Scene 4

Cloud awoke the next morning to see his wife brushing her hair in front of the mirror, he got up shirtless and went to her…she was sitting in night gown, black and velvety. Her hair looked more soft then even that though, he stroked it from behind. She turned to see her husband,

"Cloud dear…" she said. He hugged her as she stood to embrace him.

"My lady Tifa…" he said, "Fairest of Heartulettes…."

"Nay thee lord I pray…" she said teasingly holding her arms around his neck, "For should be true that fairest maiden be in these lands to put me to shame you wouldst speak falsely…"

"Nay thee I say to you lady of great cheek…" He said smirking and dipped her a bit…

"For should I live a thousand life times over, no more beautiful to me would I find a maiden…" he had his forehead rested on hers. She smiled up at him and kissed him.

He kissed her back, her hands sliding down his chest, suddenly there was a knock at their door. Cloud looked annoyed and Tifa giggled releasing her hold from Clouds neck. He propped her back up and announced, "The lady and I are in council…"

The nurse maids voice came from behind the door, "Your grace, the Lord Auron is wondering if he will be able to have a word with your son Sir Riku."

Cloud looked at Tifa returning to the bed, "And why wouldn't simply speak with him at breakfast…?"

She paused and then spoke up again, "He wasn't in his bed this morning sir, out the window he's gone…" Cloud rolled his eyes. "That lad…" he said shaking his head, he looked over at Tifa who was now bending to get her things out of her drawer.

"We'll be out presently…" Cloud said sighing, he heard feet patter away from their chambers, Tifa looked over her shoulder at her husband.

"He gets his moodiness from you dear husband…" she teased.

He smirked, as she turned back round to look through the draw she jumped up in a squeal as cloud spanked her while waking passed.

Scene 5

Court yard elsewhere in Hollow Bastian:

Riku did not feel like eating breakfast with the Lords and ladies of the Heartulette Court, he was surprisingly in a good mood that night previous, he didn't want that mood spoiled by a bunch of people questions as to how he was feeling or other matters that would only depress him again, for no other reason other than impartiality to simple day to day routines and rituals. He had vibrant new feeling, and he wanted to savor it, it wasn't often since the spurning of the Lady Kairi's choices that he'd had a merry sleep. Oh great, just thinking about her was again waging war inside him over his moods.

He passed by whispering in maze he walking along side the outside of, and slowed his pace to listen, he could hear Lady Aerith laughing, it wasn't because she was in her usual happy mood, something had especially impressed her. As he crept along the outer brush carefully and peered in through the entrance, he could see Aerith as he'd predicted walking at a very slow pace with a knight of the Heartulette table.

The hair style was unmistakable, it was Zack Fair. He'd long wished to woo the affections of the Lady Aerith, and often regaled her with tales of his and his fellow knight's adventures, and of course the usefulness of the charms she gave them from her Inn/shop. Aerith was renowned in the region for her kindness and gentleness, but also her sharp mind in conducing elixirs that aided much in battle and deceiving the enemy, or protecting one's self. Sir Fair had had his eye on her hand since he'd first bought an elixir from her.

Riku backed away from the entrance to the maze and nearly stepped on two little mice. "HEY WATCH-IT!" he heard a squeak.

He looked back to see Jack and Gus-gus the fat mouse putting their hands up and squinting their eyes shut ready to be tread upon.

He carefully, took his foot up out of the awkward positioning it was over the two mice, "Sorry…" he said in his low way.

"Awww don't worry about it…" Jack said, "Yeah!" Gus-gus said quickly agreeing with his friend, "We were just going to pick up my cousins Sara and sue!" Conversation, just what Riku was attempting to avoid.

"Yup!" Gus-gus finished for his friend, "We has dates!" another subject which Riku was hoping to avoid.

