"What's she got that I don't," Sora mumbled to himself, and immediately felt stupid. Obviously Kitty had breasts. And they were very well displayed at the moment, in a bright red bikini. Sora caught himself watching and looked down with a scowl.

Kairi, Sora, Riku and Kitty were at the beach. It was the weekend, and they'd decided to play a bit. They had managed to find a very private, very secluded little beach, which was useful given a few of the things they were doing. Right now Riku and Kitty were sparring a bit. Not very seriously… Kitty was concentrating on pure defense, and it was really remarkable how she could easily hold Riku off. The Way to Dawn was easily three times the length of her dagger, but she bobbed, weaved and clashed her dagger with his blade without hesitation. She should have been at a disadvantage, but it didn't seem to bother her.

Riku wasn't trying that hard either though. They were mostly playing, and Sora felt his resentment flare. It was stupid, and he knew it, but he almost hated Kitty. Not for anything she had done, but just for being there… and being between him and Riku.

Sora had known for years that he was at least bisexual, if not gay. And he'd had a crush on Riku for longer. Riku had given absolutely no sign of returning the feeling, or even noticing… and Sora thought he'd been pretty obvious a few times. So Riku just… wasn't interested. At all.

It was stupid to resent Kitty for that. She had made Riku happy and she was trying to be friendly even when he was pushing her away. But emotions didn't answer to logic well, and Sora acted on an impulse he would soon regret.

"Hey Kitty! Want to spar with me?" He called, jumping to his feet. Kitty and Riku both turned to him, startled, and Kitty grinned.

"Why sure! But I won't go easy on you, shorty." Sora huffed at that.

"It's not my fault you're all giants." She and Riku were almost the exact same height, so Sora was quite a bit shorter than her. She just grinned at him as he called in his keyblade.

The fight between them was far more intense, less playful than what Kitty had been doing with Riku. Sora wanted to win, and the fact that Kitty was enjoying it only made him more determined to beat her. The Kingdom Key flashed out, and Riku called out to them.

"Sora, careful!" The way they were sparring was starting to alarm him. It almost looked like Sora was really trying to hurt Kitty, and the wicked gleam in her eyes was worrisome too. Sora ignored him, attacking again and pressing close-

And for the very first time, Kitty went on the offensive. Kicking him solidly in the chest, her dagger shot out and caught the Kingdom Key right beneath the head. There was a violent flash of red light and Riku and Kairi both had to shield their eyes.

SNICK

TINK

Everyone looked down at the sand as the head of the Kingdom Key went rolling across the ground. Sora looked at his mutilated keyblade and went white, as Kitty examined her dagger with a frown. The dark grey metal of it was burred, and the runes etched in the steel were glowing a sullen red.

"I think I damaged my knife." She gently touched the burr, and it smoothed out. "Oh, maybe not-" She was interrupted by Sora's hysterical reaction.

"Your knife?!? Look what you did to my keyblade!" Kitty blinked at the broken keyblade, a bit startled. She hadn't thought her knife could do something like that. "The Kingdom Key is broken!"

"Stop yelling." She said to Sora irritably as he grabbed up the head of the key and desperately tried to put it back together. "I'll ask the oracle." Flipping out her stone, she looked through it and saw what she needed to do. "Really?" Frowning at the stone, she walked over to Sora. "I need the key, Sora."

"No! You broke it!" Kitty sneered at him. He was sounding like a child.

"D'you want me to fix it or not?" Sora stared up at her, his blue eyes glazed with tears, then looked down at the ruins of his keyblade. It meant more to him than any petty resentment.

"You can fix it?" He finally said, his voice young and fragile. Kitty's expression softened into a smile… that was almost cute.

"Yeah. The oracle says you need the blood of Persephone." She bounced the stone. "So just give it here." Sora blinked, but complied, handing over the key.

"The blood of Persephone? Where do we get that?" Riku asked, watching Kitty as she began scraping her red stone against the broken pieces of the head and body of the keyblade.

"Oh, it's right here. That's what this stone is called." She replied absently, and Kairi gasped as she saw that the stone was leaving red marks on the keyblade. It almost seemed to be like lathering soap, and soon little tendrils of red were oozing down the blade. "It's the blood of a goddess, or so I was told by the guy who sold it to me. No one could use it until I came along… I got it for tuppence." The head and the base of the blade had a thick coating of red on their broken parts, now, and Riku frowned as he caught the scent of fresh blood. It seemed she was speaking literally. "Noooow…" Kitty held the head and base for a moment, then joined them. There was a sizzling sound and a smell like meat burning, and then the red streaks on the blade suddenly solidified, turning into red gems. "There you go." Kitty took a few experimental swipes with the blade, then tossed it to Sora. "Good as new." Sora frowned as he hefted his blade.

