Kairi felt as if she floated through most of the week that followed the wedding, with one day slipping into the next, marked only by frustrating discussions with Sora. Selphie and Olette teased her about her absent-mindedness, but more gently than usual. Riku passed her in the hall once or twice and made little jokes about straightening up his room before Friday. Roxas didn't cross her path that week-at least she didn't see him. Everyone in school knew by then about her father and Aqua's marriage.
The wedding had made all the local papers as well as the Atlantica Times. Kairi shouldn't have been suprised, for Aqua was oftern in the paper, but it was odd to see photos of her father as well. Friday morning finally arrived, and Kairi nosed her Keyblade glider out of the apartment driveway, and took off out into the Lanes Between, feeling suddenly homesick for every crowded, noisy, dilapidated rental place her family had ever lived in. When she returned from school that afternoon, she'd enter a different driveway, in The World That Never Was, one that climbed a ridge high above the Brink of Despair, practically right next to Organization XIII's Castle That Never Was.
The road to the house hugged a low stone wall, and ran between patches of woods, ice blue rose bushes, and laurel. Aqua's woods, roses, and laurel. That afternoon Kairi picked Sora up from school. He had given up the fight a rode behind her on the glider silently, holding onto her waist. Halfway up the ridge, Kairi heard a glider on the bend above them, roaring downhill. Suddenly, the rider and she were face-to-face. She was already as far to the right as she could get. Still he came head-on. Kairi slammed her brakes, as Sora clung to her waist, whimpering.
The glider swerved dangerously close to them, then sped past. Sora's head was buried in Kairi's backside, as he shook. Kairi glanced in her rearview mirror. It was probably Axel, goofing off on Riku's glider. She hoped Riku was with him. But Riku was waiting for them at the house, along with Aqua and Kairi's father, who were just back from their honeymoon. Her father greeted them with big hugs that nearly squished her to death from his big strong arms. Aqua took both of Kairi's hands in hers. She was wise enough to smile at but not touch Sora. Then Kairi and Sora went over to Riku. "I'm the tour guide," he said. Leaning toward Sora, he warned, "Stay close. Some of these rooms are haunted." Sora looked around quickly, letting out a slight whimper, then glanced up at Kairi.
"He's just kidding." "I'm not," said Riku. "Some very un-happy people have lived here." Sora glanced up at Kairi again. She shook her head. On the outside of the house was a stately white clapboard home with heavy black shutters. Wings had been added too each side of the main structure. Kairi would have liked to live in one of the smaller wings with their deep sloping roofs and dormer windows. In the main part of the house, some of the high-ceilinged rooms seemed large as apartments that they had once lived in. The house's wide center hall and sweeping stair separated the living room, library, and solarium from the dining room, kitchen, and family room.
Beyond the family room was a gallery leading to the west wing with Aqua's office. Since her father and Aqua were talking in the office, the downstairs tour stopped at the gallery, in front of three portraits: Ventus, Terra, and Aqua. Next to Aqua there was a blank spot on the wall. "Makes you wonder who's going to hang there," Riku remarked dryly. He smiled, but his turquoise hooded eyes had a haunted look. For a moment, Kairi felt sorry for him. As Aqua's son, he must have felt a lot of pressure to do well. "You will," She said softly. Riku looked her in the eyes, then laughed. His laugh was touched with bitterness. "Come upstairs," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the back stairway that ran up to his room. Sora tagged along silently.
Riku's room was large and had only one thing in common with other guys' rooms-an archaelogical layer of discarded boxers and socks. Beneath that, it showed money and taste: dark leather chairs and glas tables, a desk and computer, and a large entertainment center. Covering the walls were museum prints with striking geometric shapes. In the center of it all was a king-size water bed. "Try it," Riku urged. Kairi leaned down and jiggled it tentatively with her hand. He laughed at her. "What are you afraid of? Come on Sor"-no one called him Sor, Kairi thought-"Show your sister how. Climb on top and give it a good roll around." "I don't want to," said Sora. "Sure you do," Riku was smiling, but his tone of voice threatened.
