The Loss of a Hero: Chapter Seven
Annabeth's POV
I woke up in Percy's bed. It was late morning, and the sun was shining as usual. I sat up and groaned, I didn't want to wake up yet. I'd been dreaming of Percy, and I didn't want it to end. But now that I was awake, I knew there was no going back to sleep. I sighed and got out of bed. Leaving it unmade, I walked over to sit by Kairi. She was already awake, sitting on her bed that she'd remade to perfection. Still groggy, I mumbled, "Mornin' Kairi."
"Good morning, Annabeth. How did you sleep?"
"Uhh... " I mentally cursed mornings- the only time of day my brain didn't work properly. "Fine. I wish I still was, I was dreaming of Percy…"
Kairi put an arm around me. "Ah, I see." She was quiet for a few moments. "I know how you feel, actually."
I looked up at her. "You do?"
She smiled sadly. "Yes. Would you like to hear part of my story?"
That woke me up. "You want to share it with me?" She nodded. "I'd love to hear it," I said quietly.
Kairi drew in a breath, and let it out slowly. "I was once in love, a long time ago, while I was still alive. I was with a wonderful boy. He was of normal height, had sky-blue eyes, and had spiky blonde hair that always stuck up in the front. We were young, but we were mature for our age, and our parents were fine. We would go over to each other's houses and talk for hours, play games, and on Friday night, he'd take me out for dinner. His dad had a workshop, and he would make things out of metal, occasionally making me a necklace or bracelet.
"But one day, I died. For some reason, I went to the land of shadows instead of the Underworld. Other Shadow People found me and took me in, but I left for the real world as soon as I could. I found him and stayed by his side, but I had to remain invisible. Those that had taken me in had pressed that command firmly into my mind. For months, I watched him slowly growing unstable from the shock of my death. One day, he took out a kitchen knife. He pointed it toward his heart and thrusted, but I caught his arm before the blade took his life.
"I revealed myself to him then, and told him how I'd come to be what I was. He was filled with joy, but sadness, too." She took a breath and paused.
I, enthralled by the tale, could only say, "Wow… that's cool, but really sad. What happened next?"
Kairi sighed sadly. "We stayed together for a while, a few years, known only to me and him. He continued aging, but I could not. By the time he turned 18, I was still 14 and a half. He said often that he didn't care, but I knew that he would be better for him to be with someone like him. Alive, and able to age.
"He refused with a passion. He never wanted to leave me. It was hard for me to say that he need to, I loved him so much. But sometimes, if you love something, you have to let it go. I pressed him, and he continued to refuse. It took a long time for me to make him agree. With a heavy heart, he went out and found someone. I had told him to never look for me again, but he came back one last time. He came to say goodbye."
Kairi placed a hand on each side of my head and closed her eyes. My sight rippled, and a second later, I saw a small lake. It was surrounded by trees bathed in light from a full moon. I looked up, and saw a star-filled sky. On the shore of the lake sat a young man about 18, and I saw Kairi sitting next to him, glowing silver and black. Eternally 14 and a half. I moved closer, but neither of them saw me.
"I didn't like it, but I did what you told me to." It was the boy that had spoken.
Kairi looked at him and smiled sadly. "Good. I am glad you found someone that you can truly be with. What is she like?"
The boy sighed. She's the same age as me, 18. She's tall and lightly tanned, with brown eyes and strawberry-blonde hair."
"She sounds beautiful."
He looked over at her. "Not nearly as beautiful as you. She's nice, but she's not you. You're perfect for me."
Kairi blushed lightly and pushed him gently. "Roxas…" she said, smiling.
Roxas smiled back. "It's true."
She leaned forward and kissed him softly. One second. Two. Then she pulled away, and stood up. "I should go."
Roxas stood up. "Wait." He pulled out a long, thin box in silver wrapping paper. "This is for you," he said, and placed it in her hands.
She carefully opened it, and pulled out a flute of pure silver. She gasped softly. "Roxas… it's beautiful."
