My Life is a Cliché

My Life is a Cliché

Here's the third part… enjoy!

Kairi wrote her vows. Sora wrote his vows, though he didn't ask for my help.

There were no bachelor parties. I never saw the point of them anyways, and Kairi and Sora agreed. Bachelors were single. Kairi and Sora were not single, so what was the point?

The rehearsal dinner went well. I was zoned out for most of it, so I didn't really know what was going on. I refused to speak. I wanted everything I had to say at the wedding to be a surprise. It was nothing big… it was mostly just how much I was happy they were both my friend and how happy I was that they were getting married, and one of those kids better be named after me.

No dramatic speech about their lives. No underlying hints about how much I was in love with Kairi. No big stories about all the things Sora and I did to get her attention when we were younger, because it would just be rubbing salt in my own wound, which, call me crazy, I'd never been too fond of.

It was the night before the wedding. The last night I had to tell Kairi that I loved her. Come tomorrow, and I would never tell her. So what was the point in telling her now? It would change nothing, and it would only make Kairi conflicted about marrying Sora. It was already too late.

That's why I didn't understand things happening during movies where the guy either tells the girl the night before and she goes to marry the other man anyways, then right before she says 'I do' she stops and says that she really loves the other guy. Then there was the dramatic, 'I object!' scenes, where the guy runs in and protest to the marriage, confessing his everlasting love for the bride.

Yay… gumdrops and unicorns… everything ends happily.

Nope. Not for me. It was going to end the way cliché intended it to be. Sora and Kairi getting married, me, Riku, their best friend, in the background, a smile on my face. And that's how it was going to… it just so happens that the smile will be fake.

Not that I wasn't happy for them. They were happy, which was great. It is just that I will not be happy. I'll be miserable for the rest of my life, watching them grow old together and have children. I won't be alone… I'll always have them… but I won't have her.

Cliché. That's what my life is. A cliché… just not the good kind. I get the second. Sidekick turned hero and best friend smiles as hero gets his happy ending.

I'd come to accept my fate, but it wasn't as if I didn't resent it, because I definitely did. There was nothing I could do to change my future and I had to deal with that. This was my future.

Either way, it was the night before the wedding. Tomorrow, Kairi would be Sora's wife, and I would forever be the best friend.

I was at Kairi's house, just sitting on the sofa. It was probably eleven at night, one hour until the big day. Kairi was pacing nervously in front of me.

"What if it doesn't work?" she asked.

"It will work." I responded.

Kairi shook her head. "But what if it doesn't?" she pressed.

I sighed. "Kai, it's going to work." I told her. "You and Sora were made for each other."

She stopped and turned to me, her face overflowing with confusion and worry. "How do you know, Riku? How do you know that I'm doing the right thing?"

I smiled lightly. "Do you love him?" I asked. She nodded. "And I know he loves you. He won't stop telling me."

"Sometimes love isn't enough." She argued.

Tell me something I don't know. I thought bitterly. But aloud I said, "Kairi… you and Sora are meant for each other. You're the princess and he's the hero. It's the most perfect thing since… cookies!"

Thankfully she laughed, and lost some of that worry and confusion in her expression. "Cookies?" she asked.

I raised my eyebrows. "Come on. Cookies are like… the best thing ever." I grinned. "And I thought it would make you laugh."

"Well it did, so congratulations." She complimented. Sighing, she sat down on the couch, curling up on my chest. Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around her. "I guess I'm getting married tomorrow…"

"I guess so…" I agreed, giving her shoulder a friendly squeeze.

Looking up at me, her face returned to the original worried look. "I'm scared, Riku." She whispered.

I smiled down at her. "Don't be. I'm sure you'll be fine." I encouraged her.

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Not about… being married…," she said shyly.

My eyebrows drew together. "Then about what?" I asked.

Kairi opened her mouth to continue, but stopped. "Never mind… it's stupid." She said, looking away again.

"Hey," I shook her gently. "What? You can tell me anything. What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm not scared about being married; I'm scared about what happens afterward." She said in such a rush that I barely understood her.

I raised one eyebrow. "Afterward?" I mused.

She put her palms on her forehead. "I know it's so stupid!" she exclaimed, standing and trying to move away from me.

I sat up and grabbed her elbow gently. "Hey," I said, sitting her back down on the couch. "It's not stupid." I told her. "It's a perfectly logical fear. I can understand why you are afraid…" I paused. "Will it…" I stopped. I didn't want to get too personal about this subject, but, after all, I was her Maid of Honor. "Will it be your first?" I asked awkwardly.

She nodded, oblivious to how uneasy I was feeling about touching on this subject with her. "Yeah…" she whispered. "And that scares me…" She looked at me, her eyes shining with tears. "Will it be Sora's?" she asked.

