A/N: There will be edits on some of the past chapters throughout the next few updates while I get the story into shape…Sorry about the inconvenience in advance, the planning done for this story was nada. I'll brief you about the most important changes in the A/N, so heads up!

Edit: The invader in the prologue (Xemnas - Xigbar), (Kairi's little bro hair color - blonde) + minor error fixes done.

Chapter 2

When Riku entered the commander's tent, Sora was looking at a map with furrowed brows. A bored Demyx was fiddling with his sitar next to Sora.

Demyx looked up. "Ooh! Jerky! Give me some." He grabbed at the jerky Riku was holding.

Easily dodging Demyx's lunges, Riku set down his candle on the table and offered the jerky to Sora. Sora took it.

Demyx sulked and settled back in his chair. "Jerk."

"So what's the matter?" Riku asked Sora.

"Nothing. That's the problem."

Demyx moaned. "He's been like this the entire time. The plan's perfect!"

"Mhn?"

Sora tapped his fingers against the map impatiently. "The situation. It's too easy. Something's not right. The old man would never give me something like this. He knows I can do better." He bit off a chunk of jerky.

Riku went to where Sora was sitting and stood behind him.

"Brief me."

Sora pointed at the Siern Plateau. "Originally, Khan wanted our unit to ambush Siern Plateau at dawn and take over the Vandit Clan before the sun set tomorrow." He puffed out a stream of air. "Even if we are the best, if it was any other time, taking over the Vandits with only one unit would mean suicide. But after having received info that most of their men had set out yesterday to conquer the Luna Clan," Sora pointed to a spot a day's ride away from where they were now. "It's more than possible."

Riku nodded. "If they're fighting the Luna Clan, they won't want to take any chances. Only the women, the young, the sick, and a handful of men should be left at home. We could do it."

"Vandit men are fiercely protective of their family. If we take their women hostage, the men would surrender arms without much of a struggle." Sora added.

Riku calculated mentally. "We'll be able to get to the plateau by noon. If we consider the time need to scout ahead and infiltrate, we'll be able to finish this at around dinnertime… isn't that a bit late?"

"The Vandits left in the afternoon yesterday, and the Luna Clan aren't an easy bunch to beat. I highly doubt they can make it back before the sun sets tomorrow."

Demyx frowned. "Then why did the Khan want us to attack so quickly?"

Shrugging one shoulder Sora answered. "I think it was because he thought it would have been safest if we attacked at dusk. Either that or he had other things on schedule. But it doesn't matter. That's out of question now."

"Yeah, about that." Demyx sat up properly. "Why'd you do it?"

Sora flicked his eyes towards Demyx. "Do what?"

"I mean you were pretty dead set on getting there on time. Why'd you suddenly get all generous and set up camp just to save two nobodies? Two nobodies that just happen to turn up in the middle of the desert? They could be fucking spies, Capt'n. It's not like you."

Riku raised his eyebrows, impressed. So the idiot could think once in a while.

Demyx leaned towards Sora with a twinkle in his eye. "By any chance…."

Sora tensed.

"…did you fall for him?"

Silence.

"Ah, I hit a bull's eye, eh? Smack on the mark. Don't get me wrong, Capt'n. I'm fine with whichever way you swing, and we all have our naughty little desires, but who would have guessed?" Demyx whistled.

Sora returned his attention to the map.

"Sora, tell me again why this imbecile is even in this tent?" Riku asked.

"It was because Demyx can be surprisingly sharp in finding loose ends, but I'm beginning to question that judgement myself."

Unperturbed Demyx looked at Sora with a grin on his face, "So am I right or am I right?"

Sora sighed. Though he was sick of this conversation, he did owe them an explanation. "Frankly speaking, I wasn't too happy about having my men fight after an entire day of hard riding. That boy was the perfect excuse."

Riku nodded. This was what Sora had told him.

Sora added. "And the boy seemed smart and useful. It's never bad to have someone like that in your debt. Right now the boy is helpless. He has a sick child on him and no weapons. He won't act recklessly for now. If the boy turns out to be a spy, it'll be a simple matter to kill him or use him. We'll see."

Unconvinced, Demyx crossed his arms. "Uh yeah, sure. You just saved him because he was cute."

Sora glared at Demyx. "Enough. That's not what's important at this point."

Demyx slumped back in his chair. "Oh, the plan? Whatever. Like I said, the plan's perfect."

Sora turned to Riku. "Is it?"

Riku thought for a moment and slowly shook his head. "You're right. I feel as if we've overlooked something."

Sora ran his hand through his hair. "I can't find anything wrong, but why?"

Demyx sighed and rose from his seat. "Either way, we've got to do it. You know you can't back out on this, Sora. Not just the Khan, but that scary lady and the rest of the hyenas would jump on you the moment you did."

"I know. But if only I knew what was wrong, I could do something about it. Sending my men there with this filthy feeling… I don't like it."

"Well, you keep moping around. I'm going to sleep. If I have to fight tomorrow, I need as much rest as I can get." Demyx grabbed his sitar and made his way outside."

