DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!

A/N: IT IS HERE! CHAPTER 2! YAHOO! YES!

I know. I posted this Chapter only about One Week and One Day after Chapter 1.

Yet, what can I say? I've been REALLY looking forward to writing This Story! That, and I have Too Much time on my hands at the moment. The semester is winding down and I'm not getting very much challenging homework anymore. I am now focusing more of my time to This story, the computer game "LEGO Rock Raiders", the video game "Final Fantasy VIII" (which I am yet to finish), and my "Once Upon A Time ~The Darkest Age~" story.

I am certainly thrilled so many of you were also looking forward to this story. That encouragement has also helped me.

So, I promised SORA would be in this story, and in it he shalt be. In fact, he first appears HERE - IN CHAPTER 2!

To that end, HERE'S CHAPTER 2! READ TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW, TOO!

CHAPTER 2
Sora's Surprise

WHO'S GOT THE SWEETEST DISPOSITION?
ONE GUESS — THAT'S WHO!

With a loud groan, Sora snatched his pillow and slammed it over his head. The alarm's lyrics could still be heard.

WHO ALWAYS, ALWAYS STARTS ARGUMENTS?
WHO?
WHO ALWAYS SHOWS TEMPERMENT?
WINK!

Sora sighed deeply. He pulled his dark blue covers over his ears and held the pillow in place with his hands. He could still hear the song playing.

WHO'S ALWAYS WRONG, AND NEVER RIGHT?
"YEAH?"
WHO'S ALWAYS DREAMED OF STARTING A FIGHT?
"THAT'S SO!"
WHO GETS A TRUCK, AND NO BAD LUCK?

Sora was starting to feel very irritated. How he longed to return to the dream. The sunset had felt so soothing… the dancing… Kairi's giggles echoing around… the sand crunching under his feet… the warmth he could feel as he wrapped Kairi tightly in his arms… the embrace, and the kiss….

Kiss?! NO WAY! That would never happen! True, he did think of Kairi as more than a simple friend. However, that did not mean he was in love, let alone had any romantic interest in her. Then again, perhaps there was something more. He accepted the embrace and the kiss as a symbol of….

EVERYONE…
"WAAK! WAAK! WAAK! WAAK! WAAK! WAAK!"
…BUT DONALD DUCK!
"YEAH!"

Sora had heard enough. He reached over and slapped his hand against the clock's figurine. The alarm stopped moments before it could repeat the song. He sighed, his vision coming into focus to see a smiling figure of Donald Duck standing upon a bluish box with three numbers, a colon, and two letters.

7:12 P.M.

"What?!" Sora's eyes grew large. He had set the alarm for 6:30 A.M. Not only was he probably running behind schedule, but his alarm clock had seemingly stopped working.

He threw the covers off his body and leapt onto the floor. He landed so suddenly, his feet slipped on a roller skate and sent him sliding forwards, stumbling backward, and landing onto the floor hard. A few books fell from his bookshelf and landed in his lap.

"Man… " Sora groaned in annoyance. He carefully clambered to his feet. His eyes wandered around the room. Thanks to the morning rays of the sun, he could see his fish-tank near the window was reflecting the light. A bunch of stained, wrinkled, and sand-covered clothes were lumped into a large pile beside his dresser. His pillow was lying on the windowsill. His bright, green bookshelf was situated beside the closed door leading into the hallway with the bed on the other side. His desk was located on the other side of his dresser from his bed and fish-tank.

His mind was reeling, so he swept his eyes around in a counter-clockwise movement. First was the door to his right. Next was the bookshelf, followed by his ruffled bedspread. At the foot of the bed (and in the far left corner) was his fish-tank, where the little goldfish, Herman, continued to swim day and night. His dresser was next in line, followed by his desk. On the far wall from where he stood was his window. Hanging from the ceiling were a few wooden boats, banners, and a baker's-dozen worth of glow-in-the-dark star stickers including a comet.

When his eyes fell upon the shiny, golden roller skate he had slipped on, Sora sighed deeply. This was not his skate.

He grabbed the skate, opened his door and marched across the hallway to a door with a bright yellow smiley face. He knocked on it as loudly as he could.

The door opened. As expected, a girl about fourteen years old was standing there wearing red pajamas. Her long, sandy hair and deep, blue eyes gave away her identity.

"Sora," she yawned. "What're you doing?"

Sora held out the roller skate. "This was in my room."

The girl's eyes stared in alarm. "I'm so sorry!"

Sora tossed the skate past the girl and into the room beyond. The sound of it banging into something echoed through the open doorway. The girl glanced inside the room before she turned back and scowled at the young man.

"You almost hit my lamp!" she snapped.

Sora was not in the mood for such accusations. "Look who's talking! I slipped on your skate, and I could've gotten hurt!"

"That doesn't matter!"

"It does matter! Hasn't Mom told you more than once not to leave your stuff in my room?!"

"So what?! It's not like it's against the law!"

"That's not the point, Amy! Stay out of my room!"

Amemi slammed the door in her brother's face. Sora turned around and marched back into his own room. He slammed his door so roughly, the hallway shook. A few pictures fell from the wall and shattered. Soon, the walls cracked and the doors splintered. The ceiling caved in, resulting in a big cloud of dust.

