Let's see now. Enumerate exactly why I updated so late.
Firstly, this site would not let me log in for some reason. Arrrrgh. Even Fictionpress won't. Exception error or something like that. And my inbox, for some mysterious reason, does not get e-mail from this site. Dang.
Secondly, my silver-haired muse ran away with my iPod. He's mad because I killed him off. So I have Antiform for a sub just now...so expect a darker story.
Thirdly, life is hard. So okay, I do procrastinate, but hey! Sheesh!
Now...I know you're all confused as to why the hell would I kill off so many people in just the prologue. All in good time. Yeah. And just to clarify it, the prologue is not the end of the story. Well, it may be a bit close, but it is not the end. Clear? Clear.
Leon is not married to Kairi.
The songs Hero (Spiderman OST) and Run Away (Linkin Park) would be this fic's theme song.
So anyway. I'm leaving it up to Darkie for the disclaimer.
Antiform: Only buddy-boy can call me that! And yeah, whoever's reading this, characters belong to Squenix. Now go away and leave me alone. Unless you want your heart torn out. Mmhmm.
Previously: Prologue. Roxas and Sora clash, on the orders of Kairi; none come back. Riku and King Mickey are dead. Rinoa is happy, Naminé is looking to kill somebody. And how the hell does Leon fit in?
- - - - - - - - - - - -
i: the kingdom strikes back
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Pale porcelain skin. Mythril crown necklace.
I've been having these weird thoughts lately...
Cinnamon strands spiked with ebony. Thick black lashes hiding twin orbs of deep cerulean blue. Falling...falling from the light. Undersea light.
Like...is any of this for real...or not?
Flashing. Side view. Falling. Hair waving. Silver clothes swirled with black. Spheres of light trailing wisps of white. Falling downwards, gathering speed. Two pitch-black wings, both broken, both weeping ebony feathers. Both flapping uselessly as he falls...
Fallen Keyblade Master...
Aquamarine eyes whip open; tan hand shades his white skin from the summer sun. He peers outward into the endless blue of salt and sea. Two figures stand in the water. They turn...
One with silver hair much like his own; tan skin, amber eyes, haughty glare. Arms folded in trademark stance. Crossed red heart on his chest. The other one is pitch-black; a reverse image of his best friend; sickly yellow eyes, pouting lips curled up in a feral smirk.
Ansem holds out his right gloved hand, while Antiform holds out his left.
Riku roars in anger as he summons Way to the Dawn. He starts to sprint forward but he stops short. The tide recedes unnaturally, and he looks up just in time to see a great crest of ocean behind them. Gritting his teeth and not allowing this to deter him, he charges still.
Both figures still have their hands offered when the wave crashes down on them.
A word bubbles out of his mouth wordlessly as he struggles against the current, trying to reach his adversaries. Arms whirling and feet kicking and Keyblade cutting through water...
Antiform grins.
Ansem smiles secretively.
The current is too much; he is pushed back, frantically trying to swipe at the two...
He throws his head back, trying to get rid of the saltwater running down his silver hair. He takes deep breaths and tries to steady his rapid heartbeat. Riku swims forward, limbs heavy...
Riku!
An auburn-haired girl calls to him from the shore, giggling and waving. Short choppy red wisps frame her face, purple cloth flutters against slender legs...
The younger Kairi waves, and he drags himself from the water to stop in front of her, hands resting on his knees and struggling to catch his breath. As he takes a good look, he is startled. A mythril crown necklace shimmers around her neck, and a gold circlet rests on her head. Beryl eyes peer happily at him, and Riku can't help but smile...
And then she blinks, and looks skyward. Small hands curl upon themselves on her chest, and her lips curve themselves into an 'o'. He follows her gaze, and his heart skips a beat.
Fiery-blue meteorites shower the sky, leaving trails of white and sparkle. His eye catches a particular one, and he staggers backward as he focuses past the haze of magic.
