Hello everybody! This fanfiction is dedicated to my friend Dana, who ruined my poor, innocent self with this pairing. Honestly, I would have never even THOUGHT of it until she shoved it in my face. And now I love it. Bleh. DX

Anyway, this fanfiction follows the story of the Swann Princess (Well, loosely. Because... Well, I just had to add and scrap some things to make it more Rion, believable and likable.)

~Lion3queen

Once upon a time there was a king that ruled an enormous kingdom. His people were filled with joy and their hearts were filled with love and kindness, for there was no destitution nor crime, thus no reason to doubt one another's actions or purity of heart.

Despite all this, the king could not take part in the joy of his people, for his queen had long since passed and there was no heir to the throne. The king was getting old already, and he was anxious for the approaching moment that he would die without anybody to rule his kingdom when he was gone.

Then, to the man's joy, he fell in love with a kind-hearted widow, married her and in a short while a beautiful princess was born. They named her Xion, after the king's late wife.

Xigbar, this was the king's name, was very happy and his people, who all loved their king very deeply, took part in his joy.

Soon a feast was given in the palace. The members of many wealthy and royal families from all over the world were present. Among them were queen Larxene and her son prince Riku. Queen Larxene was the monarch to a neighbouring kingdom, and had always shared a good bond with king Xigbar and his kingdom.

Larxene smirked. She loved how her son was ahead of many children his age. Even though he had just hit two years old, he was able to walk and talk without a flaw.

''You're flattering me,'' she would answer every time some member of a royal family pointed that fact out to her. Even though she wasn't flattered in the least. Proud, yes, that would be the right word.

Hesitatingly, prince Riku stumbled up to the babies' gold and silver spun silk clothed cradle. He placed his hands firmly on the edge of the cradle and stood on tip-toes, trying to look at the young girl. He heaved his hand up and let the gift for the princess, a golden, heart-shaped medallion, slip through his fingers. It landed into the hands of the baby who accepted it with a high-pitched giggle. The young prince smiled at the picture of the pale, blue-eyes baby. It looked so innocent to him. Way too innocent to be lying in a cradle with such luxurious and expensive ornaments.

The trance was broken, though, when the baby sheepishly put the medallion in it's mouth.

Riku sweat dropped, ''Don't chew on that, you idiot! It's cost a bunch!''

He narrowed it's eyes, trying to get the medallion out of the baby's small mouth, but, strange enough, the baby tightened it's grip around it's iron chain and narrowed it's own eyes at the silver haired prince.

King Xigbar and queen Larxene, oblivious to the silent struggle between prince Riku and princess Xion, smiled at each other. It was then that they both got the same idea; Riku and Xion would be brought together each summer in the hope that someday, they would fall in love.

When this news was shared with the people, enormous feasts were given all over the country.

This happiness, though, was not shared by everybody.

Deep down in the dungeons of a big mansion a man named Xemnas was exploiting many kinds of witchcraft and magic. The birth of Xion did not matter to him, for he was planning to take over king Xigbar's kingdom by force.

A spy of Xigbar's, however, discovered this plan. His house was penetrated and his magical items destroyed. Xemnas himself was banished from the kingdom for eternity.

Before he left the country, though, he turned to the king and vowed, ''You may banish me, Xigbar, but this will not protect you from the misery that will crash down upon you. Someday I will return and that day, that glorious day, everything you own and everything you love will be mine.''

Xemnas then turned his back to the king and disappeared for what the king hoped was eternity. Many people thought Xigbar was too mild to the evil magician, but as time passed the occurrence was forgotten and the hope was set on the approaching summer in which prince Riku and princess Xion would meet.

