Chapter Three: Let the Love Begin!
Centered on Sora
The brunette yawned, pulling on a tee shirt. It was an hour after arriving and he was dead tired.
After showing her ten guests around, Wonnykins had given them all a grand tour, which included where her own room was, if they ever needed her. She ended the little show by leading the exhausted males to their rooms. Sora was surprised to find out that he would be sharing a room. In fact, all of them were sharing a room. Two boys in each. Wonnykins had explained that while her home was large, some of the rooms were reserved for her staff, her cats, and for several other guests, who she said would pop in and out, occasionally.
"I really am sorry, but think about it this way: You'll all have time to get to know each other, nya." Wonny had said.
Sora, right now, had no intention of getting to know his room mate, and, because of who it was, he didn't think he ever would.
He scoffed at the black-haired boy on the bed by the door. Ash recoiled.
"What's wrong with you?" the brown-eyed boy asked.
Sora said nothing. Of course; he had to room with one of those two idiots who had been fighting earlier. Just his luck he had to be put with this one, who seemed to be the goody out of the two.
Ash watched him flop into the other bed. 'Peachy. What a lovely vacation this is going to be...' he thought, wearily. He took off his shoes and his hat and crawled under the covers. "Night, then."
Sora didn't answer. Ash frowned. The black-haired boy sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He got up, starting towards the other's bed.
Sora's eyes shot open when he felt the covers being whisked off of him. He met the gaze of the younger boy, who was looking pretty...
...Hot?
Sora shook this thought out of his head and glared back. "What?" He spat.
"Look, I don't know what I might have done to you, but you're acting like I'm some kind of enemy." Ash replied. He shifted to his other foot, crossing his arms. "You be nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Clear?"
Sora blinked. Did this brat just threaten him? "I know you didn't just threaten me. You couldn't have. Because nobody threatens me." He sat up, holding the glare steady.
Ash growled. "Then I guess I'm Nobody, huh?"
Sora had just about all he could take of this boy. He reached out, grabbing the front of Ash's shirt and trying to shove him backwards. Ash yelped, grabbing the older boy's wrists and pulling Sora back with him.
There was a loud thud. Both blinked at each other, faces growing hot.
Sora had been pulled on top of Ash, who was on his back. Sora's legs were also straddling Ash's waist. Both still had their hands on each other. It didn't help that their faces were to close for comfort.
Sora swallowed, scrambling off his roommate. "Uh, um..." His face turned an even brighter shade of red.
Ash was no different. His face matched Sora's. He wasn't stuttering, though.
For a while, they both just sat there, eyeing each other. Then, as if something finally clicked into place, both boys got to their feet and into their beds. They slept with their backs to each other the whole night.
Centered on everyone
The next morning, all ten of the guests awoke to a most pleasant smell.
It could only be characterized as breakfast.
Ten pairs of feet dashed down the main staircase and into the foyer. It was then they stopped.
"Err, does anyone remember where the dinning room was?" Naruto asked. The others mumbled inaudible replies.
Dr. Tomoki, who had been very quiet until this point, closed his eyes and placed a hand to his chin. "If I'm right, then it should be all the way on the right..."
Kei snorted at the pun. "Let's go," he whined, tugging on the older man's arm, "I'm starving!" His words were immediately followed by a loud roar, courtesy of his empty stomach.
He didn't need to tell everyone again; all of them were running ahead.
When they reached the last set of double doors on the right, Naruto, Ash, and Sora pummeled into the unfortunate entrance. Their actions cost them; all three of them fell flat on their faces, piled on one another.
Naruto tried to kick Ash's arm. "Grrrr...get off' a me, you brat!"
Ash grabbed a fistful of what he thought was Naruto's hair, when in fact it was Sora's. "I'm a brat! I'm not the one who was trying to trip the rest of us earlier just to get down the stairs!" He punched Naruto in the face.
Sora was being squashed under both of them and was getting thoroughly annoyed. He whacked both of the other two on the head, struggling underneath of their combined weight. "Both of you get off! And lay off the sweets!"
Sora's last comment made Ash and Naruto snap, and both of them flailed at the Keyblade master. Sora got cracked in the side of his face and he joined in the fight, too.
