A/N: Hello!

Hopefully, this is a not-too-bad version of an overdone concept (of Sora somehow cross-dressing for ulterior motives).

Rated T for now; however, I might bump it up to M later (for language).

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything associated therein.

Full summary: AU. Sora goes to visit his cousin Roxas for the summer. While out, the two spy Riku, the bane of Roxas' existence (or so it would seem to him). After discovering how cocky and rather rude the teen acts around his buddies, Sora is persuaded into Roxas' state of mind. Consumed with bitterness and resentment, Roxas hatches a plan of revenge: make Riku fall in love with Sora… and then humiliate him by making him realize that the person that he fell in love with was really a boy all along. The only problem: neither Roxas nor Sora ever expected the plan to backfire. RxS

From Sora's P.O.V. Also, all grammar is intentionally not perfect (for once…).

: P

Please enjoy!

This Body

Chapter One: The Conception of a Plan

Looking at the front of my aunt's house, I decide that maybe this summer will not be so bad after all. From what I vaguely recall, Roxas is an okay guy (granted, the last time I saw him, we were just little kids). I just hope that the household is as pleasant and sane as it appears to be. So, hefting my luggage, I trek up the pathway and clunk my way up the porch steps; I set my bags down to ring the doorbell. Waiting a good thirty seconds and getting no response, I ring it again.

The sound muffled, a woman's voice cries, "Coming!"

After a bit of a wait, the door opens to reveal my aunt, who beams at the sight of me, her blue eyes sparkling. "Sora! I'm glad to see you made it here in one piece! Sorry we couldn't come greet you; we only just got back ourselves from our little weekend vacation!" She frantically gestures for me to enter, her dirty blond hair swaying in its ponytail, and ushers, "Come in! Come in! Come get settled!" She turns back toward the interior of the house, calling, "Roxas! Sora's here! Come help him with his bags!"

"Yeah, okay!"

Grabbing my stuff, I start lugging it inside, my aunt closing the door behind me. She requests that I take off my shoes, so I slip off my huge, brown sandals. She bends over and lines them up properly, having them face the door so that I'll be able to slide right into them on my way out.

My cousin appears, looking neither happy nor unhappy at the sight of me. He grabs one of my bags from me, saying, "This way. I'll show you to your room," and leaving me with one as we head down the hall, weighted down by my luggage.

Everyone has always made a big deal about how much the two of us look alike. Even after all these years, we still look alike: same height, same borderline-scrawny build, and same long, narrow face. Roxas face seems a little less long than mine, but maybe that's because his hair isn't as crazy as mine: his blond spikes are styled with gel, swooped off to his right; my brown spikes (at least double the size of his) are all-natural and splay in all directions. Another difference: our eyes are two different shades of blue—his are lighter than mine. I only vaguely recall from some childhood pictures (which I looked at before coming) that our smiles are similar—just slightly different enough to avoid the classification of "identical". I remember that it was our smiles that usually got everyone chirping about how cute we were. Other than that, we're not alike at all: he's much more stylish than I am in his cargo pants and black t-shirt (compared to my red shorts and white t-shirt); I'm much tanner than he is (considering that I live on an archipelago where the sun beats down on me). I'm not very dark, though, considering that I always load up on the sunscreen. I've seen some people on the islands who are brown, and I don't want to look like that.

We pretty much drop the bags on the beige-colored carpeted floor as soon as we're in. The spiky-haired blond states, "This is the guest bedroom. It will be your bedroom while you're here. You can put your clothes in that dresser; and the closet is clear enough to hang some stuff up in there, if you want. Dinner'll be ready in a couple of hours. Mom will call us when it's ready. If you don't mind, I'm going back to my room; I was in the middle of something when you came. Good luck settling in." I nod, watching as he leaves, shutting the door behind himself. I am left alone with my thoughts as I shift my bags onto the bed, open them, and begin unpacking.