It was a June morning when the first rays of summer-sunlight kissed the earth. They touched the endless mountains, the deep, crystal clear rivers and the small houses. They touched the orange clouds, underlining them with gold. They touched the lush trees, awaking the birds that inhabited them. They touched every single thing, making them aware of the fact that it was time to wake up. It was time for the birds to fly up in the air, chirping their songs at the travellers walking the tracks below them. It was time for the fishermen and the fish to continue going in their eternal cycle of trying to catch and trying not to be caught. It was time for the flowers in the meadows to paint the normally boring grass in thousands of colours. It was time for the wind to brush past the villages, blending the scent of freshly-baked bread with the fresh morning air and unknowingly, leading it to an enormous, white palace that stood proudly in a meadow, pressed against the orange, pink and golden sky. It looked out of place standing there, among thousands of trees and small, quiet villages. But the people that inhabited it loved that fact. Amidst these ordinary things, it looked even more beautiful

In this palace, everybody was awake and doing their jobs. In the kitchen, the cook, dishwashers, kitchen-maids and kitchen helps were preparing the breakfast for the king, his wife and his daughter and in the hallways and normally dusty rooms, the maids were cleaning every single object for the arrival of the king's guests. In the garden, the gardeners were busy making the garden look even more dazzling than usual. The king sat on his throne, discussing the arrival of queen Larxene and prince Riku with his chamberlain. The queen was in her room, admiring herself in the most beautiful dress she owned under the loud cooing from her parlour maids. The only person that hadn't woken up yet, could hardly be recognised as a human being. At that moment, she was nothing more than a bump underneath the light blue covers of her four-poster bed.

''Princess Xion!'' A feminine voice called out to the hump, from outside the bedroom. It only gave a soft grunt in reply.

''Princess Xion, it's time to wake up,'' the voice repeated.

Again, the hump gave a soft grunt, muffled by the blanket it was lying underneath.

''I can't hear you!''

This time a small, pale hand slipped out from underneath the light blue fabric, grabbed a hold of the covers and removed them from the person the hand belonged to, ''I said you can come in!'' the person lying in the bed called out to the door, it's voice soft but it's tone impatient.

The door opened almost immediately, revealing a slim, brown haired woman with a kind smile on her lips, ''Why good morning, princess Xion,'' she sang, walking straight up to the curtains and opening them in one swift swing of her arms, ''What colour would you like your dress to be today?''

''I don't know,'' Xion muttered, slowly sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, ''Why, Aerith? What is it today?''

The woman named Aerith gave a soft giggle, revealing her set of pearly white teeth to the world, ''Don't you remember, princess?''

The petite six year old girl swung her legs out of her bed and tilted her head to the side, ''No?'' She said, placing one finger on her jaw line in a questioning manner, until her eyes widened and she gasped, ''Oh! Is it- Yes, I remember! I'm meeting Riku today, am I not?''

''It's prince Riku, princess,'' Aerith corrected her, chuckling softly. The brunette opened the white varnished closet made of cherry wood that was leaning against the wall on one side of the bedroom, and pulled out a blue, silk dress, ''What about this dress? It will compliment your eyes perfectly.''

''Sure, why not?'' The six year old girl yawned, brushing a strand of raven hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. Aerith smiled, walked over to the girl and pulled the baby blue dress over her head. She then tied the ribbons at the sides and brushed the blue eyes princess's long, raven hair neatly.

''Your parents are waiting for you in the dining room,'' Aerith informed Xion with a smile, before walking out of the room and softly closing the door behind her. The princess watched the brunette walk out of the door with widened eyes. It was amazing to her, a servant walking with such pride and grace.

Aerith had been her chambermaid and her favourite servant for as long as she remembered, for she was not only beautiful and kind, but also an amazing storyteller. It was because of Aerith that Xion knew almost every fairytale there was to know and believed in a happily ever after.

Xion walked towards the window, and admired the view like she did each morning. She rested her forehead against the window, her breath forming white clouds of condense on the glass. It was still chilly outside at that moment, but it was bound to be a muggy and hot day. In just a few hours, the morning dew would make place for a warm coat of sunlight.

Xion closed her eyes. Her parents had talked to her about prince Riku countless times, and prepared her for the time she would meet him. She had imagined it many, many times; her very own fairytale. But, now that the time drove near, she was a little bit scared. She was scared that he might not like her, and she was scared he would be very different from what she expected him to be.

At that moment, she had no idea how right she was.

Quite a distance away from the palace, there was a big carriage jolting on a narrow path. It was varnished a dark red, and engraved with all kinds of curly figures and expensive, rare gems.

