"This is bad." Riku stared of into the distance. A storm was coming in fast over the horizon.

"Yeah, what're you going to do Riku?" Sora looked up to the left at the older boy.

"We're going to have to have everyone evacuate the town. That isn't a regular storm. It's alchemy based."

Sora stared back at the sea. "Today's going to be a wild ride." He said.

xoxoxox

This is the story of Sora, a 14 year old boy from Crystal City. The story actually began a few years before, when Kairi arrived in Crystal City. Sora and his best friend Riku were six and seven at the time Kairi came. The thing about it was she didn't move there, she just showed up unconscious on the beach one day. It was Sora who found her and both he and Riku carried her to the police, who in turn carried her to the hospital. When she regained consciousness, she was sent to live at the orphanage, where she met Riku for the first time; who was also an orphan. After explaining what happened, she was introduced to Sora. The three became best friends for years to come. Sora, the only one with parents, never could understand the loneliness they went through. Sometimes they'd play on another part of the beach, away from the tedium of the city.

Through it all, Sora, Kairi and Riku remained best friends. From first grade, all the way to high school; they remained together. That is until Riku began wondering things. Like about Kairi's past, where she's from and how she got to Crystal City in the first place. It was then he decided to study Alchemy. He had grown tired of the orphan life, and decided to make gold so they could leave. Sora, reluctant to help, shied away from the orphanage for a while; leaving Kairi feeling abandoned and Riku alienated. Though Riku took it hard, Kairi was devastated. For you see she had a secret; she was in love with Sora.

One day Kairi got sick, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. No amount of alchemy could remedy what ailed her. Riku, depressed, decided to find a cure for her; providing he found out what was wrong with her. It was later Sora came back. He found out Kairi was sick. Sora knew of a cure; Panacea or the elixir of life, a remedy that supposedly would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Under threat of Kairi dying, Sora decided to take up alchemy.

One day, Riku came back. He saw Sora and went berserk, attacking his former best friend. In the end, Sora's alchemy was no match for Riku's. Due to Kairi interfering, Riku spared Sora. It broke his heart to see her protecting Sora after he abandoned them. "The Crimson Elixir" Sora said. They stared at him. "The cure is the Crimson Elixir." Sora had found a cure, but no way to obtain it. Unfortunately for them, to make the Crimson Elixir, it requires human lives. And so Riku set out again, to find said remedy to cure Kairi's ailment, blissfully unaware of what it truly is.

The night before Sora was to set out for his search, the orphanage burned to the ground. In the remains of the ashes was Kairi's motionless body. Sora sent Riku a message to come back, and that's where the story picks up.

xoxoxox

"What do you mean it's too late?" Riku shouted over the telephone. Sora had to pull the receiver from his ear.

"The orphanage burned down. The elixir won't work on those who aren't alive. It's over, just come home." Sora put the phone down. A tear fell from his eye as he reminisced about the good days.

Sora stood up from the desk and walked over to his closet. The funeral was in two days. He stared at his suit he was going to wear. "Kairi, sorry I'm so late."

xox

Riku dropped the phone. He was stunned. His search was over, it was too late; Kairi was dead. Riku's eyes widened in shock "N-no." He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Kairi couldn't be dead. Not before he saved her.

Unbeknownst to Sora, Riku was in love with Kairi as well. He knew that she loved she loved Sora; which hurt him more. It was supposed to be him, but this wasn't the time for what should've been. Riku got out of bed and put on his white pair of pants that happened to lie next to him.

As soon as Riku got to the closet to get his shirt and coat, there was a knock at the door. "It is checkout time sir. We'll give you a moment to collect your things."

Riku checked his pocket. "What?" He had to check again. "Where is my wallet?" His eyes widened. Riku took a deep breath and simply said "Oh fuck."

"Get back here you bum!" The owner of the inn threw a rock at Riku. He had made his escape without paying. Riku was on some type of chariot that moved without anyone pulling it. The sparks from the use of alchemy flew everywhere.

"Sorry for this! I'll pay you back another tiiiime." The chariot began swerving. "Whoa!" Riku lost control. The ride swerved over to the right, down a hill, and into a stream.

Riku spat out water as he sat up. "What a morning." Unaware that his bad luck wasn't over, Riku walked up the hill, only to slip in mud. His brand new suit was outfit was ruined. "This will never come out of white. I might as well leave it now." He began removing his coat.

"There he is! Get him!" Riku's eyes widened. "Oh fuck." He ran as fast as he could in a random direction, knocking people over. "Sorry!" He shouted to them as he kept going.

"You won't catch me!" Riku hopped over a fruit cart trying to evade the street guards. As he landed, Riku collided with a woman. She was much taller than him. The lady looked down at him with a piercing gaze. Riku froze. His good time with his bad luck had stopped. The woman's eyes resembled those of a dragon. They scared him.

"I gotcha you little bastard" The guards grabbed him by the arms, but he couldn't stop watching the scary lady. He was paralyzed with fear, and there was nothing he could do.

"Hey, you see something you like?" The man next to her nudged her a bit.

"Why yes. I think I do." She grinned at Riku struggling to get away.

xox

"Good morning his royal highness" The royal court alchemist Donald Mallard let himself into the audience chamber. He opened the small door that was inside the larger door and began a long walk towards the throne. "It's nice to see you this morn-" Donald paused in shock. The king was usually sitting in his throne listening to Donald rambling; but he wasn't today.

The short alchemist moved close enough to the throne to see a note. He picked it up and began to read. His eyes widened "WHAT?!"

"WHHAAAAAAATTT" Was heard all through the castle as Donald ran screaming. The queen and her nursemaid were at attention; the only one in the castle who didn't notice all the screaming was the very person Donald was running towards. The queen followed the voice of the king's panicking advisor/alchemist.

"Wake up Goofy, wake up. This is serious!" Goofy's eyes drifted open peacefully like he rested for days. "G'morning Donald"

"We have a problem. But don't tell anyone." Donald whispered.

"Not even the queen?" His eyes focused on the two ladies behind Donald.

"Not even the queen."

"Daisy" Goofy inquired.

"NO!" Donald shouted. He noticed where Goofy's eyes were aimed at.

"Ahem" Went the queen.

xox

"What on earth is wrong with you?" Sora grabbed Riku by the collar. "First you leave, and then you get arrested. What next, you commit murder?"

Riku rolled his eyes. He was seriously contemplating murder at that moment. "Look, I asked could you come get me, not give me lip. I could hear that in jail." The older boy removed himself from Sora's flimsy grip. "In any case, what are you doing here by yourself? Shouldn't you be escorted everywhere for what happened?"

Sora paused. "This isn't the time to talk about that, although I can't imagine how you found out." His head sunk low. "Right now, we need to get back. There is a report on the radio about a storm rolling in. We really should go." Disdain leaked from the brunet's voice and stung like poison in an open wound. Truthfully, he didn't want Riku around anymore, but he knew it would make Kairi happy for them both to be there.