Gold hair ruffles in the wind, and a cross pendant whips this way and that. Pale skin and pouting lips. Eyes remain firmly closed as Roxas falls, falls from the sky in a shower of shooting starts...
...and Riku stumbles backward, and his balance fails, and he falls...
Kairi gasps and her beryl eyes widen in trepidation, the crown necklace sparkling in the sunset. He falls, and he reaches out a hand in her direction. Her figure suddenly shimmers; her auburn hair fades into flaxen strands; her clothes bleach white, and her beryl eyes swirl into cerulean blue.
Naminé reaches out her own pale hand gingerly, but she halts, and draws back a fraction of an inch. Her eyes mirror guilt, and pity, and sorrow. Reality ripples outwards, and she disappears.
He closes his eyes.
Riku tilts his head backwards resignedly as he falls, through the sky and through the sun and all of a sudden into darkness. A pale light shines from above, and black feathers flutter past. He realizes this is the path Sora had taken earlier as he fell.
The air slowly lifts him, and his eyes open, uncertain. His feet touch the dark ground. He looks around warily, and, subconsciously, he takes a step forward.
He raises both hands to shield his eyes from blinding light as the ground beneath him erupts into a flurry of white doves, each purer than the last. He gazes upwards, observing curiously, as the doves fly away into the light.
Riku doesn't need to look down to know what stained-glass platform he is standing on.
In the glass lies trapped the image of his brunet friend; he lies collapsed, facedown, with his black wings broken and trailing over his back. Black crowns surround the edge of the glass circle. And hovering over Sora's prone form is another figure, with auburn hair and closed eyes.
Kairi is crying over her fallen Keyblade Master.
"Riiiikuuuu!"
"Wha---"
"RIKU DO I NEED TO DRAG YOU OUT OF BED? WE'RE GOING TO BE LAA-ATE!"
Insistent pounding on the door. Riku clapped a hand over his closed eyes and sighed. Now that was a frightening -- not to mention weird -- dream. And from the eerie similarities to Sora's own dream almost three years ago, it was a disturbing experience. Just what did it ---
"ARE YOU UP ALREADY?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm up, Sora!" he hollered, throwing back the covers of his bed and swinging his legs over the side.
His white door creaked open, and Sora poked his head into the room, an annoyed expression on his face. "You're supposed to be the one who's waking me up, not the other way around."
Riku opened his mouth to ask how the hell he was going to wake up early because of his stupid dream, but he changed his mind and held his tongue. Knowing Sora, the teen'll worm out every single detail and waste a night and a half trying to understand what it means. He sighed instead, and just nodded.
Wrong move.
"What's up with you?" the brunet asked almost immediately. "You don't nod. You bite back."
Riku gestured helplessly with his right hand, eyeing Sora as he did with a knowing expression on his face. "Ahhh...I just got tired last night. Stupid Materia Handling assignment."
It worked. "There's an assignment?" he spluttered. "Darn, I forgot to do it!"
The door shut closed with a snap.
He grinned to himself, waiting for the inevitable---
"RIKU! THERE IS NO ASSIGNMENT, YOU JERK!"
Well, Sora was right. Riku didn't just nod; he always bit back.
--- x -- x ---
"Ahahah, Sora, stop pouting, you look like a kid who lost his candy," Roxas laughed, slapping the brunet playfully on the back.
"When people are staring at us like this, one can understand why I'm pouting!" Sora retorted, heaving his knapsack higher over his shoulder.
Roxas, unfazed, just grinned and continued on walking to their Master's Sword Handling and Maneuvering class. The stares of the students as they walked through the corridors probably didn't bother him in the least. However, it bothered Sora. Badly.
But, as Naminé had put it, who wouldn't stare at a legendary Keyblade Master walking along with his equally legendary Nobody? The fact that they looked like mirror images of one another didn't help at all.