"Well I'll leave you too it…" he said flatly and went on his way. As he walked through more of the Garden, he could see atop the rose bushes cut in the shape of balloons, Bernard the plumber mouse, and his wife Bianca. "Oh Bernard…" Bianca was saying wrapping her arms around him gazing at the beautiful day. He comfortingly put his hand around her shoulder patting her back, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

Was today dead-set in reminding him what he wanted to not think on? Today of all days when he had a fighting chance with a GOOD dream the night before?

"Oh that I should forget to think…" He said to himself…

By this he meant of course, of all the things he could forget to do that day, could he at least forget to think about his plight with the now forever forbidden Kairi?

Suddenly he heard a familiar annoyed and frustrated call, "Hewoooo….Goofyyy, where are ya ya big palooka!"

It was his mate Donald the Duck, what possible trouble could goofy have gotten them into…or trying to avoid by avoiding Donald, Donald was always keen on a good prank, and all at the unction of the jester hearted Knight, Sora. He was no scarce of a prank or some form of mischief to play. He could also see now that Donald did not have mischief in his eye, he was troubled, he shouldn't expect too much of a joyful ambush from the duck.

"I take it he's out with Sora thinking up some malice for the day what?…" Riku said from behind him.

"WAGAHHAAHAK!" Donald exclaimed, he turned around to see Riku leaning on one of the pillars of the nearby gazebo's his arms folded.

"Don do dat!" Donald said clutching his heart. Riku chuckled and walked over to the duck.

Donald waddled up to him disgruntled then saw something behind Riku and taking his hand and making his excited "WAGKGKGKGK" noise took him behind the cover of some tall bushes.

Riku went along with his friend and looked over the edge of the bushes at what or who they were avoiding the gaze of and saw Lady Daisy walk down some steps out of one of the Court houses.

Donald shrunk back at this. Riku glanced at the duck then back at the lady duck, she seemed a little annoyed, like she was waiting for someone to show up. Suddenly she saw Lady Stella and Lord Noctis from the Radiant Garden. She curtsied them, and they bowed to her in turn asking where the rest of the Heartulette Nobility was no doubt. She smiled politely up at them and lead them down the way she'd just come.

Riku looked back at his feathered companion, he didn't smirk, but his face didn't need to as he said

"I thought she was your pudding or something like that…"

Donald made a nervous quacking laugh,

"Well…she isn't exactly happy with meh!" He finally said wringing the hem of his vest.

Riku made a huffing noise and stood up, Donald made an effort to pull him back down, but only succeeded in being hoisted off the ground by hanging onto his coat and dragged from behind the bushes, to see that Daisy and her escort were gone.

"You aren't eating with the royal family Donald?" Riku asked. Donald looked sad, she said that she would get me a seat to eat with hor at tha Royal families table…I made a big mess'ov'et, now I'm cooked…"

Riku knew this meant that he'd boasted overly about his invite by Daisy who was indeed in service of the Prince, and had half the house of Heartulette hearing about it when it wasn't to be known she'd pulled such strings.

"Still your just…skipping the morning meal…" Riku observed.

It was true, it took something very serious for Donald to miss ANY meal of the day.

Donald just dragged his webbed feet, "Awwwwe" he said again, "Maybe I'll just skip bwakfust…"

Riku had now seen that Sir Fair and his lady of intent were out of the maze and walking through the park, he made his way swiftly towards it, with Donald rushing after him.

"HEY!" he exclaimed, "Wait for meeee!"

Scene 6

Castle Oblivion: Namine's chamber.

Namine awoke in a surprisingly good mood, she'd felt very depressed the night before for some reason. She couldn't draw anything, and it vexed her, she so loved drawing before going to bed.

But this time inspiration came directly from her dream, for she'd imagined running away, it was a silly dream she knew. Still, enough to be daring enough to think about… she drew quickly what she had dreamt sitting up now in her bed.

With a few pencil strokes she was done and held her work up to the light that now entered her room.

The picture was of a little figure, holding onto the hand of a bigger figure who was drawn much darker and much taller.

