Sorry you've had to wait so long for a new chapter. :( I didn't get much of a chance during my Christmas holidays, due to lots of things taking up my time. When I had a bit of a chance, I did not quite know what to put in it to make it interesting.

Well, here's the newest chapter. I hope there's still people out there who are reading this story.

The moment Selphie opened her eyes, the next morning, a fresh tear worked its way out of her left eye as she remembered how upset Kairi had been when she had been informed of the pillow and reminded of Sora getting cancer.

Sighing, she threw the duvet off herself before getting to her knees and lowering her right leg down beside the bunk until her foot was on the top rung of the ladder. Selphie started to nervously climb down the ladder, worried over if Kairi would be mad at her.

As Selphie was halfway down the ladder, she looked down towards the bottom bunk, and was surprised to see that it was empty. She continued to climb down the ladder until her feet were on the carpet. Selphie turned away from the bunk beds, looking down sadly. She assumed that Kairi was indeed angry with her, so had decided to go straight downstairs when she had woken up, too angry to wait for her.

Noticing the tray which her mother had brought up sitting on the floor, carrying the empty tea cups and plate of cookies, Selphie reached towards it to pick it up. She stood up straight and walked over to the wooden desk to place the tray down onto it. She walked towards the cupboard on the right wall, intending to look for a pair of slippers.

As soon as Selphie opened the cupboard door, she looked towards the bottom of it, frowning. The first thing she noticed was the pillow she and her mother had bought for Sora. She took hold of it and pulled it out. After taking one look at it, she placed it back inside, turning away from it. She had thought she had found a wonderful present for her friend who she thought would love it, but instead, it had caused both her and another friend to be upset.

The handle of the bedroom door was turned. As the door was pushed open, Mrs Tilmitt stuck her head around it. She looked around to see Selphie standing by the cupboard. "You're finally awake, Selphie? Breakfast is ready and Kairi is awake. She didn't seem to feel like waiting until you woke up."

"No, I don't suppose she did," Selphie whispered miserably to herself as soon as her mother closed the bedroom door. She looked down at the floor inside the cupboard, spotting a pair of yellow slippers sitting side by side against the right wall. Bending down to take them out of the cupboard, Selphie dropped them in front of her onto the floor so that she could slip her feet into them.

She closed the cupboard door, then walked towards the bedroom door before pulling it open to walk slowly out of her room and into the hallway. She was too upset to close the door behind her as she walked down the stairs, looking down at her feet.

After coming to the bottom of the stairs, Selphie strode through the lounge, looking up, scared, to find Kairi sitting on the leather couch, already dressed in her clothes, apart from her shoes. A plate of two slices of buttered toast, which had been cut into triangles, was sitting in the fifteen-year old girl's lap. On the light blue carpet, beside her right foot, was a red cup of tea. Kairi was just reaching down to pick up one of the pieces of toast when she noticed Selphie standing beside the door to the hallway. "Morning, Selphie."

"Hey, Kairi," Seplhie replied worriedly, fearing her friend was not glad to see her and wanted to leave the house and quickly as possible.

Mrs Tilmitt walked in from the kitchen. She was holding another plate of two slices of toast (which had also been sliced into triangles) in her left hand and a green cup of freshly poured tea in her right hand. She looked towards her daughter. "Here's your breakfast, Selphie. Sit down."

Assuming Kairi did not want her to be near her, Selphie unhappily sat down in the leather armchair against the front wall. Her shoulders sinking, she looked up at her mother, who had walked towards her, and took the plate of toast and cup of tea from her with both of her hands. Selphie placed the cup down onto the carpet before picking up a piece of toast and taking a small bite out of it. She was not in the mood for eating.

Kairi finished off the piece of toast she was eating before picking up another one off of her plate. She took a bite out of it and swallowed before beaming towards Mrs Tilmitt. "Thank you for making me breakfast."

"You're welcome, Kairi." Mrs Tilmitt turned away from Selphie to grin at Kairi. "I've heard Sora s been taking you out, all this fortnight."

