Chapter 4: Prep School Problems

Kairi awoke the next day, extremely happy with the room she was in. After the attack many of the kids were given the keys to their dorms, but Kairi, Sora, and Riku had been informed that they would be staying in the castle itself. They room was incredibly regal, with a four post bed painted white and amazingly comfy blue bed sheets. Kairi realized she could get very use to this.

She was up at 6:00, though Mickey's wake up call probably wouldn't come for another thirty minutes. She hadn't packed any of her clothes when she came to the castle and because of that she had received a dress from Mickey last night to wear to the party. Kairi assumed that the same thing would happen in this situation: one of Mickey's tailors would knock on the door and deliver Kairi something to wear. She decided to check the closet first just in case. Kairi was amazed to see that there were, in fact, all sorts of different outfits that Mickey had arranged for her to have. Still something in the closet made her groan, rather than it being hung on the bar like everything else this outfit was hung on the door, staring at her in plain view.

A school uniform.

Kari remembered how much she hated the uniform at her old school and this one was very similar. It appeared that she had the choice of navy blue slacks or a navy blue colored plaid skirt paired with a navy blue sweater overtop a plain white blouse. There were also blue socks to match and white sneakers. Kairi took a shower, then chose to put on the skirt, pulling it up a bit like ever girl did. As she buttoned up the white blouse and pulled the navy blue sweater over her head she noticed a small golden Mickey monogram into the upper right of her sweater. Around the small Mickey symbol ware golden letters that read, 'The Mousekeeter Academy' Kairi finished getting dressed, applying a small amount of makeup, then left to find Sora and Riku.

When Kairi found her way out of the castle and towards the actual campus, Yuffie handed her a paper. "Your schedule dear," she cooed. Kairi was amazed. They were actually going to catapult them back into a learning environment so soon? They had just partied last night, this wasn't fair.

Kairi entered the room that was scheduled for her as homeroom to find other students huddled together in a blend of navy blue uniforms. Some girls were sitting on desks, checking to make sure they hadn't broken a nail. Sora called her to and she walked up to him, perching herself on top the desk next to his. "Were's Riku," she asked.

"In another grade, ditz," Sora teased, and Kairi mental punched herself for being so stupid at the moment.

Kairi noticed Kat and Domi. Kat had obviously opted for the navy blue trousers instead of the skirt as did other girl around the room, but Domi matched Kairi perfectly since she had chosen to wear the skirt too. "Hey Kairi," Domi greeted choosing a desk close to hers.

"Hey this is Sora. Sora meet Kat and Dominique." Kairi introduced.

"Hey," Sora waved to them.

Riku had told Sora about Odd last night, and Sora recognized him automatically when he walked in wearing a red T-shirt and J-Crew jeans. "You were supposed to wear the uniform in your closet, Odd." Sora yelled from his desk.

Odd was surprised at first. He didn't know Sora knew his name. Then he smiled wryly, "I guess I didn't get the memo."

Jessica was the last one to arrive to homeroom. She was a big surprise to all as she boosted dark, heavy eyeliner, a black choker, and black highlights in her hair. Who would have thought Jess would be that dark?

"Okay, settle down students," an unknown teacher commanded as the teens slipped off the tops of desks and into chairs. "We're going to devote homeroom and academics today to filling out you official Mousekeeters paper work." The teacher eyed Odd. "Oliver where is your uniform?" the teacher asked sternly.

Odd had taken a bag of chips out of his pocket, so his mouth was full as he answered, "I didn't get the memo," sounding defeated.

The paperwork was pretty simple to fill out, and Kairi, Sora, Domi, Kat, Odd, and Jess spent most of the day talking and getting to know each other as friends, though Domi still ignored Odd. Gym was the last period of the day and for good reason, as Sora and Kairi would soon find out.

A guy that appeared to be a least eighteen and at most twenty, appeared in front of the gym doors with gym uniforms in his hands looking bored. He had silver-blond hair much like Riku's asked everyone their size and handed them a grey t-shirt and dark blue basketball shorts accordingly. Kat groaned when she saw him and turned around dramatically winning. "It's good to see you too Kathryn," he groaned as well.

"You know this guy Kat?" Sora asked, taking a gym uniform.

The guy smiled and laughed, "We have the pleasure of being related."

"Yeah what a pleasure," Kat ripped her gym uniform out of his hand.

"I'm Calintz," he introduced himself, "I'm one of the new captains of the Mousekeeters and this is training class. Everyone get dressed. Four minutes." Some of the girls wined. "Three." With that they went to the locker room.

Domi, Kat, Jessica and Kairi picked lockers next to each other. Pulling off her shirt, Domi asked "So which one?"

