Kids These Days...

L.A.: Sorry for the delay, here's the next chapter. This one you get to see a little more of a certain someone's story line...

Sora was surrounded by darkness. He was pretty sure he should be alarmed by this, but for some reason he was at ease. Up ahead, he saw Kairi and Riku standing a little distance away from him. Each had a light shining on them.

He gasped in horror as Riku disappeared into the darkness and Kairi was absorbed by the light.

He attempted to step forward when he felt a hand clasp his from behind. Sora tried to turn around to see who it was but something was preventing him from moving.

Don't worry Sora, a voice whispered. The same voice that had spoken to him in his other dream. Everything that has and will happen is for a reason.

He felt himself being pulled away from this place. He was able to get a glimpse of something behind him. It was a lock of golden blond hair.

An unpleasant feeling occurred as Sora awoke. It felt as if something rough and wet was being repeatedly wiped across his face. He opened his eyes briefly only to encounter blurry images. "What a weird dream," Sora muttered as he prepared to go back to sleep.

He heard a soft whine before he felt a sharp rap on his chest. He started slightly as he opened his eyes.

A yellow dog stared back at him, unblinking. He tilted his head up and noticed that he was in some sort of alley. There were garbage cans off to his right. A couple of rats were busy picking at it.

"I guess this isn't a dream." He wrinkled his nose in disgust as one rat eyed him curiously. "Where am I?"

He heard the dull thump of the dog's tail wagging. Glancing back at him, Sora said. "Do you know where we are?" Of course, he knew it was ridiculous to ask a dog this but for some reason he felt that the dog could understand him.

The dog cocked its head to one side as if it were listening for something. It barked once before running out of the alley.

"Hey," Sora said as he quickly stood up and followed it. "Wait up…" he trailed off as he noticed a small town square before him where people were meandering about. He let out a deep breath. "This is so weird," He took a couple of steps into the square. "I'm in another world."

She felt like she was floating. Nothing but darkness surrounded her. Her mind was fuzzy. She couldn't remember who she was, where she was, or what she was. She was about to fall asleep when a voice called out to her.

"Rin…Rin!"

That name seemed familiar.

"Rin! Wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open. Rin was leaning against a wall in a dark alley. Her head and body ached. A dull thump from her right stirred her from her thoughts. She froze when she saw a wolf staring back at her. It had black fur and red eyes. A strange heart-like insignia was on its chest. Similar to the one on the giant creature she had glimpsed when she was on the island.

Oh crud, she thought as she sat up, now fully alert. What do I do now?

The wolf wagged its tail in excitement. "I'm so glad you are awake. You scared me Rin. I thought you were dead." His voice sounded young and had a slight growl to it.

Rin blinked in disbelief. First the wolf talked and now he knew her name. What kind of dream was this?

The wolf seemed completely oblivious to her bewilderment. Grinning he said, "I've missed you so much. I can't believe you're grown up. And, your hair…"

"Who are you?" Rin said. Sure, she was being rude, but she had to know how this creature knew her.

"Oh..." The wolf's ears and tail drooped. "You don't remember me... do you?"

Rin frowned in confusion. "Remember you? You've mean we've met before?"

He shook his head and turned away from her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." He raced off down the alley.

Rin sat there for a few seconds stunned. "Hey, wait up!" she yelled as she scrambled to her feet and raced after him.

Sora pinched himself a few times to make sure what he was seeing was real. A couple of people gave him odd looks, but other than that, nothing changed.

The dog had disappeared. It probably had gone back to its owner. It didn't really matter though, because he had more important things to worry about.

Where was he? What had happened on the island? Where were Riku and Kairi? And, most importantly, were Riku and Kairi okay?

His attention was drawn away from the town center to a flashing neon green sign that read: Accessory Shop.

"It's as good as any place to start looking," Sora said as he slowly made his way over. As he opened the door, it squealed in protest. Stepping inside, he was greeted by an assortment of odds and ends. The store seemed to have everything from metal pipes to jeweled rings.

Sora approached the counter and rang the bell.

"Hang on a sec.," a voice called from the back. The sound of metal scraping rock and frustrated mumbling reached Sora's ears.

