(no subject)
Title: of castles and clouds
Rating: T
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Kaixel.
Summary: This is it. Her life, as she knew it, is over. Done. Finito. The fat lady as sung, and it sure as hell wasn't pretty.
A/N: -cackles- ;3
- - -
The air in the hotel is heavy with formality as Sora traipses into the dining area, the genuine smile on his face looking a little bit lost in a crowd such as this one. Partygoers see the intrusion, but only toss him a wave or a polite incline of the head. Because even if they don’t admit it, the bouncy blue-eyed boy is a welcome relief (if also a highly adored member of society), and not one of them could crack a frown if they tried.
But the smile, while still undeniably genuine, is a bit… off this morning. It might be caused by the cold and dreary weather, or the fact that his hair wouldn’t spike the way it’s supposed to. Perhaps Tidus forgot to tape last night’s basketball game. Whatever the reason, it’s certainly not important enough to put a damper on the perfectly planned-out brunch. Sora brings laughter; he never stifles it.
Each glance that he gives his watch becomes more anxious with time, and his smile grows more and more strained as he nervously sips his champagne - something Sora only drinks when he’s in a panic.Where the heck is she?
“Hey, slow down, bud. It’s not like you to get buzzed this early in the day,” a silver-haired young man slings an arm around Sora’s shoulders, the concern in his voice carefully masked with feigned amusement. “You’re usually such a morning person,” the man grins and takes the glass from his friend’s hands, “so what’s eating you? And don’t make that into a ‘who’, it’s my job to say those sorts of things.”
Sora has no need to turn his head in order to identify the voice’s owner. “I’m fine, Riku. Really,” he puts on his brightest smile for effect, attempting to reclaim the glass of champagne. “Now give it back…”
Riku smirks and downs the remainder of the liquid, ignoring the cry of protest from the shorter male. “That was for lying. And don’t you dare contradict me, ‘cause I know you too well. Something is bothering you, and now it’s your duty to tell me what.”
Sora tugs nervously at the hem of his dress shirt, doing his best to avoid Riku’s piercing gaze. He hates being the best friend after a particularly nasty break up, but he hates it even more when he’s pulled between the opposing parties. It’s not like he can lie to Riku (or anyone, for that matter), but on the other hand, he can’t tell Riku the reason why he has circles under his eyes indicating a sleepless night of worrying.
So he tries his best to say nothing at all.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t sing.
“I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts… here they are, all standing in a row…”
Riku quirks an eyebrow, looking as though he can’t decide if he should laugh or escort his friend into the lobby, away from anyone who is liable to misconstrue the situation. Not that there’s much to misinterpret… Hell, if tomorrow’s headline happens to be “LOCAL BOY ADMITTED TO MENTAL INSTITUTION”, Riku isn’t sure they’d be far from the truth.
“Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head -”
Just as some people begin to draw their attention toward the poor excuse for free entertainment, Riku grabs Sora’s arm and drags him roughly out of the room, knocking into a few waiters along the way. Once the pair is safely out of earshot, the older of the two folds his arms expectantly.
“Dude, what is wrong with you? Just how much alcohol did you have?”
Sora scrunches his face in an effort to keep himself from speaking, inadvertently causing Riku to grin and break his intimidating glare. And of course if Riku smiles, then Sora isn’t far to follow. Pretty soon, they’re both giggling like little boys cutting class for the first time, and any shred of concentration that Sora had has dissolved into the hardwood floor.
“Okay, honestly,” Riku manages to choke out, grin still in place, “What’s your deal? First you act all twitchy and anxious, and then you break out into song in the middle of brunch?” His smile suddenly transforms into a smirk, and he stealthily snakes an arm around Sora’s waist. “Was that all an excuse to get me alone? Because if it was, all you had to do was ask.”
Sora flushes and pulls himself out of Riku’s grip, rolling his eyes in a futile attempt at nonchalance. “You wish. Nah, the real reason is ‘cause I’m worried about Kai- oh, crap. I mean, um, can you feel the love tonight...”
