Okay, so I'm pretty sure I explained this party deal somewhere in the fic, but as I can't find it, I may have simply gone crazy. So! The party that Kairi is planning is the one that's being thrown in honour of the second anniversary of Sora and Riku's return to the Islands (after KH1). Kairi has been put in charge of the planning by her father the mayor! Okay? Okay! Let's get this party started!

Chapter 8: A Past that Haunts

----- Three months later -----

Knock knock knock

GASP!

"Skye?" Grandma Rose's voice was muffled through the closed door.

"Y-yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine!"

"Are you sure? I heard some noise so I thought I'd come see if you were alright."

"Thank you, but there's nothing wrong." She insisted. She stood up out of bed and wrapped the blankets swiftly around herself. She glanced at herself in the mirror and paused to adjust her hair so that it hid the red mark beginning to form on her neck, then opened the door just a crack, smiling convincingly. Rose was standing in the hall, looking worried. Once she saw Skye, she was finally convinced that that she was alright.

"Okay, I'm glad nothing's wrong. Sorry to wake you dear." She said with an apologetic smile.

"Oh no, not at all. I'm sorry if w…I disturbed you." She said, thankful for the gloominess of nighttime as it hid her blush at her obvious blunder. Grandma Rose didn't seem to notice. She smiled, looking like she was going to head back to bed, but paused, straining to see into Skye's room. Skye blinked in confusion.

"I just saw something move." Rose explained, still trying to see in. Skye looked over her shoulder. Riku was standing in front of the window, having just pulled on his shirt. He looked just as disheveled as she did. She shot him a look that told him to shut up and don't move and then looked back at Grandma Rose.

"Nope, I don't see anything. Anyways, good night."

"Good night!" Rose replied, before disappearing back into her own room. Skye shut the door and smirked at the figure leaning against the window pane.

"That was much too close." She said, walking towards him. "This is the fourth time she's nearly walked in on us." She looked half disgusted, half amused at the thought of being caught by Riku's grandmother. How awkward would that be?

"Then we'll have to find somewhere else to go in the near future." He answered, smirking back at her. She stifled a laugh and smiled sweetly at him.

"So, can I expect to have a date for the celebrations tonight?" She asked casually. Riku crossed his arms.

"Did you actually have to ask?" He asked, looking amused. She shrugged.

"I have to have something to tell Kairi and Selphie."

"Like what? That Grandma Rose almost walked in on us and you asked me as I was escaping through the window?" He suggested, trying not to laugh. She pouted at him and looked for an excuse to change the subject. Her hand fell across the warm skin on her neck and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"If I end up having to explain this to the girls, I'm going to hurt you." She said threateningly, pointing to the red mark on her neck. He grinned.

"As I recall, a few minutes ago you were asking for more…" He whispered, one arm snaking around her waist and pulling her to him. She looked thoughtful for a moment and then pouted.

"I hate not winning against you…" She whispered against his lips.

"Mmm, I'm sure I can think of a few ways to make you feel better…" He replied, running his hand up her collarbone, trailing his fingers along her neck and jaw line. A distant laugh made them jump and both looked out the window. There was no sign of life along the street. Riku guided her lips to his and kissed her hungrily. When they finally broke apart, both were once again breathing raggedly.

"I guess you should go then…" She said reluctantly. He nodded.

"But I don't really want to." He answered, leaning down to kiss her again. She put her index finger to his lips, glancing outside and then looking at him expectantly. He sighed over-dramatically. "Alright…" He paused. "But I'm not even going to get to see you until tonight because you know you and Kairi and Selphie and Lulu are going to spend the entire day getting ready…" He gave her a look that was just about as close to a pout as anyone was ever going to get from him, and then smiled, kissing her a few more times despite her most unconvincing protests.

"Riku! giggle Come on! Y-you have to go!" He kissed her once more.

"Just to tide me over until I'm allowed to see you again." He said with a grin. She rolled her eyes.

"You can come see me whenever you want."

