Disclaimer: I own the OC's and plot, not the original characters and such. I'd made this story a long time ago. I felt like submitting it on for the sake of my (short) reputation as a writer. You can review if you like. I have a couple of chapters done, but I am not sure if I will continuing this story. So it will be on hiatus until I can figure out the next, next chapters.

Re-edit: I am beginning to revise this fic to fit into T-rating. This fic sounds kind of simple and and low-profile, so I'm trying, just a bit, to spice things up with better sentences and whatnot. Hope it sounds nice, and anyone who has an opinion on this, please review to me for insight.

Re-posted: 3/31/12 (At midnight.)

Chapter One

Arrivals

A certain red-head waited on the weathered-down concrete stoops of the city hall building. Dressed in modest casual wear, she had been sitting down solemnly with her bulging suitcase and battered school backpack besides her. The dreary, hazy sky matched her mood. I wish they'd hurry up, she thought, bored, but under her impatient and dull exterior hid her somewhat controlled excitement. I finally get to see more of the outside world and get a real chance to be me for once.

Kairi Namika had lived under foster care most of her life. Her father was a mayor of Traverse Town, the vicinity she resided in now. Her mother - from which she was a carbon copy of - had died when she was five-years-old due to an impulsive and time-consuming incurable illness. Even though her father was the mayor of Traverse Town, Kairi was born in Radiant Garden, where her mother and her side of the family lived. A beautiful city which was the closest in resemblance to the Kingdom itself. With castle-like buildings, large gardens and scenery, and overflowing fountains and waterways. Her father never had time to take care of her so she had lived with her caring grandmother. By the time she was eight, her grandmother passed away as well from old age. Kairi had been authorized back to her father in Traverse Town, but was issued into a foster family that her father chose for her to live with. It was because her father was never a 'father' to her, just a figure-head with shared blood.

It wasn't all that bad. But she missed the gardens of colorful flowers in Radiant Garden. Filling a fresh aromous fragrance in the city. She'd remembered taking long walks around the outer gardens holding her grandmother's hand. Sitting by the fountains, looking at her reflection, or feeding birds bread crumbs. The way the sun would shine among the castle towers and mansions, casting broad shadows to create mimical images. How the crystal water would glimmer like an ocean of gems. Everyone was happy there. No war, no darkness, no pain. Light and peace reigned the city. The Kingdom's most cherished and beloved city. The untouchable land that survived the war generations ago without a single scratch.

She had cried when she had left.

Eight years had passed.

Kairi was never really happy in Traverse Town. Most the time, the sun would set by five in the afternoon, even though the glorious sun didn't illuminate the town none at all, obscured by the haggard clouds. Other days, it was like living all-year in an eerie, colorless, autumn with the remote breeze and distant call of a nighttime animal.

Kairi lived with two people, Mr. and Mrs. Yamamoto, who were closer to her than her dad, by at least acquiring her tastes and preferences. In a loose interpretation she would miss them. They were kind and open-minded people but they weren't real family.

Friends? She had none. Kids at school thought she was a stuck-up and imposing when they discovered her dad was the mayor. Some kids were cruel to other kids so Kairi would avoid them and she could ever seem to connect with anyone. You know, that click that everything fell into place piece by piece with no internal or external struggle. But then again, Kairi was a kind-hearted person, a good listener, and had a caring nature. She never shouted unless provoked and rarely gotten into fights even though she knew how to. To an outsider, she did not belong.

She sighed, chin perched on her heads, elbows on her thighs. Her shoulders sagged, but the perception in her lovely lavender eyes betrayed unspoken interest. Her life had changed about one week ago.

...

Kairi walked down the hallway in Traverse Town's City Hall building. It was one of her weekly visits to see her dad. Not like they wanted to, but the officials thought it be best for her to speak to her dad once every week. Update stuff that happen lately, hear her grades in school, or report how the Yamamotos' were treating her. Every visit was strained and indifferent, and lasted up to ten everlasting minutes. No eye contact. No physical contact. Just being...face to face.

This day was different. In a freaking good way.

So just when Kairi reached the mayor's door and was about to initially knock, she heard a voice.

"Mister Sato, is it true you have a daughter?" a sweet soft-tenor voice asked. It was definitely a young women from the sound of it. Feminine and between the lines of murmuring and whispering. But every word was articulated to clear perfection and flowed off the tongue like water dripping down a slope.

Kairi couldn't help but eavesdrop - for Fate's noisy interference - they were talking about her. To get a better idea what was happening, she peeked through the door's cleavage. Her father was seated at his desk as usual in his mayor suit attire. The lady's voice belonged to a slim figure standing upright near the windows. Since the windows were on the far left side, Kairi couldn't make the figure out but her shadow that stretched on the dense carpet.

Her father spoke up, "Yes, I do. Her name is Kairi."

"But your last names are different," noted the young lady.

