Whew! Almost didn't make it in time. Who knew the end of senior year would be so tiring. Luckily this will be the last "filler" chapter before going to the next world. So please enjoy.

Chapter 14: Day off

It's been about two days since I talked to the old man. Kairi had let me stay at her house, since I don't have a place to go. It seems her father, Hideo Tilmitt, doesn't mind the extra mouth that he has to feed. He sort of looked like the uncle in those Harry Potter films, only with a bigger moustache that would make Yosemite Sam jealous and that he is nice enough to be a saint. I guess that's where Kairi gets it from. While Kairi was at school, we sat around the living room and just talked. He had some interesting stories. He told me about the time he was mayor of the city, some history, and he even told me the story about when he met Kairi.

So it turns out that he's not Kairi's birthfather! Who knew? He told me that his wife passed away during his time as mayor. One night he snuck off, so his security team didn't follow him, and went towards the little island just off the coast of the city. He said that he and his wife always used to go there and walked along the shores when they were teenagers. On that night, there was a meteor showers, so the sky was filled with falling stars. It was so beautiful, that he couldn't keep his eyes off of it. Once he looked down, back towards the shore, he saw a little girl, about eight years old with short scarlet red hair, floating on the coast. Once the little regained consciousness in the hospital, he asked who she was and where did she come from. But all the little girl remembered was her name, Kairi.

Hideo asked all around the city, put "FOUND CHILD" signs with Kairi's picture up at every corner, he even went on national television begging the parent's of the found redhaired girl to come up to pick up their daughter, but no one ever came. Eventually he gave up, but he didn't want to see this little girl go to an orphanage. So he adopted the young Kairi and raised her with his own daughter Selphie.

"That's an amazing story." I said once he became quiet.

"Thank you." Hideo sniffled. "Thinking about that time always gets me choked up."

"You raised her well. Kairi is a great person."

"She is. But all this traveling she's been doing recently has me worried. She is usually gone for a long time. Sometimes she disappears without saying anything." He stared at me with glistening eyes. "It makes a father worry you know."

"You shouldn't be worried." I spoke up, trying to comfort him. "Kairi is enjoying herself. She loves seeing the...world." (That's one way of putting it.) "And don't worry about it! If anything happens to..." I stood up from my seat. "I swear I will protect Kairi!"

Hideo stared at me with wide eyes and an open mouth. Soon he closed his mouth as it formed into a smile and he started to laugh. I noticed that tears were flowing out of his eyes. But these were tears of joy. I was honestly confused.

"Di-did I say something funny?" I asked as I felt my cheeks fluster a bit. I sat back down on my chair, realizing how stupid I probably looked.

"No, not at all! It's just that...that Sora boy told me the same thing when he returned after being missing for two years." He answered as he slowly stopped laughing. So Sora beat me to the punch... Now I feel an even more embarrassed. Hideo looked up at the ceiling with a big grin on his face. "I'm glad Kairi has made such wonderful friends..." I heard him whisper and I couldn't help but smile with him.

And speak of the Devil, Kairi walked through the front door with her half-sister, Selphie in their school uniforms. Selphie was a child at heart. She was hyperactive, upbeat, and somewhat of a ditz. Kairi says that she is actually pretty smart, but I don't see it. Besides her cute face and her ditzy way of life, the number one thing that stands out from Selphie was her hair! Her hair went downward like normal, but then it curls upward at the end, making her hair look like a W. Everytime I see her and Kairi together, they're always giggling, always having fun with each other.

"Hey there Max!" Kairi greeted with a wave of her hand.

"Yahoo!" Selphie yelled as she put her hand on her head as if she was a soldier.

Before I could even say "Hello", the two teens walked up to me and broke most of my personal space laws. "Are you ready?" Kairi asked as she giggled.

"Ready? Ready for what?" I asked innocently, but in my mind I was thinking Oh God! No no no no no...

"It's time to get you some new clothes!" Selphie cheered as she jumped in the air.

"Oh yeah...THAT!" I looked away with a strong distaste in my eyes and a bad taste in my mouth. Kairi grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my comfortable chair.

