A/N: Hi again. Well here's the next installment. I was in a very motivational mood when I wrote this chapter, as your about to see. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think of the story so far. I will be forever grateful. Thanks to all those who have already left reviews. It really made my day. Enjoy reading and God bless!

Disclaimer: Still I own nothing.

Chapter 2: Just a Normal Day

"I hear Miss Aerith has us a huge project to start today," said Selphie, whose excitement seemed to be building by the minute. "I hope it's not a long project because I had plans for the weekend."

"Well it's only Tuesday," replied Sora, rather uninterested in the conversation. "I'm sure you'll get it done."

"Yeah, you're right," smiled Selphie, her green eyes glittering. "Hey Sora, can I ask you a question?"

"Hm…," replied Sora, his thoughts now on the tuna fish sandwich that set in front of him.

"Well, it's just that this new movie's coming out this weekend and…," stammered Selphie.

Sora looked up to see Selphie's green eyes highlighted by the blush of her cheeks. At the same moment he also caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and his breath stuck in his throat. His angel had just walked into the lunchroom of Destiny High. Sora knew she was heading for the oak tree where she always spent her lunch when it wasn't raining because he waited for the same moment every day just so he could watch her. Today she was wearing a pink t-shirt with a faded out rose print, a pair of jeans that had a hole at one of the knees, and a pair of brown flip-flops. Her reddish-brown hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, loose strands framing her snowy white skin. She stared at the floor, as if in deep thought, books in hand as she made her way outside. Even though she looked down, Sora could still see her deep blue eyes sparkling. Sora had always found Kairi's eyes to be her most beautiful feature. One could drown looking into such depths, but Sora took the chance as often as he possibly could without getting caught.

Sora pried his eyes off of Kairi long enough to notice that he wasn't the only one watching her. On the other side of the lunchroom sat a silver-haired boy who also seemed to observe Kairi's entrance as well. Riku…

Riku sat with his all-star jock buddies, but only because Riku was an all-star jock. He was adored by everyone for having won more blitzball games for the school than most people cared to count. Girls fantasized about being his girlfriend and all the guys wanted to be his best friend. Not that Sora was in bad shape when it came to popularity. Lots of people went out of their way just to talk to him. He was liked by everyone for his charm and extremely large heart. He had lots of would-be girlfriends, but he didn't ever bother to ask any of them out. None of them could compare to the angel walking through the lunchroom at this moment.

Apparently I'm not the only one who feels that way, thought Sora, jealousy swelling in him as he watched Riku.

Riku suddenly realized that he too was being watched and turned towards Sora. Blue eyes met jade and Sora saw a sad frown appear on Riku's face and Riku began to shake his head. Sora looked away.

By this point Selphie had grown agitated. "Sora, are you listening to me?"

"What," asked Sora coming out of his thoughts.

"Do you want to go to the movies or not," asked Selphie impatiently.

"Uh, sure," answered Sora, not knowing what else to say.

"Good it's a date," exclaimed Selphie ecstatically. "Well, I'm going up to class. I'll see you in a minute."

Selphie got up and walked out of the lunchroom, leaving Sora to fully ponder what he had just agreed to. He immediately realized that it had not been such a good idea. It's not that he didn't like Selphie. She was a pretty girl, after all, with an unquenchable thirst for life. But, he didn't like her like that. She was a friend at most.

Sora slammed his head on the table. "Great," he replied to the table. "How do I fix it now?"

Just then the bell rang for class. Sora picked up his now uneaten food and his books and deposited the food in the trash as he walked out the door. He walked slowly through the off-white and deep blue hallways of Destiny High pondering how he was going to fix the situation with Selphie. He really didn't want to hurt her, but he couldn't betray his angel like that even if she would never know his feelings. Sora reached the end of the hall and took the stairs two by two. Upstairs, he took the first door on the left, the words "Humanities" colorfully displayed in flowers across its graysurface. Most of the class was already there, including Selphie, Riku, and Kairi. This was the first class that Riku, Kairi, and he had had together in six years. They all set in separate parts of the room: Riku with his fellow blitzballers, Tidus and Wakka, towards the middle of the room, Sora and Selphie up front, and Kairi by herself, in the back of the room. Riku nor Kairi even bothered to look up when Sora walked in, while Selphie took to waving.

Sora noticed the fact that Selphie was practically glowing and sighed inwardly. He sat down in the desk next to her and began to pull his books out. Just then, Miss Aerith walked up to the front of the room.

"Don't get too comfortable just yet," she said, her voice gentle as always. "We're going to be doing some moving."

Sora stopped unpacking his books and watched Miss Aerith as she pulled out a paper bag and deposited some folded up slips of paper into it. Miss Aerith wore her favorite pink dress and her brown boots. Her long, brown hair was once again braided and held in place at the top by a red bow. She was a very beautiful woman and extremely kind. Although most teachers with such a similar nature would have easily been destroyed by their students, for some odd reason Miss Aerith seemed to bring out the best of everyone. Sora tended to think that if he had a big sister, she would have acted like Miss Aerith.