But it’s too late. Riku’s smirk falls flat onto his shoes, a new edge moving into his turquoise gaze. “Kairi? Why were you worried about Kairi? Sora, if you know something that you aren’t telling me,” His voice dropped to a low growl, making Sora flinch instinctively, “you’d better ‘fess up now.”
A burst of cold air rushes through the well-heated lobby, and while the source is most likely the front doors, Sora can’t help but feel otherwise. “Uh… Well…” he awkwardly shuffles his feet as he searches for a correct way to tell his friend the news. “I just haven’t heard from her, is all. Nothing special. She’s probably just at ‘lette and Selphie’s, sleeping. You know her. She hates these sorts of things.”
Oh, the lies! The deceit! He is so going to hell for this.
“Sora, cut the crap. I know for a fact that since both Olette and Selphie are here, Kairi would be here too. So just tell me what the hell is going on.”
Glancing up from his previous staring contest with his own shoes, Sora sighs and rakes a hand through his artfully messed-up hair. “All right. But promise not to overreact…”
.&.
“You have fourteen new voice messages… First message…”
With a groan, Kairi flips her cell phone shut and sinks as low as she can into the pleather seat of the taxi, too distraught to notice the puzzled looks that the cabdriver is giving her. This is it. Her life, as she knew it, is over. Done. Finito. The fat lady has sung, and it sure as hell wasn’t pretty.
Because Kairi - miss picture-perfect, delicate, angel Kairi - just spent the night in Axel’s penthouse suite.
Alone.
Nothing had happened, of course. But then again, nothing needed to. The sheer fact that she had been seen slipping out of the hotel is enough to guarantee that by the end of the day, a few dozen photographs will be flying from phone to computer screen of one of Manhattan’s golden girls ‘caught in the act’.
And there is absolutely nothing she can do to stop it.
She had briefly considered waking Axel and voicing her concern, but she really didn’t want to face him after last night. Who knows what sort of embarrassing things she might have said!
Upon this recollection, Kairi proceeds to bang her forehead against the fingerprinted Plexiglas window of the car.
Suddenly, her cell begins to vibrate.
Incoming call… Sora.
Kairi bites her lip, but decides that if anyone deserves an explanation, it’s him. Besides, he’s never been one to judge.
So, when she puts the cell phone to her ear, she’s a bit shocked at the voice that comes out of the speaker.
“Kairi,” a very deep and very angry male voice (that totally does not belong to Sora) snarls from the other end, “I’d like to know just what the hell you were doing with Axel last night. I don’t want to hear your excuses right now. So why don’t you just tell me to my face?” A muffled ‘give it back!’ interrupts the voice’s venomous tone from the background, but goes on ignored. “I’ll be waiting for you at Destiny in half an hour.”
A ‘click’, and the call ends abruptly, giving Kairi no time to respond.
.&.
All is quiet in this luxurious suite of the Oblivion Hotel; no sound is made, as to not disturb the much-needed sleep of one very important resident. The maids have been ordered not to enter, and not a soul has been allowed to pop in for a visit.
Yes, everything is nice and silent for this time of day.
This is why it’s a pity that the hotel staff can do nothing about the upcoming disturbance (wearing a suit that’s much too wrinkled and a grin that’s much too feral).
“Axel!” A man with short red hair yells happily, pushing his sunglasses backward to rest on his head. “Hey, dude! Word on the street is you’ve deflowered Little Miss Kairi!” He takes a moment to laugh and tousle Axel’s wild mane of hair the same vibrant hue as his own, “Congrats! Man, she may be pretty young for me, but she is smokin’ hot if I do say so m’self.”
Axel only grunts in reply and turns onto his side in an effort to make the annoyance disappear. No such luck.
