Dedicated to the Great Romance.
A/N: Hi, everyone! It's me again. Talitha Koum. I wasn't gone for very long, huh? I told you I wouldn't be. I cannot live without a story to write. So here I am with the first chapter of my first 'sequel'.
On that note: Those of you who haven't read That's Why don't need to start reading this fic. Because you'll be as confused as all get-out.
I'll do my best to live up to TA expectations. More action, more fluff, and more funny. Maybe The Afters will be better than That's Why. Gaspeth!
I can't wait.
Without further ado, I present to you: The Afters. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: If Santa grants me my Christmas wish, I will own Kingdom Hearts. (Lol, in my dreams.)
First Impressions Are Everything
Insanity. That was a fitting term. Insanity.
The word 'parents' is enough to haul to most stoic of warriors off their rearend. Even warriors sentenced to their sick beds. Which is really saying something when it comes right down to the nitty-gritty. Especially since said warriors are renowned Bearers of the Keyblade. The same warriors that had, just hours before, brought an end to the evil of the Mastery.
Sora struggled with his sheets. As apt as he was with a sword, for the life of him, he couldn't wrestle himself from the confines of his twin mattress. "Kairi!" he wailed. Like it was her fault he was stuck. "My mom's gonna be here any minute! Do you have any idea what she'll say if she sees me like this? Get me out of here!"
The Seventh Princess of Heart stood undecided. She hovered at the end of Sora's bed, her perfect nails tap-tapping its ivory frame. "I dunno, Sora," she teased. "Can't you manage?" Kairi shot a how-'bout-them-apples? look over her shoulder and to the right.
Her proud/queried expression was directed to none other than Nevaeh Alexander. A newbie to the team of good, yes, but she was as fiery and twisted as any antag. Maybe. Nevaeh smirked. She fingered the end of her bright-white hair, more amused with split-ends than Riku's predicament. (Which was exactly the same as Sora's.) "Morons," she cooed. "Lady Aerith cast a spell on the both of you when you were still unconscious. You won't be hopping out of bed any time soon. You're in no condition."
Riku stopped his fidgeting.
Sora failed all the more.
"You could've said something," the former grunted.
Nevaeh shot Riku her death-glare of death-glares. Still, she smiled a seductive smile. As always. "Mr. Riku," was her purr. "That completely defeats the purpose of keeping secrets, doesn't it?"
Riku drug a heavy hand down his face. "For the last time, you don't keep secrets, you share them." By the time his fingers slid from his eyes to this chin, Nevaeh was upon him, her advance quick and quiet. (Riku didn't expect any less of her, but Nevaeh's skill was ridiculous.) "What?"
Nevaeh stayed her confidence until she bent down over his face. Then her attitude changed for the worse. Frightened worse. "You have a father, right?"
Riku blinked. If it were anyone other than Nevaeh, he would have rearranged their teeth without a second thought. "Yes," he answered. "Why?"
Nevaeh ignored Riku. Sort of. She grabbed his shoulders and shook the mess out of him. If Riku hadn't been spelled to his bed, he would have very likely flown over her head. "And your parents are coming here? Now? Right now?"
"That's what the King said before he left to fetch them. Why?"
A nervous bead of sweat trickled from the top of Nevaeh's temple to the edge of her jaw. "Bye." She made to leave.
Riku grabbed the end of her braid. "OH NO!" he snarled. "If I have to stay, you have to stay!"
"LET GO OF ME THIS INSTANT!"
"NOT ON YOUR LIFE!"
Kairi sighed. "Can't they be civil for once?" She spun to regard her patient, knowing that he, at least, would agree with her. He always did. But when she found nothing in Sora's bed (...except for a paper dress...) Kairi shrieked. "SORA!" She rounded on the boy who was busy almost-successfully sneaking out of the infirmary. In his boxers.
Leave it to say, Kairi wasn't impressed. "What are you doing?"
