Kingdom Hearts 2: Untitled

@ darkcloud- "Recommended"?! By who?! Well, it's good to know people are reading. And to your question: Sora was talking to Roxas mentally, not with his mouth. When Sora and Roxas or Kairi and Namine are communicating, the text will be in italics and in quotes. However, when Sora and Kairi are thinking amongst themselves and not talking to their Nobodies, the text will just be in italics. This way, you'll be able to tell the difference between the two different modes of thought. I hope that clears up any confusion you had and helps understand the story a bit better.

On to the update. Since it's been just over a month since my last post on this thread, I thought I'd go on ahead and post the next part. With a bit of writer's block in my way, I managed to complete the ninth chapter for this story. I hope you enjoy!!

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Chaylie
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Chaylie, Lea, and Naomi walked down an unfamiliar road, chatting amongst themselves. "Did you see her face?!" Chaylie smiled contently. "Oh, man! I cannot wait for the tournament Friday." ​

Lea looked at Chaylie with a curious expression. "Do you think she'll show up? Kairi looked pretty serious when she said she was going."​

Chaylie only waved her hand in response. "I have my doubts." Naomi, who was silent since they left the square, was wondering where exactly they were headed.​

"Chaylie," Naomi asked, clasping her hands together nervously. "Where are we going?"​

Chaylie kept walking without looking back at her friends. "You'll see." Blonde ponytail bouncing, Chaylie had much confidence in what she was about to do. Considering how fake she was going to be in a few minutes, she wasn't nervous at all, unlike her friends.​

"Chaylie, this is ridiculous. You know we've got other things to do today. Why are you wasting time like this?" Lea asked, starting to get angry. Chaylie only scoffed.​

"Ugh, whatever! I'm not wasting time. The only time you are wasting time is if during that time you are doing something not worth your time. This, is worth my time." Lea and Naomi only stared in confusion as Chaylie rolled her eyes. "Ugh... never mind."​

The trio continued walking down the road as they past small homes and beautiful island trees. The sun was starting to disappear and the sky began to turn pink and orange from the light. Naomi looked up into the sky, her blue pigtails rubbing against her shoulders as she did so. She sighed, "The sky is so beautiful at this time of day."​

"Yeah," agreed Lea. Her long brown hair blew in the late afternoon breeze. She drew in a deep breath of the fresh air. "I wish everyday was this nice. Then we could go on walks like this all the time. Except, those walks would be for fun!" She put emphasis on the word as she balled her hands into fists and tightened up. ​

Naomi looked at her awkwardly. "You have an anger problem..." After hearing the remark, Lea locked her arms out straight and grit her teeth at Naomi.​

"Ah, put a sock in it!!"​

"Would both of you just knock it off!" Both girls cringed and shrank down in response as Chaylie screamed at them. "You guys can never act mature when we go out in public! It's ridiculous!!"​

Lea crossed her arms and muttered, "Like intruding in on someone that dislikes you after a stupid event that you caused is mature." ​

Chaylie turned around immediately and towered over the girl on her tip toes. "What was that?!"​

Lea brought her hands close to her face in fear. "Nothing." Chaylie sighed and continued walking down the road. ​

"Ah! There it is!" The blonde ran toward the house she was searching for. ​

"Think he's gonna fall for it?" Naomi asked.​

"Doubt it," replied Lea. "We better go catch up to her." Both girls sprinted to reach their friend as she came closer to the house. The brunette and the blue headed girls stood at the end of the path leading up to the house and took a breather.​

Chaylie ran up to the door, her two friends staring at her with uncertainty. With a few knocks on the door out of the way, Chaylie turned around and gave a thumbs up to her friends waiting on the edge of the road. Raising their thumbs in unison, the girls faked assuring smiles to their friend. The two of them weren't so sure about this and didn't think Chaylie could pull it off, as convinced as she was.

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Sora
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Sora sat up from his bed after he heard knocks on the door. He got to his feet quickly in anticipation. Kairi? He dashed down the stairs in excitement, happening to jump over the banister. As he drew closer to the door, he started, "I'm so glad you're here!" He began to pull open the door and continued, "I'm so sorry, Kai--"

His face dropped when he found out it was really Chaylie hidden behind the door. "Hey, Sora!" she waved. Sora crossed his arms as he looked her straight in the eye.

"What is it, Chaylie?"

"Oh, nothing," Chaylie replied. "Just stopping by. I, um, wanted to apologize. I just... I don't know."

Sora kept a sharp eye on her as he looked for clues to what she was planning. "Chaylie, you know for a fact what you did was-"

"Foolish, I know," she said. She put her hands behind her back and looked down at the ground in a shameful way, kicking at the sidewalk.

Lea and Naomi watched from the sidelines and could clearly tell that Chaylie was putting on a show, but instead of applause, wanted sympathy. Naomi leaned over and whispered to Lea, "I don't know Sora all that well, but don't you think he'd be smart enough to notice the act she's putting on?"

"I don't know. Chaylie is unreadable at times."

Naomi snorted with amusement. "And she told Kairi to stop looking for sympathy. Sheesh!"

Lea immediately turned to the girl standing beside her. "SHHH!!!" Naomi cupped her mouth. They both looked back towards the house and noticed that Sora and Chaylie were both looking at them in question. Silence followed and Sora, cocking a brow, waved slightly at them. The two girls waved back in embarrassment as they let out shy laughs.

Chaylie whirled back around to Sora. "So, would you like to go get some Sea-salt ice cream or something?" Sora's eyes widened.

"And you're asking me this now?" Chaylie nodded. "I dunno. After everything that's happened, I think we should keep our space for a while."

Chaylie straightened up in response. She brought a finger to her lip and said, "Oh... uh... okay. See you later then?"

"Sure." Sora watched as Chaylie walked back down the path from his house, then suddenly turn around.

"Uh... are you going to the tournament next Friday?"

A surprised expression came across Sora's face. "There's a tournament next Friday?"

Chaylie nodded. "Yeah. Maybe you should enter. I guess I'll see you later." Sora watched Chaylie approach Naomi and Lea, elbowing Naomi for her outburst.

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Kairi
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Kairi, who had been watching the whole scene, was hidden behind a bunch of bushes. She tried to listen to the words exchanged, but was out of earshot. If she had gotten any closer, she would've been seen, so she decided to stay where she was considering that actions speak louder than words. This statement was proved true. Watching behind a bush, Kairi saw Sora shake his head and sigh, then walk back in the house.

"Kairi, does it occur to you that you were spying on Sora, a guy you trust with your heart?" Namine asked.

"Trust?" Kairi sighed. "After what happened earlier today, I don't think 'trust' is the word. By the way, yes, it does occur to me that I'm spying on him."

"Don't you feel the least bit bad about it?"

Kairi watched Chaylie and her friends come down the road slowly. "Of course I do." She ducked. The girls were passing by her now. Staring daggers at Chaylie, Kairi thought out loud. "I wonder what she's planning," she muttered. Chaylie stopped abruptly. With a quick and quiet gasp, Kairi sat down behind the bush, eyes wide with fear and legs straight out as she tried to get as flat as possible.

"What's wrong, Chaylie?" Kairi heard Naomi ask.

Her heartbeat becoming louder, Kairi listened as Chaylie's footsteps rustled quietly throughout the grass. Kairi slid down farther against the ground and held her breath. "Chaylie, c'mon. We have to go."

Kairi heard Lea speak and hoped Chaylie would turn around and walk away, immediately. "I could've sworn I heard something."

"Well, you know we're on a schedule. Come on!"