I bit my lip. There was a night, about five years ago, before Sora and Kairi ever started going out, and Sora was feeling crappy about his relationship status with Kairi. So I took him to a bar, just to buy him a drink or two, and Sora just happened to wander away from me and I wandered away from him. I didn't know that this particular bar was going to be overridden with really good-looking women.

None of them were Kairi, but Sora happened to find a pretty, little redhead who looked like she could be Kairi's sister. He was a little tipsy, but that doesn't excuse his actions. He was sober enough to realize what he was doing.

He told me all about it the next day. I have done a couple things in my life with women that looked like Kairi, but I'd always been unbelievably drunk, and I'd always regretted it the next day. Of course, when I was a senior in high school, I had a few nights… and when I say a few, I mean a lot of nights, where I met up with girls at the school. Granted, I'd still been in love with Kairi, but hell, I was a teenager. Sure, I might have known better, but there has never been a time where I hadn't regretted it the next day.

The worst thing about Sora's little get together with this girl, was that he kept meeting up with her. I even walked in on them once, when Sora and I shared an apartment together. It hadn't been full out yet, thank goodness, but neither had their shirts on, and she'd been working on Sora's pants when I walked in and stopped it. And even after that, he didn't stop with this girl. It took a whole year for him to finally quit. She was like an addiction to him. She looked just like Kairi, and she would actually "love" him.

Well a few weeks after it stopped, Sora asked Kairi out. I was slightly worried about it because I was afraid Sora might go insane if Kairi didn't sleep with him. So even though I promised him I'd stay out of the apartment, I stayed in. I was thankful he didn't even try to do anything. He didn't even come home with her. He dropped her off, and came back. From then on, I stayed out of the apartment when he asked me to.

"Is that a no?" she asked when I didn't respond.

Again, I didn't know what to say. I promised Sora I would never tell her, no matter how much I wanted to.

She nodded. "You don't have to give me details." She said. "I just need a yes or a no."

"No." I said finally. "But it was only ever one girl." Many times, but I preferred to keep that bit of information to myself.

"When?" she pressed.

"Four or five years ago." I told her. "It was before you and he became an item."

Kairi nodded. "Do you know her name? Or is that too much to ask?"

"I don't know her name." I shook my head. "And if I did, I probably wouldn't tell you… wouldn't want you going all Kairi-crazy and kicking her ass."

She grinned. "Well… okay." Then she got a mischievous look on her face. "What about you?" she asked.

I tried to suppress a smile. "With this body and this face?" I asked.

Kairi nodded. "Well that's true." She allowed.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." I assured her, and then caught myself. "Wait… that's not what I meant to say…"

Kairi laughed. "It's okay. I know what you meant."

"You've only ever kissed two boys. That random one you took to the dance that one time, and Sora." I grinned.

"That's what you think." She responded, raising an eyebrow at me. "What do you think I was doing before Sora asked me out?" she asked. "Just sitting around and waiting for him? Ha! With this face and this body?"

"Slut." I told her.

She gaped jokingly at me. "Me? Slut?" she asked. "You're the one that's been sleeping around with multiple women!" she retorted.

"Yeah, and I regretted it every morning afterward." I said. "I've never found a woman who I actually wanted to be with! And normally, all those are taken."

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" she asked. "Like whom?"

I gestured at her. "You, for example." I said. "When we were teenagers, I was in love with you." That was an understatement. "But I knew you and Sora were going to happen, so you were technically unavailable, especially since me and Sora made that pact. We'd both not try anything with you because we both liked you and we didn't want that to ruin our friendship. So… eventually I told Sora I was over you, and that's when he started to make more obvious hints toward you." I grinned, trying to cover up what I had just said. It all slipped before I'd even had time to think about it.

Kairi tilted her head. "You were in love with me?" she asked.

"Well… yeah." I answered.

She nodded. "And you told Sora you were over me?" she continued.

I drew my eyebrows together. "Yes."

Kairi locked her eyes on to mine. "Were you lying?"

Shit. That was probably the worst question she could ever ask me. It was the night before her wedding, and I had to just blow my deepest secret. I had kept up the lie so perfectly so far, and tonight was going to ruin it all.

"No." I lied, trying to get away with it anyways. "Come on, Kai." I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders, trying to keep it as friendly as possible. "You know that you're like… my sister." I kissed her forehead. "I loved you when I was a teenager. So what? I'm not a teenager now. And you're getting married tomorrow. To Sora! You've loved him since we were teenagers!"

"I'm not a teenager now." Kairi said, repeating my earlier words. "And I still love him."

