Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ A Fragmented Tale ❯ Sora and Kairi ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. Although, I do own Aleron- she�s mine! ^-^

Read and Review please! :D Arigato!

Non Anime: Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 09.06.2006 | Updated On: 10.25.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.2K | Visits: 593 | Status: Completed

A/N: I made changes, changing the main character's name to Aleron and changed the names of Riku's weapons. Thanks to Swordstuff!

A Fragmented Tale by cursed_l0ve

Chapter One: Kairi

The night slowly faded into day. The sun rose slowly, beckoning the moon to leave its shift. Riku woke with a start.

"Damn it! I'm going to miss it!" Riku shouted, jumping out of bed. He tripped over a limp body and fell face-forward against his dresser. It was still dark.

"Watch where you're going, would ya?" Sora yelled sleepily. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before yawning. Getting a clear vision, he found a dark outline of Riku sprawled out on the floor beside the dresser. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yes, I just hit my head, is all," he answered, sitting up. Remembering why he was in a hurry, he suddenly got up and put on a new shirt and pants before tying on his blue sneakers and rushing out of the room.

Sora watched him in confusion. 'What's he in a hurry for? Might as well go and find him,' He shrugged and stood up, going on an early morning hunt for Riku.

He collided into Riku's back once he reached the front porch. Sora fell back. Confused on the way his friend was acting, he stood up and peered over Riku's figure to see what he was looking at.

"Riku? What are you doing? You've been acting weird lately," Sora asked.

"Oh, Hi Sora," Riku said, looking at him with a slight smile. "I didn't want to miss out the sunrise."

Sora gaped at him. He didn't want to miss the sunrise? What the hell happened to the Riku he knew? "Um, Riku? Are you okay? Do you have a fever or something?"

Riku sat on a step and chuckled, "Ha-ha, no. I just wanted to catch it for once. Sorry if I freaked you out."

"Say, do you think things will be the same again?" the brunette asked, staring out at the awakening sun.

Riku crossed his arms and rested them on his knees. He sighed as he fell deep in thought.

"Mm… Nah. Nothing's ever the same," he said. Suddenly his mind went back to the time before everything started. He remembered their wildest dreams of building a raft and setting out on their own adventure. He remembered playing blitz on the beach with Tidus and Wakka. Remembered battling with these two, Sora, and even Selphie. His mind went farther, digging deeper in his memories. The memory of first meeting Kairi at the mayor's house appeared. Then the scene of Sora hearing a monster 's voice in the Secret Place came to him. He smiled at the thought.

Then... there was another. A far away memory that he never reached for in years… It was a memory of another friend. It was a girl that had appeared on the islands from nowhere. He furrowed his brows, and he heard Sora's voice calling him out.

"Hey Riku? What's it?" he yelled, waving a hand in Riku's face.

Riku blinked and turned to look at his friend. "Sorry, I was remembering things. Hey... do you remember a girl that was here before Kairi was?"

"A girl before Kairi? No..." Sora mumbled as he tried to think. "Wait... Yes. What was her name?"

Riku shrugged, "I don't remember her name or what she looks like. I only remember her eyes and her voice."

"Yeah... me too," Sora smiled. "I wonder where she is now."

Riku looked away. "Yeah."

"Hey guys!" a soft voice called out from the street. The boys looked up from their thoughts. A girl was standing there, waving at them. She had medium length burgundy-red hair with the bangs flipped over to the side. Her bright azure eyes shone in the morning light. She was dressed in her blue and white school uniform and black dress shoes. She had a huge smile planted on her face.

"Hey Kairi, what's up?" Sora greeted, standing up from his seat and waved back. He had his enlightening smile.

The girl giggled and showed her black schoolbag to him. "School, what else?" she answered, shaking her head at the obvious answer.

"Oh yeah, it's your last day today, isn't it?" Riku asked, raising a finger. Kairi nodded.

"Yep! So, come pick me up after school, please?" Kairi gave a pout. "Then we can hangout!"

Riku chuckled. "Of course! We'll meet you at the front, right Sora?" he said, looking up at the spiky haired boy. Sora gave a certain nod.

"Right!" Sora looked at Riku, and then at Kairi. "So, you can count on us being there, Kairi!" he grinned at her.

"You bet on it! See you guys later!" Kairi yelled, starting to run up the street to school. "Bye Sora!" she waved at them and blew a kiss at the mentioned boy. Sora blushed and gave a light chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. Riku smirked.

"So..." the smirking boy said.

Sora stared at him, "So... what?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Have you asked her yet?" Riku asked in curiosity, while standing up and stretching.

"Ask her what?"