Draco was trying desperately to get around the boys, all intentions of letting them fight. He finally realized there was no way around them and his temper flared. "GOD DAMN YOU THREE! STUPIFY, STUPIFY, STUPIFY!" He flicked his wand three times, one time for each boy. The three fell limp, twitching. Draco stood over them, snarling. "Your pitiful fighting is only making it take longer to eat, fools." His eyes narrowed. "See to it you don't get in my way. Ever." The blonde stepped over them and to the table, seating himself with a 'hmph'.
The other six guests sweat-dropped. Harry stepped forward, muttering something under his breath. After he did so, Sora, Ash, and Naruto got to their feet.
Ash rubbed his shoulder, a large bruise forming over the spot. Naruto was tying the ninja headband back into place. Sora was busy wiping off blood from a bite he had sustained from Ash. It was then Sora remembered his close encounter with the black-haired boy last night. Blushing a little, he grabbed the nearest piece of cloth and held it to his wound.
Ash blinked. "Um, that's my vest."
Sora eyed what he was holding. His bright, blue eyes traveled up the blue material until he saw Ash's waist. Blushing a little more, he let go.
"Sorry..." He muttered sheepishly.
Ash shrugged. He knelt down and took off his vest, wrapping the cloth around the bite. Sora blinked, this time. Ash felt the other boy's eyes upon him and a tiny bit of pink ran over his cheeks. "I'm sorry I bit you. I thought you were him." He explained, jerking a finger over his shoulder at Naruto.
Sora nodded. "Ah..." He turned his gaze to his wound, which Ash was slowly bandaging. Ash wound the vest a little tighter then he intended and Sora hissed.
Ash let out a 'yipe!' as Sora grabbed the front of his shirt. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Sora glared into the other boy's eyes. When their gazes met, a light connection was made. Sora's gaze softened. For a moment, neither boy moved. A light blush stained their cheeks. Ash broke the stare and tied the ends of the cloth together.
"There, finished." he muttered.
Naruto stared blankly at both of them. He started to snicker. Gary joined in.
"What?" Ash and Sora cried together, causing them to glance at each other and blush even more.
"Both of you lovers quit flirting. No one can eat with you two being lovey." Riku sneered.
Ash's lip twitched. Sora began spluttering like a car with no gas. "I-I...that's not-...we're not...STOP LAUGHING!"
Sora glared after he spoke, trying to look threatening. It was comical, since his face was beet red. Ash growled at Gary, who sneered back at him.
"I knew you were weird, Ashy-boy, but queer? I'd have never guessed with the little WaterFlower around..." Gary smirked at the effect his words had. Ash's face went from white to red to green to pale blue. He bared his teeth, steam coming from his ears.
"Why you snot-nosed-"
"Breakfast, boys! Come get it, nya!"
Heads swept towards the door leading to the kitchen. Wonnykins stood there with a tray of food. Behind her, several other girls in pajamas were carrying similar trays. The argument floated away. After all, with ten stomachs growling, it was a wonder the argument started in the first place.
In the Dining Room
Wonnykins left shortly after bringing out breakfast, so no one got to ask who all her giggling friends were. Besides, there was food on the table, and that was the number one importance.
It was almost creepy with the silence hanging over the table like a storm cloud. No one said a word. No one even looked at each other. Only the clink of silverware and glasses were heard.
Finally, when the food was finished pulling a Houdini, there was a sound.
A content sigh came from the ten guests. Most of them leaned back in their chairs, stretching, placing arms behind their heads, and rubbing full stomachs. All differences were forgotten. All insults were blown from their minds. It was a rare moment of peaceful bliss. One of the only the guests would experience for a long time.
Just like the seeds on a full grown dandelion, though, the moment was blown away. Someone had to stand up eventually. That someone was Harry. With the sudden movement, the tranquility was gone. Draco already started scheming about how to embarrass the Gryffindor when the chair started to scrape.
Harry took his dishes and wandered past everyone. Eyes darted to him for split-seconds. As he brushed past Draco's spot, the blonde casually flicked his wand towards the boy's back.
Like a snap of the fingers, Harry went sprawling. Dishes flew to the ceiling and came back down with a crash. Dr. Tomoki choked on his mouthful of water and shot out of his chair as Harry's glass made an A-bomb effort path towards his head. Kei, next to him, got hit with the silverware, and yelped. Gary and Riku were rolling with laughter, pounding their fists on the table. Naruto snickered. Even silent Sasuke gave a little chuckle.