"That's right. Sora has been so wonderful, treating me very nicely." Kairi nodded towards Selphie. "I take it Selphie told you about that."

"She has. She also told me about how she has wanted to know where Sora has been taking you, each and everyday."

Kairi giggled softly. "I told Selphie about all my trips with Sora."

"Well then, that means I'd better do something." Smiling, Mrs Tilmitt disappeared into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

Kairi stared at the kitchen door in silence for a few seconds, then reached down to pick up her cup of tea. She took a slip out of it and placed it back down onto the carpet before taking a second bite of the piece of toast she was holding, not noticing Selphie stare at her in sadness. The fourteen-year old thought that she was aware she was watching, but was choosing not to say a word to her, having a lot of hate towards her.

Mrs Tilmitt could be heard mumbling behind the kitchen door. Kairi glanced up towards the kitchen door, surprised by the sudden sound, but proceeded to eat her toast and drink her tea. Selphie was too upset to hear the mumbling. She looked down at the toast on her plate, which was going cold while her sadness grew.

The mumbling behind the kitchen door came to a stop. Mrs Tilmitt walked back into the lounge, holding a black, cordless telephone receiver in her hand. She turned to Kairi, smiling. "Kairi, Sora is on the phone, and he wants to speak to you."

Kairi looked up at Mrs Tilmitt, her face brightening up in delight. "Really?"

Mrs Tilmitt nodded, holding the receiver for Kairi to take. "You'd better take the call."

Grinning widely, Kairi took the receiver from Mrs Tilmitt before quickly holding it to her right ear. "Hello? Sora?"

"Hey, Kairi," Sora's voice replied, filled with happiness. "Over at Selphie's, are you?"

"Yes, I am, Sora. I am also very happy to hear from you."

"Well, I'll be coming to see you in a few minutes."

Kairi leaned back against the couch, the grin on her face still wide. "Have you got another surprise planned for me, Sora?"

"Well, I did say I would spend all of this fortnight with you, but it's not exactly a surprise, today. In fact, it's something I usually hate."

Kairi chuckled, not understanding. "Then why are we doing something you hate?"

"I might enjoy it, today. What we are doing is shopping. Mom told me that we have to do it, and before I could ask, she suggested for me to invite you to come."

"Of course I'll come, Sora," Kairi giggled. "I'm sure the two of us will have a great time."

"I know we will," Sora replied, laughing softly. "Besides, I did promise you that would spend this fortnight with you. So you're gonna have to come. Mom and I will drive to Selphie's house at eleven to pick you up."

"Oh, I'd better go to my house to pick up some Munny. You can pick me up from there."

Hearing what Kairi said, Selphie assumed that Kairi was very desperate to leave her house, not wanting to be friends with her anymore. She wondered if she would even be allowed to help Kairi with what she had asked her to do.

"Oh, you don't have to bring any Munny, Kairi," Sora remarked. "You don't have to spend any Munny at all. Mom and I will bring plenty-"

"No, Sora," Kairi interrupted, knowing she was going to bring some Munny to the shopping trip, whether Sora wanted her to or not. "I need to bring some Munny, because I need to buy something."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Sorry, Sora, but I can't talk right now." Kairi felt a little nervous, due to the question he had asked, as she was unable to tell him. "My breakfast is going cold, and I gotta be ready for when you come to take me to the town."

"Very well, Kairi," Sora chuckled softly. "We'll see you at eleven."

Kairi sighed with relief and smiled happily. "See you, Sora."

Pulling the receiver away from her ear, Kairi pressed the red button on the top row of buttons, cutting off the line. She handed the receiver to Mrs Tilmitt, who was smiling down at her. "Sora is taking you out to go shopping, is he?"

"Yeah, and I think he's only excited about going, because I'm going with him," Kairi laughed softly before looking up at Mrs Tilmitt with slight worry in her eyes. "You don't mind if I leave before eleven, do you?"

"Of course I don't," Mrs Tilmitt grinned. "You need to get some Munny, don't you?"

Kairi nodded with a smile. "Yes, to buy something important."

