit, which, just like with Ms. Smith, was sometimes smothering, other times a warm sort of knowledge. Budding independence aside, it was nice to be cared about on such a large basis.

The asphalt turned sandy, and suddenly her steps were sinking, muscles working harder, a fine film of sweat appearing on her arms as she ran across the beach. It wasn't long before the others came into view – Riku, Sora, her absolute best friends, loves of her life, practically, even if it had turned out as the two of them getting together, with Kairi as the awkward third… not that she ever did feel awkward. The three of them knew each other too well for such a thing to interfere with their friendship – at first, she'd been scared that their choosing of each other had almost been a mutual rejection of her, but if anything, they paid more attention to her now than ever before. Of course, that could have something to do with everything they'd gone through together with Kingdom Hearts – since their return to Destiny Island, they always pretty much clung together. They'd spent too long apart – their hearts needed the comfort of closeness.

Kairi slowed as they spotted her, an easy grin spreading across her face. She flipped her hair behind her shoulder, breathing quickly from the impromptu run, hands going on hips. As she neared them, sitting on the sand a few feet from the foamy remnants of the waves, she tilted her head to the side, panting, "So, what was it that couldn't wait until – " She checked her watch. " – an hour from now, when we were scheduled to meet?"

Sora looked up with wide, innocent eyes, and Kairi immediately suspected something was going on. "We just wanted to see you, Kairi! You're our favourite person in the world!"

Riku, too, was giving her the too-clear blinking, the perfect smile. "Come and sit with us, Kai – we're watching the waves! They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Kairi twisted, unimpressed, eyed the beach. "Uh-huh. Wow. The dead seaweed is really moving me." She turned her shrewd gaze back to the couple, Sora starting to squirm minutely with the pressure. He never had been good at lies. A thought occurred to her, lips pursing as she asked, "This wouldn't have anything to do with my birthday tomorrow, now, would it boys?"

Riku's smile and charm became blinding as he replied, "Of course not!"

At the same time, Sora panicked and blurted, "What birthday?" Riku and Kairi stared. Smothering a blush, the brunet tried again: "I mean…" He attempted the sort of suave that Riku usually pulled off in the middle of talking his way out of something. "I – I think of it more as a meteor day. Because, because Kairi came after that meteor shower, right? So – no one really knows when her actual birthday is, we're just celebrating her arrival here."

Riku sighed, shook his head, pulled Sora into a hug and patted his head. "There, there, Sora. There, there."

Kairi, meanwhile, started frowning, her amusement at the situation fading. The two boys looked over as she sat in the sand beside them, elbows on knees, fingertips touching together in the habit she'd developed ever since she and Naminé had become whole again. Sora pushed up from Riku's chest, hesitantly. "Uh, Kairi?" She didn't respond. Worried, he said, "I didn't really forget your birthday. And – I'll think of it as your birthday, if you want. I mean, I do, I was just…"

"It's okay, Sora," she said softly, cutting off his rambling. "I'm not upset."

Riku leaned forward, inspected her with a lowered brow. "Are you sure? You're looking pretty grim for someone who's not upset."

Kairi shook her head faintly, a small, unsettled smile in place. "You just – got me thinking, I guess." She exhaled slowly, as the other two waited to hear what was on her mind. "I mean, it's true – no one knows what my birth date is, do they? No one knows where I'm from, or – or how I even got here. I don't know." She took her head gently in her hands. "I wish I could pull apart my memories and find out."

Riku and Sora were silent for a moment, before the silver-haired teen murmured, "Have you been thinking this way for long? We thought you were happy here."

She blinked, face coming around, a firm nod as she said, "I am, I'm very happy here! My whole is here! But…" She shook her head, faint frustration rising up. "I just feel like – I'm getting to a point where I'd like to know more about where I came from, you know?"

With a nervous chuckle, Sora said, "Well, Kai, when a man and woman love each other very much…"

Kairi sighed, pushed to her feet. She took a couple of steps towards the waves, gazed out for a long moment. Not turning, she asked, "I don't suppose either of you found anything out when you were off travelling the other worlds?" She lowered her head a little. "I have to belong to one of them… What if I have – parents out there? A – a father?"

Find Daddy…

Kairi reached up, touched her pendant. Sora's voice was serious this time, a wary note entering it. "I don't think so, Kairi, no."

He was lying again. She couldn't figure out why, but – she heard it, the faintest tremor in his tone. She scowled. Why would Sora lie? And – why wasn't Riku correcting him? The older teen was choosing to not speak at all – that was, in itself, a sign that there was more to this than either of them was saying. It didn't make sense.

"You guys?" She nibbled her lower lip. "Is it off-limits for me to go to the play-island today? Is that connected with this – meteor-day stuff?"

"Kairi, I told you, I don't – "

"The play island's okay," said Riku bluntly, casting aside their pretence. He rose, brushed himself off, pulled Sora along with him. "What do you want to do there?"

She didn't look at them as she replied, "A-actually – I'd like to go alone. I was thinking of… checking out the Secret Place."

Sora blinked rapidly, took her elbow in concern. "Kairi, I'm really, really sorry if I – "

She finally looked up, smiled. "Sora. I told you, you didn't upset me. I'm not upset! I'm just – thoughtful. And… there's no better place to think than the Secret Place, right?" She turned to encompass Riku in her gaze, repeated, "Right?"

Both males nodded reluctantly. "Can we at least come with you, and lounge on the beach or something while you're in there?" Sora asked, a crease between his brows. "We won't disturb you – but – we're kind of on Kairi-duty for the day, and, well, I don't want you to be alone, I guess."

Her smile was touched with affection, almost against her will. She shrugged. "I can't stop you, can I? Knock yourselves out."

The boys flanked her, and, together, they went to untie their boats.