Ash and Sora got up at the same time to check on the other three. Sora came up to the dazed Harry and Ash checked on Kei and Dr. T.
Kei rubbed a sore spot on the top of his head. He sniffed. Dr. Tomoki, after reassuring Ash he was okay, got to his feet to check on Kei.
"Are you alright, Kei?" The scientist asked. Kei nodded, still rubbing his head.
"Owwie..." the blue-haired boy muttered. Ash and Dr. Tomoki chuckled.
Harry shook his head, snarling. Sora held out a hand to help him up. "You okay?"
Harry eyed the hand before taking it. "Fine, thanks." He glared over his shoulder at Draco, who sneered and flicked his wand again. His own dishes disappeared. Sora eyed the blonde with distaste.
"Nice guy." He said, frowning.
Harry brushed off his robes. "His father has connections with Evil himself; don't be surprised." Sora giggled.
Ash heard the giggle and looked over his shoulder. He caught the look Sora was giving Harry. 'Why do I feel jealous?' The brown-eyed boy mused.
Sora turned to find his room-mate watching him. Before he could tell his brain 'no', a light blush crawled onto the bridge of his nose. He gave Ash a little 'Hiya' smile and went to clean up his own place setting. Gary noticed. He frowned.
'What the hell was THAT all about?' He thought, picking up his plate and glass. He strode past Ash, who was pulling himself to his feet. Without thinking, Gary stepped deliberately on Ash's fingers.
The older boy smirked as Ash howled in pain. 'That should put you in your place...'
Ash stuck his fingers in his mouth, mewling in pain. "You're such a jerk!" He yelled at Gary's retreating back. He went back to suckling his fingers, hoping they would stop hurting. He finally pulled himself up, walking around the side of the table. He nearly ran into Sora.
"Hey, what happened?" Sora eyed Ash's fingers worriedly.
"Gary stepped on them..." Ash muttered an inaudible swear which caused Sora to chuckle.
"He doesn't like you very much, does he?" The brunette eyed Gary coming back through the kitchen doors. "He's always got something to toss at you..."
Ash shrugged. "That's Gary for you."
The other guests cleaned up the table. Once they were finished, Riku suggested they all find their hostess.
They were just leaving the dining room when something caught Sora's eye. He gaped, a smile finding it's rightful place on his lips. He tugged on Riku's arm.
"Sora, not now..."
"Look!" Heads followed Sora's finger.
A large wall of windows was at the end of the hallway. In the middle was a set of glass double doors. Beyond that was the most welcoming sight.
An in-ground pool with a waterfall sat just outside the doors. A thin row of palm trees was just beyond that and, farther still, a beach with white sand and blue water sent waves of temptation their way. As if that weren't enough, their hostess and her friends were partying, wearing nothing but swim suits.
"It's just like home, Riku!" Sora exclaimed, "Come on, let's go!"
Ash grinned. "You grew up by the sea too?"
"I grew up on an island, but yes." Sora replied, too immersed by the outside to explain.
Kei was clapping his hands. "I wanna go swimming!" He whirled around, charging up the stairs. "Last one up goes skinny dipping!" He called over his shoulder.
At this, Sora, Ash, Gary, Riku, and Harry charged up the stairs after him. The other four guests sweat-dropped, sighing.
Dr. Tomoki decided to wait outside and lay down on a pool chair, and he looked back. "Coming?" He asked.
Sasuke walked out before he had all the words out, heading to the dense forest to the left of the backyard. Naruto nodded, also slipping out underneath the older man's arm and sitting next to several of the girls, who giggled and moved closer. Draco shook his head.
"Sun-light and I don't mix." He said, turning on heel and wandering to the library. Dr. Tomoki shrugged and walked out, laying himself out on a pool chair nearby.
A loud rumble filled the air and several blurs screeched outside. Kei danced in front of them. "I win!" He giggled. Gary scrambled out last.
"No fair! Ashy-boy tripped me!" He whined. Ash laughed.
Gary frowned and stepped toward his rival. He looked to Wonnykins, who was sitting on a ledge of the waterfall. "How cold is it?"
She shook her head to dislodge a sheet of water from it. "About 60-65 ish..." She thought aloud. Gary thanked her.
