Welcome to a world of absolute pleasure! At least, that's what I'd like to say, but with my writing style this story will inevitably become very scarring for most of you, including myself. I mean, what author actually LIKES to hurt their babies? Thanks to anyone who reviews ahead of time and I hope to see you in the future! If you have anything you want me to check out let me know and I'll read it as soon as I can! Now, let's begin!

Sora

I've always thought that the ocean was the most beautiful thing I'd ever see, it felt so solid, trustworthy, safe. Feelings that seemed so hard for me to grasp onto my whole life, like they were just out of reach. I always told myself that one day I was going to get on a boat and just spend the day rocking among the waves so I could find those feelings. Of course, being that it was currently colder than the abominable snowman's heart outside right now, that plan wasn't happening anytime soon.

This must have been the coldest winter that Destiny Island had ever seen, and the cold was biting at my warm-weathered islander skin. My breath came out in long clouds of warmth, then disappeared into the fat, fluffy snowflakes that floated gracefully to the ground around me like tiny angels. The blanket of snow covering the sidewalk crunched loudly under my feet as I walked along, a satisfied smile playing carefully across my lips. A bone-chilling breeze cut through me and ruffled the coffee brown spikes that I sadly called my hair. I shook against the cold and pulled the black parka around myself. I was really proud of this coat, I'd saved up for a whole year so I could afford it. The wind passed and I let my shoulders relax, a thought popping into my head. I wonder what Roxas wants to talk to me about? It must have been pretty important for him to call me out in this weather. I huffed in silent aggravation of the cold and began to whistle as I walked, then kicked the snow drift in front of me. The snow caught a gust of wind and immediately blew back into my face. I stood there for a moment and waved my hands at the air in front of me to stop anymore snow from assaulting me.

That was when I heard the laugh of an angel. It wasn't mocking or insulting like I would have assumed I would hear after that embarrassing scene. It was light, happy, and full of life. I turned on my heel to find her, the source of the brief, warm angelic light. Automatically, my eyes connected with hers and I took in a deep breath. There was no vision of a beautiful face, but striking out against the dark and the snow was a pair of soft violet eyes, full of that same light I'd just heard and twice again as caring. I blinked, and as fast as she had appeared she was gone. I stood there a few more moments, staring into the darkness and praying that I could see her eyes again, just one more time. Finally, realizing that I had no such luck, I turned slowly back to walk down the street, risking a glance over my shoulder. Who was that? I shook my head slowly as I walked, knowing that if Roxas and Ventus had been there to see that, I would never hear the end of it..

I kept up a rhythmic pace as I walked, my mind drifting out at sea in a daydream, the snow still crunching under my feet. But the sound was crisper now, clearer than a bell, Each snowflake glittered in the air like a diamond, and the sharp smell of winter wind chilled my lungs, giving me a sense of life. I reached Roxas's home in no time after that though, and soon I was walking up the driveway to my best friends home. It was three stories tall, the walls covered by a cream colored siding, a massive window facing out front on the bottom and top floors. Stepping up to the door, I knocked loudly on the solid oak, already hearing the squabbling of the two brothers on the other side. With a short shush, the yelling stopped and a voice called out.

"Who is it?" Roxas asked.

"It's me, you said to come over today right?" I answered. I heard the clicking of a lock and the door swung open to show Roxas in his usual outfit. A sleeveless, thin black jacket hugged his chest, the high collar reaching his jawline, with his trademark steel X charm dangling on a set of small chain links around his neck, and a pair of baggy black pants was gathered around his ankles. On his right wrist was a checkered metal band, and the entire base of his index finger was covered with a long white ring, the same for his middle finger but with a black ring. His blond hair had its usual spike to it and a pair of cobalt blue eyes looked me over for a moment.

"Let's just get this really quick," reaching out, he stuck a hand in my hair and shook all the snow out of it violently, "Come on in!" he beamed at me.

"Good to be back." I took a step inside and pulled off my coat, hanging it on a hook behind the door. I sniffed at the air for the usual scent of cinnamon rolls that came from the kitchen just down the narrow hall from me, and felt my entire body relax when the warm scent caressed my lungs, easing out the winter air. I looked around the door frame into the living room. Three couches arranged themselves in a U shape around a wooden coffee table in the living room, all of the couches were light brown in color and very fluffy. The carpet was black and dark brown like animal fur, and it covered the entire house, except for in the kitchen where it became a wavy brown tile. I knew that a fairly large TV was hung up on the wall just to the left of me. As usual, there sat two boys on opposite couches making sure not to make eye contact with the other. I held up a hand and waved at both of them.