As I put my socks and boxers away in the top drawer of the large dresser, I inwardly muse, 'I suppose this doesn't seem so bad. Sure, Roxas is a little anti-social… but Aunt Yumiko seems hospitable enough.'

I'll be staying pretty much the entire summer (excluding the week before school starts—which happens to be orientation for classes—so, roughly two months…and a week) at my relatives' house. I am stuck here because…my mom's boyfriend (whom she has been dating for a solid four or five months) offered to take her on a summer vacation—just the two of them—somewhere romantic. My mom only agreed to go if she could find somewhere suitable for me to be—somewhere where I, a minor (currently age sixteen), could be properly supervised. So, my aunt, Yumiko, was phoned, and here I am.

Right as I'm holding a pair of black boxers in my hand, preparing to put them in the top drawer, my cell phone goes off. It's my mom calling. I toss the underwear into the drawer and answer it.

"Hey, Mom!" I cradle the device between my ear and my shoulder as I resume unpacking.

"Hey, Sweetie! How are you? Did you get there all right?"

Moving back toward the bed, I grab a few of my folded shirts and awkwardly head toward the dresser, the phone still cushioned uncomfortably as it is. "Yeah, Mom. I'm fine. What about you? What are you up to right now?"

"Oh, nothing, really. We're just at the airport, waiting for another flight."

"Oh." I give up trying to unpack while holding the phone like this; I take the device into my hand and ask, "So, everything's in order? What happened that you're waiting for another flight?"

"Yes! The dogs are all at the sitter's house." (She is referring to her boyfriend's two medium-sized dogs and our little year-old Pomeranian.) She gets quiet as she murmurs, "We went through a lot just getting to the gate. Kevin left his passport at home, which made us late. The computer didn't have record of us, and, by the time we got it confirmed, we were five minutes past the deadline for boarding. Now we have to wait for the next flight."

"Oh. I'm sorry. …That sucks."

"Yeah. Kevin's in the bathroom right now. That's why I thought I'd take the time to call you. Are you doing all right?"

I sigh. "Yeah, Mom. I'm doing all right. Aunt Yumiko and Roxas are just letting me unpack right now before dinner."

"Oh! Okay! Well, I should let you get back to it, then! Besides, Kevin's back!"

I hear the man's voice ask, "Who is it?"

My mom replies, her voice muffled, "It's Sora. …Sora, I'm going to go now! I'll talk to you later!"

"All right. Have a safe flight!"

"Okay! Have a good time there. I'll call you when I get a chance! I love you!"

I quickly say, "Love you, too! Bye!"

"Bye."

I hang up with a sigh, setting the cell phone on the nightstand by the bed. Talking to my mom reinforces the idea that, once again, the forty-something-year-old, bipolarboyfriend takes preference over me, her child.

I try to shake off my bitterness and resentment as I return to packing. It is not that easy, though; just being here reminds me.

Just as I finish unpacking, the sun extremely low in the sky, I hear the call of "Boys! Dinner's ready! Come and get it!"

My aunt turns out to be a great cook—not better than my mom—but a great cook nonetheless. She is a bright, cheerful woman; unfortunately, it is rather difficult for us to maintain a conversation. I keep running out of things to discuss about my life back home on Destiny Islands; she keeps trying to engage Roxas, wanting him to talk to me…but to no avail; he is most definitely anti-social. Eventually, when there is nothing else to say, we fall quiet. When I grab my plate in an offer to help clear the table and wash the dishes, my aunt waves me off, saying that I should "go finish getting settled!" She orders Roxas to go with me, wanting him to bond with me. He shrugs but obeys, following me back to the guest room, where I sit on the edge of the bed and Roxas stands by the door.

After a good deal of somewhat uncomfortable silence, he mutters, "So your mom just dumped you here?"

"Yeah."

He nods. "…That sucks."

"Yeah." I bluntly wonder, "Are you like this all the time?"

He furrows his brows, staring at me as he wonders, "Like what?"

