Title: Remember
Summary: Now that everything is over, Kairi remembers. Drabble
Rating: PG
WC: 1010
Disclaimer: not mine
AN: Spoilers for end of KH1 and KH2- nothing too huge though. This was a pain in the ass to write, IMO, and I'm not quite sure if it makes sense to everyone else so please, if it does, let me know what you don't understand and I'll be glad to edit.
Pairings: KairiRikuSora friendship later hinting to OT3 Part of Music Box AU
Edit, because I hated the first version. Hated with a passion. Hopefully this one makes more sense, and everyone likes it more. C&C is loved beyond all reason.
--
Now that everything is over, Kairi remembers.
When they were 12 and 13, things were easy and predictable. Sleepovers, mock fights, swimming and lazing about were normal.
"Ugh, Kairi, what's your ice cream taste like? This stuff is gross- how can you even look at it, Riku?" Sora asks in disgust, wrinkling up his nose as he regards the yellow ice cream cone he holds in his hand, far away from his face. Riku only smirks and plucks it out of the younger boy's grasp, taking a lick. The older boy had finished his earlier and if Sora wasn't going to eat his then it was fair game.
Kairi laughs and holds out her own cone to the scowling brunet, "Here, try some of mine, it's good, like-"she trails off when Sora leans over and licks it, a thoughtful expression on his face as if he's trying to figure out the meaning of life through the taste of ice-cream.
"Tastes good, like a mix of strawberries and…" he looks puzzled for a moment as he tries to figure out what the other flavor is, "bananas!"
There's a snort of laughter from Riku, who rolls his eyes at the proud expression on the younger boy's face for figuring out what the mystery flavor was. "Of course, Sora. She got strawberry banana, after all." There is no real bite to his words, though.
At 13 and 14, things have changed a little.
"What are you going to do today, Kairi?" Sora asks from where he sits, perched on a large rock, swinging his legs and watching as the shadows dance back and forth.
"I'm not quite sure, yet." Kairi responds, looking up from where she's braiding strands of seaweed together. The normality between them is comforting, she thinks absently. "Do you want to come swimming later?"
The boy looks nervous and won't meet her eyes and Kairi has a sinking suspicion why. "Um, I kinda promised Riku we'd go exploring after I cleaned my room. Maybe tomorrow?" She's disappointed but hides it under a shrug and a smile so Sora doesn't feel worse than he probably already does. "Cool. I'd better get going, see you later Kai!"
Kairi waves half-heartedly, watching the brunet jog away then dropping her gaze to the nearly finished braid that sits in her lap she realizes suddenly she doesn't feel like swimming for a long time.
At 14 and 15, things get complicated to say the very least.
"Wake up, lazy! Let's get working on the raft or we'll never get it done!" Kairi pokes the sleeping boy in the side sharply, scowling when Sora only mutters something and curls into a ball to ignore her better. Bottom lip sticking out in a nearly perfect Sora imitation, she tugs at the huge blue blanket that he is wrapped up in, nearly succeeding in jerking him out of bed- only his hands latching onto the bed save him from meeting the ground.
"Early. No."
Early? It was anything but early! "It's noon, So-ra, come ooon, get up!" Another poke and then laughter as a pillow is thrown at her. A full-fledged pillow fight takes place and Kairi finds herself laughing as if nothing had ever been wrong.
--
Oddly enough, they have more alone time together but it's not exactly for the reason that Kairi wants it to be. "Riku's been acting weird lately, y'know? What do you think is wrong with him?" Sora asks idly, kicking his feet into the water, sending up a spray of droplets that glimmer in the fading sun then fall back down.
"I dunno, maybe you should go and ask him sometime." Kairi sends a sideways look to the brunet, not really expecting him to do it.
"Um, no, I'd like to stay alive, thanks." Sora shakes his head, a bitter little smile on his face and wonders why it's like this.
--
"Kairi!" Sora's eyes widen as he realizes exactly what is going on.
Kairi seems to realize it too as she reaches out, curling their fingers together for a brief moment, gritting her teeth because this can't be it. "Sora!" It's the only thing she can say.
"Kairi, I'll find you, I'll come back to you!" he jerks as the ground he is on lurches and then he's falling away from her, eyes darting wildly as if he can't decide if he wants to leap across and join her or stay.
"I know you will!" And he will- she believes it with every inch of her being, because he's Sora and he's the hero so he's got to find her- it might just take a while. But he has to find Riku too, so they're all together again.
At 15 and 16, sometimes it's like she missing something, something important and every time she looks for it it's gone and she's not sure why she can't remember.
"I don't know how you can even think about ordering that," Kairi says as Riku places ten munny on the counter and orders a vanilla-almond cone. When she orders a strawberry-banana, something feels off, but she doesn't know why.
-
Riku isn't around as much when they're 13 and 14; he's usually off in the Secret Place or exploring. He'd invited her once, like she'd never been there, and they'd both been confused when she responded with, "Don't you and him usually go?" Something is missing again but neither know what it is so the even it's brushed off and everything goes back to normal.
-
"Shouldn't we be working on the raft?" Kairi asks one day, out of the blue. Riku raises an eyebrow in question- what raft? and Kairi stops talking all together because there is no raft. Someone used to be there, but she can't remember who and it bothers her to no end. Riku has no idea what she's talking about and when he disappears suddenly, she feels lost beyond all reason. Someone made a promise and she doesn't know if they can keep it because chances are they don't remember it either.
At 16 and 17 everything is straight in her mind. Naminé is with her, Riku and Sora are back home and they all resolve to make new memories that won't ever be replaced.
-Fin-