"Hey guys."

"Hey" Ventus smiled at me apprehensively without turning his head.

"Hey Sora," the other boy, MY twin brother Vanitas, waved back. Roxas and Ventus were twins and looked insanely similar, like mirror reflections, but there was one difference. Where Roxas had cobalt blue eyes, Ventus had more electric blue eyes. The kept their blond hair the exact same style, and Roxas's hair was just a tad darker than Ventus's.

Then again, looking at Vanitas, you'd never guess we were related unless you could recognize how similar our faces were. He kept his spiked black hair a bit longer, but still a style akin to my own, and his eyes were amber yellow in contrast to my blue. He wore a red long sleeve shirt and a pair of black jeans held up by a iron studded black belt and a steel wallet chain hanging around his right hip. Ventus had a shirt on that was half white and half black with a high collar and a pair of pants similar to Roxas's.

"You didn't tell me you were going to be over today," I said with a raised eyebrow. He simply shrugged and gestured outside with a shake of his head.

"You saw my boat docked out there when you came in right? Where else would I be?" That's true, we go shopping for groceries together and school is out right now.

"Fair enough, you plan on staying the night?"

"Probably, if you head home tonight I'll be back sometime around noon so I can change clothes and come back to keep working in the booth." I nodded in understanding. Roxas, Ventus, and Vanitas all went to Destiny Island Music Academy, one of the best schools in all of the worlds to get into if you wanted a career in music. While Vanitas had no talent at musical instruments whatsoever, he could single fairly well and was a God in the sound booth. He could make a deaf barking poodle sound soothing.

"We're gonna be up in my room if you need us!" Roxas yelled over to them as he began climbing the stairs, "be good now boys! No more fighting!"

"You hypocrite!" Vanitas and Ventus yelled back simultaneously, a smirk on both their faces. Smiling at them, I followed Roxas up two flights of stairs and to the first room on the third floor. The house was set up in a very strange way. On the bottom floor there was the kitchen, living room, and a small guest room meant for any visiting family. The second floor had another large room which could have been made into a family room, but instead it was converted into a music room for the boys and anybody who wanted to try singing to them. It included a recording booth, piano, microphones, and several sets of noise cancelling headphones. This floor also had two offices for their parents to work in, and their parent's bedroom, all soundproofed so they weren't bothered when someone was practicing. The third floor had three bedrooms, two for each of the boys plus a guest, and there was another living room, the walls painted grey and the massive window blocked out by black curtains, they all connected to with a TV and Xbox, a large black leather couch and neon signs hanging around a small bar stocked with soda and ice cream. It was fittingly named the "dark room."

For how large the rest of the house was, the boys all had fairly small rooms. Opening the door, we stepped into his room with a whiff of old sheet music fluttering by. A loft bed with a desk underneath it sat on the opposite end from the door and next to it was a closet full of shirts and a wooden dresser. His wall was littered with posters of different famous pianists and pictures of opera houses.

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about Rox?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and pulled the desk chair out into the middle of the room, sitting in it backwards, my chest resting against the back, while Roxas climbed up on top of the bed, letting his legs dangle over the side. He looked me straight in the eye. Oh no no no, he only looks at me like that when he's worried. He took a deep breath and started.

"First off, are you okay Sora?"

"What do you mean?"

"You look a little shaken right now man. Did something happen on your way over?" My mind flashed again to those deep violet eyes. I felt the heat rise up to my ears. "Something DID happen!" he called out with a grin.

"No, nothing," I lied through my teeth, "anyway, how would YOU know that?" I asked while scratching my jaw with one finger, trying to pull him off the subject even a little.

"You forget that I've known you as long as I have. Whenever you're embarrassed your ears get red," he said, tapping his own, "and when you lie you do that thing where you scratch your face. So, spill. What happened?" He crossed his arms and waited, staring at me without blinking. I glared up at him in response, only to be shot down by a cocky lopsided grin.

"Fine, you win! Just stop it with that creepy grin."

"My grin is not creepy!" he argued, then waved his hand, "that's beside the point, continue." I took a deep breath and leaned in closer, trying to explain.