"Like…anti-social."

He smirks, shrugging one shoulder. "Not really. I'm just not the perky type…and it's rather awkward having to make conversation with a cousin you hardly know. I figured that it'd be better for the both of us if I just let you settle in on your own time instead of trying to force conversation and making you uncomfortable, you know?"

I grin. "Good to know. So…were you really doing something earlier, or did you just want to give me space?"

He grins, answering, "A little bit of both. I was playing a video game when you showed up."

"Oh? Which game?"

"Umm…Chrono Trigger."

I get excited, asking, "You have Chrono Trigger? I love that game! It's a classic!"

He lights up, explaining, "I got the version that came out for the Play Station. …If you want, you could use my memory card and start a new game."

"I'd love to!"

And so, with the help of a video game, the two of us break the ice, talking first about our favorite aspects of the game (including characters, the battle system, etc.)… then about my situation back home (my mom, her boyfriend, my house, my school, my friends, the crush I have on my female friend, Kairi—pretty much everything). It makes for a nice beginning to my stay.

Settling in is rather easy for me. My two relatives are very kind and polite; I seem to fit right in.

A few days into my stay, Roxas and I are walking along the main street of Twilight Town, heading into the plaza. Roxas points out various shops as we circle around. It's as we're passing by a café with outdoor seating that Fate steps in.

Roxas scowls jealously as a perky waitress seats a group of handsome, athletic-looking guys at a far-off table that is close to the restaurant. We're still a few feet away from the restaurant itself. The guys visibly flirt with the attractive server, who blushes and smiles before hurrying off to another table.

Roxas mutters, "I can't stand them. They all think they're the shit, but, really, they're all just a bunch of cocky bastards who are far too full of themselves! Especially that guy right there!" He points at a grinning silver-haired guy with glittering greenish-blue eyes; the guy opens his mouth, emitting a loud laugh at something one of his guffawing cohorts said. Roxas nearly snarls, "Riku Kanzaki. God, I can't stand that bastard!"

He turns to me as we pass by the first group of tables, the fence on my right, Roxas on my left. "My friend Naminé was seriously crushing on him freshman year. You haven't met her yet, but she is the sweetest girl you could possibly hope to know—a lot like the way you described Kairi. The thing about Naminé, though, is she's really shy.

"Second semester, she finally gets her courage up to confess her admiration of him, and he mocks her, insulting her shy mannerisms and the fact that she carries her sketchbook wherever she goes. He and his friends all got a good laugh out of it. Naminé was crushed; she came to me crying!" He purses his lips, narrowing his eyes in resentment while sending a powerful glare in the direction of the table of guys (Riku in particular). The gang appears not to see us. He mutters, "I just wish that there was some way to get back at him. I wish there was a way to humiliate him—like he humiliated Naminé!"

I grin, suggesting, "Maybe you could research what type of girls he likes—and then have that type of girl approach him, flirt with him, then diss him—like he did with Naminé!"

He smirks, a glint in his eye. My heart skips a beat at the look on his face. I think I just gave him a very evil idea.

"I've got a better idea…. Let's get moving before he sees us!" He grabs my arm, hurrying us by the last group of tables before the guffawing group can spot us.

When we are far enough away, I wonder, "What's your idea, then?"

"We dress you in drag and make him fall in love with you!"

I blink at him, questioning dryly, "Say what?"

He grins at me, putting his arm around my shoulders as we continue strolling along, now exiting the plaza. "You heard me! We dress you up like a girl…and then we make Riku fall in love with you. And then, you reveal to him that you're really a guy and that it's all a practical joke! He'll be heartbroken—just like Naminé was—maybe even more so!"

I snort, "What if he decides to let anger override his pain…and decks me?"

Roxas squeezes me closer by gripping my shoulder as he intones, "That's a risk I'm willing to take!"

I shove him away from me, and we both laugh. Once we sober, I wonder, "What will doing this solve? Won't it make me look like a freak? Exactly how would this get back at Riku?"