Seconds later, the house collapsed. The sun wasn't shining; it had been replaced with an enormous ball of Darkness. Every single building in the town, every last house in the neighborhood was ripped from its foundations and sent spiraling into the sphere above. The trees bent over before they were yanked from their roots and pulled into the abyss.

Within minutes, the island had crumbled apart and disappeared into the Darkness. The star it had once been flickered for a moment before it went out. Several more soon followed. In no time, all the stars had blinked out. All that was left was a cold, strong wind of Darkness, alongside a foul stench. In the emptiness, a deep voice spoke.

"TIED TO THE DARKNESS."

"SOON TO BE COMPLETELY ECLIPSED."

Sora woke with a start. His alarm clock was ringing away. The time read 5:52 A.M. He took a quick look around his room. Everything was where it was like in the dream, only without the sun's rays peeking through the window. He gave a deep sigh of relief and a faint smile.

It was only a dream. How he hated fighting with his sister! Not only was Amemi kind and gentle, she was sweet and sincere. Anyone who spent five seconds talking with her would automatically think positive. It almost felt like she had some type of spell that caused everyone she met to be nice and friendly.

Of course, that was if she ever tried to make friends. Sora had long known about his sister's shyness level and atypical stage fright. These issues had been torturing her for years, and yet, she seemed to refuse to try to overcome them.

Other than that, Amemi's personality stood out to Sora more than anything else; even more than the fact she appeared to be a younger version of his mother. Amemi was always willing to look on the bright side, even if it was difficult to see. She was carefree and almost always happy. Sometimes, he wondered if she had any Darkness in her heart. Though he knew she wasn't a Princess of Heart, Sora had a feeling his own sister possessed a heart of pure Light… or ninety-nine point nine percent of it was Light.

Sora gave a loud yawn as he stretched his arms so far out, it looked like they would snap off like a piece of wood being bent too far. He gazed down at the end of his bed. His smile grew. Every morning, there was Herman the goldfish, swimming around in his rectangular tank. Amidst the seaweed and a sunken ship, Herman had a reef all his own. Beside it was some ruins resembling what Sora had learned was the ancient city of Atlantis — a mythical place that had sank beneath the sea by some humungous catastrophe. Of course, Sora didn't believe the myth could be true. He just thought it was a cool story.

Sora pushed his covers away and sat up. A glimmer of light caught his eye. He gazed out the window in time to see the sun' rays peeking out from beyond the horizon. His smile had now almost reached its peak.

Turning to face a nearby calendar, Sora noticed the date on it. Spotting the blue circle and the drawing of a cake beside it, his eyes lit up. He leapt off the bed and rushed to his dresser. He immediately threw on his signature outfit; a navy blue shirt, blue and black jacket with special-designed armor on the shoulders, navy blue shorts with red lining, a black belt, white and blue fighting gloves with red straps on the back, and yellow shoes with navy blue tongues and shoelaces that were two sizes too big.

Once he was dressed, Sora grabbed his silver crown necklace from his desk and carefully placed it around his neck. He took a few moments to observe his appearance in the full-length mirror beside his desk. He then seized the navy-blue-and-black colored, giant shoulder bag and rapidly placed it over his shoulders. He opened his door and raced into the hallway beyond.

Sora was rushing so fast, he stepped on the cat in the hallway. The pain in the animal's tail caused a loud MEOW! It was followed by a stumble and crash landing. Sora scrambled to his feet and looked back. "Sorry, Yukima."

The black and white striped cat was not amused. Sora shook his head and hurried to the stairs. He peered down to see an older man with slightly-graying hair headed for the door with a briefcase. He smiled, knowing this was dad, Senzu Hikari.

Senzu was busy checking if his tie and navy-blue business suit were neat when he saw Sora at the top of the stairs. He smiled so brightly, his round eyeglasses seemed to reflect the sun's light.

"Good morning, son."

"Hey, Dad!" Sora exclaimed. He hopped onto the railing and slid down to the first floor. "Going to work already?"

"Yes," Senzu admitted. "Don't worry. You can have all the fun in the world once you're done with school today."

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "And I promise to stay out of trouble."

Senzu was stepping out the front door. "Why do I find that so hard to believe?"

Sora crossed his arms in thought. Whatever his dad was telling him, he was completely in the dark about it. He shrugged it off and rounded the post. He started to run, but only got about two feet before he slammed head-first into someone.

After he regained his concentration, Sora saw he had slammed straight into a young woman. Not just any young lady, but one with shoulder-length violet hair and violet eyes. She was wearing a long-sleeved violet dress with silver lining on the cuffs, collar, and bottom trim, as well as violet-colored shoes with pointed toes. She had a pair of dark-violet antennae on her head, each with a scarlet-colored ball on the end. She also possessed violet wings that were each shaped like a paper fan and had a slightly-brighter tint inside the outline. Her entire figure was illuminated by a violet glow.

When Sora saw her new V-shaped necklace and felt the strong radiance of Light she produced, he relaxed. It was Violet — the Angel of Dreams.

"Ouch!" Violet winced upon impact. "Sora, why are you sprinting throughout the house? This is completely out-of-character for you — especially since this is a school day!"

Sora beamed brighter than ever before. "Do you know what today is?" he shouted.

Violet shook her head. "No."

Sora was filled with excitement. "It's my birthday!"

