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

Author's Note: Okay, I made Sora sing a song that was originally made by a band with a girl as the lead singer, but it was perfect for the scene and I couldn't find anything else!!! Besides that, I just want to thank everyone for all those reviews, I am honestly really happy. Oh, and I want to apologize for the overuse of songs. I don't know why I want to use them so much.

Warning: Bah, I can't think of any.

Quick Author Babble: I do not own "A Song for You" by the Carpenters.

Chapter 9: A Song for You

As Naminé dragged Sora to the side of the house, he looked around for Kairi. It was dark and he couldn't see much, but he could still see the silhouettes of people. He could see Roxas and Yuffie drinking punch over at the table, Leon leaning against a tree, and Mrs. and Mr. Ire talking and laughing at the back of the yard.

Sora couldn't see Kairi at all.

This worried him. She'd been there when Naminé came, and after that she seemed to have completely disappeared. Sora hoped the dance hadn't scared her off, because God knows it had nearly scared him to death.

She had been gorgeous, dressed in these silky, pearly things, and Sora had just been wearing his jeans and a T-shirt. She'd obviously been uncomfortable in the fancy thing—she'd keep pulling on the straps as if they were strangling her, but Sora still felt very out of place.

Naminé halted at the side wall and turned to face Sora, cheeks glowing. She was smiling nervously.

"So, Sora…" she said. "Um…you're probably wondering why I took you back here…"

"A little," Sora responded.

"Well…" Naminé sighed. "Where do I start?"

She started to talk. Suddenly Kairi raced up the sidewalk, Riku in hot pursuit. Sora turned, distracted.

"What the…?" he muttered in confusion.

Kairi screeched to a stop in the yard. She looked like she was panicking. Yuffie and Roxas ran up, both very distracted at the fact that Riku was there. Leon disconnected himself from the tree he'd been leaning against.

Kairi appeared to be yelling. Mr. and Mrs. Ire left, assuming this wasn't any of their business. Yuffie kept shaking her head and Roxas kept shrugging. Riku started to talk too, and the whole group burst into argument.

"So what do you say?" Naminé asked, making Sora turn.

Sora hadn't heard a word she'd said. She probably wanted him to do something, like put a new CD in the stereo.

"Oh, sure," Sora replied, certain it wasn't something too important.

Naminé squealed happily.

"Great!" she chirped. "I'll see you there!"

And she bounced off without another word.

Sora looked after her in confusion and walked over to the group, who were still arguing.

"Uh, hi?" he commented.

Everyone looked up at him. Yuffie, Roxas, and Leon looked utterly confused. Kairi and Riku looked desperate.

"Please don't tell me you said yes," Kairi said.

"Said yes to what?" Sora asked.

"You know what!" Riku snapped.

"I'm confused," Roxas said.

"You're not the only one," Yuffie remarked.

Riku crossed his arms.

"Sora, did you say yes to Naminé?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah," Sora said, not at all happy at the fact Riku was there. "Was I not supposed to?"

"Oh no," Kairi whispered. "Sora, I can't believe you did that! I thought you said you didn't like her!"

"What?" Sora cried. "I don't!"

"Sure you don't," Riku remarked.

"I…" Sora began, preparing to defend himself.

Mrs. Ire walked outside, distracting everyone from the argument.

"Guys, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're getting some angry phone calls from your parents," she said. "It's getting late. Party's over."

"Okay, Mom!" Kairi called.

Mrs. Ire disappeared inside. Everyone was looking at Sora again.

"I can't believe you agreed to go on a date with Naminé," Kairi remarked.

Roxas spat out his punch.

"He what?!" he yelled.

"I what?!" cried Sora.

"That's right," Kairi said. "Naminé told me yesterday she was planning to ask you out. She just did and you said yes!"

Sora nearly choked. So that's what Naminé had said. Sora cursed himself as everyone glared at him, Roxas and Kairi giving the most penetrating stares.

"I'm sorry!" Sora cried. "I didn't…"

"Whatever," Roxas said sullenly. "I'm going home."

Yuffie coughed.

"So am I," she agreed, picking up her coat.

Leon nodded. Riku shook his head and walked out of the yard. As everyone quietly left, Kairi looked at Sora.

"Goodnight," she said in a very unhappy tone. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for everything."

She opened the door and entered the house, leaving Sora all alone in the backyard. He just couldn't believe it.