The mastermind answers, "It will humiliate Mr. Wonderful; he will feel highly ashamed and, I'm guessing, quite disturbed. It might even make him question his own sexuality. This will probably scar him for life! And that's what's so great about it! He'll probably never even look at another girl in his life…and will be too ashamed to even think about batting for the other team!" He grins at me, clasping his hands behind his head as he offers, "And, as far as you being considered a freak…we'll unveil your true identity at the end of summer—that way, you'll never see these guys again—especially since all of those guys have just graduated high school and will be heading off to college by the end of summer. I'm telling you, Sora! It's the perfect plan!"

I say nothing, but, in my head, I believe that this is anything but a "perfect plan". It seems disastrous—with far too many holes in it. I still do not even comprehend the point of it. It all just seems like some crazy, half-baked scheme that Roxas is impetuously going with. And yet, somehow…I find myself sucked in the middle of it. I am intrigued by the possibility of this actually doing something. If Riku really is as much of an asshole as Roxas seems to think that he is, I think it might be a public service to make this plan work. I guess this is why I decide that I will follow along with whatever Roxas cooks up.

Rather randomly, Roxas cries, "I'll race you up that hill! Ready, go!" He then sets off like a shot, leaving me to struggle on after him, filled with the knowledge that I have already lost. We pant at the top, catching our breath before we begin walking back to Roxas' house.

I wonder, "Where would we even get all the stuff we would need to pull this off? I mean, I'd need a whole new wardrobe. I'd need things like…bras—and make-up."

Roxas smirks, reminding, "I have female friends. They can hook us up. My friend Olette is still violently pissed at Riku because Naminé is her best friend—she'll be glad to help us out! So…will you do it?"

Looking straight ahead instead of at him, I murmur, "I don't know…."

He whacks at my arm, drawing my attention back to him. "C'mon, Sora! I'll pay you! Twenty bucks!"

"That's it?" Twenty dollars doesn't seem like a fair enough price for me to spend the summer as a girl. (Of course, it is difficult to put a price on my masculinity in the first place.)

His shoulders droop as Roxas pleads, "That's all I have! Do this for me? …Please? …How 'bout if I introduce you to Naminé, and you see what a sweetheart she is? Will you do it then?"

"Maybe…."

So instead of going back to Roxas' house, we make a detour to Naminé's.

I soon discover that Naminé is really the sweetest girl I have ever met—even sweeter than Kairi—whom I absolutely adore. Naminé has the purity of an angel; her long blonde hair even seems to shine like a halo; her light blue eyes bear no malice—only kindness and sweetness; her smile is gentle and demure. She is darling.

I immediately realize upon meeting her that my cousin is crushing on her—it's painfully obvious by the way he blushes around her. I watch the two of them, and I notice something very interesting: they are both very shy and embarrassed around each other; they obviously like each other…but believe that the other does not feel the same. It makes me hope that perhaps, during my stay, I can help push them together—since they're obviously too shy to get up the guts to confess to each other. I toy with the idea while Roxas informs Naminé of his plan.

She gets very uncomfortable, frowning lightly as she softly says, "I don't know…. I mean…it was two years ago. Sure, he was really mean to me, but…do you really have to?" It is quite clear that she is too good of a soul to be interested in revenge.

Roxas scowls, vehemently declaring, "This won't just be about you! This will be about any and all girls that Riku may have dissed!"

Naminé smiles coyly, teasing, "So you're vindicating fair treatment of women now, are you, Roxas?"

He blushes, grinning while rubbing at the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, it kinda sounds like it, huh?" I snicker at him; he shoots me a slight glare.

The blonde before us sighs heavily before mumbling, "I guess I can't stop you if you're set on this, but…be careful. This could come back to haunt you more than you think!" We nod at her, grinning.

Roxas requests, "Hey, Nami, could you call Olette? We need to start a battle plan ASAP!"