The mayor sighed. The question was always brought up. "Her mother and I had never gotten married before she died."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," the lady apologized sincerely. It could have made anyone cave in - the way the lady spoke with such emotion and sympathy.

"It's fine." Her father waved off the matter quickly. He tethered his hands in front of him, leaning forward into business. "What is it you want to know about Kairi?"

"I was wondering...would she like to - how I say - be given a chance to live in Radiant Garden and go to school there?" suggested the lady.

Kairi perked up, her eyes widened.

The mayor was baffled. "As in adopt her?"

"No! No! I meant, you see, I'm giving some children a second chance in life or so to come to the first city and get a high education. They will live in one of my mansions like a dorm and be enriched with the styles of the people there and such." The lady paused to let the mayor absorb the news. "I would be sort of like their guardian or supporter. I have someone to take care of them and see they can fit in." She sounded so genuine about the free proposal despite the lack of details.

Say yes! Kairi squealed in her head. Then she begged, seeing how her vote didn't matter. Oh, please say yes, dad.

The mayor hesitated, his eyebrows knitted with great thought. "I guess so...Kairi was born and lived there when she was younger. She'd probably have a better life there. She's been quite...down here." Kairi never knew her father saw her as 'down'. She assumed he saw all of Traverse Town as 'down', including her.

"So may she?" the lady wanted to confirm. Kairi could imagine the lady giving a convincing smile.

Having decided wholly, Kairi's father nodded approvingly. "Of course."

"Yes!" Kairi gasped, than clamped her hand over her mouth quickly and scurried away, afraid they'd heard her. No one came barging out the doors so she quietly tip-toed down the hallway and sat relieved at her fortune, clutching her chest.

"I'm going back to Radiant Garden!" she whispered, thrilled.

...

Kairi was broken from her reminiscing when a black sedan car pulled up from the road and parked in front of city hall curb. A muscular man in his mid-twenties, wearing a black and white suit decorated with emblems and marks and long dredlocked black hair, emerged out from the sedan and approached her. She was slightly intimidated by his massive size and dutiful gait.

"Kairi Namika? My name is Dilan. I'm here to escort you to Radiant Garden." The man - Dilan - said stonily.

Kairi took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes sir," she replied and hoisted her backpack while Dilan took her suitcase. She turned around to take one last look at Traverse Town. Her goodbyes were done. But unbeknownst to her, her father was peering discreetly out his window, watching his daughter leave along with his consent. He would have no reminder of his past love life. He would figure out if it had meant anything in the near future.

No pang of guilt or sadness, Kairi couldn't help but feel nothing about it.

...

Dilan drove for a while until he stopped and told Kairi to get her things. Feeling that they weren't there yet, she obeyed and got out with her stuff.

Glancing around, she saw they stopped at a train station near Traverse Town's outskirts. Dilan gestured for her to follow him and walked up to a open ticket counter. The attendee looked utterly inanimated.

"Two reserved tickets to Radiant Garden for Kairi and Dilan," Dilan told the man.

The man nodded and shuffled around in his boxed enclosure and unerringly held up two tickets with the words Radiant Garden printed on the location box.

"Please sign your names here," said the ticket man. Sliding a piece of paper and a pen towards them, Kairi and Dilan both signed their names and boarded the specific train.

"It will take at least a day to Radiant Garden," Dilan informed Kairi. "There is a cart booked for us."

"Cart?" Kairi repeated. She's only ridden in a train once. When she had to leave Radiant Garden when she was young of incomprehension and full of grief that drowned any other thought.

"Part of the train's cabin," Dilan explained passively. "We have number five."

Kairi nodded to show she understood as they searched for their cabin.

About two hours later, Kairi was settled in one of the train's many table booths to daydream, wandering in her mind about her upcoming experience. Train boxes were for travelers who's destination took a day or more. Being split up in four sections, having four sleeping compartments, two table booths, and shelf cabinets for their belongings. The isle splited the train down the middle. Kairi usually stared out the window watching the scenery change or glance aimlessly at objects in the train.

Kairi also wondered about Dilan. A quiet, stern man who rarely spoke unless needed to. He seemed like a guard or escort and was really muscular and serious. He sat in the other booth, arms crossed. So Kairi tried a conversation, also hoping she can find more of what she heading into.

"Dilan, do you live in Radiant Garden?" Kairi asked, breaking the ice with a simple question.

The man glanced at her and nodded.

"Why were you the one to escort me there?" she continued to interrogate, but not discredit authority.

"I work as a guard and protector of the main castle at Radiant Garden. My boss, Lord Ansem, ordered me and some others that we were to collect children from the other Kingdom cities and towns for a colleague of his," Dilan said monotonously.

"Do you know who exactly?" she probed lightly.

Dilan shook his head negatedly. "I have a feeling it's from someone more high-ranked or important than my lord. I will follow the orders as so."

"Um, do you know about the other kids I'm going to live with?"