"Nope, Selphie has already made it clear that if anyone disturbs you girls while you spend the day preening, they will be brutally punished." He visibly shuddered at the memory of Selphie's threat. She was always very bright and happy, but she could be scary sometimes. Skye suppressed a laugh. She'd been there when Selphie had made the rather terrifying threat.

"Oh come on, she wasn't actually serious."

"Well I'm not going to be the one to take that chance." He replied, sitting down on the window sill and swinging his legs through the opening. She smiled and sat down on her bed, pulling the sheets tighter around her. He looked over his shoulder at her and grinned. "Adieu, until the morrow, fair maiden." He said, tipping an invisible hat to her. She smiled and crossed her arms. With that, he disappeared into the night.

…………………Later……………………

"It's still an hour before we have to be there."

"But Kairi is in charge, she should be there early right?"

"I guess, but what if they aren't finished getting ready?"

"I don' wanna be the one to face Selphie if they aren't, man."

"Then someone just go in and ask if they're ready."

"Okay, why don't you go?"

"…why doesn't Irvine go?"

"Why me!"

"Because the crazy one's your girlfriend!"

"Yeh man, you subject yourself to that voluntarily."

"Hey!"

"Chill, I was kidding, ya?"

"…Why don't we meet them at the Square?"

"Hey, good idea!"

"What's this? Sora had a good idea? Congrats, I knew the time would come some day!"

"…?"

"…He doesn't get it…"

"…HEEEEEY! RIIIKUUU! THAT'S MEEEAAAAN!"

…………………………………..

Earlier that afternoon, the girls were gathered in Kairi's room. Skye's curls were being very unruly, and Selphie had given up on them. Lulu then decided that she would be willing to work her self-proclaimed magic on her hair. With a gentle hand and some hairspray, she managed to tame it and then started to style it. She twisted it up and clipped it to the back of her head, letting some strands of hair fall into her face. Skye smiled.

"Thanks Lulu!" She said, obviously pleased. Lulu just smiled in reply, and then, looking over her handiwork, caught sight of the remnants of the betraying red mark. She raised an eyebrow, and it took Skye a long moment to realize what the goth was looking at. Fighting a blush, she tried to look clueless.

"What?" She asked. Lulu passed her fingers over the sensitive skin.

"That." She answered. Skye tried to look surprised as she looked at it in the mirror.

"Ohhh… I bet I know what it's from." She said matter-of-factly and lying through her teeth. "When we went shopping yesterday, I tried on some perfume at the mall and I probably had a reaction to it." She said, secretly pleased with her story. Lulu nodded, still suspicious, but at least Skye had been believable enough that she didn't press the matter. Kairi had come over in the middle of the story, and was inspecting the mark.

"It looks like it's going to go away by itself, but a little bit of lotion should help it along the way…" She decided, searching through her stuff. So, with a lot of time and a little moisturizer, it was declared disappeared as the doorbell rang. Selphie sighed and got to her feet. She was wearing a summery peach coloured dress that fell to her knees.

"If this is the guys, they're lucky we finished early." She said, disappearing to go answer the door. Lulu rolled her eyes. She was in a long black strapless that swept to the floor. Kairi was wearing a lavender halter-style dress that fell to about midway up her thigh. Skye was wearing a deep red dress that went to the floor, with thick straps that hung off her shoulders and a slit up each side with a ribbon lacing the slits closed to about an inch apart. Skye stood up and peered out the door to see if she could see what was going on at the front door. All she could hear was muffled voices. She shrugged at Lulu's questioning look. Kairi smiled.

"You look nice Skye. And I know a certain someone who might just be struck dumb when he sees you." She announced. Skye grinned bashfully.

"Thanks Kairi. You look awesome too." She answered. Lulu nodded.

"Careful Sora doesn't drool too much, I've heard saliva stains terribly." She added, smirking. Kairi laughed. Selphie appeared at the doorway a moment later.

