Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts...

A/N: Hello, again! Wow, people actually reviewed! It's nice to see that this fanfic of mine is actually being read. Now I have a purpose to keep on writing chapters. ;D Well, I've got Chapter One ready for you all to read. Enjoy!

xoxo Bianca.

Intertwined Destinies

Chapter One.

The sun was high in the sky, bestowing its shining rays upon the island beneath it. Kairi lay on the curved figure of the paopu fruit tree that swooped over the crystal clear water. She turned to her side and stared at the other girl before her. Kairi's companion was a brunette, her hair sleek and flipped upwards at the ends. Her green eyes twinkled happily, and she was not wearing the same thing she had always worn over a year ago. Instead of a bright yellow dress, her attire was a peach tank top, a pair of khaki shorts, and brown sandals.

"Kairi!" exclaimed the other girl. "How's it going?" Her smile was genuine, and she had her old jump rope that she rarely parted with twined into her fingers. Her mood was bouncy and cheery—she was obviously having a good morning.

"Not so well, Selphie," answered Kairi, watching with a glazed expression as Selphie took the two handles of her jump rope and began swinging it over her head and under her feet as she hopped.

Selphie rolled her eyes and replied, "Well! Would some good, old fashioned jokes cheer you up?"

Kairi opened her mouth to say, 'I doubt it,' only Selphie exploded with an amplitude amount of jokes, that apparently were not funny at all. With each pathetic joke, Selphie's jump roping increased in speed, and she was soon rapidly swinging her jump rope around her as fast as she could. Selphie was trying so hard, probably too hard, to brighten Kairi's mood, and Kairi did not show signs of even the slightest start of a smile.

Kairi thought all of this was rather sad. "I appreciate it, Selphie, but your jokes won't cheer me up. It's all right. Give me a day or two..."

Almost in an instant, Selphie dropped her jump rope at her feet and doubled over, clearly out of breath. Selphie said something to herself that sounded like, "Hmmph, I thought the jokes were funny..." then she straightened her pose and, breathlessly, announced, "I think I know what you're all sad about."

Kairi folded her arms over her chest, looking defiant. "Oh, really?"

"You know, Kairi... it's been one year, ten months, two weeks and," Selphie wiped the perspiration off her forehead, "six days."

Kairi gave her a puzzled look. "What in the name of Destiny Islands are you talking about?" but then Kairi thought about it more and her blue eyes widened in realization.

"Selphie!" she snapped, "You're counting the time it takes for Sora to come back to me?"

Selphie laughed, she did not need to answer that. The two girls both knew it was true. Selphie was a romantic; she believed in the Legend of the Paopu Fruit more than anyone else on the island. Clasping her hands together, Selphie tilted her head to the side, sang at the top of her lungs and very out of tune, "Simple and clean is the waaaay that you're making me feeeel tonight—"

"Shut up!" Kairi had leaped up from the trunk of the tree and threw a paopu fruit at Selphie. "Whatever you're doing, it's not working."

Selphie settled down a bit, though she was grinning as wide as the Cheshire cat. She caught the paopu fruit and cradled it in her arms. "Oh, Kairi. Treat the paopu fruit with respect." Keeping the paopu fruit balanced in her arms, Selphie used her left hand to wag a finger at Kairi, as if signaling that she was being naughty.

Kairi decided not to reply to that. She cast her eyes downward and sighed.

Selphie frowned. "Don't be like that, all right? Just don't. I'm having a good day, an almost perfect day, but it won't be perfect unless my friend Kairi is happy. Now, strike that Kairi-pose of yours and give me that well-known Kairi-giggle!"

Kairi looked up. Her face was pinched with sadness. "I can't. Trust me Selphie, I really want to... but I feel as if something is holding me back."

Selphie looked as though she were about to give up, and the two friends just stared each other emptily in silence—except for the sound of rushing water, rustling leaves, and the occasional seagull squawking. Soon enough, both of their heads were bowed down.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard, not too far away from the two girls. Their heads both jerked up, and Selphie spun around to face the other direction. She took a few steps back so that she was shoulder-to-shoulder with Kairi.

The sight of the newcomer made both of them hold their breath, for they saw a boy approaching them that looked frightfully familiar. His jagged hair was chestnut-brown and his gleaming eyes were a dark shade of blue. His lips formed an odd smile, more like a smirk, and he casually slid his hands into the pockets of his pants. He spoke in a voice that made Kairi shiver, even in the ninety-nine degree heat.