A man approached the cash register, his arms full of boxes. "Hey there," the man said as he set his box down. The man had blonde hair, brown eyes, and, Sora noted with amusement, a toothpick hanging lazily from his mouth. "How can I…" The man trailed off as he looked Sora up and down. The frown on his face showed his disappointment. "Oh, it's just a kid."

Sora crossed his arms and glared. "I'm not a kid! And the name's Sora."

"Okay, simmer down," the man said as he held out a hand. "I didn't mean to offend ya." He took a closer look at Sora. "So, are you lost or something?"

"No," Sora said as he quickly looked away.

"Uh-huh," the man said as he raised an eyebrow.

Sora sighed. I might as well have my pride wounded rather than myself. "Well, maybe. Where exactly am I?"

"What?" The man said with a laugh. "Don't tell me you don't know of Traverse Town."

Sora shuffled his foot awkwardly.

"You're serious, ain't ya?"

Sora blushed as he refused to look him in the face.

The man leaned his head into his hand. "Why, you're in the first district of Traverse Town, the town that never sleeps." He reached out and felt Sora's forehead. "Did you hit your head or somethin'?"

"No," Sora said as he quickly swatted away his hand. He said the next part barely above a whisper. "And I'm right to guess that this isn't on an island."

"The last time I checked it wasn't," The man said as he eyed him curiously.

The man probably thought he was crazy, but at the moment, Sora really didn't care. This was still surreal to him. His gaze traveled to the window. "Traverse Town…" he said as he watched a streetlamp lazily flick off and on. The sound of movement beside him reminded him that the man was still there. "So Gramps," Sora said as he turned his attention back to the man. "Is this another world?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Don't call me Gramps," he jabbed a finger at his chest. "The name's Cid." He frowned as he scratched his head. "Don't know what you are talkin' about but this sure ain't your island."

Sora rubbed his forehead. "You haven't seen anyone name Riku or Kairi, have you?"

Cid shook his head. "Nope, the names don't ring a bell." Seeing Sora's disappointment, he added, "but they could be in the other districts."

"Other districts," Sora said. How many districts are there? He thought as panic rose within him. I could be searching for days.

"Three if you include this one," Cid said. "But you need to be careful. The other two are dangerous. If you can't protect yourself then you shouldn't go."

Sora thought back to the mysterious sword that came to his rescue on the island. When he had awoken, it wasn't there. He secretly wished he had the sword now. But, I have to go look for them, he thought, they're counting on me.

"I think I'll be alright," Sora said as he tried to force a grin on his face.

Cid looked skeptical but he just shrugged. "If you say so. Just know, that if you get into any trouble you can come back here." He winked. "I'll look after you."

"Thank Cid," Sora said as he headed out the door. Outside he saw the doors that lead to the second district. They looked ominous and foreboding from where he stood. He took an audible gulp as he forced himself to walk towards them. At least, he thought, Rin didn't get involved in this.

When Rin reached the end of the alley, she found herself in the middle of a courtyard. The strange wolf had vanished and she was all by herself. It was at that moment that she realized she wasn't on Destiny Isles anymore.

Panic set in almost immediately. Her breaths became short as she whirled around trying to find something familiar.

"This is not happening," she said as her eyes rested on a pair of giant wooden double doors. "This is so not happening."

It took a couple more minutes before Rin finally calmed herself down. "I need to relax,"sShe said as she slowly walked towards a bench. "I am apparently in another world by myself." She took a deep breath to calm the panic that was rising. "I just need to take stock of my surroundings and think rationally."

She sat on the bench and looked around. A beautiful fountain was off to the right. It glowed yellow and had cute stain glass pieces of two dogs kissing. She let her hand run along the bench. Her finger caught in a groove. Glancing down, she saw that someone had carved the words: Mark was here.

So was Rin, she thought with a slight smile on her face. With a sigh, she laid down on the bench.

"At least the sky looks the same."

She sat there for a few minutes, staring at the stars. Feeling drowsy, she was about to close her eyes when she heard a trash can fall. Her eyes snapped open again as she remembered that she was still alone and without any form of defense.

She quickly sat up and looked around. The whole area seemed ominous now. "I really wish I had that staff." She held out her hand and flicked her wrist. A bright light suddenly glowed from her hand. She shrieked as she threw it away. There was a clatter as the staff fully materialized. The ball in the center glowed red for a second before returning to normal.