Destiny Islands Academy had taken Sora's...situation with mixed feelings. They had to explain the concept of Nobody-heart-releasing-Dark Keyblade-thing over and over again, without trying to reveal too much. For example, the fact that Sora's Antiform was the one who attacked King Mickey was kept under wraps. If people caught news of that, they'd excommunicate him for sure.
Roxas had a theory about life and how Sora actually 'existed' on without his heart...The blonde Nobody had said that one can only be considered truly alive when he or she or even it had a heart of its own. It was far too complicated a matter for Sora to think about every single day; academy life had made up for all that and more.
The classes were harder this year, and the pressure on him to be the best made it even harder. Everybody clamored to spar with him, and while nobody (with the exception of Roxas -- they had a draw) even came close to beating Sora, it took out a lot of his energy.
And what frightened Sora was sometimes, he'd just look down and see that he had summoned the Keyblade without even thinking about it.
The academy population had taken to separate ways when dealing with the different heroes of the time.
Organization XIII had automatically gone down in the books as the most interesting professors ever (with the possible exception of Vexen). Xigbar was teaching Accuracy Arts, Vexen's was Lifestream Chemistry, Lexaeus was with Physical Arts, Zexion's was Lifestream Physics, Axel with Elementary Spellcasting, Luxord was with Battle Strategy, Marluxia with Lifestream Biology, and Larxene with Healing Arts. Sure, the random portalling had frightened the hell out of people at first, but the academy had gotten used to it.
With Naminé, they had taken to asking her how she came back and how being a Nobody worked. Most of the time, however, Roxas was with her, so all inappropriate questions (and suggestive looks) were fended of with a Roxas-scowl that radiated death.
With Roxas, well, the blonde had a fangirl club of his own, which frequently got into spats with the Naminé's fanboy club.
Most were impressed by his dual-wielding ability and his Final Form, although the only time that he had driven into that Form was one memorable Master's SHM class, in a fight against Riku. Roxas won, but only because Riku didn't dare use darkness to beat him.
With Kairi, it was pretty much the same. The mayor's daughter, coupled by the fact that she was a Princess of Heart, was enough to intimidate most of the people. However, she was still widely-known as one of the nicest girls on academy grounds, always ready to help people.
With Riku...well, he had the most obsessive fanclub, made of boys and girls alike. He had run again for Student Council presidency, and, unsurprisingly, won, because he had run unopposed. He had taken to roaming around the campus and striking up conversation with random people in his spare time, partly because he liked to be known, and partly because, being the cocky teen he was, he liked the awed reactions of the students he spoke with.
With Sora, however, half the populace was afraid of coming within a ten-foot radius around him. The other half was obsessively asking for his number, class schedule, locker number, favorite flavor of ice cream, address, favorite type of Heartless, age, color of his boxers...and the (sometimes weird, sometimes plain unbelievable) list goes on and on.
Some whispered behind his back, and this was why he always made sure that he was always around either Roxas, Kairi, or Riku. Both Riku and Roxas could control Antiform if he himself somehow lost control (although he hadn't heard Antiform's voice in his head yet), and Kairi seemed to have a calming effect on him.
"Hey..." Roxas' voice broke him out of his reverie as they turned into the training arena of Master's SHM. "What Keychain are you using today?"
"Lemme see," Sora rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think ... Hikari and Sakoto today..."
"Rahnel Sakoto?" the blonde said gleefully. "That jerk I fought last year?"
"Yep." A grin spread across his face. "Ah...I think I'm going to use the Ultima Keychain today..."
And he and Roxas burst into simultaneous laughter.
--- x -- x ---
"Riku?"
The silver-haired teen blinked, and tore away his gaze from the sunset, shooting Sora a curious glance. "Hm?"
Sora was still staring blankly at something over the horizon, but Riku couldn't miss the furrowed eyebrows, which signified that the brunet was thinking hard. "Are you really sure you're okay with this?"
