Love Hate

by WritersProse

AU Sora x Kairi. Sora and Kairi get sucked from their jobs in Japan and into a universe where everything Disney becomes a reality. The two have to work together in order to survive in worlds they once thought were mere fantasy. With Kairi's sharp mind and Sora's knowledge of everything Disney, will they be able to survive long enough to stop the Heartless threat?

1. At the Beginning

I hate and love Disney.

I work at the happiest place on Earth, and I hate/love my job so much.

Or would that technically be the happiest place in Japan? Or maybe the third or fourth 'happiest place on Earth'? I'm not quite sure where Tokyo Disneyland fits into that slogan.

Is the original Disneyland in America still considered the happiest? Fill me in via email.

Anyways, I digress. What I'm really hoping to achieve with this blog is an understanding about why we all HATE and LOVE Disney. For the people who are tired of the 'long lines' at the amusement parks, but still get excited when you eye a hidden mickey you swear no one has seen before.. To those who know that Disney is just after your money, but buy all of the DVDs anyways.

I actually, for the record, own two copies of Tangled. One standard def DVD and one hi-definition Bluray disc. It was that nostalgic!

Maybe I'm so bitter because after five years working at the company, I know how they trick people into believing they are something they're not.

It's all a show.

They aren't nice to you because they are genuinely nice people. They're nice to you because they want to snake their hand into your wallet and empty your life savings.

Oh, and don't get me started on those rides. Everything has to be based off of a pre-established property now. You know the Tiki Room? They stuck Stitch in that thing. Couldn't just leave well enough alone. Gotta find a way to cash-in and stomp on the integrity of what was already there.

Now everytime I go and visit the Tiki Room, I have to be reminded of how they were too lazy to build a proper Stitch ride. Instead they had to attach the property to something already timeless, like a brown stain on a perfectly functional pair of tighty whities.

This isn't to say that I hate everything Disney. Oh no. Not by a long shot.

I have what one might call an 'insane' Disney collection back at my apartment. Ever heard of The Black Cauldron? Of course you haven't.

I have. It sucks. Still watched it ten times.

Not that I mean to brag, but I also have the most comprehensive collection of Disney plushies known to man. They run the gamut from Mickey to Mulan and then all the way back to Oswald.

They remind me of a simpler time. Back when I thought Ariel was the hottest thing ever and I swore that someday I was going to be as buff as Hercules.

There is still a lot of magic left in old Disney and the traditions of that era. So much of that is gone now. Even Tangled could have been better if they just stuck to the pencil and pen, and I loved Tangled.

Loved it from the very bottom of my bank account.

Sure, you could say that Walt loved new technology too. But I don't think he loved it to the point of throwing out the old. The short Paper Man was an incredible blending of old with new (CG with traditional animation layered on top).

That was innovating without throwing away. I think a lot of modern filmmakers could learn from that film.

Or maybe it is just because traditional animation is the Disney I remember as a kid, before I became an adult and realized they were a heartless corporate monster. Back when Snow White and Pinnochio seemed like real people that I might pass on the street one day. Back when I would beg my parents to endure a two hour line for Space Mountain because I wanted to see the stars.

Now I know that the stars are just little disco globes with holes put in them. You shine a little light through those, and voila, stars.

It's a really cheap effect now. When I learned that was the very day my heart started to sour.

Starting tomorrow I'm going to begin an anthology called 'Why I Hate/Love My Job.' It will be a two-parter!

Until then, keep the magic alive! Or don't. It's really up to you, after all.

-From MouseHater's blog
Three days before the attack

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It had been five years, and Sora Fukui still worked at the same position at Tokyo Disneyland. He greeted, he smiled, and he took guest tickets. Sometimes, if he was so fortunate, he got to work at the exits and register handstamps on guests who were planning to return to the park later that evening. In those moments, he evaluated how much of the 'Disney spirit' those exiting were infused with.