The two horses that were towing the vehicle were panting from exhaustion, for they had not had time to rest even after two days, instead they had been walking the trails all night, pulling the heavy carriage along. The charioteer leading them had asked the queen whether the horses were allowed to rest for a few hours, but one fierce glare from queen Larxene had been enough for the poor man to cower back and signal for the horses to carry on, softly whispering soothing comments to the two animals.

Larxene wasn't exactly the softest woman on the planet. She didn't care whether the horses had to tow them up- or downhill. She didn't care if they died. If this were the case, the charioteer would have tow them.

Larxene didn't care who would have to suffer, she just wanted to arrive at the palace in time. Being too late was inappropriate, she thought.

The blonde shot her seven year old son a fierce glance from the corners of her eyes. Any boy his age would probably play some kind of useless game to make the travelling seem faster, or ask her whether they were there yet over a thousand times, or at least look out of the window. Her son, though, was sitting next to her, making as few movements as the jolting and rocking carriage allowed him to. His gaze was fixed on the wall on the opposite side of the vehicle. Nobody could guess what he was thinking.

The blonde haired woman tore her gaze away from the silver haired boy again. She wondered whether princess Xion would be able to put up with him. She wondered whether she would come to love him. Larxene narrowed her eyes. She doubted it. She highly doubted it.

Riku sighed. Visiting the neighbouring kingdom's palace was nothing but trouble to him. He could feel it, this princess was going to be a pesky nuisance. He remembered the time he first met her as if it was yesterday; a little Satan in a cradle.

Inside, he shuddered. He didn't show any sign of weakness from the outside, though. He knew, even though he was seven years old, that his mother liked the fact that he sat beside her like a stone statue. No feebleness, no nosiness, no childishness. That was the way he was raised.
He wasn't allowed to show any sign of being who he was; a seven years old child. At that moment, that was all he was, really. The fact that he was a prince was nothing but a title that was put in front of his name. An indication of the fact he did whatever he liked all day. He was nothing. Nothing compared to the skilled labourers that lived among the people. Nothing compared to the cooks and maids in the palace. He was nothing but a little pest strolling about in the mountains and the palace garden and exploring the many hidden chambers in the palace all day.

''Wakka!'' Larxene barked all of a sudden, causing her son to cast her a glance from the corner of his eyes.

The tanned charioteer poked his head around the carriage, ''What is it, your highness?''

''How long before we reach the palace?'' Larxene asked him, even though it sounded more like an order.

''About half an hour, your eminence,'' He informed the two people sitting in the vehicle before turning back to the horses.

''We'd better not be late,'' the blonde woman muttered through clenched teeth.

''There it is! The guest's carriage! It's right there!'' A cheerful, high-pitched voice chimed, causing the birds that had been sleeping in the towers to fly away through the windows in fright.

''Really, Pence? Where?'' A six year old blond named Hayner asked his brunet friend, trying to look through the window and pushing him aside in the process, ''...You're right! let's tell the rest, the last one to be downstairs is a loser!''

''Ah- Be careful! You'll trip!'' Their only female friend, a brown haired girl named Olette, called after her two friends as they ran down the circular stairs. Sighing, she chased the two boys. Somebody would have to take care of the bruises they'd get being their clumsy, careless, rash selves.

Hayner, Pence and Olette had been best friends ever since they were born. Since the parents from the three of them all worked in the palace as servants, they had nothing to do but play with each other until, one day, they would be old enough to work as servants themselves. Their favourite spot in the palace were the towers. They would sit there each and every sunset, watching the sun give off it's last golden rays of sunlight before drowning itself in the sea.

It was amazing, really, how magical a sunset could be when you saw it from a high place. The towers were the highest objects for miles around, and because the palace stood on top of a mountain, one could see the whole area when gazing out of the windows from the towers. As luck would have it, the three friends had just been playing in the towers when Hayner happened to look through the window and spot the dark carriage in the meadows.

''Hey! You guys, hey!'' Hayner exclaimed as, after about ten minutes of sprinting down the stairs and through the corridors, they entered the kitchen. Pence and Olette came in after him, both panting from exhaustion. Hayner didn't look tired in the least, though, for some reason.

The servants that had been working inside the kitchen all looked up, annoyed because they were kept from work.

Two little girls that looked about the same age as Hayner, Olette and Pence spoke up first, ''What is it? Did you find something cool again?'' The red haired one of the two asked them.