"On my way over, I kicked this snow drift and it blew back in my face. After I got done swatting at the air like an idiot I heard a girl laugh behind me," I sighed deeply, remembering the velvet tone of her voice. "She sounded like an angel. When I turned to look at her, all I could see were these gorgeous violet eyes, it was like nothing I'd ever seen. It was just this brief moment of us looking at each other, but when I blinked, she disappeared." I looked Roxas in the eye and slowly, a tiny smile played on the corner of his mouth.

"I hope you figure out who she is before too long." I nodded in response then looked back up at him.

"So, what was it you called me over here to tell me 'because it just can't be said over the phone it's so cool,'" I mocked. He grinned and rubbed his hand together furiously.

"You obviously know about my parents," he began, a cocky smile plastered on his face.

"Big time producers, famous for the work they did with Utada Hikaru. Yada yada yada, I know the whole story top to bottom by now. So, what about it?" I propped my head against my leg and waited for the explanation.

"Well, when we were practicing the other day, just sorta joking around, and you took Ventus' solo, it turns out that they left the booth recording from their last session," the smile was growing wider on his face.

"And what about this has you smiling like a maniac?"

"Now, Sora, before I say anything promise me you won't get mad, okay?"

"Why would I-"

"Just do it!" he pointed a finger at me and tilted his head, a single eyebrow raised.

"Fine," I put one hand over my heart and held the other one up in the air, "I promise I won't get mad." He let his finger down and took on a serious note.

"Sora, the three of us are continuing to go to Destiny Isle Music Academy once winter break is over. When we heard the recording we thought 'well, he won't be too mad at us' and sent the recording of you in to the dean so-" I held up a hand to get him to stop and began rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"Roxas, please tell me you did not send your school the recording of my singing."

"...We did…" he stated.

"Okay, how much did they laugh at you for making them waste their time like that?"

"They said they want you transferred into the school by the end of winter break," he deadpanned.

"Just like I...what?" my head raised as fast as my eyebrows and I looked back up at Roxas, who was grinning like an imp.

"You, my friend, have been accepted the one of the greatest schools for musicians in all the worlds."

...Huh?

Kairi

Ever since I was a little kid I have loved to stare up into the sky, getting lost in the deep blue gradience and imagining myself flying free in the clouds. It made me feel like destiny could be real, that everything would always end up okay as long as I could see the sky, it made me feel safe. I want to go skydiving just once, so I can actually be part of the sky and feel that sense of careless fun and freedom. However, my fear of heights and the sudden onset of snow across the island stopped me from ever getting near an actual plane.

Man is it cold out here. I inwardly sighed, pulling the old grey jacket around myself even tighter, trying to keep out every single wisp of cold that I possibly could. A freezing gust hit me square in the face and I shivered. I was just about to curse under my breath at the weather when I heard someone behind me begin to whistle in a deep and melodic tone. Curious to see who it might be, I turned around and saw the silhouette of a boy walking along, then kicking a snow drift and catching most of it in the face. A hand to my mouth, I giggled slightly and he whipped around. In that moment our eyes connected as though they'd been drawn to each like magnets that had waited years for a connection.

Looking at me through the haziness of the fog was the most striking pair of cerulean blue eyes I'd ever seen. They weren't the kind of blue that cut daggers through you, but seemed to convince your soul to show itself. His eyes were as tender, fun-loving, and free as a bird. I felt my cheeks grow hot, and turned around before he had the chance to see. In small, quick steps I continued to scurry away towards my house.

The snow crunched loudly under my feet, and with the image of his eyes still in my head, I turned around one last time to see if I could a better look at him. I wanted to see his eyes again, just one more time. But all I caught was his silhouette again as he ran a hand through his hair and began walking in the other direction. Sighing at my own expense for the terrible embarrassment that just happened, I took up my pace and started towards home without another moment of hesitation, my mind soaring through the clouds. Who was that?

Without thinking about it I made my way to the two story, wood sided home that belonged to my mother and I, put my key into the doorknob of the great pink door, and made my way up the stairs and into my room.

I came in greeted by the warm glow of the christmas lights strung around my ceiling at random, then promptly flopped down face first on my bed and the comforter, his eyes popping into my mind again. A light flickered to life in my chest. I laid there totally still for a while before my phone started buzzing next to my ear. The first time I let it go to voicemail, but when they called back I picked up the phone and held it in front of my face. My mood was lifted in a heartbeat when I saw a pale face with lilac purple eyes and flowing platinum blonde hair on the screen, the name 'Namine' over it. Sliding my thumb across the screen I quickly answered.

"Hey! How's it going?" I asked.

