Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix and Disney.

Summary: Riku, Sora, and Selphie have been searching for the missing princess of Radiant Gardens for 3 years. In Twilight Town, they stumble across Kairi, who bears a striking resemblance to the baby in the photo they have. Together, they venture to Radiant Gardens to return Kairi to her home.

Pairings: RikuSora, PenceKairi; (some) RoxasAxel, LeonCloud, ZexionDemyx

Princess

Chapter 1: Arrival

A fire blazed in the middle of a large room. The flickering flames cast a reddish glow over everything, emphasizing the shadows and making the room appear bigger. Three people sat around the fire eating their dinner of baked beans and hot dogs.

One was a young woman with brown hair that curled above her shoulders. Bangs hung over her vivid green eyes as she looked over into the flames of the fire. She had her legs drawn up to her chest with one arm wrapped loosely around them. The other rested on the ground near her paper plate and plastic fork.

A few feet away was a boy with untamable spiky brown hair that helped enhance his childlike personality. He was sitting hunched over his plate and hurriedly shoving food into his mouth while one foot bouncing erratically.

The last member of the group was a young man with long silver hair. He ate slowly and stared broodingly into the fire with his aquamarine eyes. He sat still, aside from the simple movements from eating.

Silence permeated the air, making the room stifling and uncomfortable. Finally, the girl couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Sora, Riku," She addressed her companions looking to the brunet and then to the white haired boy as she said their names. "Do you think we'll find her here?"

Sora swallowed his food before answering. "It's worth a shot, right? Just because we haven't had any luck so far doesn't mean we should give up." He frowned. "Your not starting to have doubts, are you, Selphie? I mean," He quickly backtracked, unsure if he offended her. "Not that that's a bad thing! I have doubts sometimes too."

Selphie looked a little surprised that Sora actually came out and said that. Usually he tried to keep an upbeat attitude so everyone else would remain positive. "Really?" She asked.

"Well, yeah." Sora said uncomfortably.

"There's not time for doubts now." Riku said crossly. "We're already here, so we're staying to look around before we move on."

"Okay, grumpy. We never said we weren't going to look." Sora said, forcing a little cheer into his voice. "You're just mad because we made you cook tonight."

Riku glared at Sora and then got up and walked away. "I'm going to bed." He said curtly.

Once Riku slammed the door to his room, Sora's face fell and he set his fork on his plate and stopped eating, no longer hungry.

Selphie sighed. The two of them had been fussing and fighting with each other ever since the last girl they thought was the missing princess had turned out to be a fake. She wasn't even sure why the two were fighting.

"Maybe we shouldn't have made him cook." Sora murmured.

"You know that making him cook isn't what's making him grumpy." Selphie told him. When Sora looked even sadder, she decided to change the subject. "We'll have to go into town and get some supplies tomorrow. That should give us the chance to look around. Who knows, maybe we'll find the princess!"

"Maybe." Sora said, not sounding very enthusiastic.

Selphie tried not to growl in frustration and instead kept a happy smile on her face. "This could be our big break! Imagine, if we find her here then we'll be able to use the reward to find our families!"

Sora took a deep breath and gave Selphie a smile, but they both knew it was a fake one and that he was still upset. "That'd be great. You'll probably be the first to find your family. You're the only one of us who has something linking you to family."

Selphie reached up to run her fingers over the cool metal of the spiraling silver and sapphire band on her upper right arm. "Yeah… I don't know how much it'll help though, since it's a common servant's band. There's bound to be plenty of people who have them and anyway, I don't even know if my family still works for the royal family or if they're still alive."

"It's still something, Sel." Sora argued. "And Riku won't have a hard time finding his family either. How many people do you ever see walking around with white hair and green eyes?" He didn't give her a chance to answer the question. "Not many, especially when you compare that to how many people have brown hair and blue eyes. There are a lot. Trust me, I've looked. And my parents could have blond hair or red hair or anything like that! And--"

"Sora." Selphie finally interrupted before he could work himself up into an even more frenzied state. "Relax. We will find your family, I promise. Even if Riku and I find ours first, we won't leave you behind. We won't abandon you. We'll stay by your side no matter how long it takes, okay?"

For a moment, Sora didn't say anything. Then he softly whispered, "Okay," and got to his feet. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Selphie sadly watched him walk up the creaking old stairs and disappear into the room on the left side of the hall that they referred to as "The White Room". She remained beside the fire for a while longer to think and then she got up, doused the fire with a wet blanket, and went to bed.

