Disclaimer- I do not own any of the characters from Kingdom Hearts I or II.

Notes- This is taking a long time... actually, when I first tried to upload this chapter to the website, there was an error and I couldn't upload. I'm not sure how to fix it, so I don't know when I will be able to actually post this. For the records, I just finished this on Tuesday, didn't have time to upload, and now it's Wednesday night and it won't upload, so I'm hoping to have it up by tomorrow... I had to change the opening notes as a last minute thing. Anyway... Enjoy!

(Just got it uploaded, it's Friday night)

Chapter 9 - Return to Reality

Fleur and Sora stood holding each other in her room for several blissful moments. Suddenly, a loud knock on the door startled them both, and Roselin's voice followed.

"Fleur! FLEUR! You better be in there! I'm coming in, you better be in bed!" Roselin screamed as she banged on the door.

"No... no! This is bad... Sora, this is bad! We have no time... Come here, now! Hurry!" Fleur whispered to him frantically as she pulled him hard by the arm. She rushed over to the bookcase, and pulled on the book with the red velvet cover. The bookcase slid open and she pushed Sora inside. Before the passage opened completely, she pushed the book back into place and it closed again. She threw off her robe and slid on her nightgown. She hastily pushed their clothes under her bed and fixed the bed to give it a slept-in look. Just as she rubbed her eyes to make them look sleepy, Roselin swung the door open.

"Ros... Roselin? What's the matter? Is... is something wrong?" Fleur stuttered, acting tired and groggy.

"Hmm... I thought so... but I guess not. I heard some noises in the library again... I thought maybe you were up to something. Now that I think of it, I did leave the window open... probably just the wind. You're lucky it wasn't you... you're at the end of your lifeline, girl. Don't slip up again." Roselin seemed to talk to herself a bit. Fleur swallowed hard at Roselin's threat, and Roselin saw this. Without a word, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

All this time, Sora was standing behind the bookcase, listening. He heard the door slam. Seconds later, he heard the sound of Fleur slumping to the ground, followed by quiet sobs. He tapped on the wall to remind her that he was there. She silenced for a moment, and then stood and walked to the bookcase. She pulled the book, releasing Sora from the dark hall. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She began to cry openly, wetting his robe with her tears. He comforted her with his warm, gentle hold. As her crying stopped, he picked her up and laid her down on her bed.

"Fleur... don't worry anymore. I'll be here to help you. I'll never leave your side, and I will never let that witch lay a finger on you. Trust in me, Fleur... I won't let you down." He whispered into her ear. He kissed her on the forehead and took his clothes out from where they were hiding under the bed. After he dressed behind her screen, he took his leave of the now sleeping girl. He cautiously surveyed the hall, then sneaking out and quickly back in to his own room. He threw his robe on the floor and dropped onto his bed. He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the salt from the ocean. This made him decide to take a bath. He rose from the bed and moved over to the bathroom door, pulling the gold cord that summoned the girls to draw him a bath. Just then, he remembered that the names of the girls he first met in his bathroom were Aya and Hari, Fleur's friends. Just as he realized this, the door opened, and there they were, already running the bath water.

"Hi, Sora! Good to see you again! Come on in!" Aya said.

Why... would Fleur have her friends work here for me? Sora thought.

"Welcome back!" Hari motioned for him to enter, and he did so. "You know the drill. You're dressing room is over there, and we'll get everything ready. Enjoy your bath!" She smiled.

Sora undressed behind the curtain, and Aya and Hari put the salts in his bath. He took a nice, hot, long bath and dressed in a warm night robe that was left for him by the girls. It was a soft, fluffy material and he slept well in it. As he dosed off, he thought of Fleur. Had he not stayed those few precious moments, she would have been left to cry alone. He would have gone to sleep in a peaceful state of mind while she cried herself into a lonely slumber. He sighed in relief, knowing that he had been there for her, and she hadn't cried alone. Then his thoughts slipped into a dreaming state and he slept.

— Sora's Dream —

A girl sits alone, looking into the river. She pokes at the koi, the sun shining off her warm brown hair. She turns from the rippling waters and picks up a book. She had begun to read, when a woman, tall and stocky, came up to her, looking positively livid. She smacked the book from the girl's hands, sending it flying into the river. She grabbed the girl by the shoulder one-handed, lifting her nearly a foot off the ground. The girl winced in pain from the woman's tight grip. The woman screamed unknown words at the girl, making the girl cry heavily. The woman stopped yelling for a few moments, then smacked the girl hard across the face. She released her grip, and the girl fell limply to the ground. The woman stomped off, satisfied with the "discipline" issued. The girl somewhat regained composure, pushing herself off the ground and sitting up. She wiped the dirt and tears from her face and glanced over at the river. The book was floating downstream. She turned and crawled over the riverbank, grabbing the book. She held it tight, close to her heart. The wet pages soaked her dress, and her tears did the same. Just then, she lost consciousness and fell into the river, sinking gracefully to the bottom with her eyes still closed. Then the sound of a familiar voice, calling out to the girl...

Sora shot up from his bed, sweat dripping from his forehead, breathing heavily. He tossed off his blankets and threw his legs over the side of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He stood up and dropped his robe. He walked to the bathroom in his boxers and opened the door slowly, his head still hanging. He made his way over to the sink and splashed cold water in his face. He put one hand on each side of the sink, propping himself up. Then he remembered something... the bookcase! Why... where does that passageway lead to? And why does she have it...? He wondered. He perked up a bit and went back out into his room. He went over to the desk by the window and pulled out a piece of paper and an quill pen. He wrote himself a note:

Ask Fleur about the passageway in her room

Behind the bookcase

Also, figure out what that key unlocks

He folded up the note and put it in the pocket of his pants, then tossing them back on the floor. He heard a chiming sound when they hit the floor, remembering that they key was in his shirt. He decided to put it in a better spot, to keep it safe, so opened the bottom drawer of his armoire and tucked it under a pile of clean bed linens. He immediately felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over him. Slumping over, he dropped himself back onto the bed. Then he covered himself with the warm blankets, and fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Notes- Poor Fleur! Bad, bad me... :) If you're feeling bad for Fleur, I can promise that it will get better. She has Sora, remember? R+R! Reviews make me update faster, because I know there are people who want to read what happens next! Till next time, sayonara!

-VarekaiSoleil