"No. But as I said, they are from the other Kingdom lands."

"How about the school I'm going to? It's supposed to be a good school."

"That would be Kingdom Academy."

Kairi eyes widened bewilderedly. She was going to that school! "The school originally originated from the Kingdom for the royal and well known?" she nearly gasped, dumbfounded.

Not caring much of her reaction, Dilan nodded again.

Kairi mouth formed an 'o'. Wow! She was going to the Kingdom Academy! Free of scholarship! Not to mention she'd gotten a free-expensed ride to Radiant Garden and was living under a new roof. She felt like squealing for joy. Genial elation that made her heart run in anticipation.

"You might want to rest. We'll be there tomorrow," Dilan said stiffly.

Kairi didn't feel like sleeping, but otherwised obeyed. Slipping into a compartment, she drew the curtains shut and forcibly shut her eyes.

Her dreams were filled with magnificent gardens and bright streets.

...

"Our first stop this morning is Radiant Garden. All personal please unboard if for Radiant Garden."

Dilan and Kairi were already packed up. They unboarded the train (Kairi had to hop off the train to the station curb because she had shorter legs). The station was bustling with restless people with smiling faces and bright eyes. Totally opposite of Traverse Town, and much, much better. A nostalgic wave currented Kairi's nerves. She knew this place. She was home.

"Wow!" Kairi breathed, chin raised to stare about. The train station was huge and spacious that birds flew in and out of the enclosure. The main colors white, dull blue, lavender, and emblazoned with silver emblems and marks. Large glass windows and overhanging balconies. Fresh light roamed in every single available spot.

"Come," Dilan ordered, lugging her suitcase. She trailed behind him with her backpack, gaping at the arches and symbols.

This place was just so beautiful! They had exited the station, entering the waiting docks. Finally they deserted the transportation area and down some large marble steps.

Kairi kept gasping, lavender eyes beaming with amazement. So many scents and sounds and sights that replayed in her mind as she absorbed her surroundings. Overlapping gates and walls made the perimeter around the city. Even if the city was enclosed, it was huge. A population of several thousand people lived in Radiant Garden. The expanse this city was built it seemed like it could limit at least a couple million. Townspeople littered around calmly as if there was nothing to worry about in the world besides being late for work or forgetting something while not knowing what for. Different designed houses and stores sparsely lined up with each other about two to three stories tall. Stores displaying their merchandise while people milled among them curiously. And the waterways and greenery Radiant Garden was known for didn't surprise Kairi at all. Every little niche and spot had flower pots or a fountain occupying that place. The water flowed through man-made crevices, pipes, and irrigation system, reaching out all over Radiant Garden. That was a lot to say seeing how magnificently large the city was.

Marble and granite stairways, alleys, and ground crisscrossed everywhere. Going up or down, meeting in the middle of squares and parks. Houses, stores and walls, had carefully etched or carved marks or designs but all in all had the same concept, made of brick or brimstone.

Not only that, humans weren't the only ones that lived here. Chocobos, animals, and moogles walked and mingled amongst the humans. In some of the Kingdom's lands had a lot of magical creatures living among the humans. In Traverse Town, they mostly had animals and moogles. They barely associated themselves with other people. Some creatures traveled around until they found a place they liked to comply to.

Not noticing her own reaction, Kairi couldn't help grinning. Radiant Garden was still the same after all those years. Since they were at Arrival Square, the castles and mansions that were built within the city, could not be seen. Radiant Garden was built from the north near the Kingdom and mountains and structured from there. The transportation area and uncultivated land were farthest away until it finally reached to there, the end of establishment. The main castles and mansions and palaces for the wealthy and valued were in the north-to-center of Radiant Garden. The main gardens sparsed out evenly in the city. Four gardens near the hem of the city and six in the center. Radiant Garden had three transportation train stations and one sea dock over to the east of the city. The city had some cars. The majority of people here used subways, trains, and carriages pulled by horses or chocobos, or any smaller means of transportation like bikes and skateboards used by younger kids.

In this case, Kairi had a carriage, harnessed to horses, ready for her.

Kairi stilled gaped excitedly out the window of the carriage, taking in everything that was now her home.

...

"We're here," Dilan announced finally. It had been a thirty minute ride to Kairi's new home. She would have thought it'd be longer, unless she lost track of time. It was hard not to with the margin of distractions outside her carriage window.

Grabbing her backpack and suitcase, Kairi descended as Dilan held the carriage door for her. When she turned around, a mansion stood in front of her, she caught her breath zealously. The mansion was a masterpiece of pure architecture.

"Wow!" Kairi breathed, walking on the wide steps that lead to the large, ornated double doors. The pristine, silver framed glass windows smiled at her, sunlight reflecting off the panes.