''-Yeah! Like the time you found that dead mole! And that spooky, deserted house in the forest!'' The blonde finished, clapping her hands together cheerfully.

''Shut up, Kairi, Naminé, let me tell you!'' Hayner said, his chocolate coloured eyes cheeky, ''We saw the carriage when we were playing upstairs; queen Larxene and prince Riku should be here in about fifteen minutes!''

Loud gasps could be heard from the personnel in the kitchen. One of the women yelped, ''But we've got so much to prepare!''

''You kids, go play somewhere else. We have to concentrate now,'' A man said, pointing towards the door that led to the hallways. The five kids reluctantly trudged out of the kitchen and wondered what they could do in the remaining fifteen minutes.

It was then that Xion walked down the dark, red velvet clad hallway and noticed the five kids sitting on the ground. She normally didn't go to the lower levels of the palace, for that was where the servants were. Her parents did not look down on the servants - or at least pretended not to - but they always told her that the servants and the nobility should live separately, and didn't want their daughter to go where they slept, lived and worked.

'They are sitting on the floor, how inappropriate!' Crossed the raven haired girl's mind. But she didn't twitch an eye.

''Hey! Little girl!'' the red haired girl named Kairi called out to her.

Slowly, Xion turned to face her and her friends.

''Your dress is so pretty!'' Namine gasped, ''How come you are allowed to wear clothes like that? You could be the princess!'' She giggled, pointing at her own dress. It had once been white, but was covered with splatters of mud and coloured beige with the sand that had dirtied it when she had been playing in the palace garden.

Xion felt insulted. Did she look that much like a servant?
She was preparing to walk on, when she was stopped by a brunette girl that smiled at her, ''That's because you are the princess, right?'' She bowed, ''My name is Olette, princess, and I'm glad to inform you that prince Riku is on his way and will be here in about ten minutes.''

''Yosh! My name is Hayner,'' Hayner yelled, ''I'm the leader of our gang. This guy here is Pence, Olette already introduced herself and those two are not importa-'' He was cut off by the blonde and the redhead, who knocked him over with their shoulders, ''Hello there! I'm Naminé-'' The blonde chimed, ''-and I'm Kairi!'' The red haired girl said.

Xion blinked. The two girls looked so alike!

'Those people are crazy!' Xion thought, but she restored herself, gave a graceful bow and said, ''I'm princess Xion, nice to meet you!''

''Hey, do you want to come play with us sometime?'' Pence asked her.

Xion nodded. These kids might be nuts, but they sure were... interesting.

With that single nod, she unknowingly opened the door to a long and strong friendship with Hayner, Olette, Pence, Kairi and Naminé. A friendship that would carry her through the hard times. A friendship that she would thank whoever ran the universe for almost each and every night from that moment on.

''Your highness, there you are!'' a nervous voice echoed through the hallways, ''Phew. Prince Riku has just arrived and your parents would like your highness to welcome him personally,'' the person the voice belonged to was an old man Xion knew as Geppetto. Every clock in the castle was made by him, as well as the toys she played with. Even though he was a woodcarver, when the king was looking for his daughter, he usually sent him to search the castle for her. Most likely because the little girl loved him like a grandfather.

Xion gave her new friends a rushed wave before taking off towards the courtyard.

As Xion walked through the doors and into the sunny afternoon air, she immediately noticed her parents and the two people that probably were Larxene and Riku standing in the middle of the courtyard. She walked past Larxene's carriage and the two stable boys that were taking care of the horses, and was immediately greeted by her father's hand on her shoulder.

''Why hello, my daughter. Please meet queen Larxene and prince Riku. You've met them before, but you were so small I bet you probably don't remember,'' He chuckled warmly.

The woman Larxene smiled at his words. Or at least; it was meant to look like a smile. Her eyes did not change from their usual scowl, giving the 'smile' a somewhat intimidating look. Her blonde hair was slicked back, except for two bangs that stood at their ends, making them look like antenna's. She wore a long, black dress that, if possible, made her seem even more intimidating.

Xion suppressed the urge to shrink back, and instead bowed as deeply as she could. She would do anything, just so she had an excuse not to look at the blonde woman's face. When she reluctantly got up, straightening her back, her eyes locked with Riku's. Sapphire against teal. Shock against annoyance.

