.::. Maiden .::.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Square Enix, nor any of the characters rightfully owned and portrayed by Disney and/or Square Enix.

Setting: Post-Kingdom Hearts II. Sequel to Waiting No Longer.

Genres: Drama, Action, Romance

Rating: Rated Mature for Violence, Mild Language, and [Lemons]

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Chapter Two

The morning light stabbed Kairi through her closed eyes. She groaned, rolling away from the daggers of sunlight, nuzzling into the back of Sora's warm neck. She held her hands behind the small of his back, like a puzzle piece in the game of sleeping couple jigsaw. Sora's sleep was not interrupted, and his chest rose and fell methodically. The warmth of his skin was comforting, touching Kairi where her white silk top did not cover. However, the sunlight's malicious intentions prevailed. Proving it in vain to keep sleeping, Kairi sat up. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, blinking a few times to focus her sight.

Leaning over to her night stand, she picked up the radio clock to find that the alarm she had set was muted. Sighing gruffly, she flipped the apricot sheet off of her and zombie-stalked to the master bathroom. She had planned to do a few errands today, and get an order of thassala shells done before four so she could have some time to cook dinner for Sora and Riku. Saturday was her night to cook, but Sunday was all Sora. His ability to cook had expanded from cereal to some simple spaghetti dishes or stews in a crock pot. Which, incidentally, meant Kairi and Riku were fairly sick of beef stews on Sunday.

Slipping fluidly from her white silk pajamas, she fiddled with the temperature of the bath water. As the water began to heat, Kairi opened the maple medicine cabinet, grabbing her birth pill, some lip gloss, and mascara. She generally kept her image natural; makeup had always been too much of a hassle for her. It just felt like caked on paint, hiding herself away. Plus, growing up, sand always ended up making her face look like a canvas of fleshy gravel if she wore any foundation or blush.

Swallowing the pill, she felt the water, sighing as its twinging warmth invigorated her body. Switching it to the showerhead, she climbed into the porcelain bathtub, closing the vibrant, palm-green shower curtain. It tended to pale the evergreen tiling of the bathroom. She scrubbed fairly quickly, wanting to be done and finished with her chores so she could relax a bit. The Bohemian lifestyle never left her, or anyone on Destiny Islands, for that matter, despite any dramatic occurrences in their lives. Leisure was valued and upheld, but not laziness. There was a difference. Perhaps not to outsiders, but to those who knew the Destiny Islanders and its Main Island, there was a distinct line.

She yelped when she felt a warm hand grab her left thigh, and the other massage her right breast. Kairi put her hands on the tiled wall to secure herself, feeling the hand on her thigh slide up, slowly, tantalizingly, and slid in and out of her entrance. She was annoyed with herself at being seduced so quickly.

"S-Sora, please I-I'm late." She focused on her words. Sora slowed his actions, hesitating, but did not completely stop. The pause allowed reason to flood back into Kairi's mind again.

"Please?" Sora asked. His voice was hungry, but also pitifully earnest. She felt his hand pull away from her entrance, replaced with the grazing warmth of Sora's throbbing head. He was already hard. She sighed, and Sora kissed the back of her neck, the shower raining rivets of water along her body. The tips of Sora's spiked hair began to be weighed down by the shower, lightly tangling with the locks of magenta hair stuck to Kairi's back.

Kairi sighed again, and lifted her left leg slightly. Sora's smile was not seen, but felt. He grabbed her smooth, talcum thigh, and secured her leg on the edge of the bathtub. Putting his hands on her hips, he guided her onto him as he bent his knees slightly to better meet her height. Kairi moaned, clutching at the soap shelf. Sora began rocking back and forth, light sprays of water exploding from their flesh as they smacked together. The water began to cool, but neither noticed. Sora thrusted himself into her faster, gripping her hips harder as he began beating against her rapidly.

Kairi gasped, water running down her face. She tried to avoid getting water in her mouth, but as she felt Sora thrust repeatedly with more zeal, lightly growling in pleasure, she felt it nearly impossible not to moan. She put her slender hand on Sora's hip, and he paused. He watched as she stood, her womanhood moist with more than water. Kairi lifted herself off of Sora, and turned to face him. She kissed Sora passionately, and hooked her right leg around his hip. Cradling her velvet soft ass, he lifted her onto him. She slipped once, each now drenched in lukewarm water. He quickly grabbed her left leg, hoisting her higher onto him as she locked herself more firmly in place. Sora let one hand go momentarily, and guided himself into Kairi once more. Grabbing her upper waist, he again began thrusting.