“…I mean, honestly, I’m surprised no one has jumped her yet. Hey, wasn’t she going out with that Riku kid? Geez, how’d she escape from that relationship unmarred? I know this guy who says that he knows another guy who…”
God, why isn’t he going away? Axel growls and places a pillow over his face, but finds that 1) he can’t breathe, and 2) wait, what the hell did he just say about Kairi?!
Now very awake and very confused, Axel shoots up into a sitting position, green eyes wide. Reno, startled, falls back onto the floor and shouts, “Hey, what’s your problem?”
Axel ignores him and processes his brother’s words. Word on the street… deflowered… Kairi?
“What did you just say?”
Reno stands awkwardly, but the smirk is still in place. “I know this guy who knows another guy who met a stripper over in Vegas, and -”
“No, before that!” Axel snaps, his sudden panic flaring into anger. “Do you think I slept with Kairi?”
Reno’s grin grows, and he claps Axel on the back in a congratulatory manner. “Think? Dude, didn’t you? Everyone’s been talking about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a freakin’ medal for doing the impossible!”
Outside, a siren blares in time to a certain male’s outburst. “Oh, fu-”
Reno’s smile disappears as he sees the look on his younger brother’s face. “Look, I’m just joking. Seriously, dude, don’t get so worked up about it. No one’s saying anything, as far as I know.”
This new piece of information calms Axel down considerably. But only for a moment.
“You asshole!” He yells, nailing the older man in the head with a pillow. “That - that wasn’t funny!”
Now, Reno can’t help but smirk. “It was funny to me. But,” he continues, eyes scanning the floor of the hotel room, “I really did see the cute little red head waltzin’ out of this place. And with your reputation, one can only assume that you two did the deed. Hold on, where are my sunglasses?”
Axel wearily runs a hand over his face. “Nothing happened, all right? She passed out before I could ask her where she lived, and I, being the gentleman that I am -” Reno snorts and rolls his eyes, but Axel goes on, “let her stay the night. The end. I repeat: nothing happened.”
“Is it just me, or do you sound a bit… disappointed?” The older of the two teases, grinning as he ducks his head, just narrowly avoiding yet another pillow. “Right, well, you and I are wanted at Destiny in half an hour. There’s some brunch thing going on today, and you ‘n I have to appear ‘fashionably late’. So take a quick shower, ‘cause you stink something awful, and where are my sunglasses?”
Axel only sighs and heads for the bathroom. It’s much too early for this.
.&.
“You cannot be serious,” Selphie giggles, her head tilted back in unrestrained mirth. “Please tell me that you’re joking. You simply have to be joking.”
A blonde-haired stranger only smiles pleasantly before replying in a distinct British accent, “I assure you that I am perfectly serious. Does this look like the face of a liar to you?”
Selphie smiles at the older man, knowing quiet well that she is being flirted with. And despite the general ‘ew’ factor, she knows that flirting back will be worth her while. This man is a prominent figure in society, and owns a very prestigious modeling agency. To get on his good side would be fantastic for her career.
“It wouldn’t, sir, if I didn’t already know of your love for gambling.”
His smile turns to an almost predatory smirk, and somehow his hand ends up on her waist. “I don’t happen to think you’re a gamble, my dear. Not at all. And I’d rather we skip the formalities,” he continues as he leads the young girl into the backseat of his parked limousine. “Please, call me Luxord.”
And as the sack goes down around her head, Selphie has no time to scream.
.&.
Music greets her at the entrance to the Destiny hotel, a swarm of all-too-familiar faces looking at her with fake warmth. “Kairi, darling! Where on earth have you been?” “Oh, don’t you look stunning. Such a pretty girl.” “Tell your father that the meeting is in Barcelona this year.” “You look parched, dear. Have a glass of champagne.”
It takes every ounce of Kairi’s self control to keep herself from bolting in the opposite direction.
“Uh, Kairi?” A timid voice calls from behind her. It belongs to a girl about her age, but she can’t seem to remember the poor girl’s name. She’s probably just another one of Selphie’s clones. “Riku sent me to tell you that he wants you to meet him in the conference room upstairs,” the girl squeaks out while staring fixedly at her shoes. Kairi would actually feel sorry for her, if she didn’t happen to be the bearer of such bad news.