She didn't know why, but she remembered this boy. She remembered this annoyingly good-looking, silver-haired boy with his bored, arrogant look and a gaze that already proved him to have expectations of her that he, right now, thought were true. Stereotypes. He did not bow to her, he did not greet her, he did not kiss her hand. He did nothing to prove himself a gentleman. At that moment, she wanted to punch his face in.

It must have been visible on her face, because he raised one thin, silver eyebrow at her as if to tell her he wasn't afraid of her girly little punches.

Their parents, oblivious to the battle of wits that was going on between the two kids, were talking to each other about stupid subjects that none of them really cared about. Subjects like how wonderful the magnolia's looked and how pitiful it was that the countess of port Royal had passed away.

Before Xion had the chance to lunge herself at him, though, her father dropped his hand on her head painfully, and led the guests to the dining room.

The days that passed went very much like that. Riku and Xion hated each other, but their parents thought differently. They were forced to play and talk with each other each minute of each day. They never got into fist-fights, although Xion had to bite her teeth so she wouldn't claw on him like some kind of loose animal. They hurt each other with words. Sometimes, the words didn't mean anything big. They often just were sarcastic conversations.

But the meaning was all the same; get out of my house and leave my kingdom before I make you.

''What are you doing?'' Riku once asked when Xion was playing with a wooden doll.

''Nothing. Annoying boys aren't allowed,'' She answered, sticking out her tongue at him.

''As if I'd want to,'' He said, rolling his eyes at her.

''You should! Maybelle is the prettiest doll I own, and she loves me,'' She looked down at her doll and asked, ''What is it, Maybelle?'' She moved her ear towards the doll's mouth and pretended it whispered something at her, ''I know, Maybelle. I hate him, too.''

''Oh, yeah? Well, I hate the both of you. You are both ugly and arrogant.''

''You are the arrogant one, and look at Maybelle,'' She exclaimed, pushing the doll in his face, ''She's the most beautiful doll in the palace. And as for me, I'm pretty, too.''

Riku snorted.

''It's true! All the servants say so!''

''Probably because you told them they'd be executed if they didn't.''

At the last sentence, Xion's jaw dropped. Never was she treated like this in her whole life!

Unfortunately, her grip on the doll loosened, so it slipped through her fingers and, after a short fall, landed on the ground with a soft 'crack!'
Slowly, Xion looked down at the doll.

It had fallen to pieces.

She then slowly looked at Riku, who didn't look very shocked.

''I didn't touch it,'' He said, ''You're clumsy.''

Xion took a deep breath. She would not cry. She would not cry.

Instead, she narrowed her eyes at him and smacked him in the face.

Unfortunately, just that second an Asian-looking maid walked in and gasped, ''Princess! W-what-''

''He broke my doll!'' Xion screamed.

''I didn't touch it, you crazy girl!'' Riku yelled back, rubbing his sore cheek.

''Yes you did!'' She turned to the maid, ''He yanked it out of my hands and dropped it! Kill him!''

The maid stared at them with widened eyes and her mouth hanging agape. Luckily for her, Aerith walked in.

She smiled at the maid, ''It's ok, Jasmine. I'll take care of this.''

The maid nodded stiffly and left the room.

Aerith walked towards the broken doll, crouched and gathered the pieces.

The two kids shot each other a glare, but then looked down at the brown haired woman again. She looked up with the same smile she had worn when she walked into the room. She did not look surprised, nor angry, ''Shall I tell you two a story?''

The kids looked at each other again. Only, this time it wasn't a glare. It was a curious glance.

''Once upon a time, there were a prince and a princess both living in another kingdom. They were chosen to fall in love years before they were able to tell their parents what they thought about it. Years passed, and when they first met each other, they found they didn't like each other at all. They didn't understand how their parents expected them to fall in love,'' She said, before gathering the pieces in her apron, getting up, turning around and walking towards the door, her long braid cascading down her back.

''-Ah, wait!'' Xion said.

Aerith turned around, ''What is it, princess?''

''Aren't you going to tell us the ending?'' the raven haired girl asked her.

''There is no ending yet,'' She said, before walking through the door and softly closing it behind her, leaving the two kids in an awkward, tense atmosphere.