Naminé sighs yet again but nods and follows through, inviting her friend over while telling her to bring over a bunch of clothes—and her "stash" for a make-over of "Roxas' cousin, Sora". I already do not like the sound of this.

Twenty minutes later, the girl arrives. She is clad in khaki capris, an orange tank top with a white floral print on it, the straps of something black underneath showing through, and orange socks that go halfway up her shins. There is a bracelet made of fat, blue beads on her right wrist—obviously handcrafted by her. A little blue jewel (in the shape of an oval) rests against her chest, suspended upon a black string tied around her neck. (This, too, looks homemade, making me wonder if the girl is into arts and crafts.) She slides off her white, black, and yellow sneakers at the door before following us down to the basement—or, as Roxas calls it: the "Base of Operations". She carries with her a big, overstuffed, black garbage bag (whose contents, I decide, I do not want to know about). Her thick, dark brown hair is done in pigtails hanging down her front; somewhat choppy bangs cover her forehead, shorter layers of her hair jutting out from the side of her head. Her green eyes sparkle, and she grins as Roxas informs her of our plan.

Once done with explaining, Roxas wonders, "Are you in?"

The brunette grins deviously, crying, "Without a doubt! Let's do this!"

I nearly whimper as she opens the bag and begins producing girly items. The neatly folded clothes are set upon the table, laid out with care as if part of some showcase. After this, the girl pulls out not just one but two big, heavy cases full of…things. One houses her homemade jewelry; the other houses…make-up. I get chills looking at all of the girly items.

Olette declares, "Now. I brought all of this stuff so that we could try different styles. Nami mentioned something about a 'make-over,' which is why I thought it would be good to see different things on this person that I knew nothing about. Anyway, we have punk; we have tomboy; we have slutty (most of which I took from my older sister's room—ahem); we have the whole Lolita look (again, my older sister—she likes to experiment with clothes); and we have the whole innocent, demure, virginal look (clothes that neither I nor my sister would be caught dead in, but clothes that our mother bought for us). I think we should try it all on, but it's up to you guys." She grins at us.

Meanwhile, I am fearing for my masculinity. It gives me the creeps being so near to all of this girly paraphernalia. I decide, "I want the tomboy look."

Roxas rolls his eyes, retorting, "You don't have a choice in the matter. If it were up to you, you would still dress like a complete guy."

Naminé shoots me a sympathetic smile, which makes me smile and melt on the inside. She is so sweet! No wonder Roxas has a crush on her.

Roxas asks, "What about the whole Adam's apple business?"

Olette peers closely at my throat and mutters, "Sora's is practically non-existent!"

I protest, "Hey! That's not true!"

Both Naminé and Roxas examine my throat (causing me to swallow out of nervousness) before concurring with Olette—Roxas saying, "Yeah…it kinda is," and Naminé reluctantly nodding. My cousin goes on, "Well, that's one problem down. What are we going to do about the whole…non-existent-breasts problem?"

Olette actually chirps, "I have a solution for that! …The silicone bra! My sister has quite a few of them!"

My face twitches slightly at the mere thought. Roxas, however, grins, deciding, "That sounds perfect!"

The brunette continues, "We can also say that Sora is a late bloomer!" The two laugh; I cannot help the whimper that escapes me. Naminé pats my shoulder, offering another sympathetic look.

I argue, "Why can't you do this, Roxas?"

He snorts, "Because I couldn't possibly mask my loathing for him well enough, obviously! …And he knows me already! He was in one of my classes this past year! You're the only one that can pull this off, Sora!"

I sigh, and, as the two masterminds discuss logistics, I resign myself to my fate.

I have no idea how much time passes, but I am willing to bet hours by the time the "final product" arrives.