The next day Selphie found herself walking through town buying groceries while Sora and Riku lagged behind and said nothing to each other while maintaining at least two feet of space between them at all times. Selphie found that she hated the silence more than she hated them arguing.

'They could at least be useful and carry some bags.' Selphie huffed. 'Lazy bums.' Her eyes fell to the ground. 'No… I shouldn't think that. Not when they're upset like this.'

"Sel, you want some help?"

Selphie jerked her head up to look at Sora, who had caught up to her while she was thinking. "Sure. I was wondering when you would offer to help." She teased. She handed him a few bags, which he willingly took, and was happy to see something of a smile spread across Sora's face. She didn't dare say anything about Riku right then, knowing that it would just make Sora get all depressed again.

"So, we have food, we have drinks, and my change purse still has four-thousand munny in it." Selphie said, wishing she had a free arm so she and Sora could link arms like usual. "What do you say to finding ourselves a nice treat?"

Sora looked at Selphie with a hopeful expression on his face. "Like ice cream?" He asked.

"I don't see why not." Selphie said. "Go find a stand and we'll go get some. I've heard that Twilight Town is famous for it's sea-salt ice cream. We should try some."

Sora was even more excited by the prospect of getting to try a brand new kind of ice cream. Selphie giggled when he started to bounce like he always did when he got excited about something.

"There's one!" He shouted, before he ran in the direction of the nearest ice cream stand.

"Sora! Slow down and watch where you're going!" Selphie yelled after him. Her warning was too late though, as Sora crashed right into a pretty auburn-haired girl and both of them fell to the ground. When Sora realized what had happened, he jumped to his feet and helped her up, apologizing the entire time.

"I'm really, really sorry!" Sora said, his blue eyes worried. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I'm okay." The redhead said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She gave him a smile when he continued to look at her in worry. "Really, I'm okay. What about you?"

Sora nodded and quickly checked his groceries bags as Selphie caught up to him. The cans of food were alright, but judging by the look on Selphie's face Sora felt that the food should be the least of his worries.

"You- you- urg!" The brunette smacked Sora on the arm, her green eyes narrowed into a glare. "How many times do we have to tell you to watch where you're going? This is exactly why we always tell you that!"

"It's okay." Kairi said earnestly, stopping Selphie before she could further berate Sora. "I've got a friend who always rushes off without thinking and he causes so much trouble. And I'm not hurt, so there's no harm done."

Selphie relaxed, relieved that Sora hadn't accidentally pissed off one of the townsfolk. "No harm done then." She repeated cheerfully. "I'm Selphie, by the way. And he's Sora." She jabbed her thumb at the brunet, who was looking at her wearily. He knew she wasn't happy about him running into someone and that she would find some way to punish him.

'She'll either deny me ice cream or make me cook tonight and I really, really hope it's the second. Please let it be the second one.' Sora hoped.

"I'm Kairi." The redhead said. "It's nice to meet you two."

Despite the situation bringing them together, Selphie couldn't help but smile. "It's nice to meet you, Kairi. You're probably the first friendly face we've come across in a long time. Just about everyone else around here looks at us and goes, 'urg, outsiders' or something."

Kairi giggled. "Yeah, some people around here are like that. We've had some problems with outsiders coming in and causing trouble, so people are really wary whenever someone new comes to town."

"That's understandable." Selphie said. She had been wondering why she, Sora, and Riku had been getting dark looks from some of the townsfolk. A few mothers had even rushed their children away from them as they walked past.

'This is my chance to talk to someone who's been around here for a long time.' Selphie realized. 'I can't let this chance pass buy.' She looked over at Sora, almost regretting what she was about to do. "Sora, why don't you go buy four ice creams while I talk to Kairi. I'll even give you my change purse as long as you promise that you'll only get four ice creams."

Sora's face lit up and he nodded eagerly. "Okay! I'll be super careful, Sel! I promise! And if something happens then I'll- I'll--"

"Cook dinner for a month." Selphie supplied.

"But--"

Selphie held up a hand, effectively shutting him up. "Complain and it'll be breakfast too." She threatened.

That really shut Sora up. He quickly took the munny pouch from Selphie and then skipped off to get the ice cream. Riku walked up just as Sora began to skip away and raised his eyebrows at him.

"What'd you promise him this time?" He asked, annoyance laced in his voice.