"Alright, alright." Kairi continued to hold her breath while the footsteps and voices started to fade. When she couldn't hear the girls any longer, she decided to take a chance and lift her head to look over the bush. Her eyes scanned the area, Chaylie nowhere in sight. Kairi closed her eyes and heaved a deep sigh of relief as she sat there shocked at the fact that she was incredibly close to being discovered.

"You okay?" Namine asked.

Kairi nodded as she brought a hand to her forehead. "Yeah. I'm fine." She got to her feet and walked down the road that avoided passing Sora's house. In about five minutes, she arrived home and went up to her room to sleep. ​

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The Next Day:
Kairi
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Kairi walked down Ocean Road at a couple minutes to nine. Today was the day she was to meet Riku for her first training session. As she stepped onto the sand, she noticed that Riku wasn't there. He said nine o' clock sharp. It's nine right now. Where is he? Kairi searched the area for any sign of Riku, but couldn't find him anywhere. The sun was just above the ocean, so Kairi placed her right hand above her forehead to block it out. She decided to go sit and dangle her feet over the pier while she waited for Riku. As she waited, she looked to her right and noticed something on her boat. Kairi climbed down into it and could see that it was a piece of paper underneath one of her oars.​

Kairi,​

I decided that it'd be better to do your training at the Island. I'm sure you don't want to have anyone who is going to enter the tournament see you practice and examine your moves. Meet me at the Island as soon as you can.​

Riku​

Kairi placed the note down and headed for the Island. Once she got there, she saw Riku sitting down by the shore. She pulled herself up to the pier and walked down the stairs. Riku turned around once she was in earshot.​

"Hey."​

Kairi waved, "Hey. Ready?"​

Riku stood up. "Yep. Let's get to it." He pulled out a sword and tossed it to her. Kairi caught it with ease and waited for Riku to say something. He stared at her and said, "What are you waiting for? First lesson in training: Once you acquire a weapon, immediately get into your fighting stance." Kairi looked at him and then at the sword. She nodded and held the sword in her right hand, her left arm slightly out and behind her a bit to help keep her balance. Her feet were spread a bit for balance with her left foot planted slightly behind her right and parallel with her left arm while she leaned forward a bit, ready for what would be next. "Okay, you got it. Lesson number two: Be ready for any oncoming attacks." With that said, Riku quickly moved forward and swiped at Kairi's side. She jumped back almost on cue and shrieked, a bit surprised by his sudden movements.​

Slightly embarrassed, Kairi laughed quietly, "Sorry." Riku only brought his arm down and relaxed.​

"Actually, you did exactly what I wanted you to; you dodged the attack."​

Kairi's eyes widened as her lips parted in surprise, "Really?"​

Riku nodded. "Yeah. Next time, just work on the screaming." Kairi smiled in agreement. "Now, the next thing you need to know is how to strike back. With your sword arm, in this case your right, aim for the torso area. Remember how I attempted to hit you in your left side?" Kairi nodded. "Use that as an example for an advantage to the torso area. When you aim for the side, you can play pinball with the person's body," he said walking up to Kairi. "Now, if you ever get this close to an opponent, hit their left side," Riku stated as he tapped her left side, "and then quickly backhand their right side, causing them to fly back to the side of your sword arm for your advantage," he continued once again demonstrating and tapping Kairi's right side. "Okay, now practice swinging the weapon so you can get the feeling of it." Kairi did as she was told and then Riku continued, "Alright, now show me what you got!"​

Riku stepped into his fighting stance with his right arm up, ready for Kairi's attack. Kairi gripped her sword tightly and charged at Riku. When she went to swipe at his left side, he jumped back and out of the way. She blinked in surprise and then went back for another shot, grunting as she swung. While dodging her attempts, Riku said, "Lesson four: Study the opponents movements and find a pattern." Kairi swung at him, but missed again. After a couple more tries, she caught on to Riku's pattern. Every time she would step towards him, he'd scoot back a couple steps farther so he could increase the distance between them. Then he would either jump back or rotate as she tried to hit his side. ​

Kairi put on an almost unnoticeable smirk, knowing what needed to be done. Kairi acted like she was going to attack Riku's left side, but with a powerful cry quickly backhanded him on his right when he jumped in that direction. He let out an "umph" as Kairi's wooden sword came in contact with his body and went soaring to her right where she striked him again, playing "pinball" with his physical structure. After she hit him once or twice, he blocked her attack and she jumped back.​

"Not bad." Riku rubbed his sides to help deal with the pain he felt. "You actually did better than I thought. I never knew that you would catch on that quickly." Kairi cocked a brow.​

"You mean you thought I would be terrible?"​

"Oh, no, no, no. I didn't mean it like that," he explained. "I just thought that since you never wielded a weapon before that you would've taken longer to learn how to attack. I guess I should've remembered how you fought those Heartless in The World That Never Was."​

Kairi lifted her weapon and rested the tip on her left hand as she looked up at Riku, "So, I proved you wrong?" She watched Riku nod. "Good. Next lesson."​

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Sora
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Sora stirred as he started to wake up. He opened his eyes slowly as the sun shined brightly through his window. Squinting, he held his hand out in front of him sleepily to block the light. He moaned as he dropped his arm lazily and blinked a few times. Sora sat up and pushed the window open, his covers pushed to his waist in the process. The boy stretched, straightening his legs then reaching for the sky with a yawn. Pushing himself from the bed, Sora went to his closet and pulled out the usual; a blue-navy beater, black pants that had a blue patch, a yellow belt that criss-crossed on the front and back of his pants and held his two red side pouches where he always placed the Oathkeeper keychain, white, black, and yellow gloves that had armor around the knuckles and revealed his fingers, yellow and black shoes, and a black jacket with a tad of yellow, a zipper, white lining, and armor across the shoulders along with a hood.​

Sora took a quick shower, got dressed in his clothes the three fairies made for him, put on his shoes, and brushed his teeth. Before heading out for the day, he went back to his room and walked over to his desk. Near the end closest to his bed was where he placed Kairi's Oathkeeper charm the night before. He picked it up and set it in his right pouch gently, turned around and walked quickly out the door.​

Walking down Starlight Road, Sora thought of ways to make it up to Kairi. He thought up several ideas but Roxas disagreed with almost every single one of them. "What about taking her out to dinner?"​

"Sora, no offense or anything, but do you really think she wants to hang out with you after what she, and you, experienced yesterday?" Roxas questioned.​

Sora drooped his head a little. "Oh." He sighed and looked up. "Hard to believe that was yesterday. It feels like ages ago." Sora turned the corner and walked into the Square. It was really busy today, people running about crazily. Sora jumped out of the way as two kids chased eachother, their mother running not too far behind them. ​

"Sorry!" the woman screamed as she sprinted after her children. Sora waved in acception and backed up as someone pushed a big wooden cart by him. Unfortunately for Sora, he backed straight into a wall that had made a crinkling noise as he came in contact with it. As he rubbed his head, Sora instinctively turned around to see what was on the wall behind him. It was a wall full of bulletins. One caught his attention almost immediately.​

The tournament? Sora scanned the sheet and searched the sign-up list just below. There were about twenty names written down but he only noticed a few of them. "Lea, Naomi, Chaylie, some people I don't know..." Running his finger down the line of names, Sora ran across one he couldn't miss. "...Kairi. Kairi?!" Sora ripped the sheet from it's place on the wall. ​

"Surprised?" Roxas said sarcastically.​

Sora's eyes widened. "Well, yeah. Why didn't she tell me?"​

"Reason number one: everything that happened yesterday. Reason number two and the most obvious: she doesn't want you to know," Roxas stated. Sora sighed and kept staring at her name on the list. He couldn't take his eyes off of it for some reason even though it was written down bright as day on the paper; her neatly printed hand writing that was identical to the way she signed her name on the letter she wrote him. It was hypnotizing, how much he was into the paper, even if it was a name he was staring at.​