"Come on! Let's go!" She persisted as she dragged me out the door. I tried to break free from her grip, but she is stronger than she looks. Geez! Are all keyblade wielders this strong? Also, the fact that Selphie is pushing me from behind isn't exactly helping. "Bye Dad!" The two sisters said in perfect unison. I stared at Hideo with puppy dog eyes, begging him for help. But all he did was wave as the two dragged me out. That traitor! I almost cried out for help as the door closed.

…

"We made it to the shopping district!" Selphie cheered with both fists in the air as she climbed up the stairs out of the subway. "Can you smell the love in the air!?"

"I don't smell love, but I do smell some pastries around." Kairi answered. "What about you Max? Max?" I slowly walked upstairs with my arms clenched my arms. I was practically hyperventilating. How could so many people fit in that tiny train? "Oh yeah... You can't handle tight places." Kairi knelt next to me. "Sorry about that..."

"No...It's not your fault." I comforted her as I regained my composure. I tried to gather my surroundings. The first things that caught my attention were the giant buildings with giant screens on them, which instantly reminded me of Time Square. The next thing was...well, what do you suspect? Place that looks like Time Square equals hundreds of people scrunched up together, trying to move. Great...just great. There were a lot of crossroads and cars everywhere.

"First place we're going is over there!" Selphie pointed towards a giant building with the word "CANDY" written on a billboard. I peeked through the window and almost threw up at the sight. Even though the window was tinted black, I could see an array of colors and frills on every piece of clothing inside. The mannequin in front of the store wore a graphic T-shirt with the name of the store in yellow with a really bright silver jacket as she wore blue basketball jeans. She had about five gold chains around her neck. She wore all that with a hideous pink wig on her head. It was something Nudge would probably love, but not me!

"Umm...No thanks. It's a bit too...gaudy for me." I declined Selphie's offer. Plus I don't think wearing all those chains into a fight would be a good idea. The Heartless might laugh to death. "Too much color isn't my style."

"Then what is your style?" Kairi asked me. I could see the relief in her eyes when I decided to go somewhere else. I guess even with all that pink she wears, she still doesn't like "CANDY."

I pondered for a moment. What was my style? I usually got my clothes from the street, or somebody just hands it to us, so I don't really have my own fashion. I looked around. Eventually a store caught my attention. Through the window I saw a store with more sport jackets, t-shirts, and more simpler clothes then what they have in CANDY. "How about over there?" I pointed towards the store.

"Really? There?" Selphie asked, sounding disappointed. "None of those clothes are cute!"

"I don't know." Kairi intervened. "Maybe Max can pull it off." She stared at the mannequin who, thankfully, had normal looking clothes. A white tanktop under leather jacket, giving off a biker vibe out of it. The bottom half were just simple jeans, which is WAY better than a frilly dress. "Yeah...I can see Max wearing that."

Selphie's cheeks were pouting as she said "Fine...Let's go." with a hint of disapproval in my choice. Once we entered the building, I realized that the store looked so much like a Hot Topic. Dark moody atmosphere, a bunch of goth-looking kids, hardcore rock songs playing on the speakers. Really not my type of lace either, but it was better than all that bubblegum pop. I turned around to see Selphie shaking. It seems like she's not used to this type of environment.

"Don't worry." I whispered to her. "I don't want to be here that long either." Selphie didn't say anything, but she nodded, giving me a clear answer.

"Max! Selphie! I think I found something good!" Kairi yelled from the middle of the store. When did she get all the way over there? That girl is fast! Once we made it over there, Kairi pulled out a bright red leather jacket over a black t-shirt and jeans shorts that would go to my knees.

"Alright Kairi!" Selphie cheered. I swear this girl has mood swings by the dozen. "You always find the best outfits anywhere." My thoughts are how did she get these in the last five seconds.

Kairi handed me the outfit and pointed towards a changing booth. "Why don't you try them on over there?" She suggested.

