Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Sora, Kairi, Riku, etc.

Author's Note: Okay, I lied. Here's another update, in only one day instead of three. HOWEVER, I am wondering about what else to write. Ideas don't come easily, you know. And school's starting so I've got a lot on my mind, and SO SHOULD YOU.

Warning: Guess what? NO WARNING!!!

Quick Author Babble: Most of you are probably not reading this anyway since you don't think it's been made by now.

Chapter 5: Downgrade

"Sora, are you paying attention?"

Sora looked up at Mr. Auron, a gruff, old teacher. He was writing something on the board—something Sora didn't feel like reading or understanding.

"Not really, no," Sora whispered under his breath.

Mr. Auron's gaze darted at him.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing!" squeaked Sora.

"Good. Because that's what I expect to hear…nothing."

Mr. Auron gave him a final, warning glance before turning back to the blackboard.

"Now, let's continue our study on reptiles…" he said.

Sora didn't feel bad about getting in trouble. In fact, it felt nice to be scoffed at. Unfortunately, Sora couldn't enjoy it—he was still thinking about Friday. He'd made a horrible mistake. It couldn't get any worse than that. He wished he'd run into Kairi and explain everything, but Sora realized there was nothing to explain. He'd kissed Naminé.

It was still horrifying to think about. It had happened so fast, Sora didn't even know if he'd done it on purpose or not. All he knew was when Kairi ran out of the gym and he looked into Naminé's pleased, scheming face, he'd known he'd made a big mistake.

He raced after her and found them on the street where Kairi had been attacked. When he got there she collapsed. It was like a nightmare relived.

"Sora!" barked Mr. Auron.

"W-What?" asked Sora, looking up quickly.

"If I have to ask you one more time to pay attention, you are getting a detention!" Mr. Auron snapped. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," Sora muttered. "Sorry, sir."

Compared to Mr. Auron, Mr. Ansem didn't seem so bad. Sora couldn't get detention—he still needed to find Kairi. He didn't know what he'd say when he found her, but he had to say something.

Mr. Auron gave Sora a steely stare as if he was looking right through him.

"You might as well be asleep if you're not going to pay attention," he hissed. "Every word I say will help you in your future, and if you choose not to listen, well…"

He slammed a ruler on Sora's desk, making the boy jump back.

"You won't have a very good life."

Mr. Auron smiled at Sora. It was a sick, twisted smile, as if he enjoyed seeing a student so frightened. Sora frowned and regained his calm composure. Mr. Auron stared right at him, as if they were the only people in the room.

"Judging by your…event at the semiformal, you'll at least have a girlfriend," Mr. Auron smirked.

Sora felt the urge to lunge at the teacher, but he felt a hand anchor him down. He looked behind him to see Roxas, shaking his head.

"Don't," he whispered.

Sora couldn't see why Roxas didn't hate him. If Roxas liked Naminé, wouldn't he be upset when Sora kissed Naminé? Maybe he was just hiding it. Sora looked at him in confusion.

"Now, if you would stop interrupting the class with your little daydreams, we'll return to the study of the salamander…"

Mr. Auron walked back to the blackboard. Sora breathed out in relief and forced himself to pay attention.

111

It was the end of class. As soon as the bell rang Sora was more than relieved to leap out of his seat. He was about to follow Roxas out of the room, when he heard a voice behind him.

"Sora, I would like you to stay behind for a moment please," Mr. Auron said.

Roxas and Sora stopped and they turned to look at the grey-haired teacher. Sora gulped and Roxas looked at him in concern.

"That doesn't include you, Roxas," Mr. Auron remarked dryly.

"Of course, sir," Roxas said. "Bye, Sora."

He waved weakly and walked out of the classroom. Mr. Auron shut the door and looked at Sora.

"Sir, please don't give me detention!" Sora found himself saying. "I didn't interrupt after the second time…"

"Relax," Mr. Auron stated, sitting down at his desk. "I just want to talk to you."

He gestured for Sora to sit down in the desk in front of him. Sora sat down in it and looked at Mr. Auron warily.

"Sora, you are one of my best students," Mr. Auron explained. "In fact, you are my best student. Today you have not been showing all of your potential. Is it just my class that you choose to be ignorant?"