Riku rested his hand on Sora's shoulder. "We still have time to think about it. You should get some rest too. Sleep on it, it'll come to you."

Sora massaged his temples. "I just hope it'll come before it's too late."

"Ow Ow Ow ow ouch!"

The two men turned to see Demyx back in the tent. His right hand was tightly gripping the ear of a certain redhead.

"Gentlemen, we have a peeping tom."

He let go and the redhead scurried away. He nursed his aching ear while glowering at Demyx.

"I found him standing suspiciously just outside the entrance of our tent."

Sora asked in a hard voice. "What are you doing here?"

Startled by the harsh tone, Kai stuttered. "You…you told me to come after my brother's been seen to, sir."

"Why didn't you come in?"

The boy blushed. "…I was nervous, sir. I wanted to calm myself before I came in."

Sora's expression softened. The boy didn't seem to be good at hiding his feelings. "Did you hear anything?"

The boy fervently shook his head. "Nothing sir… I had only standing there for a minute or so before I was so courteously brought in." The boy spat the words at the man holding the sitar.

Demyx threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Who said this guy was helpless? He's fucking intimidating."

Riku had to hide a smile. Sora said in an amused voice, "You don't seem so nervous now."

Kai blushed deeper. "Pa...Pardon me, sir."

Right. Kai remembered. He was under their mercy.

The blonde commander took a moment to analyze the boy.

The grit on the boy's face had been scrubbed clean. Undoubtedly the work of Aerith. With his fine complexion and rosy cheeks, pretty boy had gotten prettier. The boy's bottom lip trembled ever so slightly and in the candlelight, the boy's eyes glowed like the ocean, drawing Sora into its clear blue depths. Instinctively, Sora sensed that if he were to fall in, he would drown.

Sora nodded grimly. "I'll be asking you a few questions. Don't stall and be smart. If you lie to me. Make sure I never find out. Understood?"

Kai jerked his head into a nod.

"Who are you and why are you here."

Kai answered quickly. "My name is Kai. My brother and I are from Destiny Clan."

Riku's eyes widened in surprise and Sora stared at the boy.

"Destiny Clan? Isn't that the clan of the oracles? The ones said to be able to communicate with the heavens?" Demyx looked excited. "Can you see the future?"

Kai glared at him. "No, sir." The pain in his ear was still there. "I have no oracle blood. My mother's from another clan. She stumbled upon the Destiny Clan's territory when she was pregnant with me. Father fell in love with her and took her in."

"How about your brother? Does he have any powers?" Sora asked.

Kai fidgeted with his hands. "My brother's a half-blood. Half-bloods can't see into the future."

That was half the truth. According to Destiny Clan's lore, while half-bloods couldn't see into the future, they had the power to change the flow of destiny. However, as the suffering caused by the change in destiny was the cost half-bloods had to pay, those that dabbled with destiny rarely had happy endings.

Sora sighed in disappointment. "Of course. Continue."

Kai bit his lip and hesitated before continuing. "Five days ago, our clan was massacred by an unknown group of people. Father died protecting our village. He was the best warrior we had so we surrendered soon after. We figured that they would move on after we've been conquered. But the men kept killing. They tried to break into our house, so Mom told us to run. She said we'd get caught if all three of us fled. She told me to keep my little brother safe." The boy's voice cracked. "She said she loved us, and she sent us away. We ran like hell. The two days' worth of provisions we brought with us lasted until the day before yesterday."

Kai's eyes were red from holding in his tears.

Riku and Sora looked at each another. Riku nodded, confirming Sora's thoughts. The boy didn't seem to be lying.

Sora quickly made a decision. "For now, stay with Aerith. You'll be helping out with errands, odd jobs and general camp work until further notice. No one is below you in status, so act accordingly. You may leave."

"Th..thank you, sir." Kai bowed in greeting and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Kai looked back.

Sora grinned. "Welcome to the Red Warriors."

Outside the tent, Kairi let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been hiding. They didn't find out she was a girl. She dreaded to think about what would happen if they did.

She massaged her sore throat. Mimicking a guy's voice was hard. Thankfully the dry desert air helped by giving it a husky tone. She was also lucky that she looked younger as a guy than she did as a girl. They would probably see her as a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. If they got suspicious, she could say puberty was running late.

Using the candle Riku tossed to her before she left the tent, Kairi miraculously managed to find Aerith's tent. Aerith wasn't in and her brother was sleeping. Kairi put her hand on his forehead.

The fever had gone down.

Kairi sighed in relief. She lied down next to her brother and covered her eyes with her arm.

When they were running away, she hadn't the time to process what had happened. Only after she had recounted her misfortune to the blonde commander did reality strike her in the face.

"Mom…Dad…"

The next day, Sora was putting on his armor when an agitated Riku burst in the tent.

"Sora, they're gone."

"Who?"

"The boy. Kai. Both him and his brother. A camel is missing as well."

Sora froze. He narrowed his eyes.

"What!"

…..tbc

*A word from you is the world to me*

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