Before Violet could react, Sora had pulled her into a tight embrace and was swinging around like a toy top. Violet felt herself becoming horizontal and her wings started to feel squished in the brown-haired youth's arms.

After several seconds, Violet finally broke free and landed on the floor before an enthusiastic Sora. "I told you not to squeeze me so tightly! I cannot breathe when you do so!"

Sora's smile retained its brightness. "Sorry, Violet."

Violet shook her head. "What is your current age, Sora?"

"I'm seventeen," Sora confirmed. "And I'm excited!"

Violet had to nod. "That much is clearly obvious."

Sora was speaking a mile a minute. "I'm gonna have a big party, lots of presents, and cake and ice cream, too!"

"Why am I not astonished?"

"And Riku and Kairi'll be here! They've always come to my birthday!"

Now Violet was surprised. "Riku shall be here?"

"Yeah!" Sora affirmed. "He's my best friend. Remember? We met you in the Realm of Sleep a few months ago."

Violet had to nod and smile back. "True enough," she said. "Several things have taken place since then."

Sora looked puzzled. "Like what?"

The angel rolled her eyes and shook her head. Sora often did lose track of their conversations mid-way. "For starters, I met your family. Your mom is so considerate and helpful. Your dad is silly and an excellent joker. Your sister is clearly happy-go-lucky and loves to swim in the ocean. Next, I learned how to swim — without getting my wings soaked. It was not simple! Lastly, I discovered how hyper and carefree you truly are, Sora."

Sora shrugged. "Actually, I never dreamed an angel would be staying at my house. Good thing we've always had the guest room ready."

Violet nodded. "Just out of curiosity, why is that room so well prepared when no one else has ever stayed in it?"

Sora paused in thought. He wasn't sure how to explain the reason to the angel. All he did know was that room belonged to someone "special", someone his mother had once known. Even though she had once told him who it was, he wasn't sure how to explain it now.

"Well," Sora started to say. He glanced around the room and spotted the kitchen table on the other side of a short hall from the front door. "Come on, let's get something to eat."

Before Violet could react, Sora had darted into the kitchen. The former shrugged and followed suit.

Once he was seated at the table, Sora found a cup of orange juice waiting beside a plate of fresh bacon, three scrambled eggs, and two slices of toast with jelly. He instantly started eating away.

Violet strode into the room a moment later. Seeing the brown-headed Keyblade wielder gobbling away reminded her of his lack of manners at the dinner table in The Grid. When she had demanded to know where his manners were, Sora had been perplexed — almost like he didn't have any. She shook her head.

"Hey, Violet," Sora called with a full mouth. "Come sit and eat!"

Violet winced a little at the sight. "I believe I shall wait until later. I do not possess a decent appetite yet."

Sora shrugged. "Your loss."

'More like my victory' Violet thought to herself.

At a nearby counter was a middle-aged woman sporting long, sandy hair tied into a ponytail by a slightly-faded green ribbon. Her outfit consisted of a red shirt with white spots, a medium-length blue skirt, pink tennis shoes, and a rainbow-colored apron over her entire front side. She was busy cutting some carrots with a sharp knife when a crumb from Sora's toast landed a few inches from her. She rapidly placed her knife onto the cutting board.

"Sora Sky Hikari," the woman scolded the young man. "Haven't you learned anything I taught you about manners?"

Sora stared at his mom with a blank look. "'Manners'? Doesn't ring a bell."

Violet rolled her eyes. "You could at least chew with a sealed mouth," she stated. "No one enjoys viewing microscopic crumbs and other debris from your mouth."

Sora stopped chewing and swallowed everything in his mouth. The noise sounded like a very obnoxious gulp. The woman at the counter sighed as her left hand flew to her forehead.

"I am sincerely sorry, Mrs. Hikari," Violet told her. "I attempted to alter this erratic behavior, but I failed."

"It's not your fault, Violet," the woman reassured her. "Sora's always been like this."

Violet had to smile again. "I can comprehend that much."

"And Violet," the woman spoke again. "You can call me 'Star'. Remember?"

Violet giggled softly. "I shall recollect that, Star."

At that moment, the sound of running footsteps rushed down the stairs. A slender, teenage girl rounded the railing and walked over to the table. She had long, sandy hair with shiny blue eyes and mildly-tanned skin (like Sora's). She was wearing a pink shirt and skirt, red jacket that was zipped up, and blue tennis shoes. A yellow-colored hairband was nestled neatly in her hair and she had a star-shaped necklace around her neck. Around her shoulders was a large, golden shoulder bag with her name written on it.

Amemi Hikari.

"Good morning, everyone," Amemi said.

"Hello there," Violet replied.

"Hey, Amy!" Sora added.

"Good morning, Amemi," Star said with a smile. "Glad to see you got up in time."

Amemi gave a small yawn. "I know. I was up late studying from my Biology class final."

"School?!" Now Sora looked discouraged. "Man, I forgot today was final exams."

Violet shook her head. "I am not taken aback by that," she informed him. "You do not appear to be a well-educated individual. Perhaps Merlin could have taught you well."

Sora shrugged. "Whatever."

Violet shook her head and sat down in a chair diagonal with the spikey, brown-haired young man. Star continued to chop up the carrots before moving on to some mushrooms.