I nodded as I started walking passed the other shoppers, towards the changing booth. Once I made it inside and stared at the mirror in front of me, I finally realized what I have been wearing this entire time. Besides the ripped jeans I brought here from my world, I was wearing one of Kairi's t-shirts which was bright pink with an image of a cute puppy in the middle of it. Why haven't I realized that yet? It's cute yes...but it's too cute! I instantly stripped off the clothes and tried on these new clothes.

The black t-shirt was the first the first thing on. It was just a simple black shirt with no designs on it or anything. Luckily it was a "No Wings" day, so I didn't need to cut holes in the back...yet. Next were the shorts. They were a bit tight (NO FAT JOKES!), but I managed to fit them around my hips. Finally I put on the red jacket. It stopped midway, just above my stomach, so you could still see the black shirt even when I button it all the way. I brushed back my hair, which was trapped under the jacket. I once again looked at the mirror and, not to pat myself on the back or anything, but I looked good in this. Selphie was right. Kairi can find the best outfit. I punched the air for a few seconds to see how flexible it was. Luckily, nothing ripped and it seemed like it wasn't for a while.

I walked out of the changing room to show the girls. I heard Selphie gasp as I twirled around in a circle, like one of those runway models. "I told you Max could pull it off." Kairi gloated with a smug grin on her face.

"I will never doubt your fashion sense ever again." Selphie said as she continued to stare at me with awed eyes. That was soon interrupted by her growling stomach. She let out another an embarrassed laugh as she put her hand behind her head.

"I guess we can stop by and get some food on the way back." Kairi giggled. She turned around, back towards me as I held back my laughter. "Come on Max. Change out of those clothes and we'll pay for it." Great...Back to the cute little puppies.

After we left the wannabe Hot Topic, we searched around for a place to eat. At first, I began to get nervous with all the people crowding around me. Kairi, sensing my discomfort, grabbed my hand and guided me through the crowd, which calmed me down a bit. We pushed against the crowd until we saw Selphie enter a building. We quickly gave chase and found ourselves in an area where there were dining tables set up everywhere, waiters and waitresses dodging each other while they have food in hand, and the rich aroma of freshly made hamburgers fills the air. We were inside a family restaurant. I couldn't help but stare with drool coming out of my mouth as a waiter danced his way through the middle with giant burgers on a plate in his hands. I think I heard my stomach growling.

"When it comes to food, Selphie always uses her nose to find the best food." Kairi said once she noticed the hunger in my eyes.

"Guys! Over here!" Selphie yelled as she waved at us from a table. Looks like her speed with food equals Kairi's speed with clothes. We made our way over there and sat down. I picked up the menu and stared at all the different kinds of food there are. Burgers, Chicken Tenders, and Salads...Oh my!

"I know how much you eat Max, so choose whatever you like. I'll pay for you." Kairi said as she read her own menu.

"Re-really? I don't want you to waste all your money on me." I responded. I said that, but I was already searching for the most expensive thing. Does that make me a bad person?

"Don't worry about it. I have money to spare." Kairi smiled towards me and then looked back at her menu. "Ooh! This one looks good!"

…

As we ate our meal, I couldn't help but stare at the two girls having their conversation. They were giggling, smiling, and living a normal life. Something I will probably never have. I don't know if I didn't understand them or just plainly lost interest, but for some reason I started to look around the restaurant. There was a little boy who was having his birthday party here. The waiters and waitresses were singing "Happy Birthday", which they probably had done millions of times before. The little boy looks like he's having fun with that big grin on his face as he clapped to the beat of the singers. The couple next to them looked annoyed with each other. Earlier I heard those two arguing about something I honestly can't tell you about. Let's just say that the man sleeping in the couch is the best option right now. On the other side of the restaurant there was this cute old couple eating soup. Unlike the other two "lovebirds", these two looked like their love is strong and has been for years.

My attention eventually lead me towards the window. Your usual cars driving by, people walking, and your occasional weirdo were all right there. But there was this one guy standing in front of the restaurant caught me. He had long black straight hair, wore a black t-shirt and skinny jeans, he had a blank expression on his face, and his black eyes were staring...at me! At first I thought he was just some creep, but the more I looked at him, the more he reminded me of someone else. Someone I knew for my entire life. Someone who died right in front of me.