The relationship between Riku and Xion didn't improve. If possible, they hated each other more with each time they met.

When Xion was ten, she visited Riku's country for the first time. She was so bored that at some point, she wanted to play with him and his annoying friend Sora. When she told them to take her with them, though, they burst out laughing and ran outside. They tried shaking her off, but when she kept following them, climbed up in their tree house and heaved up the ladder so she wouldn't be able to come up as well. Xion pouted, put her hands on her hips, stamped her foot in a childish manner and yelled, ''Come down immediately!''

They laughed at her. Sora made a funny face, ''Yeah, like we'd do that!'' He snorted, ''Sorry, princess; no girls allowed here.''

Xion, being the person she is, got so mad that she kicked the wooden mainstay, causing the whole tree house to crumble down at once, on top of her. Riku, Xion and Sora had spent the rest of the summer wrapped up in bandages and covered in bruises, cuts and plasters.

…Although, though Xion would never openly admit it, she was satisfied. Riku and Sora had had a taste of her revenge, and they would think twice before ever refusing to play with her again.

When Xion was twelve, Riku and her had accidentally set the throne room on fire when they were fighting and a torch fell down from the wall it decorated. There had been no deaths thanks to a servant named Squall who stormed in and took everybody out of the room.

When Xion was fifteen years old, during winter time, she was walking around in the palace with her friends. And just when they passed the door that led to the kitchen, a servant ran out, tripped over the carpet and accidentally dumped the whole content of the glasses, plates and platters he had been holding on Xion's head. The result was for her to be unable to get it out of her hair, and in the end she had no other choice but cutting it off.

Her hair was still a painful subject for her when that summer Riku visited her kingdom again. To her ultimate anger, the first thing for him to say when they saw each other again was, ''Gee, what happened to you? You look even more like a guy than you do usually. ''

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Xion had lunged herself at him with a roar. Too bad he had been standing next to a window, resulting in both of them landing on the ground in the palace garden in a tangle of limbs.

Xion now was sixteen years old. She had been overjoyed when she heard she was allowed to attend the wedding of a neighbouring country's prince and his fiancée. When she heard whose dance partner she would have to be… Not so much.

''R-Riku? Riku? Please just push me off of a cliff, it'll be less painful, believe me!'' She screamed at her father, who just shook his head at her with a smile on his face.

''Come on, my daughter. He will be your husband some day, so one night shouldn't be that big of a problem. ''

''Are you kidding me? One night will be enough time for him to ruin my life!''

''Don't be such a big baby,'' Her mother said, smirking, ''He isn't that bad.''

''Whatever,'' Xion muttered before standing up from their dining table and walking towards the exit of the dining room. Halfway the room, though, she stopped walking and called over her shoulder, ''Oh, by the way. I want the flowers on my funeral to be white tulips.''

'Ha,' She thought, 'I wonder if they'll have a retort for that one.'

Before awaiting their comeback, though, she bridged the remaining distance between her and the doors.

''You're invited to prince Eric's wedding?'' Kairi gasped when Xion told her, Olette, Naminé and Selphie, a girl that hadn't befriended them until recently, what her parents had just told her. After exiting the dinner room, Xion had made straight for the garden where, fortunately, the four girls had been sitting on the grass.

''That was my reaction, too. Before I heard who is going to be my dance partner,'' Xion muttered, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

''Who is it, then?'' Olette asked, rolling on her back.

''I'll give you a hint,'' Xion said, ''He's an arrogant bastard and he hates me to bits.''

''Those were two hints,'' The platinum blonde haired one of the four giggled. She was making a coronet of daisies from the daisies that were growing among the grass halms.

Xion shot her a stop-being-such-a-smartass face before letting herself fall flat on her back on the fresh grass.

''Oh my gosh!'' Selphie exclaimed, ignoring Naminé, ''Riku will be your dance partner? He's smoking hot!''

''Ah- Selphie… He is Xion's fiancée more or less, isn't he?'' Olette said, chuckling nervously.

Xion waved it off though, ''Please, take him. Be my guest.''

Selphie gave her a playful nudge in the ribs, ''That's what you say, but deep down inside you-''

''-Hate him like hell.'' Xion finished dryly.