Sora flushed. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He lifted the latch. "I'm gettin' while the gettin's good." Sora cupped his hands around his mouth, meaning to direct his holler toward Riku. "The magic's in the gown! Lose it! Fly or die, Riku! Fly or die!" Sora cheesed a final grin and flung his only exit wide-open.
And there stood Axel.
Sora balked.
"Roxas, Roxas, Roxas," Axel tisked. He blocked the doorway with his long shanks. "You should be in bed." Axel flexed one way, then another. Then another. (If Sora didn't know any better, Axel was more interested in his stance than his blocking the escape route.)
Which was why Sora noticed: "Hey..." He pointed. "Why are you wearing your Organization XIII cloak?"
Axel cocked his eyebrows. "Sexy, eh?"
Sora scratched his cheek. "That's not the word I was looking fo-"
Kairi assaulted Sora's blindside. She pressed her glowing pinky against his nose, which immediately irritated at her touch. Nothing too drastic, like before. But it was enough to sting. "Gottcha."
Sora made a face. It screamed: Thanks a lot, Axel. "Yes ma'am." He retreated, shoulders hunched. Unfortunately for Sora, Kairi wasn't satisfied until he was back in bed. So she followed his trek across the shiny linoleum, pinky wielded like a mighty weapon. Sora's pace, of course, doubled. "Yes ma'am." And doubled again. "Yes ma'am, yes ma'am, yes ma'am!"
Kairi tucked Sora in. Nice and tight. She patted his spikey head of hair. "Good boy."
Sora growled.
Axel posed.
Riku and Nevaeh grappled.
Insanity.
The pyro kissed his bicep. "Ya know, I like this place. It's got everything I need." He stalked further into the room. His strut was as close to peacock as it came. "I've got magic fairies at my disposal – magic fairies that dress me how I want and when I want. Not to mention the babes!" Axel was close to tears. "Roxas!" he cried. "Forget Twilight Town! Here is the gold at the end of the rainbow!"
Riku paused his tussle with Nevaeh. He made a quick T with his hands. "Time out." He focused on Axel. "You do know that most of the girls you've met are going home, right? To their own Worlds?" (Riku's fishing did its job. Axel's face fell.) "Their stay's only temporary, remember?"
Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Nevaeh waited for Axel to respond.
"Right." Axel's departure was a quick one. "I'll just have to get their numbers before they leave, then." Axel ticked lady's names off the tips of his fingers. "Let's see. There was Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Ariel..." He was gone before anyone had the decency to correct him.
"Does he know those women are taken?" Nevaeh asked.
Riku scowled. "Probably."
(A/N:1)
ooo
Nevaeh found herself trapped in a perpetual state of anxiety. She didn't know what to think. What to do. What to say. There was no escaping the inevitable – there was no escaping meeting Riku's parents. Whether she wanted to or not. Nevaeh couldn't live on the same island, perhaps for the rest of her life, never knowing or seeing the two adults who'd raised the boy she...
Nevaeh felt sick to her stomach. She eyed the pair of scissors on the bedside table nearest to Riku. One snip would free her. One, little snip.
The echoes of approaching footsteps reached her ears.
"You're lucky I like you," Nevaeh muttered out of the side of her mouth.
"Hn," Riku agreed.
Tak-tak-tak...
Nevaeh gulped.
Tak-tak-tak...
The footsteps were louder, now. Closer.
Tak-tak-tak...
Nevaeh hid under Riku's bed. And him still clutching the end of her braid.
Riku sighed an unbearable sigh. "Scardy cat," he whispered. Not loud enough for Nevaeh to hear him, though. Heaven forbid. Literally.
No sooner had Riku insulted his melanin-deprived partner did his mother and father came waltzing through the infirmary threshold. Riku's attention failed to waver from their faces – not for Kairi's mom or dad – not for anyone.
Not even for trembling Nevaeh.