"No, sir!" said Sora, quickly shaking his head.

"Then what is it?" Mr. Auron asked. "I know it's Monday and it's not fun coming out of the weekend, but even on Mondays you're usually quite sharp. It certainly can't be a social problem, since you proved that on Friday…"

"Please stop saying that," Sora murmured.

"Oh?" Mr. Auron said, raising an eyebrow. "I've hit a nerve?"

Sora grinded his teeth.

"Sora, your emotions can reflect on your grades," Mr. Auron remarked, leaning on the desk. "The school wants to help you as much as possible. What is stopping you from your usual train of thought?"

"It's…it's nothing," Sora said quietly.

"Okay then," Mr. Auron sighed. "If you're unwilling to talk, there's nothing I can do. But Sora…"

Sora looked up as he started leaving the desk.

"You're going to have to talk to someone someday."

Sora didn't reply. He just left the classroom without saying a word. Roxas was already long gone. Sora walked over to his locker, ready to switch books for Mr. Axel's class. However, as he was searching his locker for his ecology books, he heard a familiar giggle.

Sora turned around and saw Yuffie's smiling face. She was walking next to someone, talking as if they were good friends.

The person was dressed fancily in a sparkly miniskirt and beaded tank top. Jewelry was everywhere. At first Sora thought it was Naminé. It seemed like the kind of thing she would wear, after all. But when the person looked up, Sora was surprised to see Kairi's sweet, smiling face.

Sora's heart leaped, but he was surprised to see Kairi wearing anything skirt related. And she was wearing high heels. Sora remembered Kairi saying she hated them.

"Kairi?" he asked uncertainly, uncertain if it was Kairi anymore.

Kairi looked up. It was definitely her—no one could misplace that face.

"It's you," Yuffie said dryly, crossing her arms.

Kairi scowled and it looked very wrong on her usually pretty, smiling face.

"Why are you even talking to me?" she asked, and Yuffie seemed to agree as she frowned at him.

And the scowl faded, as if Kairi couldn't keep it on for long. Tears crowded her eyes and she ran down the hallway.

"Kairi!" yelled Sora after her, but Yuffie stopped him from running away.

"Don't," she said in a threatening way. "If you haven't noticed, she's not fond of you right now. SCARF was created to go against bullies, not kiss them! How would you feel if Kairi kissed Riku?"

And before Sora could say anything, Yuffie ran after her friend. Sora stood there, feeling completely alone even though students were bustling around him. He turned to his locker and punched it, leaving a big dent.

"Enjoying your new popularity?"

Riku. Sora sighed and turned to face him, wishing he could punch a big dent in Riku's face.

"No!" he shouted. "I've lost all my friends!"

"Or have you gained one?" Riku said. "I still can't believe you kissed Naminé last night."

"Neither can I," Sora whispered, looking down.

Riku put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are your friends really worth it?" he asked. "I mean to give up all this popularity just for them…"

Sora thought about Kairi's sunny smile, Yuffie's cheerful giggle, and Roxas's reason. He looked up at Riku.

"They are worth it," he said. "You might've turned your back on your friends for popularity, but I'm not. I don't want to make the same mistake that you did."

And before Riku could say another word, he raced off.

111

It was close to evening. The sun was setting, the sky turning a deep scarlet. Sora walked along the sandy beach, still thinking. How was he going to talk to his friends? Only Roxas would actually listen, and Kairi was the one who really needed to hear what he had to say.

Sora looked at the ocean thoughtfully. It was bright orange, reflecting the sun sinking lower and lower in the sky. He heard footsteps behind him and turned suddenly, only to see Kairi, who was looking very confused as to why Sora was there, let alone why she had come.

Sora noticed she was out of her fancy clothes and into something more Kairi—khaki pants and a green, long-sleeved shirt.

"Sora?" she said weakly.

"Hi, Kairi," he remarked. "You're…back to normal."

Sora cringed. Those weren't exactly the words he'd wanted to say to her.

"I…I didn't mean for anyone to see me like this," Kairi stuttered.

"What, to see you like yourself?" Sora asked.

"No!" Kairi cried. "This isn't me! It's…"

"Kairi, would you tell me what's going on?" Sora said.

