Disclaimer: As much as I wish otherwise, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. In fact, I obsess over it so much, it probably owns me. That said, Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney, Squenix, and probably several people far more important than me.

Notes: My first real venture into the KH fandom. Be kind, please. Written over the course of several sleepless nights at around 4 AM, so it's not as great as it could be. XD Warnings, it will contain eventual yaoi… seeing that I ever finish it.

Joker's Delight

Chapter One: Dance


Step, step, step.

His mind whirling, Sora moved. The steps themselves seemed very simple, with a sidestep here, a slight hop there, and then a quick turnabout to put an end to it—of course, executing it was slightly more difficult, and performing to his instructor's satisfaction nearly impossible.

His back arched gracefully as he twisted about neatly. Keep moving, hold your arm steady, make your steps neat, don't step off the mat—oops. His bare feet came into contact with something cold, and Sora knew he had missed the edge of the soft training mat. I'm so dead.

Perspiration dripped from Sora's brow as he finished, leaving a tinge of salt in his eyes. His limbs ached, his breath was catching in his chest, and brown spikes were sticking to his forehead.

A throat cleared, to his right, and Sora cast his gaze down, suddenly fascinated in the deep blue mat beneath him—he was situated in the dead centre.

Well, at least I finished in place.

"You haven't been practicing, have you?" Sora could practically hear the bite in the older man's voice. "That was terrible, Sora. Your steps were all off."

Sighing, the brunette boy cast his gaze up. "We just did this two days ago, and it was for four hours! I was too sore to practice!" It was no use, he knew; it never worked any other time he gave that excuse, and Sora wasn't even sure why he kept saying it.

"How will you ever get better if you don't test your endurance, Sora?" There was a heavy sigh, and then the older man stepped onto the mat.

Squall Leonhart—or simply Leon, as was his nickname in the area—was a man Sora would never understand, though he had known him for quite some time. How a man could wear a fur-lined jacket, then proceed to tell off a sixteen year-old boy, the brunette had yet to figure out.

For that matter, Sora still didn't know how Squall could quite seriously lecture him on the importance of wearing proper clothing to these little training sessions of theirs, when the man himself showed up in tight leather pants.

"Sora, Sora, Sora…" Squall sighed again, resting a hand briefly on the boy's shoulder. He squeezed gently, before letting go. "What should I do with you…?"

Sora groaned lowly. He's going to make me do it all over again. A half hour routine of steps, and he's going to make me do it again. I can't believe this. And I'm supposed to meet Kairi for ice cream!

Squall stooped slightly, casting his grey gaze upon the boy, and shook his head. "Give me one hundred push-ups, and you're off for the day. I'll see you again on Wednesday, and you'd better have practiced."

The boy froze for a minute, then—

"YES!" Sora grinned. He jumped off the mat, moving so fast that he was little more than a spiky-haired blur. Squall frowned slightly, then shook his head.

And people wondered why he was so damn antisocial.


His muscles were still throbbing, it seemed, as Sora stepped into the shower. Today had been particularly brutal, though his training had seemed to grow more and more intense with every passing day.

Squall's impatience certainly didn't help the matter. The brunette let out a sigh of relief as the hot water washed over his aching body; even the warm steam tickling his lungs was refreshing. Of course, Sora was grateful for everything Squall did for him, but…

He honestly didn't see the need for it all.

When Squall had suggested to his mother that he do a bit of training—martial arts, sword fighting, weaponry, and the like—he had thought it was the coolest idea in the world. But that had been five years ago, and Sora's enthusiasm was slowly rubbing away.

Sora reached for his shampoo (strawberry flavoured, much to the amusement of Kairi), and began to lather up his hair. The shower wasn't even his own, and yet there was his special brand of shampoo, soap, and fluffy towels awaiting him. Sora supposed that was one of the side effects of spending three days a week with Squall in his apartment, day in and day out.

He quickly washed the shampoo out of his hair, and then began the task of washing away all the sweat and grime he had accumulated over the past four hours.

By the time he stepped out of the shower, some of the tenderness had lessened in Sora's body, relaxed by the hot water. Of course, the boy knew better than to be hopeful, for in a few hours the pull and deeper soreness would set in.

Grabbing his red duffel bag, Sora quickly dried off and dressed in some fresh clothes. Squall's bathroom, while rather empty, was fashioned with a mirror at least, so Sora took a few minutes to look over his reflection and fix his hair. His naturally spiky hair was still droopy, but other than that, he looked passable. A slightly baggy, white long-sleeved shirt clung to his slightly damp chest, and his red cargo pants slipped low on his hips, revealing a small stripe of tanned skin. Sora grinned to himself, and, reaching into his shirt pulled out a small chain with a heart and crown insignia.

Looking good, Sora! After the boy mentally cheered himself on, he made sure to hang up the towels, threw his bag over his shoulder, and headed out. If I took any longer, Squall will think I died or something!