Mostly, among those adults without children, they had a face of relief. Finally they would be able to return home, away from the crowds, and fall into a deep sleep. Those with children showed a similar relief, but Sora also noted a different expression. There was a look of pride that their kids got to experience the park for themselves, and even when the tears were falling from the little tykes, the parents knew that they had infused them with memories that weren't likely to leave.

'The spirit of Disney' is what upper management kept on telling him during orientation. You have to make sure that everything feels Disney. That warm feeling of nostalgia was what he was meant to protect.

And then there were those guests who just looked downright pissed.

During the first year at working with the parks, Sora didn't really notice them too much. He, much like many other new hires, was swept within the magic of the position. 'How cool is it to get to work at Disneyland,' he often thought to himself. 'You get to be out in the fresh air and the sunshine, and occasionally you get treated to 'admiring gazes' from the local female demographics.

By the time that the second year came by, all of his enthusiasm had been drained, and he found himself turning on his internal auto-pilot more than he rightfully should. "You have a good day," was a phrase he hoped that he would he would never have to say again.

Disneyland became a bore and a disappointment. A worn-down faded version of the vibrancy he had remembered as a child.

Inexplicably, on some days, a little bit of the magic would come back to him. When this happened, he attempted to share it with the droves of guests as best he could.

He was, as some overly colorful cast members would call, a gatekeeper to the kingdom. He held the keys to the park, and when gracious folks came to him for assistance, he opened the gates to them. Though, try as he might, his smile just didn't seem as bright as it used to.

His fondest memory was, on a particularly beautiful Monday morning, cheering the spirits of a particularly morose little girl. He wasn't quite sure what her story was, but her mindset certainly wasn't in a Disney way. So, he smiled graciously at her and said "For every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun..." He took the ticket from her, hovering it just inches from his scanner. "...Annnnd snap..." The ticket slid through the red laser, letting out a loud clean whistle. "... The job's a game!" The quote did not go unheeded by the little girl, and she smiled back at him before entering Main Street.

He truly felt like a keeper of the kingdom, at least for that day.

The harsh reality was that children were much more interested in Mickey Mouse than they were in the guy who scanned their ticket for entry. He came to realize that the real magic was sight, music, and scent. Once you take those three things away, Disneyland was nothing but a giant empty facade.

Sora frequently recounted an experience he had upon park opening. As he wandered around the park with a co-worker, he noticed something peculiar. The stage lights were no longer on. The Haunted Mansion was much smaller than it appeared to guests, now that the work lights had replaced what was previously there for atmosphere. Everything lost dimension and depth, and without the music there was no feeling.

It was like the very soul of the park had been sucked out.

Try as he may, his future seemed to be drawn inevitably towards the Magic Kingdom. Sora's grades just weren't up to snuff, as 'Disney Trivia' wasn't a major available at most universities. He settled with the fact that he would soon be on academic suspension and his chances of ever getting a degree were slim to none.

Maybe someday he would find something to occupy his life other than ticket scanning.

There was a day, back when he was seventeen years old, where he was certain he could become a Disney Imagineer if he just tried hard enough. Now the cold hard reality was that they weren't looking for people like him. They were looking for people with flashy degrees who were willing to color within the lines.
Sora always wanted to think outside of the box, though at this point in his life it would take a miracle to drag him away from his ticket booth.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The break room at Disneyland reminded Sora of how high school used to be separated. No one seemed to be banding together as one would expect an 'ensemble of cast members' would. Instead, they were broken up into different cliques.

There were the character actors, who frequently hung out by themselves and didn't really bother with anyone else. They, like many actors that Sora had met in his time, were conceited unlikable pretty people.

One exception to the rule, Sora held very close to his heart. She rarely sat with the others.

The other clique was the janitorial team. Not that they were unfriendly to anyone around them, it just felt awkward speaking to the people who were responsible for keeping the park spick and span when the rest of the cast had far more glamorous positions. The princes never talk to the work, regardless of how chatty the work might get.