"Nope," said Sora. "Its a lot of fun." Riku grasped Sora's shoulder's and pushed him forcefully toward the bed. Sora resisted, then tripped and fell onto it. He sprang off just as quickly. "I hate it!" he cried. Riku's mouth hardened into a line. Kairi then sat down on the bed. "It is fun," she said. She bounced slowly up and down. "Try it with me, Sora." But he had moved out into the hallway. "Lie back on it, Kairi," Riku urged her, his voice low and silky. When she did, he lay down beside her. "We really should get to our unpacking," Kairi said, sitting up quickly. They crossed through a low-roofed passage that was just above the gallery and into the section of the main house where Sora and she had their bedrooms.
Her door was closed and when she opened it, Sora rushed through to Cupcake, who was stretched out luxuriously on Kairi's bed. Oh no, Kairi groaned silently as she glanced around the elaborately decorated room. She had feared the worst when her father said she was in for a big suprise. What she saw was lots of lace, white wood trimmed with gold, and a canopy bed. "Princess furniture," she muttered aloud. Riku grinned. "At least Cupcake looks at home. He's always thought of himself as a king. Do you like heartless, Riku?" "Sure," he said, sitting on the bed next to Cupcake. Cupcake promptly got up and walked to the other end of the bed. Riku looked annoyed. "Thats a king for you," Kairi said lightly. "Well thanks for the tour. I've got alot to unpack." But Riku lounged back on her bed. "This was my room when I was a kid."
"Oh?" Kairi lifted an armload of clothes from a garment bag and pulled open a door to what she though was a closet. Instead she faced a set of stairs. "That was my secret stairway," Riku said. Kairi peered up into the darkness. "I used to hide up in the attic when my mother and father fought. Which was everyday," Riku added. "Did you ever meet my father? You must have because he was always training with Roxas." "At the arena? Yes." Kairi replied, opening the door to a closet. "Wonderful man, isn't he?" His words were heavy with sarcasm. "Loves everyone. Never thinks of himself." "I was young when I met him," Kairi said tactfully. "I was young, too." "Riku . . . I've been wanting to say this. I know it must be hard for you, watching my father move into your father's old room, having Sora and me take over the space that was once yours. I don't blame you for-" "For being glad your here?" he interuppted. "I am. I'm counting on you and Sora to keep the old lady on her best behavior. She knows others are watching her and her new family. Now she's got to be the good and loving mama. Let me help you with that."
Kairi had picked up her box of angels. "No, really, Riku, I can handle this myself." He reached in his pocket for a penknife and slit the tape on the carton. "What's in it?" "Kairi's angels," said Sora. "The boy speaks!" Sora pressed his lips together. "Soon enough, you won't be able to shut him up," Kairi said. Then she carefully opened the box and began to take out her carefully wrapped statues. Namine came out first. Then an angel carved out of a soft grey stone. Then her favorite, her water angel, a fragile porcelain figure painted in a swirl of blue-green. Riku watched as she unwrapped fifteen statues and set them on a shelf.
His eyes were bright with amusement. "You don't take this stuff seriously, do you?" "What do you mean by seriously?" she asked. "You don't really believe in angels." "I do," said Kairi. He picked up the water angel and made her zoom around the room. "Put her down!" Sora cried. "She's Kairi's favorite." Riku landed her facedown on a pillow. "You're mean!" "He's just playing, Sora," Kairi said, and calmly retrieved the angel. Riku lay back on the bed. "Do you pray to them?" he asked. "Yes. To the angels, not the statues," she explained. "And what wonderful things have these angels done for you? Have they captured Roxas's heart?" Kairi glanced at him with suprise. "No. But then, I didn't pray for that."
Riku laughed softly. "Do you know Roxas?" Sora asked. "Since first grade," Riku replied, then lazily extended an arm toward the heartless. Cupcake rolled away from him. "He was the good kid on my Little League Fruitball team." Riku said, pulling himself up so he could reach Cupcake. He rose at the same time and walked to the other end of the bed. "He was the good kid on every team," Riku said. He again reached for Cupcake. The heartless hissed. Kairi saw the color rising in Riku's cheeks. "Don't take it personally, Riku," Kairi said. "Just let Cupcake be for a while. Heartless often play hard to get."
"Like some girls I know," he remarked. "Come here, boy." He thrust his hand toward him. The heartless raised a quick black claw, hissing louder. "Let him come to you," Kairi warned. But Riku took the heartless by the scruff of his neck and pulled her upward. "Don't!" Kairi cried. He pushed his other hand up under her belly. Cupcake bit him hard on the wrist. "Fuck!" He threw Cupcake across the room. Sora ran for the heartless. The heartless ran to Kairi. She scooped him up in her arms. Cupcake's yellow eyes narrowed and he let out a long, heated hiss; he was angry rather than hurt. Riku still watched him, the color high in his cheeks.