Squall's apartment was nearly home to Sora as much as his mother's house. Though the man had made several attempts to keep his place "Sora-free", he had failed miserably. He did have his limits, however. One day, when the bouncy brunette had showed up with a bucket of bright blue paint, Squall had shut the door right in his face.

He liked his living room walls white, thank you very much, he continued to tell the boy.

Every time Sora visited, he couldn't help but notice how stark and organized Squall's place was. The dishes were always clean, the floors spotless, and even the fridge was perfectly arranged.

It wasn't natural. But then, neither was Squall.

Sora padded down the hallway, and into the dining room. He noticed the practice mat had already been folded up and tucked away into a closet, where it would stay until their next meeting, and the table had been replaced in the center of the room.

A heavy wooden table, and I never even heard him move it. Sora just shook his head.

He moved into the living room, and pulled on his shoes. Squall was seated on the couch a few metres away, reading; however, the man didn't bother to look up as Sora entered.

"Squall, I'm leaving!" Sora announced loudly.

"Obviously." Came the reply, and though the steely gaze was focused on the pages before him, Sora swore he saw the man briefly roll his eyes.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Sora panted for breath as he ran down the street, his feet slamming on the pavement, sending small jolts through the soles of his sneakers and pounding through his already sore legs.

On a park bench next to the ice cream parlour sat a smiling, willowy young girl. Her hair, long and red, hung loose over her face, and she wore a simple pink dress. Upon hearing Sora's breathless cry, she looked up, unable to hold back a few giggles.

"Sora, what's the hurry?" she teased, standing up as her friend finally came to a stop in front of her.

The brunette doubled over, panting for breath. He had run all the way from Squall's apartment as fast as he could, and even so it had taken nearly twenty minutes. They were in a fairly large sized city, after all, and Squall was on the opposite side. Of course, Sora could have taken the bus, but the next one didn't arrive for half an hour…

"Didn't want to be late," Sora said, after he had recovered. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."

Kairi giggled and waved a hand carelessly, as to dismiss Sora's worries. "I was late myself, Sora! And I knew you'd probably be running late. Leon didn't overwork you, did he?"

Shaking his head, Sora opened the door to the ice cream parlour for his friend. "I swear, Kai, he's trying to kill me!"

They were regular customers at this particular place (in fact, it was the only ice cream parlour in the city they ever frequented). As they entered, Sora and Kairi took their usual spot, a secluded table in the corner by the window. A small, family-owned business, it thrived mostly on regular customers, and it was well-known that that table was reserved, especially on Sunday afternoons, for the two teenagers.

This day proved to be no different, as their table was vacant and waiting for them.

"Oh Sora, you know Leon looks out for your best interests," Kairi said with a knowing smile as she sat down. She loved her friend and all—they had known each other for years—but she knew he was prone to exaggerating.

Sora flopped down in the plastic, plushed chair across from Kairi. "I know he does… but sometimes I question exactly whose interests he's ultimately concerned in."

"He's been your friend for years, Sora! Have a little faith."

"…I guess you're right, Kairi." Sora said finally, following the statement with a bit of awkward laughter.

In truth, Sora's acquaintance with Squall certainly could not be called a 'friendship.' The man had shown up one day, claiming to live down the street. Sora's mother had immediately grown attached to him, for some reason Sora could never exactly determine; the man certainly wasn't social in any way. In any case, ever since, the dark-haired man had been something of an enigma to Sora, though he had acted as a mentor for him in several areas.

In addition to that, in only ten years, Squall had managed to gather quite a fanbase of young girls, along with a legendary reputation. And, though Sora would never admit it, the man was rather good looking, only matched by a select few in the city…

"Sora, are you listening to me!"

Knocked out of his loose daydream, Sora blushed and looked up. "Er, sorry, Kairi! Long day!" A hand ran through his spiky brown locks as the brunette smiled sheepishly.

In response, the girl rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Anyway, Sora, as I was saying…"

But Sora simply couldn't concentrate on what his friend was saying—or much of anything, for the matter. This day was like any other, he thought firmly, but he just couldn't push aside the feeling that something was about to happen.

Or maybe something is just wrong.

Outside the large glass-paneled windows, people were making their way down the street. Sora stared idly, his chin propped on one hand. Some faces he recognized, some he didn't. Some were regulars, who he saw often, others were vague—some people, he didn't even know why he recognized them.

Like the woman with the pet Dalmatian; the red-haired man; even the curious man with the spiky blond hair…

Sora shook his head; what had gotten into him?

"So Sora, my birthday is coming up soon! You're going to convince Leon to let you have the day off, right?"

"Er… of course, Kai! I'll try, at least!"

Yeah, try is the key. Maybe if I catch Squall on a good day…

Sora lifted his head, and forced himself to give her his brightest—albeit sheepish—smile. It must be the work with Squall that has given me such bad nerves. With a bit of rest, I'll be fine.