''What are you going to wear to the marriage?'' Kairi asked, attempting to change the subject.

''Clothes.'' Xion replied grumpily.

''Gee, Xion, you do lose your temper a lot today. You sound like an old man.'' Naminé remarked. They had stopped calling Xion 'Princess' or 'highness' a long time ago.

''You don't know what it's like to know you're doomed to be brought together with somebody you hate. And I mean truly hate, not high-school hate.'' Xion said, crossing her arms.

In the minutes that followed, none of the girls spoke.

The silence, though, was broken by Kairi, who clapped her hands together and stood up, ''Let's go pick out your dress!''

The next evening, after dressing herself in a light blue robe, Xion hurried downstairs so she could get into the carriage. The nice thing about having short hair was that she didn't have to spend half an hour brushing it until it looked at least a bit decent anymore.

…Although this was because of the fact that, you know… Her hair didn't look decent even if she brushed it.

At first, the wedding was going to be held in prince Eric's kingdom, but due to heavy rainfall it was moved to king Xigbar's. The wedding took place on a boat that would head out just before sunset, so the ceremony could be held in the middle of the mesmerizing glow of the setting sun.

As Xion sprinted through the entrance gate and crossed the courtyard in only seconds, she scanned the area for the carriage. She didn't see it.
They couldn't have left without her, right? She only was five minutes late!

To her relief, As soon as she turned around the corner behind the gates, she spotted the white carriage with it's brown horses. It had never been gone, it just wasn't parked in the courtyard like usually. Knowing her parents, they did it on purpose, so she wouldn't turn up late again.

She opened the door and stepped inside, way too exhausted of crossing the whole palace running to think of manners and ladylike behavior.

''I'm sorry for being late, father and mother,'' Xion said when she finally recovered her breath, ''I forgot the time.''

''It's not a problem, my daughter, '' Her father replied, ''You're here now, aren't you?'' With that said, the carriage took off towards the beach.

A long distance away from the wedding, beyond the forests, beyond the mountains and underneath the earth, there was a man sitting beside a fire. His pose was hunched up and his thin, lean arms were desperately hugging a dirty, battered piece of fabric around his body. He would give anything to stop the freezing air from tugging at his hair and biting his skin.

He shivered.

It was cold, this far down into the earth. But he wouldn't have to be here much longer.

Tonight was his night. He hand spent sixteen years of preparing everything for tonight.

He grinned. His eyes were dull and dusty due to a lack of sunlight and fresh air, and his skin was flimsy, parched and pale. His hair wasn't silver like it used to be. It was now a miserable grey. The kind of grey that reminds you of rotten fish, illness and misery.

A shiver ran up the man's spine again.

'All of this will be over soon,' He thought, 'Everything will be different after tonight.'

Yes, it was his night.

It was Xemnas's night.

Meanwhile at the harbour, a boat was being loaded with smiling, chattering people.

As Xion looked up at the boat, she could hardly believe how big it was. It was white, contrasting with the orange and pink sky behind it, and there were cozy, baby blue and pink decorations tied around each pole and each flag. There was an orchestra playing all kinds of well-known songs, and there were performers everywhere. Xion could hardly believe her eyes; she had never seen so many happy people gathered in one place.

''Hey,'' A voice called out to her from behind her. Oh, she knew that voice all too well.

She took a deep breath before turning around and plastering a big, fake smile on her face, ''Why hello Prince Riku, what a pleasant surprise. ''

The silver haired boy arched an eyebrow, ''Are you feeling well?''

''I was.''

''We haven't seen each other in a year… And I must say, you still look like a guy.''

''Really? Then I guess we match perfectly, since you look like a bitch.'' Xion retorted, referring to the fact that his hair reached past his shoulders.
She had to suppress the urge to laugh at him in his face.

It wasn't until that moment that she noticed that, if she wanted to look at him in the face, she had to tilt her head up even more than the last time she saw him. Through the years, he had grown quite a lot. When they first met, Xion had been bigger than Riku by about a whole feet. This height difference had only grown through the years until, when he was about fourteen, he started growing with immense speed. Resulting in him, with his seventeen years, now being one and a half feet taller than her.