Water dripped and meshed on their bodies. Kairi's breasts filled Sora's vision, and he suckled on the rosy nipple of one as they jounced with every passionate thrust. Their flesh slapped louder, and Sora huffed. Kairi's calves began to go numb, but she ignored it. She began to feel a euphoria spread her body, as though Sora lit a sparkler inside her, each flake of fire another tiny spasm of pleasure in each and every pore.

Kairi moaned loudly. Surprised by a sudden surge of pleasure, she gasped, and cried out Sora's name. Her hands flew to the sides of her. She grabbed onto the shower curtain rod, and flattened her palm on the tiled wall to balance herself. She shifted herself slightly, and allowed her pelvis to move accordingly with Sora. She screamed, and she orgasmed. Sora came as well, and weakly rocked against Kairi as the climax drifted away softly.

Slowly, Sora pulled out of Kairi, and lowered her. Weak in the knees, she stumbled and slipped. Sora caught her under her arms. Each of them now shivered; the shower was pouring out cold water. Kairi was guided out of the bathtub, still feeling a fizzling of pleasure in her vagina, as well as her brain. Sora felt tired, dripping wet, and exhilarated with carnal pleasure. A surge of affection for Kairi was in his heart, as he observed her slender, drenched tropic sand body tremble with the aftershocks of passion. Her face was cold, yet remained flushed with lust. She grabbed a pink beach towel, and wrapped herself in it.

"Wow." She breathed, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Sora plunked next to her, and tenderly kissed her cheek, cold with water and flushed with love.

"Aren't you late for something?" Sora asked curiously. Kairi began to be wrenched back to reality. She frowned at Sora, and punched his arm.

"Ow!"

"That's for making me late!" Kairi then smirked mischievously. She grabbed Sora's face in her hands, and pressed her moist lips against his. Her tongue ravaged his mouth, savoring the unique flavor of him and his breath as she stole his very gasp and words into her own quivering body.

"And that's for making me late, too." She then stood, and giggled, damp hair creating a frame about her face. Sora smiled, scratched his head a bit, then stood up, puffing out his chest.

"I do my best to make hooky pleasurable, m'lady." Kairi laughed, then kicked his butt hard. Sora yelped, and turned to watch the bathroom door slam in his face.

"That wasn't fair!" Sora yelled. His voice was muffled, but the oddly attractive whine remained evident in his voice. The shower continued to pour cold water as Kairi simply giggled. She sighed. She needed to get ready without anymore distractions. Though I wouldn't mind distractions like that more often. She thought, biting back a smile at her own thought. She shut off the shower as she dried off. Picking up her pace again, she began to realize a pattern as of late.

Sora's been really needy lately...and a little rough. Kairi added mentally, as she winced when she pulled on a red skirt. Two bruises were beginning to form on her hips, and her nipple was still red; it looked like Sora broke the skin a little bit. It stung to the touch, so Kairi opted for her satin blue bra in her lingerie closet beside the shower. He's never been like that these passed two years...not that I didn't like it, but I kinda don't like hurting this much afterwards.

Kairi finished getting ready, and groaned when she noted that she was two hours late to when she had wanted to leave to do her errands, thanks to a side-tracked mind and pit-stop for pleasure. Quickly grabbing her tote bag and slipping on her black clogs, she ran to the door. She needed to get to the Market before the craft store closed, not to mention to stock up on some groceries and see if her computer was fixed yet. Before she could leave, she noticed a bagel on the table with a note: 'Regain your strength! And sorry if I made you late. Love, Sora."

Grabbing it, she bit it and chewed vigorously as she ran down the stairs and out of the apartment complex. Sora had already (technically) showered, then dressed, and had gone off to work on one of the fishing schooners. There was a nice fishing company on the Island, and it had three schooners on the seas on any particular given day. Riku and Sora were employed with the company, but were rarely working the same schooner. It was a job that kept them busy, and was never the same two days in a row.