Smiling thinly, Kairi nods her thanks and dismisses the page, before balling her hands into fists. Nothing about this bodes well.
The conference room is located at the very end of a long hallway, conveniently secluded from the rest of the building. It is only used for two things - secret rendezvous that generally involve the removal of clothing, and civil discussions that turn into full-out arguments.
Kairi’s betting on the latter for now.
After a good minute or so of imprinting red crescent moons into the flesh of her palms, Kairi takes a deep breath, and cautiously opens the large oak door.
“OHMYGODKAIRIYOU’REALIVE!” No sooner has she walked into the room, when a very anxious Sora nearly tackles her to the floor in a hug. “I was so worried. Don’t you ever, ever, ever do that to me again, y’hear?”
She can’t help but smile and return the embrace, but the mood is quickly broken as a stony expression comes into view.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
Sora lets go of Kairi to glare at his best friend. “Hey, calm down. You promised that you’d hear her side of the story first.”
He quiets Riku in a way that only Sora can, but the silver-haired young man clenches his jaw in frustration. Kairi takes this as her cue to speak.
As she straightens her stance and moves to look Riku in the eye, unexpected anger rises within her. “Okay, first off, you have no right to be mad about anything. Us? Yeah, in case you haven’t noticed, we are finished. And if I’m not mistaken, you were the one who broke it off. So what I do and who I do it with should be none of your concerns.”
Riku opens his mouth to object, but is cut off abruptly. “LISTEN TO ME!” Kairi shouts, shocking even herself. “I- I didn’t do anything with him, all right? And I know that’s what you’re about to accuse me of, I’m not an imbecile. He was being courteous, that’s all! I had no place to sleep, so -”
“So he offered his bed and you graciously accepted?! Is that it?”
“No! Look, will you put your male ego aside for a second and just let me -”
“Just let you what, Kairi?! Just let you try and weasel your way out of yet another difficult situation?” He lets out a humorless laugh that causes Kairi to flinch, “I care about you! I know this guy’s type, all right? He’s going to use you and throw you away like a discarded doll, and you’ll come crying to me, and I won’t - I refuse to - ugh!” Riku punches the table angrily, causing Sora to move toward him with the beginnings of a reprimand on his lips, but Kairi interjects.
“Kind of like what you did to me?”
The question is posed gently, as though any amount of pressure will make it shatter. It stops Riku in his tracks.
“I never meant to hurt you, Kairi.”
“But you did! That’s the thing! You can’t accidentally cheat on someone, Riku -”
“I never wanted to -”
“And neither does Axel! He’s a good guy, Riku!”
“Right, and that’s why he took advantage of you last night?!”
“He didn’t!”
“Then why did you go out with him and then never come home!?”
“I told you, nothing happened! So just leave it alone!”
“Guys, both of you stop it!” Sora attempts to intervene, but is interrupted by a sound at the door.
“Hey, princess, could I speak with you a moment -”
And standing in the doorway is none other than the subject of this confrontation, Axel. Something dangerous flickers in his emerald eyes as he assesses the current situation, but his face remains blank. “Oh. I’m sorry, are you in the middle of something? I’ll come back later, if this… intriguing conversation takes priority.”
Glossed lips open to speak, but not a word dares to come out. This is a battlefield, and she’s been shot in the back.
The group sits in uncomfortable silence, until Riku strides heatedly past the man at the door, not even dignifying Kairi with a passing glance. Sora mouths, ‘call me later’ before following suit.
And it all comes crashing down.
She becomes nothing more than a little girl in a woman’s clothing, a princess trying to pass for a queen. She bites her tongue to keep the tears at bay, but all that does is make her bleed.
When the remaining young man crouches down beside her, Kairi isn’t sure what hurts more. The fact that Riku left, or the fact that Axel is still here.