"Amazing! Hey, I have a quick question for you," Namine's voice was practically the embodiment of pure light, even over the phone. She'd been my best friend for years now, even after she started at DIMA this year as a sophomore.

"Sure thing, what's up?" I sat up and leaned against one hand.

"First of all, is there any chance you could stay over tonight?"

"Um, hang on, let me run downstairs and check with my mom really quick."

"Okay!" her voice rang cheerily. I set the phone down on the bed and opened my door back up, running down the hardwood stairs and into the living room. I glanced around, looking for my mom. The white walls reflected the sun that was starting to peek through the clouds a little bit, showing off the puffy dark brown loveseat and recliners facing a large TV, two wide bookcases hugged the right wall and a computer desk took up the left. Mom was sitting at the computer typing with earbuds in, so the clacking of the keys wouldn't take her off pace while writing. I walked up slowly this time and put my hand gently on her shoulder. She turned to me and pulled out an earbud, smiling brightly, her long, soft auburn hair falling out of its ponytail.

"Hey kiddo! You need something?"

"Yeah, Namine just called and asked if I could spend the night. Would that be okay?"

"It's more than okay, her mom called and talked to me about it earlier today. She said something about Namine having a surprise for you."

"Really now?" I said, curiosity seeping into my voice.

"Yes!" she grinned. "Now go on and pack, I'm going to work on this a bit more and then I'll drive you over, snow like this is trouble to drive in for you born islanders." I nodded and kissed her cheek, then ran upstairs and grabbed the phone off the bed.

"Namine? You still there?" I asked.

"Yup!"

"I got the okay to spend the night, so what was the real question?"

"Okay, how would you feel about finally meeting my boyfriend tonight?" So THAT was her surprise!

"I'd love to! He's all you ever talk about anymore, I want to meet the man that stole my spotlight!" we both giggled and then I heard her sigh.

"Okay, then when you get here we'll walk over, he's just a couple blocks North from where I live."

"Sounds perfect! I'll see you in a few minutes!"

"See ya!" I picked up a bag from underneath my headboard and began filling with with overnight things from the dresser that sat at the foot of my bed. Looking down at my outfit, I realized that it wasn't exactly the best for meeting your best friend's boyfriend. Biting my lip, I walked into my closet and searched for something that would fit the occasion a bit more. Finally, I decided on a pink dress I'd gotten on a shopping trip with my mom a while back, it had zippers all over it and a small black hood on the back. Stepping out of view from the door for a second, I put the dress on with a pair black tights. After loading my notebook into the bag and slipping on my jacket I went downstairs and found my mom waiting by the front door.

"You ready munchkin?"

"Yup!" We slipped out the door and mom took a deep breath, letting it out in a big puff. Mom's originally from some mountain range, so weather like this is when she's in her best mood. She nodded to me and we climbed into the car. One thing I'm always very thankful for about my mom, sitting in silence with her isn't totally awkward like I know it is with most kids and their parents. When we pulled up to Namine's house, mom gave me a quick hug and kissed my forehead before I got out of the car and walked up to her house. Where my home was two really big floors, Namine's was just about as average as it got. Her room was upstairs and her parents slept in the master bedroom in the basement, the kitchen was big enough for maybe three people and the living room was about as big as my room.

I walked up to the door and hit the small silver button, hearing the familiar gong like bell ring inside. Namine opened the door a second later and let me in, hugging me tightly before letting me put my bag down. She was wearing a white long sleeve and jeans with a pair of black snowboots, simple but beautiful. I took a step back and smiled brightly at her, waggling an eyebrow.

"What was that for?" she laughed.

"So, I finally get to meet Mr. Perfect then do I?" a deep blush formed on her cheeks and she began twiddling her thumbs. "Don't worry, I won't tell any embarrassing stories or anything like that, unless he asks. Anything I should know before we head over?" Her eyes got wide and she put a hand to her mouth.

"Yes! I can't believe I almost forgot! He's a twin, his brothers name is Ventus. One of his old friends should be there too, his name is Sora, Roxas had some amazing news to tell him!"

"What's that?"

"Well, Roxas told Sora that he should have sent in an audition to DIMA all year but he wouldn't do it because he doesn't think he can sing. So, Roxas recorded him in secret and sent the recording in. The school wants him transferred in by the end of break!" she squealed and jumped up and down. I smiled at her and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Okay, well you got get your jacket and then we'll head out. Sound good?' She nodded swiftly and ran up the flight of stairs to her room, returning seconds later, a baby blue jacket slung around her shoulders. I offered her my arm like a butler would and we began our short walk in the blistering cold. "So I take it you've met Sora before?" I asked, the curiosity getting the better of me.