Average Joes of Disney was the unofficial title for those who landed somewhere in the middle between 'character actor' and 'the help'. They could blend alright into the other groups, but mostly liked to keep to themselves and complain how their particular area of expertise sucks.

Food service sucks. Guest services sucks. Merchandise sucks. Sora had heard them all.

Then the final group consisted of two people, who found that they really didn't like anyone in particular. Sora the ticket boy and Kairi the princess.

In truth, they were the only friends that each other had anymore. Having known each other since their high school days, Kairi was usually the type who kept quietly to herself while Sora was the very center of the conversation. Once they had both become stuck at Disney, however, Sora soon found that his own voice wasn't near as interesting as he had previously thought. Kairi, on the other hand, found a new way of expressing herself.

When she pretended to be Belle, she didn't have to be herself anymore. When she walked out into a crowd, children came to her and asked her silly questions that only the character she pretended to be would know the answer to. When she was on a float, she was the center of attention. People loved her when she was Belle.

They loved her much less so when she was simply Kairi. A simple girl with zero to no conversational skills.

Kairi and Sora sat in two chairs next to each other. Kairi was on her phone, moving her index finger across the screen as she read the last few pages of "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time." Looking to her right, she found Sora had drifted off to sleep, complete with his mouth being agape with a soft snoring sound.
Kairi poked him. "You know, lazy bums don't get any pay."

"Gimme a break, Kairi." He turned his head to the other side, closing his soon to be drooling mouth in the process.

"You should try to get more sleep," she said with a note of concern. "You look like you might have been run over by a train."

"Haha," he said mutely. "You know, if this was our first year in high school, this conversation would have been reversed. I would have been telling you to put one of your books down and engage yourself, and you would be like 'but it's the last book in the series... I'm gonna stay up all night reading it'."

"Yeah, except now we're not in high school anymore. Now I pace my reading time accordingly with real life duties."

"Well," Sora lulled his head over in her direction. "I did get a date with you. That has got to be worth something, right?"

"One of your great accomplishments in life," she smiled. "Right next to your Playstation trophies."

He made a kissing expression with his lips. "Well, I think that you're a lot more than just a trophy, sweetie."

"Ahem," she pretended to clear her throat. "Clear your jets. We have an audience."

Sora straightened up in his seat. The problem with being two individuals that didn't really fit into any clique, is that everyone knows that you're going to become a couple someday. Now that the day had come, there were more than a few passing glances in the break room. The other princesses measuring him up. The guys taking bets on how long the whole endeavor would last.

"She is usually so picky," Sora heard one of them say. "Why did she settle for him?"

It was the truth that Sora had let himself go. Though he wasn't homely by anyone's imagination, he had known that others far more desirable than him had approached Kairi in the past. His jealously would have been too much for him to bare if he hadn't known that she was a stickler when it came to men.
"I settled for him because he's sweet and good and kind and doesn't gossip," Kairi responded as loudly as she could. "At least... not in front of people's faces. Where everyone can hear... yeah..."

As loudly as she could still wasn't quite loud enough for anyone to pay any attention. She returned to her book, flipping through the pages at an increased rate. "That showed them," she grumbled.

"I'm proud of you," Sora slumped again. "It isn't everyday that I see you jump up like that. This is progress."

Since their friendship began, they were beginning to become more and more like each other as the days progressed. Sora learned how to take things easy and not be the center of attention, and Kairi was slowly learning how to break shells in order to make an omelet.

Now that they had begun dating, Sora wondered if she was going to start picking up his mannerisms next. He had seen a few old couples who did it, and there was something strangely adorable about it.

'I'm thinking too far ahead,' Sora mentally chastised himself. 'After the first three months, then you can start daydreaming about buying coffins together.'
Kairi looked around here, seeing that everyone had gone back to whatever conversations and meals they were previously engaged in. She leaned over to Sora's left ear and whispered "They only take interest in me if they think I'm taking an interest in you."