Maybe I shouldn'tve worn this skirt today, thought Kairi. It's tight waistline was digging into her forming bruises now. She began to walk slower and with a smaller stride. It diminished the friction a bit, at least enough to tolerate for a couple of hours. Her venture to the craft store went without difficulty, and she was able to buy the supplies she needed to make a new order of thassala shell necklaces. She had begun selling them, self-employed, a year and a half ago when Sora and Kairi realized rent needed to be paid in munny. Living independently came with its own set of quirks and disadvantages. The necklaces were especially popular on the Main Land, where Riku's parents moved back to after he started living independently with Sora and Kairi.

The Main Land was really the base of the Destiny Islands archipelago. From it branched out smaller islands over the sea. The Main Land was closest to the Main Island, which had the second largest population in that World. The Destiny Islands were many, but the one the three had played on since childhood was less known than the others. Perfect for a childhood getaway. The islands were so-named because of the legends surrounding the Papou Fruit, and its ability to determine the destinies of lovers.

As Kairi went to the Produce Market, she noticed the ferry bringing in a few people home from work on the Main Land as the sun taunted the sea, nearly caressing it. She sighed, realizing she would have to skip checking on her computer at the Moogles' Workshop in order to finish just half of her necklace order before making dinner. At this point, it's gonna be Easy Mac, and the Worlds forbid if one of those guys pipe up about it! Kairi thought.

"Kairi!" A shrill broke through the numbers of shoppers. The voice was cheerful and familiar, and Kairi turned to watch Selphie bound towards her, worming her way through the crowds of consumers. Kairi smiled lightly, walking towards her old classmate kindly.

"Kairi, I haven't seen you in forever! How've you been?" Selphie's eyes sparkled with the surprise meeting. Although she was nineteen years like Kairi, she still looked much younger. Her rounded cheeks and flipped brunette hair gave her a naive appearance, unchanged by years or maturation.

"I've been fine, thanks. And you?" Kairi continued, somehow feeling a bit distant from Selphie. They had once been close friends. She was the one Kairi latched onto when Sora had not been around. But now that Sora had become a routine ray of sunshine in her life, she realized Selphie was more of a good classmate than a best girlfriend.

"I've been fine, too. Been trying to cope with college and a job; ya know, for a small Island university, MLU is not cheap! But, hey, I bet you're doing even better than me, Ms. I-Have-A-Steady-Boyfriend." Selphie giggled, nudging Kairi playfully in the ribs. Kairi gave a half-hearted chuckle. She was worried Selphie would bring up Sora, because that generally led to Riku. Things would go downhill from there.

"Aw, don't be bashful. You two are practically an old married couple. You two always have been, anyways. You two are still living together, right?"

"Yeah." Kairi added simply; she looked to a clock at the back of one of the stands. It was already five o'clock. She wanted to escape Selphie's barrage of personal inquiries and 'catching-up' lingo. She just wanted to finish with her chores, get home, and eat. She was tired of being on her feet for most of the day.

"Riku 's still living near you guys, right?" Kairi inwardly winced. Here they go. Selphie, the hopeless romantic, ever-latched onto her one crush that had crushed her dreams two and a half weeks after dating. She was occasionally with another man, but everyone knew she secretly continued to vie for Riku's love.

"Yes, he does. Oh, speakin' of, I'm supposed to cook dinner tonight. Well, it was really nice to see you again." Before Selphie could comment or continue, Kairi pulled her slightly shorter companion into an awkward hug, used more or less as a tool to shut her up. Releasing Selphie, Kairi smiled widely and waved as she jogged away. Mouth gaping, eyebrows quirked, Selphie began to wave goodbye. Registering everything suddenly, she then smiled widely, waving more enthusiastically.

Kairi sighed, hoisting her tote bag higher onto her shoulder as she continued home at a slower pace. Stars began to appear in the twilight. They were those few tenacious lanterns of heaven that were too eager, and could not wait for the sun to set. Kairi had always loved that time of day. She paused a moment on her walk home. She took time to look up at those few audacious stars, attempting to eke out enough light to greet that World through the rays of red and orange sunlight. Kairi wondered what those stars were, and who lived on them. She began to envision what each star was, and imagine Sora meddling in that World. She had always loved the way Donald and Goofy told her of their tales. It was generally more accurate than Sora's. She imagined her sweetheart, optimistically throwing himself into strangers' troubles.