"So, you decided to check out the tournament after all?" The voice intruded on his thoughts.​

"Great... it's Chaylie. How does this girl always wind up wherever I am? It seems like she's always interrupting my thinking," he thought.​

"Beats me," Roxas replied.​

Sora dropped his arms to his side, his right hand still holding the paper. "Uh... hi?"​

Chaylie chuckled. "I see you're looking at the sign-up list. Thinking about joining?" Sora's mouth opened a bit in hesitation and thought.​

"Uh... not necessarily."​

"Well, I think you should," Chaylie said, expressing her thoughts as she walked up to him. "It'd be fun to go against you."​

"I don't know..." Sora said as he looked to the ground.​

"Why not?" Chaylie asked as she leaned in to get a good look at him. "Something wrong?" Sora didn't say anything, but only stared back at the paper in his hands. Chaylie noticed this and looked over his shoulder slightly as she read the paper, grabbing its upper tip in the process. "Ah... Kairi," she said as she looked up into his blue eyes, which were still gazing at the paper. "I'm guessing that's what you're interested in. Have you ever challenged her?"​

Sora shook his head as he responded, "No. I've never battled her before."​

Chaylie reached up and grabbed the pen resting on the wooden border of the bulletin board. As she brought her arm back in, she held it out to Sora. "There's a first time for everything." Sora finally looked away from the paper and switched his sight from the pen to Chaylie. She motioned it closer to him. He hesitated before grabbing the pen and signing the sheet.​

Sora pinned the paper back on the bulletin board and turned to Chaylie. He watched as she smiled and placed her hands behind her back, "Great. I'll see you Friday." Sora continued watching her as she walked back toward the village. He guessed she was either going home, or going to tell Lea and Naomi the news. He, on the other hand, headed further into the Square, getting caught up in all the ruckus. ​

Dodging more kids playing tag, Sora ended up falling and sitting on the bench next to the Square's fountain. He could feel the mist from it and heard splashing. He turned to see kids jumping around in it and screaming. In response, Sora covered his head and tried dodging the splashes. With no luck, he got up and ran as soon as he saw a clear opening, ending up in front of a clothing store in the clothing section. He shook his head, water flying from his spikes, and opened the door to "Fine Figures". Stepping into the store, Sora noticed a familiar face. "Selphie?"​

The girl turned around immediately. "Sora? Hey! What are you doing here?" The girl walked over to the boy.​

"Uh... nothing really. Just browsing." Sora scratched his head.​

"Um.. Sora, this is a women's clothing store."​

Sora laughed shyly, "Eh heh.. I knew that. I was... looking for something for Kairi."​

Selphie widened her eyes. "Oh, to make up for the 'Chaylie' thing huh?"​

"What?" Sora leaned toward her in surprise. "How did you know about that?"​

"Tidus told me. You know how much of a loud-mouth he is. He'll tell anything juicy on the spot!" The girl smiled jokingly, but noticed Sora's expression. Her smile faded as she said, "I'm sorry, Sora. I shouldn't have said anything."​

Sora shook his head. "No... no. It's fine." He rubbed his neck nervously as he asked, "Erm... Selphie?"​

"Yeah?"​

"Do you...," Sora cleared his throat as he continued, "think you could help me?"​

She nodded and smiled, "Oh sure! What were you thinking?"​

"Erm.. I dunno. Maybe some clothing Kairi might like or something."​

"Well," Selphie tapped her chin. "Kairi doesn't really wear anything other than that pink dress of hers and her school uniform. She likes accessories, though."​

"Any ideas on where I could find some she might like?" Sora asked.​

Selphie crossed her arms in thought. "You can try 'Takara's Items' not far from here. It has the best accessories on the island and is the most popular, too. That's where Kairi got her bracelets. I'm sure if you try there you'll find something."​

Sora smiled and started running out the door. "Great! Thanks, Selphie!" ​

"Anytime!" Selphie smiled and sighed as she returned to her shopping.​

---​

Sora ran for "Takara's Items" in excitement. Upon arriving there, he noticed how crowded it was. There were girls everywhere, but Sora couldn't see any guys. Great... this should be interesting.​

Walking on in, he quickly made his way to the necklaces. Only to be interrupted by a store clerk. "Can I help you with something?"​

Sora shook his head and replied, "No, I'm just browsing."​

"At girl necklaces?" The clerk smiled at him as Sora realized the intention he gave her.​

He started waving his hands at her as he said quickly, "No! No, that's not what I meant!"​

She pushed his hands down gently. "Shh. I understand. You're looking for something for a friend of yours?"​

Sora sighed, "Yes."​

The clerk smiled. "Okay, do you know what she likes?"​

"Not exactly. Selphie said she came here to get her bracelets."​

The clerk's expression switched from a smile to a look of surprise. "Selphie? Oh! You must mean Kairi!"​

Sora's eyes widened. "You know her?"​

"Of course I know her. She and Selphie come in here all the time. Half the time, though, it looks like Kairi is being dragged here by Selphie, but she always chats with me while Selphie's looking." The clerk looked at Sora, smiling. "Even though Kairi got her bracelets here, I don't really think she'd like anything we have on our shelves."​

Sora's face dropped. "Seriously?"​

"I'm sorry," the clerk said.​

"It's okay. Thanks anyways." Sora headed for the door.​

"Say hi to Kairi for me!" The clerk waved.​

"Sure thing," Sora muttered to himself. Walking down the road and once again avoiding being run into, Sora tried to think of another idea. After going through old thoughts with Roxas, one finally came to mind. ​

"I can't believe I could be that dumb not to realize it," Sora said. He reached into his pouch and pulled out Kairi's charm. Sora ran for the pier to get the needed items.​

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I hope you enjoyed it. I will try and get the next chapter done as soon as possible. Thanks for your support!

-Kairi​

 

ROCKIN!!!
hope kairi kicks chaylies ***

 

What she said! Show no mercy towards that air head!

To answer your question earlier, I heard a little bit of from the family I'm a part of, plus DF told me about how developed (personality-wise) your characters were, so when I finally had some free time, I read as much of the chapters that I could. Good thing, too, I like where this is going so far. There's only one thing I recommend:

Have Kairi teach Chaylie a lesson ASAP!!!

 

Heh. I knew it was worth the time and effort you put into this chapter. ;)

I'm looking at this as a critic and so far, I don't really see anything to pick at right now. I look forward to the intricate details you'll be working on next.

When you have the time, keep writing! :D

 

Somehow i got a feeling the nxt or next-next chapter is gonna be nasty...

 

I agree. SHOW THAT COW NO MERCY! Great Chapter! I really love this whole storyline. Poor Sora... And Kairi's getting really good at fighting.
Who thinks I should make a "Die Chaylie die" club? XDDDDDD

 

ME!! I DO!!
XDDD

 

It's unanimous, then.

 

Chapter 10!

Once again, it takes me another month to come out with the next chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. I've just been so busy lately. Well, I hope I can get the next one out by the end of this month. Anyway, enjoy.

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Sora
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Panting heavily, Sora sprinted for Sunset Beach. It was around noon, so the sun was in the center of the sky, blinding his eyes. Sora squinted as he leaped over a rock in the middle of the path. Sweat was slowly dripping down his face from the heat, but he didn’t seem to mind. The breeze was gentle, so it was cooling the boy off as he started to get hot. Today he would do something special for Kairi. He really wanted to make it up to her.