Kairi bit her lip and shook her head.

"Kairi, come on," Sora said. "I'm your best friend."

"No, you're not," Kairi murmured, starting to tear up. "Not anymore."

"Kairi…"

"You're my sister's boyfriend. You didn't even tell me you liked her, and you kissed her after making a rebellion against her!"

"I'm not her boyfriend and I don't like her!"

"Then why did you kiss her?!"

Sora stopped. There was no answer to that. He was staring Kairi right in the face. Her violet eyes were looking stubborn, angry, and sad.

"I…I don't know…" he whispered.

"You don't know because it was your heart that worked, not your mind!" Kairi yelled.

"That's not true!" Sora shouted defensively. "Naminé isn't in my heart!"

"Yeah, right!" snapped Kairi, tears starting to streak down her face. "Do you really expect me to believe that?!"

Sora's argument seemed to catch in his throat at the sight of the teardrops coming out of Kairi's violet eyes.

"Kairi, why are you crying?" he asked.

"I'm not crying!" Kairi said, quickly wiping them away.

She clamped her eyes shut to block further tears from falling. Even through her eyelids the water seemed to drip down. Sora just couldn't keep yelling at her, especially since she was this miserable.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "For everything. For doing this to you, and for yelling…and I'm sorry to Naminé too, for acting too fast…I'm sorry to Yuffie, for making her join SCARF then discouraging her, and I'm sorry to Roxas for kissing his crush right in front of him. God, I'm sorry to the whole freaking world! I just wish someone would listen…"

Kairi looked at Sora silently.

"If you don't believe me then who will?" he continued. "I finally find someone I can actually trust, and I lose her within minutes. That's my life for you!"

Sora looked down at the sand and shook his head.

"Anyway, I'm sorry, and tell your sister I'm sorry too," he said. "I've got to go."

He turned to leave, feeling awful. Suddenly a hand grabbed his arm.

"Please don't go."

Sora looked back at Kairi, who quickly let go of his arm.

"I want you to be my friend. It's just…Naminé will hate me, and now that you've kissed her in front of the school, no one will take SCARF seriously…And I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can take it seriously anymore either. I don't know who to believe…"

"The only person you really have to believe is yourself," Sora said. "Do you want me to quit SCARF?"

"No," Kairi remarked, shaking her head. "You want to be in it, and I'm not going to let this stop you. I just want to know one thing."

Sora looked at her inquiringly.

"Do you…really mean it?" Kairi asked. "All your apologies…are they real?"

"Definitely," Sora said. "I've never been so serious."

Kairi smiled.

"Then I'm sure everyone will forgive you."

"Do you forgive me?"

Kairi gave him a hug.

"Of course I do!"

111

Sora whistled as he walked to school, a happy sparkle in his eye. He wouldn't be lagging in his classes now. He was just way too relieved. Yuffie and Roxas had come over to his house after he'd come back from the beach saying that Kairi had phoned them and if Sora really meant all he'd said. Sora said he did, and Yuffie and Roxas hung out with him until Sora's mom came home and kicked them out of the house saying it was way too late for a school night.

"Sora!" chirped Yuffie, skipping up to him.

All of the SCARF members lived pretty close to each other. Yuffie and Sora were going to school early.

"I'm so happy this is all dealt out!" she said. "But…"

She looked down.

"What?" Sora asked.

"It's…it's nothing," Yuffie stated, quickly looking up. "So…are you ready for school?"

Sora didn't answer, still thinking about her doubtfulness.

"Oh!" Yuffie cried, looking up. "There's Destiny High! See you, Sora!"

And with that, she ran into the big doors of the school. Sora was surprised that she'd left so quickly. He followed her a bit slowly into the school. By the time he'd stepped in, Yuffie had completely disappeared. Usually she waited for Kairi.

Sora shrugged and walked up the stairs to his locker. As he was looking for his books for religion, he heard footsteps behind him.

He turned and gasped and dropped one of his books on his foot. Sora almost completely ignored the pain.

Kairi stood before him, wearing what looked like clothes from Hollywood that had been totally covered in glitter. She wore high heeled, golden boots, and her hair was tied up in a curly hairdo.

"Kairi?" he cried. "What are you wearing?"