111

Sora slammed the door behind him as he entered the house. Mrs. Roma looked up from the TV.

"How was the party?" she asked.

"Horrible!" Sora yelled. "Awful! I hate myself! I hate parties!"

"What happened?" Mrs. Roma questioned worriedly.

"I don't want to talk about it," Sora said through gritted teeth, and he stormed upstairs.

111

It was the dead of night, and Sora was still up, gazing out the window. The sky was black, making the stars more bright and silvery than ever before. He couldn't believe he was going on a date with Naminé. He thought of Kairi and stuffed his face in his pillow with a groan.

His friends would hate him tomorrow. Sora had an excuse when he'd accidentally kissed Naminé, but this…this was bad. Roxas would hate him. Yuffie wouldn't be able to look at him. Leon would be even colder than usual. And Kairi…

"Kairi's going to want to kill me," he muttered. "God, I'm such an idiot!"

He screamed into his pillow, muffling the anguished noise. Sora looked at the picture of Kairi at his bedside table, sighed pitifully, and turned to look at his alarm clock.

It was two in the morning. Sora knew he would never get to sleep at this point. He got out of bed and stretched, changed, and without even bothering to brush his hair, went downstairs.

His parents had long since gone to bed. All the lights were off, and it was hard to see in the dark. Sora stumbled down the staircase, grabbed his coat and gloves from the closet, and exited the house.

The bitter, autumn wind stung his face. Sora shivered and walked down the driveway, the fallen leaves crunching under his feet. He made his way to the park, feeling heavyhearted and confused.

Sora walked into the park grounds. He saw a silhouette of someone sitting on the bench. Wondering why anyone else would be up at two in the morning, he walked over to the bench and sat down.

As Kairi's face came into view, Sora breathed in deeply.

"Hey," he said.

Kairi looked up suddenly.

"Oh, hi," she remarked.

There was a long silence after that. It was rather uncomfortable, and Sora had a bad feeling that Kairi was mad at him.

"Sora?" asked Kairi suddenly.

"Yeah?" he responded, looking up.

"Even though you're dating Naminé, will our friendship be the same?" Kairi asked.

Sora felt his spirit drop even lower.

"I'm not dating her."

"Yes, you are. You're going on a date with her, so you're dating her."

"Well, technically dating means going on more dates than one…"

"Sora, you're avoiding the question."

Kairi's violet eyes were twinkling with interest. Sora sighed.

"I…I don't know…" he responded.

"Oh."

Kairi looked down.

"I mean, we'll still be friends," Sora said quickly. "It'll just be…I don't know…different."

"Best friends?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah," Sora replied, smiling. "Best friends."

Another silence fell over the park, this one more comfortable than the last. Kairi suddenly looked up.

"Sora, I can't lie to you anymore," she said. "This might be the last time I can actually talk to you normally, because I don't know what Naminé is going to change you into."

"I…" Sora began, ready to argue about the fact he was going to change, when he stopped. "Wait, what do you mean you can't lie to me anymore?"

Kairi bit her lip and changed her gaze upwards.

"I heard you."

Sora looked at her, confused.

"Heard me?"

Kairi nodded.

"I heard you sing that day."

"You what?!" cried Sora, jumping up. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"I guess I didn't want to embarrass you," Kairi replied. "But you lied to me, saying you couldn't sing."

"Sorry about that…" Sora said, looking down. "I just don't want to brag, you know?"

"Sora, telling me you can sing is not bragging!" Kairi remarked. "And as your friend, maybe for not much longer…"

"I'll still be your friend."

"Be quiet. I'm in the middle of a pep talk."

Sora laughed and crossed his arms.

"Alright, I'm listening."

"And as your friend, you have to become less embarrassed to tell people things about yourself. So sing."

Sora looked at her.

"What?" he asked. "Sing? As in, sing right now?"

"That's exactly what I mean," Kairi replied. "The easiest way to get over things is to do them."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Sora said.

"Aw, c'mon, Sora!" cried Kairi. "I'm your best friend. Besides, you sound nice."

"No."

"Sora!"

"I'm not going to."

"Please?"

Kairi pouted. Sora looked away.

"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" he asked.

"What part of 'I'm not taking no for an answer' don't you understand?" Kairi remarked, crossing her arms.

"Fine," Sora said. "Then negative yes."

"You're so stubborn!"

"You're more stubborn!"

"Just sing!"

