This is the revised version of the first story I ever posted, way back when...I can't remember, like four or five years ago. The original premise is still there...it should be. Anyway, welcome one and all to a Kingdom Hearts story which I'll try my best to write. Thank you to anyone who stumbles upon this fic and who gives me the time of day to read it and possibly fav or follow it :D

At the Heart of Darkness

Sunset

Sunset. Change. The day is done. The curtain closes as the sun takes a glorious bow below that mysterious horizon where earth meets sky. Marigolds and lavenders blend upon that great canvas above, gingerly touched by flecks of fire as day turns to night. The sun fades away and shadows rise, flames die and the darkness thrives. The ethereal prelude to dawn.

…

Cool autumn breeze licks my face, tossing my hair to and fro like it's nobody's business. Great, and my stylish bedhead was on point too. It's not that I intend to have my hair this way, this is just its default setting. Anyway, bad hairstyle decisions aside, I'd better enter before it's too late. Eight o'clock, right on time. She said I should be on the other side of this gate by then. I briskly walk through the entrance, dried gold and copper leaves crushed underfoot. The building's a decent size, not exactly what I'm used to. Although, I've never been to one of these places before.

Coming to a stop at yet another entrance, I read the brazen silver letters etched into a dark slab of stone atop the front doors, "Radiant Garden High." An institution of learning, I've been told. One where I should "Lay low and keep your head down. You'll be a nobody by the end of the day." Nobody. Just your average guy. I sigh, instant relief seizes my chest. Lay low, keep my head down, got it. Now, to do that and find the 'Principal's Office'.

)~*~(

"Who does she think she is?!"

I open my locker, an absentminded "Uh huh" slips off my tongue. Its better I do so rather than Selphie shrieking "Are you even listening!" in my ears. Math book, pencil case, what else do I need?

"Like Friday, we were still out on the field at practice and the guys were finishing off their laps. Tidus winks at me, me! But someone else thought it was her. You should have seen her gawking like an idiot, Kai. Full-blown, drooling at the mouth. Now she's spreading this rumor that he's into her when he's not. Can you believe that! Oh, and it doesn't stop there."

My locker closes with a gentle flick of the wrist. That should be everything. Now, to deal with my second task for the morning, "Don't you think you're overreacting just a tiny bit?" I say, "Not to sound mean or anything but Tidus isn't really into you either," Who am I to break the unfortunate news to Selphie that Tidus has eyes for neither of them. I've seen the way he's discretely been checking out Yuna, Rikku's cousin no less. "He could've blinked like normal and you thought it was a wink at that angle."

I imagined frustration or pouting, not a broad grin on her smooth features and she held both hands to her hips, "We both saw a wink, one. Two, there is no guy in this school who's not into me in some way." Well…personality, brains, looks, Selphie is a pretty good package. But at what cost. Unless any guy can match the very same criteria, he's got zero chance. She's picky like that, "Three, he is in fact into me. I can prove it."

"Prove it to Rikku, not me." Selphie literally hissed at the mention of the boisterous blonde's name.

Her face shifts into complete disgust, "She makes me so…ugh, Rikku makes me so mad. If I ever get my hands around that neck."

"Selphie, come on. You're exaggerating." I'm actually eighty percent sure she's not.

"What did I do?" A questioning voice interrupts our conversation, "Should I be scared?"

"I can help you Selphie." And then there were four. Riku and Yuffie appear beside us, the latter's arm coils around Riku's neck in a deadly chokehold. She lets go a second later, giggling while her target messages his manhandled neck.

Selphie shakes her head, "Not you Riku, Rikku."

"But I am Riku." He says and we all know he's pulling Selphie's leg.

She groans loudly, rolling her eyes, "The one with hair extensions, a skirt and lip gloss."

"That can be arranged." Yuffie tugs on a strand of silver hair and Riku distances himself from the black haired girl.

The bell rings, ending the conversation much more effectively than I could. Selphie beams in Yuffie's direction. Those two share some sort of telepathy, one always knows what the other's thinking. Yuffie declares, "We'll see you guys later. We're off to class." Selphie links arms with Yuffie, negative thoughts about Rikku all forgotten. Figures, they have Cloud after all.

"See you at lunch." Selphie's eyes roam from Riku to me. She winks in my direction and I resist the urge to roll my eyes at the unsubtle gesture. The not-so-Siamese-twins prance down the corridor, abandoning Riku and I in the deserted hall.

My best friend attempts to take my math textbook from my hands while my attention was elsewhere but I hold it out of his reach, "Nice try. I can hold it myself, thank you." I turn to him with a smile.

