Author's Note: Okay, first and foremost, I've been apprehensive about posting this story on this site for at least a year. I wanted to adjust to the community before I put it out there for judgement. I know many people do not like stories with OC's being paired with fictional characters because some ideas are just really far out there and of course, it would never happen. However, there are four books to the saga that I have created and want to finally have others read it. This particular story was written three years ago, I ask you to bear with me on the grammar. It may not be up to par with my usual standards. Just a reminder, this is a RikuxOC based fanfic. Please be gentle, read, review - and most importantly - enjoy!

Disclaimer: All respective characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney.

(C): My original characters and book cover belong to me (oceanblues496). I personally made them.

Preface:

It has been approximately a month since Sora and Riku have returned to Destiny Islands and the letter that they received from the King still resides in their minds with each passing day. The King had made the seemingly short note in a light-hearted manner, yet for the returned heroes, the document was no laughing matter. Who was this "special person" that was mentioned in the very last sentence? How would they affect their lives on the island? King Mickey would say nothing further in regards to the individual and ended his letter in a "Good Luck," almost mocking them that they would soon find out the answers when the time was accordingly appropriate. The one who finished the letter with a heavy mind was Riku, curious as to why the written document was more in favor towards him. The words "one you will care for deeply" especially replayed in his head like a broken DVD that you weren't able to fix, no matter how hard the efforts.

~ Kingdom Hearts 3 ~ Book I of IV ~

Chapter 1 - Getting Ready

"Mom, I can't believe you're going to make me do this," Riku groaned. As early as it was for her son, Riku's mother didn't want to hear the excuses. In her haste, she threw his uniform onto his bed and shook him as the teenager continued to lounge underneath the covers. Sheila's red curls bounced everywhere as she juggled picking up his clothes, sneakers, and books lying on the hard wood flooring. She huffed and nudged him once more in the side before leaving the room. With his parent's presence gone, Riku grunted again in self-pity, knowing full well what lied ahead of him if he didn't wake up soon.

He threw his legs over the side of the bed and proceeded to stretch as the morning sun shined through his open bedroom window. The day that he had been dreading had to come, he knew it to be true, however it was just that he wished it didn't have to happen so fast. He had spent a month sleeping until the late afternoon, eating to the maximum, and watching television into the night. How would any parent expect their child to return to school after such a tranquil vacation? Riku grabbed the uniform off his bed, which consisted of a pair of blue slacks and a white button-up shirt, and walked into his nearby bathroom. As he slipped out of his shorts and into pants, Riku thought about the day he had ahead of himself. The girls would most likely be throwing themselves at him - as usual - not to mention the ever so persistent Mae Mihada. He shivered at the thought of the name. She was the typical popular girl who every guy wanted: blonde, blue eyes, tall, manicured nails, had all the girls wanting to be her. Except she was the one fawning over Riku, and each time she approached him, he'd walk away without words ever being exchanged. That's his tactic for girls that style - avoid all eye contact and just simply walk away. It's worked for him since he started high school and it will continue for as long as he needs. After finishing adjusting with his neck tie, Riku swung the door open and headed downstairs for breakfast.

When he entered the kitchen, his father was flipping through the newspaper at the table while his mother poured coffee into his mug. If there is one thing you had to do in the morning, it was get his father coffee. His mother understood, he understood, and even Sora and Kairi understood Mr. Yunng's need for caffeine. Riku's father was a businessperson. He worked around the world promoting company labels and among other things, so it was a complete shock to see him at the table. The young man had inherited some of his father's traits: aquamarine eyes, grayish hair except his father's was practically gone. Riku took a seat next to Mr. Yunng as his mother placed some toast underneath him. When she put his breakfast on the table, she studied him for a brief second and made a slight scoffing sound. His father peeked up from his newspaper quietly as Riku touched the overly burnt toast with his fingertips.

"Riku, there is no way you're going to school like that. I thought your father and I raised you better," she glared. Mid-way through eating his burned bread, he paused at his mouth and looked at himself; nothing seemed to be out-of-place. Riku's mother lifted his chin, and pointed at his un-buttoned shirt.

"You need to put a T-shirt under that, and button your shirt properly before you go to school," his mother demanded. She turned away and walked back over to the sink, turning on the water to wash leftover dishes.

His father grinned boyishly and opened his mouth, "Sheila, did you ever stop to think that maybe our growing boy is trying to impress the girls?"

At this, Riku could feel his breakfast start to take shape in the back of his throat. Being the immature father that he was, Riku couldn't believe he had let his guard down for a fraction of a second. His mother hated when such inappropriate comments were discussed early in the morning, and no less in front of her. In addition, he knew better not to stick around and hear her lecture him. Swiftly, Riku stuffed the toast into his mouth and pushed the kitchen chair out.

"Have a good day at school, son!" his father yelled from the kitchen, but all he got as a response was the sound of a closing door. As Riku turned away from his home, he found a silent Kairi seating on his front steps. He took his shoes that were on the porch and sat down next to her, quickly glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She pushed her auburn hair aside as a warm breeze came by and released a bubbly giggle.

"Hey, Kai," Riku mumbled as he put on his sneakers. Kairi whirled her head in the direction of him and formed a pout on her lips. Something seemed to be bothering Riku - as usual.

"Is everything okay?" she stifled a laugh. Riku smirked as he couldn't help but to do so in the presence of his childhood friend. She always knew when something was irritating him, and today he could definitely account for that.

"Sora told me we got a new resident on the islands," he said. As he finished tying his laces, Riku rose onto his feet. Kairi followed the same action, gathering her books in her arms.

"Yeah, he told me the same thing yesterday. Being such a good citizen, I went ahead and welcomed her to the neighborhood," Kairi proudly explained. As he began walking down his driveway, Riku's head shot backwards at the Princess of Light and stared. "Did she just say 'her'?" he thought. She skipped down the stairs to join him, walking past the paralyzed individual as she went to stand on the sidewalk.

"Aren't you coming? We're going to miss the bus," she pointed out. The long yellow vehicle was waiting at the corner, picking up a large amount of kids as it sat and waited for the two. Mentally shaking himself, Riku rushed to Kairi's side to catch up as the bus doors swung open when they arrived.