Amemi sat down at the table across from her brother. Star handed her a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice. Five minutes later, she was done eating. Sora was munching on his last piece of bacon when he saw Amemi rising from the table. The latter glanced at her watch and her eyes grew wide.

"On no!" she exclaimed. "Sora, we'd better get going. School starts in fifteen minutes!"

Sora sighed after he had finished swallowing the last of his meal. Leaving their dishes on the table, the two rushed for the front door and were outside in a jiffy. Violet rose from her seat and speed-walked to the front of the house. She peered outside. Sora and his sister were already four houses away and running towards the distant town below. The sound of a far-off bell ringing could be heard.

With a smile, Violet waved as she called into the distance, "Happy Birthday, Sora!"

The clock on the wall read 11:10 A.M. The hands were ticking slower and slower and slower and slower and slower. Pretty soon, the second hand would freeze and time would remain frozen… forever.

Sora sighed deeply as he returned his eyes to his desk. Placed on it was a packet labelled "ALGEBRA I: Final Exam".

He had already written his name and the date. Now he was struggling trying to answer the questions that followed. They were all story problems. When he reached number twelve, he froze and stared in alarm.

"If a train carrying 2,028 scoops of ice cream leaves Chicago at 7 A.M. and the freezer stops working, how fast will it have to travel to reach New York City before half the ice cream melts, factoring at a melting rate of six scoops per minute?"

He couldn't believe his luck. Not only was he perplexed beyond belief, but the question seemed too complex to answer. That was when his mind started whirling….

Sora immediately rushed outside, only to find Donald and Goofy with weapons in hand. To his surprise, a small group of Shadow Heartless were appearing before them. Sora had his Keyblade summoned in no time.

Spotting the young man behind him, Goofy asked, "Did ya bring the book, Sora?"

Realizing he hadn't, Sora turned to rush back into the house. Before he could move, three Soldier Heartless marched outside. Trapped in the second one's claws was a book with an orange cover. One look, and it was clear this was the storybook with Pooh and his friends.

"Hey!" Sora yelled at the enemies.

The Heartless turned toward the three.

Donald pointed his wand at the Heartless. "Give that back!" he demanded.

In seconds, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were hacking away at the Heartless. Sora slashed his weapon straight through a Shadow while Donald sent a ball of fire at a Soldier. Goofy spun around and vanquished two Shadows before the town's defense system showed up and stunned the remaining monsters. Sora threw his Keyblade forwards and sent it spinning directly into the last of the creatures. The Heartless were destroyed, leaving the book on the stone plaza.

Carefully approaching the item, Sora bent down and gently scooped it up. He saw the cover was torn, most-likely by one of the Soldier Heartless's claws. "Think it's okay?"

"Gawrsh," a worried Goofy said. "Maybe you'd better go back and make sure Pooh's alright."

Donald was hesitant. "But what about Merlin?"

"Well," Goofy thought aloud. "I guess we could explain… "

Sora nodded quickly. "Great."

He handed Donald the book. After a quick glance over it, the duck turned to see the tall dog beside him. Goofy gave a nod, so Donald opened the book and held it out. Sora was rapidly teleported inside.

"Pencils down."

Sora stared in shock. Rather than answer the exam's last question, he had drawn a picture of himself fighting Heartless with Donald Duck and Goofy. He gave a deep sigh.

"I said, 'pencils down'."

Sora gazed up. He was now face-to-face with Mr. Deid, the school's Algebra teacher. Mr. Deid was a tall man with dark hair and a pair of wireframe glasses. He was always seen wearing a nice, blue suit with a dark-green tie.

"Sorry," Sora apologized. He handed his teacher the test.

The bell rang. Sora was out the door in a hurry.

Shortly after, Mr. Deid looked over the test booklets and saw the illustration Sora had made. With a sigh, the man shook his head. "Alice wouldn't be happy about a make-up day," he muttered to himself. "Valarie's been too excited about the vacation anyway."

Picked up his pen, he took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

In one swift movement, he labelled the test a "B+".

It was a bright, sunny afternoon when the doors to the school burst open. Dozens of teenagers stampeded out of the building with cheers of glee. The semester was finished and winter break had officially started.

The last of the students to leave was Sora. He rushed down the steps and into the late afternoon sunshine. His azure eyes were filled with enthusiasm and anticipation when they met the sun's rays. He smiled so brilliantly, it would seem his teeth were producing light of their own. Tossing a now-broken pencil aside, he raised his arms into the air and dashed down the sidewalk with a cheerful shout.

"Yahoo!" Sora declared with tons of thrilling emotion. "Hooray! Finally, school's out!"

As he was about to rush down the steps, his mom's voice crossed his mind. "Do not come home without your sister, Sora. She's not ready to walk home by herself."

Sora sighed at the recollection. True, he had remembered his mother's reminder… but why'd it have to be at the last second? He solemnly strolled up to a nearby swing set and hopped onto one of the swings. Gazing up into the sky, he noticed a few, small clouds had appeared; one of them seemed to resemble Donald Duck yelling at someone. Another appeared to be Goofy slipping on a skateboard.

With his smile returning, Sora had to shake his head. There were five weeks of fun and excitement awaiting across the tropical archipelago called the Destiny Islands.

Sora glanced at his watch. Now realizing his last class had ended twenty minutes early, he grabbed the swing's chains and gently swung himself back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, over and over again.