"Mmhmm" Sora nodded. "The way they were talking, I would have figured you were the Belle of the ball... no pun intended."

"That pun was freaking intended and you know it," she shook her head.

"Cause I'm clever like that."

It was a cute notion, but he knew better by this point. Being a Princess in the park immediately makes you desirable lady 'numero uno' according to almost all of his co-workers.

The transformation from simple girl to fake princess was staggering in Sora's eyes. Somebody whom he had learned to care for very deeply would transform right before his eyes into something that she was not. Just another pretty girl in a yellow dress pretending to be fictitious royalty. She wore the smile surprisingly well, and her demeanor would shift.

Even when she was in the worst of moods, her princess side was all smiles. Big, wide, white, fake smiles. And immediately when the costume was off, such as in the backroom, she went back to being a timid and frequently moody woman.

Sora would have had her no other way.

With the last few minutes they had left together before duty tore them apart again, they occupied themselves with a cooperative strategy war simulator on her tablet. As was frequently the case, Sora came to terms with just how much sharper she was in terms of tactics and cerebral activities. He almost wished they could switch the games over to Street Fighter so that he wouldn't feel completely demeaned in the gaming department.

"...Do you ever get that feeling," he said after she had dominated the battlefield. "...that life is never going to get better and you are always going to be wondering just what the hell is wrong with you?"

"All the time." Her eyes were still trained on the tablet as she held a grin of victory. "You should know that by now."

"Well, do you ever just feel like, you know what, if this is the very best that it gets maybe I should just consider a new vocation. A new reason for living. Maybe I should get into arts, or poetry, or something other than, you know, ticket taking."

She switched her game off, and looked him straight in the eyes. "When I'm feeling really down, do you know what I do?"

"Dream about me?"

"Yes, Sora. I dream about you. My pillow that I have named Sora bares your image and I suffocate him with my love, you gushy wushy bear." She rolled her eyes. Sora thought that he saw a hint of a blush, but brushed it off as wishful thinking. "I mean, yes, I do dream about you sometimes. But that wasn't what I was going to say."

"What were you going to say?" Sora glanced up at the clock. They only had another couple minutes before it was back to the daily grind.

"I try and imagine that I am on this epic quest," she said. "That all of this pressure is coming down on my shoulders, because you know, saving the world isn't exactly something one gets used to. It sort of breaks you down to your basic components and you learn just what exactly you are. You learn that the stress of it really sucks, and you just wish you could go back to the simple times. Like when you worked at Disneyland and you thought that was the very worst thing that could ever happen to you. But you were sooo wrong."

"And that helps?"

She nodded. "Just tap into some kind of fantasy," Kairi suggested. "Live it." She whispered in his ear. "See you tonight. Seven o' clock. Outside of work."

"Gotcha."

The pair returned to their duties, both wearing fake smiles they wished they could replace with genuine ones.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"How romantic," Kairi said sarcastically. "McDonald's. The most romantic dinner I've ever had."

The fastfood restaurant was not too far removed from the feelings Sora frequently associated with Disneyland. A place he had adored as a child, until he realized that the food was actually disgusting and the only reason he enjoyed going there was because of the toys that came with the Happy Meal.

Now he was able to buy all of the toys online after their initial release. It killed the joy for him, but it was the cheapest location so close to work.

There was no one in the place other than them and the employees. 'What luck,' Sora thought to himself. 'We have the whole place to ourselves and there are no pesky kids to disrupt the atmosphere.'

"I love the way you slaughter those things," he laughed as she took another three fries and ate them at once.

"They don't stand a chance. Once you build up a hunger like mine, you can't let it go. You've gotta follow it through, no matter what happens. No matter how the fat begins to pile or how the diabetes begins to set in. You have to kill them all."