The little person she knew was her…and the person whose hand she was holding was…..her dream beau. She'd drawn him tall on purpose, she just liked it when people were noticeably tall, she'd secretly liked Axel once, even though she'd known he would NEVER want her back, he was way to …unpleasant for her, and that she was far to meek for him.

Vanitis was noticeably…normal, not the same, she could look up at him, but not have to do more than nod a fraction upwards and there, she met his eyes, nothing to really look up at, and plus, Vanitis looked DOWN on her, in a haughty way that even if she were his height made him seem like he was…above it all, and everybody…

She didn't like that, too much like her father, but to an extreme.

She heard a knocking at her door and knew who it was to be, "Come in Nurse Yuffie…" she called putting her pictures hurriedly down.

Yuffie strided in holding towels to replaced the used ones the night before from her nightly shower.

"Ello miss Namine…" she said cheerily.

"Hello nurse…" Namine said meekly. "Whatever's troubling you?" Nurse Yuffie said bouncing to her, hands behind her back.

Just because she bore the title nurse, did not mean of course she had to be old, the occupation of Nurse started as young as 14 sometimes, and she had just recently finished her ninja training and decided to take the rest of her study points as a nurse for the university so she could say on her resume she had worked for THE royal family of Nobodies in Castle Oblivion itself, when asked if she was competent as a personal guard.

"What be troubling you?" she said again in her perky mood. Namine looked her and smiled.

"Marriage…" she said disgustedly finally, and laid down again on her back on her pillow.

"Awwwww" Yuffie said clapping her hands together.

"Tis quite an honor miss…" she said attempting to be in good spirits for her.

Namine groaned, "It's not one that I dream of…" she said. Looking at the canopy of her bed with the Nobody crest on it, she finally looked back at her nurse.

The nurses expression was not as cheery, "Well me dear…" she said sitting on the bed. "An honor it still is…one you'll be proud to uphold…"

Namine returned her gaze to the canopy, "Now that's my mother you're talking nurse…." She said disappointed. Yuffie had to admit, her mistress had asked that she say something encouraging to the point of marriage, and she could not refuse her, was her duty.

"It just seems like, I haven't chosen anything…." She said. "Whatever do you mean?" Yuffie asked confused.

"This room, what I wear, who I see, who I don't see, how long I can talk if I'm permitted to, who I spend the rest of my life with…"

She shook her head, "It just feels as if, I'm another land of Fathers, or a province, kept to be perfect in its shape in his iron hand, only to be given away to whom he views fit…"

Yuffie looked a little sad. She could see that Namine had now turned on her stomach and hid hear head under her pillow while talking. She smiled "I remember when you were much smaller…" she said.
"You used to hide like that…" she said noticing she was sticking her tush in the air a bit. She wacked it with one of her towels to make her exclaim in a half giggle, to make her reemerge from the bed sheets and pillows. "That's no way for a decent young lady to lay in a bed…" Yuffie scolded teasingly.

"I don't like being on my back…." Namine said giggling as she came up out of the sheets. Yuffie hid her smile from seeing a double side to what Namine had just said.

"No wonder you don't fancy being married…" she murmered. "What doth that mean nurse?" Namine asked sitting up, putting her hands on her lap.

"Nothing dear nothing…." Yuffie said turning and hiding even more of a smile and a smirk.

She put the towels away completely then walked over to Namine's bed side, "Enough talk of that, let's see what you've made for me today…" she said smiling at the pictures strewn around the bed.

Many were old ones she just kept, others, well most others, were blank. Sticking out though, was Namine's Dream man picture. Yuffie quickly singled that one out.

"And who be this…" she said cutely pretending she was catching Namine in something fiendish.

Namine blushed a little, "A doodle…" she said again, "Of something I dreamt…" she smiled at her, but had a smile of knowing more to this.

"And…" Yuffie said relentlessly, "And…." Namine said hoping to go on from there, but saw that Yuffie would not let this go.