His mother was the first to reach him. She was Heaven's height. A plump soul, but irresistibly pretty. Her bobbed head of jet-black hair and her minty eyes of frosted green were all Riku could see for a few moments. Being smothered was never so contrite. He retuned his mother's hugs, almost sorry he'd left without a word. Again...
"Sugar-booger, are you okay?" She felt his forehead before he could answer. "You're flushed!" She fussed and she poked and she cried and she kissed.
"Let him, be Hana."
(A/N:2)
Riku's insides turned to stone. He lifted his eyes to meet those of his father.
It was often said that Riku was the spitting image of his dad. The resemblance was uncanny, sure, except for the details encompassing a buzz-cut, a fondness for cigars, the sheer thickness of certain muscles, and an overwhelming amount of testosterone. (Riku had to concur. While his father was a 'brute' and 'rugged' handsome he was a 'pretty' handsome.)
(A/N:3)
"So this is a palace, eh?" He scrutinized everything and sneered at its animated decor. "Interesting place." He ran his finger along the frame of Riku's bed, checking for dust.
Riku's grip on Nevaeh's hair tightened. Nevaeh 'meep'ed.
"Oh!" Hana fiddled to fret. And fret to fiddle. "Don't be so solemn, Rokku." She fingered her little boy's freshly trimmed hair. "Our sugar-booger's conscious and..." She dabbed the corners of her eyes with the hem of her flowery dress.
(A/N:4)
Rokku chewed on the end of his cigar. There wasn't much left to smoke, but he kept it clenched between his teeth nonetheless. Rokku's silver mustache bristled with pride. "I heard you saved Destiny Islands." When Riku half-nodded a confirmation, Rokku's tightly-shirted chest puffed at his own expense. "That's my soldier!" He thunked a mammoth palm across the back of Riku's shoulders.
Riku buckled.
"OY!" Nevaeh made her presence known. She leapt upon Riku's stomach, fighter stance as perfect as the first day they'd met. But, adverse to a week ago, her sword was nowhere to be found. Instead, she held a belt. Her belt. Or, rather, one of her many belts. Nevaeh's midriff was bare. And blinding.
Nevaeh faced Rokku. Her resolve had never looked so wicked. "Run, Mr. Riku!" she hissed, eyebrows as steep as mountain peaks. "I'll hold him off while you make your escape!"
It was fortunate for both Hana and Rokku that their son was so well acquainted with Heaven Alexander. Before the latter made a move, Riku, still possessing the end of Nevaeh's braid, yanked her down beside him. Since a certain albino's disquiet roved around Riku and only Riku, she was shocked at his act. Which was why Nevaeh failed to counter, block, or anything else.
Fwump. Nevaeh flew head-over-heels. Or heels-over-head.
Hana and Rokku stared. Rokku's cigar threatened to fall to the floor.
Riku could do nothing but smile a fake smile. A very fake smile. "Mom, dad?" He gestured toward the halter-top, the baggy-beige-shorts, and the mile-long-Rapunzel-hair. "This is Nevaeh."
Nevaeh took a breath. Once. Twice. Three times. "Pleased to meet you," she squeaked.
Riku consoled her: "Don't worry. They won't hurt you. Or me." He helped Nevaeh into a sitting position. Riku felt the need to do something. Even when that something was the last thing Nevaeh desired. She hated his aid because it prompted her to think he thought her weak. If that wasn't a mouthful.
Riku gave Nevaeh a mild squeeze of warning. He didn't want her flying off the handle in front of his parents.
Hana asked: "Sugar-booger, what was she doing under your bed?"
Riku cringed at her 'sugar-booger'. "Hiding."
His answer wasn't well received. If looks could kill...
"Why hiding?" his father growled.
Riku blinked. He lifted his hands in his own defense. The way his parents jumped to conclusions was incredibly embarrassing. "She was scared to meet you. She never got along with her father."
