Dirty Little Secret - by the Angel Huntress
A/N: Okay, currently, because of school and play rehearsal and everything, my three other stories, Kingdom Hearts III: Unwanted Rebirth and She Will Be Loved for Stargate Atlantis and The Ego, The Id and the Idiot for Doctor Who are on a short hiatus. However, since the play is soon, I'll be able to update more often. This story is based on high school life which I am experiencing right now, and is sort of symbolic in a way. Hope you like it!
Genre: AU/ Romance/ Drama. Big Drama.
Rating: T
Ship: Okay. This is where it gets complicated. The central person is Kairi, but the guys make it not only a triangle, but having almost four guys in love with her makes that, what, a pentagon? The end ship is a surprise, but its mostly a SoraKairi, RoxasKairi, RikuKairi, AxelKairi. What's a girl to do?
Setting: Well, nowhere during Kingdom Hearts series. The rest sort of explains itself.
Disclaimer: I own the very very very basic plot of this story (although its like the "high school drama" so I'm not sure I even own that.
Prologue Summary: Watch how a happy life can be ruined quickly...
Prologue Warnings: None, really.
All of this is taken from the autobiography of Kairi Hisa, and is not to be copyrighted in anyway. This is from first-hand experience as told by the narorator and is based on a true story.
Prologue
- - - - - - - - - 15 Years Ago - - - - - - - - - -
"First one to the beach gets more ice cream!" yelled Sora Calhoun, my best friend at the time.
Ice cream, wow! I thought. I hoped it would be sea salt ice cream. That was my favorite.
"Okay!" I shouted back, and we both happily sprang forward, running as fast as we could down the hill that led to the shore of the island.
We both lived on Destiny Islands, a small group of islands that was only half a mile off the coast of Florida, connected by bridges. This small isle was our favorite one, the one with the big hill with the shopping center at the top and a beautiful beach at the bottom.
The sunsets were really beautiful on this isle, as it faced west at the beach and we always came around time the sunset while our moms went shopping together.
"Ha-ha!" Sora said triumphantly, stopping. "I win!"
I was only a few steps behind, as I usually was. Sandals were so hard to run in.
"No fair," I said, and made a face at him, which he made back. But I wasn't mad at him. I never get mad at Sora.
We walked down the shore, near the docks, where there was a small stand. Sarunto's Sea Salt Ice Cream.
The owner, Mr. Sarunto, was an elderly man of about seventy, who adored us, like most of the people on the islands. He was giving us free ice cream, as he usually did.
"I beat Kairi at racing, can I have more ice cream?" asked Sora, in that cute way that five-year-olds have.
"Why, certainly," said Mr. Sarunto, and packed more on the ice cream cone. He gave it to Sora as he was making mine, and Sora walked away with it. I saw Mr. Sarunto put another scoop on mine, too.
He handed it to me, and I took it. "I gave you a little extra, too. But don't tell Sora, now, okay?"
He smiled and so did I. I nodded, and turned away. "Thanks, Mr. Sarunto!" I called as me and Sora walked toward the shore.
We walked along the shore in silence, then, eating our ice cream. I remember thinking about the ocean, and whether or not it could live. I remember hearing about how it swallowed people, like how Tommy Flemmings the surfer was swallowed by the ocean. I wondered if the ocean ate people, really ate them.
Yeah, I was quite the thinker. I always wondered stuff, and had this crazy imagination. Of course, with me its not always a good thing. I tend to take things literally, all the time. Like the ocean for instance. I think that's how all writers start, just spacing out and thinking.
Anyway, we were headed toward the dock—that is under the dock, in the shade—where our favorite hangout spot was. We could see the ocean, the sunset, and also be able to eat the ice cream without it melting. It was nice there.
There was usually a comfortable serenity between the two of us. We could sit by each other for hours without having said a word and it would be nice. Even when we talked, in moments like these, it would be only a few words, and the replies would be spaced out.
"Kai?" asked Sora, without looking at me. He went back to eating his ice cream, as did I.
"Yeah?" I asked back after a pause. That's me. Ever since I can remember, I liked answering questions with another question.
"Let's be best friends forever, okay?" he said.
"Yeah," I smiled, "I promise."
"Me too. I promise." Sora said. He finished his ice cream.
I wondered what else would happen in life? I mean, we'd been best friends for forever already it felt like, all our lives, and what would ever change that?
We stayed out and watched the sunset, like we usually did. I laid down on the sand after I finished my ice cream as the sun set.
"Sora, can I go over to your house today?" I asked him.
"Sure," he said, laying back himself.
I stared at the sunset, watching it. Sunsets were pretty quick on the island. You could follow the sun going down with your eyes.
"Sora! Kairi!" called Sora's mom. I was so used to it, I recognized her voice automatically.