Rating: T
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Kaixel.
Summary: This is it. Her life, as she knew it, is over. Done. Finito. The fat lady as sung, and it sure as hell wasn't pretty.
A/N: -cackles- ;3
- - -
The air in the hotel is heavy with formality as Sora traipses into the dining area, the genuine smile on his face looking a little bit lost in a crowd such as this one. Partygoers see the intrusion, but only toss him a wave or a polite incline of the head. Because even if they don’t admit it, the bouncy blue-eyed boy is a welcome relief (if also a highly adored member of society), and not one of them could crack a frown if they tried.
But the smile, while still undeniably genuine, is a bit… off this morning. It might be caused by the cold and dreary weather, or the fact that his hair wouldn’t spike the way it’s supposed to. Perhaps Tidus forgot to tape last night’s basketball game. Whatever the reason, it’s certainly not important enough to put a damper on the perfectly planned-out brunch. Sora brings laughter; he never stifles it.
Each glance that he gives his watch becomes more anxious with time, and his smile grows more and more strained as he nervously sips his champagne - something Sora only drinks when he’s in a panic.Where the heck is she?
“Hey, slow down, bud. It’s not like you to get buzzed this early in the day,” a silver-haired young man slings an arm around Sora’s shoulders, the concern in his voice carefully masked with feigned amusement. “You’re usually such a morning person,” the man grins and takes the glass from his friend’s hands, “so what’s eating you? And don’t make that into a ‘who’, it’s my job to say those sorts of things.”
Sora has no need to turn his head in order to identify the voice’s owner. “I’m fine, Riku. Really,” he puts on his brightest smile for effect, attempting to reclaim the glass of champagne. “Now give it back…”
Riku smirks and downs the remainder of the liquid, ignoring the cry of protest from the shorter male. “That was for lying. And don’t you dare contradict me, ‘cause I know you too well. Something is bothering you, and now it’s your duty to tell me what.”
Sora tugs nervously at the hem of his dress shirt, doing his best to avoid Riku’s piercing gaze. He hates being the best friend after a particularly nasty break up, but he hates it even more when he’s pulled between the opposing parties. It’s not like he can lie to Riku (or anyone, for that matter), but on the other hand, he can’t tell Riku the reason why he has circles under his eyes indicating a sleepless night of worrying.
So he tries his best to say nothing at all.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t sing.
“I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts… here they are, all standing in a row…”
Riku quirks an eyebrow, looking as though he can’t decide if he should laugh or escort his friend into the lobby, away from anyone who is liable to misconstrue the situation. Not that there’s much to misinterpret… Hell, if tomorrow’s headline happens to be “LOCAL BOY ADMITTED TO MENTAL INSTITUTION”, Riku isn’t sure they’d be far from the truth.
“Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head -”
Just as some people begin to draw their attention toward the poor excuse for free entertainment, Riku grabs Sora’s arm and drags him roughly out of the room, knocking into a few waiters along the way. Once the pair is safely out of earshot, the older of the two folds his arms expectantly.
“Dude, what is wrong with you? Just how much alcohol did you have?”
Sora scrunches his face in an effort to keep himself from speaking, inadvertently causing Riku to grin and break his intimidating glare. And of course if Riku smiles, then Sora isn’t far to follow. Pretty soon, they’re both giggling like little boys cutting class for the first time, and any shred of concentration that Sora had has dissolved into the hardwood floor.
“Okay, honestly,” Riku manages to choke out, grin still in place, “What’s your deal? First you act all twitchy and anxious, and then you break out into song in the middle of brunch?” His smile suddenly transforms into a smirk, and he stealthily snakes an arm around Sora’s waist. “Was that all an excuse to get me alone? Because if it was, all you had to do was ask.”
Sora flushes and pulls himself out of Riku’s grip, rolling his eyes in a futile attempt at nonchalance. “You wish. Nah, the real reason is ‘cause I’m worried about Kai- oh, crap. I mean, um, can you feel the love tonight...”
