The Strange Case of Kairi Uchida
Chapter 3
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Remembering grief, but not the person who caused it was strange. Kairi stilled the ache in her heart as she waited for Xion to explain.
"It started the day I died." Xion pushed a couple of stray hairs out of her face. "Or maybe it started a little before that."
Kairi Uchida told herself she wouldn't forget a second time.
She fell into step with Xion, their pace slow, as both knew they only had a small amount of time left and stalling was the only option.
Kairi's fingers wrapped around the cool leather of her phone case. She needed to know it was there, secure, she told herself. It buzzed at her touch.
The walls of the Underworld echoed with their footsteps as Kairi readied herself for Xion's story. She looked down at her feet then at the drabby tunnels and their uneven slopes wrapped in fog. It had an air of mystery about it. When she met Xion's gaze, she saw a kind of wistfulness in her eyes, like Xion yearned for an intangible gift that could not be.
Maybe she yearned for eternity, Kairi mused.
"Tell me," Kairi said. "Help me remember."
.:x:.
Xion began her story two days before her death.
They were on summer break. It was a Wednesday and Xion opened her eyes to a mess. Books, clothes, even games were strewn across her bedroom floor. Kairi laid stretched out in the middle of it, staring up at the ceiling.
Somehow, probably due to the rustling of sheets, Kairi knew she was awake.
"Do you ever wonder what's out there and how indescribable it could be? Like, how our brains wouldn't be able to comprehend it until we saw it?" Kairi's sounded so small then. It made Xion shiver.
Xion lifted herself up from her bed, moving toward Kairi at top speed. Really, she should have stumbled over the mess, but miraculously, she didn't. She poked Kairi in the side with her foot.
"It's not three in the morning anymore, Kairi. Stop having an existential crisis." Xion held out her hand.
Kairi let out a sigh. "Okay, fine, Xion," she said as she took her hand. "I guess I'll call you at an ungodly hour sometime tonight and tell you all about my existential crisis then."
A laugh bubbled up in Xion's throat as she helped Kairi off the ground. "It's a date," she joked and she swore she saw Kairi stiffen, just a tiny bit as blush stained her cheeks. Xion ignored it, but maybe she shouldn't have.
They spent the rest of the morning cleaning up and getting ready to meet the rest of their friends by the sea. If Xion were to describe that day, it'd be ordinary. And ordinary it was.
Selphie waved both of her hands while Sora managed to get Riku into a headlock which didn't last very long. Still, it was impressive. Sora would pay his dues later when Riku dunked his head underwater.
Well, it wasn't a completely ordinary day, Xion remembered. The weather turned sour only thirty minutes into their beach day. Selphie ran for the shack while the boys had the bravery (and stupidity) to head back to the mainland. That left Xion and Kairi hidden in the Secret Place.
Xion could have kissed her there, huddled together in a corner, watching the clouds through the small cracks in the roof, but she didn't. She didn't have the courage to. (Xion was careful to omit this part.)
A few hours later they parted ways.
.:x:.
The second day was the day for adventure, Kairi decided and so Xion tagged along. It wouldn't be just the two of them this time.
Selphie chatted away as they headed toward what they referred to as "the city." It wasn't an actual city, but it reminded them of one because of the tiny stores and walkable streets, not to say Destiny Islands didn't have walkable streets. Riku was lost in thought, making noncommittal noises at Selphie's words. Sora was still half-asleep as it was still early morning. He needed coffee, Xion thought.
"Do you guys think the local arsonist walks these same streets?" Selphie asked, bouncing from foot to foot.
"Well, if he's local, he must be," Kairi answered, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Selphie let out a tiny gasp.
"He could be anyone." Xion scanned the shop windows despite knowing not many would be open this early in the morning.
"Or she," Riku added. "You never know."
For the first time that morning Sora smiled. "Nah, you're just trying to throw them off." He swung an arm around Riku. "It's okay, I know it's you, Riku. You can trust me."
"I liked it better when you were too sleepy to talk."
Sora pouted as Riku went on about how careful he would be if he was a criminal without giving away his game plan. It was impressive, honestly.
"I wonder what they look like." Selphie messed around with her bracelet, tracing every detail on it.
"Selphie, I don't think it'd be a good thing if you fell in love with an arsonist," Xion said. "Those kinds of people are dangerous."
"I mean, yeah, of course," Selphie replied, smiling and rolling her eyes playfully. "But it's still romantic to think about."
Xion didn't know why she was telling Kairi about those last two days the more she went on because now that she thought about it, they weren't that important. Kairi would want to know about her death, how it happened, the details, but Xion couldn't stop her words. Maybe she told Kairi to remind her of how normal life was. Or maybe she told her to remind her of what their friendship was and almost was.
Later, when Selphie was trying on outfits, Xion and Kairi were looking over the small selection of books nearby. Riku was ordering food upfront with Sora right behind him. The store was spacious despite all the small stores around it.
"Hey," Kairi started. "I know we've been attached at the hip since break and I don't want to get sick of you or anything, but do you want to go collect seashells with me tomorrow?" She took a deep breath before starting her next sentence. "I also have something important to tell you and I can't do that here."
A look of concern found its way to Xion's face. "Is it bad?"
"Huh? No, no. Nothing like that." Kairi played with a piece of her hair. "It's just private, y'know?"
Xion nodded and they resumed their normal conversation about their favorite book series.
If only she hadn't said yes. Things might have turned out differently then.
.:x:.
They were now at the final day Kairi realized. Her eyes fell on Xion as she tried to remember more than fragments of hollow memories. Maybe if she made contact with Xion again something would happen. She didn't.
"It was a car," Xion said, her voice low. "You invited me to go seashell hunting. It was early afternoon. We looked both ways—we were careful, me and you. We've always been careful, but I guess we weren't careful enough. Next thing I knew, a car was hurtling toward us."
"Is that it?" Kairi asked tentatively, touching Xion's shoulder.
"No, and that's not even the worst part." Her hands shook. Kairi took them into her own.
"Then, what was the worst part?" Kairi's voice was barely above a whisper, but still it echoed throughout the tunnels.
"Kairi," Xion started, her voice breaking. "I wasn't supposed to die that day—you were."
It was then, in that damp hall, that Kairi Uchida began piecing together the story she desperately wanted to know.
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