Plans began to crop up in his mind. If love was a battlefield, then he had been participating in the equivalence of a war. 'What to do? What the hell do I say to the woman who is the love of my life? But I don't want to scare her away either. I don't want to have her slip through my fingers again. You have already said I love you before, but it didn't mean anything then. If I say it again now, she is going to think it doesn't mean anything again and get scared off... I swear to god Sora, if you screw this up there will be no more Po-'

"You look really handsome tonight," she said. "That shirt suits you."

"Thank you. I like yours too. Very sexy."

They wore tattered overused clothes that could have doubled for pajamas. Sora wearing a white t-shirt with a small hole near the neckline, Kairi with a 'Death to the Kitty' shirt. Sora found the very idea of Hello Kitty to be so cavity inducing that to see a logo with the feline's head crossed out with red marker made Kairi particularly irresistible. This was despite the fact that the logo had been faded with age and were probably two sizes too large for her.

'Right as we were saying,' Sora's mind began to ramble again. 'If you screw this up, there will be no more Pooh plushies. Not a one.'

So he kissed her hard.

She kissed back.

His fears evaporated on her lips.

The kiss broke.

"Oh wow," Kairi breathed. "Somebody is frisky tonight."

"And I did it in public too. How scandalous."

She pecked him playfully on the cheek.

"Tell me sir, what brought on such a public display of affection?"

'Do you allow your internal thoughts to dictate your actions, or do you suck it up and put it out there?'

"Maybe I'm in love," Sora said, taking another four fries to make the statement seem casual. "I don't know. Maybe because I wanted to make up for a crappy first date where all I did was complain about work. May-"

"Shhh," she bit into another fry. Sora could swear she was chewing at a deliberately slow pace.

"What is it?"

"Don't overthink this stuff, Sora. Just soak it in." Kairi looked him in the eyes. The same sort of gaze that happened when he ranted about life. "I love you too. And don't be afraid to say it. If you were to grow to hate me someday, I would want to hear that too."

The clock ticked on the wall, and she continued to gaze into him. He was beginning to feel himself blush from the attention. Romance was never too traditional when it came to Kairi. She didn't like to calculate or to plan things out in advance. Rather, she just liked to lay back, and see where their currents ended up taking them.

Though he was ecstatic to hear that his love was shared, there were times he wished that he could steer them in particular directions. But with Kairi, it became very difficult. She was an immovable object, regardless of how much one tried to push contrivances upon her.

She planted two small kisses on both of his cheeks. "You're always so determined to make something happen that they can never just happen. But this all feels really good. We aren't tripping over each other in order to get to the next compliment. It's nice to just say that I love you, kiss, and eat french fries."
"Did I almost make things awkward again," Sora asked.

"Turn off your brain, sweetie."

"Right, I'll try that."

The bells on the door jingled as a middle-aged man entered the restaurant. His hair was brown and seemed to stick out in all sorts of directions as though by static electricity. He took a seat at the other end of the dinner, looking over at the couple with interest.

Kairi squirmed in her chair. "What is up with that guy?"

"Maybe he wants some of our fries."

"He didn't even order anything. Just sat down all hunky dory. That is super creepy."

Sora gulped. Whenever she became suspicious about someone, it would immediately begin to freak him out and consider plotting the nearest exit. 'You just never know who wants to stab you through the eye anymore.'

"Let's forget about it," Kairi dragged him out from his dread. Breaking a french fry in half with her two fingers, she handed one half to him. "To our continued romance. To discovering just what the hell we are."

"Here here." He lifted the fry up, before dropping it into his mouth.

It was stale, but he swallowed it just the same.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next day at work, they were once gain separated by duty. Kairi rode the third float to go down the Disneyland parade path, standing amongst her plastic and all too inanimate friends Lumiere and Cogsworth. Her job was to fake happiness at all costs and wave until her wrist began bleeding. On some days, when she just didn't want to be Belle anymore, she imagined the masses of people around her suddenly disappearing in a billowing pillar of fire. All of the cheers and attention that she received as Belle suddenly turned into cries for help, and her grin took on a more sinister flavor.