Ash, who had been preoccupied with her question, screamed as Gary threw him into the pool, still wearing his black tee-shirt. He came up spitting water, shivering. "Gary, you jerk! I'll KILL you for that!" He yelled. Gary just sneered.
Sora saw the commotion as he was taking off his own shirt. What he did not see was Riku coming up behind him. When he did notice the silver-haired boy, it was too late. Riku swung the younger boy over his shoulder.
"Riku! Put me down! Put me down!" Sora beat Riku's back with his fists, kicking his feet uselessly. "Ri-kuuuuuuuu! Put me doooownnn! Put me d-YAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Riku flipped Sora over into the pool on top of Ash, who, unfortunately, was pushed under water again. When the two came back up, Gary and Riku were laughing, slapping each other high-fives. Sora swam to the side of the pool, clawing at the side to pull himself out like a cat in a bathtub.
Riku held out a hand. "Hey, it was a joke; no hard feelings, right?"
Gary did the same to Ash, who was pulling himself out. "Yeah, no hard feelings, right Ashy-boy?"
The two other boys looked at each other, seeing their chance to pull the older boys in. Gary and Riku glanced at each other before grabbing the back of Sora and Ash's heads.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Get off!" Ash grabbed at Gary's hands, trying to pull him from his hair.
Riku tsked. "Now, after that fight you two had earlier, I think you both are feeling kind of hurt." He smirked. "But there's always a way to say you're sorry."
Gary nodded. "Precisely, and the best way is..." Riku and Gary had devilish grins on their faces.
The two older boy pressed Sora and Ash's faces together. "Kiss and make up!"
Indeed, both boy's lips met. Both of them were stunned. Sora thought for a way to turn this situation in their favor.
All of a sudden, he winked at Ash. The black-haired boy felt Sora's arms go around his waist and to the back of his head, pulling him closer. Ash nearly fainted. He shot Sora a look that said 'What in the Hell are you doing!'. Sora winked again, and Ash knew what he was doing.
Ash closed his eyes, letting his arms wind around Sora's neck and waist. He moaned into the kiss, and Sora grinned.
Riku and Gary had let go by this point, mouths wide in shock. Riku finally sputtered out "What in the Hell-?"
Sora pinched Ash's side a little and both pulled away, grinning mischievously.
"Well, I think they fell for it." Sora pretended to whisper.
Ash nodded. "Maybe; they looked like they were enjoying it a little more then that, don't you think, my Sora?" He almost died laughing at the expression on Gary's face.
Sora pulled himself out, sitting besides Riku, who looked anything but happy. "Naww, is Riku jealous? Does he need a little kiss, too?" He said in mock concern. He leaned onto the older boy, tracing a finger along his chest. Ash crawled into Gary's lap, pressing his hands against the green-eyed boy's chest.
"It wouldn't be cheating on you if I kissed him once, would it, koi?" Ash asked Sora in a whiny voice, nuzzling Gary's chest.
"Of course not; I think they deserve it."
Snapping out of their trances, Riku and Gary stood up, looking shaken. Ash and Sora clutched their sides, laughing senselessly.
"My Sora! Ha ha ha ha! I wouldn't be cheating koi! Ha ha ha ha HA!" Sora nearly fell back into the pool.
Ash was just the same. "Riku needs a kiss, too! He's jealous! Ha ha ha ha ha!" He slapped Sora a high-five.
The two of them sat with their feet dangling into the pool, laughter dieing down. They wiped tears from their eyes.
Ash smiled, drawing one of his knees up to his chest. "That should tell those two to back off. I thought I'd never get Gary off my back. Thanks...eh..." He furrowed his brow. Sora laughed again.
"Sora. My name's Sora. I'm pretty sure you're name is Ashy-boy, right?" The brunette teased.
"Duh."
They smiled at each other, shaking hands.
Ash leaned back on his hands. "So, Sora, where'd you come from?"
Sora folded his legs and put one of his elbows on them. "Destiny Islands." Ash gave him a confused look. "What? You've never heard of Destiny Islands? Well, it is kind of deserted, but still." He trailed off, thinking back. He shook himself and looked back at the other boy. "What about you?"
"Eh? What about me?"
Sora rested his chin on his fist. "Where are you from?"
Ash smiled. "That's easy. Pallet Town!" He smiled, thinking Sora would know about it.
