Tomoko-chan: I'm stupid, I know, I'm writing another fanfic. Why, oh why do all of my ideas come when I'm in the middle of about three other stories? *sigh* Well I got this idea listening to the KH soundtrack my Perro-chan gave me for my birthday, and my thoughts kinda flowed from there. As I speak, I'm listening to the Halloween Town song, my personal favorite. Muah ha. So, here we go on another adventure in the KH world!
*****

In the beginning, there was darkness, and only darkness.
Sora exhaled a cloud of misty steam into the frozen wasteland. He shivered mentally, but found that he could not move to cover his arms in attempts to make more body heat. He blinked, his eyes darting around to try and see something, but there was nothing. Nothing outside of the darkness. He remembered being in darkness many times and not fearing, but now he felt a black sense of worry creep into his heart. Maybe it was not the darkness that scared him.
Maybe it was the thing in the darkness.
Someone else was there; he was sure of it. He could feel them watching. He could hear their breath intertwining with the sound of his own shaky gasps of freezing air. Their feet scuffled occasionally, and he feared that they were coming closer to him. The thing that frightened Sora the most was if they intended to hurt him, he would not be able to move in return.
He attempted a thought. 'Who are you?'
'I am. . .' The noise echoed through the barren chasm of space. Sora's fear grew within his chest, catching it in mid-breath. He waited solemnly, seeing if the voice would continue and complete the sentence. Moments seemed like hours. Finally he thought again.
'Who are you? What do you want?'
'I am. . . I want. . .'
'What is it you want!?' Sora felt himself grow irritated. His face went hot in anger. The voice was silent. Sora's teeth gritted in rage, his fingers clenching and his nails digging into his palm.
Suddenly, a soft low sound, like the sound a dying star might make, was heard in the blackness. His eyes went wide in abrupt realization.
::You're giving me. . .::
"My song. . ." Sora whispered, not caring that he was talking instead of thinking. "How did you know MY song? I thought. . ."
The tinkling noise was the haunting melody of a music box, its music swirling around him, engulfing him the bitter-sweet memories.
::Too many things. . .::
He remembered the smell of sugar in the Bizarre Room of Wonderland, the drops of dew on his face in the Deep Jungle, the pixie dust flinging from his hair in Neverland, and the white light in his heart as Hallow Bastion shook within its walls. . . It was all good magic. Sweet remembrance. Sora closed his eyes, smiling as a tear drifted down his cheek. All so far away now. . .
::Lately, you're all I need. . .::
He felt the familiar touch of a cold blade press against the sensitive skin of his neck, sending the hairs on his arms stand on their ends. His spine stiffened on contact as he felt a sharp object poke at his Adam's apple, seemingly inspecting it. A moment later, felt the sword (or whatever it was) disappear, and the voice spoke again.
"You have grown much since two years ago, Sora." The sound was loud and clear, as opposed to when the voice had spoken in cloudy thoughts. And indeed he had: He was tall and lean with strong, sculpted muscles in his arms, legs, and chest. He had kept his chestnut hair the same length and style, and his eyes still held the foolish, child-like innocence wrapped in sky-blue swirls, but his face had matured slightly. He had gone into his dark, lonely punker stage of life, so his clothing was simple: black, baggy pants with a blood-red T-shirt that had a shadowed pattern of a dripping, curved, Victorian heart, and an ebony zipper-strewn jacket to cover his arms. But hidden under his clothing was the silver king's crown medallion he had held dear since childhood. He had worn it through all of his adventures, and he still wore it now.
::You smiled at me, and said. . .::
A soft hand caressed the skin of Sora's cheek, startling him enough to force a gasp. Something brushed against his ear, and in horrified shock, he knew it was a pair of lips. They spoke, tickling his ear lobe in a disturbing manner.
"Don't get me wrong I love you. . ." The voice sang.
::But does that mean I have to meet your father?::
"When you are older, you will understand. . ."
::What I meant when I said. . .::
"No!" Sora screamed, his voice cracking. He raised his arms and flailed them wildly, hoping to ward off anything that would come near him. The gentle touch of the lips fled his ear, and he felt no one near him, or even far from him.
He was alone.
Sora slunk down to his knees, franticly grasping his ear. 'No one touches me like that except Kairi.' He mused to himself, calming down slightly. No one but Kairi would be allowed to touch him like that; he remembered he had sworn to himself. Kairi was his special star and no one but her could make him happy. He held her heart, and she held his.
And yet through this fear, Sora felt himself bulge at the thought of being touched again by the stranger to the darkness. He tried to shake it off, his brown hair bobbing, but the feeling would not pass. He sat on the frozen ground, feeling as if he were sitting on a block of smoothed ice, and waited.
