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Fuzzy Love - Complete	By : ColdSilence Category: Kingdom Hearts > Slash/Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 10245 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Author: Cold Silence

E-Mail: writer.coldsilence@gmail.com

Pairings: Riku + Kairi + Sora, Sora x BHK. (BHK = Blonde Headed Kid from KH II)

Warnings: AU, Yaoi, Het, Furs. OOC Roxas due to the fandom personality he was given before information on his character was released with KH2.

Special Note: This fic has relationships with things that have tails. Also, this story was started before Roxas's name was revealed, hence why he is named differently in this fic. Don't worry though, this actually fits well with what I have planned for him in the end.

Disclaimer: All characters from Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II is property of Tetsuya Nomura. God bless him.~

Fuzzy Love

-Chapter Four-

Wednesday morning came cloaked in restless gray clouds that dropped intermittent rain over Destiny Islands. The passing showers chilled the air, which seeped through an open window in Sora's room and saturated it with the smell of freshly watered flora.

These kinds of days were always perfect for sleeping in, but Sora's houseguest thought otherwise. When the mattress dipped familiarly beneath the weight of an intruder, the sleepy brunette pulled the blanket over his head. Light laughter followed at the expense of Sora's act of protest, which only spurred the boy to turn sideways in hopes to be left alone.

For a moment, it seemed that it worked. The presence beside Sora vanished, leaving him relieved and thankful that he could finally get an extra half-hour of sleep. Then, something sharp nipped his toes, causing him to yelp in protest and coil his legs close to his body. Sora emerged from beneath the blankets wearing a scowling pout, one that looked less than dangerous when coupled with his bedraggled appearance.

Perhaps Dyne thought that crouching beside the bed would keep him hidden from view, but his position was given away by the long, velvety tail that curled high into the air; signaling his position as effectively as a neon sign. Sora narrowed his eyes at the swaying appendage before grabbing his pillow and tossing it hard at the spot the alien had tucked himself into.

"Hey!" Dyne popped up from his hiding place with his furry ears flattened to the sides of his head in offense. Although he sounded as if he had been wronged, his glittering eyes gave away his mischievous intent. "That's no way to treat your pet."

"That's what you get for biting my toes," Sora muttered grumpily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"It's your fault that they were left unprotected. The unguarded parts of your body are always open to attack." A wicked smile accompanied the settling of Dyne's elbows on the mattress and the playful tilt of his tail above his head. "Don't they teach you that at school?"

"No," came the drowsy response. Since sleep was hopeless, Sora rolled off the bed and trudged to his closet.

"There's no combat training?" An incredulous expression accompanied Dyne's discovery. "But you must have some kind of skill. What about the weapons in your room?" He gestured towards the spears and pitchforks that were leaning against Sora's wall. "Weren't you training with Riku in the use of those things before you started going to school?"

"We do use them every now and then, but only to play games." Nothing could keep the warm smile from blooming on Sora's face at the mention of his weapons. Collecting them was a fetish that began with his father, who loved to invent stories about the exotic arms that arrived via mail order. Although he died, Sora continued to buy interesting weapons much to the dismay of his mother. Riku was just as bad, although his parents put a stop to it when a spiked ball and chain arrived in the mail one day.

"What about those humans that were going to hurt you? I seriously doubt that the hairless one was using his knife for decoration."

At the mention of Rude and his pocketknife, Sora snorted dismissively. "Please. Rude was just trying to look tough. They'd be in real trouble if they tried to hurt me for real." The boy paused, noting that Dyne was giving him a flabbergasted expression. "What is it? Are things done differently in your world?"

The way that Dyne's tail wilted out of its merry tilt said volumes more than his words. "In my world, anyone who doesn't fight ends up as a slave. Katina has been at war for the past twenty years."

"Katina? That's what your world is called?" At Dyne's nod, Sora's curiosity spurred him on. "Why are they fighting there?"

Dyne's nose wrinkled with disgust. "Because twenty years ago, Katina was ruled by a king, but someone slaughtered him and his entire family. There was no one of the blood left to take the throne, so naturally everyone started fighting for it. You'd think that after all this time somebody would have come up with a compromise, but no. Those idiots will be fighting forever."

Sora listened to the story with wide eyes. He couldn't imagine what it was like to live on a world that was torn by civil war, especially one that stole the freedom of anyone unwilling to fight. It made him have more of an appreciation for his own boring islands, where his only problem was public humiliation by Reno and the rest of the Turks. "Is that why you left? Because of the fighting?"

