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

Notes- Finishing the tenth chapter feels good. Not that anything big happened in it, but it's kinda like a milestone, for any writer, really... So, this chapter, there are a few things going on... their picnic, a visit to Yajai... This chapter is pretty full, I think. Now im rambling... read on! Enjoy!

Chapter 11- Picnic Under the Trees

The next morning went by quickly. Fleur put on about five different dresses, trying to choose what to wear for the picnic. Sora found himself pacing back and fourth, turning the key in his fingers. At about 12:45, Fleur was ready. She made her way down to the kitchen to get the picnic basket. She had chosen a white dress with green details. It came down just below her knees and was strapless. It had the corset-like top similar to that of most of her dresses. The skirt was bell-shaped, and the whole thing was white, save the green ties and lace on the torso. She wore her hair half-down half-up with a green ribbon and plain white sandals.

She met Hilda in the kitchen. Hilda gave her the basket and a pitcher of iced tea. Fleur then left in a rush, sneaking out to the garden, trying not to let Sora see her. She made it outside and over to the oak where she had left him the day before. She sat waiting for a few moments. Then, just as the bell tower struck two, Sora came outside from the foyer doors. He looked around for a moment, spotted her, and ran over to the tree. She was standing with the basket held in front of her with both hands, the pitcher resting on a red blanket on the ground. As he approached, she smiled wide. Seeing this, he returned the gesture.

"Hi, Sora!" She said in a cheerful voice.

"Good afternoon, Fleur! This looks great." He told her. She nodded and kneeled down on the ground, opening the basket and spreading out their meal. Hilda had made them sandwiches and sliced vegetables. He sat down next to her and poured them both a glass of iced tea.

Their picnic lasted for a couple short hours. They conversed about happier times and friends held dear. They talked about a date for Fleur's sixteenth birthday ball. But eventually, Fleur knew Roselin would arrive home from town, and they shouldn't be seen together like they were. At about 3:00, Sora helped Fleur pack up the remainder of their meal and take everything back inside. They returned everything to the kitchen, then stopped in the foyer.

"I had a wonderful afternoon, Sora. Thank you for spending it with me." She said almost shyly. Her glorious smile graced her face.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." He told her. Even such a classic line, when spoken so sincerely, made her feel so loved she could melt.

"We should go see Yajai now. This is a good time of day to see her, she's probably still awake from lunch.

"Let's go, then. We'll have to get digging, the sooner the better!" He joked. She giggled at this and began walking down the hall. He followed her loyally. Keeping a quick pace, they reached the door to the seamstress' quarters shortly. Fleur knocked twice and opened the door, sticking her head in first.

"Yajai...? You in here?" She called out for the woman. No answer. Fleur opened the door the rest of the way and they both walked in.

"Yajai? Answer if you can hear us..." Sora called. Suddenly, one of the piles of fabric shifted slightly and they heard Yajai moan. Fleur gave a knowing smile and walked over to the pile in question. After throwing aside a few layers of fabric, she found Yajai, just waking from her afternoon nap.

"Morning, sunshine!" Fleur joked with her. The woman pushed a few long, black strands of hair from her face and looked up at Fleur.

"My dear! Let me guess... you are here for fall and winter clothes, am I correct? For the boy?" Yajai guessed as she stood and straightened her skirt. She took two chopsticks off her table and put her hair up with them. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and looked Sora up and down. "I have the perfect fabric for a winter outfit for you! I just bought it yesterday at the market in town. Come, come see..." She said to them both. Before they could reply, she had shuffled off into the mountains of color. Fleur quickly followed, knowing they could easily lose her again. Sora ran off after them.

Soon, they came to a stop. Neither Fleur nor Sora could tell where they were in relation to where they had entered from. They turned to Yajai and saw a pair of legs jutting out from a particularly large pile, kicking wildly. Sora began laughing hard as Fleur grabbed her by the ankles and yanked her out of the fabric. Yajai was breathing heavily and her hair had become a mess. She ran a hand through it and pushed her glasses back up on her nose.

"Here, here it is! What do you think? Wonderful, is it not?" Yajai handed the fabric to Sora. Fleur took the other end of it and they both stood, just stroking it.

"It's gorgeous!" Fleur was the first to speak. Sora just stood speechless. The fabric was red with gold details of dragons twirled around cherry blossom branches.

"I thought you would like it. I was thinking something similar to what we did last time, but the coat would be double layered with long sleeves. The shirt under would be black, and the pants black with a stripe of this fabric. I was thinking something heavy for the pants with lots of pockets. What do you think?" Yajai described her ideas to them.

"It sounds perfect! Just what I pictured!" Fleur exclaimed cheerfully.

"I love it already!" Sora smiled big.

"Then it's decided! I'll go to work now! It won't take more than a few hours. Why don't you two go get him some new shoes, boots maybe? Something to match!" Yajai suggested.

"What a great idea! We'll go now!" Fleur took Sora's hand and ran off in the direction they had come from. Before they were out of sight, she managed to turn and call out a "thank you" to Yajai, who smiled and got to work immediately.

Once outside the room, Fleur turned to Sora.

"That outfit will look stunning on you. I can't wait to see it! C'mon, let's go upstairs for a minute. I need to get some money and ring the driver." She explained. He smiled and nodded, and up the stairs they went. They made their way to Fleur's room, where she picked up her money and a coat and pulled the cord to summon the driver. Then they went back downstairs and out the front doors to where the carriage was waiting. She hopped into the carriage, and he followed.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"Into town, to the market, please." Fleur answered.

Notes- I can't wait to put those clothes on Sora. I do plan on making a few changes to the overall design, but I'm sure I won't disappoint you all. Now, his shoes... R+R! Any ideas for his outfit are warmly welcome!

-VarekaiSoleil