One Change - A KH "What If?" (DISCONTINUED/MOVED)

kh2(11)

As she walked up to a door, Kairi couldn't help but feel relieved that they had escaped the Underworld and the influence of Hades once again.

"Sorry about tryin' to go after Hades myself." Riku mumbled, a hint of guilt creeping into his tone.

Kairi huffed. She turned around and lightly hit him on the shoulder.

Well, she thought it was light, but he winced, so she mumbled her apologies.

"You shouldn't have to apologize." She scoffed lightly before continuing, "I understand why you'd want to go alone, but we're a team."

Riku mumbled something that Kairi didn't quite catch. But she heard the name "Sora", and frowned.

She couldn't bring words to form, so she simply tilted her head to the side with a small hum.

Terra cleared his throat. "We should keep going, right?"

"Oh! Right."

Riku's hand grazed Kairi's fingertips as they stepped inside.

Kairi kept her guard up.

"Kairi? Oh, what a nice surprise!"

She turned and looked up the stairs. She was ultimately shocked to see Cinderella again.

The fellow Princess of Heart, and princess in general, walked down the steps with grace.

Kairi tried her best to do a curtsey as she approached. "Cinderella."

Beside her, Aqua knelt down, while Terra bowed. Riku stood there with a small shrug of awkwardness.

Kairi stood up briefly, and pulled Riku down to his knees.

He gave her a "I'll get you back!" kind of look before turning back to Cinderella.

She giggled softly. "Oh, you don't need to curtsey. We're friends, after all."

Kairi breathed a sigh of relief. When she went to stand up again, she nearly tripped.

Luckily, Riku caught her by the wrist.

Kairi laughed it off.

"What brings you here?" Cinderella asked.

"We just came to see how well everything is." Riku responded.

He, oddly enough, twirled Kairi back up, and they landed facing each other, in a formal dance kind of manner.

Kairi looked at him with knots of confusion twisting her mind. Her heart raced, but not in the way she thought.

"Told you I'd get you back." He smirked.

Kairi nudged him away with an awkward chuckle.

"Everything is in order." Cinderella told them.

"There hasn't been any... uh.. 'troubles'?" Riku asked.

Cinderella pondered over the question. "Oh! You mean the darkness."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, like in Hollow Bastion."

"Then, there has been a few troubles, yes." She admitted. "But it's been nothing I couldn't hold back."

"Still, I think we'd like to take a look." Terra's slightly monotone voice said. "Just to be safe."

"Yes, of course. Outside, in the courtyard, there should be a gate closer to the entrance of the castle. Take that path to the forest, and then you should be there."

Kairi repeated the directions under her breath, until they stuck in her mind like glue.

"Sure thing." Aqua nodded.