"Kairi's dad got a limo!" She announced, gushing. There was much excitement at this statement. The girls ran downstairs in a flurry, Kairi pausing her hug her father, and then the group filed outside and into the stretch limo. As they closed the door, they heard shouting from just around the corner. A second later, Sora, Riku, Irvine and Wakka rounded the corner. Sora was glaring at Riku, who in turn was looking very smug. Wakka and Irvine were each looking very amused. Selphie stepped out and waved to them.

"Hurry up or you're walking!" She shouted. They started, all attentions on her as she stood at the door of a very luxurious limo. Then they seemed to get their senses back and ran towards her. Each of them was dressed to impress. Selphie secretly surprised that Wakka was willing to put on a tie. It was hard enough convincing him to wear the school uniform. They reached her and got in, looking very pleased with the mode of transportation.

………………………………………..

"And now we will begin the celebrations by allowing our heroes the first dance!" A speaker stated. There was applause and all eyes turned to the table where Sora and Riku were sitting. Sora grinned goofily and stood up, Kairi getting up from next to him. Riku got to his feet a moment later, offering a hand to Skye, which she took gratefully. They walked out into the middle of the Square where Sora and Kairi were waiting. The dance began and Skye smiled innocently.

"And here I thought you wouldn't be one to dance." She said, her eyes dancing amusedly.

"What kind of a date would I be if I didn't dance with you?" He asked in reply, wondering what she had up her sleeve.

"A bad one." She admitted. "But that just goes to show what I expected." She added, grinning triumphantly. He frowned and she sighed, having to forcefully keep herself from pouncing on the poor boy then and there.

"I was joking, now don't do that."

"Do what?" He asked, grinning evilly, knowing exactly what. She didn't answer and he frowned again. She bit her lip.

"Stop it or I can't be held responsible for my actions." She whispered. He nodded.

"I think I like the sound of that." He answered with a grin. She sighed audibly. That same frown passed over his face again and she nearly groaned, biting her tongue so hard that it was actually visible. Then, getting a better idea, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"There. Now I can't see your stupid pout." She commented. He shrugged.

"I can't say I mind this either." He said, before realizing what she said. "Hey, I don't pout."

"Sure looked like it."

"…"

"I win." She stated in a sing-songy voice. "Hey, Selphie's staring at us."

"Are you surprised?" He asked, amused. "You know she'll be gushing over this dance for a week." Skye grinned.

"No, I'm not really surprised, it's just that she looks kind of like a fish." She answered, choked with laughter. Riku snickered and then glanced around.

"Care to disappear for a while?" He asked. She nodded.

"I would love to. I missed you all day today." She admitted, guiding him towards a hidden nook around the edge of the Square. As soon as they disappeared inside it, she began to trail kisses along his jaw, planting one final kiss on his lips which ended up lingering much longer than either had realized or intended. He answered by trailing butterfly kisses down her neck and along her shoulder and then back again.

"Skye…" he whispered, sounding as if he was going to continue, but didn't. She wrapped one of her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

"Hmm?" He smiled, placing a kiss on the corner of her lips.

"I love you." He said quietly. She smiled playfully.

"I love you more."

"Is that a challenge?" He asked in reply. She shrugged.

"Depends on what you'd do to prove me wrong."

"I think you can guess." He answered with a sly smile. She grinned.

"Then yes." She whispered against his lips, letting his mouth take hers. They broke apart to the sound of Kairi's voice.

"Have you seen Riku?" She asked. The reply sounded like it was from Lulu.

"No, not since him and Skye were dancing. It wasn't long ago, maybe that's where they still are."

"Maybe…" Then there was the sound of footsteps as Kairi apparently walked away. Riku peered out into the Square.

"I guess I should go."

"No, stay. Let them find us." She answered, catching his shoulder. He smirked.

"And ruin the fun?" He asked. She smiled.

"Who knew they were so clueless?" She paused, it being her turn to peek out of their little hiding spot. "I guess I'll go back to the table."