"This is said to be your home," Dilan said. He had stopped right in front of the doors. He handed something to Kairi. A piece of folded paper. "The others living with you should arrive shortly. It's time for me to part ways. Good bye, Ms. Namika." Dilan bowed his head respectfully before leaving in the carriage. Kairi blinked in puzzlement, but not entirely upset. She glanced at the piece of paper, deciding to read it.

Make yourself at home, Kairi. Signed: A.

A.? Kairi thought peculiarly. Who's that?

Seeing that she wouldn't get answers by standing there, she took a deep breath and pushed open the grand door.

This place was richly beautiful. The main foyer was completely white and yellow. Despite how brightly and beautiful it was, Kairi noticed there was no furniture or decorations.

"Strange," Kairi murmured. The mansion was entirely empty. People and objects. On the other hand, since the mansion had many arches, pillars, and stone carvings, it didn't seem that bare. The waxed textile floor showed a marred image of her.

From the main foyer straight down, where light shone very luminously, was the main hallway and two grand staircases. A little past the staircases near the center of the main hallway, it split into two smaller hallways and corridors. It was the same with upstairs although it splited into three hallways. A copy of the lower level but upstairs basically.

Kairi was deciding what to do before she heard scuffling sounds outside. Walking back outside, she saw another carriage riding through the mansion's gates and idle by the stoops.

Inside came out a dark blond hair boy with icy, blue-gray eyes with an athletic, sturdy build like a surfer. Then, a muscular man - like Dilan - and also dressed the same, with bronze red hair, ushered the teenager to the door.

"So this is where I'm going to live?" the blond hair boy asked in awe, grinning affably.

The bronze haired man, of course, nodded. "Yes. Here's a note from your supporter. Have a good day, Mr. Goodman. I'll take my leave." The man bowed the same way like Dilan and left with the carriage.

"Hello," Kairi greeted the new acquaintance kindly, but timidly.

The boy jumped, not aware of her unexpressed presence. "Oh, hey." He spoke a bit of a slang. "D'you own this place?"

Kairi shook her head. "I just got here. I'm the same as you."

The boy blinked. "Hm...okay. Cool."

Kairi smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Kairi Namika."

The boy shook her hand firmly. "Tidus Goodman."

Kairi eyed his note. "Are you gonna read that?"

Tidus open the note and read out loud. "'Happy to have you with us, Tidus. Signed: A.'" He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Who's 'A'?" he asked, honestly confused by the enigmatic alias.

Lightly, Kairi shrugged. "Mine's sort of the same. It said 'Make yourself at home, Kairi.' As of 'A', I don't know who that person is."

Without exchanging intentions, they walked inside. Tidus settled his luggage next to hers. They were both insignificant and conspicuous in the white world around them. "Whaddya we do now?"

"I'm not sure."

"Maybe we should look around or..." He trailed off as he heard tapping footsteps coming down the main hallway. Its figure blocking the beacon of light.

"Sorry I'm late!" a soft-tenored voice exclaimed.

At first, Kairi thought it was the women she heard talking with her father, but this voice was older, more authorized.

An old lady about fifty years old, with creamy gray hair in a neat bun, approached them. She wore layered articles of plain clothing like long pants and a sweater and a shawl.

"You must be Ms. Namika and Mr. Goodman. Welcome to Falls Mansion. I'm your host and caretaker Shurui." Shurui bowed. She was about as tall as Kairi. Average height for an old lady.

"Um...Falls Mansion?" Tidus asked.

Shurui nodded. "That is the name of the mansion and where you'll be living from now on."

"Are you the one that brought us together?" Kairi wondered.

Shurui shook her head and gestured for them to get the belongings. "My mistress was the one who thought of this. You will meet her soon."

"So the person is a 'she'," Tidus murmured to himself. Kairi and Tidus followed Shurui up the stairs. More of a trek or a hike.

"Left hallway is boys," Shurui said and pointed with her withered finger, "and right hallway is girls. I believe your the first door down Mr. Goodman, and Ms. Namika, you're the second door."

They parted ways to find their rooms.

One. Two. Kairi counted in her head, only tallying the doors on the left wall. She turned the brass knob of the white door and slipped through.

Kairi braced herself herself for a half empty room with no decorations or colors, but this what made her unprepared. Her breath caught like multiple times today.

An absolute perfect room for her.

An open-spaced room with a balanced mixture of white tiles and soft blue carpet. White walls with lavender and blue trimmings. The ceiling was painted shades of blue and powers of white, resembling a sky. The lighting was lanterns and a chandelier in the center, giving a warm glow or pure shine in the room. A bare dark mahogany desk and padded chair sat off to the right side wall. Enough room for a busy scholar. The far corner had a pearl white vanity and dressers. The closet were slider doors with built in shelf and racks. The opposite corner on the same wall was a door that was clearly led to the washroom. On the left side was her bed. It was placed on a higher circular level of two steps. A grand canopy bed with soft pink and purple sheets and trimmings covered the bed. Drapes pulled up to the side, used for privacy. A black nightstand flanked it.