Sora cocked his head. "And that is where, exactly?" Ash face falted.
"You know, in the Indigo Region?" Sora blinked. "Err, right next to the Jhoto Region?" Sora blinked again. "-Sigh- Well, it's there."
"If you both don't know where the other is from, do you want me to help, nya?"
Both boys looked behind them. Wonnykins was standing above them, looking very interested in the conversation. Sora and Ash nodded, and she sat down behind them.
"Each pair of you comes from a different world. You would have never met had you decided not to come here. It is totally and utterly impossible." She explained, an ear twitching.
Sora frowned. "Then, how did we all get here?"
Wonnykins grinned, pointing a finger at him. "Good question. What I have done is create a world between all of these different ones. It is one that allows those of all different worlds to enter. Next, I had to find a way to transport people here, so I designed special vehicles meant to withstand the twisting, crushing space between the worlds."
"Like a Gummi Ship..." Sora muttered to himself.
Wonny nodded. "Precisely, nya. Once I took care of that, and I'm not going into it because you would both fall asleep, it was just the simple matter of sending out invites to anyone I chose to take into my world."
"Sounds difficult." Ash murmured.
"It was." Wonny said softly. "I didn't have any help." She got to her feet and wandered off to one of her friends; a girl with dark, wavy hair with wolf ears and a wolf tail.
"Well, I wouldn't be able to do all that." Ash stated.
Sora shrugged. "You could, if you had help."
Ash shook his head. "I don't think you get it, Sora. You see," he grinned, "Morons can't do a genius's work." Sora snorted.
"Well, that explains it, then."
Sora's gaze drifted to the beach. Ash watched the longing look on his face.
"Let's go." the brown-eyed boy said, getting to his feet.
Sora turned, startled. "What?"
Ash nodded towards the welcoming sand. "I said, let's go. Gary and Riku will come back out, and if they can't see us, they can't bother us, right?"
Sora nodded. "Sure, let's go with that." Ash held out a hand to help his new friend up. Sora took it, blushing a bit.
"Grab your stuff; I'll be right back." Ash promised, walking towards his own things. Sora shrugged, doing as he was told.
When Ash returned, he had two funny looking devices in his hand, as well as a towel and a new tee shirt. "Ready?"
Sora started to run. "Race you!"
Sora ended up winning, with Ash tripping on a rock. The brunette laughed and took off the soaked, useless shirt he was wearing. Ash did the same, then mentioned for Sora to come over.
Ash held out the orange devices. "They're breathers; we can stay under as long as we want with these on. We can talk, too." he explained. Sora eyed them, impressed.
"Cool."
Both took one and splashed out into the waves. Sora felt a feeling of peace. It felt like home. He waded out into the water to his chest, turning and seeing Ash was gone.
"Ash?" Sora called, "Ash, where'd you go?" He scratched his head, not noticing the shadow swim up behind him...
"YAHHH!" Sora screamed, feeling someone grab him around his waist.
"You're it." He heard Ash whisper in his ear. Sora whirled around, splashing water at the laughing Ash. "You should've seen your face!" the black-haired boy giggled.
Sora splashed him again. "I'll get you back, just you wait." He grinned and disappeared under the water. Ash stopped laughing, looking at the surrounding water.
"S-Sora?" It had been nearly three minutes now, shouldn't Sora be out of breath? Ash started walking around, searching for Sora's shadow. "Sora?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. "Ah ha!" He turned, walking towards it.
He felt his blood freeze.
The shadow was circling him. A tiny triangle poked out of the water. That meant only one thing...
Ash swallowed. "Help." he whispered. The shark kept right on circling. Not wanting to give the big fish a reason to eat him, Ash backed away slowly. He felt remorse; perhaps the shark had gotten Sora?
He was just about to reach a large rock when the shark stopped, twisting itself to face the petrified trainer. Then, without warning, it charged.
Ash screamed. He shut his eyes, waiting for the end. It didn't come. He felt the 'shark' bump into his legs, but not sharp teeth ripping them off. Ash peered out from underneath his eyelids. A pair of large, bright blue eyes blinked at him from underneath the water. A white smile joined it.
"SORA, YOU ASS-HOLE!" Ash brought his hand down on the eyes, only to have them and the rest of Sora slip easily out of reach. Sora came up from the water, taking out his breather and laughing hysterically.