Kairi bit her lip.

"Um…what are you talking about?" she asked, pretending she didn't know what he was talking about.

"You know what I mean!" Sora yelled. "You don't usually where those! What gives?"

"Uh…I've got to go," Kairi said, and she quickly left.

Sora looked after her and frowned. Yesterday Kairi had also been wearing a fancy outfit. She was acting really weird.

Sora slammed his locker door shut and ran to Miss Gainsborough's class.

111

"The breeze is so relaxing…"

Yuffie gave a big yawn and collapsed in the sand. Sora and Roxas looked down at her and laughed.

"You're weird," Roxas said, sitting down beside her.

Sora had never felt so free from schoolwork. Sora, Roxas, and Yuffie had gone to the beach to relax.

"You guys, you're here!"

Sora turned to look at Kairi. She smiled at him, gelled strands of hair hanging in her face. Sora was relieved to see her here.

"Okay, Kairi," he said, crossing his arms. "We're all friends here, and we demand that you tell us what's with the clothes!"

Kairi glared at Yuffie.

"I had nothing to do with this, I swear!" Yuffie cried.

"Well…uh…" Kairi stuttered, looking at Sora's and Roxas's expectant faces. "You know how…how Sora and Naminé…?"

"Yes," Sora said quickly, so she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Well, I thought it was because…" Kairi closed her eyes and blushed hard. "I thought it was because…she was prettier than me…"

Roxas and Sora exchanged glances.

"That's not true!" Roxas cried, and then glanced at Sora. "I hope…"

"Of course that's not true!" Sora said.

"Well, I started to dress like her," Kairi explained, her cheeks still aflame. "And I thought I'd look more…appealing. It worked. Riku started to talk to me…"

Sora looked at her.

"You like Riku?" he said, not sure whether to smile teasingly or frown disapprovingly.

"No!" Kairi shouted. "Of course not! Don't be stupid!"

"So why are you blushing?" Roxas asked.

"Because this is embarrassing stuff!" cried Kairi. "Stop going all gossipy on me!"

Sora walked over to her and smiled.

"There's no way Naminé's prettier than you," he said softly. "Although, I have to say, you look prettier as yourself."

Kairi undid her hair and long, red strands fell loosely down.

"I thought I needed an upgrade," she said.

"It was more like a downgrade," Sora remarked. "You're great just the way you are."

"Don't go all sappy on me!" Kairi cried, pushing him a little. "It's still me under all these accessories."

Sora laughed.

"I know."

Nohime: You're right! Naminé really DOES need boyfriend! I'm going to go stick her with Riku. They deserve each other. I HATE THEM BOTH. Nah, I'll stick her with Roxas…It's his dream, after all. (Goes starry-eyed.) Cough. Anyway, yes, I put Roxas in because I miss him. I haven't been writing in Say Those Words a lot recently. If you look at the voice actors you'll realize you know a lot more people than you think.

SimplySarah1221: Don't worry! It turns out you DON'T have to wait three days! You know, if you're reading this…which you might not be. I wonder if I need more developments. Yes, I DO need more developments! If I think of anything…

Kyla-is-da-name: Here's your update!

MOOnlite-dUSk: The twist is over… (Sobs into tissue) But Roxas is in!

KeiraLoveKH: Thanks so much for reviewing! The twist is over though…

Valor999: Thanks!!!

Uchihakiriko: Thanks for your excitement!

Isler: It turns out Roxas is most people's favorite character… (Looks at all reviews thoughtfully.) And by the way, I know you were joking. Sora is pretty good at leading a LIFE FULL OF PAIN AND ANGST, but…he doesn't apparently. And did I mention Naminé forced Sora to kiss her? No, I didn't. So it still remains a mystery. It might be long. Maybe not twenty and over, but somewhere along the lines of that, I guess. And I wrote this chapter THIS TIME, so…review!

And so do the rest of you, okay? Chop, chop! Just kidding. Review when you want, and I know this chapter went a little fast but my sister came back and she keeps kicking me off, so I had to hurry it up a little…Of course, most of you probably won't read this for three days, since you thought I wouldn't write…But I might not write a lot after Tuesday since school starts and I'll be quite busy with homework and junk. So enjoy it while you can!