"I'll go find Kairi." He said, disappearing into the throng of people. She sighed and walked out, eyes passing over the Square. Truthfully, she didn't want to go back to the table yet, so she slipped outside of Lilac Square and onto the beach. She pulled her shoes off and walked down the length of the beach, the water on one side and the wall of lilac bushes that surrounded the Square on the other. She wandered down the beach, letting the wind tug at her dress and her hair. Some unknown scent has been caught on the wind and carried to her. She looked surprised. It was an utterly vile smell, like the dank smell of decomposing wood overtoned by the smell of burning plastic. She made a face, wondering what it was. Oddly enough, she recognized it, but from where? She paused, thinking hard. Then she froze. Angry shouts floated through her mind, and the rank smell was stronger. There was fire, and she was afraid, but what of? Then she gave her head a shake and the memory cleared just as quickly as it had come. She didn't much want to go for a walk anymore. Picking up her pace, she walked quickly towards the entrance of the Square, just beyond which she knew the table was. Kairi and Riku were walking back to the table as she arrived. All eyes were on her, all looking rather curious and Skye became suddenly aware of just what she looked like. More of her hair had fallen out of the clip, she was out of breath from the pace at which she walked and she knew her lips were bruising. She looked totally disheveled. Kairi took her seat, looking amused, but Riku made no move to sit down. Instead, he walked towards her. He paused in front of her, looking unsure. Then, an almost defeated expression passed across his face and he tilted her face up to his and kissed her gently.

"Sorry." He murmured afterwards. "I couldn't help myself." Skye glanced over at the table, where all 12 eyes were wide and fixed on them. She grinned.

"Not at all. The looks on their faces will provide endless entertainment, don't you think?" She asked. Riku looked and started to laugh. She smiled smugly. "So, what was it that Kairi wanted to talk to you about?" She asked. He grinned.

"You. I believe her exact words were 'hurry up and kiss her already'. So I did."

…………………………………

The night passed quickly and they all said their goodnights. Riku was lying on his bed. He was dressed in jeans and a shirt, as he was planning on paying a visit to Skye once the last of the revelers were off the street. He dozed for a while, listening to the sounds of the people through his open window. He was on the edge of sleep when the sound of shattering glass jolted him awake. Wide eyed and surprised, he looked out the window in the direction of the sound. He gaped at the sight of three cloaked figures standing on his grandmother's front porch, the broken glass from the front window glittering on the ground around them. Shocked, and now angry, he ran as fast as he could outside and down the street. Sora and Kairi appeared outside a few moments later, as did a few others. One of the figures was standing in the doorway, while the others had apparently disappeared into the house. The one in the doorway appeared to be the leader, and he was holding something in one gloved hand. Riku made it to about half way to the house when the other two reappeared from within the house. It took Riku a moment to realize what they were dragging behind them: a thrashing Skye. He froze. She shouted, kicked, bit and ripped, fighting her captors every inch of the way. One of them gave her a sharp kick to the ribs and she yelped in pain.

"Shut up and stop moving or the next kick will do you more damage, I promise you." The figure grunted angrily. She glared and spat at him. He growled and lifted his fist to hit her. She cringed, but Riku came to his senses then and ran towards them.

"HEY!" At his shout, Sora and Kairi jumped into action, racing after him. The leader of the cloaked figures held out the object in his hand and muttered something. There was a loud crack and dark tendrils grew out from it, twisting and spreading until a dark portal was formed. He stepped through it, the two dragging Skye following close behind. Riku pushed himself to run faster, as the portal began to close. He launched himself at it, diving through as it closed, hearing the strangled shouts of his friends behind him:

"RIKU!" He fell through darkness for a moment before crashing into a cold, damp, wooden floor. Before he could make heads or tails of his surroundings, a dizzying pain blossomed in the side of his head and he blacked out.

……………………………………………………

Dun Dun Dun! Okay! And the story starts to pick up a little! Hurrah! And now for a most angsty next chapter… PS: the story gets a little darker for a little while now. HURRAH FOR THE PLOT FINALLY ACTUALLY HAPPENING! Okay, now review, right? And by the way, be proud of me that I updated so fast, i even had this chappie ready yesterday, but the document upload wouldn't work... oh well, here it is and the next chappie will more than likely come just as fast! Yay!