"Nope. I'm not scared to fight. None of those jerks will ever touch me." Dyne's tail flicked dangerously, matching the sudden glint of determination in his eyes.

"Then why?"

"I've got my reasons," was Dyne's lofty answer. It was clear that he was not going to give Sora the details just yet.

"Still," Sora murmured as he fingered a recently procured shirt from the closet. "It must be pretty bad living there." His sympathetic tone lasted for all of five seconds before his eyes suddenly lit up. "But it must be so cool to know how to fight. I mean, really fight."

"With the right teacher, anyone can learn to cause some damage. I might even be able to teach you a few things." Dyne gave Sora an indulgent grin. "And besides that, you do have skill. After all, the games you play are like combat without the intention to hurt. I wonder if Katina would be the same, if the war ended." His thoughtful gaze was shifted to the damp window. "Are you going to bathe or what? Kairi will be here soon."

"Oh right." Sora finished gathering up his clothes, but before he disappeared inside the bathroom he gave Dyne a suspicious look. "Why do you get so excited whenever Kairi's around anyway?"

In response to that question, a rather goofy grin stretched Dyne's lips. "She brings me toys, she cuddles me, she tells me secrets, and she gives the best kisses."

Sora stared at Dyne as if he was crazy. "You like her because she treats you like a baby?!"

"You do the same thing too, So~ra."

Realizing that this was true, a dark flush colored the boy's cheeks. "W.. well. Not anymore! You're not a normal cat, you're at least half boy so.."

"So treat me half like a boy and half like a cat." Dyne grinned, obviously pleased with the compromise that he'd managed to think up all on his own. "You can start by petting me." With that, the feline boy scooted off the floor and plopped himself on the edge of the bed.
Dyne made an eager picture with his tail curling into the air and his back slightly arched in anticipation of Sora's touch.

Sora gave the catboy a bland stare. What was with this guy and his constant demand for petting? It suddenly occurred to him that Dyne was also naked, but he found himself not caring so much for once. Most likely he finally became desensitized to his pet's chronic state of undress. "Alright, but just a little," said Sora as he began to advance towards Dyne.

Dyne probably thought that Sora got used to his nakedness as well, because he thought nothing of the serene smile that chased away his owner's flat expression. As Sora got closer to him, he became increasingly excited. His legs kicked against the side of the bed and his tail was doing a meandering cobra dance behind his body. With the touch of Sora's soft hands against the golden silk of his hair, Dyne tilted his head into the gentle sensation with a soft "mrr."

Sora scratched his pet's scalp in sensuous little strokes with the pads of his fingertips, a luxury that suddenly became painful when he curled his fingers into a fist and changed the caress into a grade A noogie. Dyne wrenched his head away and tried to claw Sora with a hiss, but the mischievous boy quickly danced out of range wearing a triumphant grin on his face. "Too slow!"

Dyne's ears flattened against his skull, and he bounded off the bed to chase Sora. Unfortunately, his target had gotten a head start and managed to make it to the bathroom in time to lock the door in Dyne's face. "Open up!" Demanded the blonde as he banged a fist against the closed door. "You're going to pay for that!"

Laughter floated from the other side of the barrier. "You really can't take a joke. Riku does that to me all the time."

"Riku," Dyne muttered with a hint of contempt. His ears lost their dangerous pose, and instead tilted off to the sides in petulance. They remained that way as he began to raid Sora's drawers for something decent to wear.

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

Kairi had her smile ready for Sora when she rang the doorbell to his house. However, the welcoming expression on her face faltered when the door opened to reveal a rather gleeful looking Dyne instead. "Uh... hi.... Is Sora still getting dressed?"

"He's almost done," Dyne answered cheerfully. Then he reached for Kairi's wrist and practically yanked her into the hallway.

Being touched by him was completely unexpected, and Kairi was bewildered enough to stagger over the threshold before catching her balance. As if things didn't feel uncomfortable enough, Dyne closed the front door, leaving them both isolated and alone in the hallway.

Although Kairi believed the story about Dyne's origin and ties to Sora's family, it was very weird to actually see him in Sora's house and wearing his clothes. She recognized the shirt he wore now, one that was red above a diagonal slash that extended from shoulder to hip and black beneath. Due to the fact that Dyne was shorter than Sora, the shirt was too long for his torso and the black shorts he wore were practically falling off his hips.

At least he knows how to match Sora's clothes, Kairi thought dryly. Even the backward black cap on Dyne's head matched the outfit perfectly.

"Did you bring any presents?"

If Kairi had known that alien catboys existed, the all too eager look on Dyne's face would have given him away. "What presents?"