Rokku gnawed on the end of his cigar. He rolled the nub of brown from one side of his mouth to the other. "A rebel, eh?" His cinnamon irises burst to flame. Rokku didn't feel the need to expound. Like his son, he believed that the less words he spoke, the better.
Hana did her best to settle her husband's temper. But not directly. She patted Nevaeh's knee like only a loving mother could. "Aren't you precious?"
Nevaeh bowed. "Thank you, Lady."
Hana flushed. "OH!" She held her tiny hands over her chest. "Did you hear that, Rokku? She called me Lady!"
Rokku grunted. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets.
Nevaeh, inspired by their positive feedback (Yes. Grunting, to her, was considered 'positive feedback'. (Just contemplate whom she was hanging around for the past week.)), decided to elaborate: "Yes. Titles are very important to me. Why, I gave Mr. Riku a title the moment I knew his name. At that point, his title was more important than his death." Nevaeh beamed.
Riku's parents didn't know what to say. They staggered. "D-D-Death?"
"Oh, yes!" was Nevaeh's confirmation. "I'm happy I failed, though. Otherwise, I would've never received my first-and-only fairy tale kiss. Or my second."
Rokku made 'tch'ing noises.
Hana squealed a girly squeal. "How sweet!"
Riku pulled the covers over his head. "Kill me..." His withdrawal from Nevaeh's one-sided socializing lasted as long as his gainsaid curiosity. "Wait." Riku reemerged. Seeing as his parents were still suffering from shock, he had the time he needed to question, "What do you mean 'or my second'? Didn't Sarmiento-"
Nevaeh waved him off. "Tony was only kidding himself. He never had the power to destroy memories. Muddle them, yes. Manipulate them, yes, but destroy?" Nevaeh scoffed at Sarmiento's folly. "I remember our first kiss. A little. And I also remember raspberries. The only thing Tony's guilty of is making you angry. He's a fool for thinking he had the power to crush my recollections. The only person capable of accomplishing that feat is, or was, Tarsus."
Nevaeh couldn't understand Riku's alarm. Her revelation took the wind out of his sails more than anything she'd ever seen. Nevaeh returned her attention to Riku's parents. Because one of them was formulating a sentence.
"Y-You? And..." Rokku stared at his son like Riku was an alien. "Her?"
Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. "...hn..." was all he said.
Nevaeh cradled Riku's head against her belted chest. "Mr. Riku and I are an item." Sunlight streamed in from the windows above, lighting Nevaeh's smiling face. "I expect a proposal any day now."
Riku's face turned fourteen shades of red. "What?"
Hana fainted with jubilation. Rokku managed to catch his wife before she hit the floor. "Boy," he thundered. "You've got some explaining to do." Rokku swelled to his full height. All seven feet of it. "Eloping is not acceptable! Hit the ground, soldier! Five-hundred push-ups! PRONTO!"
Riku obeyed. Immediately. (His want to follow orders was unconscious, but quick.) Riku forgot that he was magiced to his bed and therefore took it with him. Not to mention Nevaeh. Before he realized what he was doing, Riku plowed through a round of push-ups. With every set he finished, Nevaeh was overwhelmed by mattress.
Until...
Nevaeh scrambled to her feet. She tore through bedsprings n' all, belt in hand. With a huff, she reached down through the layers of wire and padding, retrieved Riku's head, and threatened to choke him with her Lulu leather. "How dare you tackle me without my permission? Lecher!"
"LECHER?" Rokku turned as red as his son. "ONE-THOUSAND PUSH-UPS! NOW!"
Hana drifted back to reality. Her eyes were full of sparkle and wonder. "My baby," she sniffed. "My sugar-booger's engaged..."
"ENGAGED AT SIXTEEN!" The veins at Rokku's neck were stark against his crimson skin. "SIXTEEN, HANA!"
Riku wished he could drop dead for just a little while.
(A/N:5)
ooo
Sora sat undecided. He didn't know which was worse. Riku's sticky situation or his.
"My sugar-booger's engaged..."