He smiled. For once, he didn't have to worry about anything. Nothing could turn this day into a sour plum.

Several minutes later, the bell rang. Sora watched as several young teenagers sprinted out of the school building at the speed of Light. One of the few who broke free from the main crowd quickly approached the swings. It was a girl with who was at least fifteen years old. Thanks to her shiny, blue eyes and sand-colored hair, Sora immediately recognized her. He knew had to smile every time at her happy-go-lucky personality.

"Sora," Amemi said in her usual excited-sounding voice. "It's time to go home. Do you want to go home?"

"Yeah," Sora replied, leaping from the swing. "Let's go."

Amemi shook her head with her smile showing brighter than before. "Does it have to do with today being such a 'special' day?" she inquired. "It's only been a few months since you returned from that other exam. Mom, Dad, and I missed you, even more than when we wondered why we had two extra rooms… "

Sora had to agree. Although he had been busy dealing with Maleficent, the Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization XIII, he had always had the feeling he wanted to see his family again, too. Of course, he tended to think of his friends as family, but it just wasn't the same. Nevertheless, that was then. Today was his birthday. And he was going to make it the best day possible — no matter what!

"I missed you guys, too," the spikey, brown-headed Keyblade wielder acknowledged. "From now on, no matter what happens, you can come along."

Amemi's eyes lit up in surprise. "Really?!" she exclaimed. "I won't bother you? Kairi said you told her she'd get in your way."

"No, no," Sora rushed in his response. "I mean it! Master Yen Sid will probably want me, Donald, and Goofy to do something. If we have to protect the worlds, you can come, too."

Amemi stepped forwards and gave Sora a hug. She squeezed so tight, he had to temporarily gasp for air; now he knew how Violet had felt. A few, tiny tears slid down her cheeks. "Thank you so much!"

Sora had to wait for Amemi to release her grip before he started down the road towards their house. "Don't mention it! Let's get going."

Before long, the two were strolling home; Amemi was skipping along with a bright smile that showed the braces on her upper mouth. Sora smiled brightly as he looked into the sky above. Spotting the two clouds from before still overhead, his smile remained.

The sun was reaching its highest point when Sora and Amemi finally returned home. The house was a two-story, wooden structure with a red roof, white walls, and blue window-frames constructed approximately ten yards from the entrance to the beach. From there, one of the main island's long docks was accessible; Sora often would see fishermen lounging around there on the weekends, hoping for a bite or more than four. With his bedroom window facing the horizon with the smaller, children's play island in view, the sunrise came the quickest for Sora's room. When he was younger, this wasn't much of a problem. Now, it was an annoyance; Sora often had to throw two or more pillows over his face to keep the sunlight out of his eyes and sleep a little longer.

As they approached the front door, a flicker of colorful lights flashed inside the living room window. Wondering what was happening, Sora and Amemi hurried to the door and found it unlocked. This was normal; their mom tended to leave the door unlocked whenever she was expecting someone coming in.

Inside the house, the two found their mother and Violet trying to place a string of lights onto a fluffy, green pine tree in the exact middle of the room. Star's sandy hair was a little tangled up in the electrical cords. The rainbow apron tied around her waist was covered in miniature pine needles, her shirt was stained with butter from popcorn, and her skirt was significantly wrinkled. At once, her feet slipped and the tree toppled over as she landed onto the floor, the blinking lights wrapped around her arms. Violet rushed over to help her up.

Sora had to shake his head. His mom had always been a little clumsy… but this was just plain ridiculous. It strongly reminded him of when Goofy had been bumped on the head by a piece of debris after shoving King Mickey aside. He, Donald, and the King had been convinced the knight was dead after slamming head-first into a stone wall and was not waking back up. Later, when Goofy came marching over in one piece, Donald had slammed his wand onto the former's foot and made him shout in pain; the duck had shown his anger at being worried for nothing by snapping, "Don't you ever do that again!"

"Sora, Amemi," his mother said, spotting the two standing in the open doorway. "Could you help me out of this?"

"Please," Violet added. "I cannot lift this foliage all alone."

Amemi rushed over in an instant while Sora slowly stepped over; he was still deep in thought. Even as the pair untangled the middle-aged woman, he was pondering over whether or not anything would make this day seem better. Maybe if he could see Donald and Goofy right now… that would liven the mood in the blink of an eye.

The doorbell rang. Sora finished getting his mom out of the tangled mess of wires and cables as Amemi stepped up to the door. She looked out the still-open doorway and unleashed an audible gasp of excitement. "It's… it's… it's… it's a mouse! And two ducks! And a talking dog with a hopping cricket!"

Sora spun around. Into the house stepped a short mouse with large round ears, a small white duck wearing a blue sailor's uniform, and a tall hunched dog with enormous feet; a tiny cricket with a top hat and umbrella was situated on the dog's shoulder. Behind them, a large, muscular duck with a giant bill stepped in with his hands full of wrapped packages. One look at how the duck was wearing a pilot's uniform, Sora instantly recognized him alongside the others; he remembered the duck-pilot from Master Yen Sid's tower.

"Donald!" Sora declared. "Goofy! Your Majesty! Launchpad! Jiminy!"