She was trying to trap me. Get me to say something I didn't want to say. Did she know, or was she trying to push me and see if I broke? The problem is… I didn't know what to say to that. How was I supposed to argue the absolute truth?

So I avoided the subject all together.

"I should go see Sora." I said quietly, letting her go. "I'm his Best Man. I should be with him too."

Kairi let me stand to leave, but ran after me and caught me before I got to the door. She grabbed my hand and spun me to face her. "Were you just lying to me?" she asked.

This was all going so wrong! This was not how cliché worked! She wasn't ever supposed to know about me. I'm not even supposed to love her in my cliché life! But I did, and I couldn't stop, no matter how hard I tried, or how drunk I got, or how many women I slept with. Maybe… cliché didn't play a part in my life… maybe it was just in Sora's, and I'd just been living my life according to the way Sora's was supposed to turn out.

Sometimes things go wrong. Because sometimes clichés don't go right. Because this is real life… it's not a movie. There be a lot less pain if this were a movie… I wouldn't love Kairi the way I do.

So I whispered, "Yes."

Leaning up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to my cheek and lowered herself back down to look up at me. I stared at her for a moment, and then wrapped my hand around the back of her head, threading my fingers through her hair. I brought her face up, and I kissed her gently.

It was only for a moment, and in that moment, I realized that I did love her. And I couldn't fix it, and it didn't matter what I did. I was going to love her for the rest of my life. She didn't have to love me back, she just had to be happy. But I would never stop being in love with her.

I parted with her, gazing down lovingly at her. Then I realized what I'd just done.

Without a word, I ran from the house. I wasn't going to tell Sora, and I knew she would never tell him either. For two reasons. One, she was getting married to him tomorrow, so there would be no need. And two…

She'd kissed me back.

Sora wasn't a nervous wreck when I got to him.

"I'm getting married to Kairi, Riku." He grinned. "Kairi. Why would I be nervous?"

I shrugged, barely able to speak to him, much less look at him without the feeling of overflowing guilt. "I dunno… maybe it's a girl thing." I paused. "So… am I free to go?"

Sora waved me off with a smile still planted firmly on his face. "Sure, sure. Go back to Kairi, since she was such a mess." He suggested.

I shook my head. "Nah, I'll probably just go home. She seemed…" I paused, searching for the right word. "Fine when I left."

Sora shrugged. "Whatever. Do as you please."

So I went home and didn't sleep. I just lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling thinking about Kairi, about the kiss, and about everything in the past few months. Things had changed between Kairi and I… we were closer now, more in tune with the other, better friends… we were more comfortable around each other, if you will. But kissing… right before her wedding day, no less, was just out of line. That was overstepping the boundary.

There was a knock on my door. I prepared myself for a punch in the face if it was Sora. Who else could it be?

I opened the door and Kairi was standing there, fiddling with her hands. She looked up at me shyly. Well, our friendship was shot. "Can I come in?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah, sure." I said, stepping aside to let her in the apartment. Sora was at his parent's house tonight. He'd already moved all of his things out, so the apartment was all mine.

Kairi walked in, only going as far as the couch. I stayed by the door, which I closed gently.

"Why did you tell me?" she whispered.

"Sometimes love isn't enough." I said, repeating her words from earlier.

She turned to face me. "And sometimes it is." She told me. "If you didn't know for certain how I felt, why didn't you say anything?"

I blinked. "Because I made a pact with Sora."

"Well that didn't stop him, did it?" she asked.

"That was after I told him I was over you!" I argued. "Sora honored it, just like I did. Besides, I didn't really think it was hidden until later. I thought all the stuff I did for you when your heart was taken, or all the stupid fights I'd get in with Sora about you was enough to give it away. Apparently not."

Kairi bit her lip. My voice was calm; it was just speaking my thoughts, almost monotone. I'd given enough away tonight. "I… haven't always loved Sora, Riku." She said.

That took me aback. "What?" I asked, needing a repetition of those words.

"I haven't always loved Sora." She repeated. "Once upon a time, I was in love with you. But I guess that doesn't really matter… we were really young… it was before everything that happened. A part of me wants to say I let that go… but another part of me says that I never did." She paused. "Riku… I've always thought that I had to love Sora… because he harbored my heart for me. But maybe… if it had been sooner… I would have realized that I didn't have to love him. I could love you, Riku."

I had taken this too far. "Kairi…" I started, but was abruptly cut off by Kairi's lips on mine.

Instinctively, my arms wrapped around her waist as hers locked around my neck. Her hands ran into my hair and stroked my face as she kissed me. Her body came closer to mine, and I backed into the wall with her pressed against me.