"ENGAGED AT SIXTEEN! SIXTEEN, HANA!"
Sora stifled a snort. Sugar-booger. If that didn't take the cake. Sora had never heard that before. Unless he counted the fake pet-name Kairi bequeathed him in Space Paranoids. (He wondered if that's where she'd gotten it from...)
Sora had always made a point to avoid Riku's home. In fact, his visits could be counted on one hand. Among those rare occasions, he'd been forced to exercise and/or eat Hana's cooking. Not that she was a bad cook – her food simply came in bulk.
Even so, Sora would rather spend quality time with Hana and Rokku...
Instead of Kairi's foster parents.
The mayor and his wife were the best of the best. The crème de la crème of Destiny Islands. Whereas Riku's parents had character coming out the wahzoo, Kairi's were lacking. Very much. For Tomi and Keura, pretenses were everything. Their lot in life was to live up to their status. And they weren't about to anny up or compromise their hard-earned rank.
(A/N:6)
Leave it to say, Kairi's friendship with one Keyblade Master wasn't regarded in the highest of degrees. It didn't matter to Tomi or Keura whether or not he was the hero of the age. As always, they scrutinized Sora with looks of discontent. Especially since Kairi was holding his hand. Or, rather, Sora was clinging to hers.
Sora gulped. "Long time no see, Mr. Mayor."
Tomi ignored Sora. He situated his monocle. "Kairi, dear?" He made an odd, blubbering noise. "You have no idea the commotion you've caused your mother and I. We hadn't a clue as to where you'd gone. We were worried."
Keura nodded. Her fancy, diamond earrings jingled against her jaw. "Oh, dahling, we looked everywhere for you." She scuttled forward against the bondage of her chic, silk gown. Too fitted to walk. Too fitted to curtsy. Too fitted to do anything except stand. Still, Keura managed to move.
Sora had to give her props.
"Dahling!" Keura embraced her daughter accordingly. She kissed Kairi's cheeks. "How we've missed you."
"I'm sorry, mother," Kairi apologized. "But I had to leave. Our home was at stake. The King told you, didn't he?"
Keura held her nose. Like she smelt something bad. "You mean the rodent?" When she perceived the aggravated look on her daughter's face, Keura slipped her fingers to the bun-of-blonde at the nape of her neck. She took to styling perfection. "Yes, dahling, he told us everything."
Tomi tapped the end of his cane against the floor. "Yes," he blubbered. "King, was it? He informed us of your heritage and your..." Tomi hesitated. "...your powers." He changed the subject, hinting his relief: Thankfully, the Islanders are asleep. They know nothing of this incident."
Sora furrowed his eyebrows. "Asleep?"
When he didn't receive an answer, Kairi was forced to ask: "Asleep?"
"Yes. Asleep." Tomi dug around inside the breast pocket of his three-piece suit. He withdrew a golden pocket watch. Flipping it open, he added, "They've been oblivious to the going's on for several hours now. Ever since the lot of us were spirited away to this castle..." Tomi glanced around the infirmary. "...of sorts."
Keura wrung her hands. "Three, little witches..." She couldn't bring herself to continue.
"You mean the Fairy Godmothers?" Kairi smiled. "They must've put a spell-"
"OH!" Keura wailed Kairi into silence. "Spells and magic and Keyblades! What nonsense!"
Sora shook his head. "It's not nonsense." He summoned his sword. It materialized, as magnificent as ever. Its chain shone like the sun, almost surreal, and at its end dangled Kairi's charm. Truly, his blade was a stunning weapon. "It's not nonsense," Sora repeated. (In case Tomi and Keura hadn't heard him the first time.) "It's real."
Keura's wailing transformed into shrieks. "Young man!" she squealed. "Abandon that-that thing this instant!"
Sora did as he was told. Only because he was too shocked to sustain his power. "Wha?"
Keura snatched Kairi off the edge of Sora's sick bed. "Dahling, you mustn't associate with the likes of this boy. Or his key."