"Yeah, a few times actually. He's really nice! He actually has a twin brother too, his name is Vanitas. Basically, Roxas and him met when they were really little because their moms signed all of them all up for some weird twin experiment. The four of them have been hanging around together ever since I guess. It was really weird this one time though, I asked Sora what his mom was like and he got this depressed look, he left right after without saying anything and Roxas was really quiet after that. I haven't asked about it since." I nodded my head and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy. I wonder what happened to his mom? Looking over at Namine, I could see her eyebrows scrunched together in deep thought, her lips slightly pursed. I could tell that Namine was getting in a funk from thinking about it, so I elbowed her lightly in the arm and when she looked over at me I wiggled my eyebrows again, making her laugh.

"How far are we?"

"See that house just on the corner there? The tall one?"

"That's his house?!" It was more like a small mansion rather than a house, three stories tall with massive windows, and the driveway was made out of colorful tiles arranged to look like a paopu fruit with a musical note in the middle.

"Yup!"she answered cheerfully, as though this was entirely normal. My jaw dropped to the ground in wonder. What do his parents DO for a living?! Picking up said jaw, we walked up to the front door and knocked, it sounded solid. A moment later a boy with black hair and yellow eyes opened the door, leaning against the frame like he was pretending to be cool.

"Hey babe, can I get a kiss?" his voice was all raspy, but it was almost too easy to tell he did it on purpose, then he winked at Namine and she rolled her eyes.

"Kairi, this one right here is Sora's twin. Vanitas, let us in already. It's cold out here," smirking, he moved out of the way and began walking to a different room.

"Roxas is recording 'River Flows In You' (A/N: Actually a song, if you haven't heard please listen to it!) again right now," his voice was normal now, low and gruff. "Sora's in Roxas's room right now and he's doing that thing where he sticks his tongue out a little so I assume he's practicing to record the REAL audition piece." He then mumbled to himself, "lucky jerk even got a good song." Namine coughed and I saw her head twitch to me slightly, Vanitas looked back and forth for a second before catching the hint. "Oh! Sorry, I'm being rude. I'm the younger twin, Vanitas, nice to meet you," keeping one hand in his pockets he reached the other out and shook my own.

"Kairi, it's nice to meet you too." Without another word he turned around and held a peace sign above his head as he walked away. "Well he's...different."

"Yeah, I know. If they didn't look so much alike I would never know that Sora and him were even related to one another."

"What do you mean?" I tilted my head in a question.

"Well, Sora is usually this really happy guy that's full of life and makes you think about that quiet on a summer night. But Vanitas has always made me think of a windy autumn night," she sighed deeply, "I know that I'm describing them strangely," and shook her head slowly, then took a deep breath and turned back to me. "Come on Kairi, we should head upstairs so that you can meet the man of the hour!" she began walking up the stairs slowly, turning around and putting a finger to her lips so I would know to be quiet. But because I was so nervous, any time the stairs creaked I would start apologizing.

As we got closer to the top of the flight of stairs we were on, I began to hear someone playing slowly and beautifully on a piano. It was like I could feel myself dancing gracefully among the stars and moon just by listening to its careful lullaby. I could feel part of my soul connect to the song and hold on tight, like a child did to their parents when they were leaving home.

"Oh my God." I raised a hand slowly to my mouth in wonder at the way each note was pulled perfectly from the page, the song was slowing down now and every note hung in the air and resonated as though int tune with the universe, creating a deep silence in the moments between. I got to the top of the stairs and looked at Namine. She was standing in the entryway to the room where that sweet melody was flowing, tears building up in the corners of her eyes, a bright and loving smile on her face. I stepped up next to her and looked in. A grand piano sat in the corner of a wide room with musical stands and microphones scattered about, sunshine blond spiky hair peeked out just from around the raised lid. The walls were layered with a deep red felt and the hardwood floors shined in the blinding stage lights. The far wall had a large window next to a door that allowed access to the sound booth. The song struck up slightly faster again and I looked back to the piano

I could see his body swaying in time with the music, all the emotion in this song was clearly coming from the very core of his being, the piano matching him as naturally as speaking to most others. We both stepped into the room and watched him in full view, his eyes were closed and his fingers fluttered across the piano with the grace of a ballerina.