He raised an eyebrow. "With what?"
Sora sighed, and for some reason, looked away. "With controlling my antiform."
"So-ra," Riku began exasperatedly; they had been through this many times before. "I understand that you're feeling pretty awkward with the situation, but I chose to help you. Don't...push me away or something; I want to help--"
The brunet braced his hands on the bent trunk of the paopu tree and jumped off to land on his feet. "I'm not pushing you away!" he exclaimed indignantly, turning a little so that he was completely facing Riku. "It's just that...I feel so...so..."
"Persistent?" he suggested helpfully, getting quite irritated.
"Inadequate!" Sora growled, shooting him a glare.
Riku smirked. "That's a big word, Sora-poo."
The hurt look on the brunet's face was enough to make Riku's blood run cold. Sora swallowed visibly and turned around to lean on the paopu tree in imitation of him. Out of the corner of his eye Riku could see his hands ball themselves up into fists.
"That didn't help, Riku," he said quietly.
Riku cringed; Sora had been real touchy lately about issues concerning his immaturity. In fact, ever since the incident, neither he nor Kairi had seen Sora return to his fully optimistic self. It was like the experience of losing his heart for such a long period of time had taken something away from him --- most likely, his cheerfulness.
"Listen, Sora, I---"
"Sora! Riku!"
He looked over his shoulder, only to see a particular auburn-haired girl come running up to them. He could actually feel Sora tense up immediately.
"Y'know, the last time you ran up to us like that," Sora began warily, turning around and leaning his elbows on the tree, peering over at Kairi, "It was the beginning of my end. And you had a bottle in your..." he trailed off, cerulean eyes going as wide as they can go.
Kairi sprinted up to them, waving a champagne bottle in the air. "It has...Disney's...seal..." she panted, stopping a good two feet from her boyfriend. Smart girl, she was. If Sora decided to get violent, it was a good thing to keep distance.
Sora put his face in his hands and moaned. "Oh hell no."
Riku waved a hand dismissively as Kairi climbed onto the paopu tree and jumped over to the other side, landing between him and Sora. "Sora, don't jump to conclusions."
"Why do I have the feeling I'm going to die, in, say, the next year or something?" the brunet remarked sarcastically.
Kairi snorted derisively. "You haven't even read the note yet."
"I don't actually need to read it, I already know that--"
"Oh, come off it," Riku snapped, making the two stop and stare at him. He snatched the bottle from Kairi's hands and popped the cork. "King Mickey won't try another stint like last time. He's not stupid, you know."
To his surprise, Sora sighed resignedly and took the bottle, upending it and letting the furled piece of parchment slide out. "I know, Riku. I'm just nervous."
He then handed the bottle back to Riku, and slowly unrolled the letter. Kairi went to stand on his left and Riku on his right, curious as to what the mouse monarch would want this time around. Riku couldn't help but feel a certain sense of déja vu; this was exactly their pose when they had read the first note.
He then turned his attention to the piece of parchment itself.
"Okay," Kairi started. "I want to read it aloud..."
"To Keyblade Master Sora,
I know this is short notice, but I my advisors and I have decided, after what the past events, that you deserve this. Don't consider this as compensation; I am doing this because I have long believed that you are the one for this.
I, King Mickey Mouse, Monarch of Disney Kingdom and Overseer of the Worlds, am offering you the highest honor in the--" Kairi suddenly paused, taking in an especially sharp breath and peering at Sora.
The brunet, however, just tilted his head thoughtfully in a gesture for her to continue. He did latch on to Kairi's arm, as if he feared that he'd lose control or something.
The redhead cleared her throat and shot a meaningful glance at Riku, before continuing in a faint voice, "Kingdom... Sora, I want to adopt you. I know you have lost your parents to the Heartless War, and I express my condolences--" Sora made a derisive noise and clutched Kairi's arm noticeably tighter, "--but in adopting you, I hope to make up all of my wrongdoings. Sora, words cannot express how sorry I am, but please...give me a chance."