"Never said you couldn't." He smiles back, walking towards our classroom and I follow, "What did Rikku do to get on Selphie's nerves?"

"The usual. This time it's Tidus." I tuck a loose strand of scarlet behind my ear.

Our classroom door is in sight. Before I can take the doorknob, Riku beats me to it and opens the door. I pause, waiting for him to enter first, "We can do this all day." Is that smug undertone in his voice I detect?

"Unless you want us both to get a tongue lashing from Tifa, get inside Riku." This is really getting old.

He gestures with the smoothest wave of his arm, "Ladies first."

I end up smiling but remain where I'm standing, "I believe the correct term you're trying to use is 'we-men' first, so you go right ahead."

"Kairi, get in the classroom." We'll have no debate, according to that tone. Fine.

Defeated – no, wanting to be done with Riku's nonsense – I step inside. The vast majority of students have already taken their seats with a few chatting and others prepping their materials. Tifa's at the front desk, marking her register. She offers a glance while we come in. I quickly find my seat, greeting a few people on the way there. Riku sits on my left.

"Alright everyone," Tifa calls the class to order, beginning her lesson, "Today we'll be covering Functions and Relations." She writes out the topic on the board.

A breath later and a gentle knock plays on the classroom door, "Enter." Our teacher says in a less than welcoming tone. Principal Yen Sid materializes from the other side, a student right behind him. Tifa straightens up when the principal steps inside, her face taking a turn for the better while being addressed by her superior. So she can look like a responsible adult if she tries, who would've thought. The grey haired man's conversation with our teacher was insubstantial when compared to the high interest value of the brunet looking about with his eyes like a fish out of water. Sapphire gems wander the classroom, taking everything in. From the dusty cupboards near dirt coated windows, to haphazardly dangling fluorescent bulbs dimmed with time, half of an ancient chalkboard which miraculously is still attached to the paint peeling walls, to the group of curious onlookers dissecting him from head to toe. Radiant Garden High at its finest. This decrepit wing of the school building anyway. Renovations have been pushed back for reasons unknown but our health and safety is negligible in the sight of administration.

"Okay." Tifa announces when the principal leaves, reverting to her regular dull self, "Class, we have ourselves a new student so please make him feel welcome." Her tone lackluster, Tifa sounds as if this is the worst case scenario she's ever encountered in her entire teaching career. She hands him a small spec of chalk and knocks her gloved knuckles onto a portion of empty space on the board, "Write your name and introduce yourself."

"Sure." He sounds rather upbeat. The brunet writes his name in the most elegant script I've ever seen. It's even better than mine! How can a boy write so fancy? This should be illegal. He presents the four letters on the board, his head lowers along with his initial burst of enthusiasm, "Hello, my name is Sora. Delighted to make your acquaintance." I was figuratively slapped in the face just like everyone else in the room. That's a first for a new student, it's usually a 'Nice to meet you' or 'Please take care of me'. That was a formal introduction if I've ever heard one. Unless he spoke like that to get attention. Well it worked.

"There are empty seats in the back so grab one and sit down." Tifa recovers almost immediately, eyeing the new student with curiosity, "We're all glad to have you here." Tifa's in one of those moods today.

"I also am pleased to be here. Thank you, madam." Tifa receives a back hand. Okay, not a real one. I think this might be the first time anyone's ever acknowledged her by such a prominent title. She's as far from a pristine lady as I am from retirement. That's putting it lightly. Another first is that tiny hint of flattery evident on her face. Tifa's eyes trail Sora's retreating back, his head still low as he made his way to his seat with all eyes on him. I turn away and back to the front while he passes by. Tifa struggled to get her thoughts back in order.

"Functions and Relations." I probe and she instantly nods as if it suddenly popped into her head without my help. Tifa begins her lesson but couldn't hold a candle to the attention grabber sitting two seats behind me. Even Riku snuck a quick peak when he thought no one was looking. I wonder how long it'll take for this headline to spread across school. He introduced himself politely, so what?

Halfway through the period, Tifa gives up on teaching and demands we finish two pages worth of questions in our textbooks before the bell. This is when I glace back at the new guy. Just great. It's his fault we have to do three whole exercises now. As if touched by my glare, Sora's gaze shifts upward from his excessive page flipping and we lock sights. His head's been down since I first saw him so I didn't catch his full face until now…and now it's gone. His face shoots down, focusing on their task at hand instead of the girl who's just staring at him. I whip around and start working. Does that really count as staring? I wasn't staring. He probably thinks I was. What does it matter? He can think whatever he wants.

…I wasn't staring.