"Cupcake was a rouge heartless," Kairi told him, fighting to keep her own temper. "When I found him, he was a little bit of darkness and glowing yellow eyes backed up against Pride Rock, holding his own against a big, torn-up lion. I tried to tell you. You can't come up on him that way. He doesn't trust people easily." "Maybe you should teach him to," Riku said. "You trust me, don't you?" He gave her one of his crooked, questioning smiles. Kairi put down Cupcake. The heartless sat under the chair and glowered at Riku. At the sound of footsteps in the hall, he scooted under the bed.
Aqua stood in the doorway. "How's everything?" she asked. "Fine," Kairi lied. "It stinks," said Sora. Aqua blinked, then nodded graciously. "Well then," she said, "we'll have to try to make things better. Do you think we can?" Sora just stared at her. Aqua turned to Kairi. "Did you happen to open that door yet?" Kairi followed her glance up to Riku's secret steps. "The light for the upstairs is on the left side," she told her. Apparently she wanted her to investigate. Kairi opened the door, and turned on the light. Sora, growing curious, slipped under her arm and scooted up the steps. "Wow!" he shouted from above them. "Wow!" Kairi glanced at Aqua. At the sound of Sora's excited voice, her face flushed with pleasure. Riku stared intently out the window.
"Kairi, come see!" Kairi hurried up the steps. She expected to see wooden Keyblades, plushies, or maybe a life-size Terra cut out. Instead she discovered a baby grand piano, a CD and tape player, and two cabinets filled with her musical scores. "If there is anything missing . . ." Aqua began. She was standing next to her, puffing a little from the steps, looking hopeful. Riku had come halfway up, just far enough to see. "Thanks!" was all Kairi could say. "Thanks!" "This is cool, Kairi," Sora said. "And it's for all three of us to share," she told him, glad that he was too excited to remember to sulk. Then she turned to Riku, but he had disappeared.
Dinner that night seemed to last forever. The lavishness of Aqua's gifts, the music room for Kairi and a well stalked playroom for Sora, was both overwhelming and embarrassing. Since Sora, growing moody once more, had decided he would not speak at all at dinner-"Maybe never again," he'd told Kairi with a pout-it was up to her to express their gratitude to Aqua. But in doing so, she walked a tightrope: when Aqua asked a second time if there was anything she and Sora wanted, she saw how Riku's hands tensed. In the middle of dessert, Selphie telephoned. Kairi made the mistake of picking up the call in the hall outside the dining room.
Selphie was hoping for an invitation to the house that evening. Kairi told her the next day would be better. "But I'm all dressed!" Selphie complained. "Of course you are," Kairi rplied, "it's only seven-thirty." "I meant dressed to come over." "Gee, Selphie," Kairi said, playing dumb, "you didn't have to wear anything special to visit me." "What's Riku doing tonight?" "I don't know. I haven't asked him." "Well find out! Find out her name and where she lives," Selphie ordered, "and what she's wearing and where they go. If we don't know her, find out what she looks like. I just know he has a date," she wailed. "he must!"
Kairi had expected this. But she was worn out by the childishness of Sora and Riku; she didn't like listening to the whining of Selphie. "I've got to go now." "I'll die if it's Larxene. Do you know if it's Larxene?" "I don't know. Riku hasn't told me. Listen, I've got to go." "Kairi, wait! You haven't told me anything yet." Kairi sighed. "I'll be taking my usual lunch break at the Moogle Shop tommorrow. Call Olette and meet me at the mall, okay?" "Okay but Kairi-" "I'd better be going now," Kairi said, and hung up the phone. "So how's Selphie?" Riku asked. He was leaning against the frame of the door that led into the dining room, his head cocked, smiling.
"Fine." "What's she doing tonight?" The laughter in his eyes told her that he had overheard the conversation, and that this was a tease, not sincere interest in the information. "I didn't ask her and she hasn't told me. But if you two would like to talk it over with each other-" He laughed, then touched Kairi on the tip of her nose. "Funny," he said. "I hope we keep you."