Now the brunet had buried his head in the crook of Kairi's neck, and he was trembling slightly. Riku wasn't sure if it was because he was touched by the King's message, or because he was just plain furious.
"Please think about it, Sora. I will be waiting for your reply in a month.
Signed,
Mickey."
"Sora...are you okay?" Kairi was saying, handing the letter to Riku and fully embracing the mahogany-haired teen.
Riku, however, quickly averted his eyes from the sight and turned his attention back to the letter. His eyebrows furrowed on the sight, "Hey, Kai, I--"
"Huh?" the redhead peered around Sora's head to look at him.
"Uh...I think you and Sora should...you know..." he gestured helplessly with a pale hand outwards, and stole a nrevous glance at the piece of parchment, "Uhm...spend time alone? So that he can arrange his thoughts...or something?"
She simply nodded, and shot him a quick smile, before whispering in Sora's ear. The two trudged off together, probably to go to the port side of the island, to their favorite place in the docks.
Riku didn't bother to see if they had gone there. He licked his suddenly-dry lips and leant against the paopu tree, staring at the letters on the paper as if he could make them dissolve into thin air.
He didn't think King Mickey would actually try and do that...but he did.
He was about to ask Kairi why she didn't read the postscript on the bottom, but he stopped when he saw it had been addressed to him.
Riku,
Make sure Sora accepts. When he decides to go to Disney Castle, always stay close to him; Antiform is unpredictably dangerous if no control is near. The first night the boy falls asleep, meet me in my study. Do not let Princess Kairi know of this.
This is urgent.
Mickey
Riku bit his lip, scanned the note twice more, rolled it up again, slid it back into the bottle, and recorked it. He held it close to himself, and sighed, staring out into the sunset.
Why did being Sora's best friend have to be so complicated?
--- x -- x ---
Roxas pouted.
And pouted some more.
Axel sighed, grabbed the nearest white pillow from the white library couch he was sitting on, and chucked it at him. "Would you please stop pouting?" he groaned.
Roxsa threw the pillow back, and continued sticking out his bottom lip. It was working. He had a sneaking suspicion that no matter how old he existed to, his pout would still be effective. For example; even if he was already seventeen-ish years old, Axel was still showing signs of giving in into his pout.
A highly effective weapon.
"No, Roxas," number Eight said, even before Roxas could open his mouth to say something.
Roxas stuck out his lower lip, and glowered.
"Hey, has anyone of you seen Zexion's Rubix cube? I am going to get back at him for ---" Larxene stopped short, looked back and forth between the best friends, and took a step back into the bookshelf from where she had come. "--I think this isn't a good time."
"Larx!" Axel said, relieved. "Help me here!"
"As long as it doesn't involve Keyblades..." the blonde Nobody said suspiciously, taking a wary step towards them.
"It doesn't!" The wild-maned redhead interjected happily. "Roxas needs a tutor in Master's Spellcas--"
Larxene took a step back, and smirked. "Sorry, you're the spellcasting teacher."
"But you do a mean Thundaga!"
"It's my element, idiot," number Twelve shot back, sapphire-blue eyes crinkled with amusement. "Ah...what was that...? I think Marly's calling me..." she backed away further into the nearest white wall, placed both palms flat on the marble, and opened a portal, "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
"Larxene!" Axel yelled, getting up from the couch.
"Good luck, Ax! I hope you survive!" she laughed, blowing him a kiss and disappearing entirely into the wall.
Roxas snickered. "See? Even your girlfriend (at this the pyro made a choking noise) says so. Now," he stuck out his lower lip once more, "Teach me."
Axel sighed, and collapsed back into the white couch, matching Roxas stare for stare. "Why the hell do you need to learn Hastega and the whole shebang, anyway?"