Though it seemed strange to her, almost everyone of her cast members said that she put on her best performances when she did this. And so tonight, like many others before, she was going to imagine that the world was going up in flames. Princess Belle had lost it and was using her telekinetic pyro powers for the good of herself and her candlestick.

Sora had told her that such thinking was dreadfully morbid, but there were some nights where it was all that kept the smile on. Imagining things distinctly un-Disney and yucking it up.

He was, once again, at his ticket booth trying his best not to let the fatigue show. He often envied Kairi's position up on the float, being cherished and adored by children all across the world. That was exactly what Disney was supposed to represent to him, not scanning countless tickets so that parents can buy their kids more plastic figurines inside the park. After a while, they all started to look the same. They all said the same things and acted towards him the same way.
He was just the help at Disneyland. Why should they care?

The repetition was beginning to take its toll on him. There had finally come a point, somewhere down in his knees, where he swore they were going to buckle from under him. They were starting to wobble, not from fatigue, but from restlessness.

The world continued to turn, and he stayed in the same exact same place. He thought that Kairi had no doubt ridden her float half-way down Main Street by this point.

Both of them smiled on the outside, but on the inside they sported something akin to a spoiled child's pout.

An attractive couple, both of which appeared to be in their mid-thirties, came forward to have their tickets scanned.

Almost immediately, something seemed particularly different about them and the way they held themselves. They didn't look like they were from around here, both looking as though they held enough energy to begin a sporadic song and dance number at any moment.

The woman, whom had immediately caught Sora's eye, sported red hair which he was almost certain had to have been dyed. It contained too much color for it to be natural. It was as though someone had taken Ariel's style, cut it down to shoulder length, and plopped it on top of a superbly muscular Japanese woman.
He was certain that if it were ever to come down to it, the woman would be able to kick his ass before he even wished her a 'great evening'.

He looked over to the other man, with his trademark smile ready to please.

The smile faded quickly as a cold shiver ran down Sora's spine.

He attempted to bring the smile back, but could not manage it. His face had completely frozen, every muscle seeming to lock-down. Somehow he knew this man, but from where and how was much harder to answer. He knew his heart, but not his history or even his name.

A connection was immediately made, and he felt warmth rush through him.

"They are coming for you," the man said darkly. "And they will keep coming after you. Your only hope is the blade."

"T-Thank you," Sora managed to wrap his mouth around the words. "You two have a great evening."

And like that, the couple had entered the park and he had regained movement in his face. Before he knew it, another family had come up wanting in. The routine had managed to sneak up on him.

His shoulders quaked. 'How could I have been so stupid,' he scolded himself.

He hadn't even scanned their tickets. A part of him knew perfectly well that they didn't have any.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The couple moved into Main Street, though found navigation to more of an issue than they had initially anticipated. The crowds were causing the walkways to become continuously congested as the parade floats continued to move their way down.

"It's like a nightmare," the man grunted. "Like some sort of freaky idol worship or something. I'm shocked that there isn't a version of us up there."

The girl gulped as they were practically pushed against one of the store windows which read 'The Wizard of Bras'. "Well, at least one of us is." She pointed her finger towards the 'Beauty and the Beast' float, where stood a girl in a Belle costume. "This is just… too bizarre. I'm not even sure I can breathe." The crowd managed to come in tighter. "And I'm not just saying that because of all the people."

Retreating into the gift shop, they found the influx of people to be more tolerable. Though there were still people attempting to make their way into other areas of the park, the crowds were not acting erratic.

"So," the woman cleared her throat. "The mission."

"Right, the miss-"

They both stopped short as they looked at an entire display of Mickey Mouse memorabilia. The famous mouse's likeness was smeared carelessly all over watches, bento boxes, purses, hair clips, and just about any other trivial object that could be thought of. His trademark red, yellow, and black color scheme could be found everywhere.