"You know. The ones you bring m --" Dyne pretended to clear his throat. "-- For the cat."

"For Dyne? I mean, the other Dyne. Sora told you about that huh?" Kairi pictured the boys having a good laugh over her almost compulsive need to constantly buy their pet things. She could care less if they found it funny though; she loved that ball of yellow fur. Speaking of which, Kairi's gaze strayed away from Dyne in search of the cat. "I did bring him something. Dyyyyne! Where are you kitty? I got you something special!"

Dyne had a mixed expression of happiness at getting something nice from Kairi and exasperation at the fact that she was calling for him when he was already there. "I don't think he's here."

"No?" Kairi looked disappointed that there would be no early morning greetings with the yellow cat today. "That's strange. Usually he's waiting for me in the hallway."

Indeed, Dyne had been waiting in the hallway for her, just not in the form she expected. "I saw him run off with the cat next door. I think he's going to be gone for a while." An impish smile accompanied his lecherous insinuation.

"I see." Kairi knitted her brows, but she stopped asking about the cat in fear that Dyne would expound on its exploits with the neighboring calico. The subject was changed to help this. "You know, Sora never mentioned that he was expecting someone to visit his family."

"That's because it was a complete surprise. Kind of last minute plans. My parents are crazy like that."

Crazy huh. Kairi was willing to bet that craziness ran in Dyne's family. When Sora finally made his appearance from the bedroom, she felt relieved not to be standing with the strange blonde-headed kid alone in the hallway anymore. An ache settled deep in her heart as Sora smiled at her on his way to the kitchen. Today he'd finally settled on hoodie #13; a navy blue affair that had a silver dragon airbrushed on the back and two pairs of white stripes tracing the biceps. It covered a simple black tank top and matched the loose blue shorts hanging from his hips. At Dyne's insistence, Sora kept his crown chain looped at his side, just in case.

Kairi remembered when Sora's mom would dress him in Winnie the Pooh tee shirts and let him run around the beach with no pants. Of course, at that time he was only a toddler. Back then Kairi didn't care about the things Sora wore. That changed one day at the docks, when he took off his hoodie to reveal a frayed gray tank that hugged a slender but hard, tanned body. Kairi found herself staring as he gripped the oars of their rowboat and effortlessly propelled them towards another island, smiling cheerfully and talking the whole time. That was when she first realized that Sora was a boy. A boy boy, as in, those mysterious entities that she would pass with head down and hope that they would not see her and see her at the same time.

Naturally, a second realization followed this discovery. If Sora was a boy, then was she not a girl? It was as if seeing the change in him made her want to find the intrinsic pieces of herself. Unfortunately, her efforts to be more girl-like had all been in vain. No amount of makeup or clothing made her feel very feminine, and until she found the secret, she would have to reconcile with the fact that the day when Sora would look at her and linger a little more than usual was far in the future.

"Why did you guys dress so nice? The soccer field is going to be muddy." Talking to Sora was always an excellent excuse to justify the way Kairi kept her eyes locked with his. Little did she know, Dyne was also giving Sora the exact same stare of appreciation from beside her.

"We have a washing machine," answered Sora flatly, which made the girl roll her eyes to the ceiling. Sadly, there were some things about guys that Kairi was always going to find annoying.

Once they were inside the kitchen, Sora prepared a bowl of cereal for Dyne and settled it in front of the blonde. There had been a long argument the night before about the baby bottle and Sora's duties as a "master." Apparently, owning Dyne meant that Sora had to feed him every meal, and if he didn't then catboy would refuse to eat. The entire concept of starvation when one had two hands and free access to the refrigerator was positively mind boggling to the brunette. It made him wonder what kind of life his pet lived on Katana.

At times, Sora had the sneaking suspicion that this whole master thing was nothing more than a load of baloney. Instead of taking chances though, he decided that he would at least fix Dyne a plate but not feed him feed him every bite like the alien insisted. He also refused to bottle-feed him anymore. Dyne accepted these terms, although it upset him that he would no longer be fed from Sora's lap.

Completely oblivious, Kairi thought that Sora was simply being a gracious host by serving Dyne breakfast. As for herself, she had been to Sora's house long enough to get her own strawberry flavored poptart and glass of orange juice. "So Dyne ran away with the neighbor's cat huh?"

A shifty look overcame Sora's face, and he glanced at Dyne before replying slowly. "...Yaaaah...that's exactly it. He went with the neighbor's cat."

"You do know what this means right?"

Beside Kairi, Dyne had bent over his bowl and was slurping its contents with his tongue. Sora cleared his throat in an attempt to get the catboy's attention and make him stop. "I have no clue what it means."