::I don't think life is quite that simple. . .::
"Sora. . ." The voice beckoned. "Sora. . ."
"No. No, go away, no." Sora brought his knees to his chest, hugging them tightly and resting his chin on his kneecaps. He shook his head in defiance. "Go away. Leave me alone. No."
"Sora." The voice was demanding now. "Get up."
"What?"
"Get up."
"Huh?"
*****

"I said get up, you lazy bum! Wake up!"
Sora's eyes blinked open sleepily, Kairi's face staring down upon them. He used to jump when woken like this, and yell if she was looking at him while he slept, as usual, but he had gotten used to it. It was almost every other day he woke beside her, or was woken by her gentle face and small, soft voice. He smiled beautifully, his azure eyes glistening in the early light peeking through her lace curtain-draped window.
"Good morning."
"Good morning." She kissed his forehead, her lips smooth and delicate to the touch. "How was the night?" She stood up, revealing her full frame to him. She was still in her long, flower print night shirt which was getting too small for her. If she had placed her hands on her hips, the hem of her purple cotton panties would have shown, teasing him. Luckily they didn't, but the way the night shirt fell over her now fully developed breasts was tempting enough.
Sora laughed. "I'm sure you know how the night was."
A sly smile grew on her lips, spreading quickly. "I didn't mean THAT part of the night. I know about that part. I mean, how did you sleep?"
He sat up, pushing his messy bangs from his eyes only to have them bounce back. "I had a dream, but. . ." he kept his hand on his forehead. "It's not like I don't remember it or anything, I just can't describe it."
She sat on the bed, placing her hand in his. "Was it a bad dream?"
He shook his head. "I don't know."
She offered a gentle grin. "Don't worry. It's over now, even if it wasn't a bad dream." She leaned over, burying her head into his bare chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm here now."
He placed a hand on the back of her strawberry-auburn hair, which had grown to her shoulders over time, and patted it. "Yea, I know." He lowered his head and allowed his lips to brush against her hair, signaling a kiss. He let his head loll there for a moment, in taking the thick citrus scent that perfumed her hair. 'God, I love that smell.' Sora thought with passion. It was like fruit with drops of dew caressing the sides.
"You know," Sora whispered into her hair, "there is one thing you could do to make me forget the dream all together."
"Oh?" Kairi giggled, lowering her arms, then running her fingers along his spine to make him shiver. "What would that be?"
"You. . ." He lifted her away and grinned foolishly. "You could make me some chocolate-chip pancakes!"
Kairi looked at him inquisitively for a moment, then erupted in giggles. "Sure. You'll never grow up, will you Sora?"
"Probably not." He lowered his arms and used them as support while he leaned backwards. "I'll be getting my license soon, but it'll be like an arcade game for me, you know? And your kisses still make me blush like when I was five."
She smiled. "That partly why I like you, Sora. You won't grow up. You'll always be a little kid. It's like you defy the restrictions of time or something."
An eyebrow was raised. "Please, let's keep the words little and the subjects based on candy. I'll understand it better that way."
"Okay." She stood up and ruffled his layers of golden-brown hair. "I just need to change." She peeked over her shoulder. "Wanna watch me?"
Sora smiled, and closed his eyes in childish disgust. "Eww! You'll be nakie! You'll give me cooties, or something!"
Her smile hardened a bit. "Do you, or don't you?"
He looked up, serious. "Sure."
She turned, her back facing him, and tugged the night-shirt over her head. Her skin was painted a beautiful tan, as if it were cream mixed with cinnamon. He sat up straight, his hands lifeless on her blinding pink sheets, and watched breathlessly as she revealed herself. Her breasts were perfectly sculpted and were set apart from her tan with a silky milk color gracing them. Her nipples were a light chocolate color, and Sora felt the urge to run up and lick them slowly and deliciously. Kairi's amethyst eyes locked onto his sky blue ones as she reached for the handle of her girly dresser with painted hearts and roses. Opening the drawer slowly, she grasped a violet bra and began to pull it over her shoulders, hiding her glowing perfection. A look of disappointed slathered Sora's face, but perked up again when Kairi pulled out a pair of white cotton panties. He smiled mentally at what he knew would come. She fingered the lacey edges of her current panties and began to pull then down.