"We were….sort of…" she didn't need to finish it. "I see a man holding YOUR hand by the looks of it…" Yuffie said looking it over, "Nice design on his shoulders." Namine peeked from behind her fingers which were covering the eye portion of her face.

"Now this chap of white hair…" Yuffie started. Namine interrupted her excited, "Silver!" she said.
"Silver hair then…He exists in your mind…in your imagination." She went on.

Namine nodded at first, Yuffie continued, "Now would you…hold council with him…? Having never met or heard of him before?"

Namine admitted, in her dreams she liked the idea of a new, dazzling person coming to wisk her away from this life of hers, make her feel new, alive…but more the fact of somebody taking her away from there.

"I don't know…" Namine said, "It was just a dream…" Yuffie sat closer.

"Silly, Dreams come in so many shapes and sizes, and so do prince charmings, alright let's admit it, as cute as he is, Vanitis wouldn't make the prefect husband…"

Namine smirked, "I've admitted it in the 3rd degree already."

Yuffie laughed too, "BUT at this ball they're throwing there'll be Struggle players, jocks…tall jocks…ones that surely aren't as…full of themselves as Vanitis."

Namine looked at Yuffie, "Nurse….they're STRUGGLE players…8 out of 10 of them are jerks…" Yuffie admitted that they were known for being full of themselves, but not all, which she elected next.

"But not all…" she said hurriedly, "There are SOME good ones, you know it…"

Namine shrugged, "If so, I haven't met them…" Yuffie caught her, "You haven't met the beau in your dream either…but you wish for him."

Namine sighed, "Alright alright…I'll try to…make my dreams a little less fantastic…"

Yuffie put a hand on her shoulder, "I never said that did I now? I just meant, don't limit your prince charming to your fantasies, accept that he may be hiding behind one of the hoods of a Guard, or a Knight, or even a commoner.

"Father would disapprove a commoner…" Namine said. Yuffie smiled, "Aye but I'm not sure that'd detain you…"

Namine grinned, "Thank you Nurse…." She said hugging her.

Scene 7

Riku went on through the maze knowing Donald would lose him soon or later, he could hear him, ever step he took he seemed to be making some sort of noise or quack.

"Awwww phooey!" He finally heard, "I'll catch you later…." And hard the footsteps web off in the direction of the exit. He continued walking, then he came to a bench of stone, he sat at it and just closed his eyes.

As he did he thought about what he'd dreamt about. He was in…the dark again, the dark mind you, not to be confused for dark-ness…two very different things. And he could barely see his hand in front of his face, like he had in so many other dreams. Only this time, instead of feeling the wallow of despair, he saw something in the corner of his eye, it was the glimmer of something, it was light. Not light as in mere light in the darkness, this light was…different, same as the Darkness is different from common noun of darkness, this light was…the polar opposite of the darkness he feared, that he dreaded, detested, was ashamed of. Never had he in a dream even felt a hint of what it was like to feel something so different, it was like someone who is out in the cold, and can feel in the air that it's not AS cold in a certain area as they get closer to it until they can actually feel its heat.

Riku sprang up in his dream and ran as best he could towards this new feeling, this new sensation, this new…freedom, that was strong enough to defy the darkness. The light he saw looked distant, but as he neared he saw it was simply small, for now it was grow before his eyes, as soon as it reached the size of his own head, he heard a light giggle and it zoomed off like a pixie from a story of peter pan. That giggle was…the most magical musical sound he ever heard, he was now more transfixed in finding out what was at the middle of that light, chasing it as best he could, although it was more like he was swimming through mid air rather than walking.

He seemed to follow the glow for ages until finally, right when he thought he'd lost it behind something, he turned the corner it had, and saw a door, a large white door with stained glass windows to the inside near the top, he could hear the giggling inside.

