Chapter 2

Kairi

"Mornin'" Sora said groggily walking out of the back room.

"Morning, Sora."

"Good morning, Sora."

"Good morning, Sora!"

"Morning!"

"Good morning, my boy!"

"Mornin', kid."

"Morning."

"Hey, look, the idiot's finally out of bed." Sora's eyes snapped open he looked at the people present at the table. Yuffie, Aerith, Goofy, Donald, Merlin, Cid, Leon, and…

"RIKU! WHY THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE??" Sora shouted, brutally murdering the english language.

Riku sniggered. "'Why the heck are you doing here?' You're such an idiot." He said, sipping the tea laid out in front of him. Sora fumed at him. "Anyway," Riku continued. "I stopped by to tease you a little while." Sora stormed over to the table and sat down with much violence towards the inatimate objects. Aerith put tea down in front of him and he seized it angrily. "Arent you supposed to be at the Castle Postern?" He asked nastily.

"Aw, don't be mad Sora! I came by to see you, didn't I? You should be happy!"

"I would be if it were anyone but you. " Sora snapped back at him. Riku sniggered and stood up. "Leon? Could Sora have the day off today?" He asked leaning over the table.

"No."

"How come?"

"Because he has training to catch up on." Leon replied coolly.

"He'll do it tomorrow." Riku said with a shrug. "Right now he needs to come with me."

Leon looked up at Riku who was, apparently, trying to look intimidating. "The answer is still no." He said, Riku frowned. "Please?"

"No."

"Come on, I said please."

"And I said no. I don't see what's so hard about that."

Riku thought a moment. "Can Sora not have not this day off?" He said quickly.

"No."

"Thank you!" Riku said, grabbing Sora's arm and dragging him out the door. Leon stood there in shock. "Double negative." Aerith said sweetly. "You did agree." Leon glared at her and stood up. "You two will have to wait to start tomorrow then." He told Donald and Goofy.

-----------------

"Riku? Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"I don't want to see! I want to know!" Sora exclaimed as Riku drug him hrough the baily and down the steps. "Just come on." Riku said, pulling him on. They reached the bottom and Riku threw Sora three feet from the wall. "OW! What the heck-"

"Look, you moron." Riku said pointing behind Sora. Sora turned around. "Whoa…"

"Yeah. Whoa." Riku said walking up to stand next to him. "Found it this morning and I knew you had to see."

"Thanks, I guess."

At the bottom of the baily steps, about three-fourths of the ususal machinery was moved to the side revealing a small opening to a large stone valley. "Amazing, isn't it?" Riku said leaning down to look through.

"Lets go through." Sora said climbing in. Riku shrugged and followed.

---

A girl with long red hair cautiously stepped out of the door way. She was soaking from head to toe and had a guilty look on her face. She glanced from side to side and darted down the hallway, although it was not long before she heard some one call, "Princess?" She turned her head slowly, "Yes?"

"May I ask why you are soaking wet?"

"Uhhh, no?"

"Princess…."

"I fell in the pond."

"THE POND! Princess!" Kairi winced as the maid ranted on about how princesses should not be swimming in murky pond water. "Listen… if we could just… you know… not tell my dad? Then I'm sure I could work in a raise for you."

"Young lady, are you bribing me?"

"That depends. Is it working?" Kairi's answer was her being seized by the ear and dragged through the hallways to her father's office.

---

"Its nice here." Sora said putting his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, not a heartless in sight." Riku added, doing the same and looking up at the sky in awe. He nudged Sora in the ribs after a moment.

"Hey check it out, you can see your girlfriend's room from here." He said, pointing upwards. Sora punched him and looked up. Kairi was indeed sitting by her window with a towel over her head staring out into space. Sora lifted up his hand to wave and opened his mouth to shout "HIYA!" but all he got out was "HI-" before Riku slapped a hand over his mouth and yanked him to the side where Kairi couldn't see them. She looked down at the large path and shrugged and went back inside. Sora pulled Riku's hand off his mouth. "WHAT THE HECK?"

"You wanna get caught? I could have my position striped and you would never become a knight! What kind of idiot do you have to be?" Riku yelled at the top of his lungs. Sora winced, "Uh, one like you."

"AH HA! So there were people down there! I knew it." Sora shot a look at Riku and then looked upward towards Kairi, who had come rushing back to her window and was now pointing an accusing finger. "Wait, Kairi!" Sora tried to yell before Riku grabbed the hood of his sweater and dragged him along past the window.

"Hey wait!" Kairi yelled after them.

"Yeah right." Riku muttered under his breath.

"HEY! Wait! Please! I want to come!" Kairi yelled leaning very far out of her window. Riku stopped running and turned to look at her. Sora released himself from Riku's grip.

"She wants to… come?" He asked Riku who nodded in reply. "Should we let her?" Sora asked.

Riku gave him the 'Did the zombie's eat your brain or what?' look. "NO! We'd be in so much trouble we'd be banished! Banished! And I don't know about you but I LIKE it here in Radiant Garden." Riku scolded.

"Come on! Please?" Kairi yelled. She leaned out further, Sora turned to look at her and gaped at her position. "HEY! Don't do that! You might-"

"AHHH!"

"Fall." Riku said sadly as he dove after the falling girl, but Sora caught her before he could even get close. Riku whistled once and clapped almost insultingly. Both Sora and Kairi blushed as Sora set her down slowly, and Riku began to sing under his breath, "Sora and Kairi, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Kairi stood up and brushed herself off. "Thanks a ton!" She said with genuine gratitude.

"You're welcome." Riku said with a shrug. "But if we get caught, then we aren't taking the blame." He said turning and walking away. Sora rolled his eyes and turned back to her. "Don't listen to him, he's an idiot. I'm…"

"Sora. I remember you." She said putting her hands behind her back and swinging from side to side. Sora blushed and put one hand behind his head. "Really? I-"

"First comes love! Then comes marriage! Then comes the baby in the-"

"SHUT UP RIKU!" Sora exclaimed turning bright red. Insane laughter followed.

"So where are you going?" Kairi asked leaning forward to the red-in-the-face-brunet. He looked back at her. "Oh we're exploring."

"Wow! That sounds- AHHH!" Kairi had only begun speaking when creatures clothed in tight silver fabric jumped on her from out of nowhere and wrapped slick, white, tentacle-like arms around her arms, pinning her down.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled, forgetting to brandish his weapon. He dove but before he could reach her, he felt a heavy thud on the back of his head. He felt his legs cripple and his whole body lose contact with his brain. His vision was slowly engulfed in darkness as his body hit the floor with a loud bang.