The far back wall she was facing was her favorite. Two arch windows with stainless glass marked with soft azure linen curtains. In the middle was a door. A balcony.

Kairi's feet move automatically towards the balcony. She didn't disagree with her body. She opened the doors and stepped out into the veranda.

A fresh breeze welcomed her. And the view of the mansion's garden.

"Beautiful," Kairi breathed. The garden was very opened-spaced, but enriched with outdoor aspects. Everything you need in a garden. Rows of colorful flowers were planted in the corners and sides of the square-shaped garden. A fountain that had no edges or ledge in the center. It reached the ground. Stones and symbols of the Kingdom were sculpted in the stone. Its water rising up and curved down into the bowls and rocks specifically like a spouting waterfall. Wooden benches on either side of the fountain's perimeter. A little behind that on a lawn of grass were swings. Not worn down or rusted but nor were they used. Closer to the front, near sliding see-through patio doors, was a gazebo/patio with a table and chairs. An awning above it for shade. To the right, closest to Kairi, was a pool. Not just a plain public pool. But a pool decked out with a hot tub and shaped around irregularly like an oval. Water streams spouted from the edges and it had a tall diving board reaching up to the second story. The crystal, sea-green water glimmered.

"Is everything to your liking?"

Kairi jumped - spasmatically gripping the rail - startled.

She spun around to see Shurui standing only one step into her new room. Kairi could still hear her though.

"Y-yes," Kairi answered, flabbergasted.

Shurui smiled, her thin wrinkles indicating years of smiling. "There are new arrivals soon. Please be good and greet them for they are your new housemates."

Kairi nodded amiably and filed back inside, closing the balcony doors. She yearned for such marvelous sight and freedom again. She could...later. "Of course," she agreed.

...

Kairi and Tidus stood side by side in the mansion's front doors. Shurui, a little further apart from them, waiting patiently on top of the high steps.

"Do you like your room?" Kairi asked Tidus. Noticing how pumped up the boy seemed.

Tidus nodded enthusiastically. "Hell, yeah! It was like it was made for me! Same thing for you, right?"

"Yeah."

A carriage, no different than the ones Tidus and Kairi had ridden in, pulled up to mansion. Inside, a girl with braided chocolate brown hair and grassy green eyes shuffled out. Staring wide-eyed at the mansion.

"Welcome to Falls Mansion. I'll be your host and caretaker Shurui," Shurui greeted the girl warmly.

"Hello," the girl managed to say, her mind trying to wrapped around the sublime establishment that towered her. The man with long black hair, firmly tied up in a ponytail, hauled up her luggage. He was around the same age like Dilan, but they seemed much older being all muscular and demeaning.

"Time for me to go kid," he told her. He handed her a note just like Tidus and Kairi. "Have a nice time." Unlike Dilan and the bronze red-head, he saluted and smirked before leaving.

"Hey. I'm Tidus Goodman." Tidus waved at the girl friendly.

"H-hi," stuttered the brown head girl. Her hand fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

Kairi smiled kindly at her. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kairi Namika."

The girl smiled timidly back. "Hello, my name's Olette Johnson."

"What's your note say?" Tidus asked curiously.

They both peered over her shoulder as she read, "'Hope you like it here, Olette. Signed: A.'"

"I have a feeling they'll all say something nice with our names," Kairi amended thoughtfully, disappointed about the vague sponsor they had hanging over their heads.

Tidus sighed. "I want to know who 'A' is."

"Who is 'A'?" Olette asked quietly.

"For all we know 'A's' a women," Tidus replied.

"Oh," she only said.

Kairi thought back. So far 'A' was a women. A suave voice like a sheen of silver. In contribution, she also had a slim figure and perhaps a bucket-full of authority.

"Please stay there," Shurui called over her shoulder without glancing back. Olette stood in line with Tidus and Kairi. They whispered as they waited. Shurui paid them no mind.

"Do you know how many are coming?" Kairi whispered.

"Maybe two, three more," Tidus guessed.

"This place is beautiful," Olette said dreamily.

Tidus chuckled. "Just wait 'til you see your room."

"And backyard," Kairi added. Olette eyes sparkled questionably.

About ten minutes later, a carriage came into view and stopped by the steps of the mansion. The difference about this one: three people came out.

Two teenager boys strolled next to each other. They were obviously brothers for they had the same cerulean eyes and height. And to the girls view very, very hot. Kairi found herself blushing impulsively. She hadn't seen such charming, friendly guys before in Traverse Town.

The one on the left had wild, untidy, spiky brown hair and cheerful, outgoing smile. His eyes shined playfully. The one on the right had short spiky hair swept to one side. His hair was golden blond. He glanced at everything with gleaming, fascinated eyes. The brunet was more limber and stocky. The blond was slender and lithe.

Their escorter had long, greasy pale sheet of blond hair lengthed past his shoulders.