Riku smacked him in the head. "To be your girlfriend, dumbass!"

Sora drooped his head, "No…" Riku stared at him unbelievably.

"Come on! You have to ask her! You obviously love her and I can tell she does, too! Do it tonight, alright?" Riku grinned, putting a hand on Sora's shoulder. He winked, patted his cheek lightly, and then went back inside the house. Sora sighed and looked at the ocean. After a moment, he put on a certain face and followed after Riku.

"Shit! We're gonna be late!" Riku yelled, rushing out of the house. Sora ran after him in tow.

They had fallen back to sleep once they got in the house. Sora was on the chair in the kitchen, with his head in his arms on the table, and Riku on the couch in the living room. They slept for the rest of the morning until noon. School was out early since it was the last day.

"I hope she isn't mad at us!" the silver-haired boy yelled, running around a corner.

"I can't believe we slept this long!" Sora yelled as they passed the grocery store. "I don't think we're that late, so we'll make it!"

They both skidded to a stop in front of the school building just as Kairi walked out. She had a surprised look on her face when she looked up to find the boys right in front of her. She grinned.

"So, you made it after all!" she giggled. Sora and Riku both took a deep breath and straightened up.

"We overslept and ran all the way here," Riku said, scratching his head.

"You barely scared me appearing right under my nose as I got out!" Kairi said, shaking her head slowly. After seeing the nervous looks on the boys' faces, she giggled. "Don't worry, I'm just glad you came for me. It doesn't matter if you're a little late or not. You DID make it after all!" The boys gave a long sigh and then grinned.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Sora asked Kairi.

"Umm... Let's go to the island!" she jumped up with her finger in the air.

"Alright! Let's go!" he smiled, grabbing Kairi's free hand and pulled her down the streets to her house. Riku followed behind them. He smirked.

Those two... he chuckled to himself.

"Okay, I'm ready! Let's go!" Kairi shouted, running out of the house. Her hair was up in a ponytail, with her bangs framing her delicate face. She had changed out of her school uniform. Kairi had on a purple bikini swimsuit, with a white tank top over it, and blue jean shorts. Her favorite purple flip-flops made a 'plop' as she walked.

Riku watched as Sora's jaw nearly dropped. He burst out laughing, and smacked him in the back. Sora fell forward and stopped himself from lunging on Kairi.

He glared at Riku and crossed his arms, "That hurt, you know!" Kairi giggled and walked down the steps of her front porch and went out onto the street towards the dock.

"Come on, you silly guys!" she called out when she noticed they weren't following her. She stopped and turned around. They were standing there, staring at her. "What?"

The boys looked at each other and shrugged, "Nothing!"

"Okay then," she said as they ran to catch up with her. They got to the docks and went in each of their wooden rowboats. They made for their hangout.

"Here we are! Let's go swimming!" Kairi announced excitedly. She jumped off the dock after tying up her boat. She kicked off her flip-flops, pulled off her tank top over her head, and squiggled out of her shorts. She didn't notice the boys staring at her.

'She really IS different...' Sora thought.

When they first started their adventure, they were still young, just fourteen years old. Riku was fifteen. Kairi was still very girlish. Her burgundy-red hair was cut pretty short. Her face was still childish, and her blue eyes were wide. She wore a black tank-topped swimsuit, with white spaghetti strapped shirt and a purple mini skirt with shorts underneath. Now they were sixteen. Riku was seventeen. She really grew up. Her face was more woman-like. Her hair was longer. Her body was older; it showed more curves. She was taller, too. Her voice seemed more mature. She was dressing her age, too. Did she know what she was making him feel?

"Are you guys coming in or not?" she called out, standing where the water brushed over her feet. Sora was pulled out of his thoughts by her voice. He blinked until his head cleared, and then jumped off the dock. He ran over to where she disposed her things and tugged his navy blue t-shirt off and then dropped down his khaki cargo shorts after kicking off his brown sandals. Now it was Kairi's turn to stare.

`Wow... I sure missed Sora growing up. Since when did he get so muscular?' she mumbled in her head. He wasn't the cute, innocent, wide-eyed boy she knew anymore. He was one word ahead of those. He was endearing, audacious, and sharp. He really matured a lot during the time they were apart.

Sora approached her and waved his hand in her face, "Kairi, are you okay?"

She closed her eyes and opened them again, "Huh?" Sora grinned. She blushed. "Oh sorry, I spaced out..."

"It's okay! Hey, where's Riku?" he said, looking behind him. Kairi looked over his shoulder. Riku wasn't there. "Riku!" he shouted out loud, cupping his hands.

"You two must be blind! I'm right here!" Riku yelled from the ocean.