But it’s too late. Riku’s smirk falls flat onto his shoes, a new edge moving into his turquoise gaze. “Kairi? Why were you worried about Kairi? Sora, if you know something that you aren’t telling me,” His voice dropped to a low growl, making Sora flinch instinctively, “you’d better ‘fess up now.”
A burst of cold air rushes through the well-heated lobby, and while the source is most likely the front doors, Sora can’t help but feel otherwise. “Uh… Well…” he awkwardly shuffles his feet as he searches for a correct way to tell his friend the news. “I just haven’t heard from her, is all. Nothing special. She’s probably just at ‘lette and Selphie’s, sleeping. You know her. She hates these sorts of things.”
Oh, the lies! The deceit! He is so going to hell for this.
“Sora, cut the crap. I know for a fact that since both Olette and Selphie are here, Kairi would be here too. So just tell me what the hell is going on.”
Glancing up from his previous staring contest with his own shoes, Sora sighs and rakes a hand through his artfully messed-up hair. “All right. But promise not to overreact…”
.&.
“You have fourteen new voice messages… First message…”
With a groan, Kairi flips her cell phone shut and sinks as low as she can into the pleather seat of the taxi, too distraught to notice the puzzled looks that the cabdriver is giving her. This is it. Her life, as she knew it, is over. Done. Finito. The fat lady has sung, and it sure as hell wasn’t pretty.
Because Kairi - miss picture-perfect, delicate, angel Kairi - just spent the night in Axel’s penthouse suite.
Alone.
Nothing had happened, of course. But then again, nothing needed to. The sheer fact that she had been seen slipping out of the hotel is enough to guarantee that by the end of the day, a few dozen photographs will be flying from phone to computer screen of one of Manhattan’s golden girls ‘caught in the act’.
And there is absolutely nothing she can do to stop it.
She had briefly considered waking Axel and voicing her concern, but she really didn’t want to face him after last night. Who knows what sort of embarrassing things she might have said!
Upon this recollection, Kairi proceeds to bang her forehead against the fingerprinted Plexiglas window of the car.
Suddenly, her cell begins to vibrate.
Incoming call… Sora.
Kairi bites her lip, but decides that if anyone deserves an explanation, it’s him. Besides, he’s never been one to judge.
So, when she puts the cell phone to her ear, she’s a bit shocked at the voice that comes out of the speaker.
“Kairi,” a very deep and very angry male voice (that totally does not belong to Sora) snarls from the other end, “I’d like to know just what the hell you were doing with Axel last night. I don’t want to hear your excuses right now. So why don’t you just tell me to my face?” A muffled ‘give it back!’ interrupts the voice’s venomous tone from the background, but goes on ignored. “I’ll be waiting for you at Destiny in half an hour.”
A ‘click’, and the call ends abruptly, giving Kairi no time to respond.
.&.
All is quiet in this luxurious suite of the Oblivion Hotel; no sound is made, as to not disturb the much-needed sleep of one very important resident. The maids have been ordered not to enter, and not a soul has been allowed to pop in for a visit.
Yes, everything is nice and silent for this time of day.
This is why it’s a pity that the hotel staff can do nothing about the upcoming disturbance (wearing a suit that’s much too wrinkled and a grin that’s much too feral).
“Axel!” A man with short red hair yells happily, pushing his sunglasses backward to rest on his head. “Hey, dude! Word on the street is you’ve deflowered Little Miss Kairi!” He takes a moment to laugh and tousle Axel’s wild mane of hair the same vibrant hue as his own, “Congrats! Man, she may be pretty young for me, but she is smokin’ hot if I do say so m’self.”
Axel only grunts in reply and turns onto his side in an effort to make the annoyance disappear. No such luck.
