Sora was now miles away from the palace in the back of a wagon with shackles on his legs and rope tied around his wrists where he could barley move at all. Riku had done this to him... Just days ago Riku had told them nothing would ever change their friendship... Not even Kairi... Riku was a liar and no telling how many lies he had fed Kairi now about his disappearance. The two guards that had dragged him away from the palace now drove the cart with two sets of horses in the front. A single tarp separated him from the guards. Sora soon felt the dragon claw necklace sticking out of his back pocket... He felt that it was close enough to just cut the rope that knotted his wrists together. He soon fixed himself in the right position to cut the rope. He braced himself as the dragon claw bone dug into the rope and he rubbed it back and forth against it until he felt his arms snap free...It felt so good but he had to be very quiet... Now all he had to do was get rid of these shackles... But how? One of the guards had the key...He soon seen a stone club lying close to him... Maybe he could knock them both out but he would have to very quick ,and agile at this ,or they would probably end up knocking him out instead then he'd really be in for it...So he sat there planning out his escape taking it all in as he breathed in deeply letting all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place until it was formed perfectly together in the most cunning way...

"Good sir would you please come back here and accompany me for a short time... I have this useless bag of gold that I won't need anymore since you both will be responsible for my departure out of this harsh cruel world... Would you please take this payment for my fate?" replied Sora.

"Got any proof?" asked one of the guards.

Sora tossed a rather large gold nugget in the front of the cart. It landed in the guards lap.

"Give me more gold!" yelled the money hungry guard. He jumped into the back of the cart where Sora was waiting to whack him. He knocked out the guard cold and then went to the front knocking out the other after he had freed himself from those shackles. He pulled the cart to a stop while he pulled both guards close to a nearby cave... He had only hit them hard enough not to quiet bash their skulls but to give them a temporary case of amnesia and after they awoke they'd be running around just like a chicken with it's head cut off. Sora jumped back into the cart and hitched up the horses then drove off...Mid way back to the palace he saw a pedlar selling some battle gear. Sora gave the man the gold nugget from whom he had received a gift from a merchant after he had graciously saved the mans life. Sora soon concealed his identity with a cloak most of the guards wore to conceal himself...Who knows how many people who had sided with Riku...Riku had always been the champion fighter full of so much bravery ,and Sora just the average comrade ,but without Sora Riku would have not gotten out of those tight sticky jams. Just a few days ago Riku had told him nothing would ever change their friendship... Not even Kairi...Now things were different... Sora would battle Riku for his love...Nothing would keep him from her heart... It belonged to him not Riku.

Soon stars drenched the sky... They glittered brightly above Sora. There was a legend that fortold that every person had a star and when they died their star fell from the sky. Probably nothing but a legend but who knew...

~*~

Riku held Kairi in a tight warm embrace as stars glittered above them. He gently stroked her crimson slow of hair. She gave him a fake smile to conceal the deep pain of her breaking heart that ached and wept for her Sora. A gentle breeze blew through her hair. She could never love him ,but it was either marry Riku or else... How could she when she would always find herself going back to those intimate moments her and Sora had shared alone in the comfort of her bedchamber. A flooding river of love flowed through her heart for Sora. Suddenly Riku whispered something into her ear.

" I love you Kairi." he replied looking into her eyes with such a tenderness and softness in his eyes which had begun to break her heart.

"I love you too." she lied... It didn't matter if she had spoken that simple yet intimate phrase to him over a million times it wouldn't have changed anything. It didn't matter how much love he gave her it would never be able to fill the gap where Sora's love dwelt within the depths of her soul.

~*~

The horses galloped faster as Sora pushed them on. His concealed identity gave him an easy entrance into the palace as the drawbridge was let down he took his horses off to the stables and he nourished their craving with a bale of hay to satisfy their appetites.

Sora entered the palace keeping his true identity under wraps. Suddenly a guard off duty neared Sora.

"Sir please check on the princess for your nightly rounds..." he replied... This gave Sora the perfect chance...

"Yes sir!" proclaimed Sora as he walked down the hallway as he neared the princesses bedchamber.

He then opened the door to see Riku and Kairi in embrace.

"All is well good sir... Leave me and my fair lady alone for the night and in the morning you may fetch her for the morning." replied Riku.

"All is not well Riku....." replied Sora as he let the cloak drop prepared to fight. Princess Kairi just stood there in pure amazement.

"Sora!?"she questioned.

"Yes my princess it's me... You've been cheated and lied to... I would never leave thee." he proclaimed.

"Why hello Sora..." replied Riku in battle stance.

"You're supposed to be dead!" he yelled out forgetting Princess Kairi was there.

"You can't kill me off that easily... Prepare yourself Riku..." replied Sora hungry for revenge and prepared to fight Riku with ever ounce of strength burning inside of him as friendship no longer remained in his heart but only an enemy instead... Sora prepared for his bitter sweet revenge...