"It means that we have to get him neutered."

Dyne's slurping ceased in favor of letting out a shocked gasp. His hands immediately flew over his crotch. "You want to turn me into a eunuch?!" He felt Sora kick him under the table. "I mean, you want to turn that poor cat into a eunuch??"

"It's not as bad as it sounds. But if we don't get it done, he'll start spraying the house to mark his territory. And believe me, it smells really bad." Kairi wrinkled her nose at the mere thought of that putrid animal scent filling the house.

On the other hand, Dyne and Sora had an opposite reaction: hysterical laughter. The blonde tried to picture himself walking around Sora's house with cock in hand, spritzing every corner so that the whole neighborhood knew that it was his territory, and just about died with the hilarity.

"I.. t-think we should wait to see if he actually does it. He's different from all the other cats." Sora tried to say this with a straight face, he really did, but chortles still managed to escape and ruin the seriousness of his suggestion.

Sadly, Kairi couldn't figure out what was so funny. Clearly there was a joke that she had missed, and it was making her feel left out. "Why are you guys laughing? This is serious!" Fresh laughter met her words, prompting her to frown and fold her arms across her chest. "Nevermind. Something tells me that I don't want to know."

She was more right than she could possibly imagine.

Later on that morning, they traveled together to school. As usual, Riku met them halfway, and he looked less than pleased to find the blonde headed kid accompanying his friends. By now, he'd heard the story of how Dyne single-handedly saved Sora from the Turks, as well as that the kid was staying with his best friend for a while.

However, Dyne's appearance on Destiny Islands had been so sudden that Riku couldn't help but be suspicious. It wasn't surprising that he was giving the new boy the third degree all the way to school. "So, you're called Dyne."

"Yep," answered the blonde, using the same clipped tone that colored the last conversation Riku tried to initiate with him.

"Sora's got a cat named Dyne."

"No shit."

"People keep saying that to him," interjected Sora in an attempt to cover up for Dyne's rudeness. He couldn't understand why his pet was suddenly acting so mean.

"I guess that could get pretty annoying," Riku murmured for Sora's sake, although he knew that being compared to a cat was not the reason for Dyne's attitude. "Alright, change of topic. What part of California are you from?"

"The north part."

"Where north?"

"Hollywood!" Sora yelled, which earned himself strange looks from his friends. He grinned sheepishly beneath their stares. "Right Dyne? You said you were from Hollywood." Hollywood was the only city that Sora knew was in California. Clearly, he didn't have a lot of practice when it came to lying to his friends.

It couldn't have been more crystal clear to Riku that Sora was hiding something. He made up his mind then and there to grill his best friend for the truth later. For now, since it was obvious that neither Sora nor Dyne were going to be giving any straight answers, Riku turned his attention to Kairi. "Homecoming nominations are today. Are you still going to go for it?"

"I don't know," Kairi sighed at the mention of homecoming. "Maybe it was a crazy idea after all. I had no idea that it would be so much work."

"Rufus changed the rules last year. You have to get at least three people to nominate you if you want to run."

"Figures. Now the Turks will be the only ones who ever win because they're all popular."

"Yeah," Riku said lightly, and there appeared to be a touch of sympathy in his aquamarine eyes. For a total of five seconds. "You'd have tripped all over your dress at the football field anyway."

Kairi punched Riku's arm, and immediately regretted it when her knuckles stung from the impact. "Ow! You and your stupid muscles!"

Sora's eyes tracked towards Riku's biceps, narrowing with a mixture of envy and silent appreciation for the well-sculpted sinews.

"Come on Sora. Riku's going to his classes, and we're going to ours." Dyne broke Sora's staring by grabbing his wrist and dragging him away from the platinum blonde. In shared confusion, Kairi and Riku shrugged their shoulders at each other, then Kairi broke away to rejoin Sora and his new friend.

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

Sora thought that Dyne was dragging him around because he was excited about starting school. He couldn't have been more wrong; Dyne didn't stay awake in any of his classes for longer than five minutes before falling asleep. The only time he was ever awake was in the stroll between switching rooms.

Somehow, Sora was not surprised. After all, his pet slept the entire day away at home and was only active in the afternoon, during the night and painfully early in the morning. Coming to school was so pointless for Dyne, how was he going to bodyguard anybody if all he did was sleep? Not that Sora could blame him, as boring as school was. Especially homeroom. He was about to drift off himself before their moderator began speaking.

"Alright, its that time of year again. We're going to be nominating homecoming princesses for the sophomore class. Remember, this year you need at least three nominations, and you can't vote for yourself. If any of you have someone in mind, please raise your hand."