"You should've seen your face! Straight out of Jaws!" Sora clutched himself, doubling up with loud bursts of laughter.
Ash didn't find it funny. "You scared me!"
"Duh, that was the point." Sora chuckled.
"I thought that thing- that you- I-I..."Ash put his hands up to his face. "Do that again and I'll kill you, Sora."
Sora giggled. "Oh, right, sure you will."
Ash brought his face out of his hands, looking extremely pissed. "I will, Sora; don't test me. I thought you drowned and that I was going to be chow. DO...NOT...DO...THAT...AGAIN!" Ash turned and started wading back to the beach. Sora stared after him.
"Wait! Aren't you gonna stay?" He tugged on Ash's arm.
Ash glared. "What? So that you can scare me again?" He turned back.
Sora groaned. "Come onnnnnn! Please stay? Who am I gonna swim with?" He tugged on Ash's arm again. "PLEASEEEE?" He gave Ash his best pouting face.
Ash looked at him. He softened. "Well, I don't know..."
Sora jumped onto Ash's back. "Well, I'm not getting down until you say you're gonna stay."
Ash stumbled, trying to regain his footing. "Wah! Sora, get off! I'm gonna faaaaAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Both tumbled backwards into the sea.
Ash blinked. Clear, blue water surrounded him on all sides. Remembering the breather, he took it from around his neck and stuck it in his mouth, releasing a relieved sigh. "Sora..." He growled. He got a giggle in response.
Sora was right next to him, watching him. "Sorry, Ash." He looked down. "Hey, look!" Ash followed the boy's finger. A school of brightly colored fish swam by, tickling their feet. "We had fish like that in the Islands." Sora said, swimming down, "Except they were a little smaller."
Ash followed, eyes darting with the fish. Thousands of them criss-crossed over a plain of coral. Sora swam under an arch of the stuff, whirling around and beckoning to Ash to do it, too. The dark-haired boy did, giving Sora a little nudge in the ribs.
"Ow, what was that for?" Sora whined.
"For being stupid." Ash explained, "Now come on; let's see what's in there." He kicked his feet, heading toward a dark, seaweed covered cave. Sora swam past him, peering inside.
"I don't see anything." The brunette stated. Ash came up beside him, looking in as well. Suddenly, thousands of eyes blinked in the confines. Sora and Ash yelped, getting out of the way. Sora let out a stream of bubbles in a gasp as millions of bright blue fish swam out, creating a column of shimmering blue. "Wow..."
Ash nodded, never taking his eyes off the sight. "Wow..." He repeated. The fish circled around them, imprisoning the two boys inside their group. Ash watched Sora's face and noticed something. "Hey, Sora."
"Hm?"
"The fish...they kind of remind me of your eyes." Ash turned his own brown eyes back upon the fish.
Sora blushed a little. "Um, thanks?"
Ash nodded absentmindedly. "Welcome."
They both fell silent as the fish continued their show. It was only when Ash felt Sora's arms around his neck did he make a sound.
"S-Sora?"
Sora didn't reply. He just put his head on Ash's shoulder.
"Hey, Ash?" the other said after a while.
"Yes?"
Sora nuzzled into Ash's neck a little more. "Have you ever liked anybody?"
"As in...?"
Sora rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."
Ash thought about that. There was Misty, but he despised her too much. His mom, but that was family. He racked his brain. Something told him 'yes', but wouldn't say why. Ah, he'd nearly forgotten his problem.
"Yeah, I think so. I can't remember who it was, though..."
Sora stared off into the wall of fish. "What did it feel like?"
Ash closed his eyes. 'A lot like right now.' Came an innocent voice in the back of his head. 'Well, what do I feel?' He thought. He felt oddly warm, like nothing could ever make him cold again, for one thing.
"Like I would never be cold again..." He started, "and like...like I had this weird feeling in my stomach and...I feel, err, felt,...special. I don't know, um...like I was in heaven, I guess."
Sora absorbed all of this, taking note of Ash's little mistake. "Oh."
"Why do you want to know?" Ash shot back.
Sora wound his arms tighter around the other boy. "I don't know. I just feel...different. See, there's this girl," (He was talking about Kairi,), "and I just feel so weird around her. But..." He tapped his finger's lightly on Ash's chest, "I kinda...don't feel that way now. It was like as soon as I set foot in this place, she doesn't feel all that special to me anymore."