Sora and Kairi both snapped their heads towards the sound of his voice.

Riku had already disposed his clothing and jumped in the water while the two were dazed. They looked at each other and Sora grabbed her hand and they both ran through the water. Sora dived in a wave once he let her go. She laid back on the surface.

"I missed this,” she said suddenly.

"Yeah... Me too," Riku said.

"Me three!" Sora yelled before splashing water at Riku.

Riku turned away so that the salt wouldn't sting in his eyes. He wiped his face with a hand.

"Hey! You aren't getting away with this!" he yelled, splashing back.

"Boys..." Kairi sighed, shaking her head. She snuck behind Sora and poked him in the side. He yelped and nearly jumped out of the water. She burst out laughing. "Gotcha!"

She stopped when she saw an evil glint in his eyes. 'Uh-oh...'

Riku smirked. She turned around and tried to swim away from Sora, but he grabbed her foot and pulled her back to him. He took a hold of her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Kairi was thrashing frantically, pushing against Sora's arms trying to get out of his grip. Sora started laughing and only tightened his hold on her. He turned his face to Riku, "Hey, come here and help me!"

Kairi tensed and her eyes went wide, "Oh no, no, no, no! Please don't!" She shook her head hard and then tried to fight and get out before Riku got to them. 'Shit...'

Riku gave her a murderous look and smirked. He wiggled his fingers before attacking her sides. She burst out laughing, "Please... stop! I - can't - take - it - anymore!" she begged.

Riku stopped, but only to gesture Sora to let her go. Sora nodded and released her from her prison. She swam a good distance away, and then stuck out her tongue. She got suspicious as she saw Riku lean over Sora and whisper in his ear.

'What are they scheming now?' she huffed and raised her eyebrow. They turned to look at her and grinned.

Riku said something else and Sora nodded before starting to swim over to her. She didn't trust him, so she swam towards the shore and waded out to the sand. She crossed her arms and glared at Sora.

"What are you plotting now?" she yelled, furrowing her eyebrows. Sora got out and walked over to her with his arms open wide. She dropped her arms down to her sides and lightened her face. 'What's he doing?' she wondered.

Sora wrapped his arms around her and held her. She stood there wondering why he was hugging her, and for a while too.

"Sora?" she asked, looking at the amusement on Riku's face as he smirked.

Sora buried his face in Kairi's neck, "Mm?"

"Wh-what are you doing?" she murmured nervously. A shiver went down her spine when she felt Sora's hot breath tickle her neck. Sora chuckled and gave her a squeeze before releasing her again.

"Just hugging you, Kai!" he said, finally answering her question. She blushed. He smiled one of his most famous grins and walked away from her.

She watched as he went to sit down in the sand nearby the pile of their clothing. 'What was that?' she thought, confused.

She turned to the ocean and found Riku wading his way to her. He flashed a grin and went to the pile and fished out his things. 'Huh?'

Kairi saw as the boys exchanged glances and Riku whispered something. He pulled his white wife beater tank top over his head and then squeezed water out of his hair. Riku picked up his sneakers and his dark navy cargo shorts in his left hand. He looked up at Kairi and waved at her, flashing another grin before going to the dock and jumped in his boat. 'Where is he going?' she sighed. She watched as he rowed out back to the main island.

"Hey Kai, are you gonna stand there all day staring at us like we grew two heads?" Sora called out to her.

"What?" she blinked and looked at him. "Oh."

Kairi walked over to the boy and sat down beside him. He smiled at her as he crossed his arms and rested them on his knees. She looked away from him and watched as the sun slowly went lower, turning into a sunset.

"Kai, are you okay? You look like you're lost in space," Sora asked, worried about the way she was acting. He scooted closer to her and rested his left arm around her shoulder. She looked down at the sand.

"What's up with you and Riku? You were whispering and plotting or something!" she said, looking up at him and put her fists on her hips.

Sora withdrew his arm and chuckled at her. He looked out at the horizon, "You'll find out soon. Don't worry, it's not anything bad."

Kairi's eyes went wide, "Oh? And…" she narrowed her eyes. He turned back to her, their blues capturing each other. "Just when will I find out?"

"Huh?" Sora started, wakening from the trance. "Umm... soon." He smiled. Kairi blushed and looked away again.

They sat there in silence for a while watching the sunset. When it was halfway down, Sora stood up and brushed sand off from his black swim shorts. Kairi looked up at him as he gave her his hand. She took it and stood up. She brushed sand off from the back of her bikini bottom and legs. Sora bent down and grabbed her clothes and handed them over to her.

"Thanks Sora," she said, taking them. She put on her tank top and shorts, then picked up her purple sandals, and waited for him.