"Holy moly," the man gulped. "You know, I can accept a world where another pair of us exist. That isn't too bad. But for them to do this to the Kin-"

"He's just a cartoon," she cut him off. "Just a cartoon made by a man with a knack for invention. We have seen this kind of thing before."

A little girl with messy black hair bolted in front of them, grabbing the nearest Mickey Mouse watch she could find, and then scampering back to her mother.

"What do you think would happen if she found out," the man said.

"She would lose her mind," she smiled. "But remember, we're just a couple on vacation. Keep it loose with the super top secret talk, okay?"

They both sat in silent for a few moments, watching as Belle floated by on the street. The woman whispered into the man's ear. "On that topic, I don't care what they say. She doesn't look a thing like me."

"The kid at the front didn't look like me either. But it is about the hearts, right? The King did say that appearances can be deceiving."

Her expression fell as she looked away from the float and into his eyes. "I really don't want these kids to be stuck in the same shit we are."

The man remained silent as she studied the princess outside.

"Remember how happy we were as kids?"

"We don't choose what these things eat. They do. Do you really want these kids to get eaten with their whole world?"

Fixing her gaze back on the girl in the parade, she looked as though she were as hard as a rock. "No. No, of course not."

There came a rumbling as though thunder were crashing down from the sky. Everyone in the shop jumped, save for two. "I hate this job," she moaned.

"We all do."

"Can I quit?"

"Can we quit?"

Another loud rumbling bang, and the guests began to panic. "Of course not," she sighed.

Three more loud rumbling bangs came in succession, this time shaking the windows. "They're outside," she said coldly.

"Yep."

"It's going to be the end for this world too."

"Most likely…"

She watched as the first of them came from the sidewalk. "Why do we keep on doing this?"

"Because we are the only ones who can."

"Wielders of the keyblade," she cringed. "What a bad joke."

Grasping his hand as though it were the only solid thing left in the world, a red and blue blade materialized into her hand. "Sora," she breathed.

A white blade with a gold handle appeared in the man's free hand. Grasping his weapon until his knuckles lost blood flow, he wore a genuine smile.

Their hands separated, but their hearts remained as one.

"Let's get this over with," she said as they entered the street.

The crowds had disappeared. All that was left were shadows.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Author's Notes:

I would like to thank my proofreader 'sweater kid' for sending me a very detailed and very awesome list of typos that have now been fixed up. Without her, Sora's hair would still be 'attracted to Kairi' and people would still be 'sitting done' instead of 'sitting down'. She is truly an awesome person, and about twenty-five percent of this chapter's quality goes to her.

I've grown into a strange love/hate relationship with Kingdom Hearts. I think it all began when I started to play Dream Drop Distance. Nothing about the story made any sense to me, and I was starting to feel as though Square was just starting to rip me off. Like they know that I'll buy anything Kingdom Hearts related as long as the characters and gameplay were the same.

And they are right. I will keep on coming back. Because somewhere deep down inside, I love all of the cheesy antics of Sora and Riku and… Kairi… you know, when she's actually doing something. I thrill at being able to visit all of these different Disney worlds and fighting for their survival.

The adult in me keeps on cringing at the dialogue and over-complicated story, but the child in me doesn't care and just likes Japanese teenagers whacking things with keyswords.

This fic for me is a mixture of what my inner child loves about Kingdom Hearts and what my adult mind kind of wishes Kingdom Hearts actually was. These two things are going to conflict horribly with each other, but I'm figuring that is going to be part of the fun.

If you have read up to this point, if you would be so kind, be sure to leave a super great and super honest review. I love to know what people think, as it can help me form in my mind what steps I need to take in order to improve the story.

So do you want to have a little tease at the next chapter? Well… it will probably have something to do with… relationships… and hearts… and destinies… and Star Tours… and people and stuff. Cause you know, that's what makes a story!

Look forward to more down the line! Send me any questions that you might have concerning the story or any comments or concerns or praises or... or whatever. I love to hear it all.