That's when he'd woken up, Suddenly Riku was interrupted from his memories of the dream before by a metal blade or tip of a blunt object pressing against his back through the bushes behind him, he shut his eyes and in a flash of movement, planting his feet on the ground firmly, kicked off of them into a back flip, whipping out his Soul Eater blade, not his primary weapon, he didn't want to use that unless he knew he would need it. He hacked through the bushes of the maze in mid flip, landing on the other side, bringing the keyblade down in the direction of whoever his attackers shoulder was, it met with a clang against a keyblade of their own. The person was in an org coat, and Riku spun out of the blade lock preparing to take out his secondary weapon.

The keyblader spoke out putting his blade and hand up in a motion suggesting Riku backing up, "HEY HEY!" he heard a familiar voice say,

Riku stopped mid attack and let his other hand allow his other weapon to fade back into nothingness.

"Sora?" Riku said confused and angry. Sora took of his hood laughing now, revealing his spikey brown hair, his key blade faded away in his hand as he slapped his knee.

"You should have seen the look on your face…" he said laughing. Riku growled and raised his hand to bash him across the face with his fist. Sora put his hands up,

"Easy easy!" he yelled still smiling, "It was only a joke…"

Riku glared, "Sora…what were you thinking, didn't you know I could've…." His face resembled his confused one.

"Wait…why are you in organization Nobody robes?" Sora smiled at him as if he'd gotten an answer right on a game show and pointed triumphantly in the sky.

"Ah ha! Glad you noticed slow poke!" he said, "I pinched these off a supply wagon taking Nobody apparel to the local washery…"

Riku shook his head and made his other blade vanish into mid air,

"You bone head, only you would nick the coat of a Nobody guard for kicks…I mean all that trouble and for a coat?"

Sora looked Wiley, never a good sign.

"Not coat, coats', plural."

Riku rolled his eyes, "coat'S then…"

Sora narrowed his eyes smiling. "And don't worry…the nicking them wasn't where I'm getting my kicks…"

He pulled out from behind his back, a piece of paper about 2 feet in length, rolled up into a scroll with org symbols on the outer side in a large watermark.

Riku just stared at them, "What are these.." Sora looked disappointed that he'd guessed it was to pieces of paper rolled into one scroll, as if he'd ruined a surprise.

"Goofy and I got em this morning, he didn't want to but I made him…we figured you need something invigorating, something to boil your blood…"

Riku cocked is head at Sora, "As in more than your boiling it now with these stupid games?"

Sora chuckled, "Yeah more than that…" He handed one to Riku.

"Honored Nobody and or lady…" he skimmed. "You are cordially invited to…"

"Do you JEST?" Riku said cutting himself off from reading anymore. "You really want us to go RIGHT into Nobody territory…and just-"

Sora put a finger up interrupting him,

"AH! But its midground area…they'd have no call to trifle with us for being there…" Sora said cheekily.

Riku pushed the paper back at Sora's chest, "Forget it…" Sora held the paper and followed him.

"Awww Riku come on , you know you'd love it! Even Donald and Goofy are in on it!"

Riku glared, "Even if it IS on mid ground, there's no way some Nobody guard is going to let us in – "

Sora got in front of him, "Smell me…" he said. Riku looked at him like he was insane…well more so then usual.

"Are you out of your mind man?" Riku asked. Sora just folded his arms, "Come on…we all know you have that sixth sense about stuff, what do I smell like to you, you saw we all have scents to you."

Riku groaned and realized in his inhaling he was STILL smelling the odor, or to be just the potent smell of Nothingness…that was it, the strange familiar scent that he could usually peg Sora with at a mile away didn't even get through the cloak.

Sora smirked , "Goof y thought of it…see he figured, if Nobody's cloaks are like them….nothing, and their smell is like….like an anti-smell, its gotta be like a vacuum, consuming all other smells that'r given off Right?."

Riku looked at Sora impressed, "Wow your grasping anti-matter, didn't think your head was able to contain how to count."

Sora disregarded the comment not cause he was insulted, but because his mind was on something, and it was something fun…only that and sea salt ice cream could make him like that…

"So…why don't you, me and goofy…you know…"

Riku looked at Sora like he was crazy again, "It'll never work…" he said.