At first, the classroom was quiet, but a few moments later Selphie's hand shot into the air like a rocket taking off the launch pad. When she was granted permission to speak, she stood up and planted her palms on her desk. "I nominate Kairi! Kairi for homecoming princess!!"

Selphie's enthusiastic display of support was touching, as well as a little embarrassing. Kairi smiled tightly and folded her hands in front of her in an effort to look calm and gracious with her nomination.

"That's one for Kairi. Anyone else?"

Sora raised his hand. "I nominate Kairi too."

A surge of warm happiness went through the girl upon hearing Sora give his support. Not that it was unexpected, but it still felt good to hear him say it.

"That's two for Kairi, she needs one more. Anyone else want to give their votes?" The teacher spotted Tidus waving his hand from the back of the room. "Number three?"

"No, I vote for Yuna!" Tidus's choice earned him a glare from Selphie that was heated enough to melt steel. He gave the angry girl a wilted smile. "...I just... think she's cute..?" Not to mention, he was desperately trying to ask her out to the homecoming dance. Nominating her was just bringing him one step closer to that goal.

"Ok, one for Yuna, two for Kairi. Anyone else?"

One pale hand lifted into the air. "Forget Yuna, Kairi's hot." Dyne barely lifted his head from its place cradled against arm as he gave his vote with a lazy grin.

Kairi was completely surprised to have the new kid's vote of confidence. Sora didn't seem to expect it either, because he was now staring at Dyne oddly. As time went on, there were other nominations, but only a young Turk named Scarlet was given enough votes asides from Kairi.

The homecoming race was going to be rather interesting.

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

Kairi was happy to at least be nominated, but her good mood fell when it came time for cheerleader tryouts. The rain had let up early that morning, so the event was being held beside the soccer field. All of the girls were outfitted in blue and white cheerleader uniforms, including the hopefuls who had recently signed up. There was never a shortage of skirts and shirts thanks to the ample funding provided by the student council.

It wasn't surprising that the cheerleading squad was well supplied. Nearly the entire team was made up of Turks, who also had a stranglehold on student government affairs. Standing among all those popular girls made Kairi feel as if she were in a middle of a battlefield and surrounded by the enemy, with Selphie as her only backup. The tiny, pleated skirt that barely cover her legs made her feel disarmed as well as ambushed.

"My butt is showing," whispered Selphie, who was trying in vain to pull the edges of her skirt down.

"Mine too, but I think that's the point." Kairi folded her arms across her chest and sneaked guilty glances at the more full figured girls that made the rather risqu� uniforms look fantastic.

"Don't look so nervous Kairi! The girls might be mean, but the squad leader is really cool. I heard that she's a real cheerleading nut."

Before Kairi could question that, a high pitched voice rang throughout the field. "ALRIGHT LADIES. Get your pom poms ready because its time to cheer!"

All of the new tryouts gasped as a crazy girl in a cheerleader outfit performed a series of back flips that took her from the sixth row of the bleachers to the ground, like a slinky rolling down the stairs. The more seasoned girls were not impressed since they were well used to the antics of their squad leader.

Although the stunt-crazy girl was short, she was very lithe and athletic. Her haircut was even more boyish and shorter than Kairi's, but the confident tilt of her hips and the snug fit of her body hugging uniform banished any thoughts of tomboyness. "I am your squad leader, the Great Cheerleader Yuffie, and you have all entered my bootcamp! Anyone who survives will get to bring spirit to our wonderful school, and that of course is on top of cheering for the hottest guys in Destiny Islands!"

While the girls around them giggled, Kairi whispered to Selphie, "She's not a Turk?"

A glassy eyed look of worship shimmered in Selphie's eyes. "Nope! Yuffie is a senior and she's not into that stuff. She never turns anyone away from the team unless they're really really bad, so we've got it made! And she's so good at cheering.. Oooo I wish I could be just like her!"

"First things first, bring on the PAIN!" Yuffie proceeded to lead the class into a series of the most murderous stretches that Kairi had ever experienced in her life. To think Selphie believed that cheerleading was easy; this sport was torture!

To make things worse, Elena was exactly one row in front of them and the discomfort of the stretching wasn't enough to prevent her from turning around and taunting Kairi. "Scarlet told me that you got nominated for homecoming princess. That is soooo cute! I didn't think you had so many friends, Kairi."

Kairi flashed a tight smile, the expression at odds with the hardness in her eyes. She answered in the same conversational and sickly sweet tone that Elena just used on her. "I know! And I didn't even have to sleep with any of them to get nominated."