She grabbed him by the color and forcefully pulled him down, screaming, ''Stop growing, you asshole!''

''Let go of me, you crazy bitch! Like I can help the fact that you're such an imp.''

''I'm not an imp, I just haven't started growing yet!''

''Really? Because, though boys start growing during puberty, girls stop growing. I'm sorry, but you'll probably stay a flat-chested shrimp the rest of your life.''

''Take that back or I'll rip your lips off your fa-''

''Er… I'm sorry, your eminences, but… Er… The boat is leaving.'' Somebody interrupted Xion's sentence. When Xion slowly turned to look at the person that had butted in, she noticed it was a young girl with blonde hair, a light blue dress and an apron. She was pointing at something.

Xion slowly followed her finger, until her gaze lingered on the boat. There were many sailors on the shore, busy removing the wooden gangway from the shore so the boat could leave.

''Hey! Hey! Help us getting on the boat!'' Xion and Riku called out to the men simultaneously.

''I now pronounce you man and wife, '' The old priest that stood before the young couple said, ''You may kiss the bride'' He finished.

There was a lot of cooing and sobbing when the black haired man's and the red haired woman's lips collided under the loud cheering of the people attending the marriage.

''Now, everybody may dance!'' The man yelled at the guests after breaking the kiss.

The orange from the sky faded to a light shade of azure, and the azure to dark blue. The boat, though, was glowing with the light coming from the candles placed all over it.

Actually, the dancing went pretty well. Of course, they both 'accidentally' stomped on each other's foot a few times, but they didn't fall overboard or set the ship on fire as Xion feared.

Everything went well. Everything went well until, at some part, the orchestra started playing a slow song. It was a song that was so slow, that the dancers had no choice but move slow as well. They had no choice but being close to each other.

And so Riku and Xion danced. They danced, both feeling awkward, neither thinking of ruining this dance with another small prank.

Xion new this was going wrong.

She just knew that being so close to somebody you hate meant trouble.

She didn't have the courage to look up at first. But, at some point, she felt his gaze burning on her skin. And she was curious, oh so curious for what kind of gaze he looked at her with, right at that moment. Whether it was hate, amusement, kindness, mockery… And so she glanced up.

She slowly glanced up, and immediately knew she had made a big mistake. Because as soon as their eyes locked, she was sure she could not look away. She couldn't see what kind of gaze he was tracing her with. All she knew was that she was unable to look away.

Right at that moment, though, all of a sudden a strong breeze brushed over the boat. The flames on the candles stayed on for a short moment, trying to fight the wind's force. But in the end, they went out.

Panic spread over the boat. Screaming from women could be heard, and surprised yelling from the men.

All the while, Riku tried to concentrate. But it was hard when he was also trying not to lose Xion in the sea of panic-stricken people. He grabbed a hold of her arm, and heard her yelp, ''Riku? What's happening? Where are you? Riku?''

The stayed silent, though, and tried thinking everything through, 'All the candles went out at once. This shouldn't be possible. What could make over three hundred candles that are spread over a boat go out at once-'

''People, there is no reason to be afraid,'' A voice echoed. It was loud. Inhumanly loud.

The people on the boat quieted down immediately.

''There are only two people on this boat that should be scared,'' The voice said. It's last sentence was followed by a horrible laugh, a loud crack and suddenly, the fluttering of wings. It were no birds' wings. These sounded enormous, as if they belonged to a monster.

A heart wrenching cry could be heard from the other side of the boat.

''R-Riku? That sounded like m- That sounded like my fa-'' Xion stuttered, before all of a sudden she was yanked away from his grip. He steadied himself before he could tumble down entirely, and spun around, ''Xion? Xion!'' He yelled. But there was no light. He could not search for her in this blindness.

For a moment, he thought he heard a soft yell in the distance, that sounded surprisingly much like, ''Riku!''

But he was powerless. There was nothing he could do.

''Somebody, help!'' A woman yelled from somewhere on the boat, ''The king… I- I think he's dead!''

But Riku didn't hear it.

All he heard was the rhythm of his own heart, beating in his ears.

She was gone.

This is the end of part one from my story. Don't you guys love cliffhangers?
*Dodges tomatoes*

...Please review; it makes me update faster. XD

~Lion3queen