Sora read the rest aloud "By invitation of Lord Mar-lame-ia of Nobody family…" he began.

"You…" -showed him the Nobody symbol for anonymous number, "Are welcome to join in the celebration of our triumphant Struggle tournament victory, at the Naught Ball."

Sora giggled, "Not-ball…wow these nobodies take everything anti-everything seirou- OH come on!...dont tell me your not curious….besides…its mid town….other girls…maybe not Nobody or Heartulette but hey...girls are still girls…"

Riku's annoyed expression turned serious… "No…" he said and began to walk off again.

Sora rolled his eyes and ran in front of him again, cart-wheeling next to him before doing so.

"Look wait wait wait…-sigh- Listen I heard you talking once….on the balcony…"

Riku stopped,

"And, I remember how you were asking the powers that be, if it could be different….just that one night, if life wasn't predictable enough to enjoy that it wasn't…or that it wouldn't be late in its usual dependability of ruining your best moments, just one night…you'd be…less like you are."

Riku just looked at him, shocked his friend had remembered what he said word for word, not only because he had a spacious attention span but because…he remembered what "Mattered" to Riku.

"Well…" Sora continued, "This is something to shake things up…otherwise you'll just stay in your room to escape from those boring lords'n ladies until your folks make you go out and talk to them, or try to set you up. And wouldn't it be funny if you met someone that defied ALL your logic, and all your assumptions about love, there at the Not ball?"

Riku looked past him, "Nauaght..ball…" he corrected, "And anyway, we both know about the odds against that."

Sora had that "I got you" look in his face, "The reason your more down in the dumps than usual, is cause you already met someone who defied that logic…only now she's aligned with it, cause she made a dumb choice…well…what if you meet someone JUST as logic defying and they choose RIGHT?"

Riku chuckled, "If she chose right, she'd stay clear of me…" Sora threw his hands up in the air.

"FINE! Wrong then, the point is, it'd be something new, an alternative, and isn't that what you wanted anyway?..."

It wasn't that Sora's argument made sense, it did and it annoyed him, it wasn't even that he would enjoy pulling a stunt on the Nobody's and them not even know about it till they left. It was that Sora had of all the crazy things he did, gotten to Riku in a way he didn't even expect his parents too…

Riku smiled, "Well…where's MY costume then…?" Sora's eyes lit up. "I told you I could convince him!" Sora yelled over his shoulder.

Suddenly Goofy and Donald appeared out from behind a wall of the maze. Riku looked at them all,

"Really…you were all in on this?" he said shaking his head and trying not to chuckle.

Donald laughed in his duck way,

"AWWWWWWW, we figured you'd say yes if we all didn't hound ja…" Donald said.

Goofy spoke up holding up a finger, "But…don-old….that's what I say-yed we should do…"

Donald made a lot of noise attempting to drown out it was Goofy's idea rather than his, "Awwwwwwwwww put'a sock in et!"

Sora cracked up at the two of them, then noticed Riku smirk.

"What?" Sora said, "We finally get ya to laugh?" Riku smiled and reached over pulling Sora's hood inside out.

"Hey!" Sora said, "Whatcha doing?" Riku read a tag, "Property of # 12…Xion….why'd you get this one Sora?"

Sora looked confused but still had a light grin.

"It was the only one that fit me…" he said, I called first dibs cause I was the one who pinched them. His smile faded when he saw Riku's smirk grow all the larger.

"What…." He said realizing that something was off.

"Nothing…"Riku said leaving the maze, "Only that Xion is a girl's name…"

Sora's eyes grew and his smile disappeared. Donald and Goofy fell out laughing and trying miserably to muffle their laughter with their hands.

"Hey! No it isn't! Right? GUYS!" Sora said distraught.

"Ha ha ha!" Donald said, "Your wearing a girls hood!" HA ha hA ha ha!

Goofy smiled, "Ah-hyuck, way to pick first dibs Sor-ah…a-hyuck-hahahahaha HUL!"