"Of course, why dirty yourself with things you don't have a clue about." Elena then turned to her left and gave Scarlet a conspiring smile. "Good luck with your nomination sweetie. May be best female win. And Kairi," she continued, without sparing the redhead a second glance, "as someone with experience, I have to warn you to take your stretches seriously. Cheerleading can be a dangerous sport."

The inane chatter of the Turks was annoying Selphie. "What's so dangerous about hopping around and screaming your head off at the games?"

Unfortunately, Selphie did not interpret Elena's subtle threat as good as Kairi did.

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

"Line up you @#$@$ sissies! Give me 15 laps around the field, and the first person who squeals, faints, or lags behind is out of here." Cid, the resident soccer coach, lit up his cigarette and took a long drag of the flame. Unlike the cheerleaders, the soccer team didn't get any support from the student government, so the kids were forced to run in the mud wearing the same clothing they arrived to school in. "@$@%#@ council sitting on their asses. Can't even get a decent uniform."

Some kids didn't particularly care about the uniforms or mud, like Sora. He was exhilarated at the mere thought of playing soccer and was more than ready to prove himself on the field.

Dyne, on the other hand, really didn't care about playing soccer at all. Participating was just another way to stay close to Sora and stave off boredom. The loud coach that kept yelling and cursing his head off made the sport even less appealing to him. "I thought you said there was no combat training in this school."

"Cid's a little weird. I think he just wants everyone to do their best."

A thoughtful noise followed Sora's speculation. Then Dyne shifted a quick glance over his shoulder so that he could spy on the people behind them. Reno, Reeve and Rude were among the boys making rounds around the track. The redheaded Turk caught Dyne's stare and flashed a nasty smile in return. "Reno looks as if he's out to rape you."

Sora's face crumbled into annoyance at his companion's choice of words. "Do you have to say it that way?"

"I wouldn't put it past him. He looks like the frustrated type." A wicked grin spread over Dyne's face, and then he continued in a cheery voice. "I have finally figured it out. Although the humans of this planet remain relatively peaceful without a monarchy, there is a very subtle kind of social warfare going on. It seems that only those who are strong of heart can survive it without giving in to the higher power or crumbling beneath the pressure."

"Sometimes, I really don't understand a thing you say," Sora said with a clueless expression on his face.

"Nevermind. Just know that I think you are one of the strong ones."

An odd look was directed at the blonde. Although Sora was sure that he had just been complimented, he couldn't figure out what exactly he had been complimented on.

When the run was done, Cid promptly told the stragglers to get the #$#% off the field and allowed the rest of the boys to continue with tryouts. "Everyone get in pairs, and I want all of you to partner with someone from a different class. I'm tired of seeing you group with your buddies like a bunch of #%#%@ chickens."

No sooner had Dyne turned to do just that when he found Reno practically in his face. "Looks like you're going to be my partner," drawled the Turk with an unfriendly smile.

"Sure, if you think you can keep up," answered Dyne with a jeer on his face. Reno returned the same sneering expression before leaving to scoop up a soccer ball from the bin. Sora was in a similar situation with Reeve, who had cornered him before he could choose someone else to be his partner.

"Practice passing with your partner. If I see any of you %#%# up too much, you're off the team. I've got a quota to meet and a championship to win. So get to it!" Cid clapped his hands impatiently, and then waited to be impressed.

Even though there was six feet of space between them, Reno looked less than trustworthy to Dyne. The catboy knew he should have stayed alert, but the sound of girls yelling from the bleachers was distracting. Down the field, the cheerleaders were doing their drills, and every time they jumped their skirts left nothing to the imagination. Panties appeared everywhere, like fairies leaping towards the sun.

While Dyne gaped at the girls, Reno struck. The Turk gave the ball that he placed on a ground a hard wallop that sent it flying towards the distracted catboy. Dyne heard the "thunk" of the ball being kicked and returned his attention in time to reflexively catch it with his hands. Unfortunately, Reno had hit the soccer ball so hard that although he caught it, it still hit his stomach with the force of a punch. Dyne immediately doubled over with pain.

"Hey blondie! You're not supposed to use your hands. Feet only," Cid barked from the sidelines.

Wincing, Dyne slowly unfolded himself from his hunched position. A dark scowl was sent in Reno's direction, and soon, so was the ball, which he kicked with vengeful force. To his surprise, Reno changed the ball's trajectory by hitting it with his knee, causing it to fly skywards. When it descended once more, he trapped it beneath his foot before it could bounce away.

