Title: Reflections: Kairi ( 1 / ? )
Author name: Ari Powwel
Author email: [email protected]
Spoilers: . . . a lot . . .
Summary: Why did I choose Kairi next? Because Sora's is going to be extremely long XD and it's not the one to be writing when school starts tomorrow . . .
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Welcome to Kairi's reflections! The one that will change a lot from the game! ((think Riku's little breakaway from Ansem during battle and add that to the entire story ^^;;)) I hope you all like!!
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Kairi sat down on Riku's Paopu, gazing out into the sunset. She missed Riku and Sora terribly; she longed to see them again, to see their normal mannerisms. Riku, always cool and confident, seeming never to doubt himself, besting Sora at everything. Sora, running around like the world would end that day and he wanted to make the most out of the last day, always wearing his emotions on his sleeve. Kairi longed to see the competition between them again, to see Sora begging Riku for one last chance to win, and Riku's half-laugh as he replied, 'I don't think so.'

Kairi didn't notice when the others left, only seeing the sun as it sunk beyond the horizon. She heaved a sigh and stood, meaning to return home, but instead, she looked at the Secret Place. She walked down the dark, curving path to the cavern, hand trailing along the carvings on the walls as a smile slowly crossed her face. The Secret Place was one of her favourite places on the island, now, the other two being Riku's Paopu and the cove on the other side of the beach. The other kids never bothered her there, instead duelling and shouting happily as the day passed. Most didn't remember Riku or Sora. She'd found that out the first time she was asked about why she was sad, only a couple days after the world had been restored.

However, Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka knew . . . they'd been the first ones to greet her when Destiny Islands had returned, and they'd seen the worlds falling back to their normal places in the sky. They didn't know exactly what had happened, but they'd remembered the two boys, and perhaps the three understood Kairi better than most did, now.

Kairi crouched beside a familiar drawing on the wall, running a finger over the scratches. 'You promised, Sora,' she whispered. 'You promised . . .' She leaned over to look at another picture, but the tilt was too much and Kairi tipped backwards. She sighed and lay on her back, looking up at the 'roof' of the cavern: a great hole in the rock face.

'I miss them . . .' she told herself, remembering the last times she'd been with them.

*        *        *

I was so excited that night. Tomorrow, we were going to leave Destiny Islands! I wondered if we'd possibly find my home . . . a low rumble of thunder reached my ears and I looked up from my writing, gasping upon seeing a storm hovering over the island. The raft! If it was destroyed, we'd have to start all over again! I pushed my notebook into the desk's drawer, standing up and knocking my chair over with a thud. I ignored it for now; I'd pick it up later. I descended the stairs, nearly tripping several times in my haste. I picked my house key off its peg and slipped on my shoes, barely stopping to lock the door behind me. I took off towards my boat, sliding the key into my pocket.

The water flowed into my shoes as I pushed the wooden boat into the water, but I took no notice of it, instead pushing off as fast as possible towards the island – which, admittedly, wasn't as fast as either of the boys. The entire trip I worried about the raft – what if it had already been damaged? What if the raging tides pulled it out to sea? What if –

'Kairi!'

Oh. I was at the island, already? I looked up and saw Riku standing on the dock. He pulled the rope from my boat and tied it to the dock for me, then helped me up on the dock. 'So you saw it too, huh?' he asked.

'Yeah . . .' I stared at the sky. A giant orb hung in it, red in the centre, fading to black on the outside. 'What is that?'

'Our ticket out of here,' Riku said. I turned to look at him, and momentarily panicked at the look in his eyes. Then he was back to normal as he looked at me and said, 'We have to go to the door.'

'The door?'

'The one in the Secret Place, you remember?'

'The one you –'

'Yes.'

Riku and I sprinted across the sand; I trusted him without question. He had always been right about things before, even more so when it seemed to be the completely wrong thing to do, if that even made any sense. At the entrance to the Secret Place, though, he stopped, looking out along the still ocean. I blinked. When had it become so tranquil? Minutes before it had been raging harder than I'd seen it – or had it?

'Kairi, you go in,' Riku told me. 'I'm going to wait for Sora, then we'll all go.'

'But –' I started to protest, but Riku interrupted me.

'I already have passage through,' he assured me. 'I'm going to make sure that we all three make it through, and you need to wait at the door, so that you will.'

I took a deep breath and nodded. Riku smiled. 'Don't worry; we won't be long.' Then he turned and raced away, leaping to the roof of the shack and running down to his island. I nodded to myself, again, and turned, slowly making my way down the winding tunnel.

When I reached the end, I noticed an immediate difference from the normal wooden door. A golden keyhole was shining on it, a golden design flaunting it. Unable to keep away, I came closer, examining it. What was that shining behind it? I moved closer . . .

The door flung open, and I screamed and jumped back, surprised. Then I slowly inched closer once again, curiosity getting the better of me. I was about five feet away from the door when a low chuckle reached my ears, along with a few garbled words. However, I did manage to pick out the last words: 'Foolish princess . . .'

I saw black eating away at the corners of my eyes, and knew I was about to pass out. I struggled to stay conscious, noticing a hooded figure stepping in front of me. I screamed again, and he disappeared, leaving me standing, severely weakened, in front of the door.

I heard footsteps running down the path behind me, and I turned, eyes half-open. I could barely make out – 'Sora . . .'

The door behind me burst open again, but this time, a wind issued from it, sending me hurtling towards Sora. He opened his arms to catch me, and he and I both braced for the impact –

It never came.

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**Ari sweatdrops** erm, yes, so this is the first chapter . . . strange, yes. Mysterious, I hope so. Cliffhanger? . . . in my mind, it is . . .

**hears that she has to get offline at 10:00 and dashes off to post the chapter**

Sorry if it sounds a bit wonky, peoples, I didn't really have time to go over it and edit much . . . -_-" I personally think it moves too quickly and should've been slowed down a lot more . . . **shrugs** I'll tweak it more during the week, but I just wanted to get this out to you all!! ^_^

This is the last thing I'll be posting before school starts, and I'll be a sophomore this year, so although I'll try to have a new chapter for you next Sunday, I can't guarantee it. Updates will come Sundays, though ((or I'll switch my schedule to posting Mondays and Thursdays)) and I hope you all can bear with me as I try to transition to school time XD

As always, please review!!