Goofy glanced at the teenager as the latter rushed over. "A-Hyuck!" he said to the others. "Here comes Sora."

Sora grabbed his friends in a humongous group hug. He squeezed so hard, Donald turned blue. "I didn't know you were coming!" he said in an enthusiastic-sounding voice.

"Riku and Kairi will be along later," King Mickey told the now-seventeen-year-old. "They need to finish up their training."

"Gotcha," Sora said as he released his grip.

"Gawrsh," Goofy remarked. "We'd never miss Christmas with you, Sora."

Sora was startled. "'Christmas'? Don't you mean 'Happy Birthday, Sora'?"

Goofy looked surprised. "Gee," he said. "It's your birthday?"

"Yeah," Donald agreed, equally baffled. "It's Christmas! Oh boy! I can't wait for my presents!"

"Which my hands are full of," Launchpad added. "I can't carry them much longer."

Amemi hurried over as the upper boxes slipped from the pilot's hands. She caught them all one-by-one. "Thank goodness!" she remarked. "That was way too close!"

"Yup!" King Mickey affirmed. "Those are the presents for Christmas."

Sora was downright stunned. Had everyone forgotten today wasn't Christmas? It was his birthday! He had just turned seventeen that morning, and nobody was acknowledging it. 'You mean… you didn't know it was my birthday?"

King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad glanced at each other. That was all Sora needed to see. With a sigh, he strode towards the open doorway. "I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Hey, buddy," Launchpad blurted. "Don't leave yet."

Sora whirled around. "Huh?"

"You haven't met Herbie yet!"

Sora was both startled and mystified. "Who?"

Launchpad ran through the door. He grabbed Sora's arms and pulled him through.

Outside on the driveway, Launchpad gestured to a strange-looking vehicle. It had a curved roof and two doors. There were four windows, two on each side, in addition to the windshield and rear window. The hood was curved, as was the back. Sticking out of the vehicle's rear was a series of rockets and blocks. It also had four wheels with tires and two blocky lasers on either side of the front. A radar-like gizmo was on the roof between a pair of blocky guns. The color of the vehicle was either silver or white (Sora couldn't decide), had red, white, and blue strips running down the middle from front to back, and the number 53 in a circle on each door and the front. The headlights seemed to form eyes.

Sora stared at the vehicle. It strongly resembled a car that had been modified with Gummi blocks and converted into a Gummi Ship. Why this was the case, he wasn't sure and was afraid to ask.

"It's a Gummi Ship," Sora concluded.

"Not just any Gummi Ship," Launchpad declared. "Herbie is special! He's a famous racecar. When it was time to retire him, His Majesty saw something different in him and decided to help him. He's now the most-loyal Gummi Ship around, and he isn't even made from Gummi Bears."

"Why?" Sora inquired. "What made him so special?"

He stepped closer and knelt down for a better look. Seeing the headlights moving slightly, Sora nearly tumbled back in surprise. He shifted his focus to Launchpad. "How'd you do that?"

"I didn't do anything," the pilot replied. "Herbie did."

Sora had to smile as he rose to his feet. "Yeah… Herbie did."

A loud BEEP filled the air. Sora jumped back in shock. Perhaps Launchpad was trying to tell him something. He took a moment to knell down and crawled up to the Gummi Ship. He peered into the headlight. It turned to gaze at him. Sora felt a wave of amazement creep over him, now knowing what the pilot had meant.

Herbie was alive. If what Launchpad had claimed was true — and Sora was certain it was — the former racecar had feelings. This meant just one thing… he had a heart.

Herbie was the only car Sora knew who had a heart.

"Right," Sora finally said. His smile returned. "It's nice to meet you, Herbie."

Herbie honked back with what sounded like happiness.

Launchpad chuckled. "I guess Herbie likes you, Sora."

"Yeah," Sora nodded, carefully patting the car's front hood. "And I like Herbie, too."

At once, a shiny ball of light grabbed their attention. It was blue colored and zigzagging around in the sky above. A series of shouts could be heard. The light suddenly shot down to the street and seemingly exploded upon impact. Sora and Launchpad shielded their eyes from the glare.

When they looked again, two people were rising to their feet from the sidewalk. One was a young man with short, silver hair and was wearing a sleeveless jacket, jeans, and tennis shoes. The other was a teenage girl sporting auburn hair and wearing a pink shirt and skirt with a flowery trim, golden shoes, silver bracelets on her right arm, and a sparkling pearl necklace.

"Man," the young man muttered. "I still need to get used to travelling like that."

"Me too," the girl said. "Who knew a star shard could be such a bumpy ride?"

Sora didn't waste any time rushing over to greet the two. "Riku! Kairi! You came!"

Riku had to smile. "You're sure excited about Christmas," he commented. "Don't forget, there's no such thing as Santa."

Sora was shocked. Had Riku also forgotten today was his birthday? Had Kairi forgotten, too? No way! She'd never forget such an important day! She wouldn't!

"Kairi," Sora said, turning to face her. "Do you know what today is?"

"December 14TH," Kairi replied. A gentle wind started to blow through her auburn hair. "Ten days before Christmas Eve."

"No, no," Sora stated. "I mean, is there anything special about today? Perhaps about me?"

"Well," Kairi hesitated in her response. "It is the last day of school. We're on winter break until January 5TH next year."

