Betwixt and Between Ch12

Chapter 12-A Wayfinder

"How do you know that's not going to happen later?"



Kairi sat along the beach, just above high tide. She was stringing together another set of Thalassa shells for her lucky charm. Next to her, sat a basket full of the rest of the shells. If she got to it today, she'd try and get all of them done. But she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. If Sora came over, well, there was no chance of her getting done then.

"Hey, Kairi!"

Or if Selphie came over.

"I didn't even know you guys were back! I haven't seen you at school at all! Then I saw Riku at the market with his mother and I had to figure if he was back you were back. Of course, then I had to come find you. The blonde girl at your house said you'd come over here. She's really nice by the way…"

Deciding now was as good as any a time to interrupt the bubbling girl, Kairi said: "She's my sister."

Selphie plopped down next to Kairi and instinctively, Kairi moved the basket of shells to the other side of her, just so Selphie wouldn't nick one. Not that Selphie would do such a thing on purpose; but if she found one shiny enough and wanted to keep it for her own, Kairi wouldn't put it past her to take one.

"Your sister?" Selphie asked. "Do you mean that you guys went on that whole adventure just to…"

Kairi shook her head. "Finding Namine was just one part of it."

"Oh. What are you making?"

"A Wayfinder for myself," Kairi said.

"I thought you already…"

"I gave that one to Sora."

And it happens to be his Keychain…

"Shouldn't Sora make one for you then?"

Kairi laughed. "I love him and all, and he's great with a Keyblade, but I don't think he would be very good at making one of these."

"Keyblade? Those things of legend? Is that why Sora keeps having to leave?"

"And Riku," Kairi added. "And me."

Selphie gasped.

Here goes…

Kairi stuck the needle in her mouth and held out her right hand. She summoned her Keyblade. Selphie's eyes grew wide.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

Kairi couldn't exactly disagree with her. The morning light of Destiny Islands illuminated the golds and bronzes until they shone. And the crystal blue sea reflected off of the waterfall on her guard. Even the little Paopu Keychain glimmered a little.

The best part about it was that it was her very own.

"Can your sister…?"

Kairi shook her head and banished the blade. "It's not genetic. Sora, Riku, Roxas, Xion and I are the only ones on Destiny Islands who can."

"Roxas and Xion?"

"They came home with us too."

"Where'd you find them?"

"It's a long story."

"We've got time!"

"It's not a very interesting story," Kairi said with a shrug. "Wouldn't you want to hear something more interesting?"

"Have you fought anything with your Keyblade?"

"More Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed than I can count."

And that's not including the ones I fought with Sora's Keyblade…

"What about people?"

Kairi nodded.

Selphie gasped. "Who?"

"Mostly Xehanort," Kairi said.

Selphie gave her a blank stare.

"Very evil man," Kairi summed up. "He's gone now."

Selphie gasped.

"Have you gotten injured?"

Kairi laughed as a few distinct images popped into her head: the time the giant Unversed knocked her to the ground, that time with Xigbar, that time the Xehanort Replica threw her off the cliff…

"Yeah, nothing too horrible though," Kairi said finally. "Sora and Riku always seemed to take the worst of it. Xion too, I suppose."

"What does that mean?"

"Sora has a habit of charging into things," Kairi replied, shaking her head. "Riku just goes until he can't anymore. And Xion just got really unlucky that one time."

Selphie looked like she was going to ask about that, but she didn't, to Kairi's relief. She wasn't particularly sure how she was going to explain Replicas to Selphie.

Selphie thought about her next question a minute before asking it.

"Does it mean you'll all leave again?"

Kairi didn't answer right away. She knew that the boys had figured they'd just be able to be based out of Destiny Islands. But what would happen when something big came up again? Like it invariably would. Someone like the Organization, or Xehanort, or Maleficent? They might have to go away again for a while. What if, someday, something prevented them from coming home for good?

It was a morbid thought.

She made a silent resolution that wherever Sora was, was where she wanted to be. Nothing else would matter after that.

"That's a yes, isn't it? But what about school? And getting a job? And having a family?"

Kairi laughed a little at the burst of questions.

"Selphie, remember how I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up? Ever? How I always gave the lame answer of a teacher or a nurse because I just never knew? Well, the Worlds have given me a job, and I don't need to go to school to do it. As for a family, I think that's still very possible in my line of work."

She paused, thinking about the deeper implications of her words.

"I've been meaning to ask," Selphie said. "Have you and Sora…?"

Kairi smiled. "Yes. I'm his girlfriend. Yes, we've kissed."

Selphie squealed.

