Sorry I haven't updated. I'm a bad procrastinator. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

Sora let out a defeated sigh as he pulled on the chocobo suit. For the eighth time, the sixteen-year-old Keyblade master asked himself, "Why the heck am I doing this?"

And for the eighth time, he remembered the answer. "The bet."

At the blitzball tournament the previous week, Sora and Riku had made a bet on which team would win, the looser having to put on a chocobo suit and parade around the little island chanting, "Kweh, kweh, kweh". Both Sora and Riku's teams had made it to the finals and, though it was a very close game, Riku's team managed to win in sudden death. And a bet's a bet, so…

Sora had put it off as long as possible but procrastinating is a bit difficult when all your friends keep telling you to stop stalling. Yes, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, and Kairi knew about the bet too, meaning they were waiting for him as well. If there was one person he didn't want to see him in a chocobo suit, it was Kairi.

On the bright side, it had been almost a year since he defeated Xemnas and Organization XIII fell. He had enjoyed almost a year of peace. He had gone back to living as he had before the fateful night when he acquired the Keyblade and the Islands were consumed by darkness. It all seemed so long ago…

Of course, some things had changed. Riku, though he had regained some of his old humor and competitiveness, was much more quiet and serious. Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, though still his friends, had become more distant. And of course, there were the rumors.

No one but Sora, Riku, and Kairi was sure what had happened the night the dark storm came. All anyone could remember was waking up in a bit of a daze, as stars rained down from the sky. Kairi was found alone on the small island the next day but the two boys had disappeared. As the months went by, people started to forget Sora, but it was strange because it hadn't been long and no one had any trouble remembering Riku. Then suddenly, the memories came back all at once. It wasn't long after that when Kairi disappeared too. Some had reported seeing a strange, redheaded man the day she was last seen. Then, a few days later, they all showed up, perfectly fine. The threesome never said anything about their adventures to anyone else, which only increased the curiosity. Rumors were flying everywhere, each one more far-fetched than the last. But nothing was ever confirmed.

Well, by now the suit was on and there was no turning back. After a tearful goodbye to his pride and dignity, he stumbled towards his peers.

After a good laugh from everyone, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie went home. Riku and Kairi however, stayed behind to help their friend out of the costume.

"I'm never doing that again," Sora grumbled as he threw the chocobo suit into the ocean where it would (hopefully) never be seen again.

"I thought you looked cute," Kairi giggled. Sora felt his face go red. He just hoped no one noticed.

Riku looked at the setting sun. "It'll be dark soon. We'd better head back." He grinned at his two friends. "Race you to the boats."

All three broke into a run. It was nice to just joke around and have fun. Just like the old days…

But when they arrived at their boats, they all halted suddenly. Their eyes widened at what they saw. In all their journey, they had never seen anything like what was before them.

About seven silvery blue, semi-transparent figures stood between them and the shore. Each one was a different age. Sora could spot an old man, a girl of about six or seven, and a woman in her early twenties among the group. But the strangest thing of all about them was the expression on each of their faces. Each one was filled with sadness and regret, as if none of them wanted to do what they were doing.

"What are they?" Riku wondered aloud as he, Sora, and Kairi summoned their Keyblades.

"Are they ghosts?" Kairi said, voicing her own bewilderment.

The old man stepped forward, his wispy face just as sad and regretful as his companions. He let out what looked like a sigh, and looked at Sora right in the eyes.

At once, the Key-bearer's mind was filled with images that flashed by so fast he couldn't be sure what he'd seen. But he also heard voices – random snippets of conversation, but clear enough to understand. "We all have the power, you're no exception…" "I know you don't believe, but do this for Tawnya's sake" "Take care of her, my daughter" It all ended with a high pitch screech, a cry of pain, and a cruel, maniacal laugh.

Sora snapped back to reality to see the old man silently beckoning them to go with the specters. He still had the same look as before, if anything, it seemed worse.

Riku and Kairi looked to him for a decision. He hesitated. Why should he trust them? It didn't even look like they trusted themselves. Except for the young woman. Her former expression had been wiped from her face to be replaced with a look of determination.

Before Sora could even think about reacting she darted forward with surprising speed and went strait through him. The Key-bearer suddenly felt week in the knees. His vision blurred and he felt dizzy. The last thing he heard was Kairi calling to him before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Gasp! Sora, no! Don't worry, I haven't killed him... yet! Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!