Sora couldn't believe his ears. Not only had Donald, Goofy and the others in the house forgotten his birthday, but even Kairi had allowed it to slip her mind. He gave an especially deep sigh before letting his head fall and his shoulders to slump.

"Yeah… guess I'll see ya around," Sora added before dragging down the road towards the beach. He didn't bother to turn back and watch the two head into his house. Launchpad was seconds behind them.

The sun was starting to set as Sora sat down on the beach. He gave another very deep sigh. "How could this have happened? Why did it happen?"

How had it happened? Today was supposed to be a very special day — his 17TH Birthday, but nothing seemed to be working out in his favor. His mom was bustling around trying to set up the decorations around the house and his sister was helping her out. Riku and Kairi weren't helping them set up for a birthday party. King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and Launchpad had travelled all the way from Disney Castle to celebrate… celebrate Christmas, that is. No one had brought him birthday presents; they were solely for Christmas. Christmas this… Christmas that… was all he had heard lately.

Sora hated having his birthday about two weeks before such an important holiday — especially after Riku had convinced him Santa Clause wasn't real. All that had caused was the brown-headed youth not receiving a single present three years in a row. He had longed to get revenge over this for quite some time….

"This isn't fair," Sora sighed once more. He laid onto his back in the sand.

His mind continued to wander. Recalling what he had learned from Young Xehanort (Riku had told him the villain's name), Sora knew trouble was on the way. He just didn't know when. The past few months had been uneasily quiet, almost as though Xehanort had given up for good. Then again, he was probably waiting to make a move.

Sora's mind continued to wander. Maleficent and Pete came to mind. He hadn't seen the two for about a year. Last he recalled, they had charged into a horde of Heartless to allow Sora and his friends the chance to defeat Xemnas. After that, they just… disappeared. He did not know if they ever gained control of the Organization's castle, let alone survived the battle.

Sora wondered if there was so type of connection between Maleficent and Xehanort. After all, the two of them both used the Darkness and were trying to take over the worlds — in different ways, of course. He was wondering if there was a reason why they both had similar goals.

The sun's rays were starting to fade out for the cool night air. He gave a yawn and stretched his arms out. In a matter of minutes, Sora was fast asleep on the beach.

A voice entered his head, one sounding a little like his Nobody, Roxas. "I'm ready for another chance."

Sora reopened his eyes. To his surprise, he was standing in the middle of an enormous, circular platform. An image of himself slumped and sleeping was to his right. In several small circles beside it, were the faces of Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, King Mickey, Jiminy Cricket, and Launchpad. He noticed two additional circles — one with Roxas, and the other with Violet. He gazed up, seeing nothing but inky Darkness.

"Where… am I?" he wondered aloud.

As he took a rapid glance around the immediate area, Sora noticed a young man in a black-hooded coat behind him. Certain this was a member of Xehanort's Organization, Sora instantly summoned his Keyblade and leapt into his battle stance.

The young man reached up and removed his hood. To Sora's amazement, the figure had light-brown hair with spikes and blue eyes. He could have recognized him from miles away.

"Roxas?" Sora questioned. His Keyblade disappeared as he stared at his Nobody. "Did you bring me here?"

Roxas shook his head and pointed to his right. "I didn't. He did."

Sora turned his head to the left. He was now looking at a young man wearing a helmetless suit of armor with greenish colors. Noticing how his head was exactly like Roxas, Sora was blown away.

"Who are you?" Sora inquired.

The young man reached out his hand. A Keyblade that looked just like Sora's appeared. Unlike Sora, the young man was wielding his backwards.

"I've been sleeping here for almost thirteen years," the figure said in a voice identical to Roxas's. "I came because you, Sora, gave me a second chance. When I had to fall asleep again, you welcomed me in. Now I'm ready to return to my body and awaken."

As Sora was staring with both wonder and confusion written on his face, he felt a tap on the shoulder. Spinning around, Sora found himself face-to-face with a young woman bearing sandy hair tied by a blue ribbon and deep, azure-blue eyes. Her outfit consisted of a short-sleeved pink jacket, red skirt, blue tennis shoes, and a tiny, seashell necklace. Around her shoulders was a pink handbag.

One look and Sora was sure he was looking at someone related to his mother. He quickly thought over who he had met with this appearance. His mind stopped on a particular individual.

"I know you," Sora told the young woman. "You're Shelly, my mom's older sister. You had a Keyblade and left home to learn how to become a Keyblade Master. You never came home."

The young woman nodded. "I can see it," she replied in a soft voice. "Your heart already knows the answer."

Sora gave a nod back. "Don't worry. Wherever you are, I'll find you. You're still my Aunt Shelly. That makes you family."

The young woman had to smile. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you again, 'Nephew Sora'."

Sora smiled back. "Yeah, you know it."

Sora slowly reopened his eyes. The stars were out and a cool wind blew as he gradually sat up. Noticing how it was pitch-dark, he gave another yawn before lying back down. A sandy-haired girl with shiny, blue eyes was peering down at him.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, leaping to his feet. He spun around only to see Amemi giggling with her right hand over her mouth. "Give me a break, Amy!"

"Kairi was right," his sister said in turn. "You really are lazy. Sora, why do you always sleep on the beach?"

Sora shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "I guess… I want to see my friends."