Finally, the last few notes rung out and left us in awe. His eyes opened slowly and, noticing that we were standing there, he looked over and his eyes locked onto Namine's strongly.

"That was beautiful Roxas," she said quietly, walking over to him carefully, each step measured. His face got slightly pink and he stood up, walking over just as gently and grabbing her hand in his own and kissing the back of it softly.

"Thank you," he straightened up and held her hand, looking over at me. "Sorry about that, guess we must be pretty embarrassing to watch huh?" What is he talking about? I put a hand to my cheek and felt the intense warmth graze my fingers.

"Oh…"I said in sudden understanding. I smiled over at him and shook my head, putting my hands behind my back. "Not at all, it was really sweet," I nodded my head to their interlocked fingers. "I can see now that I never needed to worry about Namine to start with." He smiled at me gently before bowing slightly and taking on a different energy, one that fit his look a bit more.

"Well, I hope you liked it! It's what I'm performing at the Valentine's Day concert in a couple months!" he smiled impishly.

"I can't wait to come see the full thing then!" I grinned back at him as his infectious energy washed over me.

"Hey Roxas, where's Sora? I was hoping Kairi would get the chance to meet him. He didn't already go back home did he?" Namine looked up at him with a single raised eyebrow, kind of like 'I know you're hiding him somewhere.'

"Hey, I didn't do anything!" His hands shot up into the air in defense, then he put them back down and laced his fingers with hers once again. "He's up in my room going over the lyrics a few more times before he comes down to record the song. He should actually be down any minute…" an evil glint flashed across his face and he looked at both of us with a toothy grin. "He doesn't know you're here yet."

"No, he doesn't," Namine said slowly with a curious look.

"How would you guys feel about waiting in the sound booth over there while I have him sing? I'll keep the windows dark so he can't see you. The guy needs an outside opinion, he won't believe me or the other two idiots downstairs."

"What about your parents?" she asked.

"Doesn't sing in front of them," he shrugged. Namine looked over to the booth and back to me several times. She quirked an eyebrow up at me and I nodded back, an evil grin dancing across my own lips. Just then, we heard someone coming down the stairs, a soft thud echoing over to us.

"Hey Roxas, you ready to get started? I need to sing this while I still have the right image in my head!" a voice as smooth and melodic as the wind rebounded off of the walls around us. Roxas panicked and opened the door, waving for us to get in. Once inside he pointed to a large knob that read "Window" and closed the door, I reached over quickly and turned it all the way to the right, the window tinting as fast as I could turn the dial, and a light above the window on our side lit up, "Invisible." We looked at each other and flashed a thumbs-up.

A moment later a boy walked into the room with sheet music in one hand. He was wearing dark jeans that fit perfectly with a long silver wallet chain dangling down his to mid-thigh, and a brown leather belt. The side of his shirt was tucked into his jeans, the navy shortsleeve had a hood on the back, and dangling from his neck was a set of large steel chain links that came down and hooked onto either side of a simply designed crown. His hair was long and spiky, the same color as coffee, complimenting his lightly tanned skin well. He had a hand rubbing the bridge of his nose, his eyes shut tight in concentration. Just as Vanitas had said, the tip of his tongue barely peeked out from between his lips. He pulled his hand away from his nose and looked over at Roxas with a quick half-smile.

A gasp caught in my throat as I looked at him. Those eyes, they had to be. There was no mistaking the brilliant cerulean eyes that mapped the whole room gently, then settled on his friend.

Sora

"How much time do I have before Namine gets here?" I asked, walking up to Roxas.

"Plenty, I think. She called a few minutes ago and told me she was going to be late," he rubbed a hand against the back of his head and looked at the ceiling. What is he plotting? I nodded, pretending not to notice, and slapped the music against my hand, a wide smile spreading across my face.

"Let's get this started then." He nodded and walked over to the piano, brushing off the seat before pulling himself closer in, his fingers poised above the keys and a smile on his face.

"I know it usually isn't performed with your voice type, but I really think the judges made a good call with giving you 'All of Me.'"

"You only think it's a good idea because this way you can be there at the audition," I said, looking at him over my shoulder as I turned to face the microphone. I stared into the empty black window of the sound booth and took a deep breath, looking over at Roxas and nodded to him. He closed his eyes and his shoulders began to sway in time with the music as his fingers danced across the keys. Another deep breath and I closed my own eyes, my hands wrapping around the microphone.

What would I do without your smart mouth?