"Chill, grumpy. He's just going to get us some ice cream." Selphie said dismissively. "But the way, this is Kairi. Kairi, this is Riku. Don't mind him too much. He's got, like, male PMS or something."

Riku scowled. "Selphie!"

Selphie just gave him a smile and then began to talk to Kairi, ignoring Riku as he tried to tell her off for saying he had male PMS.

"Sel--!"

"Ice cream time!" Sora yelled, cheerfully sticking one of the blue bars in Riku's mouth, effectively shutting him up. He didn't so much as look at Riku while he gave Kairi and Selphie an ice cream and then began to eat his own.

"You didn't have to get me one." Kairi said.

"Don't be silly. It's the least we could do after Sora nearly plowed you over." Selphie said, knowing that Sora wouldn't be doing any talking until after he was finished with his ice cream.

"Sora knocked her over?" Riku asked.

Selphie gave him a look that could clearly be interpreted as, 'shut-up-now-and-play-nice-before-I-do-something-horrible-to-you'. Riku got the message and looked around Tram Common while he ate his ice cream. He avoided looking at Sora the best he could, and the smaller brunet did the same. Meanwhile, Selphie drew Kairi aside to talk some more and ask questions about the town and why people were so against outsiders.

"We've had problems with people coming around looking for the missing Radian Gardens princess." Kairi's explanation made Selphie wince slightly. "The last two that were here caused such a stir and hurt so many people." She looked away and sighed, taking a tentative lick of ice cream. "It's hard to believe that someone would come in and knowingly try to tear a family apart."

Selphie hid her nervousness. In a way, she, Sora, and Riku were doing the same thing only without the malicious intent. But if Kairi were to find out that they two were searching for the princess, Selphie dreaded to think what the redhead would do.

Kairi noticed her sudden silence and frowned. "Why are you three in Twilight Town anyway?"

"We're… looking for someone." Selphie said hesitantly, her mind racing for some way to not lie to Kairi but at the same time not tell her exactly who they were looking for.

"Oh?" Kairi's voice took on a cold edge and her eyes darkened from their usual blue-violet.

"An old friend of mine." Selphie quickly added. "We were separated when we were younger. And all three of us lost our families when we were young, so we've been searching for a way to find them. It's how we met. We were all in the same orphanage back in Traverse Town."

It wasn't completely a lie. Being the daughter of servants meant that Selphie could have easily known the princess and other members of the royal family. And the three of them were searching for their families.

"Oh." Kairi relaxed and the cold edge to her voice warmed. "I know how that feels, not knowing family. My friend Olette and her parents are the closet thing I have to family."

Selphie had to resist breathing a sigh of relief as she let a smile slip onto her face. "At least you have a sister. I'm stuck with two brothers who argue about seventy percent of the time." She rolled her eyes at the boys. "I'm just glad that this is the worst it gets and it's only happened once before. I'd have killed them by now if they were always like this."

Kairi wasn't sure if she should laugh or be worried, so she settled for smiling unsurely. Then she changed the subject. "So, do you remember what your friend looks like? I mean, you must have some kind of clue."

"My memory is a little fuzzy." Selphie admitted as she dug through the pockets of her old blue jeans to pull out an old, yellowed photo. "But this photo helps a little. It's of her when she was a baby and it got burnt in the fire, but I clearly remember that her hair was brown or reddish and her eyes were a bluish shade." She handed the photo to Kairi so she could get a better look and was completely unprepared for the started gasp that fell from Kairi's lips.

"T-that's--" Trembling, Kairi gripped Selphie's arm and tugged her down the street back past Sora and Riku. "Follow me." She told them, trying to keep her voice steady. "There's something I should show you."

Mystified, they followed her as she led them across town and through back alley's until they came to a fenced in area with posters and all sorts of furniture laying about. Kairi released Selphie's arm and walked through the door, leaving the three newcomers to follow on their own.

Three other teens in the alley leapt to their feet when they walked in, but Kairi ignored them for the moment. One was a brunette girl who watched Kairi with worried green eyes. She and the heavyset brunet boy beside her had been sitting on the couch when they walked in. The other member of the trio was a frowning blond boy, who didn't look at all happy about being ignored.

"What's going on? Who're they?" The blond demanded, glaring at the three newcomers.

"Quiet, Hayner." Kairi snapped, rifling through a drawer. "Have any of you seen my necklace? It's import-- Ah! Never mind." She lifted a delicate gold chain and locket from the drawer and then walked back over to Selphie. "Look at this." She said, opening the locket and laying it in Selphie's hand. "I've had it for as long as I can remember. It's the only thing I have of family."