Kairi knew exactly what Domi was talking about and blushed, pretending not to know, "What are you talking about?"

"Which one do you like, Riku or Sora?"

"Oh, um…" Kairi had no idea how to answer. "I don't know, I mean I'd like to have a boyfriend, but the two of them are so caddy, like girls.

"Which one would you rather have?" Kat tied her sneakers as she talked.

"Umm…I dunno." Kairi shock her head.

Domi tied her hair into a ponytail. "Yeah you do, every girl knows who they rather have." she began to walk to the gym door and Kat, Jess, and Kairi followed. Domi pushed the door open to reveal most of the boys in the gym already dressed. Some of them showed off with pushed ups, but Sora, Odd, and surprisingly Riku were waiting by the door for the girls. There were other older kids in Riku's grade here to. Obviously gym didn't go by grade level.

Calintz entered the gym, his voice booming throughout, "Your all hear in gym during this period because you're Gold Core students. This team is split into three cores: Blue Core, Silver Core, and Gold Core. Blue Core is a core for healers and magicians,

Silver Core is for physical fighters, and Gold Core is made up of the elite members of both. Basically, you're the best of the best and I expect better than your best." Most of the girls weren't listening, they were too busy staring and fantasizing over Calintz physical façade.

Calintz sent them through a set of drills and began teaching them how to fight in formation. 'This wasn't gym' Sora thought, 'Gym was where you played basketball indoors, and football outside in the fields and if you were lucky the teacher would let you play dodge ball once a week. This was not gym. This was training. For an army.'

Calintz approached Jess and Kairi during training, "Come with me." Leon took over the class and Calintz brought the two to a room that looked like a smaller version of gym. "I'll be personally training both of you."

"Why are we in Gold Core?" Kairi asked suspiciously, "We're not strong like everyone else."

"That's why I'm going to train you, ditz." Calintz remarked tapping her on the forehead.

"Why is everyone calling me a ditz today?" Kairi whispered to herself.

"Sit," Calintz instructed and they both sat on the floor.

"Are you two sisters?" he asked, not being the first one.

"No," they said simultaneously.

Calintz shook his head genuinely confused, "Okay well I want you to both concentrate on a time in your lives when you were really emotional, either happy or sad. Concentrate on it so hard that you feel like you're back at that time again. Zone completely out,"

Kairi tried it, she thought about the time when Sora had returned home. She imagined the water and the sight of Sora immerging form it and suddenly it was like she was there again. She called out his name and he turned, seeing her and began to swim to shore only to be met by an ecstatic Donald and Goofy. She laughed seeing the strange sight of Sora being tackled by the two. Sora pulled out her charm and Kairi couldn't be happier. More than happy actually, so much more than happy.

Jessica thought about a sad time in her life. She was only four by somehow she could remember it perfectly. Her father, Ansem the Wise, met her in the library of the castle one day only to bring devastating news. It was like she was there again. Her father picked her up and whispered to her, "Jessie, Jessie a very horrible thing happened today, your brother, Ale, passed away." Jess didn't exactly understand at that time, when she was four, but she still remembered feeling incredibly depressed.

Only Calintz could see what was going on while the girls remembered. Around Kairi appeared a ray of light, swirling and expaning around her. Around Jess appeared a cloud of darkness, spinning and curling like a creature engulfing her. Calintz smiled, it was just what he wanted, expected. The bell rang and Calintz clapped his hands loudly, deliberately disturbing their memories. "Get dressed and get going out of my presence." Calintz commanded.

Jess stood up heading towards the locker room, but talking at the same time, "Calintz what happened? Did you see anything?"

"Oh nothing important," Calintz joked, "Just things that ultimately point to you two being the most powerful beings in the entire universe. That's all."

Kairi and Jess stopped in there place, looking at each other in awe, but
Calintz was probably joking. They could tell his type, serious and stern when he needed to be but he seemed to like to pick on the students a lot.

Kairi exited the locker room to find Riku waiting for her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, I was thinking we could go out tonight. Odd told me they have gummi-ships here that act like buses and take you to different worlds. I've been hearing a lot about the world Earth and I thought we could go there and check it out, maybe have dinner."

"Sure," Kairi agreed, "You tell Sora yet?"

"No," Riku hesitated, "I thought it could just be you and me."

"Oh," Kairi was taken aback. She had told herself that she would go out with whoever asked her first. "Su..Sure."

"Great," Riku breathed like he was relieved.

Kairi walked and talked with him as they exited the school campus and headed back towards the castle. Domi was right. A girl always knew who her first choice was, and as she thought about going on her date later on tonight she realized it wasn't Riku.

It was Sora.

A/N: Review me or Bambi will make everyone you ever loved disappear…forever.