Drawing me in, and you kicking me out

You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down

What's going on in that beautiful mind

I'm on your magical mystery ride

And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright

My head's under water

But I'm breathing fine

You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

'Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfections

Give your all to me

I'll give my all to you

You're my end and my beginning

Even when I lose I'm winning

'Cause I give you all of me

And you give me all of you, oh oh

The notes felt right as the vibrato rolled through my body, the usual smooth tenor of the song replaced with my own bumpy baritone. I could feel my voice resonating in my chest. That's when I could sense it, my own true version of this song was just ahead of me, it was in reach. I added more air to my voice and opened the back of my throat, the resonating in my chest moving up and out into the room. I could see the picture I wanted to paint with this song in my head, of a young couple sitting with each other on a bench in the middle of winter, their child playing in front of them, the sunlight reflecting off of a million dazzling snowflakes as delicate as the first laugh of that child.I had a flood of emotion pour into my body and I sent every drop into my voice, I could feel the tone of the song change, becoming powerful and large rather than quiet and reserved. Just before the end of the song, Roxas stopped playing abruptly. I opened my eyes and waited for a moment, then turned to him, worried that he was going to tell me how much I needed to improve before sending it in. After all, it wasn't just some ordinary music school I was trying to get into here, it was at the top, meant for people professionally trained since the day they could speak.

"Look, Roxas I know I need to work on it some more but-" in a flash he was across the room with his arms around me in a suffocating bear hug. "Uhhh…" he bounced back just as fast and started sprinting in place, a massive and goofy smile across his face.

"I love it when you do that!" he practically yelled.

"When I do what?"

'That! When you get rid of all that doubt and start really singing! It's so cool! There's so much emotion and GAH!" he began shaking me by the shoulders, "I just know you're going to make it in!" I put a hand on his shoulder and had him stop shaking me, a smile on my face now too.

"That's some mighty high praise from the prodigy who is known as 'The Boy with a Piano for a Soul.'"

"Damn right it is! And it's well deserved too!" he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and held out a fist, rolling my eyes, I held up my own and our fists pounded against each other. "Alright, now that we've established just how good you are, Namine! Come on out!" I felt the color drain from my face and my heart sink. That's what he was plotting! The door to the sound booth opened up and Namine stepped out smiling just as big as Roxas was, she ran up and hugged me too, squealing lightly. She pulled back and her hands started flying all over the place.

"That was so good!" her hand shot out like a bullet and slapped Roxas' arm hard, "why didn't you tell me he could sing like that?" He smirked and rubbed the back of his head, a habit I mentioned before that showed automatically he'd been planning something.

"Thought it'd be better to leave you with a few surprises," motioning for her to come closer he whispered to her. "Is Kairi okay?" Namine eyes glazed over for a second and then she ran back into the booth. Oh great, and now a total stranger heard me.

Namine emerged a moment later with another girl. Bright eyes met mine and I recognized her without even a moment of thought. Those violet eyes stared into my own once again, all of my troubles melting away around me, and everything seemed to fall into place, in that moment the world finally made sense. I was able to see her, in all of her gentle beauty. Her skin was pale like milk, and straight auburn hair flowed over her shoulders. She had on a pink dress with zippers all over, the fabric hugging the enticing curves of her slim body ever so smoothly, a black belt tightened the dress delicately around her waist. Dangling around her neck was a small gold locket, it reflected the studio lights and glinted like a polished diamond. She must have realized how long we'd been looking at each other because her face became cherry red and she stared down at the floor.

Roxas nudged me with his elbow and looked back and forth between the two of us, then mouthed 'you two know each other?' I waved the question aside with my hand and a shake of my head, and finally remembering that there was this thing called MANNERS, I held out a hand to her. She looked back into my eyes briefly, causing my heart to skip a beat, before shaking my hand. Finally, she met my gaze and held it, this time confidently. Feeling reassured myself, I grinned and cleared my throat.

"My name's Sora, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Kairi, it's nice to meet you two," she shot me a small smile and I swear I could hear the angels singing of heaven. But more than that, her voice was even sweeter than I remembered, it sounded like the melodic whisper of a spring wind. I took a step back and, realizing that Roxas had tricked me into singing in front of other people, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, turning us around away from the girls.

"Roxas, I swear by all that is holy if you hadn't brought Namine here to protect you, you would be on the floor for making me sing something like that in front of someone." He smirked at my threat and waved a hand.