"Hello. You must be the Hikari brothers. Welcome to Falls Mansion. I'm your host and caretaker Shurui," Shurui greeted again.

The brothers glanced at their escorter. The man chuckled, his cold, icy eyes glinting darkly in unspoken thoughts.

"Now, don't make a ruckus. Be good boys." He handed then them standard note and left. Shurui shooed them inside. "They rest of the children will take a while. Please wait inside."

Olette and the brothers picked up their stuff and headed inside following Tidus and Kairi, eyes wide at the main foyer. If their jaws weren't screwed on tight, they would've dropped to the floor.

"Freakin' awesome," the more spiky-haired brother said, grinning exuberantly. Everyone couldn't help but agree.

Tidus held out his hand. "Hey, I'm Tidus Goodman. I came here second." They shook Tidus' hand firmly.

"I'm Olette Johnson," she said softly than smiled. "Third."

"I'm Kairi Namika," Kairi said, introducing herself. "First."

"Hey," said the golden-haired boy. "I'm Roxas Hikari. This is my twin brother Sora." He jerked a thumb at his brother.

"You guys are twins?" Tidus asked, they may resembled each other but they acted different enough..

Roxas smirked somewhat. "I'm the oldest."

"So what!" Sora protested. "By like what, ten minutes!"

They all laughed.

"Read your note," Kairi said eagerly, nodding at their stationary. Since they were brothers, they only needed one note.

Sora read it aloud, "'Enjoy your new life here boys. Signed: A. P.S. Roxas, I know you're the oldest. I'm not rubbing it in Sora, sorry.'" Sora blinked uncomprehendingly before exclaiming, "Hey!"

They all laughed again, a progressional friendly atmosphere.

"Yours had more written on it," Tidus noted, his chin resting on his hand.

Roxas raised an eyebrow and questioned, "What?"

They all show the brothers their notes and explained 'A' is a women and her few known attributes.

"Roxas, Sora, Olette, please follow me to your rooms," Shurui advised, appearing literally out of no where. All of them gathered upstairs.

Kairi accompanied Olette while Tidus joined the boys to their rooms. Kairi could hear Tidus babble non-stop about how cool and awesome his room is.

"I have a huge bed that probably took years to make, and it has all my favorite colors! Green, orange, yellow..."

The twins perked up visibly, hoping their rooms were just as cool and vibrant.

Olette was the first room down the girls hallway on the right wall. When she entered her room she gasped, "Oh my!"

Kairi smiled at her new housemate. "Pretty, huh?"

Olette's room had the same concept like Kairi, but her ceiling and walls looked like a sunset. Warm colors like orange, yellow, brown encrusted the place. She had a chocolate colored writers' desk and chair. A more uncomplicated-designed chandelier in the center of the ceiling, but her lighting were capsules spread out evenly on the walls, opened on the top adding to effect of the sunset. Olette also had a big bed but no drapes and pillars. This room had no balcony. The windows were rimmed with gold and shaped as rectangles. How did all the windows outside appear the same?

"Just like home," Olette murmured contently.

Kairi patted her shoulder. "Let's hurry up."

...

As they teenagers returned downstairs and back outside half and hour later they all felt restless, but contained to their limits somewhat.

"I wonder who's next?" Sora said casually, sparking at an idea.

"Hm...boy or girl?" Roxas picked up his brother's train of thought.

Tidus grinned mischievously. "Bet? Ten munny to winners."

"Boy," Sora said immediately.

"Girl," Roxas plotted in.

"Boy," Tidus teamed up with Sora. Roxas frowned at his brother who had the upper hand, but, if he was right, he would get more munny.

"Girl."

The boys stared, taken back, at Kairi who gazed out to the mansion's wrought-iron gate.

Kairi smiled without looking at them. "Girl," she repeated than added, "Feel like we're friends already."

The boys shrugged at each other. Olette fidgeted with her fingers.

Sora had froze and continued to gaze at the pretty redhead. Her gentle lavender-violet eyes stood out from her pale white attire and faded denim jeans.

Kairi...what a nice name, he thought contently, still staring at her like she was in a picturesque moment. He could stare at her forever.

Another carriage rode up and stopped sometime later.

The teenagers waited anxiously to see who would come out.

A girl.

"Yes!" Roxas cheered to himself. Kairi and Olette giggled as Sora and Tidus smacked their heads and paid the winners.

Roxas stopped his cheering for a bit to look at the girl more closely. He blinked at the surreal sight.

This girl was...beautiful. Not just beautiful, but graceful and etiquette. She had cornsilk blonde hair brushed back to the right side of her face. Shiny aqua eyes and perfect-curved smile. Light ivory skin. Such a slim body.

Roxas blinked twice.

Sora waved his hand in front of his brother's face, trying to get his attention. "Hey, Roxas! You okay?"

"Y-yeah," he stuttered, trying to be dismissive.