I stare into the full-length mirror before me, gaping at the transformation. I look…like a girl—a real girl! The silicone bra is firmly in place, giving me A-cup-size breasts; I am wearing an ankle-length, silky blue skirt (that apparently matches my eyes); a white, three-quarter-sleeve, button-up blouse covers my torso, buttoned all the way up to my collarbones. To finish it off: a simple necklace hangs from my neck, similar to the one that Olette wears (except the gem on it is the exact shade of my eyes); a metal bracelet hangs from my right wrist; and I have make-up on—brown eye shadow, mascara, blush, and lip-gloss. Obviously, we decided on the "innocent, demure, virginal look".

Olette giggles, crying, "It kind-of helps that Sora looks somewhat feminine to begin with! Not to mention the fact that he's only about five foot two!" I turn my head, glaring at her; she simpers apologetically at me, coming forward to fix the collar on my blouse, folding it down better and smoothing it. I turn back to the mirror, staring miserably at my reflection. I have to admit that the girls worked wonders with me. My own mother would believe that she has a daughter named Sora at this sight.

Roxas' henchman declares, "I think this is some of my finest work! You know, it even helps that Sora has a unisex name! This is perfect! Riku won't know what hit him!" She grins, proclaiming, "I doubt he'll be able to resist the whole 'delicate flower' look—especially when you play the bit of 'forbidden fruit'."

Furrowing my brows, I question, "Am I a flower or a fruit?"

She laughs, ignoring my question as she plows on. "He and his friends will probably pounce on it! Now let's get you out of that! Tomorrow, we'll stop by your house and dress you up just like this; then we can begin Operation: Downfall!"

I wrinkle my nose while narrowing my eyes at her, questioning, "This has a name?"

Roxas snorts, "Of course it does! This is a full-scale operation we have running here! It deserves a title!"

I shake my head, incredibly grateful when Olette and Naminé start helping me "clean up" (which includes: removal of make-up and jewelry; me taking off the clothes; and one of them prying off the silicone bra). Yet again, I blush to be surrounded by the pretty girls touching my bare torso—and to have to strip down to my boxers in front of them. I hurry to put my old clothes back on. I sigh in relief, grinning at my normal reflection. It is a wonderful sight to see me again.

After bidding goodbye to the girls for the night, Roxas and I tread the path to home. Roxas informs me, "You know, after tonight, you're going to have to never leave the house as you are right now—you'll have to always be a girl to prevent the risk of blowing our cover."

I huff, muttering, "That sucks."

He shrugs, mumbling, "Sorry. …But at least we'll get our revenge."

"Yeah…."

Once inside the house, we are greeted by Yumiko, who wonders where we were. Roxas offers, "We were hanging out with Naminé and Olette. They have a new project they want to experiment with: they want to see if anyone will notice that Sora's a guy if we dress him up like a girl. It's this summer-long project they're doing for some psych scholarship that Olette's interested in. So, if you talk to anyone after this about Sora, he's your niece—not your nephew, okay?"

The woman blinks, obviously surprised at all this. "Okay…. Well…umm…let's have dinner. It's ready." Roxas and I snicker at how perturbed she now is but sit at the table to eat.

After dinner, Roxas and I chill in his room, where I play more of Chrono Trigger. He talks to me while I do so, going over the exact details—again. When I can repeat them back to him, he falls quiet, deciding just to watch me.

Yumiko pops her head in a little while later, informing us that she will be going to bed; she tells us, "Don't stay up too late. Have a good night!"

Her son nods, replying, "Okay, Mom. You, too. Good night!"

"Good night."

We don't look away from our game, so we only know she has left when we hear her bedroom door close.

When we both become too tired, we get ready for bed and brush our teeth. Roxas bids me good night before heading to bed. Sighing for the umpteenth time this night, I go to my room and slip inside, shutting the door behind me. I have this overwhelming sense of dread about this whole "Operation: Downfall". I can just tell that it will not end well.

A/N: So this has probably been way overdone, but I don't care. I'm trying my own twist on it. I hope that you'll find it somewhat original (or at least not too cliché), and I hope that you'll enjoy it.

Please review.

Kagome-chan