Chapter Two
When the ship docks in Corona, it makes a loud thunk noise, waking Kairi from her slumber.
Still feeling poorly from her arguments with Sora yesterday, it takes her a bit to drag herself out of bed and dress in her battle clothes. She pulls on the tight black pants and white tank top she always wears, zipping on her contoured jacket and sweeping her long red hair up into a high ponytail. She clips on her utility belt, followed by the small satchel she wears strapped to her thigh. She ensures her pouches are stocked with potions, laces up her combat boots, and spritzes on her cherry perfume before she leaves the room.
Fortunately, her door is now unlocked.
Sora's in the kitchenette, preparing himself a cup of coffee. He's wearing similar clothing to her, the difference being that he's wearing another pair of black joggers that are tucked into his own combat boots. His shirt is tight and long-sleeved, dark grey in color, and has a hood that he's pulled up onto his head, his unruly hair sticking out from beneath. He's got a belt that has several pouches wrapped haphazardly around his hips, and his leather fingerless gloves are worn, like always.
She wishes he wasn't so attractive. Asshole.
Kairi enters the area with caution. She doesn't know how his mood is going to be, but she knows she wants things to go smoothly here in Corona.
"Good morning," she says quietly, joining him in the kitchenette. She opens the fridge and pulls out some food to cook.
"What are you doing?" he says.
Dismay colors her tone somber. He's still being a jerk.
"Making breakfast," she says. "I can't function on an empty stomach."
"Hurry up."
He leaves the area, disappearing into the cockpit with his coffee.
Kairi heaves a sorrowful sigh and does as she's told.
Fortunately for everyone, the situation in Corona isn't that bad. It's only two hordes of Heartless, out in the forest near Rapunzel's old tower. They split up, each taking on one horde and dispatching of them quickly. Focusing on battling is helpful for Kairi, enabling her to push her issues with Sora out of her mind for a little bit. Whatever it is that's wrong with him isn't anything she can cope with or manage, so she's going to leave it up to Riku and Lea to handle.
After all, she's got to focus on much more serious matters—like the fact that by tomorrow night, she might be walking into a brothel to pretend to be one of the girls there.
When they stop in the city afterward so Sora can replenish his potions, the crowded streets help even more. There's a cheerfulness in the air, people performing in the streets and merchants selling their wares. The spirits are high and even Sora seems to be calm. He doesn't snap at her when she stops at booths and darts into shops to look at things.
To her surprise, when he sees her inspecting a pretty beaded bracelet at one woman's booth, he buys it for her without saying anything. He doesn't even respond to her quiet, "Thank you." She isn't sure how to feel after that.
He stocks up on potions and so does Kairi, and they head back to the ship.
Once they've lifted off, back up into space, Kairi realizes that Sora probably hasn't had any sleep. She enters the cockpit with the same caution she'd used this morning, offering to pilot the ship so he can finally sleep. She promises not to use the autopilot before he can give her any sort of warning, and that's that.
Overall, things have been relatively peaceful since they first set foot on the world of Corona.
Hours later, Sora enters the cockpit. He stops beside her chair for a moment. At first she tenses, but then relaxes. She's been dutiful. She hasn't used the autopilot.
"Manual the whole time?" he says.
"Yes," she replies curtly.
"The whole time?"
"Yes, Sora."
He hums his approval before he murmurs, "Good girl."
Kairi does go completely still at this, something very confusing twisting tight in her stomach and making her feel lightheaded. She stares out the windshield, accidentally using a cannon on a tiny asteroid that would have been easy to swerve around. It's obliterated in seconds, much like her sanity.
What did he just call her?
He sits down beside her, slouching in his seat and pulling his phone out. Kairi glances at him out of the corner of her eye. He's playing a game of some kind. The music sounds loudly, a strange soundtrack to this perplexing moment.
After a few minutes, Kairi decides to try to initiate a conversation. Nothing personal—she keeps it focused on the mission.
"What are your thoughts about this brothel situation?" she asks.
"What do you mean?" he responds. He's got his elbow on the arm of his chair, and his temple is resting against his knuckles.
"I mean, about me, Aqua, and Namine going in."
Sora doesn't reply at first. He's quiet for so long that Kairi thinks he's not going to reply at all. But then he does.
"I don't like it."
Kairi raises her eyebrows. "You don't?"
"It's a brothel, Kairi. Of course I don't like it."
"I mean, you seem like you don't really…like, I mean it just seems like you don't care."
"You think I'm going to leave you in there and let you get fucked by a bunch of men while I, what? Get drunk at a pub with Riku and Lea?"
Kairi's eyes widen. If it weren't for the asteroid field they're currently going through, she would be staring at him, stunned at his crude language. She coughs, blushing furiously.
"Um, no. No, I don't think that," she says slowly. Carefully.
"No one's touching you," he says coldly. "So don't worry. Just get in and get out."
"Right." She swallows. Hard. "And what if it goes wrong somehow?"
"Then people die."
Kairi feels chilled again. She knows Sora's defeated some dark people, like Xemnas. He's slaughtered thousands of Heartless. He's killed. But he's not a killer.