Ash sighed, sort of relieved, but also disappointed for some reason. "Oh, I see."
They fell silent again. Ash finally shook himself, causing Sora to let go. Ash almost whimpered. "Let's go up: I'm getting tired."
Both of them kicked up to the surface. When their faces broke the water, they saw how late it had gotten. Now the sun was in the middle of the sky. Ash could feel his stomach growling. He pulled out his breather, swimming to the shore. Sora smirked.
"Wanna race again?" The blue-eyed boy teased.
"You're on." Ash replied.
"Ready, set, GO!"
Both of them laughed as they tried to push each other out of the way. This time, Ash won. Sora pouted, shaking water from his hair as he walked toward his towel.
"You cheated." He whined.
Ash chuckled. "So did you." Sora nodded.
"True, true."
The two of them stretched out on their towels, sighing as the sun began to warm them.
Sora's stomach growled. He laughed. "Time for lunch."
He got up and pulled Ash to his feet. This time, neither bothered to take their hands back. They just stood there, hands in each other's. A blush formed on Ash's cheeks. He looked up, gazing into Sora's eyes.
"Why did you really want to know?"
Sora thought for a moment. "Because..." He clutched Ash's hands a tiny bit harder.
Ash waited for him to go on. When he didn't, Ash spoke instead. "You can tell me."
Sora hesitated, panicking. He didn't know what to say. Eventually, his body took over, and he closed his eyes, dropping his head down to kiss the other boy.
He drew back, almost automatically. "I-I didn't..." He swallowed.
But Ash was smiling. "I like you, too." He leaned up to press a quick kiss to Sora's lips.
"Woo-hoo! Get's um!" They both pulled apart abruptly. Blushing greatly, they looked towards the pool, where everyone was staring at them. Naruto grinned.
"Let's not have a fuck fest out here, alright? You've got beds."
Naruto started running soon after he said that, with Sora and Ash hot on his tail.
Centered on Gary
Green eyes widened in shock. The boy Sora was kissing Ash! Gary had just been walking outside when he saw Ash and the other boy lock lips. He couldn't believe it. Earlier, when Riku and him had put the two boy's heads together, they knew it was a joke. But this time? It seemed Ash meant what he was doing.
Sora didn't seem to be pulling anyone's leg, either. Gary watched as they both stopped, blushing, and looked at the blonde boy named Naruto. He would've chuckled as the two boys flew off their handles and started running at the ninja full blast. He couldn't laugh, though. Not when one of the two boys was Ash.
What scared Gary was the fact that he wanted to grab Ash by the shoulders right now, shake him, and...
...kiss him.
He shook his head, turning to look at his buddy, Riku. From the look on the silver-haired boy's face, Gary could tell the other was having the same thoughts, only with Sora.
The two were interrupted by three blurs rushing in the doors. Naruto was in front, laughing and shooting dirty remarks over his shoulder. Sora and Ash were chasing after him, and both looked ready to kill. Ash seemed to be the faster one, but Sora was raising his Keyblade to swish through the air occasionally. Riku and Gary sighed. Naruto wasn't going to make it far with those two at his heels.
As much as Gary would've loved to see the two younger boys beat the crap out of the ninja, he stepped forward and caught Ash by his waist as he ran by. Riku snagged Sora's arm. They didn't seem to want to go without a fight, though. The older boys had to pin the others' arms behind their backs.
Ash struggled fruitlessly. "Lemme go! I'll kill that punk!"
Sora didn't seem to be a match for Riku's strength, either. "Get off! Let me go!"
The older boy's were now faced with a rather big problem: What to do with the younger boys, now? If they just came out and confessed that they didn't like seeing Ash and Sora kiss, the two other boys wouldn't let them live it down.
It was Gary who thought of what to do. The blonde ninja was laughing at the smaller boys, clutching his sides. The auburn-haired boy smirked.
"Hey, Naruto! Want some target practice?" Sora and Ash's mouths dropped open in shock.
Riku grinned, taking the hint. "Yeah. You don't miss, do you?"
"Course not! I'm not a ninja for nothin', ya' know." Naruto drew out a couple of throwing knives, taking aim at each of the smaller boys. He winked at Gary and Riku. "Don't worry; they won't thrash much when they die. Not where I'm aiming..."