Kairi blanched. She braced herself. "This boy is a hero!"
"Well," Keura sniffed. "His heroics nearly gave me a heart attack." She invited Kairi to come along. "With me, dahling. Don't be so pertinent." Keura's tugs didn't influence Kairi's accord by any stretch of the imagination. Even so, Kairi surrendered to her mother's coaxing. "We need to get you out of those rags and into something suitable."
Kairi sighed. She followed Keura, incredibly disappointed. "Not rags, mother. Armor. The Fairy Godmothers gave them to me."
"Don't worry, dahling. Maybe they can dispel them, too."
(A/N:7)
Sora gaped. "W-Wait!" He leaped to his feet. A surge of emotions struck him senseless. He was angry Kairi's parents insulted the King. He was astonished they refused to believe what they saw. He was sad Keura thought him trash even though he was a major protagonist. He was confused as to why Mickey chose to wake the mayor and his wife, of all people. And he was also concerned about his mother, who had yet to appear. But, mostly, he was angry. "You-"
Keura shielded her eyes. "HEAVENS!"
Sora blinked. He followed Keura's used-to-be gaze.
Boxers. He was in his boxers.
Sora dove back under the covers.
Tomi blubbered. "Well, I never! How dare you flash my wife!"
Sora strove to evade Tomi's cane. Its end WHACKED his dome, despite his efforts. Amazing to think that he could defend himself against Heartless, Nobodies, and antags, yet fail when it came to walking sticks. Sora stayed hidden under his sheets until the last tap of Tomi's cane was too distant to hear. And that was really saying something. Considering his newfound, beastly sense.
Sora sighed. He closed his eyes and buried his face amongst his mattress. "Why didn't Kairi just let me run when I had the chance? Why?"
"I dunno," spoke a familiar voice. "Maybe she needed moral support while she confronted her parents. Or maybe she thought you'd be facing your mom, instead."
Sora tensed. He unearthed his face to find Roxas. "Uh..." Sora looked from his chest, to his Nobody, to his chest, to his Nobody again. "What are you doin' out here? Aren't you supposed to be..." Sora pulled himself to his knees. He and Roxas mirrored each other – they knelt, dead center, feet hanging off the side of the bed.
The sheets draped over their heads like a tent.
Roxas grinned a Sora-grin. "Aren't I supposed to be inside of you?" he finished.
Sora nodded. "Yeah. How'd you-"
"-Kairi's Light." Roxas squinted up and to the left. "I don't remember much of the past day or so," he muttered. "I was lost in the Dark. Lost in Tarsus' disease." He considered Sora with a sparkle in his eye. "I take it we won, right?" Roxas was loath to discover the 'holes' Sora sported across his torso. "And it wasn't an easy victory, huh?"
Sora fingered his scars. He wasn't sure he wanted to explain that they were Kairi's doing. "Yeah. But..." Sora shook himself from his reverie. "That still doesn't explain why you're here."
"Like I said: Kairi's Light. It sorta..." Roxas palmed Sora's shoulders. Enough to where his Somebody staggered backwards. "...pushed me out."
"Naminé, too?"
Roxas brightened. "I hope so." He grabbed Sora's arm. "Let's go and see!"
Sora wrenched away. "I'm not going back out there! Forget it!"
"Chicken."
"What was that?"
Roxas folded his arms. "Bock bah-kah!"
The covers whipped off Sora and Roxas' heads.
There couldn't have been a stranger sight. Sora, in his boxers, sulking like a child – Roxas, mimicking a chicken. The both of them froze, suddenly realizing that they were out in the open. Their hair stood on end when they heard: "Sora..."
A beautiful brown-haired woman stood flabbergasted. Her baby-blues isolated Sora's condition. (She didn't notice Roxas, who took it upon himself to vanish into thin air. Or: back inside Sora.) "I appreciate the note you left me. And I appreciate your willingness to cooperate with the King. Now it's time to cooperate with your mother." She flourished a piece of paper beneath Sora's nose.