"What do you mean?"
He shifts in his chair. "I mean that if it goes wrong and you get hurt, people die. It's that simple."
Kairi's hands are shaking again. "You don't do that, Sora. You don't kill people."
Sora lets out a mirthless laugh. "Okay, Kairi."
"...have you killed anyone before? Aside from, you know, Nobodies."
"No," he says, "but I will."
How can he say something like that, while he's been being so cruel to her? How can he sit there, playing a video game on his gummi phone, and nonchalantly promise to murder someone?
"Kairi, I want you to understand something."
Sora sets his phone in his lap and turns his chair to face her. He leans forward, until she feels his breath, hot as it brushes against her ear. She resists the urge to lift her shoulder in an attempt to escape the intensity of it. Her eyelids flutter at the feeling.
"If anyone touches a hair on your head while you are in there," he says slowly, voice deadly, "I will fucking slit their throats. That is a promise."
Kairi tears her gaze away from the windshield to look at him. He's so close. Right there. His eyes are trained on hers, that starbright intensity that's been startling her, fixated upon her and arresting the breath in her lungs. She feels pinned in place with a mixture of horror, intimidation, and…
Is she actually flattered?
"Okay," she whispers.
"Yeah?" He arches one eyebrow.
She nods. She doesn't actually want him to kill anyone, let alone cut their throat, but she can barely breathe right now.
Something is definitely wrong with him.
And just like that, he sits back in his seat again, picks up his phone, and resumes the game. Kairi makes it another ten minutes before she excuses herself to sleep, needing to be anywhere other than next to him.
He terrifies her.
La Cíte des Cloches is quite possibly the most crowded city Kairi has ever been to.
Just like Corona, the cobblestone streets are lined with merchants selling their wares, performers, and preachers. There are streamers and colorful decorations everywhere, and music plays from all different directions. It smells faintly of fresh baked bread and cigarettes—a combination that curdles Kairi's stomach. The shoppes all have people bustling in and out of their doors, women with long dresses that sweep the ground and men with long-sleeved fluttery tunics. Children bounce merrily, playing with toys and weaving in and out of their parents' legs.
It's overwhelming.
"Don't mind all this," Lea says, slinging an arm around Kairi's shoulders and hugging her close to his side. The twin black diamond tattoos beneath his eyes seem to fit right in with the diamonds printed on the jesters' costumes. "They're having some sort of festival this week."
"They are?" Kairi's gaze flits about, taking in as much of the sights as she can.
"Yep. It's supposed to be a big deal. If we weren't on a time limit, I'd take you to have a look around."
The reminder of Kairi's purpose for being here sinks her heart.
Riku and Lea had met them in the forest when they first arrived, and the four of them had immediately been attacked by a swarm of Heartless. It had caught them by surprise, causing it to take them twice as long as usual to take them out. Even Sora had some wounds to heal by the time they were done.
They'd battled several more swarms on their way to the city, where they finally tapered out until they stopped appearing entirely. Now, they're on their way to the Inn that the men had gotten a room at, where Aqua and Namine are already waiting.
Riku and Sora are striding purposefully ahead of them, deep in conversation that Kairi can't hear. She wonders if Riku's having that chat with him, given that Sora's surly disposition had followed him off the ship and into conversations with Riku and Lea. Now that more people can see how strange he's been acting, she feels more validated in her concerns.
Kairi is quite nervous about their next course of action. She's happy to do whatever it takes to save the girls who've been kidnapped, but she wishes there were some other way to go about it. They've had to save captured people before loads of times, but never anything like this. And they can't just attack the establishment, running in reckless and pell-mell—not when they have no idea who the leader is. He might not be on-site. If they attacked in the open, he might run, and according to Riku, King Mickey has expressly forbid them from doing so. The King's not happy about their plan to infiltrate, either, but Kairi doesn't think anyone is.
The Rosehip Inn is bright and lively, full of guests traversing in and out. The woman at the front desk greets them with a smile as they brush past her, on their way up the wooden steps. They walk to the third floor, where they stop at a room with a bronze acorn on it.
"Kairi!"
Kairi lets out a noise as someone leaps at her, throwing their arms around her neck and squeezing her tight. It's Namine. Kairi relaxes and hugs her back, laughing a greeting.
Namine holds her at arms-length. "I'm so glad you guys made it in one piece. I'm not good with acting if I have to speak, and Aqua isn't, either. We definitely need you in there with us."
"Sorry it took us so long to get back." Riku flops down on one of the beds, folding one arm behind his head and resting his hand on his abdomen. "That was a long walk. We had to take out a bunch of Heartless on the way here."
"It's fine," Aqua says. "We've still got five or so hours before nightfall."
Kairi glances past Namine, into the large room. There are two beds, a door to a bathroom, and a vanity. Aqua is seated at this vanity, leaning close to the mirror as she applies make-up. It's now that Kairi sees she's wearing something a little risque—something gauzy and dripping with jingling jewels. It's a pale pink dress, but the sleeves are open and there's a slit up the leg that Aqua's skin peeks out from. Her blue hair is worn cropped short to her chin, like always, but there's a small jeweled pin pulling one side back behind her ear.