He pulled on his khaki cargo pants and held his shirt and sandals in a hand while grabbing Kairi's hand with the other. He grinned at her and pulled her towards the dock, letting her in her boat. He went in his after untying both of theirs.

They both rowed back to the main dock. Kairi had to stop herself from staring at his back. 'Why did he have to go shirtless?' she groaned.

His muscles flexed as he rowed. Once they arrived, Sora tied up their boats and helped her out. He squeezed her hand.

"Meet me back here in an hour," he said. He hugged her and then walked up the street to his house, which was across the street from Riku's.

Kairi stood there trying to register what he just said. 'Meet him here... Wait does that mean…? No! Maybe it could be...? Well, I'll just have to wait and find out!'

She ran to her house and took a quick shower, washing away all of the sand and salt stuck on her skin and in her hair. She put on a white summer dress that tied behind her neck and flowed down to her mid-thigh. She dried her hair and pulled it back into a half ponytail, tying a white ribbon in it. She didn't need make-up since she liked her natural beauty. She put on her favorite necklace, which was a black thread with a white seashell hanging from it. Kairi looked at herself in the mirror and smiled before finding her white flip-flops and rushed out of the house.

She saw Sora standing there waiting for her. Her heart skipped a beat and she started feeling nervous. 'Why is this making me feel this way?'

Sora was leaning against one of the wooden poles of the dock, with his hands behind him to support himself. He was wearing a sky blue t-shirt with navy outlines. A logo was in front of it. He wore navy blue cargo shorts and of course, the brown flip-flops. He was watching the rest of the sunset drowning under the horizon. When he heard the 'plop' of Kairi's flip-flops, he looked up at her. His jaw almost dropped at the sight of her.

To him, she looked like an angel. She smiled at him shyly as she stopped in front of him. He stood up straight and put out his hand. Kairi giggled and took it. He closed his fingers around hers and led her up the street.

"Where are we going?" Kairi asked. Sora looked down at her. She was as tall as his nose, which was cute. He smiled.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, turning around a corner into the next street. Kairi nodded.

"Good," he said. They stopped in front of a small restaurant. "And… We're here." He opened the door for her and motioned her to go in.

"Thanks Sora," Kairi said, entering the place.

It was the town restaurant, and the best one on the whole Destiny Islands. It was called "Sunset's Destiny" which was her favorite.

Sora took her hand again and talked to the waiter. After a minute, the man with bright red hair motioned them to follow. They reached to the back corner, where a table for two was set up. They had gotten the best table in the whole restaurant. It had the view of the dying sunset. Kairi's face widened with a huge grin as she practically jumped on Sora to hug him. The waiter chuckled. Kairi blushed and let go of him. They both sat down in their seats.

"Drinks anyone?" the man asked, pulling out a writing pad.

"Um... We'll have..." Sora began, looking up at the waiter, then turned to Kairi.

Kairi took the cue and said, "I'll just have water, please." She glanced at Sora.

"Water for us, then!" Sora said, glancing back at Kairi.

"Alright, do you want to order now or wait?" the waiter asked, getting ready to put away his writing pad.

Sora looked at Kairi. She shrugged. Sora looked back up, "Uh, we'll wait." The waiter nodded, and put away the pad as he walked away to receive their drinks. Sora looked at Kairi again. She was staring at him with a happy glint in her eyes. He grinned at her as he picked up his menu and began thinking about what he would want. Kairi did the same.

Sora shifted in his seat and his knees accidentally bumped into Kairi's. They both looked up from their menus. Sora chuckled nervously.

"Sorry," he apologized.

Kairi giggled and went back to her menu. She peeked over her menu to find that he had put his down, and was looking out of the window. His hands were under the table. Kairi cast her eyes back on the menu and brought a hand under the table and found one of Sora's. He looked at her wide-eyed and then closed his fingers around hers. They both smiled.

The waiter returned with their waters and took their orders. They ate, and then Sora paid the bill. He took her hand, and they walked to the beach across from the restaurant.

They both took off their flip-flops and held them in their free hands. The sunset was long gone and the night took over. The moon was halfway up in the sky in the shape of a crescent. Stars twinkled all over the sky. The water seemed dark and intimidating. Waves rolled and reached against the shore, tickling their feet. The moon's light caused them to glow. Kairi's dress was bright, making her look as if she really was an angel. Sora stole glances at her from the corner of his eyes.

'She really is beautiful,' he thought, smiling.

"What are you smiling about?" Kairi asked, catching his happy look. She giggled, watching as he blinked and looked down at her.