"So... What are you thinking?" Roxas asked. Sora kept running, light brown spikes bouncing.

"I’m thinking that Kairi deserves something special."

The Keyblade wielder continued toward his destination. As soon as he stepped onto the sand, he stopped. Roxas, mentally, was confused."Sora, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing." Sora stared at the Island in thought for a moment, then smirked. He took off toward the pier.

"Sora..." Even though Roxas could communicate with Sora mentally, he couldn’t read his mind directly. He had his limits, and one was he couldn’t read Sora’s thoughts. Sora had to be communicating directly to Roxas in order for him to actually know what was going on.

Sora ran quickly to the wooden pier. Being a few feet from it, he leaped onto it. The boy stood at the back of the pier, near a mid-sized tree. As he put his right foot ahead of him, Sora took a deep breath. "Ready?"

If Roxas’ face had actually been visible at that moment, he would’ve looked a little uneasy."For what?"

Sora took off running for the edge of the pier, hearing his feet make contact with the wooden boards. With a short grunt, Sora jumped off the edge.

"What-" Roxas started.

Sora flew off the pier and soared through the air. He felt the ocean wind hit his face with little force, and he grinned happily as he descended to the water. Sora put out his hand and touched it, his finger tingling when it came in contact as he flew by. Flying around in a quick circle, Sora laughed whole-heartily, still dragging his hand against the water’s edge. As he ascended, he closed his eyes and took in the feeling of it all, twisting in the air.

He let out a deep breath. "I haven’t done this in a while."

"What is this?" Roxas asked.

"It's called Superglide. I've done it a few times over my adventures."

"Huh. I never knew you were able to do that. Actually, I never knew you could do a lot of things. That's why I was surprised when we fought in The World That Never Was," Roxas explained.

"Um... aren’t Nobodies supposed to know at least a little about their Somebodies?" Sora asked.

"Well, not necessarily," Roxas began. "Most Nobodies’ Somebodies are long gone. It’s different with Namine and I though... We got lucky. So, we don’t exactly know everything about you, just like how other Nobodies don’t really remember much about their Somebodies. We’re not really supposed to, even though we resemble them somewhat."

Sora cocked a brow as he soared. "You resemble me?"

"Yeah, I guess. You just can’t see it yourself. I bet if you asked Kairi, or even Namine, they’d tell you how we're alike."

"Hm." Sora was getting closer to the Island by the second. "Well, I’ll ask her at the right time, when we’re back on speaking terms."

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Kairi
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Kairi and Riku had been at it for the last hour and a half. Kairi was progressing, and much to Riku’s surprise, a lot. She was really getting the hang of using a weapon and learned to swing it properly, unlike her fighting style at The World That Never Was not that long ago.

Kairi stepped back as she took a quick break. "I have a question. How do you and Sora do aerial tricks? I would love to learn some." Riku thought for a moment.

"Well... I guess we just got better as we went. You’ll learn soon enough."

"Hm..." Kairi stared at the ground. "Well, I can do a few things."

"Like what?"

Kairi tapped her chin. "Well, while you and Sora were gone, I decided one day to learn a few tricks myself. Selphie taught me some, others I learned on my own. Eventually, after a while of forcing myself to learn tricks, I taught myself how to do a back flip and a front flip. One of the things Selphie taught me was a side kick. I just don’t think you can do kicks in the tournament."

"I don’t know. Probably not. But you can do the flips. Anything else?"

Kairi looked up in thought again. "Within a few months, I learned how to do back hand springs, too. If I push myself hard enough, I can do one pretty well. They're still a little rusty, though."

Riku’s eyes widened. "That’s really good, Kairi. You can do those in the tournament to dodge attacks. Speaking of, do you have any actual dodging abilities?"

"Unfortunately, I don’t." Riku scratched his head.

"Okay. Well, show me the flips." Kairi looked at him in surprise.

"Right here?"

"Yes."

"Right now?"

Riku nodded.

"Uh, okay..." Kairi said as she scoot back a few steps. With a deep breath, Kairi closed her eyes and readied herself for all of the energy it was going to take her to do this.

She opened her eyes. Right foot planted behind her left, Kairi ran forward a few steps. She thrust her feet on the ground, jumping high in the air. The girl tucked in her knees and grabbed them, her body twirling in the air. Kairi put her legs out to land. Unfortunately, once her feet touched the ground, she accidently put all of her weight forward and was thrown straight into Riku. She let out a short scream as they collided, falling onto the sand. After rolling from the impact for about three seconds, Riku and Kairi finally came to a stop.

Kairi ended up lying on top of Riku's form, her head buried in his right shoulder. The left side of Riku’s face touched the white sand.

"I think that would've been a good time to use one of my dodging abilities," Riku said, wincing in pain.

"What...?" Kairi moaned. She pushed her torso area up slowly, her hands sinking in the sand. She squeezed her eyes shut in pain as her elbow popped. As she opened them, she realized what, or rather who, she was lying on. She looked at Riku, who stared right back at her.

She gasped as her eyes became huge. "Riku, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, really! I was just-"

"It’s okay..." Riku said. "Just work on your balance a little bit, okay?"

Kairi continued to panic. "But, it’s my fault. I should’ve been more careful! I’m so sorry about this."

Kairi heard something hit the sand behind her and noticed Riku looking over her shoulder.

"Sora?"

"Sora?!" Kairi quickly looked over her shoulder, red hair dangling in her face. She gasped and watched as Sora quickly bent down and picked up his item with a nervous but shocked expression etched on his face. She only got a glance at the item, not being able to tell what it was.

Kairi rolled over quickly as Riku sprang up. "Sora, it’s not what you think."

Kairi got to her feet, not bothering to dust herself off. Finally having the courage to speak to Sora, she said, "Sora, he's telling you the truth."

Sora switched his sight back and forth between Riku and Kairi for few seconds and then walked away in silence. Kairi looked at the boy in sadness. Then a weird feeling went throughout her body, one she'd experienced once before. She ran after him once she shook the feeling off.

"Sora. Please listen to me." Kairi placed her hand on Sora's left shoulder gently, coming to a stop in front of him. "Riku and I, we'd never do what you think." She looked at Riku as to apologize and then switched her sight to Sora. "Look, we were just practicing my-"

Sora shrugged her hand off and looked to the ground sadly. "Why didn't you tell me about the tournament?"

Kairi's eyed grew wide in disbelief. How did he know about the tournament? "Well, I... I," Kairi began to stutter. "I figured since we weren't speaking to each other that-"

Before she could finish, Sora gripped his items tightly and jumped in the air with a short grunt. Kairi followed him with her eyes, the boy supergliding back toward the main island without saying a word. Kairi remembered the feeling and cringed as guilt took her over.

Riku began to walk toward her. "Kairi, I'm-"

"I can't believe this," Kairi said calmly as she cupped her mouth.

"Kairi, you okay?"

She walked over to where her wooden sword was lying and picked it up slowly. Kairi gripped it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Why does this keep happening?" she asked no one in particular, her voice shaky.

Kairi got so angry that she threw her sword out to the ocean, it splashing water up at least a foot high from the force of the throw.

"Kairi..." Riku walked up to her slowly.

Kairi's lip began to quiver. What's going on with us? Why do Sora and I keep running into each other at the worst of times? Kairi couldn't see her feet anymore, her vision was so blurry from her tears. She noticed Riku's blurry structure standing in front of her when she looked up.

The tears escaped her eyes immediately. "Riku, why does this keep happening? Why do Sora and I keep expreriencing stupid stuff like this?"