"Hey, Kairi," comes her smooth, deeper tone. "Good to see you."
"Hi, Aqua." Kairi walks to stand behind her, watching her sweep cherry-red lipstick across her lips. "Why the make-up?"
"Riku will explain."
Lea joins them, putting his hands on Aqua's shoulders and grinning wolfishly at her in the mirror. "Who knew you could clean up so nice?"
Aqua gives him a nasty look. Kairi elbows him sharply in the side, glaring at him when he starts laughing.
"I'm only kidding! Fuck's sake. Lighten up."
"You're such a brute," Namine says, putting her hands on her hips. She, too is dressed in something chiffon, colored pale blue, only the sleeves are short and the neckline plunges. It's more skin than Kairi's ever seen her show, and it's jarring to see how comfortable she seems to be in such garb. Her white-blonde hair is curled and spirals neatly down her back and her make-up is expertly-applied. "This is already nerve-wracking enough. You don't have to make fun of us on top of it."
"Oh, please." Lea rolls his eyes. "The three of you will be fine. You'll be in there together, and we'll be outside."
"And you'll only be in there for a couple hours at the most," Riku adds from the bed.
"Yeah," Aqua says, "provided nothing goes wrong."
"Nothing will go wrong," Lea says, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. He's so much taller than Kairi that it hurts her neck to look up at him. "When have things ever gone wrong with me?"
The dead silence that follows makes his cheeks flare red.
"Duly noted," he mutters before stalking over to the window and leaning against the wall. "You lot are traitors."
"Hush," Aqua admonishes. She sits back and inspects her face, turning it to the left and right. "What do you think, Kairi, Namine?"
"I think you look gorgeous," Kairi says honestly.
"Yes," Namine adds with a smile. "Very pretty."
"Excellent," Aqua says. "We've got to look our best, or they might not accept us."
"Accept you?" It's the first time Sora's spoken since they got into the room. When Kairi looks behind her, he's sitting on the edge of the second bed, leaning back on his hands. His eyes meet hers for a moment, intense as usual, and then drift over to Aqua.
"Let me explain." Aqua turns in the chair. "The way it works is that the girls are taken and then brought to the establishment to be sold. They're inspected by whoever it is that's there, and if they fit what they're looking for, they pay the captors. If they don't, they reject the girl and turn them away."
A feeling of unease causes Kairi to wring her hands. "What happens to the girls they reject?"
"We don't know," Riku says, sounding sad. "But what we do know is they don't make it back to their families."
Kairi's eyes widen. That means that the girls are probably in equally terrible or even worse positions. They could be sold elsewhere, or even dead. It thickens her resolve a bit. She does want to save these girls, and she'll go along with this plan if this is the way to do it. And Namine's right—Kairi is the best person if someone needs to speak to anyone inside. She's always been good with her words, whereas Aqua and Namine are more like quiet sentinels, one protective and one cunning.
"Yes," Aqua says. "So we need to be at our best, to make sure all three of us are accepted."
"What if we aren't?" Namine asks in a small voice.
Aqua grimaces. "Let's try not to let that happen."
Suddenly, Sora is there, standing with Kairi and Namine behind Aqua's chair. He's almost as tall as Lea, so it still hurts to crane her neck. His expression is as cold as ice.
"Sora?" Aqua says, her expression troubled. "Something wrong?"
"Either all three of you go in, or none of you go in," he says.
"We might not have a choice," Namine says. "If they reject one or two of us, then it'll blow our cover if we try to take back the one who does get picked."
"I said what I said."
He turns to go back to the bed, but Namine grabs his wrist to stop him. He freezes, staring down at her hand on him as though it's attacked him with some personal affront. The look on his face is almost murderous, and Kairi feels a tension mounting in the room that she doesn't like. On the bed, Riku has sat up, and Lea is drifting closer from the window.
"Get your hand off of me," Sora says, voice deadly.
Namine takes her hand back quickly, a fearful look in your eyes. "What's the matter with you, Sora? Why are you talking to me like that?"
Sora doesn't say anything. He just fixes her with a stare that makes her wither. She takes a step back.
Kairi tries not to scowl. She's been dealing with his drama since yesterday and while she thinks she can handle it, it's not fair for him to turn it on their friends. Especially not Namine, who's got the sweetest disposition of them all.
"You good, Sora?" Lea asks, arms still crossed as he stands behind Namine. His tone is just as icy as Sora's.
"I'm fine," Sora says.
"Don't seem fine."
"Well, I am," Sora snaps. He turns and goes back to the second bed, sinking down onto it again and glaring at the floor.
The silence returns, heavy and awkward, until Riku breaks it by slapping his hands on his thighs and standing up.
"Well, we might as well go over the plan," he says. "First, the guys and I will go wrangle up some dinner. Sora? Lea?"
Soon enough, the men are gone, taking the tension with them and leaving Kairi, Namine, and Aqua alone.