Kairi barely noticed. She was too busy reminiscing on how oddly romantic it was for Sora to ask her as they were fighting large amounts of Nobodies. Not that was nearly as romantic as him jumping off a cliff after her. Selphie had begun to hum a childhood rhyme about kissing and trees. Kairi decided to ignore her.

"Aw," Selphie exclaimed suddenly. "Since you're not coming back to school, you'll miss the end-of-the-year dance!"

Kairi could remember a time when she had greatly looked forward to an event like this. She would wear a pretty dress, she would laugh at Sora's face when he saw her in it, she'd have the night of her dreams…

It seemed oddly trivial now.

She was rather pleased with the life she had been given. She was a Princess, though that was more of a status than a job. She was a Keyblade Wielder—that was a job. She was able to fight alongside Sora and travel the worlds. The sheer fact of being able to wield a Keyblade seemed to make everything else in her life fit into place.

She wondered if Sora and Riku ever felt the same way.

Selphie was now babbling on about either getting them into the school dance, or holding one separate outside of school.

"I'll talk to Sora and Riku about it," Kairi said.

Selphie seemed satisfied with that.

Kairi had to laugh internally at the thought of Xion dressing up for an event like a formal-ish dance. What was more interesting, was the thought of Riku's face when he saw Namine all dressed up. That would definitely be worth seeing.

"What will be worth seeing?" Namine asked, coming up behind them.

"No one said anything about…" Selphie began, looking up at the newcomer.

"Sister thing," Namine said, tapping her head.

Sorry, I didn't realize Selphie was here…

Don't worry about it.

"So what will be worth seeing?" Namine repeated.

"The look on Riku's face if he sees you dressed up for a school dance."

"What does Riku have to…?" Selphie began. Then her eyes grew wide. "You're dating Riku?"

Namine flushed bright red and nodded.

"But I thought Riku couldn't find a girl good enough for him…"

"I guess he did," Kairi said.

Namine turned redder.

"So, um, what's a school dance?" Namine asked.

"You don't know what a school dance is?" Selphie asked.

Namine slowly shook her head.

"How can you not?"

"I never went to school."

"How come?"

Say you were homeschooled!

"I was homeschooled."

"Ah."

"Good afternoon ladies!" Sora said, joining them. "Would someone like to explain why Namine is a lovely shade of pink?"

"Talking about Riku," Kairi said.

"Oh really! This I've gotta hear…"

"Sora!" Selphie exclaimed. "Wouldn't you want to come to the end-of-the-year school dance? Wouldn't that just be so much fun?"

Sora frowned. "Well, first of all, not all of us are students."

"Well, you and Kairi…"

Sora shook his head. "I'm not a student anymore."

Selphie stared at him blankly.

"Simply put, I'm not in their system anymore."

"How did that happen?"

"Okay, this is going to sound weird no matter how I put it." Sora frowned, thinking.

"Well, I already explained Keyblades, if that helps," Kairi said.

"Doesn't help much. Selphie, do you remember when everyone forgot about me?"

Namine grimaced. Kairi swatted at her.

Selphie frowned. "Um, sort of."

"My school records disappeared somewhere in there. I don't exist to them. And Riku's labeled as a dropout."

Namine snorted.

"Well that puts a damper on things…" Selphie mused. "Maybe if I talk to them."

"Kairi, have your dad talk to them."

"Oh," Kairi said slowly. "That might work."

"It probably will work," Sora said. "Get him to let all of us go. It'll make Selphie's day at least. And it'll give me a reason to tease Riku for dressing up."

Namine grinned. "Oh, but he'll look so wonderful!"

Only Kairi grasped that Namine had actually caught a glimpse of what Riku would actually look like come that night.

"We'll have to get you guys dresses!" Selphie said, bubbling with excitement. "I've already got mine."

"I think I know the place to get them," Kairi said. "Thank you though."

"Where?" Namine murmured.

"Aerith."

"Why would Aerith have dresses?"

No offense, but I'm not the biggest fan of yellow flowery stuff…

Ah!

Selphie picked herself up. "I have to go tell Tidus and Wakka!" she exclaimed. Then she ran off.

Sora sat down in her place; however, he sat considerably closer to Kairi than Selphie had. Kairi leaned up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Namine pulled out her sketchbook and some pencils and began drawing.

"Hollow Bastion?" she mused. "I thought they went to The World that Never Was."

"So did I," Sora said, looking over.

"How do you know that's not going to happen later?

"I just do. This is happening now."

Kairi and Sora exchanged glances. Some things about Namine's psychic drawing abilities made sense. Others did not. This was in the latter category. Neither of them bothered asking another question however. It might not have mattered, Namine was in her own world.