Riku watched the girl sadly. "I don't know, Kairi."

In need of a hug, Kairi buried her face in Riku's shirt, her hands in fists by her face. "It's not fair!"

Riku, taken a bit off guard, lightly wrapped his arms around her in a friendly hug. "Destiny has a plan for you, Kairi. Every decision you make changes it's path."

Kairi continued to cry. "I didn't choose for this to happen. I didn't make this decision. I never wanted this to happen and I wouldn't want this to happen at all if I had the choice."

Riku patted her back gently. "No one's destiny is easy, Kairi. And sometimes you don't have the choice. When Sora took Chaylie to the Secret Place, and when you decided to come surprise Sora, those decisions led to this."

"But I didn't expect it."

"Nobody does. That's just the way it goes," he explained.

Kairi tore away from the hug. "I guess I have to fix this then." She wiped away the tears but stopped suddenly.

She looked up at the taller boy. "Wait a second. Do you know why Sora took Chaylie to the Secret Place?"

Riku's eyes widened in shock. "Um, kinda."

"Would you mind explaining it to me, so I know what really happened?"

Riku stared at her for a moment and then shook his head, biting his lower lip. "I can't. It's not my place. You need to talk to Sora."

Kairi got even more upset after hearing him speak. "I don't even know when he'll ever talk to me again! How am I supposed to ask him?"

Riku thought for a moment. "Well, maybe at the tournament. I'm pretty sure that since Sora now knows about it, he'll be there."

Kairi only nodded in agreement, not knowing what to say.

Riku sighed. "All right. Well, I think that's enough practice for today. You want to sit and rest a while, Kairi?"

Kairi only nodded in silence, escaping into her own thoughts.

------------
Chaylie
------------​

*FLASH*

"Wha-?" Chaylie turned to her left. "Ugh, Naomi! Quit flashing that thing!"

"I finally got a picture of you, Chaylie," the girl said, smiling happily.

"Yeah, that's the only one you'll ever get of me."

Lea cocked a brow. "What's with you and a camera, Chaylie?"

"I don't know. I've just never been the photogenic type." She turned around and began walking again. Lea only continued to wonder.

"Bad experience?" Chaylie stopped, a foot in midair. Her eyes grew wide.

"'Bad experience'? Nah." She began walking again.

"Mhmm. Exactly what I thought."

Chaylie turned around. "What are you talking about?"

"You're not telling us something, Chaylie. You're in denial." Chaylie stomped over to the brunette.

"I am NOT in denial!" Lea grinned in a sly manner. Cocking a brow, she pointed at Chaylie.

"But you never denied not telling us something."

Chaylie had had enough. "Ugh! What is with you?!"

Lea smiled again. "Oh, nothing. Just trying to figure out what you're lying to us about."

"Enough! Let's keep moving."

Chaylie walked on, the other two soon following behind. After about five minutes of walking along the path that past the beach, Chaylie came to an immediate stop. Naomi ended up crashing into Chaylie's back from messing with her camera with the blonde turning and narrowing her eyes at the girl, but doing a double take to her left.

"What the-" Chaylie noticed a boy on the beach alone. After looking at his outline from the sun, Chaylie knew who it was. "Gah! Get down!"

Lea and Naomi looked at the blonde oddly after she tugged them down to the ground. Lea spoke up.

"What is it, Chay-"

"Shh!!" Following Chaylie's gaze, Lea figured out that she was looking at a familiar boy on the beach.

"Is that-"

"I said shh!" Chaylie hissed.

Naomi whispered quietly, "Is that Sora?"

--------
Sora
--------​

Sora, now at the main islands on Sunset Beach, sat cross-legged on the sand. He messed with his newly collected items. "Why am I even trying?"

"Sora, come on."

"Roxas, what am I supposed to do? Something always happens and Kairi and I get pushed further apart."

"It'll clear up soon, Sora. You just have to give it time."

"Give it time?" Sora sighed heavily. "I know it's only been a day or to, but it feels like months. I'm already impatient enough of as it is."

"That doesn't give you any reason to give up!" Roxas encouraged. "You're not the type to mope, Sora."

"But.. Kairi-"

"No buts! Stop being so thick-headed! You NEVER gave up when it came to finding Riku, OR Kairi when she needed you most! There's no reason to give up now!"

Sora stared at the island across the sea. "I haven't been giving up! It just feels hopeless. What happened at the island-"

"Sora, stop! I don't mean to be rude, but you need to look at the obvious. You know for a fact that Kairi and Riku would never betray you like that! You know very well that what we saw wasn't true. I can't believe you would be jealous of Riku, let alone think he would betray you like that. To think, you're own best friend. That goes for Kairi, too."

"I'm not jeal-" Sora tried to protest, but Roxas continued on.

"Listen, I'm not trying to be selfish, but Namine and I are experiencing this as well. We feel terrible at this point, especially Namine. She hates to see you two like this." Sora blinked in surprise.

"Namine, too? Aw, why does the world feel like it's coming down on my shoulders all the time?!" Sora stood up. "Everything's getting worse by the minute. This is over!" He grabbed one of his items and brought it behind his shoulder.

"Sora, you're not gonna-" Roxas began. Sora brought his arm foward, about to throw his item in the ocean. "That's it!"

Sora felt a sudden pull on his arm. He tried throwing it again, only to have the same thing happen. "What? Roxas?"

"I'm not letting you do this, Sora. You're not throwing your problem away like this."

Sora felt warmth in his heart. Roxas' form appeared and then flashed back as Sora took control again. Sora looked at his body surprised, touching his stomach and chest to make sure he was himself again.

"Roxas, how did you do that?"

Roxas sighed. "I guess I was determined, and it was enough to let me stop you... physically."

"Why'd you do it?" Roxas was silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"I wasn't just going to let you throw everything away like that, Sora. Especially your hope. You've never stooped to such a level. What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know.." Sora shook his head. "I wish I could just fix everything without any more problems coming my way."

"Just let Kairi have her space for a while and wait for Friday to come around. Hopefully everything will straighten up by then." Sora sighed

"All right.."

------------
Chaylie
------------​

The girls watched in wonder as the boy just sat there, fiddling with something. Lea spoke up first.

"What is he doing?"

Chaylie shook her head. "I don't know... Look!"

Sora was standing up now. He clutched something in his hand and began to throw it, but something stopped him. He looked at his hand strangely and tried again. The girls only stared at him, jaws dropped.

"What's going on?" Lea asked.

Chaylie narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sure."

Naomi and Lea shared glances but only to miss something strange. Chaylie gasped as a blonde-headed boy came into view, but vanished just as quickly as he appeared.

"No way." She pointed as she cried, "Did you just see that?!"

"See what, Chaylie?" Naomi asked.

Chaylie's eyes widened as she stared at the two girls in disbelief. "What, you can't be serious. You just MISSED that?!" Both girls nodded. "Ugh, you just missed something strangely amazing! Sora turned into this... this other boy, but he disappeared in less than a second!"

Lea cocked a brow. "Chaylie, are you feeling okay?"

"Yes! I'm feeling fine! I just can't believe you missed it!"

Naomi spoke over her shoulder at Lea. "Nope. She's a little loopy."

"Well," Lea began as she stood up, "whatever it is, let's hope it doesn't affect us."

"It was so... weird," Chaylie said to herself.

"Hey, who's that?"

The blonde immediately looked up at Naomi's voice. There was a girl that was walking up to Sora. "Lea, sit down!"

--------
Sora
--------​

"Sora, is that you?"

The boy turned to his left at the sound of the girl's voice. It was Selphie.

"Hey, Selphie."

