My first fanfic in a while, so be nice. I tried to stay in character as much as possible, but hard a little bit of a hard time, especially with The King as there isn't too much to go on. Any constructivecriticism is much appreciated.

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Sora, Riku, Kairi

Sorry to bother you three so soon, but this is an issue of utmost importance. A rebellion is forming – a final stand between the light and darkness. Needless to say, your skills will be much needed in the days to come, and as such the sooner you can travel to the Radiant Garden, the better. The rebellion's base will be in the old Hollow Bastion Castle – don't worry, Leon and the others have been working very hard to clean it up and it's in pretty good shape now. The castle is pretty well guarded nowadays, so you should probably seek out Cid in town. You'll be able to find him in the market.

Don't lose hope, for the light of victory is upon us,

King Mickey

As the trio read the note, their pulse slowly quickened. The King needed them, was calling them to assist him in what could very well be the final battle. Just the thought of the adventure made their skin tingle, especially since this time, they could do it together.

"So, when do we leave?" Riku asked, a slight smile twinkling in his eyes. Sora looked at Riku and Kairi, who both looked so excited and determined. Sora had to admit, as much as he wanted to help – to fight the darkness– he could be as excited as the others. The fact was, Sora had spent very little of the last year and a half at home, with his family and friends. And now, after no more than two days, he was expected to just pack it all up and leave again? His mom was a mess without him, and he didn't think he could stand losing Riku and Kairi again.

"As soon as possible." Kairi said, frowning indignantly at the boys' hesitant faces. She knew what Sora and Riku must be thinking, but there was no way in hell that she was getting left behind or put on the sidelines this time. All this excitement and adventure in her life, and she'd been asleep or in a cell for 95 of it! The fact was, she could fight too, and she was gonna. "What? The King addressed the letter to me too!"

"But Kai… you can't defend yourself. What if you get hurt?" Sora said.

"Can't defend myself? I can too defend myself! Hell, I can kick your ass right now. Probably should for that comment!" Kairi exclaimed, stomping her foot in frustration. This was exactly what she hated – she could take care of herself.

Knowing that the discussion was over and Kairi was going with them no matter what, the boys sighed in defeat. Once Kairi set her mind to something, there was no deterring her.

"Fine, you can come. But we're leaving tonight after dinner, so be ready with all your things at the pier but sunset." Riku muttered, slowly walking away from their tree and into the abandoned shack.

Still frowning at each other, Sora and Kairi followed suit, and soon all three were in their boats, rowing home.

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As Sora entered his cozy house on the outskirts of Destiny Village, he inhaled the sweet smell of his mother's famous chilled Paopu soup – his favorite.

"Mom?" Sora called. "I'm home."

"Sora, honey, come into the kitchen and help me clean up. I made my special Paopu soup tonight."

Walking into the kitchen, Sora was greeted by a warm hug from his mother. She had been overly affectionate since he had gotten home, most likely because she had forgotten her own son's existence for a year.

"Mmyrsmhrnm" Sora tried to say as his mother squeezed him slightly.

"What, Hun?" Sora's mom said, finally releasing him from her death grip.

"I said you were smothering me." Sora said, panting slightly.

Setting the table, Sora and his mother talked about little things, each savoring the time together. After the soup chilled and the dirty pots and pans were cleaned, they finally sat down to eat. Devouring the delicious meal, Sora almost choked twice on the larger pieces of fruit. Finally, after pouring tea for his mother and himself, Sora began with a slight shiver.

"Mom? I need to talk to you, and I need you to listen to all of it before you say anything. Ok?" Sora said, gazing solemnly into his mother's cerulean eyes. They were so much like his, eternally blue like the sky.

"… Yeah, Sora, I think I can do that." She looked at him with watery eyes, realizing how grave this conversation would turn.

"Mom… I-I got a letter today. Well, Kairi got a letter, but it was for all three of us. Anyway…" Sora began. He had a tendency to get off track when he was talking about something important, probably to avoid the actual topic. "… it was from the King."

At this, his mother inhaled sharply and dropped her teacup. She stopped Sora from moving to clean up the mess and told him to go on.

"Mom, the King, he needs us again. He says we need to be at the Radiant Garden as soon as possible. It has something to do with this war; he thinks he can end it. But he needs our help – my help, Mom."

At this, his mother grew angry, slamming her floral napkin onto the table.

"If you think for one second that I am going to let my one and only son go off to fight in a grown-up's war again you are totally wrong! You will do no such thing! You belong here, with your loving mother, in the safety of your own home! For god's sake, Sora, your still a child!"

"I am not a child anymore! In case you haven't noticed, Mom, I've grown up. And… It's not your choice whether or not I-"

"Wrong, mister, it is my choice! I am your parent and because of that you will do as I say."

"NO, MOM! IT ISN'T UP TO YOU! THIS ISN'T ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT ME TO GO! I DON'T EVEN WANT TO GO! BUT I HAVE TO BECAUSE IF I DON'T, THERE WON'T BE A SAFE HOME FOR ME TO STAY AT!"

Sora, calming down, glared at his shocked mother. He had never once raised his voice at her. After a painfully long silence, his mother rose to clean up the spilled tea. After she finished, she turned and to Sora.

"The suitcase is in the attic."

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Riku was standing at the pier, basking in the warmth of the summer breeze floating in off of the ocean. He carried with him only a small pack with one extra set of clothes and a few trinkets, one being a keychain that the King had given him. As the sun hit the water, he stared unblinkingly at the road, waiting for his companions to arrive. Then, he could see the figures of Sora and Kairi running toward him.

"Hey… Riku…" Kairi panted, having sprinted almost a mile from her home.

"Let's go," Riku said.

"Wait, how're we getting there?" Sora said, but as soon as he asked he at the pier and saw a sleek black Gumi ship, being pushed into the wooden dock lazily by the ocean.

"We're flying." Riku said, and both Sora and Kairi grinned wildly.

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I know that the first chapter is kinda boring, but I promise it'll get better really soon. R & R! No flames!