I let my lips move with hers, and my hands scrolled up her body and to the back of her neck. I played with her hair, combing my finger through it as we kissed and she moved ever closer against me.

This felt dirty… it felt wrong… it felt right… it felt pure. Everything inside of my heart screamed at me to continue and let her kiss me and allow myself to kiss her right back. But my mind told me this was wrong. Kairi was getting married to Sora in just a matter of hours, and here I was up against the wall kissing her.

But I continued.

However, when her hands began to lower to my shirt, I froze. I didn't stop her… I just stopped. A few zippers were pulled down before I came to my senses. I took her hands gently away from my chest, and held them tightly in my hands.

Keeping my eyes closed, I whispered. "Kairi… You're getting married tomorrow."

"I'm not married yet, Riku." She told me. "Things can be stopped… can be rearranged."

I shook my head repeatedly, more to convince myself than her. I wanted so badly to let her finish with the zippers, and then let myself do hers. But I physically forced myself not to. "Kairi… no." I said with finality.

"You… love me." She said, caressing my face with her hand. "I know you do."

"And you love Sora." I said back, finally letting my eyes slowly open. I took her shoulders and backed her away from me. "Which is why this is wrong."

Kairi frowned. "Riku… I…"

I pressed my lips to hers for a moment, and had to force myself to back away from her. "Goodnight, Kairi." I whispered, my lips ghosting on top of hers. "I'll see you tomorrow… before the wedding." I put a slight emphasis on the word, then I moved her away from me, and a few paces towards the door.

I opened the door and looked at the ground. She lingered for a moment, then left. If that was my only chance to ever be with her, then I blew it… because I had to.

Sora was set and ready to go. In just a mere five minutes, Kairi would be walking down the isle and saying 'I do.' I hadn't seen her since the night before. It was almost on purpose, but I knew that Selphie wouldn't want me in the way of getting Kairi's hair and makeup finished.

I was walking her down the isle because her father had died in the Heartless attack years ago. So I said my goodbyes and good lucks to Sora and ran off to the shack just there before the isle.

Kairi was sitting on the bottom floor when I entered. I gave a quick smile to her, and then took the stairs two at a time to the top. Selphie was primping herself and the two other bridesmaids, but mostly herself.

"Riku!" she exclaimed, running to me and immediately touching up my hair. I tried to slap away her hands, but all in vain. "You know when to come out, right?" she asked.

I sighed. "Yes, Selphie." I told her. "When the creepy organ death music of doom starts to play, right?"

"First of all, it's not creepy organ death music of doom. It's the sound of love." She said, holding up a finger. "Two," she put up a second finger. "Yes, that is when you come out."

Then she moved back to finish the other bridesmaids. They had about a minute.

I walked slowly downstairs. Kairi was staring at the wall, her face blank and unreadable. "Hey…" I said. "It's almost time."

Kairi nodded. "Go!" I heard Selphie order from upstairs.

I offered a hand to her. She hesitated, still staring at the wall, and then finally took it. I lead her up to the top in silence. Selphie was the only bridesmaid left. She saw Kairi and winked. "Good luck." She whispered, and exited the shack.

We probably had about a minute before it was time to walk out.

"You look beautiful." I told her, taking both her hands. She turned to face me. "And… I'm sorry… about last night. I really should have kept my mouth shut."

"Riku…" Kairi whispered, scanning a finger down my cheek. "I… I don't want you to be unhappy." She finished.

"I'm not." I smiled. "You're going to be happy with Sora… and… I suppose it's a relief for you to know about my feelings."

Her lips turned up into a ghost of a smile. "I won't ever tell him." She promised.

I nodded. The creepy organ death music of doom started to play. "I love you." I whispered.

She responded by placing one last kiss on my lips.

Then I opened the door, we walked down the isle, and she said, "I do."

There were no pauses before she said it. No professions of her love for me. There wasn't an 'I object!' scene or dramatic entrances and monologues of how I've loved Kairi all my life, and if she married Sora she'd be making the biggest mistake of her life.

No… none of that.

Because in the end… cliché always won.

Finally finished. This took forever to write. By the way, I've decided to make a sequel to this… it's something that I've been wanting to write for a while.

To be honest, I had no idea how I was going to end this. I guess my biased won out in the end. I couldn't not make it end RikuxKairi in some way… Sorry if anyone seemed out of character. I tried to keep them all in character as best I could, and I'm pretty sure I accomplished that on Riku and Sora's part. Kairi is the only one I'm worried about. But I digress…

There might be a prequel or two as well… I've really enjoyed writing this, so it'll be something that you might see future installments of in the future. So if you enjoyed this, I would keep an eye out of sequels/prequels.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this!

Katie