"Note to self," Rin carefully picked up the staff. "Don't throw the staff." She frowned as she weighed it. "I wonder what kind of staff you are."

The Heartstaff

Rin jumped as she looked around. "Hello?

The Heartstaff.

Great, disembodied voices are talking to me, she thought. "You got a name, disembodied voice?"

There was no answer.

"Fine, I'll just call you Bob. Is that okay with you?"

There was still no answer.

Rin shook her head. "I need to find people. I'm talking to imaginary voices."

She glanced down at the staff in her hands. "Well, I guess I'm calling you the Heartstaff then."

It took her awhile, but she finally found her way to the first district. She was relieved to find that this area was populated with people. As she scanned the area, her eyes were drawn to a glowing neon sign that read: Accessory Shop.

She readjusted her hold on the Heartstaff. Although she liked having the Heartstaff around, it was heavy. "I wonder if they have some sort of holder for it," she said as she entered the shop.

The door let out a squeal in protest. She winced as she closed the door and walked to the counter. Glancing around, she noted that there was no one there. She did, however, hear movement in the back.

She drummed her fingers as she waited to be helped. A small silver reception bell near the cash register caught her attention. A card in neatly printed letters beside it read: Please ring for service.

"I've always wanted to do this," Rin grinned as she pressed the bell. A light ring filled the air. She waited a moment to see if anyone would respond. When they didn't, she rang the bell again…and again… and again. She was about to ring it for a fourth time when a hand grabbed a bell and pulled it out of her reach.

"I heard you the first time," said a man with short blond hair.

Rin rubbed the back of her head. "Uh, sorry about that. I guess I got carried away."

"Stupid bell," the man muttered as he put it under the counter. "I don't know why Aerith thinks I need it."

"Um," Rin hesitated when the man looked at her. "I was wondering if I could get a holder for my staff."

The man sighed. "Great, another kid."

"What?" Rin said.

But the man didn't seem to hear her since he walked over to a display. "I've got several types. There's one made of silk, another made out of cotton." He paused. "You will want to go for the leather one. It's pretty durable and has been treated to resist some water."

"Oh, okay…"

"Cid," the man said as he brought the holder back. "That's my name."

"Cid…" Rin leaned the Heartstaff against the counter. "My name's Rin."

"Nice to meet you," he glanced at the price tag. "Alright, your total will be 500 munny."

"Munny?" Rin frowned. "What's munny?"

The toothpick in Cid's mouth nearly fell out. "Geez, you're just like the last kid. Soon you're going to tell me that you came from an island too."

"What?" Rin leaned forward excitedly. "There was someone else here?" Had Riku come as well? Or Kairi? She was too scared to believe it was true.

"Yeah, some kid named Sora." He eyed her curiously.

Rin was slightly disappointed that it wasn't Riku, but she quickly shook it off. At least there was someone else here that she knew. "You wouldn't know where he went, did you?"

Cid scratched his chin. "I think he said something about going to the third district…"

Rin quickly grabbed the Heartstaff. "Thanks for your help." She said as she raced to the door.

"Wait," Cid said. "You forgot your hold…"

He was cut off by the slamming of the front door.

Sora was exhausted. After exploring the other two districts and fighting once again those strange creatures from the island, he was about ready to give up. If it weren't for his friends, he would have already crawled into bed and called it a day. He glanced down at the strange key-shaped sword in his hand.

He had been lucky that the sword appeared when it did. If he hadn't had it, there would have been no way he would have survived. He shivered as he thought of the man who had his heart taken from his chest. What if that had happened to him? He quickly dismissed the thought.

Cid's Accessory Shop was a welcome sight. As he entered the shop, he saw Cid's busily cleaning his counter.

Cid looked up. "From the look on your face, I take it that you didn't find your friends?"

Sora sadly nodded.

"Well, I've got some news for you," Cid grinned. "One of your friends was just in here."

Sora immediately perked up. "What?"

"It was a young girl."

Kairi, Sora thought. His exhaustion evaporated as he turned towards the door.

"She ran off towards the second district in search for…"

"Thanks Cid!" Sora said as he ran out the door and slammed it shut behind him.

"Kids these days," Cid muttered as he went back to cleaning his counter.

L.A.: And, that's the end of this chapter. Poor Cid. Those kids are going to drive him crazy. Anyway, please review!