The girl had a worried look in her eyes as she reached the boy. "Are you okay? You seem kinda down."

"Erm.." Sora quickly glanced at the stuff he collected from the islands in his hand. Selphie spotted them once she followed his stare.

"Hey! Are those what you got from the shop?" she asked.

Sora shook his head. "No. I got these from the island."

"Oh," Selphie started, "when'd you go over there?"

"Um, not too long ago. I... uh... ran into a few people over there."

"Who?"

"Riku... and Kairi."

Selphie gasped. "You ran into Kairi? How'd it go?"

Sora looked to the sand beneath his feet. "Let's just say it wasn't how I imagined meeting up with her."

"That bad, huh?" She asked. Sora nodded and she continued, "Ugh, I'm so sorry, Sora. That's so unfair!"

Sora smiled slightly and said, "Yeah, I guess so."

"What about Riku? You said he was there, too, right?" Sora sighed.

"Yeah, he was there. Not much to say about him, though."

Selphie looked to the ground and faced him again. "Oh, okay. Well, don't give up! It'll clear up soon!"

Sora heard Roxas clear his throat with satisfaction. He'd told him the same. "Right."

"Sora, you might not know this as much as I do, but Kairi really cares for you." Sora only stared at the girl and she continued.

"She'd do anything for you," Selphie giggled shyly as she went on, "and I'm sure you'd do the same for her. After all the years you've known eachother, you've earned a place in her heart." She put a hand over her heart. "Thing is, Sora, you're really special to her. And... if you give up now, who knows what she'll be like if this doesn't clear up."

"I- I-" Sora stammered.

Selphie put up a hand, "Let me finish. Kairi has a good way of hiding what she really feels. If something's bothering her, she'll probably cover it up with a smile. She does that alot, and most of the time, I think it's to make you feel better."

Sora jumped at her explanation. "What are you talking about, Selphie?"

The girl sighed. "Kairi loves to see you happy, Sora. If you're not, she feels guilty, even if it wasn't her fault. Kairi loves your enthusiasm and happy-go-lucky lifestyle. She just wants to keep seeing that everyday."

"Selphie-" Sora started.

"Do you get what I mean, Sora?" she asked. "Remember when you were gone for a long time?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when we were all affected and forgot about you for a while-- when Kairi started to remember bits and pieces about you-- she wanted to see you more and more with every passing day. Sometimes she stared at a picture of you two when she would try to remember who you were. She found it in her room and always talked about how she couldn't remember your name or anything. And that's when she--"

"--wrote the letter," they both said in unison. Selphie looked at him in surprise.

Sora gazed to his right, out at the island. "I get it now, Selphie." He switched his sight back to her and gave her a hug of appreciation. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sora." The boy ended their hug, and smiled at her, making her giggle. He ran off after that and Selphie cupped her mouth. "Good luck!!"

She sighed and walked over to Mr. Texen's cafe.

------------
Chaylie
------------​

"Aha! Total dish!" The blonde stared at her "work of art".

"Chaylie! Give me my camera back!"

"Ah, fine!" Naomi struggled to catch her camera as Chaylie tossed it to her. She flipped the setting back to the stored pictures, staring at the newly taken photograph. The picture, was of Sora hugging Selphie.

"Chaylie, what exactly are you planning to do with this picture of Sora?"

Chaylie looked up in wonder. After a moment of silence, and obvious brainstorming, she revealed her plan. "Let's just say that once dear little Kairi catches a glimpse of that picture, her spirit will be broken and she will be furious at another one of her best friends. Once that is done, I can prove that she is nothing and overtake her in the tournament."

Naomi glanced at the picture and then back at Chaylie. "Chaylie, that doesn't sound like a good idea. Are you sure you want to-"

"Naomi, please. Have my plans ever failed before?" The blonde cocked a brow.

"Well-" Naomi started.

"See? Told you so. Now, let's get moving." Chaylie quickly turned around and headed further down the path. Naomi stayed put and peeked over her should at Lea, who shrugged.


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

All right. I hope you enjoyed it! I got a boost from a good friend of mine (you know who you are) and I'm glad that it helped get this chapter done, finally. Well, I'm off. Look forward to Chapter 11 soon!!

-Kairi

 

Seeing how this is turning out makes me smile inside. The Chaylie being able to see Roxas bit was a nice touch.

Other than slight spelling errors, you're doing pretty well for yourself.

Hope to see another update in the future. :)

 

I began to hate Chaylie with everything I've got.

Don't pull the story too long though, it might lose its flavour.

 

Oh my god, I am seriosly starting to hate Chaylie with a passion. I actually hate her more than some people in real life, and that is saying somthing. This is great, keep it going. I hope Chaylie gets her *** kicked BAD!!

 

Yay!

Thank GOSH, new chappy!!! I really want to kill chaylie, now. >.> can't wait for chap. 12!!! kick some bootie, Kairi (both of you. ^^)

 

Man, I'm starting to get into this story a little too much...I actually want to go to the tournament and superglue Chaylie's sword to the ground or something, anything so Kairi can win...

Good chapter, and keep up the good work.

 

its good ☻☺

 

Honestly, I really think that the end of the month should just really be my deadline. ​

Here's Chapter 11 for you.​

--------
Kairi
--------​

"Coconut?"

Kairi looked up at the sound of the voice and smiled. "Thanks." She took the coconut and began to drink its milk as Riku sat down beside her.

"The tournament's in four days. Are you excited?" Riku asked, resting an arm on his knee.

"Well, sort of. I mean, I am kind of nervous, considering that I've never fought before. What I'm most worried about, though, is what's going to happen with Sora... and Chaylie." Kairi turned her head, watching the boy take a sip of his coconut.

Riku wiped milk off the corner of his mouth. "You'll do fine. You've made progress after just one day, and that's saying something."

Kairi laughed shyly and brought her coconut to her mouth. Riku looked out toward the ocean, and the main islands not too far off as the sun set. "What do you want to work on tomorrow?"

"Hm, I don't know." Kairi followed his gaze and continued, "You tell me. You're the one that's training me after all."

Riku chuckled. "Right. We could work on some more attacks and blocks. We have to balance the two out everyday, that way you'll be ready for Friday."

Kairi nodded. "Sounds good."

Riku sipped the last drop of his coconut milk and stood up. After tossing the fruit behind his head, he offered Kairi a hand. "Wanna head out? It's getting late."

The girl looked up at him and smiled. "Sure." She set her coconut down before taking his hand, getting pulled up off the ground. She dusted herself off as he walked on toward the boats. Kairi took one last look out at sea, sighing, before following him.

---------------------
Roxas/Namine
---------------------​

"Things are starting to get out of hand, aren't they, Roxas?"

"Yeah, they sure are. What do we do, Namine?" The girl looked down in thought.

"I... don't know. This is all so complicated," she said. Looking up at the blonde, she continued, "We need to figure out something soon. Kairi and Sora can't be stuck like this for much longer."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Any ideas?"

She closed her eyes, shaking her head sadly. "No."

The Memory Witch walked over to a few drawings on the wall. "If only we could just do something, like, take over for a while, or put them in a room to talk. Something similar to that would probably work, but we're only Nobodies. Since we're now whole with Sora and Kairi, we couldn't possibly do anything physical."

Roxas smiled awkwardly. "Actually, that's not all true. We may be their Nobodies, but I physically took over Sora for a second or two earlier today."

Namine's eyes grew wide. "What? How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure. It just... happened," Roxas shrugged. "Sora was beating himself up and I couldn't take it anymore. I guess since I was so fed up with it, my determination to stop him was enough to get it done."