"You're not going to make it in this team," said the Turk with a sneer, "or this school for that matter. You're better off catching the next boat back to-- " at this point, Reno gave the ball a hard punt that sent it rocketing towards Dyne. His next word was uttered while the blur of black and white shot forwards. "--California!!!"

There was only a split second to react, and this time, Dyne used his feet as Cid requested. He executed a roundhouse kick that connected with the projectile and sent it whizzing past Reno's head and into the soccer ball bin. The force of the impact threw up a shower of balls that rained all over the Turk. Shifting back into a relaxed stance, Dyne offered a grim smile. "I'm sorry, I don't think I quite understood you. You were sounding a little nasal." This was a reference to Reno's nose, which was still taped from their last encounter.

"What the #%%# was that! You're supposed to be working together, not trying to tear each other's head off. You're on the same team goddamn it!"

Reno and Dyne shared sizzling glares. Cid wanted teamwork? They would give him "teamwork." Suddenly, the soccer ball became a torpedo between them, each mercilessly kicking it towards the other with intentions to break a bone. It traveled back and forth like a rocket powered Ping-Pong, neither one willing to relent and allow the ball to get past them.

Fortunately, Sora wasn't having nearly as much trouble. Reeve wasn't very athletic and spent more time running after the ball than kicking it. Eventually, Cid got tired of watching him flounder and just booted him off the team.

"Reeve, don't even bother. Sora's out of your league. Now get the #%#% off the field."

Reeve glared at Sora, who was spinning the soccer ball on his finger with a triumphant look. One less Turk to worry about.

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

"Time to build towers! Now lets see. Kairi! You look light enough. I want Selphie, Elena and Scarlet to be your base. Let's get to it!" All of Yuffie's orders were accompanied by a smile, indicating how completely oblivious she was to the animosity between certain girls on the squad.

Selphie flashed a dubious glance to the fake blondes that were supposed to support Kairi on their shoulders and then catch her as she fell. "Don't you think that's a little advanced for us beginners?" She liked it better when they were practicing aerial splits a few seconds ago, it was much safer.

"Don't worry Selphie, its just like playing leapfrog," Kairi said confidently.

"This is nothing like jumping over someone's back!"

"...Playing leapfrog with Sora and Riku."

"Oh." Sora and Riku never played games the ordinary way. Their version of leapfrog was to hop spread-eagled over the enormous boulders that could be found in the enclaves of the beach. Surely, a mistake there would have been a lot more painful than any that could occur here. That was the main reason why Selphie never played with those boys, because frankly, she cried if she so much as got scratched. "You're so brave!"

"Come on, we haven't got all day," snapped Elena, impatient to end their time mingling with Kairi and her stupid friend.

Frowning, Kairi stalked towards the Turks with determination to show them that she was not cowed. Scarlet linked her hands together, and Kairi used the Turk's palms as platform to help climb onto their shoulders. She mentally thanked a childhood of swinging from tree house to tree house for her good balance.

Other cheerleaders made similar towers, and when they were ready, the girls waited for Yuffie's instructions. "Ok, on count of three!" The squad leader went around to each group, checking to make sure that things were being done right. "Keep it straight, and remember to trust your base! Alright!!" She clapped her hands with enthusiasm. "One! Two!! Three!!!"

On the last count, Kairi bent her knees, then launched herself into the best midair split she could do. It wasn't perfect, but she thought it wasn't bad for her first try. However, when she came into her landing, two out of the three pairs of hands that were supposed to be catching her did not support her weight. Feeling her body fall further than it was supposed to, Kairi grabbed the nearest person out of reflex, which turned out to be Selphie. They both tumbled to the ground while Scarlet and Elena laughed their heads off.

After picking herself from the floor and lending Selphie a hand, Kairi gave the two girls an angry glare. "You were supposed to catch me!"

"I'm sorry, our hands must have slipped." Elena's voice was purposely airy, and she batted her lashes at Kairi.

Unfortunately, Yuffie had been too far away to notice the sabotage and understood Kairi's fall to be an honest mistake. "Come on girls, that was no good! Let's try it again. Keep it together!"

"Kairi," whispered Selphie in a pleading tone. She didn't want to do this again if it meant that they were going to get hurt.

"One more time." Kairi read Selphie's fears, but was too angry to leave things as they were. It was one thing to pick on her, but when their antics included Selphie then they had drawn the last straw.

On Kairi's second try, planting her feet on Scarlet's palms and hoisting herself onto their shoulders was easier. Again, there was a count of three, and as predicted, the Turks didn't bother supporting her weight when she came down. This time, however, Kairi was ready for it, and as she fell she angled her foot so that it mashed against Elena's toes.