He grinned. "I made that myself."
Kairi looked into his eyes for but a moment, then flung her arms around him. "Oh, Roxas… thank you."
Roxas smiled. "I wanted to give you something to…" his smile faded a little, "…remember me with." He looked down.
She kissed him again. "Roxas, I will never, ever forget you."
"Nor I you." He looked deep into her eyes. "I love you, Kairi."
And with that, the memory rippled, then faded. Back in the present, Kairi sat with a tear running down her face, and her silver flute in her hands. "After that night, he never saw me again. I watched him, though. I stayed by him, invisible and untouchable, for years and years.
"But, something happened one day. He was 43, and he had a 5-year-old daughter. He took her to school as normal. As he dropped her off in the classroom, a man in all black burst through the door with a shotgun. He pointed it toward the group of children, including Roxas's daughter. Roxas threw himself in the line of fire just as the man pulled the trigger. I was outside, unable to do anything but watch through the window as the bullets hit him in the chest. He died instantly.
"The teacher and some other men that had come running in disarmed and subdued the man, who was later arrested. Al the children were sent home, but Roxas's daughter stayed, not leaving Roxas's side. I entered the room, empty save for the girl and roxas's body, and revealed myself. The girl's name was Rosa."
Kairi put her hands on my head and another memory rippled into view. I was in a classroom. Kindergarded, or thereabouts, by the look of it. But there were no kids. Except for one little girl. She had long, blonde hair, and eyes like sapphires. A perfect match for roxas. But Roxas was lying on the floor, dead, at 43. Shot by the bullets of a man who intended them for the children, including his own daughter. His sacrifice had saved them. But, now his little girl, and his wife, were left alone. I watched Rosa, who was kneeling by roxas, as Kairi appeared. She kneeled next to the little girl.
Rosa stared at kairi. "You're the silver girl. Kairi," she said quietly.
Kairi nodded. "How did you know?" she asked.
Rosa looked back at Roxas. "My daddy told me about you. He said you were a ghost of silver. But Daddy's gone now. He saved me and my friends from the bad man." Tears filled her big, blue eyes, and Kairi put her arms around her and rocked back in forth, her own tears slipping down her cheeks.
After a few minutes, Kairi took her arms off of rosa, and took out her flute. A few notes later, and rosa curled up, sound asleep. Kairi placed one hand on her, and one hand on Roxas's body. Suddenly, it was no longer a classroom. Now, the three were in what seemed to be someone's living room. Across the room, a tall woman with strawberry-blonde hair walked in, drying a dish. She froze, looking from roxas's body, to Rosa, to Kairi. The dish dropped, shattering into a million pieces. The woman took a few shaky steps, and sank to her knees next to her dead husband, weeping.
Suddenly, the memory shattered. Back in the real world, kairi had her eyes shut tightly, with tears steadily streaming down her face. I pulled her into a hug, and she sank into my embrace. After a few minutes, she dried her tears and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Hey, it's okay," I said. Outside, a conch horn blew, signaling lunch. "Want to grab some food?" I asked.
Kairi nodded. I took her hand, and we left the cabin.
End of Chapter 7
A/N Hey, guys! my mom left for an hour, so i frantically typed up the next chapter! it's done, now! i'm really happy, i haven't posted in forever. Now, this chapter may seem a bit wierd, i'm not very good at writing emotional stuff but eh, i gave it my best shot. anyway, the next chapter will take a while to write, if i happen to have a few hours alone, i'll try to get it up. for those Kingdom Hearts fans that read this, yes, i know, i used Roxas. No, i'm not a KairixRoxas fan, i'm a NaminexRoxas fan. but, i'd already named her Kairi, so yeah. once again, sorry for any mistakes or just bleh or meh stuff, i didn't edit very much in my haste to get it written. i gtg now, but i will try to get the next chapter typed as soon as i can! (though, it might be anywhere from a few days to a month before i get the opportunity)
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-Ben