Mrs Tilmitt nodded back before returning to the kitchen. Kairi took a small bite out of the piece of toast she was eating. The toast had gone cold, but she did not notice, as she was thinking about her shopping trip with Sora. She also did not notice how upset Selphie was looking, as she was certain Kairi now hated her, due to the fact she had said very little to her and wanted to leave the house.

At ten to eleven, Kairi was sitting down on the bottom stair of the hallway staircase, tying the laces of her shoes, which were now on her feet. Her rucksack was on the carpet, next to her left foot. She had made sure to pack everything she had brought before getting ready to leave.

Mrs Tilmitt walked into the hallway, and was surprised to find that Selphie was not there. "Selphie! Where are you?"

"I'm in my room!" Selphie's voice called back from behind her bedroom door.

"Well, aren't you going to come down and say 'goodbye' to Kairi."

No response came from behind the door that led to the fourteen-year old's bedroom. Selphie was sitting sadly on the bottom bunk, now wearing in her yellow dress and brown sandals. She was looking down at the floor, believing Kairi would not want to say anything at all to her.

"Or better yet," Mrs Tilmitt called towards her daughter's bedroom door. "Why don't you walk her home?"

Selphie's ears perked up. She began to silently panic. She did not know how to reject her mother's order, as she knew she would be suspicious. She did not, however, think Kairi would be able to stand walking with her.

"Only if you want to, Selphie!" Kairi could be heard shouting from the bottom of the stairs.

Surprised, Selphie slowly stood up. She stepped towards the door before opening it with caution. As she stuck her head out of the room, she looked towards the bottom of the stairs to see Kairi smiling up at her. The smile quickly changed to a crinkled mouth, as Kairi did not realize why Selphie was behaving so strangely.

"Um, okay, Kairi." Selphie decided she would go with Kairi to find out if she really was angry with her. Her heart was racing, for she was still unsure if her friendship with Kairi was still going.

"Well, come on down," Kairi giggled. "You don't wanna make me late for Sora."

Selphie pulled her door open wider, stepping out of the room. She put her right foot forward and onto the carpet. Stepping out of the room, she walked worriedly down the stairs, looking down at Kairi, who was looking back up at her, even more confused.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Selphie quickly looked away from Kairi. "Are you ready to go, Kairi?"

"Yes, I am!" Kairi jumped to her feet. She picked up her backpack and put her arms through the straps so that it was on her back, hanging from her shoulders. "I can't wait to see Sora! It'll be so much fun! I can't wait to buy what I need!"

"Well, have fun, dear," Mrs Tilmitt smiled, knowing that Kairi would enjoy herself.

"I will, Mrs Tilmitt! Thank you for having me over!" Grinning happily, Kairi turned to Selphie. "Let's go, Selphie!"

Nodding, Selphie turned to the door, then looked down sadly as she took hold of the handle. She did not know Kairi was watching her with surprise as she opened the door.

Kairi sprinted past Selphie through the doorway. She looked over her shoulder as she ran along the garden path. Raising her right hand, she waved to Mrs Tilmitt, stopping as soon as she had walked through the gateway, having pulled open the gate with her left hand. "Bye, Mrs Tilmitt."

"Bye, Kairi," Mrs Tilmitt called back, waving to the fifteen-year old girl with a smile. As she was watching Kairi, she notice dher daughter walking along the garden path with her head hanging low.

Kairi held the gate open for Selphie. She was still confused as to why her friend was behaving the opposite of how she usually behaved as she watched the fourteen-year old walk out the gateway and begin to walk up the sidewalk without waiting for her.

Letting the gate swing shut, Kairi walked quickly after Selphie, her puzzlement growing. She did not know what was troubling Selphie, but she thought she would be able to cheer her up with some conversation. "So, Selphie, are you defiantly going to join in what we're all going to do?"

Surprised at the sound of Kairi talking to her in a friendly manner, Selphie looked over her shoulder at her friend while continuing to walk. She had assumed that Kairi would not want her to join in what they had discussed, even though it was all for Sora.

"Well?" Kairi asked hopefully.

"Um…yeah, I am."