The brightest star, overcoming the sunlight the most, was Radiant Garden. At least, that's what Kairi imagined. She wanted to meet those characters from those stories, actually talk to them. Play blitzball, help renovate the town, read Winnie the Pooh, and train with Merlin. She wanted to be something more than be the audience that supports the players. Kairi wanted to be a player! She wanted to tell Sora enticing tales, bespeckled with juicy tidbits of action, gossip, and twists. She did not advocate for another Heartless raid, another Organization, or more strife for the Worlds. She just wanted to do something.

As a cyclist passed by her, Kairi drew herself back from within the confines of her thoughts and continued on her way. Every so often, she adjusted the tote bag on her arm. The groceries and craft supplies were definitely weighing her down. At this point, she was going to have to put off the thassala necklace order. It was the third time that month she would have to discount her clients because it was going to be a delayed order. She always loved making things, but now that it was her job...it didn't feel so special anymore. Nothing really did.

Kairi hauled herself and the groceries up the stairs, and sighed with relief when she finally put the bag on the dining table in the kitchen. Grabbing the vegetables, fruits, and fish she had bought, she shoved them in what crevice she could. Before an empty refrigerator, it was now a unit filled to the brim with sustenance. Kairi kicked off her clogs, and unbuttoned her skirt. She winced, feeling a great relief as the pressure on her bruises uplifted. She crashed onto the recliner, just wanting a few moments of peace before she grabbed a box of Easy Mac and thawed out some hot dogs.

The door opened, closed, and Kairi felt lips on hers. She opened her eyes, and found Sora smiling at her gently. He sat on the edge of the recliner.

"Had a long day, Kairi?" He asked. She groaned, and laid her head on his thigh. He tucked her rosy hair behind her ear, and groomed his fingers through the strands of her soft, teasing locks.

"I really am sorry about this morning." He added. Kairi lifted herself up, looking at Sora quizzically. She giggled.

"I'm not mad at you, silly. I was just frustrated." Kairi subtly buttoned her skirt again. She did not want Sora to know he had bruised her. He would probably take it to heart that he had hurt her. She would put some foundation on it from now on to hide it from him.

"I'm glad. Did the bagel help? I bet it did." He added. Kairi just chuckled, and pulled herself out of the recliner. She went into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. Sora fell into the seat, his legs dangling over the arm of the recliner. He stretched his arms behind his head, staring at Kairi as she started boiling the water and getting the hot dogs from the freezer. As she bent over to get a separate pot for the hot dogs, Sora noticed the blue panties she wore. Her thighs, so full and firm. Her butt, delicious, begging for him to massage it, grab it, ravage it.

His need for carnal love had been perpetually increasing as of late. The slightest thing she did turned him on. When he could not think of anything, her image, her gasps, and her moans filled his head. Nearly every morning, he woke up hard. His pants pained him as it restricted his manhood, uncomfortable as it brushed against his throbbing head. He felt whole when he made love to Kairi. He felt like he was complete. And lately, he needed that part of her love in order to be whole.

Sora tried looking away. He closed his eyes, relaxing his head into his arms. When he opened them, he simply stared at the blank ceiling. His day was the same as most days; his job was always the same every other day. The first day, he would rig the schooner, supply it, and navigate. The second day, he would man the fishing lines and pull in cages of various fish and crab. The jobs would alternate into a pattern of varied dullness. On the rare occasions that Riku and he manned the same schooner, they would enjoy themselves. They would strive to capture the biggest marlin they could find, or capture the most crabs in the northern Destiny Island sea. But that was only on rare occasions.

Of course, he never told Kairi this. How could he tell her that the normalcy of life was beginning to wear him down? He wanted to stop looking on from the sidelines, and be a player in the game of life. He wanted to feel the controls of the Gummi Ship again. He wanted to help his friends, to be with all those he met in the Worlds, and simply bask in the uniqueness of each of them. He wanted to sing in a musical in Atlantica again; he wanted to visit Christmas Town in December; he wanted to compete in the Hercules Tournament at the Coliseum. He wanted to feel like he was living! But he could never say these things; his worst fear was hurting Kairi.