Sora looked ahead of them, "Just thinking..." Kairi mumbled a 'oh' and looked down at her feet. He looked back down at her and stopped. He pulled up her chin, so she was looking at him. "... How beautiful you really are."

Kairi's eyes widened as she blushed and tried to look away, "Really?"

Sora let go of her chin, and with their hand intertwined, he pulled her against him and wrapped both arms around her, hugging her close.

"Yes, really," he said, burying his face in her hair. "Kairi, I really like you. You probably already know that. I liked you, ever since I first met you when we were just kids."

He let go of her, but kept her at his arm's distance. He grinned. Kairi looked up at him and blushed.

"I really like you too, Sora," she admitted, giggling. "Just about as long as you did."

Sora's grin widened until his jaws hurt. He reached for both Kairi's hands. Two pairs of flip-flops fell to the sand in between them. He had a thoughtful look on his face. Kairi's heart sped up.

"So... umm..." he began to say nervously.

'Is he asking me?' Kairi's eyes widened. 'OH MY GOD! He is finally asking me!' Her heart was beating so hard. She thought it would fly right out.

"Do… do you wanttobemygirlfriend?" he blurted out. His eyes looked away from hers, looking down the beach. Kairi furrowed her eyebrows.

"I didn't catch that, can you say it again? Slower too," she said.

She did understand him, but she wanted him to say it again. She was so happy that he finally asked her. She has been waiting forever for him to. She smirked.

Sora looked at her again. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked once more. Red reached his cheeks.

Kairi leaped on him, knocking both of them to the ground. Their faces were just inches apart. Kairi closed the gap until their noses touched.

"Yes, of course I do!" she answered, laughing.

Sora recovered from the shock of being knocked down from no one other than Kairi. He grinned again. 'She said yes, she said yes, she said yes! Wait 'til I tell Riku! She said yes, she said yes, she said yes! Wait... she's so close.'

Kairi reduced her laughing to giggles until she noticed their position. She blushed and quickly got up. Sora stood up and brushed sand off from his clothing. He scratched the back of his head and then shoved his hands in his pockets.

"So, umm..." he said, unsure of what to do next. Kairi put her hands behind her and looked down at the sand.

"Well, now what?" she asked, shyly.

"Let's..." he looked at the clock tower in the middle of town. "Oh shit! Look at the time!"

Kairi sighed. She didn't want to go home just yet, but it was nearly past her curfew. And the Mayor would start to worry. Sora took her hand and grabbed their sandals. Once they got on the street, they put them back on. He dragged her down the street towards her house. They stopped on the porch.

She looked at the door, then at Sora. He was looking at her. He didn't want to leave her yet. She knew. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt him put his around her waist. They hugged and then she let go, but went up on the balls of her feet and kissed him on the cheek. He went wide-eyed and blushed as she turned around and went in her house. She blew a kiss before shutting the door. He stood there waving at the door, dazed.

"Hey Sora! How'd it go?" Riku yelled from next door. Sora jumped from the sudden change of silence.

"Oh hey Riku, you scared the hell out of me!" Sora glared at him. He crossed the lawn on the side of the porch and jumped over the fence to Riku's.

Riku was bending over the porch railing and smirking. His hair was bright from the moon's light.

"So, tell me!" he said, nodding his head towards Kairi's.

Sora rolled his eyes and smiled, "She said yes!" Riku straightened up and grinned. He jumped over the railing to the grass in front of Sora.

"I told you!" he slapped Sora in the back. Sora growled at him. "So..."

"So... what?" Sora was confused. Riku rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Did you two... kiss?" Riku asked, giving Sora his mischievous grin.

Sora jumped back in surprise. "N-no… not yet!" He shook his head and scratched the back of his head.

Riku frowned down at him and then smacked him in the head. "Idiot." Sora glared at him as he rubbed the stinging spot. Riku shook his head and went back up in his porch. "Good night, then." He waved behind him without giving a glance.

"Bye, Riku."

Sora walked out of his best friend's yard and looked at Kairi's bedroom window before crossing the street to his. 'Night, Kairi.'

He smiled as he pulled the shirt over his head and flopped on top of his covers, kicking off his flip-flops in the process. He could still feel her lips on his cheek. He put a hand to the spot still smiling. He fell asleep at the memory of the night.

Riku lay on his back, staring at his ceiling. 'Well, Sora finally asked her... I'm happy for them, but why do I feel this way? It can't be jealousy. They liked each other since they met. Is it because now I'll probably get left out?'

He sighed and rolled over to his side. He looked out his window from across the room. 'Maybe I need to find a girl...' he thought.

"Yep, must be it," he said out loud for himself to hear as he closed his eyes.