"It's my schedule on Saturday, don't you remember?" he replied, shifting position on his couch, so that he was lying on it. He pillowed his head on one arm and hugged a throw pillow with the other.
"Which sector are you taking?"
"The Postern..." Roxas rolled onto his stomach and propped his chin up with the pillow. "Leon runs fast. Tifa runs faster. Yuffie runs so fast she almost flies."
Axel shot him a look. "You don't plan on getting caught, right?"
Roxas rolled his eyes. "That's why I want to be taught, dork."
Number Eight folded his arms thoughtfully, and furrowed his eyebrows. "But I thought Luxord already took the Postern."
"He did, but there were too many failsafes. They put a lot of sensors in that area," he replied, playing with the tassel of the throw pillow. "The Restoration Committee knows their stuff."
"...they sure do, I almost got caught in the Borough yesterday. Argh, why not just send Zex to go directly to the town's computer system and disable the entire defense system in one go?" Axel whined, gesturing with a gloved hand.
Roxas paused, closing his eyes as he contemplated Axel's suggestion.
In the half-year that had passed since the last Halloween bash, unknown to everyone except themselves and Rinoa, Organization XIII had been fulfilling their part of the deal.
"Well, what do you want in exchange?"
The ebony-haired sorceress looked around, bent slightly, and lowered her voice as she explained her terms.
"Radiant Garden falls, and Squall 's heart is mine," she said simply, a sinister smile curving her cherry-pink lips. "And you, all of you, are obligated to help me until it happens."
Roxas admitted that it was a bit harsh, but they couldn't just sit around and wait for Kingdom Hearts to give them their own heart. Besides, Radiant Garden was only one of the worlds out there. The Superior and the others have had more than a few bad memories from there. As for the rest, the only thing of note was that he and Naminé had been 'born' in Radiant Garden. Nothing else.
Leon and the others didn't even know who he was.
Eh. Radiant Garden was expendable.
And he was a Nobody, so he didn't feel guilty unless he made himself feel so.
"Eh, it'll draw too much attention," he said thoughtfully. "Besides, Ansem's study is one of the most guarded places in Radiant Garden. It's better to do it piece by---"
"Painstaking, patience-draining, piece," the pyro finished, and Roxas grinned at him.
"Teach me now?" the blonde pouted once more, and Axel shrugged.
"Fine. Let's go then," number Eight stood up and pulled Roxas to his feet. He held out a hand, summoned a portal, and pulled the golden-haired teen inside.
--- x -- x ---
"There you guys are."
Kairi twisted backwards, and gave Riku a wan smile. "Hey."
She and Sora had been seated on one of the island's docks for almost an hour now. The sunset had deepened further into patches of purple, and then blue-indigo, and finally into midnight-blue. The stars had begun to come out, and a crescent moon hung low above the sea. The waves twinkled with every rise and fall of the crests, and the sea-borne breeze had begun to pick up. The brunet had lent her his hoodie, and it surprisingly kept her comfortably warm. She supposed it was because of the magic woven into it.
Sora had come very close to crying sometime during that hour, when Kairi had gently pried out of him his feelings about the disappearance of his parents when the island broke apart.
It was one of his most fundamental problems: Sora always kept his feelings bottled up inside; he was always ready with a smile and a cheerful greeting for everyone he met, regardless of what he was feeling. He had confessed to her that it was because of his nature as a Keyblade Master; his bipolarity came from the fact that he was supposed to bear the balance between darkness -- Riku -- and light -- herself.
She reminded him that it was Riku who was the balance between darkness, Sora, and light, Roxas.
He didn't reply to that, and pressed his lips together in a frozen scowl instead.
Minutes later, however, Sora had just shifted positions and lay on the wood, his head on Kairi's lap and his fingers intertwined with hers. She played with a lock of his hair while the both of them looked out into the sea.