Selphie curiously looked at the picture and then her eyes widened in shock when she saw it was identical to the picture she always carried with her. "W-what? But how?"

"What's wrong, Sel?" Sora asked worriedly.

Wordlessly, Selphie handed the chain and locket to Sora and looked at Kairi in wonder as if seeing her for the first time.

"Whoa, Kairi's picture looks just like the one that Selphie has!" Sora said, not seeing the connection that Selphie and Kairi had already made. "That's so weird!"

"Sora, Kairi is the girl in the picture." Riku snapped. He didn't even need to see the pictures to make the connection. For once, Sora's inability to piece things together quickly was annoying him more than making him want to smile.

Sora's jaw dropped. "Kairi's the princess?!"

Selphie flinched when four pairs of eyes glared in their direction. Mentally cursing Sora for his inability to keep his mouth shut, she hastily tried to explain, but Hayner stepped forward and protectively pushed Kairi behind him while the other two teens, Olette and Pence, moved closer to Kairi.

"Get out." Hayner said waspishly. "Our town has had enough trouble with people like you. Leave now and don't try to drag Kairi into it."

"But her necklace--" Sora began, holding out the object.

"I don't want it." Kairi's voice wavered slightly. "Take it with you."

Sora opened his mouth to protest, but Selphie stopped him from doing so by laying a hand on his shoulder. "Lets go guys. We can't force them to listen." She briefly glanced back at Kairi. "If she wants to talk to us, or if she wants her necklace back, then she can find us when we're in town or she can come out to the abandoned mansion."

"We're just going to leave right after we've finally found her?" Riku crossly asked as Selphie walked out of the back alley. He wasn't in the mood to go anywhere until Kairi and her friends listened to reason.

"What other choice do we have?" Selphie asked sadly. "Forcing them to listen would hurt more than help right now. We're leaving, Riku."

With heavy hearts, the three made their way back into town and through the hole in the wall that led to the woods. None of them spoke the entire way and a mixture of frustration, anger, and sadness consumed them.

Riku was frustrated with their situation, especially knowing that there was nothing they could do. He was also angry with Sora, for what happened before their arrival in Twilight Town, and for blowing things when he spoke without thinking of the consequences. The three of them knew that many people weren't very supportive of those who are searching for the princess and they had encountered the hostility in more than one small town. Twilight Town was like a postcard picture of a small town.

Selphie, on the other hand, was disappointed with the way things turned out. But at the same time she felt relief at finally having found the princess. Riku may have wanted to rush in and take Kairi away, but Selphie knew it would be best to take things slow and make sure that Kairi really was the princess. After all, it could be an elaborate decoy set up by whoever hid the princess away to begin with.

Sora was taking things the hardest. 'It's all my fault. If I hadn't yelled out that Kairi is the princess then we would still be there talking to her.' One of the bags began to drag along the ground and he lifted his arm up a little so the bottom wouldn't rip out. 'I always screw things up like this. Why can't I just keep my mouth shut? I hate this!' He raised his eyes from the ground to peer through his bangs at Riku. He quickly looked back down before the older boy could catch him looking. 'I hate being mad at Riku even more. Especially over something so stupid. And now he's probably even more angry with me!' His throat began to close up as tears pricked behind his eyes and for a moment he found it hard to breath. Then he forced himself to breath steadily in and out, something he was almost certain that he learned from one of his family members, since he had always done it when he got stressed out.

A quick glance at Selphie and Riku told him that neither of them had noticed his minor attack. Raising his eyes a little more, he was able to spot the mansion looming up ahead. 'Home sweet home.' He thought sadly.

End Chapter

This is going to be fun to write. I get to work with a more mature, motherly Selphie who knows how to keep "her boys" in line; a brooding, moody Riku who's angry at everyone around him; a Sora teetering on the edge of becoming a mini-Cloud (joking - clears throat) --a Sora who tends to take on the weight of the world while balancing his feelings for Riku (but how's that any different than usual?); a Kairi who feels like her whole world is getting turned upside down; and all of them have next to no memory of their families.

Fun.

Anyway, this little fic was inspired by the movie Anastasia, and the very base of the plot is the same: There's a princess who's been missing for years and a bunch of people trying to find her. And that's about where the similarities end. Other than Selphie being a servants daughter, which is much more Demetri-like than I wanted, but that's really where the similarities end! I think. I hope.