"Sora? Sora are you awake?"
Sora opened his eyes groggily. He looked around barely aware of his surroundings. He was in a bed… surrounded by, Leon, Yuffie, Merlin, Cid, and Aerith.
"What happened? Where am I?"
"We found you in the castle on the outskirts of town, we brought you back home." Yuffie explained.
"Home?" He looked at his teachers face, it was written with dissaproval.
"What about Riku?"
"He's here."
"And Kairi?"
"Home."
Sora nodded and closed his eyes again. When he reopened them, Leon was gone. "I messed up… didn't I?" Sora asked looking over his friends faces. Yuffie nodded. "Oh yeah! I've never seen Leon this mad before!"
"YUFFIE!" Aerith scolded. Sora moaned. "I don't feel good." He announced.
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Riku had woken up before Sora. A long time before Sora. He had woken up in the pounding rain, being carried like a sack of bricks over his old teacher's shoulder. And of course he did the only logical thing to do. He freaked out and pushed him self away onto the mud.
"What are you doing?" Riku shouted. "Ow." He then muttered feeling the increasingly large bump forming towards the back of his head.
"I could ask you the exact same question." Cloud answered looking down at his former apprentice.
"We were… I mean, I was…" Riku looked at the ground with dismay.
"No explanation?" Cloud asked. Riku shook his head. Cloud reached down and took hold of Riku's collar. He hoisted the boy to his feet and turned to walk away. Riku followed slowly. He noticed Sora was still blacked out, and so was Kairi. He looked at Sora sadly. He had probably ruined his last chance to become a knight. Once they got back in to the hut, Riku simply went to the back room, which now for some reason had no door, and lay down. He lay there for a long time before he heard Sora's voice.
"What happened? Where am I?"
Yuffie was next to speak. "We found you in the castle on the outskirts of town, we brought you back home."
"Home?"
Riku sighed and turned over.
"What about Riku?" Riku sat up to say something but Aerith beat him to it
"He's here."
"And Kairi?" Riku laid back down and turned his back to the others.
"Home."
Home. That's probably where they'll both be sent: back to that little village where they had grown up. He could already hear his father, having a fit over his return. Sora's mom would probably start crying or something like that. If they were going to disgrace their families like this there wasn't much point in going home. Sora might, but Riku was considering dooming himself to eternal wandering. He lay flat on his back staring up at the ceiling.
"Riku?" Sora had woken up for the second time and was sitting up.
"I ruined it, didn't I?" Riku asked, not taking his eyes off the ceiling.
"Ruined what?" Sora asked swinging his legs off the bed.
"Your chances at becoming a knight. We're probably going to get sent back home, or something."
Sora furrowed his brow. "Maybe, but that's not your fault."
"Yes it is." Riku replied. "Unless your blaming Kairi?"
"What? No way! Its all your fault." Sora said laughing and pointing. Riku smirked. "It doesn't bother you?" Riku asked.
"What, blaming you? Not a bit." Sora said waving his hand.
Riku sat up placing a hand on his knee. "Oh gee thanks. But that's not what I was talking about. I was wondering if it bothered you that we're never going to see her again."
Sora stopped laughing. He looked down at the ground. "Yeah. I mean, I'm sad and all, but… Its not fair, is it?" He asked, his hand tightening around the sheet. Riku smiled softly. "Nope. It never is."
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Kairi was staring out her window. She had refused to eat, sleep or look away from said window in hours. "Its not fair." She said, her tears running down her face. "Its not fair at all!" She said slumping he head into her arms. A nurse walked in carrying a tray of food.
"Princess?" She asked. "Come eat." She said setting the tray down on a table in the corner.
"No! I refuse." Kairi mumbled into her arms.
"Please eat." The nurse said.
"No."
The nurse left and Kairi sat up to wipe her own tears. She had never done that before, some one else had always wiped them for her. It was almost a little unnerving. She slid off the window sill and onto the floor. She crossed to the door and pulled it open and began to walk off to her fathers office. Maybe she could convince him that Sora and Riku should be able to stay.
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"Leon-sens--" Sora stopped himself. "Um, Riku and I… are being sent home aren't we?" He asked Leon, who was currently reading the letter that the King had sent.
"No." He said. Sora let out a sigh of relief. "You're being banished." There was a hint of disbelief in Leon's voice.
"BANISHED?" Riku exclaimed. "Banished? As in, into the wasteland? As in, to die?"
Leon nodded
"Don't you think that's a little much?" Aerith said.
Leon nodded again. "What they did wasn't enough to get them banished. There has to be a reason behind all this." He said. "I'm going to talk to the King. Don't worry Sora, I wont let them banish you." Leon stood up and left the room. Riku looked over at his friend.
"We're doomed… aren't we?"
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"Your Majesty?"
"Oh, Leon. Come in."
Leon entered the King's office. "You're here about your apprentice, I presume."
"Sir, please, I understand what Sora did was reckless, but it shouldn't be enough to have him banished."
The King sighed. "Leon, I understand your concern, and I'm sorry, but I have no choice! The boy seems bent on delivering the Keyblade into their hands! He's run away twice now. This is the only way."
"He's a kid! All this responsibility is too much for him to handle right now. I'm sure if we just explained what the Keyblade is then he'd be more--"
"Leon, we talked about this! We can't be responsible for that; the Keyblade is the only thing that can tell the boy!"
"Well, it won't be able to if you kill him!"
"Kill him? That's not what this banishment is meant to do. It's more of an enlightenment journey, so he can--" The king trailed off when he saw the disbelieving look in Leon's eye.
"Enlightenment journey? It's the wasteland! No one's survived for more than three days in that place!"
"That's why I'm sending Riku along. He'll have a higher chance of survival that way."
"Great, so when they start hallucinating because they're starving and its over 300 degrees there, they can kill and eat each other!" Leon yelled throwing his hands up in air.
"Leon you're over reacting. They both very resourceful boys and wont die that easily… or resort to cannibalism."
"Will you listen to your self? They're kids!"
"They'll be fine Leon, get them ready. They leave tomorrow."
Leon left the room while nearly tearing the door off his hinges and running headlong into Kairi.
"Sir Leon! What's the news with Sora and Riku?"
"They're being banished."
"BANISHED?" Kairi exclaimed. "Daddy!" She flung the door open and rushed inside. Leon shook his head and walked back outside.
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"You can't banish them!"
"Kairi, calm down, it's not indefinite. Don't worry." Ansem the Wise said placing his hands on her shoulders.
"You hate me don't you?" Kairi said beginning to cry.
"What?"
"They're my friends! Am I not allowed to have friends? Am I supposed to be alone for the rest of my life?"
"Kairi…" Ansem released her shoulders. "You will be able to see them again. I promise, I'm not going to keep you from the life you want to live."
Kairi sniffed. "Really?"
"Really."
Kairi hugged her dad. "If they die I wont forgive you, you know."
"They won't."
"I'm going to hold you to your promise. About my life."
Ansem had a feeling he knew what that meant.
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"You couldn't change his mind?" Aerith asked. Leon threw his jacket on the floor in frustration.
"He's sending them away tomorrow." He said. "Where are they anyway?"
"In the back room." Aerith said walking over to him. "What are we going to do? They could die!"
"I don't know… Go get them both. I have 24 hours to get them ready for the wasteland and an enlightened breakthrough."
Dun dun dun…. Well we all know this wont end well. Or do we? Hmm. Please leave a review. I'm sorry I forgot about this story so I haven't updated in… forever. But please, reviews and flames alike are welcome. I just like hearing from you.
