Disclaimer- I do not own any of the characters from Kingdom Hearts I or II. (Or in the case of this chapter, Advent Children!)

Notes- Ok, so they are in the water, and she swims off... where is she going? I'm the only one who knows! Ha... read and find out!


Chapter 7- An Interesting Evening Part II

She swam off and motioned for him to follow. He did so without a second thought. They swam for awhile, Sora in struggling to keep up with her once again. He could tell this was not her first time in this strange form. Could this somehow be linked to the girl who left me the key? He pondered the possibilities as they swam quickly, never slowing.

After a few more minutes of swimming, when Sora was finally getting used to his form, they slowed and began descending into the depths of the ocean. The water became cooler and the moonlight struggled to pierce the waves. As it became darker, Sora swam faster, being sure not to lose track of Fleur. After a few more moments of swimming, Sora saw a light radiating from a cave about thirty feet away. No surprise- that was where they were headed. When the reached the entrance, Fleur finally stopped to explain to Sora.

"Sora, as you can see... well, my form is self-explanatory. We are at the entrance to Arcadia. I'm not sure what first compelled me to come here, but for three years now I have been coming here regularly. I need to, I almost died once because I didn't come soon enough... I have friends here, and people who treat me how I want to be treated. The reason you are able to come along is because I truly want you to. Anyone can come if it is wished by another Arcadian. We're going to visit my good friends Aya and Hari first. You may have met them... I believe they were drawing a bath for you. See, the part about wishing for someone to come works both ways. If I want them to come on land, they can. So, I guess that's really all you need to know... Let's get going!" Fleur seemed happier than Sora had ever seen her. He could tell she really love this Arcadia place. He followed her through the glowing cave and the emerged over a gigantic city teeming with the sea dwelling creatures he took to be the Arcadians. This place seemed to be made up of ancient buildings from Roman and Egyptian times that had sunken and settled to form a city. Arcadia was humming with life of all sorts- fish, manatees, and other sea animals of all shapes and sizes mingled playfully with the Arcadians. As he stared at the city in wonder and awe, Fleur made her way down into the hustle and bustle that was her true home. He noticed just in time, and rushed after her before she disappeared into a cluster of the timeless buildings.

As they swam through an empty alleyway into a crowded street, Sora just looked around, soaking it all in. He was under water, swimming through a hidden city! He never imagined anything this amazing happening to him. I wish Kairi and Riku could see this... he thought. His thinking was interrupted by Fleur's cheery voice.

"Are you still hungry? We can get something here if you don't mind."

He thought for a minute. Although he was hesitant, considering where he was and what they might eat there, he agreed. "Sure. Whatever is good!"

She smiled and swam over to a vendor selling fruits.

"One bolbus, please." She said politely to the man behind the wooden stand.

"Eight vera, miss." He said in reply. She handed him eight gold coins and took the food.

Vera must be their currency... interesting... Sora thought. He turned his attention to the fruit in Fleur's possession. It was a lumpy sphere with the colors of a sunset.

"When we get to Hari and Aya's house, you can eat this, okay? It's not too far from here. See that big building over there by the fountain relic? That's their house. They live there with Kadaj and Cloud." Fleur spoke of her friends in a bright, happy tone.

Sora thought some more. Why do they have a fountain...? We're under water... for decoration, maybe? And who are Kadaj and Cloud? Hmm...

These things bopped about in his mind as he continued to follow Fleur to her friends' house. When they reached the large stone building, Fleur knocked. Moments later, a man answered the door. He had spiky blonde hair and a black tail.

"Fleur! What a surprise!" He turned and faced into the house. "Hey Hari, Aya, Kadaj! Get out here! Fleur is here! And she brought a guest!" He turned back to Fleur and Sora. "How great to see you again. It's been forever. And who is this with you?" He indicated Sora.

"Oh, this is Sora. He's my new guard... Roselin hired him. Sora, this is Cloud. Cloud, Sora." Fleur introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you, Cloud." Sora said as he firmly shook Cloud's hand.

"Likewise," Cloud replied. Just then, a girl with curly, dark blonde hair and a green tail wedged her way up under Cloud's arm, which was leaning on the door frame. Cloud stood up straight and wrapped his arm around the girl.

"Hey Fleur! It's been too long!" The girl said brightly. "Come on in!" She stepped back, moving Cloud with her. Sora and Fleur went into the room. It looked as if it had been furnished by a Roman home or two. The decorations and furniture matched beautifully, giving the whole home a wonderful underwater feel. This made sense, since they were under water.

"Aya! How good to see you! And this is Sora, a new friend of mine. Sora, this is Aya." Fleur introduced him again. Aya shook his hand.

"So nice to meet you!" She said. Then she turned to Fleur and gave her a hug. Seconds later, another couple entered the room.

"Fleur!" A girl with a blue tail and curly brown hair swam up and hugged the other two girls tight in a group hug. "I haven't seen you since... well since you came last month! And I see you've brought a guest! What's your name?"

"I'm Sora. And you are?"

"My name is Hari. This is Kadaj." She pulled the boy closer to her by means of his hand that she had been holding. "We're all good friends of Fleur."

"Nice to meet you, man." Kadaj extended a hand to Sora. He took it and shook it firmly.

"Come have a seat! Cloud and I will fix you something to eat." Aya said. Everyone was speaking in a happy tone, seeing as how their friend was visiting them, which she didn't get to do often. Aya and Cloud made their way into the kitchen, which was open to the living room, so they could all carry on a conversation.

"So Fleur," Hari began. "What are you doing with more guards? Have you been up to no good again?" She teased. Aya, Cloud, and Kadaj all gave a knowing chuckle.

"Well, no... but Roselin has been going crazy, more so than usual..."


Notes- Yay! I felt that Fleur's friends should have boyfriends... so I chose Cloud and Kadaj! Perfect, no? I love them:D Well hope you enjoyed, let me know if you did! (And if you didn't, what I can do to improve!) R+R!

-VarekaiSoleil