"No!"

"I'll give you a hug if you do."

Sora turned bright red.

"No! What? I mean, no!"

Kairi shoved him, nearly knocking him off the bench.

"Sora, just do it!" she shouted. "You know I won't stop bugging you if you don't. I can be just as determined as you."

"Too bad," Sora replied, crossing his arms. "I'm not singing."

"Fine, then we can just sit here."

"Okay then!"

They turned away from each other. They sat like that for nearly half an hour. Sora started to impatiently tap his fingers against the hard wood. Kairi started to examine her hand, as if it was the most interesting thing she'd seen all week.

Neither gave in. Each second seemed like an hour. Finally, with a heavy sigh, Sora turned around.

"Okay, I'll sing one song, as long as you answer one question," he said.

"Seems fair," Kairi agreed, turning around as well.

"What are you doing here this late?" Sora asked.

Kairi seemed to stutter for a second, and if it wasn't so dark Sora could swear he saw her blush.

"Tell the truth," he prompted.

"Alright, alright!" snapped Kairi. "I was upset, okay? I couldn't get to sleep so I came here. Satisfied?"

"Not quite," Sora responded. "Why were you upset?"

Kairi turned away from him again.

"Because my best friend is dating my sister," she replied quietly.

"And this makes you upset why?" Sora asked, his voice also obtaining a softer tone.

"Because she usually steals my life!" yelled Kairi. "Can we please get off this subject?!"

She curled up and put her arms around her knees. Sora looked at her.

"Kairi?" he said.

"What?" she asked sharply.

"You're not going to lose me."

"Yeah, sure. They all say that. Riku said that to me nearly everyday. Naminé said that to me too. Now they're just pictures on my bedside table."

Her eyelids lowered in depression.

"Riku knows," she murmured, "and he doesn't do anything about it. That's the worst part."

Kairi looked close to tears now. She shook her head as if to wake up and looked at Sora, excitement twinkling in her eyes.

"Okay, so I answered your question," she said. "Now you have to sing."

"Gee, I don't know any songs I can sing right now…" Sora remarked, about to stand up.

Kairi grabbed his collar and forced him back down.

"Nice try, Houdini," she stated. "C'mon, we had a deal."

"Okay, okay," he remarked. "But only one song…for you. That's it. Never again."

Kairi nodded. Sora glared at her.

"And when I say never, I mean never, alright?" Sora said.

"Alright, I get it!" Kairi cried. "Just sing already!"

Sora sighed and straightened up. All that came to mind was that he was singing because Kairi asked him to, even though he didn't want to at all. He tried to think of a rhythm. It was a bit harder without his guitar. Finally, he took a deep breath in.

"I've been so many places in my life and time," Sora sang. "I've sung a lot of songs; I've made some bad rhyme. I've acted out my love in stages with ten thousand people watching. But we're alone now, and I'm singing this song for you."

He stopped. Kairi crossed her arms.

"What, that's it?" she asked.

"You want more?" Sora groaned.

"Yes!" she said. "You said you'd sing a whole song, not a tenth of a song!"

"You're too hard to please."

"No, I'm not. Sing."

"Ugh…fine."

Sora thought of the rhythm he'd cut off and tried to piece it with something else.

"I know your image of me is what I hope to be," he sang. "I've treated you unkindly but darlin', can't you see there's no one more important to me? Darlin', can't you please see through me? 'Cause we're alone now and I'm singing this song for you."

He stopped again. Kairi looked at him.

"Are you trying to make a point?" she asked.

"Maybe," Sora said with a small smile.

"I'm telling you, you're only making this harder for yourself," Kairi stated, crossing her arms. "Popularity's going to eat you like a starving lion."

"Well, it hasn't eaten me yet, has it?" Sora asked. "I don't care how hungry it is. We're still going to be friends, I'll still be in SCARF, and that's that."

"Finish the song," Kairi demanded, looking more unbelieving than ever.

Sora sighed. He didn't know how he was going to convince Kairi he'd stay the same.

"You taught me precious secrets of the truth withholding nothing," he continued. "You came out in front and I was hiding. But now I'm so much better and if my words don't come together, listen to the melody 'cause my love is in there hiding."

He stopped and clapped a hand over his mouth. Kairi was also looking surprised.

"That…was just the song, right?" she asked sweetly, regaining her composure.

"Right, just the song," Sora agreed.