"Sora?" Kairi asked. He withdrew from his spacing-out.

"Huh?" Sora asked, pivoting himself into an upright position. Kairi walked over to him, the macaroni and hot dogs boiling on the stove. Kairi was looking at him thoughtfully.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. You just don't seem that...happy, these days." Kairi stated thoughtfully. She walked over to Sora, and sat on his lap, being sure to smooth out her red skirt beforehand. Sora interlocked his arms around her waist, and gazed into her eyes curiously. What was she getting at?

"I'm happy. I'm always happy with you, Kairi. I love you."

"I don't doubt that you love me, Sora. Still, you don't seem happy. Not all the time, anyways."

"How about I smile?" Sora grinned widely, to the point where his cheeks hurt a bit. Between his teeth, he spoke: "Happy faces make happy places!" Kairi just laughed. She held Sora's face, smoothing out his smile and relaxing his cheeks.

"Thanks. I just want you to be happy, Sora." Sora then leaned in, kissing Kairi tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in slightly. She then realized he wasn't letting her withdraw from the kiss. It became passionate, and his right hand snaked up to her buttoned white shirt, and began to unfasten them. Kairi pushed away, and Sora looked at her, pained and startled.

"And that! Why've you been so needy lately, Sora?"

"Y-you make me feel whole, Kairi. And I love making love to you." Sora fumbled.

"I do too, but do we have to fill up every single day like that? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I just love you!"

"Really?" Kairi questioned Sora's motives; she felt he was keeping something veiled from her.

"Honest!"

"It isn't because you're unhappy? It isn't because you're trying to get rid of something else?"

"N-no! Kairi, I love you! That's all there is to it." Sora was firm in this. Kairi stared into his oceanic eyes, concerned, and attempting to discern truth from his own words. She sighed, buttoned her shirt, and went over to check on the macaroni and hot dogs. Sora slumped into the chair, and held his head in his hands. What was wrong with him? Wasn't he happy just the way things were? There was nothing to suggest he should be unhappy; he had a steady job, a gorgeous, loyal, sweet soulmate, a best friend to hang out with, and a World he learned to love as a child. Wasn't he happy with what he had?

"Dinner's ready. Can you go get Riku?" Kairi was polite, but passive. Sora simply nodded. He stood, and left the apartment. He tried to steady his mind, or at least explain away his own actions, but he couldn't. He reached the landing below his and Kairi's apartment, where Riku lived by himself. Knocking on the apartment door, Sora crossed his arms behind his head in the habitual fashion.

"Hey, Riku, dinner 's ready." Sora called, knocking for a second time. He stood straighter from his relaxed position when no answer came.

"Riku?" Sora tried to open the door, but found it was locked. This isn't like Riku. He usually leaves a note on the door if he's out.

"Aaaahhhhhhhh!" A high-pitched scream pierced from upstairs. From Sora's apartment.

"Kairi!" Complete dread doused Sora's body. He rushed up the stairs without breathing. The Oathkeeper was already in his hand, clutched white-knuckled. He shouldered the door open, cracking the wood slightly.

"Kairi!" He cried again. Sora was in the kitchen now. A blade was pointed at Kairi as she scrambled to her feet against the stove. Sora dived at the blade, and clashed the Oathkeeper against the blade. The black hooded wielder followed the momentum of the guard, and used it to spin forward to bring a second blade forth. Sora guarded his position, pushing against the white tiled floor. He noticed the opposing blades were not ordinary; they were dual keyblades.

Sora yelled, pushing the figure back. The kitchen was strewn with splinters of the dining table and a few of the chairs, and the floor was slick with hot dogs, macaroni, and water. Sora lunged forward, Oathkeeper held high. A black keyblade countered the offense, and the figure turned to bring around an iron keyblade. Sora ducked, and swung the Oathkeeper. The sweeping motion was avoided as the black hooded figure deftly flipped over him, and raised his black keyblade to Kairi.

"Sora!" She cried, and quickly pulled down the oven door over her head as the keyblade came down. The blade shattered the glass window, but could not tear through the metal door. The figure wrenched the blade out, but in that moment's hesitation, Sora lunged at the figure. It crashed into the wall, cracking tiles onto the floor. Sora slashed the figure with the Oathkeeper, tearing the cloth with each slice. A final blow shoved the figure into the refrigerator, and the dual keyblades vanished.