It was a contract.
Sora gagged. "I can't sign this."
His mother loomed over him. "Why not?"
Sora couldn't very well admit: 'Weekends? Holidays? How am I supposed to save the Worlds with schoolwork as my first priority?' He'd refused to sign the deal once before. Sora wasn't sure he had the guts to refuse again. He scanned the written words with distaste.
Mickey's signature was at the bottom. Right next to his mother's name: Seito.
(A/N:8)
"It's for the best," Seito said. "Isn't that right, your Majesty?"
Sora was taken-aback. He learned forward a little ways, having just noticed a pair of mousey ears. They were all he could see of the King from where he sat, but they were unmistakably defeated by the looks of them. The way they drooped was a dead give-away. Sora knew the feeling. He'd been scolded by his mother more times than not.
The King shuffled his stance. "Listen to Seito," was all he would say.
(A/N:9)
ooo
Nevaeh admired her brand new weapons. Two, curved daggers. She ran her thumbs down the edges of her blades. "Are you sure these are right for me? They're so different from my sword." Nevaeh twirled the knives, one at a time, looping her fingers through the doughnut handles. "I feel so vulnerable now I can't summon my Keyblade."
Flora giggled. "Practice makes better, child. You'll learn to use them in due time." The fairy waved her sparkling wand. "Besides, you specialize in speed, do you not?"
Nevaeh nodded. "True."
Flora performed a happy jiggle. "Then they're perfect." The Godmother fluttered around, re-facing the assembly of dreamers. The entire population Destiny Islands was snoozing at their leisure. From what Nevaeh understood, their presence here had been somewhat rushed. At the time of Tarsus' Veil, Mickey's options were limited. It was either 'take' or 'leave'. And the King was much too noble to consider the latter.
After their comatose arrival at Disney castle, Riku, Kairi, and Sora's parents were pulled from their magical sleep. The lucky five in-the-know.
Or not so lucky.
(A/N:10)
Nevaeh bade the fairies goodbye. She left their presence feeling sleepy, but contented. She approached her fellow do-gooder, an oh-so lovable smirk gracing her mouth. "Care to test my abilities?" she teased.
Riku grunted. He folded his arms across his chest and planted the back of his head against the wall. Having escaped from his parents (Only because they were discussing this-and-that with the King and God-only-knew who else.), the first to-do on his list of necessaries was his clothes.
Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were easy to find. They always were. Magic radiated from them like it radiated from Merlin. Times three. Riku merely followed the pink, blue, and green sparkles.
Riku was glad he was back in a pair of jeans. A pair of jeans that weren't ripped to shreds. "I can't believe you said that..."
Nevaeh cocked a fine, white eyebrow. "Said what?"
Riku scowled. "I expect a proposal any day now," he impersonated.
Nevaeh took a step toward him. Then another. "Well?" she pressed. "Shouldn't I?"
Riku's heart threatened to give. He tried to speak, only to fail. The words: 'Are you an idiot?' were close to slipping past his lips. Riku was glad he had the frame of mind to keep his mouth shut, then. Otherwise, Nevaeh's fist would've compromised his stupidity. "Heaven," he near-chuckled. "Where I'm from, people don't marry at sixteen. Remember?"
"Oops."
Riku sighed. "It's a little too late for oops."
Nevaeh didn't think highly of his tone. She balanced her dagger on the end of her thumb, thrust her pointer and her middle finger up Riku's nostrils, and yanked him down to her eyelevel. "Your wit amuses me," she purred. "So I have memory issues."
Riku was experiencing an altogether-new-to-him. And, frankly, he hated it. At the same time, Nevaeh was so Nevaeh, she channeled his stoicism into something poles apart. Riku pulled Heaven's hand away. He couldn't believe he was actually starting to like her mistreatment. Which made him angry. He wasn't in a great mood to begin with so this didn't help. "Blasted flirt."