The new arrival met Shurui up the stairs. A man with a blonde flat buzz and multiple piercings on his ears, carried her belongings.

"Welcome to Falls Mansion. I'm your host and caretaker Shurui."

The girl nodded. "Thank you," she said respectfully, her words precise.

"It was a pleasure accompanying you, Ms. Lightwood. Here is a note. Have a good day." With a bow, the man left.

Oh, the irony.

The girl bit her lip, probably thinking about something that bothered her.

"Hello." Kairi stepped forward. Being courageous was unlike her reserved exterior. "I'm Kairi Namika. What's your name?"

The girl clutched a notebook she'd been holding in her hand closer to her chest. "Namine Lightwood," she whispered in a politely leveled voice.

"Namine..." Roxas murmured her name.

"Nice to meet you," Olette whispered shyly, lower than Namine.

The boys introduced themselves, Sora enthusiastically, Tidus cheerful, Roxas more indifferently than usual. No one noticed though; not even Sora, since he was chatting animatedly with Tidus about skateboards and Blitzball.

Namine read her note. Murmuring to herself, "'Live your hopes and dreams, Namine. Signed: A.'"

"That's nice," Olette commented, talking louder than usual. Maybe because they were more girls now.

Distractedly, Namine blinked at that. "Maybe."

Kairi narrowed her eyes. What did she mean by that? Just when she was about to ask. The boys joined in their conversation.

"Hey! It's sure getting late," Tidus pointed out, inclining his head at the dimming sky.

They all glanced up. The sun was about to set. Rays of orange clashed with blue and pink in the sky. Clouds began to disappear. The evening breeze picked up.

"Hmm...who else is coming?" Sora mused, scratching his cheek.

"Well, there's six of us so far...maybe two more?" Kairi suggested using logic.

"How do you know?" Roxas inquired, skeptical.

Kairi felt all eyes on her, making her feel uncomfortable. She almost blurted out to leave her alone like she would in Traverse Town. "Um...I guess there should be an even number of us. Four girls. Four boys," she explained uneasily.

"Nice thinking!" Sora said, agreeing with her answer, she smiled tentatively at him. He loved her sweet smile. "Wow! We'll be like one big happy family."

"Having you as a brother is enough," Roxas scoffed. They all laughed again, the twins' bickering was entertainingly comical.

They all wait quietly then. Shurui, still standing in front of them, either ignored their conversation or paid no attention. She resembled a statue. Mute, ancient, and unmoving. Namine pulled out a sweater jacket from one of her bags. She sighed. Her old home was warmer. She noticed the others all lined up in concession, still outside, staring out in the wide-open yard of the mansion's front greenery. Like a desert except all green.

"Wish I can draw," Namine muttered to herself. She had seen so many beautiful things, practically standing out, begging for her to draw them. How the sun was setting right now. Falls Mansion. Radiant Garden's town squares and stores. Inside the carriage she rode.

While she was thinking, the next carriage entered Falls Mansion's gates.

A boy came out. His escorter as regal as him.

The girls blinked, half-gawking at the boy. Long silvery hair past his muscular broad shoulders, ending in individual strands. His bangs were also long, covering his shiny green, turquoise eyes. The tallest among all the teenagers gathered, and the most muscular but not that brawny. He was probably the oldest, too. His pale skin, silvery hair, and diamond green eyes shone out from his appearance. He was impossible to ignore.

"Whoa," Olette couldn't help muttering. The two other girls agreed with entranced, dumbfounded expressions. Roxas and Sora frowned at their dreamy faces.

Great, Roxas thought grudgingly. The girl he's crushing on has a certain taste in men.

Who is he? Sora thought suspiciously.

The new kid and man, with dark tan skin and spiky silver hair like his acquaintance, rounded up the steps of the mansion.

"Xehanort?" Shurui said under her breath. She hadn't expect a lord's student to rally the child for her.

"This is for you," Xehanort said in a low, neutral tone, handing the silver haired boy the piece of stationary. "Have a nice day." His voice didn't really imply that notion and he left without bowing or glancing back.

"Strange," Tidus noted within the awkward silence.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Demetrios. I will be your host and caretaker Shurui. Welcome to Falls Mansion."

The boy nodded levelly. "Of course," he said in a really husky tone. Strong and grave.

The girls gulped unwittingly. Kairi averted her eyes so she could think clearly. He was really...hot. All the boys frowned deeper. Who was this guy?

Shurui glanced up at the sky, noting the orangy-pink change, she turned to the children. "Might as well show our new arrivals to their room."

"Is anyone else coming?" Kairi asked. She still supported her theory.

"I am not sure. Perhaps soon. Please, go inside now."

They all entered the mansion. "Mr. Demetrios, your the forth door down the left hallway. Ms. Lightwood, third down the right." She walked off after that. Disappearing into the main hallway and behind the staircases corridors, her footfalls echoed away.