Leaning forward, Kairi poked Sora's nose. "You look exhausted! I think you need a good nap when you get home!"

See, even Kairi agrees.

Sora could always count on Kairi to point out the obvious. She was his best friend, sure, but she often seemed to be scrutinizing every little fault of his appearance. His clothes didn't match, his hair was messier than usual, he had a scratch on his cheek, his pants were wrinkled…

Often, it was very hard to forget how much of a girl Kairi was. Sora wondered if she had always been like this, or if it was a recent thing.

He almost asked her, but he bit his tongue—that would be certain disaster.

"I know," he replied, raising his hand to carelessly push Kairi's away before she could continue with the torturing of his nose (a feature of his she found "cute").

"You know," Kairi continued, her hands thankfully creeping back into her lap to mind themselves, "Selphie has some great aromatherapy incense. Maybe that would help you out! Or maybe some relaxing CDs? I really think you could use some better sleep, Sora!"

Kairi's eyes flashed, and Sora could practically see her brain turning as she was surely recalling several different ways to "help" relieve Sora of his exhaustion.

Yes, she had definitely changed from the girl he used to know.

Change was inevitable, though.

Clearing his throat, Sora spoke up. "I'm not having trouble sleeping, Kai," he said, fixing his friend with a look. "I've just got too much on my plate to handle. That's all."

Yes, they all changed.

Sora wondered how much he had changed over the years.

Luckily, since they were regulars, they received the special treatment that came with providing constant business. Namely, before Kairi could go back to her rambling, or Sora could space out and embarrass himself again, their ice cream arrived without even ordering it.

And, Sora mused happily, as he set to work eating his banana split, that it was impossible to become distracted from the delicious mounds of ice cream, chocolate fudge, nut, and banana that were set before him. To make a good situation even better, Kairi then seemed to calm down, and the conversation turned into idle chatter between good friends.

By the time they parted, it was early evening, and Sora had all but forgotten about the strange feelings he had had earlier.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?" Kairi said, waving at Sora as they exited the swinging doors of the parlour and went their separate ways.

"If I wake up at all!" Sora replied jokingly, sticking his tongue out at his friend. She laughed in reply, and then took off down the sidewalk.

It would be a long walk home, and the evening was quickly becoming chilly, but Sora didn't mind. The sun was setting over the horizon, casting great shadows upon the faces of the buildings standing stark against the sky. One by one, as Sora walked along the sidewalk, the streetlights overhead flickered on, casting an uneven, golden hue upon everything the light touched. It was unusual, he noted, not for the first time that day. While it was usually fairly active this time of night, barely anyone was out. The only person Sora could see, actually, was a rather bored-looking man with spiky hair sitting on a bench. Must have missed his bus, Sora mused idly, biting his lip and quickening his pace.

The part of town in which Sora lived was considered to be a slightly more "suburban" option to the skyscraper condominiums, high-powered electric street lamps, 24/7 grocery stores, and office buildings the downtown area provided. Instead of apartments, there were houses, and playgrounds were set upon the street corners instead of all-hours convenience stores. Even the apartment complexes were smaller, thought the apartments themselves tended to be larger and nicer.

To be honest, Sora would much rather spend his time in his own neighbourhood and, except for hanging around with Kairi, he never went further than Squall's house four blocks away… well, except for school, of course.

But that didn't count.

By the time Sora finally finished the rather long trek home, it was completely dark. The darkness had always fascinated Sora, but rather with the curiosity of a person peering into the cage of some highly dangerous beast, like a lion. Take away the barriers, and he would turn away, running as fast as his feet could take him…

Perhaps that was why he quickened his steps to close the final distance to his house—a modest white two-bedroom bungalow with a decent sized yard and red shutters. It wasn't insignificant in any way, shape, or form... but it was home.

As Sora made his way down the driveway, he cast a sideways glance over the white-picket fence that separated his house from the next.

He paused for a moment, letting his eyes linger over the faint form of the other house. In the darkness, it was hard to make out; however, he could picture it in his mind's eye perfectly. A white two-storey place, it was, with an in-ground pool, finished basement, fireplace, and hardwood flooring.

Kairi had lived there once, a long time ago. Before her parents sold it and moved further into the city, purchasing a nice condo in a building without a pool. Before Squall had moved in, and whisked Sora's life away for some unspoken purpose. Before the new neighbours moved in.

Sora never even knew his neighbours. And, he wondered, wasn't that just a little bit odd?

But then, he figured, as he stifled back a yawn, that was no surprise; he had no time to do anything anymore. Hell, he wanted nothing more than to collapse in bed and sleep all through the next week.

A small jingling was all that could be heard in the still night as Sora pulled his keys out of his pants pocket. He unlocked the door, let himself in, and then the door closed with a click.

There was another noise, of course—another small click that followed as a window on the second floor of the house next door was closed.

After all, a good neighbour always looked out for others, right?

To be Continued…

Notes: Feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially since I've never written anything like this before! Thanks for reading!