"Today I'm going to do most of the talking," came Miss Aerith with a smile. Normally, Miss Aerith liked to listen to what her students had to say on a particular subject and then direct their thinking as need be. Sora decided that Selphie's hypothesis of an upcoming project was probably right.

As if reading his thoughts, Miss Aerith continued. "Now, I know a couple of you have heard a rumor going around that I have a special project for homework. Well, the rumor is true. Since the beginning of this class, we have talked about how humans, whether good or bad, affect each other. It's a never ending cycle that has been contemplated for centuries. We have read stories, looked at artwork, and discussed ideas of how people are connected, no matter what the distance. We have talked about each one of these items and how it shapes our lives. With each item we have discussed, we have learned that we may or may not have the same ideas or feelings towards a subject, but that's not the main purpose behind our discussions. With all our conversations, we have learned. Not just about the subject material, but about ourselves and others. In a way, we linked our hearts together for just a brief moment."

Miss Aerith took a moment for this to sink into her students captivated minds. When the class remained silent, unable to argue her point, she continued "I believe that every creature is capable of reading the hearts of every other creature. You see it in the wild all the time. When one animal senses danger, they all do and run for cover. I also believe that humans choose to ignore this ability. We have become so obsessed with the bad that we are no longer able to see the good in other people. As a result, most of us are no longer capable of recognizing who is hurting and for what reason because we are so afraid of being hurt ourselves. We have seen it proven time and again with wars and all the destruction they bring. Every once in a while, however, we see someone who is a contradiction to this rule. These remarkable people have reached their hearts out and connected with others. These few individuals have become our examples and have inspired us to be more than what we ever imagined possible. They have exemplified the idea that by linking our hearts together, we can understand each other. We can understand what makes us laugh and cry, what makes us hurt and what brings us joy. Ultimately, we understand that love and its consequences lead to all other emotions."

"This is what I want you to gain from this class. I want you to realize that you can make a difference in someone's life by caring and you can change what happens in the world just by listening to what your heart tells you. So, with that said, let's talk about your projects. In this bag I now carry, there is a number between one and nine. There are two "ones", two "twos", and so on. The two people that draw the same number will be in the same group."

"Now, as far as the assignment is concerned, this will be a three day project." Miss Aerith waited for the moaning to cease. Although the students loved her as a teacher, that fact did not mean that they had to stoop to the level of loving homework. When the grumbling subsided, Miss Aerith continued. "Today, you and your partner will pick a place that you both enjoy and go there after school. You will spend this evening getting to know your partner better. You are to sit and discuss whatever's on your minds while still paying attention to what's not said: the emotions behind the words."

"Tomorrow, we will not have class. You and your partner are to meet back in the same spot during class time and sit for an hour without saying a word. While sitting there in total silence, I want you to listen to what the other person is saying…"

As expected, Miss Aerith's last statement was met with an uproar. Most of the students immediately began to argue that such an idea was lunacy. Some students, Sora included, sat dumfounded on how to even go about such a task. Everyone else just sat quietly waiting for Miss Aerith to finish. When the disbelief wore off, she continued.

"I understand that such a proposal might come as a shock, but please try it. You might be pleasantly surprised," she interjected with a slight smile showing on her face.

"Now on the third and final day, I want you to write a paper on what you have learned and turn it into me on Friday. Once again, we will not have class so you can write your papers. I think two days off is more than enough payment for a moment or two of utter disbelief. This is not a difficult assignment as far as the work is concerned. If you don't learn a thing say so and be done with the paper. But, please, keep an open mind. It's hard to go through such an experience as this without at least learning something about yourself. Grades will be based on honesty."

She smiled at the dumbfounded students as she picked up the bag containing the numbers and walked straight to Sora. "Don't open these until I tell you to," said Miss Aerith as she brought the bag up to Sora. "Choose you destiny."

Sora smiled, not knowing what else to do as a reply to the comment. He quietly sat there as Miss Aerith wandered around to all the other students, while listening to Selphie mutter something about wanting to be his partner. Sora hoped she wasn't.

When Miss Aerith had handed all the slips of paper out she walked up to the front of the room. Everyone anxiously looked at her, waiting for the moment when she would allow them to open the piece of paper.

"Ok, open them."

Everyone tore open the piece of paper they held. Sora stared at a "five" that had been boldly wrote on the crisp, white piece of paper. Selphie leaned over to see what number he had gotten and sighed.

"We're in separate groups," pouted Selphie.

"So, find your partner and decide on a spot to meet," piped in Miss Aerith above the roar of the students. "As soon as you decide you are welcome to go. If you have any questions, come see me before you leave. Oh, and no trading partners."

Sora wandered around to the students who were not already in a group looking for another "five". When he found none, he glanced toward Riku and saw that Selphie and him were partners. He then glanced toward Kairi who sat by herself in the back of the room and noticed her slip of paper sitting on her desk. Walking closer to it he also caught a glimpse of the number "five" wrote on it. He looked up from the desk to see Kairi staring straight at him with knowing eyes. As if by fate, Sora had ended up in the same group as Kairi.

A/N: What will happen between Sora and Kairi? Will we find out what happened all those years ago to break up their friendship? I'll update soon, so stay tuned!