“…I mean, honestly, I’m surprised no one has jumped her yet. Hey, wasn’t she going out with that Riku kid? Geez, how’d she escape from that relationship unmarred? I know this guy who says that he knows another guy who…”
God, why isn’t he going away? Axel growls and places a pillow over his face, but finds that 1) he can’t breathe, and 2) wait, what the hell did he just say about Kairi?!
Now very awake and very confused, Axel shoots up into a sitting position, green eyes wide. Reno, startled, falls back onto the floor and shouts, “Hey, what’s your problem?”
Axel ignores him and processes his brother’s words. Word on the street… deflowered… Kairi?
“What did you just say?”
Reno stands awkwardly, but the smirk is still in place. “I know this guy who knows another guy who met a stripper over in Vegas, and -”
“No, before that!” Axel snaps, his sudden panic flaring into anger. “Do you think I slept with Kairi?”
Reno’s grin grows, and he claps Axel on the back in a congratulatory manner. “Think? Dude, didn’t you? Everyone’s been talking about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a freakin’ medal for doing the impossible!”
Outside, a siren blares in time to a certain male’s outburst. “Oh, fu-”
Reno’s smile disappears as he sees the look on his younger brother’s face. “Look, I’m just joking. Seriously, dude, don’t get so worked up about it. No one’s saying anything, as far as I know.”
This new piece of information calms Axel down considerably. But only for a moment.
“You asshole!” He yells, nailing the older man in the head with a pillow. “That - that wasn’t funny!”
Now, Reno can’t help but smirk. “It was funny to me. But,” he continues, eyes scanning the floor of the hotel room, “I really did see the cute little red head waltzin’ out of this place. And with your reputation, one can only assume that you two did the deed. Hold on, where are my sunglasses?”
Axel wearily runs a hand over his face. “Nothing happened, all right? She passed out before I could ask her where she lived, and I, being the gentleman that I am -” Reno snorts and rolls his eyes, but Axel goes on, “let her stay the night. The end. I repeat: nothing happened.”
“Is it just me, or do you sound a bit… disappointed?” The older of the two teases, grinning as he ducks his head, just narrowly avoiding yet another pillow. “Right, well, you and I are wanted at Destiny in half an hour. There’s some brunch thing going on today, and you ‘n I have to appear ‘fashionably late’. So take a quick shower, ‘cause you stink something awful, and where are my sunglasses?”
Axel only sighs and heads for the bathroom. It’s much too early for this.
.&.
“You cannot be serious,” Selphie giggles, her head tilted back in unrestrained mirth. “Please tell me that you’re joking. You simply have to be joking.”
A blonde-haired stranger only smiles pleasantly before replying in a distinct British accent, “I assure you that I am perfectly serious. Does this look like the face of a liar to you?”
Selphie smiles at the older man, knowing quiet well that she is being flirted with. And despite the general ‘ew’ factor, she knows that flirting back will be worth her while. This man is a prominent figure in society, and owns a very prestigious modeling agency. To get on his good side would be fantastic for her career.
“It wouldn’t, sir, if I didn’t already know of your love for gambling.”
His smile turns to an almost predatory smirk, and somehow his hand ends up on her waist. “I don’t happen to think you’re a gamble, my dear. Not at all. And I’d rather we skip the formalities,” he continues as he leads the young girl into the backseat of his parked limousine. “Please, call me Luxord.”
And as the sack goes down around her head, Selphie has no time to scream.
.&.
Music greets her at the entrance to the Destiny hotel, a swarm of all-too-familiar faces looking at her with fake warmth. “Kairi, darling! Where on earth have you been?” “Oh, don’t you look stunning. Such a pretty girl.” “Tell your father that the meeting is in Barcelona this year.” “You look parched, dear. Have a glass of champagne.”
It takes every ounce of Kairi’s self control to keep herself from bolting in the opposite direction.
“Uh, Kairi?” A timid voice calls from behind her. It belongs to a girl about her age, but she can’t seem to remember the poor girl’s name. She’s probably just another one of Selphie’s clones. “Riku sent me to tell you that he wants you to meet him in the conference room upstairs,” the girl squeaks out while staring fixedly at her shoes. Kairi would actually feel sorry for her, if she didn’t happen to be the bearer of such bad news.