It was one of the most intimate and touching moments that they have shared ever since the Keyblade Master had come back from the darkness. It was the first time that Sora had been silent; all the previous hours and minutes have been spent with happy smiles and hearty jokes and optimistic conversations.
She felt guilty for this. In her happiness that everything had come back to normal, she had forgotten about Sora.
Kairi realized that not once, not anyone in the horde of admirers and students and awed citizens, none of them had asked about Sora's welfare. None had cared about how this war affected Sora; how this war took away his childish innocence and his carefree nature.
She had never missed the wary looks the brunet had directed everywhere; she had never missed the occasional twitch of his hand whenever he felt threatened. He had learnt to deal with life's problems with his Keyblade.
Sora was lost in the maze that the Keyblade had woven him.
It was sad to know that it would probably take him a lifetime to get out, even with her help.
Now she had in her hands, essentially, a traumatized child.
"What time is it?" Sora suddenly asked, lifting his head off her lap and sitting upright.
Kairi rummaged through her belt bag and took out an amethyst wristwatch; one that she never wore. "Oh. It's around eight."
"I have to get you home, then..." he murmured slowly, standing up and pulling her to her feet.
"But...It's still early..." she started to protest, but the brunet shot her a glance.
"You never know what could happen, Kai, after nightfall," he mumbled, tugging on her hand in the general direction of the mainland proper. She looked backwards helplessly at Riku, who just shrugged and started to follow.
Soon all three of them had fallen into step with each other. They started walking the night streets of Destiny Islands in a generally comfortable silence, with the occassional greeting or wave at the other residents. Out of the corner of her eye Kairi could see lighted curtains being drawn back and people peering out. It was still a sight, according to Selphie, that the trio of them, living legends, were walking around with them, she quotes, "ordinary mortals".
"So, you guys..."
Kairi blinked, and glanced at the brunet. He had laced his hands behind his head once again, in his favorite gesture.
Sky-blue eyes closed, paused, and opened once again. "What do you think the King is up to now...?"
"Sora," Riku said warningly. "Shouldn't we talk about this in a private place?"
He shook his head. "Nah. It'll get out sooner or later, anyway..."
Kairi tilted her head thoughtfully. "I think it's really sweet of King Mickey to offer to adopt you, but it sounds fishy all of a sudden. I mean, why just now? Why not before you got knighted or something?"
Sora shrugged. "Knowing him, I have another thing coming. But wha--"
"Knighted!" Riku suddenly exclaimed, stopping short and making her and Sora look back at him, puzzled.
"Knighted?" She repeated. "What about it?"
"Knighting isn't the highest honor in Disney Kingdom, Kairi," the silver-haired Wielder related very fast, "If King Mickey adopts Sora...he'll become the sole heir! Sora'll be the crown prince!"
A silence.
"That was not what I was expecting," Sora scowled as he continued walking.
"Why not!" Kairi said gleefully, rubbing her hands together. "Sora! Becoming crown prince is every kid's dream!"
"I don't live in a fairytale or a dream," the brunet snapped, sky-blue eyes darkening.
She shot a hurt look at him, but he looked away and shoved his hands in his pockets. She then looked around him at Riku, and the silver-haired teen bit his lip, and shook his head a fraction of an inch. Don't press it.
So they continued walking in silence.
Soon they turned into Kairi's street, and Sora was still scowling at the pavement. Kairi thought the surly, brooding look could only be pulled off by Roxas, but then again, the blonde was Sora's reflection...why couldn't Sora do the same?
Sometimes he could still surprise her. Was there another side to the brunet Keyblade Master that she didn't know about?
Riku hung back purposefully, stopping a good ten feet away and muttering about dropping his contact lenses. Like he wore contact lenses, anyway. Kairi had to stifle her laughter at the lack of believable excuses Riku had in his arsenal.
"Ugh...this day had just been..." Sora made a violent slicing motion in the air, and turned to Kairi as they stopped at her porch.