Amemi smiled. "They're all waiting at the house. Come on! We'll be late!"

"Huh?" a surprised Sora said. "Late for what?"

Amemi's smile grew. "You'll see. Race you there!"

Amemi sped off in a hurry. Sora took off after her.

"No fair!" he shouted. "You got a head start!"

"That's life!" Amemi returned. "Come on! Keep up!"

Sora shook his head. This was no different than how Riku and him had used to complete.

Before ten minutes had passed, the two were at the house. Sora was the first one to arrive, beating his sister by four seconds. Amemi knelt down to catch her breath. Sora reached for the doorknob, turned it, and stepped into a pitch-black room. As he stepped inside, he raised his right hand to his mouth. "Hello?"

A light flipped on to the right. "Surprise!" a number of familiar voices called out. "Happy Birthday, Sora!"

Sora whirled his attention to the right. He froze in complete astonishment. Gathered around the dining room table were Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, Riku, Kairi, his mom, his dad, and Jiminy; the cricket was hopping up and down on the table. Everyone was wearing pointed party hats; Launchpad and Goofy were blowing party-favors, which seemed to irritate Donald. The table was covered in a stack of clean plates and silverware, a giant, five layer cake with chocolate frosting, and a large stack of presents. A banner above read "Happy 17TH B-Day!"

Sora's mouth fell open as he gave an amazed grin. He couldn't even find the words to say. "Wha—?"

A sudden pain struck his chin. Feeling something strapped to his head, Sora reached up, only to feel a pointed party hat with a curved peak. He turned to find Amemi standing beside him. "Happy Birthday, Sora!" she said.

Turning to the left, Sora found Violet standing with a navy-blue party hat strapped to head. She held out a large, blue lollipop. Sora accepted it and gave a few licks. His eyes were starting to fill with tears. He rapidly wiped them away and smiled at everyone. "I… I thought you'd all forgotten today was my birthday."

King Mickey chuckled aloud. "We'd never forget your birthday, Sora. Ya really are a true friend!"

Sora smiled all the more. It was short-lived. Kairi stepped forwards until she was two feet from the spikey-haired youth. "I think you're now old enough for this," she said.

In one swift movement, the auburn-headed girl leaned in close and pecked Sora on his cheek with her lips. She jumped back in an instant, leaving Sora looking startled. A feeling of uneasiness and humility showed on his face as his cheeks started to turn a faint shade of red.

Donald, Goofy, and Riku started snickering. Riku shook his head and smiled when Donald muttered, "He'll never admit he's got a girlfriend."

"A-Hyuck! Yup!" Goofy approved. "That's our Sora!"

Riku had to smile all the more. "Too bad this day only comes once a year."

A loud, excited HONK could be heard from outside. Sora smiled out the window. "Thanks, Herbie."

Donald and Goofy rushed forward and gently pushed Sora to the table. They stopped before the cake. "Now make a wish," Donald instructed.

"But don't tell us," Goofy warned. "It needs to come true."

Sora leaned over his cake. The seventeen candles on it were in the shape of a Keyblade. He took a deep breath and blew. Every candle went out in a hurry.

Everyone burst out in applause.

"Hooray!" King Mickey cheered.

"Now it's time for some cake!" Goofy declared, licking his lips.

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "You're right."

This was one birthday he was never going to forget!

A/N: There it is. Chapter 2 Is Officially Complete! And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SORA SKY HIKARI!

I sincerely hope you enjoyed seeing Sora's 17TH Birthday in there! I wanted to show how excited Sora was about it, which I wonder if you've noticed, is pretty much the same as he was in Chapter 50 of "Kingdom Hearts: World Unto Dreams".

I wonder how many of you were taken in by the opening of this chapter? That was actually my original draft for the scene when Sora wakes up. Since I didn't want such a "conflicting start" between Sora and his sister, I chose to make it a "dream-state" instead.
I also had a little trouble writing out the "Awakening", so I hope you enjoyed it the way it turned out!
In addition, please let my know what you think of the story problem Sora had on his test! I wanted to make something VERY SILLY!

Also, I included Violet - one of My Original Characters from "Kingdom Hearts: World Unto Dreams". Since she was such a popular character, I wanted to bring her back with a new role.
Keep in mind, Sora's family - Amemi, Star, Senzu, and Yukima (the cat) - are among My Original Characters. So is Mr. Deid.

Furthermore, Herbie is from "The Love Bug (1968)". I wanted to include him, so I decided he would work best as a modified Gummi Ship.
Plus, I chose to use a version of the Donald Duck Theme Song I made myself. I Hope you liked it!

Let me know what YOU think of Sora's birthday! Don't forget to tell him yourself - He's REALLY looking forward to it!

Of course, I am yet to finish Chapter 3, so I'll sign off now. Besides, that was A LOT of details and information!
Therefore, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!

REMEMBER THIS - A MINIMUM OF 214 IS REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF 240 ARE POSTED, I WILL INCLUDE A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THIS STORY'S SEQUEL! HOWEVER, THAT/THOSE GOAL(S) MUST BE MET BY THE TIME THE-SECOND-TO-LAST-CHAPTER IS POSTED! THAT WAY, I WILL HAVE TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER OR NOT EITHER GOAL WAS MET!

This Is SoraLego278 Saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!" In Addition, "Have A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY!"