Prologue - School's Out!

We waited impatiently for the bell to ring. Fingers tapped on wooden desks, and we all "listened" to the meanest teacher of our grade lecture, making everyone just sit and listen. We weren't allowed to talk - like all the other teachers had let us do. We just had to sit and 'listen'.

I suddenly regretted having Mrs. Barner as last period teacher. It'd always been great, because when her class came around the day was almost over and everyone was tired - including her, but today, her class was simply torture. She stood at the front of the room, rambling on about whatever torture-topic she had looked up just for us. Every now and then, someone would groan and she would glare, but mostly everyone just watched the clocks and waited - waited for that final bell. Waited for school to be out - waited for summer.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, to- RIING. And school was out - the race was on! Every student grabbed their pre-packed bags, and pushed and shoved out the door. No one wanted to stay behind. Teachers yelled words for the departing - 'Have a good summer!', 'Try not to forget too much!', 'Good luck next year!' -, but no one was listening. We were free.

I rushed outside and leaned against the brick wall. I was the first of my group to get outside. I smiled and watched as people passed by me. Some who recognized me wished me a good summer, and ran on to their closer friends. I waved to various people, smiled, and wished them all a good summer as well. Soon the crowds dispersed as people drove, and walked, and rode their bikes away. Before long, I was alone, wondering where my friends were. I waited impatiently. I wanted to get off of the school grounds.

Finally I heard them calling, "Sora, Sora! There you are! Sora!" My two best friends came running up. Kairi, her red hair flying behind her, as she waved at me. And Riku, his long silver hair also flying behind him, raced to keep up with her. I turned around and smiled, waving to them as they ran up.

"Hey, guys! What took you so long?" I asked, laughing as they reached me.

"We…were…h-held back..." Riku forced out between deep breaths. He was leaning down, with his hands on his knees - tired from running. I laughed at him and turned to Kairi for an explanation.

"We were held back by the nurse. She wanted us to run an errand for her." Kari explained. She was panting a little too, but not nearly as bad as Riku. I laughed at them both and started walking.

When neither of them followed me, I paused and turned around, "Come on, guys. I wanna get out of here." They looked at me like I thought they were invisible or something. Obviously they didn't want to walk anywhere, but I turned back around and kept on walking - laughing as they gather the strength to stumble up to my side.

We walked in silence for a while, Kairi and Riku tried to catch their breath and walk at the same time - but it wasn't working. I took the chance to look around, and enjoy the quiet walk home. It was a rare moment for both of them to be silent, and I reveled in it. The little town we lived in was truly beautiful. I noticed that now. There were little shops everywhere. Trees and flowers decorated the sidewalk. I was surprised I'd never noticed. I smiled at this revelation. But the quiet was beginning to bother me, so I tried to start a conversation.

"You guys okay?" I asked throwing a glance over my shoulder and laughing. Kairi was starting to get her breath back under control, but Riku wasn't there yet. However, despite their conditions, both replied in a way that denied any trouble whatsoever - which only made me laugh again. I sped up my walk just to bug them. They weren't being any fun; I wanted them to at least complain, but just my luck they were too tired to complain. Kairi, sped up a little, but Riku just dragged behind. I sighed, wondering what kind of errand the nurse had made them run.

We continued walking and the silence only kept deepening. I was getting annoyed. As I looked around, I noticed we'd reached the park. So, with a sigh, I began crossing the street. Kairi and Riku called after me, "Hey! Sora! Where are you going?" Kairi said. "Sora!" I laughed and gestured that they should follow me. They did and were relieved when they realized I was walking to a bench in the middle of the park. We all sat down and finally a conversation was started.

"So, we're going to hang out all summer, right?" Kairi asked, now that she could rest. I laughed and fervently agreed, there was no way I could do nothing this summer but sit at home and be with my mom.

"Yeah," I said, "We have to have something to write for our 'What I Did This Summer' papers!"

"We'll make this the best summer ever!"

A/n:
From this story on, I will not be leaving author notes in the chapter. Please visit my profile for the author's note. R&R.
~Misty

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Kingdom Hearts. :)