Kairi sat there, an expectant look in her eyes. Sora didn't want to sing anymore, afraid of more slipups. But Kairi's expression was urging him to continue, and she was smiling patiently.

"I love you in a place where there's no space or time," Sora found himself automatically singing. "I love you, for in my life you're a friend of mine. And when my life is over, remember when we were together. We were alone and I was singing this song for you."

"You taught me precious secrets of the truth withholding nothing," Kairi sang along. "You came out in front and I was hiding. But now I'm so much better, and if my words don't come together, listen to the melody 'cause my love is in there hiding."

"I love you in a place where there's no space or time," they both chorused. "I love you, for in my life you are a friend of mine. And when my life is over, remember when we were together. We were alone and I was singing this song for you."

"We were alone and I was singing this song for you…" Sora said softly.

There was a very long silence after that, and then Sora laughed a little.

"You sing?" he asked.

"To myself," Kairi said with a shrug. "But I don't sound half as good as you. Seriously, Sora, where'd you learn to sing like that?"

"I don't know," Sora said. "But song's over. Let's go home."

He was about to hop off the bench, when he noticed Kairi yawn, fall back, and fall asleep. He looked at her and sighed. He couldn't leave her alone, obviously. As Kairi had proven before, there were thieves around this time of night.

Sora sat down beside her and decided he'd let her sleep. She'd said herself she'd had problems sleeping, and now that she was…

"Goodnight, Kairi," he whispered.

He lied down beside Kairi and turned a very vibrant red as she curled up to him. Sora wouldn't change this moment for the world, but there was still something bothering him—Naminé.

LOTRchic: Don't die!!! Sorry for all the tension. I'm glad you like it though! Thanks for reviewing!

Zestychicken2: I'm glad you liked Chapter 8. I was getting bored writing about Sora and Kairi and such, so I decided to use Riku. (Besides, Riku fans were going crazy.) I'm glad you liked…Riku. Well, thanks for reviewing!

Valor999: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

Nohime: I'm sorry, I don't know if I can send Say Those Words to you, because most of the documents are deleted to make room for these documents, but my new Roxette will be much better. And I've never wrote a Roxiné, so everyone promise they won't laugh. I haven't started either, but I'm going to start my new Roxette first, so…I'll tell you when I have it! Anyway, thanks, I'm glad you think it's phenomenal! And I haven't had this much reviews either, so…it's kind of…different. Thanks for reviewing!

Cheychey41: I hope Sora says no too…Wait a second, he didn't! Aw, crap. Cough. Well, anyway, I'm glad you think Roxette is a cute couple! Here's your update!

Magnifyingglass47: Thanks! I'm glad it made you feel fuzzy. I'm glad you liked the ending. I'm happy the character development is going well.

Bexmar: Most people here are happy for the Roxette, and I'm glad you are too. Um…thanks…I don't really like Riku, but you're right about him being a bit of an idiot. Honestly, I only made him sort of nice because Riku fans were threatening to kill me. Seriously. Threatening. I suppose you're right. I'm not a big fan of them either, so don't worry. I like that—Bexmar. So I'm going to take a wild guess and say your real name is Amber. And if it's not, sorry, it was just a guess. Here's your update and thanks for reviewing!

Brindlegone: Thanks! I'm glad you thought it was cute!

Wings of Water- SKYE: Thanks! I'm really glad so many people liked it! And I'm happy the song bit turned out okay…It's by Kelly Clarkson, you know…

KeiraLoveKH: I'm so happy you're ecstatic and you like it! Here's your update!

SimplySarah1221: I would never let Riku propose to Kairi. Do you want me to make Roxas flawed or something? Because…I can do that if you want. Everyone's wondering that, but thanks for your review.

MOOnlite-dUSk: I'm glad you like my characters! Thanks for reviewing!

Isler: Thanks! Here's your update!

Spam Hearts Zexion: A silent fan. That's cool. I'm glad I have one. Thanks for reviewing!

SupernaturalFreak101: I wouldn't say it's perfect, but I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing and here's your update!

JesusRocks!!!: He IS a random guy. He SHOULD treat her better. And yet, you love Riku. I'm glad you liked me making him nice! I'm surprised I made Sora a genius too.

Okay! Thanks for all these reviews! I am really happy! You guys are the GREATEST. Now, here's the update, sorry about the corny singing, and…yeah. Thanks. Read. Review. You know the drill.