"It feels… different." It felt heavier, as if something had been added. He tentatively touched one of the red gems on the gold metal, and it felt warm. Kitty shrugged.

"Blood of the goddess probably does that. I wouldn't worry about it. So who wants to go swimming?" She flicked her wrist and tossed the stone onto her clothes, sitting on the beach.

"Me!" Kairi took the initiative and ran into the ocean. "Last one in is a dead clam!" Kitty laughed and followed, Sora close behind as Riku looked at the red stone.

"Blood of Persephone." He mused to himself. He'd have to look up Persephone sometime. He had a feeling it could be important.

Riku looked at the tickets in his hand dubiously. He'd won them in a radio contest, a contest he was just barely old enough to enter. He'd done it on a lark, and hadn't expected to hear his name drawn. They were for a special show at the Black Kitty Club. Riku blinked as he suddenly remembered… that was where Kitty worked. She wasn't home, so he couldn't ask her what the show was like. Was this place a theater? The name didn't sound quite right. Shrugging, he pulled out his cell and dialed Sora's number.

"Hey Sora, want to go to a show tomorrow? Just the two of us?" Kitty was working and he only had two tickets anyway. Sora's voice came back, cheerful and peppy.

Sure! Where? Riku squinted at the tickets.

"The Black Kitty Club, Diagon Avenue… I won some tickets for a show." There was a brief pause before Sora spoke again.

I'll have to ask my mom. Although… is that the club or the show? Riku frowned and looked carefully at the tickets.

"It's the show. Two hour show in the main auditorium starts at seven." There was a relieved sigh on the other end.

That should be fine. I'll meet you there! Later! Riku frowned as he put away the phone. Was he missing something?

If he was, he'd find out tomorrow.

Kitty looked at herself in the mirror, applying her makeup and adjusting her outfit. It made her look like a very naughty little schoolgirl.

The Black Kitty Club, unlike many clubs of its type, had some pretensions of class and artistic merit. So there were two parts to the club… the club, where traditional pole dancing was done, and the auditorium where actual plays were put on. They were naughty, of course, and involved some stripping and a lot of highly suggestive themes… but there was also a story and some narration. Getting a spot in the auditorium had some downsides, but also significant upsides. Kitty grinned as she thought about it. There were no tips, but you were paid a lot more to make up for that, and if you worked in the auditorium you could actually call yourself a performer with a straight face. And there was no chance of getting groped, although that didn't happen too much in the club either. Mainly because the very nasty bouncers took care of it immediately when it did.

Kitty hadn't been too interested in the auditorium, but when a spot had come open she'd tried out for it and had been surprised when she was picked. A lot of the other girls were jealous, which she answered with a sneer. If they wanted to take her, they were welcome to try. She'd already established that she was no one to mess with.

Her part in the story was relatively short, a single scene in fact… but an important one that she handled alone. Once it was done, she'd be free to get a drink and a bite to eat before the next show.

She really couldn't wait to get home to Riku. Just thinking about him put a smile on her face… was she really in love? Kitty grinned at herself. She wouldn't know love if it bit her in the ass, but she thought maybe she was.

There was the sound of a bell, and she stood, going to take her place backstage.

Showtime.

Riku watched wide-eyed, blushing, as the performance unfolded. Sora was embarrassed but interested… he'd known what to expect.

The performance was divided into many small skits, connected together by the main character… a girl who was trying to find her home and searching in all the wrong places. It was a pretty simple plot, but the plot wasn't what was keeping everyone's attention glued to the stage.

"You could have warned me!" Riku hissed to Sora, and Sora blinked.

"I thought you knew. The main club is pole dancing." Riku blinked. Kitty was a pole dancer? That… explained a lot, now that he thought of it. For a moment that bothered him, but…

"That's Kitty." He mumbled to himself. Pole dancing seemed like something she would do without a second thought, and he loved her for herself so he could hardly-

"Riku!" Sora nudged him in the side, and he looked up, startled, as a familiar redhead walked onto the stage. The set had changed… there was nothing there but a dusty desk and a chair sitting beside it. Then the music started.