Smiling thinly, Kairi nods her thanks and dismisses the page, before balling her hands into fists. Nothing about this bodes well.
The conference room is located at the very end of a long hallway, conveniently secluded from the rest of the building. It is only used for two things - secret rendezvous that generally involve the removal of clothing, and civil discussions that turn into full-out arguments.
Kairi’s betting on the latter for now.
After a good minute or so of imprinting red crescent moons into the flesh of her palms, Kairi takes a deep breath, and cautiously opens the large oak door.
“OHMYGODKAIRIYOU’REALIVE!” No sooner has she walked into the room, when a very anxious Sora nearly tackles her to the floor in a hug. “I was so worried. Don’t you ever, ever, ever do that to me again, y’hear?”
She can’t help but smile and return the embrace, but the mood is quickly broken as a stony expression comes into view.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
Sora lets go of Kairi to glare at his best friend. “Hey, calm down. You promised that you’d hear her side of the story first.”
He quiets Riku in a way that only Sora can, but the silver-haired young man clenches his jaw in frustration. Kairi takes this as her cue to speak.
As she straightens her stance and moves to look Riku in the eye, unexpected anger rises within her. “Okay, first off, you have no right to be mad about anything. Us? Yeah, in case you haven’t noticed, we are finished. And if I’m not mistaken, you were the one who broke it off. So what I do and who I do it with should be none of your concerns.”
Riku opens his mouth to object, but is cut off abruptly. “LISTEN TO ME!” Kairi shouts, shocking even herself. “I- I didn’t do anything with him, all right? And I know that’s what you’re about to accuse me of, I’m not an imbecile. He was being courteous, that’s all! I had no place to sleep, so -”
“So he offered his bed and you graciously accepted?! Is that it?”
“No! Look, will you put your male ego aside for a second and just let me -”
“Just let you what, Kairi?! Just let you try and weasel your way out of yet another difficult situation?” He lets out a humorless laugh that causes Kairi to flinch, “I care about you! I know this guy’s type, all right? He’s going to use you and throw you away like a discarded doll, and you’ll come crying to me, and I won’t - I refuse to - ugh!” Riku punches the table angrily, causing Sora to move toward him with the beginnings of a reprimand on his lips, but Kairi interjects.
“Kind of like what you did to me?”
The question is posed gently, as though any amount of pressure will make it shatter. It stops Riku in his tracks.
“I never meant to hurt you, Kairi.”
“But you did! That’s the thing! You can’t accidentally cheat on someone, Riku -”
“I never wanted to -”
“And neither does Axel! He’s a good guy, Riku!”
“Right, and that’s why he took advantage of you last night?!”
“He didn’t!”
“Then why did you go out with him and then never come home!?”
“I told you, nothing happened! So just leave it alone!”
“Guys, both of you stop it!” Sora attempts to intervene, but is interrupted by a sound at the door.
“Hey, princess, could I speak with you a moment -”
And standing in the doorway is none other than the subject of this confrontation, Axel. Something dangerous flickers in his emerald eyes as he assesses the current situation, but his face remains blank. “Oh. I’m sorry, are you in the middle of something? I’ll come back later, if this… intriguing conversation takes priority.”
Glossed lips open to speak, but not a word dares to come out. This is a battlefield, and she’s been shot in the back.
The group sits in uncomfortable silence, until Riku strides heatedly past the man at the door, not even dignifying Kairi with a passing glance. Sora mouths, ‘call me later’ before following suit.
And it all comes crashing down.
She becomes nothing more than a little girl in a woman’s clothing, a princess trying to pass for a queen. She bites her tongue to keep the tears at bay, but all that does is make her bleed.
When the remaining young man crouches down beside her, Kairi isn’t sure what hurts more. The fact that Riku left, or the fact that Axel is still here.