'So,' Sora thought, his eye open and wide. 'She has naturally black hair.' A blush dotted his cheeks in embarrassment. She smiled and blushed a soft pink as well, quickly pulling on the clean panties. The rest of the changing process was uneventful, but the sight kept Sora's face red for many minutes. Kairi pulled on a black tank-top with the words 'Aishiteru Koishii' written in white, bold letters. She pulled on a deep indigo skirt that mused over her thighs and buttocks flirtatiously and buckled the white and black stripped belt. She grasped a handful of her hair and pulled it back into a small ponytail, tying it with a lacey purple and black hair tie. She turned to him, her daily routine completed, with a smile on her face.
"Ready for those pancakes?"
"Uh, huh?" Sora blinked, confused. His mind was still on those violet panties as they inched lower and lower. . . He shook his head. "Yea. Sure I am." He nodded vigorously. He stood unsteadily from the bed, wobbling momentarily like a new-born colt. The smile on Kairi's face curved as her cheek bloated to hold in the guffaws. Sora was confused.
"What is it?"
"Feeling a little cold, Sora?"
"Not really. Why?"
"I just noticed. . . you look a bit chilly."
Sora looked down, the redness in his cheeks increasing ten fold. He attempted to cover himself, but to no avail. Kairi had seen him, and was now blushing and giggling like a school girl who had just learned how babies are made.
"My, Sora," She managed through a smile. "I'd think you'd be a lot smaller, but I was very wrong."
He attempted a smile as well as he began to pull his black boxers on, but he only blushed deeper. Kairi felt his embarrassment and froze her smile into a friendly grin. She walked over to the widow, brushed the lace curtains and branches from the tree by her window aside, and closed the window. She leaned against it until she saw Sora slip on his puffy, black skater shoes, then stood and walked with him down the stairs.
"Hey," She tried to start up a conversation. "You know how my parents are out of town for the weekend to go to a party?"
"Yea." Sora responded, the pink fading from his face.
"Well, they said I could throw a party if I wanted to. Wanna come?"
"Sure. When is it?"
"It starts at seven," she graced him with a smile. "But you can come a lot earlier if you want. . ."
"Well, I'll be sure to keep my schedule open for you." He laughed as he jumped off of the last step.
"I'll need you to spread the word about it though. I don't have time to send out invitations. I would send E-mails, but some people might not get it in time."
"No prob. Hey, you think maybe Leon, Yuffie, and Aires could come? I mean, if they get the invite in time? Their gummy ship is pretty fast."
Kairi was quiet for a while. Her face went ashen. "Sure."
"What is it?" He touched her shoulder lovingly.
"They were so kind to me. They helped me find you. But. . ." A tear welled up in the corner of her eyes. She hid her face from him, ashamed that she was about to weep. "But whenever I see them, I think of Riku, and how I'll never see him again. . ."
Sora felt his heart crack at the name. He offered his arms, and she nearly fell into them. He remembered Riku. He had been there when. . .
He just seemed to vanish within them. It was like they ATE him.
Sora sniffled, rewinding his tears. Riku had not been weak, nor had he been strong.
Riku had been confused and lost. That was all there was to it.
"I couldn't stand it for the longest time." Kairi continued, her sobs shaking her tiny body like a convulsion. "I couldn't bear the thought of living and playing in the same place we dueled and talked and grew up together. I couldn't bear the idea of going over to his house to watch scary movies and he wouldn't be there to make fun of how I jumped at the freaky parts. I didn't look at the sky for a month. They reminded me of his eyes, and how they were gone." She clutched part of his jacket and buried her head into his chest. "He gave me the dueling stick that I used to protect myself in Traverse Town. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."
"You almost weren't here because of him."
"I know. . . that's what hurts. How could he have saved me and almost have hurt me at the same time?" Her arms moved from his jacket to around his thin waist. "The memories were so hard to have, Sora. How could I cope with something like that? He was like my brother."
"But you DID cope. You're alright now, Kairi. Even though Riku almost hurt you, deep inside, I didn't think it was him. You knew too. But now I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He squeezed her lightly, embracing her.
::Hold me,
Whatever lies beyond this morning
Is a little later on
Regardless of warnings,
The future doesn't scare me at all
Nothing's like before. . .::
*****

Tomoko-chan: Well, what did you think? Was it good? Do I need to improve? Please tell me these things, because I am not a very good analyzer. (Flashback to Tomoko-chan's Science class: "Analyze the problem." "Um. . . It's a hard problem?") Also, I need help with my other fanfics as well. I need ideas for my fanfic 'Hair of Blood, Tears of Joy' and a good lemon site to help me with my fanfic 'Incubus'. For 'The Poetic Archive' all I need are your favorite characters so I can write poems on them. Fun, fun, fun! Anywho, please R&R, but no flames please. Death threats are fine, though. I think they're funny ^_^

Ja ne!