To determine a spell's total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card's effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The spell's mana value remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

The kicker ability doesn't let you pay a kicker cost more than once.

If a spell's kicker cost was paid, the spell is "kicked."

If you copy a kicked spell on the stack, the copy is also kicked.