We got up, brushed sand off ourselves, and ran up the hill to where Mrs. Calhoun was.
She had out her shopping bags, but my mom wasn't there. Oh, well, I figured she had somewhere else to go. She sometimes went by herself to some places.
I have no dad, because he was out fighting in the war, and so whenever my mom used to go shopping by herself, Mrs. Calhoun'd take Sora home with his dad and stay at my place until Mom came home.
Which was what we had done. The bridge that lead directly to the small little port that the Calhoun's and my family lived at called Kilika was closed off, for some reason. I saw flashing lights everywhere, but that was normal. So we took the long way home, Mrs. Calhoun stopping at a small gas station where me and Sora would by candy and junk food while Mrs. Calhoun would buy gas.
She dropped Sora off at their house where his dad picked him up and took him inside the house. That was the last time I'd see him.
The lights were off when we got in (Mrs. Calhoun had a spare key) and I just went to my room and fell asleep, just tired. You know how it is when you're five. You get tired from an 10-hour day.
Anyway, the rest of this gets a little blurry. I remember the cops coming over and questioning me, at around three or four in the morning. I don't really remember what they asked me, just that Mrs. Calhoun was still there, and was looking really sad, and that the cops were asking me about my mom.
I only heard a little bit, but later Mrs. Calhoun told me that my mom had gotten a letter from the Air Force that my father had died out there, and that my mother had drove herself off that bridge. They only found her car, but her body was said to have been taken by the ocean. It was sad, really, but though I didn't know it then, I became an orphan in one day.
I was supposed to have lived with Mrs. Calhoun, but for some reason, she wouldn't talk to me or look at me. I think she was in shock then. She and my mom grew up together since they were practically in the womb. Like me and Sora were supposed to be.
I was sent to Illinois, a few miles out of Chicago, to Mrs. Calhoun's brother and his family. Uncle Sephiroth and Aunt Larxene. That's what they told me to call them. I was pretty sure they hated me when they first me. They hated anybody for no reason, except their own family, really. Well, even their own son I think they hated.
They didn't show that they hated me until I screwed up the first time, but it wasn't like I had it coming. It was more like they were just tolerating me for Mrs. Calhoun's sake, and when I messed with one of their own the toleration turned to hate. Hate that never would die down.
The trip in the van was long, and silent. They wouldn't fly to Florida because it was too expensive, and gas back then wasn't as expensive I guess. Anyway, it was just them. I had only two suitcases, one for my clothes, the other some of my toys and pictures.
One other thing about me, is that I have this huge hobby about collecting pictures, of my best friends, family, and about everyone and everything I like. I think I had about forty pictures in that other suitcase.
When we pulled in their driveway about a day or two later, Aunt Larxene told me I was going to be rooming with my "cousin." As much as they hated me, they still insisted I called them family. I think I was there illegally or something.
Anyway, we had arrived at the house, a two story typical suburban one with a basement and all, and it was just ordinary. Different from my house, the one in Kilika, but ordinary nonetheless. It looked like the others on the block, except that this one was blue and red.
I carried in my own suitcases, taking them to the room they showed me. Which was, at the time, my "foster-cousin," Seifer's room. He was two years older than me, and was trouble from the beginning.
"Hey, kid," he said, real rough and mean as I hefted my suitcase on the cot that was my bed. "This is my room, and I don't plan on sharing it."
"I-I'm sor—" I started, but he punched me in the arm. That hurt. I did what Mommy had always taught me. I kicked him in the shin. Hard. He doubled over, and called for Aunt Larxene. She looked at Seifer. Then at me, and I could see she was mad. She pulled my hair and brought me to the basement.
And that was how I came to live there. There was only one light bulb in the basement, with a chain to pull if you were tall enough. I wasn't tall enough, so when Aunt Marlene closed the door, I was in the dark, on a hard lumpy cot. I started to cry. For Mommy. For Daddy. For Sora. For me.
"Are you okay?" asked someone. I opened my eyes and turned around. The light was on.
"Sora?" I asked. He looked so much like Sora. Except he had blond hair instead of Sora's dark brown.
He shook his head. "I'm Roxas. Sora's my cousin."
I wiped the tears onto my sleeve. "I'm Kairi."
"How old are you?" he asked.
"Five."
"Me too," Roxas said. "Did you really beat up Seifer?"
"I didn't mean to," I told him, which was true. I only hurt people if they hurt me first.
"You're cool. Wanna be friends?"
"Yeah." I replied. My first friend here. I smiled.
"Roxas, get up here!" yelled Uncle Joseph.
Roxas turned and ran toward the stairs. "See ya later, Kairi!" he said, and left.
A/N: so, what do you think? Bad, good? No more AUs for me? Please review!!