"This place is magnificent," Namine commented breathlessly. Her eyes scanned every detail, mark, and structure of the mansion. The tiniest mark was sought by her artists' eyes.

"It has no furniture besides our rooms so far," Kairi informed the new occupants. Compulsive, she held out her hand towards the silver-haired boy. "I'm Kairi Namika."

The boy shook it, his cool hand clasping into hers. "Riku Demetrios."

Olette stepped out slightly from behind Kairi. "Hello. I'm Olette Johnson."

Riku nodded in acknowledgment.

Tidus waved at Riku. "I'm Tidus Goodman."

"Tidus," Riku repeated.

"Hey, I'm Sora Hikari and this is my brother Roxas." Sora gestured at himself and his twin.

"Sora. Roxas," Riku intoned.

Namine took a deep breath, bringing herself back into the immediate situation. "I'm Namine Lightwood."

Sora pointed at Riku's note. "What's it say? Ours are all different." They peered over his shoulder to glance at the script writing.

"'Enjoy your new home, Riku. Signed: A.'"

"Still no extra clues," Tidus sighed woefully. Namine and Riku looked confused.

"Hey, why not me and Olette show you your room?" Kairi suggested to Namine, remembering that Shurui had told them their room numbers and left them to their own devices. "Tidus, Sora, Roxas, you should help Riku."

Riku shrugged and trudged onto the left staircase with the boys while Kairi and Olette ushered Namine to the right side. Kairi made an mental note that even rooms were on the left wall while odds were on the right.

"You're the third door down so..." Kairi opened Namine's door with a sweep of her arm.

Namine blinked, uncomprehending and absolutely stupefied.

A luminous white room with silver drapes and gray curtains. Namine had real ceiling lights shaped like orbs instead having ones attached to the walls and, of course, a crystal chandelier in the middle. Intricate black trimmings and creamy peach carpet. Namine's windows were ones you found in regular homes but larger in scale. She had an ebony white desk and cushioned chair with thin gold bands and designs. It was the same with her bed and dressers. Columns in the corners, laces printed on drapes and curtains. Her bed was settled sideways on the right wall up on a two-step level like Kairi, but a semicircle. Her desk, dressers, washroom door were on the left side opposite direction unlike Kairi's and Olette's room. Her silver and gray vanity and closet doors in the far right corner. Namine's ceiling was decorated with different lengthened, vertex rays starting from the chandelier than ending at a smaller lighting cover, making a star-like patterns; white upon creamy gray.

"I love it," Namine breathed, sounding like a theatrical top-rate actress.

"I have a feeling our rooms were made into our tastes," Kairi figured.

"No kidding," Olette said, her girlish town-voice normal for once. "My room looks like my old town. Or the concept, actually."

Kairi's eyebrow rose. "Really? Mine has all my favorite colors. Although lavender is actually my eye color."

"Mine is what I feel," Namine spoke up again, mellow.

Both the girls glance at her. "How?" Kairi asked.

"I feel...blank at first, needing to be colored in or be at...peace. My caretaker before said I was always pure. Clean as snow," Namine explained in a whisper.

Kairi pondered for a moment. "I love the sky which my ceiling was painted as, and I have a balcony to look at the garden. My walls and stuff are blue that gives off a watery scene. I love the ocean."

The girls glanced at each other. Kairi said suspiciously, "Is it me or this 'A' knows something about us?"

Olette pursed her lips. "Possibly. I mean, who would want to support random kids?"

Intent of the logic, Namine nodded troublesomely. "She picked us for a reason, too."

"I wonder why..." Kairi murmured.

...

Shurui strolled down the empty hallway before slipping through white double doors with gold stencils.

Inside was a fully furnished room with plush couches, coffee tables, a plasma television, and other entertainment, but right now, Shurui walked over to the phone accustomed on a high-table with flowers displayed in designer vases. She pressed in a code and dialed the number she used earlier before all the children arrived. The receiver picked up.

"Hello?" inquired a whispery, pure voice.

"Mistress? It's me, Shurui."

"Oh, good afternoon, Shurui. Have all the children arrived yet?" the sweet lady wanted to know.

"All seven of the eight. Are you sure the little girl from Traverse Town will come? The one with the problems from the orphanage?"

"Yes, she will come. Her transfer was completed last night. She should be there before seven or so."

"Thank you, Mistress." Shurui said in a respectful, but caring tone.

The lady chuckled on the other end. "You and honorifics."

Shurui winced sympathetically. Shurui was usually casual and diligent. But this...angel...she had this whole other presence and power. Her mistress would always point out how Shurui treated her, calling her Mistress and Milady. Even though everyone who really knew her did, Shurui's mistress tried to pry off the honorifics from her closest friends and family.

"Make sure they are taken care of," her mistress reminded her. "I'll meet them...soon." The angel chuckled at something she said.

"Yes, Mistress. Everything will be fine," Shurui assured her lady. "Goodbye."

"Bye."

...

Please R&R.