"Psh, you know you're happy that they liked it. I saw your ears getting red just a second ago." Dammit! I shoved him away from me, both of us smiling.

"Shut up, nerd," I stuck my tongue out at him childishly and turned the two of us back around to face the girls. Kairi was whispering to Namine hurriedly, and a look of understanding fell across her face. Namine's grin spread infectiously across her face and she started poking the other girl in the side, and as she whispered something back Kairi's face grew even more red and she tried to walk away. Only to end up walking straight into my chest, sending her flying back in a whirlwind of waving hands and apologies, my own ears felt like they had just been dipped in molten lava.

Thankfully, it was that moment that Ventus decided to poke his head through the doorframe. He looked at all of us for a second before entering, he made his face longer and put one hand behind his back, the other held in front of him at an angle. He looked like an old snooty butler.

"Excuse me sir Sora, but your brother requests your presence in the foyer. He asked me to deliver a message as well, Ahem," he lost the look and flipped me off, using the finger to pull down one eyelid while his tongue stuck out. "Hurry up!" A perfect imitation of my brother. He got the butler air again and walked out of the room. I looked over at Roxas and he shrugged, confused as I was. I ran a hand through my hair, walking out of the room and down the stairs with the other trailing behind me. My twin stood at the front door with his fleece coat on, his hand playing with his wallet chain.

"What's up Vani?"

"For the love of everything, please don't use that nickname," Vanitas sighed deeply and looked up to me with a dead serious expression. "I've got some pretty awful news." I felt an uneasiness growing in my chest at his words, then quirked an eyebrow and rolled my hand, telling him to explain, and with another big huff, "Yuffie is getting into town soon to visit for Christmas, she just texted, and if she sees that we haven't cleaned the house yet-"

"She'll turn us into trophies to hang on her wall…We gotta get back to the island" I gulped, looking at my twin, both of us putting a hand to our throat at the same time. I reached over and pulled my parka off the hook instantly, turning around to look at Roxas. "Gotta go bud, you know how it is." He nodded and began pushing me out the door.

"Get going! I don't want to go to your funeral this early in life!"

"Nice meeting you Sora!" Kairi called after, I turned my head and waved as my foot crunched onto the snow. The next second I was looking at my twin.

"I'll go get Yuffie from the train station, you take one of the boats and go clean the house while we have time, I'll try to stall as best I can." He nodded at my plan and we took off in separate directions, my breath coming out in big white clouds as the snow crunched loudly under my heavy footfalls.

Kairi

"Did he just say 'we have to get back to the island?' Aren't we already on an island?" I asked in confusion, looking to Roxas for details.

"Well, it's sorta a long story," he ran a hand through his hair, putting the other on his hip. "Okay, I'll just start here then. Have you ever seen that really small island about ten miles off the coast?" I nodded and he continued. "Well, Sora and Vanitas found out that there family used to own this small beach house over there, so when they needed to find a place to live we all went over there and fixed it up. They even built themselves a boat each out of some of the trees on the island to get back and forth, everything but the engine on the back was made themselves." Another spark of curiosity shot through my brain.

"What do you mean by the needed to find a place to live? What about their parents?" Namine nodded, wanting to know that answer too. But this time Roxas just shook his head.

"All I can say is that they aren't around anymore. If you want the story, you gotta ask one of them yourself and hope they're in the mood to talk." But Namine tried to butter him up, clinging to his arm and bringing her face close to his with her lips pursed, running a hand through his spikes slowly and deliberately.

"Please Roxas?" she cooed. He looked flustered for a moment, his face growing hot pink before he grasped her hand and pulled it away.

"Sorry Nam, but this one isn't my story to tell." Her face turned into a pout and she turned away from him, but a second later she sighed and let her head rest against his chest.

"Okay."Namine let out a small sigh as he began petting her hair, he then turned to me.

"So Kairi, ready to get recording your audition for DIMA now?"

...Huh?

Of course, back then I didn't know about your past, I didn't see the shadow hidden by that shimmering smile and those glowing eyes. If I had known, I'm sure things would have turned out a bit differently. And not in a good way. I'm glad you told me that weekend on the island, as the rain pelted the windows and winds thundered as they slammed against the walls of your little home.

~Hello there my ever so endearing readers! I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter to this hopefully long-running story! With almost too many ideas to move forward with, these chapters might get muddled and fast-paced in a bad way at times, so I hope you'll call me out on that so I can fix it. Review, favorite, or follow and I'll dance like a happy man!