The hood fell from the figure. Blonde, spiky hair stood from the pale youth.

Roxas. Sora gaped at the image of an unconscious Roxas...an unconscious counterpart of Sora. Organization-cloaked Roxas began to fade, before drifting away like sand scattered to the wind. Nothing remained behind him but the destruction he caused.

"Kairi!" The Oathkeeper vanished in spirals of light as Sora lifted the oven door to its original place. Kairi was slumped over, shards of glass jutting out from her palms, and a cut bled from her temple. Sora's heart stopped beating. He could not breath. All light and sound vanished from his life. He was cold, and could not think. He only acted. Gingerly, he picked Kairi off the ground, not caring that stray shards cut into his forearm or sliced at the back of his hand.

Laying Kairi on the red futon, he clenched his fist as the Oathkeeper became tangible in his hand. Raising the blade, green light flittered from its tapered edge. The light dissolved onto Kairi, but not all of her wounds closed. The Cure spell could not work where glass remained. Sora gritted his teeth, questioned the world, and felt sobs rise to his eyes.

He swallowed them back. He suppressed everything. He let himself become numb. He focused on the open palms of Kairi's hands, and with tweezers, gently removed each shard. He pretended Kairi was not bleeding. He pretended she was not jabbed with glass. He pretended Roxas had not attacked Kairi.

"S...Sora?" Kairi's eyes felt heavy. She pulled herself out of sleep. Something in her mind made her feel she should not be sleeping. She needed to check on the waking world. Her voice cracked and was weak. The lights were dim; she was in the living room. What...she was cooking...

"Sora!" Kairi's voice panicked. She shot up. White screeched in her vision, and her mind drizzled and ached. A soothing, warm hand cradled her pulsating head, and guided her back to the futon.

"I'm here, Kairi. It's okay now." Her heart relaxed again. She forced herself to open her eyes again, steadying her vision from its streams of color and forms. Sora was kneeling against the futon beside her, dressing her wounds. The gauze was wrapped tightly around her hands, and now Sora fastened them with small, silver clasps.

"What...happened?"

"I don't know." Sora answered, honestly. Was it Roxas that had hurt her? Which meant...had he hurt her?

"Sora, I was cooking, and I felt cold, and then I felt my side hurt. It was...something...is it..."

"Whoever hurt you is gone, Kairi." Is he? Or is it really me who hurt her?

"Sora, I was so scared. It came out of nowhere..."

"Kairi, you're safe now. I wish I was here sooner...I could've stopped him."

"Him? What was it?" Kairi's eyes closed. She was losing her grip on felt terrible, but he had to keep her awake. He shook her, snapping her out of her drifting to sleep.

"Kairi, you probably have a concussion. You need to stay up for a while before you can sleep. You really should see a doctor. I'm not very good at these things."

"Not a hospital...and not my mom, either!" Kairi added hoarsely. Though weak, her forceful intention was there.

"I don't want her to worry about me. It's not like we can explain all of this to her...when we don't know...what..."

"Kairi!" She snapped back to attention. She tried to sit up, only managing to do so with Sora's help. He grabbed two pillows, helping to cushion her into place. He remained kneeling before her, watching her intently.

"...no doctors or mothers." Kairi spoke, keeping her eyes closed. It hurt too much to keep them opened. She was sure to blink every so often to keep herself awake.

"Then we need someone. Cure doesn't heal concussions or breaks or organs, ya know."

"Sora, I'm just beat up. I'll be fine...if I could only..."

"Kairi!" She opened her eyes and blinked a few times to keep herself awake. She could see the vision of concern and fear in Sora's generally cheerful face. A small cut was above his right cheek, and a few slashes were on his arms. Yet other than that, he seemed fine. Kairi felt great relief in that.

"Where's Riku?" She asked, remembering things more clearly as time went on. Sora made a stern face, and turned to look at the photograph on the coffee table.

"I don't know."

Author's Notes: I am enjoying writing this sequel. Please, critique my lemon and my action. All reviews are highly appreciated, and are taken into full consideration. I hope all of you reading this have enjoyed the past two chapters, and prologue.