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

Notes- This will kinda be an uneventful chapter... So I'll try to make it as good as it can get. After Roselin is gone, things are gonna slow down, but after a few more chapters, well get into Sora's half of the story! Enjoy!

Chapter 17- A Refreshing Change

Sora and Sholto stood in the doorway to Roselin's room. It was right at the top of the stairs, and two large doors led into it, the perfect place for a ballroom. The room itself, though, was a disappointing mess. She had a large bed, the biggest either of them had ever seen. It had a flowing canopy draped over it, and the colors were all deep reds and dark grays. There was a sitting area, with two large couches and a few arm chairs, surrounding a fireplace that was centered on the far wall. A large, elegant chandelier hung from the roof. There was also a large door that led to her bathroom, which was similar to Fleur's, only larger. Sora and Sholto sighed in unison.

"Well... let's get to work..." Sholto scratched his head and sighed again.

"Yea... let's start with the bed..." Sora said as she made his way over to the bed and began stripping it of its covers. He pulled off the top blankets and threw them to Sholto, who tossed them out the door. Sora pulled off the sheets and left them on the floor. Fleur said they were going to be used later when they painted.

They were doing their work as normal, when a knock on the door interrupted them. They looked at each other in confusion.

"I... I'll get it." Sora said as he rose from his kneeling position. He made his way down the stairs and cautiously opened the door to find four smiling faces holding suitcases.

"Hi Sora!" Aya and Hari both cheerfully greeted him.

"Hey guys!" Sora smiled back at them. "Cloud, Kadaj... this is a surprise! The party isn't till the day after tomorrow."

"We know." Kadaj said. "We decided to surprise you! Fleur said we could stay for awhile, so we brought all our stuff, and here we are!" He smiled big. Sora looked confused again for a moment, then just smiling and welcoming their guests.

"Well, me and Sholto are upstairs cleaning out Roselin's room. We're making it into a new ballroom, just in time for the party. Fleur and Hilda went out to get new furnishings and paint for the room." Sora explained. "They'll be back in a few hours. You guys can leave your stuff in my room, we'll get you your own rooms later. Aya and Hari, you leave your stuff in Fleur's room."

"Alright! Then we can cook you some food, you look starving!" Aya giggled.

"Yea, and we can help you with the room." Cloud offered.

"That would be great... we'll need all the help we can get!" Sora laughed. The guests dropped their things off in the rooms, and got to helping out.

Cloud and Kadaj helped Sora and Sholto move the furniture and Hari and Aya cooked them a great meal.

They carried on like this for hours. The guys managed to dispose of Roselin's mattress, clothes, and some of her other useless belongings. They moved all of her furniture to the old ball room, and even cleaned out the fireplace and polished the mantle.

At about six in the evening, Fleur and Hilda returned.

"Hello? We're hooooome!" Fleur called. Aya and Hari popped their heads out of the kitchen, holding wooden utensils and wearing dirty aprons.

"Fleur!" They called both at once. There was an awkward silence, since Fleur had been so surprised.

"Uh... SURPRISE!" Hari yelled. Aya looked at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. This was followed by Fleur and Hilda's laughter, and then the guys appearing at the top of the stairs.

"What's so funny?" Cloud asked with a big smile. "Hey Fleur!" He called. He and Kadaj ran down the stairs to greet her. Hugs were exchanged, and Fleur explained what had happened to Roselin.

They all continued to work until about eight. Cloud helped Fleur and Hilda get the new things for the room out of the carriage, and the girls finished up dinner.

The group met in the dining room that night at eight-thirty. They all took their seats at the large table, which was now filled with smiling faces instead of housing empty chairs. The entire room seemed to have a brighter light about it as everyone laughed and talked. As Aya and Hari brought out the food, the guys all rubbed their stomachs and shifted their silverware. They girls set down steaming plates of food from both the market in town and the market in Arcadia. Sora, Cloud, and Kadaj stabbed at the plates, taking whatever they could reach. Sholto maintained his manners, along with the girls, who patiently waited till the boys were done.

After a quiet dinner, Fleur and the girls all went to her room. Fleur laid out extra cushions and blankets on the floor for her friends, assuring them that they would have rooms by tomorrow. Hilda and Fleur shared Fleur's bed, while Aya and Hari shared a spot on the floor.

Sora took the other guys to his room, but decided that the same arrangement was not going to work, so he slept in his own bed and gave Cloud and Kadaj separate spots on the floor. All slept well that night.

Notes- Hope you like! After the party, we'll pick up on a new plot, which I've been referring to as "Sora's half" of the story. Sorry for the length of the chapter... Ithought this wasa good spot tocut it off at, but it came up a little short.R+R! Reviews are appreciated!

-VarekaiSoleil