Waiting for the light could be so lonely sometimes.
Kairi sighed as she felt the breeze in her hair. She stared out in the distance, not even sure what she was missing. Something wasn't there, though...
"Kairi?"
Kairi snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at her friend.
"Are you okay?" Selphie asked, concerned.
Kairi smiled and nodded, then turned to see that Tidus and Wakka were staring impatiently as they waited for Selphie to return. "Tidus and Wakka are waiting for you," she said.
Selphie crossed her arms. "And I'm waiting for you. You've been staring out at the ocean forever! What's wrong with you? You're usually more fun than that."
Kairi turned back towards the ocean and shrugged. "...I'm not sure..." she answered honestly. "But I don't want to drag you down."
"Then, come with me!" Selphie said, grabbing Kairi's wrist. "We need another player, anyway!"
Kairi gave up and giggled. "Okay, then, I'll play," she said. "But I'm not going easy on you guys!"
As she they raced and fought together, Kairi could remember the sensation of doing it with others. She could just barely make out the sounds of their laughter, their voices, their banter...
"Kairi, look out!"
"Huh?" Kairi slipped as she tried to avoid the ball Wakka had thrown towards her. She laughed again and picked up the ball to throw it back. "Nice try!" she called playfully.
Even after everyone else had gone home for the day- since school was starting again soon-Kairi stayed by the shore, listening to the ocean. It was so quiet, too quiet... Where were the voices of her friends? The laughter? The jokes? That's what was missing, but who was she missing it from? It wasn't Selphie; it wasn't Wakka; it wasn't Tidus. It was Riku. Riku and... someone else. She couldn't hear his voice at all anymore.
Kairi hugged her knees and let the waves cover and uncover her feet. She hated such silence...
Suddenly, she thought she heard strumming in the distance. A guitar, maybe? Was it her imagination, or...?
She got up and walked towards where the sound was coming from. A smile spread across her face slowly as she got closer to the music. It was an excited rock beat.
When she finally found the source of the melody, she hid and watched as an older boy energetically played his guitar. Even the ocean waves seemed to be dancing to the music!
"Dance, water, dance!" he called, and Kairi giggled quietly. The ocean really was dancing along, it seemed.
When the song ended, Kairi stepped out and clapped. "That was really great!" she exclaimed, smiled.
The boy jumped back and looked at Kairi warily. "Who are you?"
"Oh, sorry," she said, waving her hands innocently. "I just really liked your song."
The boy looked surprised, but he returned to his untrusting glare. "Really?"
"Of course!" Kairi said, nodding happily. "You play really well!" Kairi noticed that the boy still seemed to think she was joking. "I'm telling the truth. Even the ocean liked your song, right?" She said, giggling. She quickly ran to the waters and splashed it playfully towards him. "Dance, water, dance!" she called gleefully.
The boy stared at her for a little longer before he began strumming his guitar again, not taking his eyes off of the girl. Kairi laughed and danced around playfully in the waters again. "Dance, water, dance, water, dance!" she chanted in a sing-song voice. He smiled and played a louder, different tune.
Kairi hummed the new tune and changed her dance to match it. When he stopped Kairi laughed and walked back over to him. "I'm Kairi," she greeted, holding out her hand.
"...I'm Demyx," he responded, shaking her hand. "So... play any instruments?"
Kairi shook her head. "I've tried singing, and Selphie's offered to teach me a little, but I can't really play anything."
"Oh. Nevermind, then."
"...So you're new here? I haven't seen you around. Are you... from another world?" She asked cautiously. He certainly didn't seem to be a native. After all, it was too hot for the long, black, leather coat he was wearing.
Demyx smiled and nodded. "Yup," he answered as he tuned his sitar.
"Really...?" Kairi waid, surprised he'd answered so easily. Following suit, she added, "So am I. I'm not sure which world, but... I just appeared here one day, when I was younger.Everyone here was kind enough to accept me soon, though."
"You just appeared?" Demyx asked. Sounds like with me... and the rest of the Nobodies.
"Kind of. I like it, even though I'd like to visit my old world, sometimes. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else." She looked up at the stars in the sky, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "It's... just missing a few people I care about." Kairi absentmindedly aiped her cheek and turned back towards Demyx. "Sorry, I've been talking a lot, haven't I? I just miss having them to talk to."
"There are people I miss sometimes, too..." Demyx said quietly.
"...Where do you come from? How'd you get here?"
"...I'm just visiting," he lied. He jumped up suddenly, noticing how dark it was already."Oh, crap, I need to head back! X-face is gonna chew me out again!"
"X-face? Your friend?"
"...Hardly," he muttered.
Kairi knelt down and dug through the sand. "...Will you visit again? I'd like to hear more of your songs."
Demyx stared down at Kairi. "Seriously? You do?"
"You need to answer my question, first," Kairi said, smiling as she found what she was looking for. She stood up and looked Demyx in the eyes.
"Sure, I'd love an audience that doesn't just call my music 'noise'."
"Good. Then you better not forget." Kairi took his hand and put something in it. "This should remind you of me and the islands. Say hi to X-face for me!" Kairi waved as she took off towards home. She had to hurry, or she'd get in trouble for staying out too late. With Riku and Sora missing, the mayor was especially worried about her.
"Uh... Sure..." He looked down at the blue and yellow seashell in his hand, and he couldn't help but smile. It was a wierd gift, but it's not as though an of the other members gave him anything, and he had a fan for once!
He looked around for a moment before opening a dark corridor and returning to the castle. He had a new idea for a song, and he couldn't wait to show Kairi.
Waiting for the light can be so lonely sometimes, but sometimes, a little song can ease the pain for just a bit.