"It's okay," she nodded slightly, clapping him on the shoulder. "I'm not saying that I understand, but it's okay."
He stared at the concrete and shuffled his feet. "I'm sorry for being such a hotheaded jerk. Normally I'm not like this..."
"It's okay to be abnormal, Sora..." Kairi said mischievously, and she was rewarded with one of Sora's trademark grins and a tight hug.
"I'm not abnormal!" he pouted, and grinned once more. "Thanks, Kairi. You really know how to cheer a guy up."
"And I know how to cheer the both of you up..." she paused, and looked over her shoulder, calling to Riku, who was still under the pretense of finding his nonexistent contact lenses. "Hey, Riku! You and Sora stay for dinner, okay?"
The silver-haired teen straightened up and smiled beatifically as he walked over to them. "Thank Creator for a girl like you, Kairi. It was Sora's turn to cook tonight. You saved me from dying a horrible, painful death from icky, gut-busting, food poiso---"
He was cut off by a tan hand covering his mouth, and Sora growled. "Thank you very much Riku, I think we got the general idea."
Riku smirked behind his hand, and, judging from the outraged and disgusted expression on Sora's face a second later, Riku licked the brunet's palm.
"Gross! Riku-germs!" Sora pouted, wiping his hand on his pants.
"I love you too, Sora," he beamed again, latching onto the brunet's arm.
Kairi giggled at their antics as she turned the doorknob with a click. "Come on, you guys...I think Grandma's making lasagna today...Daddy! Grandma! I'm hoooome!"
She fully opened the door, and gestured for Sora and the Riku still attached to him to come inside, reminding them to take their shoes off---or else. "Hey, Grandma, I brought them over for dinner," she called as she made her way to the dining room, "Is it o---" the words died in her throat.
"Oh, Kairi, you're back," an elderly woman smiled gently, setting a rather large casserole on the spruce dining table. "Of course, the boys can stay; in fact, I was expecting them...oh, and this is---"
"Leon."
There, at the dining table, with a sauce-smeared fork resting in his right hand, was a brunet.
An awesomely handsome brunet, if Kairi might add.
Stormy-grey eyes regarded her from under choppy mahogany bangs, and a genuine smile graced his perfectly-shaped lips when they caught each other's gaze.
If she wasn't taken, Kairi admitted to herself, she'd throw herself right at this man.
"Kai, could you please get this silver thing off me..." Sora was saying in a helpless voice. "Riku's choking me! Hey---"
She looked backwards to see the both of them standing in the dining-room doorway with frozen expressions on their faces. Riku's was frozen in a half-scowl, but Sora's expression was one of mixed hilarity and irritatedness. Both, however, mirrored surprise.
"Sir Leon!" she managed to choke out. "Wha--"
In one smooth motion Leon pushed his chair back, got to his feet, turned to face Kairi and went down on one knee.
She took a hesitant step back.
"Her Highness Kairi Dalmasca-Leonhart," he intoned, eyes fixed on the floor, "Crown princess of Radiant Garden, " he nodded to himself briefly, and he stood up once more, towering over her.
"H-hey!" Kairi stammered, walking backwards and smiling gratefully when Sora wrapped his arms around her waist defensively and Riku moved closer. "I'm a Princess of Heart, but I'm not---"
"You are," Leon ran a hand through his mahogany locks, and fixed his steely grey eyes on her own beryl ones.
"How'd you---"
"I know, Princess, because," he smiled again. "I'm your brother."
Kairi stared.
"And the people of Radiant Garden sent me to bring you back."
--- x -- x ---
That was long.
Yeppers.
Now, you see? I made Leon her (extremely bishie) brother. Why? Because! You'll find out soon.
If you didn't get it, Riku's dream is loosely based (okay, based) on KHI's opening FMV. And if you squint really, really hard, you can guess what'll happen. Ah. Well.
Read and review, okay? Flamers can go ahead. I'll get back to you, no matter what it takes!