"Erk..." Ash fainted. Sora did, too. They both slumped against their captors, unconscious. Riku and Gary laughed, Naruto grinning.
"They don't take jokes to well, do they?" The blonde ninja said, walking towards them. He knelt down, looking over each one. He smirked. "I could always, ya' know, leave a mark. You could have them wake up and think you both saved them from certain death..."
Gary was all for it, but Riku shook his head. "Nah. That's alright. Thanks anyway. And thanks for helping!"
Naruto nodded. "No big deal. It's always fun to scare the shit out of some candy-assed freaks." He chuckled. "Or, should I say, fruity-ass freaks." He gave the older boys a wave and wandered back outside. Gary couldn't help but notice how the boy named Sasuke was staring at his fellow ninja. 'What's gotten into us? The first minute, we loathe these guys, and the next we wanna fling them down and...' He blushed, thinking of a certain black-haired Pokemon trainer screaming his name. '...do that...'
He sighed, slinging the trainer in question over his shoulder. Ash murmured something, snuggling into the older boy's shoulder and sighing in his unconsciousness. Gary swallowed. God, this was tempting! Riku was eyeing him was a strange look on his face, so Gary straightened up and looked his new pal in the eye.
"They share a room. We'll dump them up there and see if they come around." The green-eyed boy said briskly. He forced a grin. "We can set up my camera and see what happens from there, if you catch my drift..."
Riku smirked back. "I hear you. Come on; I don't know about you, but he's gettin' kinda' heavy for me."
From his shoulder, Sora mewled, frowning. The brunette was coming to. Riku and Gary looked at each other before descending the stairs in a hurry.
Centered on Ash
A soft song drifted through his sub-consciousness. The voice wavered in it's melody. Like a sad lullaby.
It's...so sad...
Ash felt a tear slide from his closed eye down his cheek.
Why do I want to cry?...
He opened his eyes. Darkness had consumed the day. The moon shone eerily through his bedroom window. He frowned. Riku, Gary and Naruto would pay for their little joke.
But just as he was about to fall back to sleep, the melody came again. Ash swallowed, throat suddenly tight. It sounded so sad. He swung his feet out of bed. As if in a dream, he wandered past his roommate and down the hall.
Where is it coming from?
Unbeknownst to him, another boy was tailing close behind, captivated by the mysterious sounds as well. Ash kept following the voice, praying that it would never cease to sing. He felt awful, like someone had broken his heart, but the voice entranced him.
He turned right at the top of the stairs, the mesmerizing melody becoming louder still. He realized it was coming from Wonnykins's room.
He neared the door, hearing the beautiful sound within. He also heard a muffled crying. Hesitating, he pushed open the door.
The Mistress herself was sitting in front of a large plasma television. Tears were leaping from her eyes faster then she could wipe them away. She was watching a scene from the introduction of a game. To Ash's surprise, Sora was on the screen. He was swinging what looked to be a large key into thousands of black alien things. It jumped to a girl who had red hair. The clip was phenomenal, and also very sad. Ash finally felt tears run down his face as the boy Riku mouthed 'Take care of her', and disappeared. All the while, the song played, the beautiful sound echoing.
The red-headed Mistress looked up, seeing him there for the first time. She struggled for words. Finally, she whispered, "It's beautiful, isn't it? So beautiful, it makes hearts break..." She dipped her head, shoulders trembling. Ash wasn't aware that someone was holding him while he cried until Gary started breathing words of comfort into his ear. The auburn-haired boy was crying, too. In the back round, the song sang softly, 'My sanctuary, my sanctuaryyyy...'...
Wonny: One, Sora and Ash will not stay together through this whole fic. Two, the girls mentioned will have significant roles. Three, I realize there isn't much but Ash, Sora, Gary, and Riku moments, but the next chapter will pick up with the others, promise.
Also, at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts Two, I love it. It was beautiful. I stayed up and cried because of it. I want the song so I can listen to it on me CD player. If you have any know hows on how to do this, let me know. The last segment: I stayed up late one night and remembered the theme and clip of KH2 and cried non-stop. I had to get it down. Hopefully, Val can burn the song for me so I won't cry anymore.
More to come, thank-ees!