Missed me, missed me, now you've got to kiss me.
If you kiss me, mister, I might tell my sister.

If I tell her, mister, she might tell my mother and my
mother, mister, she might tell my father and my father,
mister, he won't be too happy and he'll have his lawyer
come up from the city and arrest you, mister,
so I wouldn't miss me if you get me, mister, see?

Kitty played the naughty schoolgirl to perfection, using the chair and desk in her dance. Riku swallowed hard as she ran a finger up the inside of her thigh, sliding up the skirt and revealing red panties. Sora gasped, but Riku hardly noticed… Kitty was pumping out enough sensual energy to set the curtains on fire.

Missed me, missed, me now you've got to kiss me.
If you kiss me, mister, you must think I'm pretty.
If you think so, mister, you must want to fuck me.
If you fuck me, mister, it must mean you love me.
If you love me, mister, you would never leave me
it's as simple as can be!

The second girl, the one searching for her home, joined the dance. She was dressed as a schoolgirl too, now, and there was a tearing sound from the music just as Kitty ripped open her shirt, revealing a bright red, frilly bra.

Missed me, missed me, now you've gone and done it,
hope you're happy in the county penitentiary
it serves you right for kissing little girls, but I will visit, if you miss me.
Say you miss me.
How's the food they feed you?
Do you miss me?
Will you kiss me through the window?
Do you miss me, miss me?
Will they ever let you go?
I miss my mister so.

Kitty sank to her knees, hiding her face in her hands sadly as the song concluded, and the other girl wrapped her arms around her comfortingly. Then the curtain dropped to thunderous applause. People started to get up… this was the intermission, the time where they could get some liquor to go with the show. Riku, though, had other plans. Sora trailing behind, he made his way to the backstage-

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" A burley man blocked their way, and Riku stopped, folding his hands behind him in as non-threatening a manner as he could manage. Good security in a place like this was perfectly understandable.

"I'm Kitty's boyfriend, Riku. I was wondering if I could see her?" He asked politely, and the man's scowl eased a bit.

"Oh, Kitty. You have a pass?" Riku blinked, and shook his head. "Well, you'll have to get one-" Then another voice interrupted.

"It's okay John, he's really my boyfriend. I've been meaning to get him a pass but forgot. Hey Riku! I was wondering when you'd come to see me." John watched tolerantly as Kitty hugged Riku, and he returned it.

"Just make sure he gets a pass for next time, Kitty." He cautioned, watching as Kitty dragged Riku to her prep room. Sora was still behind them, a little unsure but following Riku. The room she pulled them into was more of a closet, but there was a mirror and a spot to sit.

"Kitty, why didn't you tell me you work at a strip club?" Riku decided to get right to the point, and Kitty blinked at him.

"I told you the name… I thought you knew." She'd known they had been ignorant at first, but had thought they'd surely figured it out. Sora certainly had, from a few comments he'd made to her. Riku blushed and shook his head.

"I don't go to strip clubs, Kitty. I thought you were working at a tea house or something." Kitty gaped at him for a moment, then laughed.

"A tea house! Me? Here you are ma'am, want some sugar? One lump or two? Ohhh yeah!" Riku couldn't help but laugh as she mimed dropping sugar in a cup, then made a tremendous slurping sound. "I've been kicked out of tea houses in my time. And banned!"

"I don't want to know why." Riku put his arms around her, giving her a passionate kiss, and Kitty returned it, melting against him.

"You don't mind, do you?" She said softly in his ear, and Riku shook his head, kissing her cheek.

"It's fine. You were great up there… you make a wonderful naughty schoolgirl." Kitty grinned, and reached down to rub him through his pants.

"Then let's do something naughty, right here, right now." Sora watched, wide-eyed, as there was the sound of a zipper being undone and Riku groaned, pressing Kitty against the wall and nuzzling her neck.

"I-uh-I'll just be right outside." He beat a hasty retreat, unsure either of them had even heard him. Sora ended up waiting outside the room for them, trying to ignore the sounds coming from within, and had altogether too much time to think about his own reactions.

He'd been… really turned on by Kitty's skit. And some of the rest of the play, too, but not nearly as much as that one scene. Was he bisexual? Was he actually attracted to Kitty? And did it mean anything if he was? Sora rubbed his forehead, feeling like he was getting a headache. And the things he was hearing were making his pants feel too tight…

This wasn't a good day.