You may notice a change in the style from here on out. While the prologue was written about three years ago, I've only recently written this part, so it will look a lot different. My writing has changed over the years! I'm really sorry if this disappoints everyone!


"Soraaaaa!" A voice called from within the house. Sora placed the broom he was using to sweep the front stoop against the door frame and peeked his head into the small house.

"Yes, father?" he called back, knowing that the man must be somewhere in the back, sharpening his carpenter's tools.

Sora and his father lived a very simple life that did not allow much luxury. Despite this, his father never once pressured Sora into accepting the gifts and proposals that were offered to him daily. The man would rather see his son smile than sleep in a goose-feathered bed.

"I need you to make a trip to the bakery. We're out of bread, and if you want your favorite strawberry jam on toast tomorrow morning, I suggest you hurry."

Sora let out a little giggle to that as he grabbed his sack and a little bit of coin. They only had enough money to purchase the cheapest, and often times moldiest, bread available, but neither of them really cared.

As Sora made his way through the streets of his little village, he was greeted with the usual smiles, gestures, and flattering remarks he grew so accustomed to. Sora usually tried to return them as politely as he could, but that often led to confusion and misinterpretation.

When the boy finally reached the baker's shop, the heavenly aroma of baking bread swept pleasantly over his nose. He entered through the front door, making the bells chime as he did so, alerting everyone of his presence.

Sora stood at the end of the line of customers, politely declining all the offers to take someone's place in line. He waited patiently until the customers received their orders and left. Finally, it was his turn.

The boy approached the counter where the baker stood. The baker looked down at him with the same leer that he always gave Sora, making the boy agonizingly uncomfortable. Sora never liked this man. He reminded the boy of someone else.

"I'll have the usual, please," he said, handing over the coin. The baker held out his hand, and when Sora gave him the coin, he wrapped his other hand over Sora's.

"Although nearly impossible, I must say, Sora that you may have grown even more beautiful since the last time you visited." The baker leaned a bit too close to Sora. "How about I give you a fresh loaf of bread in exchange for one small kiss?"

"Thank you for the kind offer, but I will just have the usual, please." Sora tried to gently pull his arm away from the baker's grasp, but the man refused to budge.

As the boy pulled even harder, he started to panic. Just when he was about to cry out, someone in the back of the bakery did it for him.

Both Sora and the baker looked towards the backroom in surprise as a cloud of flour floated past the doorway. The man dropped Sora's arm, which he quickly pulled towards his chest, dropping the coin onto the counter.

"What do you think you're doing, you damn silver-backed ape?" the baker yelled at his apprentice. Sure enough, the silver-haired man himself appeared in the doorway, surrounded by clouds of flour which covered him from head to toe.

"I'm really sorry, Master Ansem. I was trying to get the bag on flour on the top shelf when the ladder somehow decided that my shoes were too ugly for the likes of it, so it threw me off."

"Whatever possessed you to get the bag on the top when there are others all over?! Clean up this mess right now! And you can expect to pay for all that wasted flour!" Ansem the baker then proceeded to stomp off towards the back to get Sora his bread.

The thick tension that was present before was completely decimated by Sora's old, silver-haired friend.

"Thank you Riku," Sora said, still cradling his arm against his chest. Riku suddenly appeared next to Sora, holding and examining the boy's arm.

"He didn't hurt you, right? I have no idea why that old man can't take no for an answer. Remember, if he ever does that again, don't hesitate to call, alright?" Sora felt his heart quicken at Riku's touch, but he quickly shook it off as nothing.

When he looked up to answer his friend, he couldn't stop the wave of giggles that passed through his mouth. Riku's usual silver hair, along with his clothes and apron, had splotches of white all over. His face was almost completely covered in flour.

"What? What's so funny?" he asked as he dropped Sora's arm and mock glared at the boy.

"You look like a ghost!" the brown-haired boy exclaimed in between gasps of air.

Riku huffed before bringing his hands to his head and violently shaking the flour out of his hair.

"Riku! Stop acting like a silver-haired dog! You're turning me into a ghost now!" Sora laughed.

Through the curtain of silver hair, Sora could have sworn he saw relief in the man's sea-green eyes before he turned back towards the backroom.

"Hang on for one second," Riku called, and as promised, he returned one second later and handed over to Sora a piece of bread with brown swirls. "A piece of freshly baked cinnamon bread, made by yours truly! I want you to try the first piece."

"What am I, a guinea pig?" However, Sora was very grateful and happy that Riku always let him be the first to taste his bread. The boy took a bite of the bread and hummed as the delicious, sweet taste wrapped around his tongue and massaged his taste buds.

"Judging by the look of pure ecstasy on your face, I believe my creation was a success," Riku remarked smugly. The comment made Sora blush a nice shade of red as he swallowed the last piece.

The two chatted for about a minute longer before Ansem returned with Sora's moldy bread. The baker barked at Riku to clean up the mess, so he said goodbye to his friend as he returned to work.

Ansem handed the bread over to Sora, making sure to "accidentally" drag his fingers along the boy's knuckles, making him shiver involuntarily.

Quickly bidding farewell, Sora hurried out of the bakery. When he looked back for a few seconds, he could have sworn he saw Riku glare menacingly at his master before returning to work. Sora calmed down a bit, knowing that if Ansem did ever try anything, Riku would be there to protect him.

Just like the time they first met.

The time when Sora realized his beauty was not a blessing, but a curse that would haunt him for the rest of his life.


So there you have it! Chapter 2! Let me know what you guys think! Also, if you notice any really stupid mistakes I may have made, please point them out so I can correct them as soon as possible! Thank you~!