Namine brought a finger to her lip in thought, pondering over recent events. Roxas stared down at the troubled couple's drawing. "You're a witch, right? One that controls memories?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything, Roxas?" Namine asked, a little lost.

He began walking over to her. "Rid the terrible events from Kairi and Sora's memories."

"You mean," Namine started, looking up at Roxas. "You mean I should do what I did before I met you? Start up what DiZ wanted me to finish?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean," he explained. "You could undo the damage that's been done."

She shook her head in response. "No, I couldn't. It wouldn't be right. That's what got me into a huge mess, with Organization XIII and DiZ."

"Did anything good come out of it?" Namine stared at her feet.

"Well, I finally became whole. I didn't vanish into Darkness," she said, smiling.

Roxas grinned. "Me too. There was one other good outcome for me, though." Namine looked up at him.

"What's that?"

He smiled. "I met you." Namine smiled shyly and blushed. After a moment of silence, she changed the subject.

"Isn't there another way? I don't really enjoy using my powers, even if it is to help Sora and Kairi."

Roxas ran a hand through his spikey hair as he tried to remember everything that'd happened. Searching his memories, he ran across one before he met Sora and was still in the data Twilight Town. "I got it! When I was questioning everything that was happening to me during my last few days of Summer vacation, I fell off the station tower. When I did, I tried to reach you, but instead... I came in contact with Kairi."

Namine nodded. "That's right. When you met me, your heart reached Kairi's."

"Exactly," Roxas replied. "That means you can contact Sora, too. So I can talk to Kairi, and you can talk to Sora."

Namine smiled weakly. "Sure. It should work. Name the time and place, Roxas."

"Tonight, when they're sleeping," he declared. Namine nodded in approval and the two returned to their Somebodies.

--------
Sora
--------​

Sora sat at home, looking at his new present for Kairi. Its ruby and dark blue colors reflecting in the setting sun made Sora smile. After spending hours at the synthesis shop with the moogles, he was satisfied how his gift turned out. The ruby and sapphire blue colors mixed well together with the diamonds, and the crystal star added the final touch.

Kairi's going to love it, he thought. He could just feel the aura it gave off, the thought of Kairi wearing it and seeing her reaction making his heart flutter. He put the gift on his desk and fell to sleep for the night, Kairi being the last thought on his mind.

--------
Kairi
--------​

Kairi collapsed on her bed from exhaustion, one day of training and the heavy weight of the problems with Sora resting on her shoulders. She yawned from lack of sleep and closed her eyes to rest, not even bothering to change her clothes.

Namine, on the other hand, wasn't exhausted at all. It was time for their plan to take action. Namine reached deep inside, trying her hardest to connect to Sora's heart, while Roxas did the same.

--------
Sora
--------​

Sora blinked repeatedly. His surroundings were different than where he was a few moments ago. "What?" The boy stood up, noticing that he was now on the beach at the Island. Rotating, Sora felt the soft sand beneath his shoes, but also heard a "crunch". He looked down, catching sight of a coconut. He kneeled down to get a good look at it, noticing it was out of milk. Obviously, the milk had been sucked out of it and he had an idea of who was responsible.

After searching his surroundings, he saw a young girl. Her red hair blew in the wind and her elegant steps left footprints in the sand as she walked toward him.

"Kairi?" Sora asked. "Is that you?"

The girl smiled at him shyly, thus raising his hopes. However, they quickly faded as the girl's figure disappeared and formed yet another, this one having pale skin and platinum blonde hair. Sora stared in shock and disbelief.

"Namine?!" The Nobody stopped in front of him, nodding.

"Hello, Sora," she greeted.

"What are you doing here? And, why am I here? I was in my room." Sora stared into her eyes in question.

"I've come to speak with you," she explained. "Follow me." Namine walked back the way she came, toward the Secret Place. Sora, with no other choice, followed her. She came to a stop in the center of the cave, the sun shining down on her hair.

"The complications between you, Kairi, and Chaylie have deepened over the past two days. We've decided to put a stop to it," Namine informed him.

"We?" he asked.

She nodded. "That's right. Roxas and I, we've decided that you three need to settle things, specifically you and Kairi."

"What do you mean?"

Namine walked over to Sora and Kairi's drawing, Sora coming up beside her. "Who are these people? What's happened to them?"

Sora kneeled to the picture's level. "They were happy people, with no care in the world. Unfortunately, they've disappeared." Namine bent down, her hands behind her back, as she looked at Sora.

"Are you sure they're gone for good?" Sora turned his head to his left, his eyes meeting hers. Namine pointed at his heart. "I'm sure they're in there, somewhere."

Sora followed her point. "How?"

Namine straightened up. "Maybe you're supposed to know the answer. Your heart's what guided you home, right?" Sora nodded. "If it has that much strength, don't you think it has enough to provide an answer?"

--------
Kairi
--------​

"Kairi?"

Kairi slowly opened her eyes, the sun's light blinding her. Seagulls could be heard in the distance and the waves crashed near her feet. She blinked a few times before lifting herself up. Kairi was at Sunset Beach, facing the Island.

"What's-" she started before seeing a figure out of the corner of her eye. Turning to her left, Roxas stood beside her.

"Roxas?" Kairi watched as he sat down next to her.

"How ya doin'?" Roxas smiled, but Kairi only gave him a look of confusion. "You're dreaming. Namine and I had to get a hold of you two somehow."

"Namine? Roxas, what are you talking about?" Kairi asked, leaning on her left hand.

"Well, Namine and I made a decision to get you and Sora to stop avoiding each other. We thought a talk with you two seperately was a good way to start," he explained.

"Oh," Kairi responded as she brushed a bit of sand off of her dress. "This is about Chaylie, too, isn't it?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah. Look, I know that this girl's been pushing you to your limits, but-"

"How do you know about that?" Kairi interrupted.

"Well," Roxas started, "I have a connection with your heart. Half of it is because I met Namine and I came in contact with you. The other, is Sora's connection with you." Kairi only looked at Roxas, so he decided to continue.

"Anyway, because of Sora's connection with you and you're heart, I have a pretty good idea of what you've been through with Chaylie. It's time for you to settle things with this girl," Roxas said. "Enough is enough already, Kairi."

Kairi brought her knees to her chest. "Well, it's a lot harder than it seems." Roxas sighed.

"Are you giving up?" Kairi's eyes widened.

"What!? No way!"

The blonde stood up. "Then let's get going!" As she looked up at him, he started to slowly fade, brightness enveloping Kairi's sight.

"Rox-" she started, but everything fell silent. Kairi woke up suddenly after Roxas' disappearance. She scanned the environment, remembering that she was back in her room. With a tired sigh, she got up as she rubbed her eyes. Once she was changed and ready, it'd be time for another session with Riku.

"Rough night?" Namine asked.

Kairi smirked. "You should know. You set me up for it."

"Aw, it had to be done, Kairi," the Nobody explained. "You needed a little convincing."

Kairi opened her closet door and reached for another one of her pink dresses. "Yeah, I guess."

"So," Namine started. "Did it work?"

"Hmph." Kairi smiled slightly, pulling off one of her sneakers. "You'll see."

--------
Sora
--------​

"Sora!"

"Huh?" The boy stirred between sleep and awakening.

"Sora, time to wake up," the voice called out once more. With one eye barely opened, Sora moaned. He threw a pillow over his head, not wanting to get up.

"And yet another day awaits," Roxas said.

Sora rolled out of bed, walking toward his closet to get new clothes. He accidentally stumbled on one of his sneakers, but managed to catch himself before meeting the carpeted floor. After finding his usual outfit, he switched his wife beater for the navy tank.