"Hey," he said. His voice sounded too past pricking.

Kairi's eyes widened for the second time that day. "Sora?" Her voice was strained.

Before her was someone who looked exactly like Sora, the hair, the eyes... and, generally, his demeanor. The only thing was that he was not wearing the same clothes, and Kairi could sense something that was... different.

Something wasn't right.

"I've given you my explanation. Now, who the heck is Sora?"

Kairi sat with the newcomer at the docks, listening to the quiet song of the waves. Selphie had gone home for lunch, and she left Kairi with the strange stranger.

After an awkward silence, Kairi and the boy she mistook for Sora had decided to clear all the confusion by sitting at the wooden dock and giving each other their explanations.

"My name is Toshi." He had said, and Kairi questioned where he was from. When she asked that, Toshi turned away and said that he disliked talking about his origins and his past. He said, though, that he came to Destiny Islands, alone, hoping for a fresh start. Also, Kairi asked him his type of transportation to the island, but he shook his head and would not give Kairi that answer, either. Kairi did get to find out that Toshi was her age, fifteen years old. Kairi dared to ask when his birthday was, and when he actually answered almost automatically, she realized that his birthday fell upon the same day as Sora's.

Toshi had given his "sort-of" reasoning, for he was quite kept to himself, and it was now time for Kairi to tell him what he needed to know. But, in order for Toshi to completely understand the whole, 'I'll come back to you, I promise,' ordeal, she had to start from the beginning, when she was separated from her two best friends over a year ago. She told him about her adventure and how she saw different worlds. She told him the pain of parting with Sora and how she tries so hard to be patient while waiting for him to return. It took a while for Kairi to finish her story, and Toshi looked "amazed" as Kairi's clarification was exhausted, though Kairi sort of felt as if Toshi was only being mock-amazed.

"That. Was. So. Touching." Toshi said, putting a hand over his heart. Kairi sensed that he was being completely sarcastic, and she frowned at him, but Toshi went on. "That last part—where you saw that he added something to that picture you guys drew on the wall when you were younger... what was that he drew himself giving to you? A pucker melon?" Toshi broke into gales of laughter.

Kairi did not find that amusing. Toshi was testing her patience and she was beginning to believe what she thought about Toshi having Sora's demeanor was utterly incorrect.

"No, it was a paopu fruit." Kairi fumed, clenching her teeth and refraining herself from strangling him to death. When she was explaining to Toshi about her past, she purposely neglected the part where she found out that she was one of the Princesses of Heart. She never told anyone when she had returned to the island, not even her parents or friends like Selphie. Now she wished to reveal her so-called "royalty" and make him grovel at her feet. Even if it was a good idea, Kairi maintained her composure.

Toshi shook his head disapprovingly. "So, about that Sora guy..."

Kairi could have sworn that her heart skipped a beat. The way Toshi said Sora's name... it just didn't sound right.

"... Was he good looking?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kairi was overcome with puzzlement and shock. "What kind of question is that?"

Toshi seemed to ignore her, and quite frankly, he did it well. He put a hand to his chin and looked up thoughtfully. "Hmm, I suppose he is good looking, y'know, considering that you mistook me for him. And we both know that I am seriously one sexy—"

Kairi couldn't help but elbowing him sharply in the side to shut him up. "I don't care about looks. I don't know if your non-existent brain can comprehend this, but even if you do look just like Sora... deep down, he's so much more enthralling than you."

Toshi laughed. "Mmm, big words, Kairi. Big words. But see if I care."

Kairi didn't even bother watching Toshi get up and desert her. She looked down at her reflection in the rippling water and breathed deeply. A fish caught her eye, and suddenly it flipped its tail upwards, splashing Kairi in the face.

Sputtering, Kairi stood up and wiped her face with her hands. A pleasant breeze picked up, slightly tousling Kairi's auburn hair to the side. Sighing as the wind gently caressed her face, Kairi gradually clasped her hands behind her back and slightly parted her feet, doing what Selphie would call a "Kairi-pose."

Kairi was thinking. Thinking about the one she usually thought about. Her face was softened, though. Her negative feelings began to fade away as the island surroundings soothed her heart. Kairi gazed up at the periwinkle blue sky, the place where she last saw Sora.

Kairi, remember what you said before? I'm always with you, too.

How was that for the first chapter? Anyway, Chapter Two is well on its way, so please review!