"Great! I'm glad you are!" Kairi grinned excitedly, walking quicker so that she was walking alongside Selphie instead of behind her. "And don't forget your present!"

"My…present?" Selphie turned to Kairi, her jaw dropping. "Do you mean…the pillow?"

"I do, Selphie," Kairi replied as they reached the end of the street. They crossed the road and began to walk away from the street where Selphie lived. They strolled past the rows of streets, heading for the one were Kairi lived.

Selphie could not understand why Kairi was encouraging Selphie to bring her gift to Sora, which had caused so much hurt. "You want me to give Sora the pillow?"

"Of course. It's not my present, is it? It's Sora's. I bet he'd like the present."

"But, Kairi…" Selphie stopped in her tracks, looking at Kairi in puzzlement. "I…I upset you with the pillow. I thought you hated it." She let off a sad sigh, looking down at her feet. "And I thought you hated me as well."

Kairi stood where she was, smiling softly at the fourteen-year old. She shook her head. "I'm not mad at you, Selphie. You're my friend."

Selphie looked up, her eyes widening and her hopes rising. She could not believe Kairi was not mad at her. She had led herself to believe that their friendship was over, and Kairi saying she was her friend surprised her. "I am?"

Kairi nodded, leading the way as they proceeded to pass the rows of streets. "I don't know what I would do without a friend like you. You really know how to make me feel better when I'm upset or worried over Sora. I'm not going to let our friendship end because of a pillow, which you bought with good intentions. You wanted to give Sora a gift for his birthday."

Unable to say anything, Selphie just smiled widely and happily as she followed Kairi, who was now turning into the street where she lived. She walked behind her friend in silence, overjoyed that their friendship was not over.

Kairi walked down the sidewalk, looking ahead of herself, until she stopped outside the gateway of her house. She turned to Selphie with a soft smile. "So, you defiantly will be able to do what I told you about?"

"I sure will, Kairi!" Selphie grinned happily up at her friend. Her sadness had now faded away.

"I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for having me stay at your house, last night, instead of being all by myself."

"It's okay, Kairi. Have another fun day with Sora, today."

"Alright, Selphie." Walking through the gateway, Kairi looked over her shoulder to her friend. She waved to Selphie as she walked up the garden path, feeling very happy. "Bye now."

"Bye, Kairi."

As Selphie waved cheerfully to her, Kairi stopped on the doorstep of her house. Reaching into the pouch on her belt, she pulled out the key to her house. Placing it into the lock, she turned it anti-clockwise, unlocking the door. She pulled the key out of the lock and stepped into the house.

Selphie was still standing in front of the gateway. She grinned widely when she saw Kairi turn to wave happily to her. She waved back unstoppably until Kairi finally closed the front door.

"Hey, Selphie!"

Hearing a voice coming from further down the street and recognising it, Selphie turned to her right to see Sora standing in his front garden, waving to her. Her grin widening, as she was happy to see him, she waved back to him.

"Is Kairi with you?" Sora called loudly, trying to get his voice across to Selphie, even though she was standing a few houses away.

"She's just gone inside her house!" Selphie yelled back, her voice not as loud as Sora's. "She's really looking forward to going shopping with you!"

Sora grinned. "I'll be over at her house in a few minutes to pick her up!"

Grinning back, Selphie gave another wave towards Sora before turning around to walk out of the street. She was feeling very relieved and cheerful that her friendship with Kairi had not ended, and she was looking forward to doing what she had told her to do for Sora.

Kairi kicked the door to her bedroom open as she walked inside, taking her backpack off her shoulders. Placing the bag down onto the purple carpet, she approached the cupboard and pulled the door open. She kneeled down and spotted what she was looking for, lying on the bottom of the cupboard. She took hold of it and held it up in front of her. It was a pink, leather purse.

Pulling on the zip that went across the top of the purse, Kairi looked inside, seeing that it was filled with plenty of Munny. She smiled softly to herself. She knew that Sora, being so kind, would try to insist on buying things for her, as would Nikkou. She would refuse to let them, as she needed to buy something which she wanted to spend her own Munny on.