"So, how's Namine?" Roxas asked.

"How's Kairi?" Sora cocked a brow.

"Ah, right." Roxas mentally let out a sigh as Sora grabbed his black pants. "Listen, Namine and I had to knock some sense into both of you, but in our own way. She talked to you, I talked to Kairi. We thought the other's Nobody would have a little more effect on both of you."

Sora started buckling his blue belt. "Well, I think I'm a litte more confused."

"Why do you think that?" Sora started slipping on his jacket.

"Well, Namine asked if the people that Kairi and I used to be were gone for good. She said she knew they were in our hearts somewhere. After I questioned how she knew, she asked if my heart had enough strength to bring me home, and since it did, if it had enough to give an answer."

Roxas replied, "Oh. Maybe you should think it over. It'll come to you soon enough."

"Right." Sora slipped his hands into his gloves and placed his necklace around his neck. After grabbing Kairi's gift and the Oathkeeper charm, he buckled and zipped his shoes, heading out the door.

------------
Chaylie
------------​

"I'm telling you, there WAS ANOTHER BOY!" Naomi watched as Chaylie tried to convince her there was a boy that suddenly replaced Sora the day before. At the beach Lea and Naomi didn't see anyone, though Chaylie insists she did.

Naomi flipped a blue pigtail behind her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "Chaylie, enough. You're wack."

"Am not!" Chaylie walked over to her friend sitting at the doorstep. "May I be struck by lightning if I'm lying." Both waited a few seconds, then Naomi noticed something.

"Chaylie, you're hai-" she tried, but Chaylie interrupted.

"See, Nao- AAAAHHHHHH!!" The blonde was struck by lightning instantly, her hair frizzing up as she screamed. After a few seconds, the girl could finally move once the shock subsided. She turned around, noticing Lea come up next to her.

"Sorry," Lea chuckled. "Couldn't resist." Chaylie growled at the brunette. Lea looked from Chaylie to her hair. "How're you doin' Frizz?" Naomi giggled at this one, but Chaylie stared daggers at her, so she stopped.

"What? It was funny!" Chaylie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I'm going to go take a shower...," she turned to Lea, ".. now that I smell like a burnt sausage!!" As the blonde stomped into her house, Lea and Naomi tried holding back their laughter. Once the blonde slammed the door, they burst out laughing.

"How did you do that!?" Naomi asked, giggling.

Lea smiled. "So I know a little about sorcery. No big deal."

--------
Kairi
--------​

Kairi dodged Riku's oncoming attacks as much as she could, but she was starting to get worn out. "Riku... can you... please... stop!" She blocked his wooden sword with her own, gritting her teeth. "I'm a little tired here!"

Riku backed off. "Oh, sorry." Kairi flipped a strand of her hair out of her face.

"Thank you," she said with a sigh. After smirking, hoping to get Riku to smile, she noticed that something was wrong with him. "Riku?" She let her sword drop loosely to her side as she stared at the boy in confusion.

Riku brought a hand to his neck, massaging it as he exhaled. Kairi walked over to him in wonder as he turned to her. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"No, you're not." She pointed at him, "I know you, Riku. Something's up."

He stared at her, and then sighed. "Okay, fine. That whole event that happened yesterday with Sora has really been bugging me."

"Me too," Kairi nodded.

Riku twirled his sword around in his hand slowly. "I know that we shouldn't let this interfere with your training, but you and him aren't on speaking terms, so-"

Kairi put up a hand. "Let's, just get back to practice." Riku nodded as she walked a few feet away, ready for another technique.

"Okay," Riku started. "There are many different ways you can block. I noticed that you have your own way, which is placing both hands on the sword and holding it horizontally in front of you. Sora does that, too. Anyway, it IS very useful but you might want to have another way of doing it. You're not always going to be able to put it in front of you."

Kairi nodded. "Okay, so what do I do?"

"If someone tries to attack you from the side, you need to be able to parry the attack with your right or left arm. This will take less time than rotating your body in the direction it's coming from, but you have to have the arm strength," Riku continued. "So, are you ready?" Kairi nodded.

Riku ran toward her and whirled to his right in a three hundred-sixty degree turn, his sword aiming for Kairi's right side. Kairi balanced herself out and, as he swung his sword, closed her eyes as she put her sword out to her right to block the incoming swing. Her arm jolted, causing her to wince in fear. She peeked through her right eye and found that her sword was touching Riku's.

"Huh?" She looked up to Riku, who only smirked at her in approval.

------------
Chaylie
------------​

Chaylie came out of the shower, her hair now glossy and clean. She tossed it and let out a sound of approval as she joined the other girls. Naomi and Lea were still in front of the house, chatting amongst themselves. "Okay, not that that's settled," Chaylie said, shutting the door behind her, "it's time for a plan."

"What plan?" Naomi asked.

Chaylie smiled. "Hello? The photo!" Chaylie caught a glimpse of Lea shaking her head out of the corner of her eye. "What're you shaking your head about?"

Lea crossed her arms. "You're not seriously going to go through with that blackmailing are you?"

Chaylie placed her hands on her hips and asked, "So what if I do?"

"Never mind." Chaylie grinned.

"Okay, let's get this thing going. I can't wait to crush her spirit and break her soft little heart on Friday. And when I show her this picture, oh, it'll just make things so much better!"

"What do you plan on doing?" Naomi asked.

----

Hope you enjoyed it. CnC (be specific on the critique please).

The next chapter will be out soon. I already have the events written down. Thanks for reading!

-Kairi

 

Hmm...other than a few grammatical errors, I'm impressed. Taking past events and using them to describe what Roxas and Namine can and cannot do...

I'd have described the location of Roxas and Namine. It was hard to figure out where they were until you mentioned the pictures on the walls. That immediately brought the White Room to mind.

What's also kinda funny is that Kairi's still extremely worried while Sora's mood is almost a contrast.

Anyway, other than a slight polishing, I'd say you're doing pretty well. :D

 

I should've posted Blade of Truth in this forum and hack into this site and put my character in this story to whack the hell outta this blackmailer !@#$%^&*

But then again, it won't be fun if it turns out that I write the humiliation scene. And it won't be right to hack anyway *rolls eyes* Just make sure you get Chaylie badly...

 

Hmm.. I was aiming more for the Secret Place, since they are no longer in Twilight Town. You do have a point, though. After re-reading the chapter, I noticed what you were talking about. The lack of detail of the drawings was a problem, but it was supposed to be the drawings Riku, Sora, and Kairi did over the years. I guess you could've thought it was the White Room considering Namine draws too. I'll try to be more specific next time.

As for the emotions, Kairi has a little more to worry about than Sora. For example, Kairi has to worry about nailing her techniques and tricks for the tournament in a couple days. She also has to worry about Chaylie's big mouth and ego getting in her way, and Sora would be another addition to her list of problems. It'd be normal for her to be more worried. Sora, on the other hand, just has Chaylie and Kairi to worry about. He's not so much concerned about the tournament. He already knows that he can handle that, since he's the Keyblade master. Also, I'd just like to add that the reason why Kairi was a little more cheerful (ever so slightly, really) at her practice, was that she was just trying her best to get through everything, especially with Riku being a little down in the dumps.

Okay, I have no idea what you're talking about... but sure. :D

I notice that you plus any other reader would like to have Chaylie beaten into the floor. I realize where you're coming from. I have a few ideas in mind for Chaylie, and that's basically all I can say for right now.

-Kairi

 

Ok then, wei'll just wait patiently for the next chapter.

Read my siggy and you know why I hate a bad love ending...