Nevaeh scoffed. She spun on her heel. It was of no surprise that her braid broadsided Riku's face. "HA!"
Riku trailed after her. "Ha? I bet you couldn't go one day without flirting with me."
Nevaeh stood stock-still. She turned her head the slightest of bits, piercing Riku with an incredulous stare. "Is that a challenge?" she hissed, already knowing the answer. "And if I win?"
"Whatever you want."
"Deal."
"Good."
Things might've gotten ugly if Sora hadn't made an appearance. His bed sheets were wrapped around his body like a toga. "Riku! I need your help. Quick!" Sora slid to a halt when he sensed evil intentions thick in the air. "Is this a bad time?"
"NO!" Riku and Nevaeh snarled at once.
Sora's ears throbbed. "Easy on the shouting, huh?" He tip-toed past the seething Nevaeh. Sora felt as if he was navigating his way through a mine field. One wrong step and he was liable to die a horrific death. "Riku?" he probed. "Favor?"
Riku glowered. "What?"
"I need you to open the Realm of Darkness for me."
"This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme, is it?"
Sora shook his head. "No. I just need to talk with Kairi."
Riku peeked over his shoulder to where Nevaeh stood. When he saw that she was doing the same as he, Riku snubbed her, as she did him. "So go talk to her."
"She's in the meeting-parents-the King-my Nobody-and the Light-Naminé-I just need to speak with her, okay?"
Riku blinked. "You're about as incomprehensible as Donald Duck."
Sora deflated. "C'mon, Riku, please?"
Riku stared at his hands. Not so long ago, he'd had the power to crush Chasers with a flick of his wrist. Now? He felt powerless. Not empty, as Aerith had described his situation. Just different: filling with Light besides full of Dark. "I don't know if I can anymore. Ansem's long gone." The pitiful look on Sora's face was just too pathetic to turn down. It was so sad, in fact, Riku was willing to give it a shot. "Fine."
Sora 'whoop'ed.
"First..."
Sora contained himself. "Yeah?"
"Go get dressed, will you?"
ooo
A/N:1: Haha, I love Axel. I think he's one of my favorites.
A/N:2: Ah, sugar-booger. Hana means flower pedal, by the by. I think. I used an English to Japanese online translator.
A/N:3: You know it's true. Riku could be mistaken for a girl. XD
A/N:4: Rokku means rock. Earth, flower pedal, and rock. All earthy stuff. Well...I thought it was witty. Lol.
A/N:5: Riku hates me now. This chapter is so much fun!
A/N:6: Tomi means wealth and Keura means beauty mark. Or something like that.
A/N:7: I may be delusional, but I think Riku said something about the 'Mayor's house'...once...in a KH game. When he and Sora were little. But I can't remember. I might've dreamed it.
A/N:8: Seito means star.
A/N:9: Seriously. This is how my mother would react if something like this were to happen to me. Just the other day, when my university decided to try and con me out of money I didn't have, my mother stormed the business office and raised Kane. I was so proud. A little embarrassed, yeah. But PROUD. (I'm still basing Sora's mom off my own.)
A/N:10: SHEESH! This is a lot of AN's! Anyway: That's how the King saved Destiny Islands from Tarsus' Veil. He had the power to transport everyone to the Cornerstone. So he did. Conversely, Mickey didn't have the time to ask or persuade. Else he would have.
In that case, it's best he keeps the Islanders asleep.
ooo
A/N: Just so you know, TA isn't going to be as heavy as TW. If TW was heavy at all. There's no 'main' villain here. But that doesn't mean there won't be plenty of action. First thing's first: the do-nothing beginning.
The next chapters will revolve around 'normalcy'. After that, I'll be making due the promises I made. Sora and Co. will be off to (Insert World Here).
My gasp. This chapter is so embarrassing. HAHA!
Thanks for reading! Leave a review and I'll get back to you.
God bless!