Closing up the purse, Kairi sat down on her bed. She placed the purse beside her before opening up her pouch to take out her camera. She pushed the switch to turn it on, checking to make sure there was plenty of life in its rechargeable battery. When the screen lit up, showing her room, she pressed the button to go to her saved pictures. She smiled to herself, seeing the picture of Sora standing in front of the Gummi Ship, all by himself.

A sudden noise from outside the house took Kairi by surprise. She recognised it as the horn of Nikkou's car, and she knew that it was behing blasted to let her know that Sora had come to pick her up. She grabbed the purse with her right hand before shoving it into her pouch, followed by the camera. Quickly, she jumped to her feet before running out through her bedroom door and down the corridor, an excited grin on her face.

As she raced down the stairs, Kairi could hear the rumbling engine of the car coming from outside her front door. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she quickly grabbed the door handle and pulled open the door, receiving a surprise when she saw Sora standing on her doorstep, grinning softly at her. "Hey, Kairi. You ready to go?"

"Yes, Sora, I am." Kairi took a small jump forward so that she was standing on the doorstep before pulling Sora into a hug, smiling softly as she closed her eyes. "Thank you for taking me out shopping with you."

Sora chuckled as he hugged the girl back. "We haven't got there yet. We'd better jump in the car. Mom's waiting for us."

Kairi pulled away from Sora to look towards the car, which had stopped by her house. She could see Nikkou sitting in the driver's seat, waving cheerily towards her. Kairi smiled and raised her right hand to give a small wave back. She turned to face the front door and pulled it shut before locking it with her keys, which she had taken out of her pouch. As she turned around to face the gateway, she felt Sora take her left hand in his right one, which she gently squeezed as she let him lead her along the garden path and to the car.

As she placed her keys into her pouch, Kairi let go of Sora's hand as she walked around to the door on the car that led to the rear passenger seat on the left. She pulled it open before sitting in the seat, pulling the door shut. "Hello, Nikkou."

"Hello, Kairi." Nikkou looked over her shoulder to smile at the girl. "Did you enjoy yourself at Selphie's, last night?"

"Yes, and I know I'm going to enjoy shopping with you and Sora. Thanks for letting me come with you."

Kairi smiled back at Nikkou before turning to her right, having heared the door to the rear seat on the right open. She grinned to see Sora sit in the seat, closing the door behind him before putting on his seatbelt. Kairi turned back to Nikkou as she took hold of her seatbelt to put it on. "I've brought some Munny with me."

"It's okay, Kairi, you don't need to spend any Munny," Nikkou replied. "If you want to buy something, just tell us, and we'll-"

"No, it's fine. I want to spend some Munny." Kairi tapped gently on her pouch, smiling. "There's something I really need to get, which I need to spend my own Munny on."

Nikkou smiled at Kairi, believe she knew what it was Kairi was planning to buy. Sora gazed at the girl, looking very confused, as he had no idea.

"Well then, let's get going," Nikkou announced, turning to face the road ahead of her. She pressed her left foot down on the gas pedal, which caused the car's engine to roar louder.

Sora and Kairi turned to look ahead, both sharing wide, happy grins. They knew they were going to enjoy their day of shopping, together. It would be the most fun shopping trip they would ever go on.

Bringing up her left foot, which was on the clutch, Nikkou took hold of the handbrake with her left hand. She used her thumb to press down on the button on the end, then she gently let the handle down. As the car started to move forward, she brought the gas pedal up and pressed down on the clutch before using the gearstick beside her to switch the car into second gear. Reaching up with her left hand, she hit the indicator to signal left as the car approached the T junction. She could see there was no other traffic coming from either way, so she joined her left hand with her right hand on the steering wheel to steer the car to the left before driving away from the street, making their way towards the town.

This was a long chapter, wasn't it? I'm going to have to try making my chapters longer, because I started writing this story in April, last year. It's now 2011, this is chapter thirty-five and I'm only on the fifth day of the fortnight. I hope I won't still be writing this story in 2012. I enjoy writing it, but I hope to get it finished, this year. Although I did say I wanted this story to be long, I don't want it to be too long, either.