"Fang..." I whispered his name as my breath became heavy. I got up to my feet, probably making the girls jump in shock. I think I heard Kairi asking if I was alright, but I completely ignored her as I watched the man give me a half-smile (Like HE usually does) and walked away. "WAIT!" I heard my voice escape me as I dashed my way towards the door, knocking back a waiter or two. Once I was outside, I looked at my surroundings and found the man walking away. As I started chasing after him, pushing people out of my way, I thought of all the possible outcomes. Maybe he somehow survived the Heartless attack and made his way here. Maybe he's not the only one, and the rest of the flock are okay. Or maybe I'm deluding myself. Maybe he's actually dead and this guy just so happened to look exactly like him. But either way I had to find out.

I watched him cross the street, which immediately turned green once I got there. As the cars and trucks passed by, I tried to look for the black-haired man. Damn! I wish I could fly right now. Once the light turned red, I ran across the street, only to find out that I couldn't find him anymore. He was gone and I had no idea where he went.

As I cursed under my breath, I heard Kairi calling my name. I turned around and saw that she were out of breath with all the running. "Why did you run?" She asked me in between heavy breaths.

"So-Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you guys. I just wanted to get some fresh air." I lied, but Kairi gave me a look that said "I'm not buying it!", so I let out a sigh and explained to her about the guy that I saw. By the end of it, we were leaning against the wall of a building, letting people pass by us.

"So that's why huh..." She whispered as she stared at the ground. She turned towards me and showed me one of her famous smiles. "You should've told me. Maybe I could've helped you catch him." With the look on her face and after a comment like that, I couldn't help but to burst out laughing. As I laughed, Kairi soon followed. People were passing us with stares saying we looked insane. After that good laugh, Kairi grabbed my hand. "Come on. Let's go back to the restaurant. Selphie should still be waiting for us." She said, keeping the smile on her face.

"Yeah..." I nodded.

Maleficent stared at Fang as he watched his former friend walk away with that putrid redhead girl from the rooftop. Fang's eyes were narrowed and his lips were curved downward. She could tell he was furious, which would work perfectly for her. "You see...you're entire world disappears, your family is dead, and what does that girl do? Go out shopping and eating in a nice restaurant with friends. It's like she doesn't even care about you." She began to trick Fang. She had done this before with Riku, but that damn Xehanort got in the way. This time would be different. This time she will use Fang to give her ultimate power. "Now Fang. Come with me and we can bring your family back."

Fang clenched his fists as the old witch continued to talk. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but it was all true. It was like Max had completely forgotten about the Flock. Instead of finding a way, she's just spending a normal life. He turned his head and looked at the witch in the black gown stare at him. Normally he would be caught dead before staying with a green-skinned witch with dragon horns on her head. But he didn't have much of a choice. With Max not trying to save the Flock, he could only rely on the creepy witch for her help. "Tch. Fine! Do I have much choice?" He asked.

Maleficent smiled as she waved her hand so a dark portal opened up behind her. "Well then, come my child." She waved her hands towards the portal.

As Fang walked past her, he whispered "I'm not your 'child'!" and walked through the portal, leaving Maleficent alone with a big grin on her face.

As we were walking back to the restaurant, Kairi's phone began to ring. Her ringtone was of her favorite song "Sanctuary" by Utada Hikaru. It's a nice and peaceful song. Kairi picked up her phone and stared at it for a minute. I could tell the discomfort in her face as she read her text. "Who's it from?" I asked.

"Sora." She answered. "He says Master Yen Sid would like to speak to us about some sort of special training."

To be continued...

Thank you for reading. Oh and for those who don't know, I rewrote chapter 1 so it fits with the plot I have in mind. If you don't mind to, please check it out. Next chapter we start on the next world and that's a promise. Here's a hint, the world is from a series NOT from America. Ciao ciao~