"OW!!! You stupid bitch!"

"Hey! What's with that language?" Finally, the commotion was enough to attract Yuffie's attention. She walked over to their group wearing a frown on her face. "Is there something going on over here?"

"We had a little accident," began Kairi with the most innocent expression she could muster. "They couldn't catch me, and when I fell I landed on her foot."

"I'm surprised! Elena's been on the team for three years. Why are you making these silly mistakes?" Yuffie patted the scowling Elena on her shoulder. "I'm sensing some issues of trust here. You gotta learn to rely on each other, or you might find yourself flat on your face in the middle of your cheers. Kairi, I liked the way you looked. I think we should--" a drop of water fell on her nose, a prelude to the rainfall that began to descend from the sky. "Awwwwww nuts! Guess practice is going to be cut short."

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

Not so for the boys. After finishing their warm ups, Cid separated the freshman and sophomores from the upperclassmen for a mock soccer game. He believed that getting creamed by another team built character and humility, and it was expected that the younger recruits would be losing miserably.

However, that was not the case. The newest additions to the soccer team seemed to be holding up very well against the more seasoned players. Things escalated as rain began to pour in heavy sheets, drenching the field and causing it to become slippery and muddy. Normal coaches would have called the practice off by now, but Cid was too much of a sadist to let them stop.

Even if he did, it was unlikely that the underclassmen would have wanted to stop. Especially Sora and Dyne, who took it personally whenever Reno "accidentally" tripped them and made them take a dive onto the dirty ground. There were only a few minutes left in the match, and they were both nearly unrecognizable beneath the mud caked on their clothes. All those falls had been a blow to their pride, and now they hell bent on winning this game no matter what.

They forged an alliance to back each other up that was proving to be powerful. Down the field they ran, separated by ten feet as they worked their way towards the goal. Dyne had the ball and Reno was hounding him from behind as he had been the entire game. After being tripped so many times by the redheaded Turk, the blonde could make a fair guess that another attempt would be occurring very soon.

In the background, Cid was barking obscenities, and somewhere in his foul speech was the command to wrap it up for the day. Up ahead, Rude was bracing himself to catch any attempts at making the last goal. The bald headed Turk had proven to be a frustratingly excellent goalkeeper. Scoring was sparse for the team of underclassmen, and it was only their good defense that kept the numbers tied at 3 � 3.

Shooting now would be too predictable and disastrous, so Dyne flicked his eyes to the side and met Sora's summer blue. That split second of eye contact was all the communication they needed. The ball was bunted in the brunette's direction, just as Reno "accidentally" shoved the catboy for the umpteenth time.

By the time Rude tracked the new direction of the fast moving ball, it was already flying in his direction. Sora had spiked it towards the net the moment it reached his corner of the field. The Turk dutifully moved to block it, but he never had time to raise his hands. Stars burst in his vision as the soccer ball beaned him on the forehead and ricocheted back out of the net.

All seemed lost for the youngest players, for the ball sailed high over their heads in the direction of the out of bound area. At least, until the blonde headed kid performed a leap that defied the laws of gravity, turned upside down in midair and kicked the ball back towards the goal. It whooshed in without any interference.

A roar of celebration went up from the winning team while the upperclassmen gaped in complete disbelief. Reno couldn't believe his eyes. What just happened was like something out of a comic book. No normal person could leap that high without so much as a running start to aid them.

"Heh, they're cheering like it's the #$#%% Olympics." Nevertheless, Cid wore a pleased grin on his face. The new recruits were full of spunk, and that's the way he liked it. "Alright squirts, you're all in. You just better show the same enthusiasm during the real games, or I'll kick your #%#%@. Tryouts are over!"

Although he was soaked, the chill of the rain didn't penetrate Sora's heated skin. Despite the long forty minutes of game time, the rush of victory staved off his exhaustion. He slapped Dyne a high five and joined the crowd of boys leaving the field. Everyone kept telling them how fantastic they played and asking where they learned their skills. Sora was unable to keep the strut out of his step, nor resist flashing Reno a grin as he passed by. "Great game Reno! Glad to have you on the team."

Reno glared at Sora, and the same expression was directed to the blonde walking behind him. Dyne smirked at Reno with a trace of wickedness, and before the Turk knew what was going on, he was suddenly yanked off his feet. He fell face first into the mud, bewildered and angry beyond belief. Reno quickly pushed off the ground and looked behind him to see the culprit who tripped him, but there was no one there.

"Watch your step, it's slippery," murmured Dyne as he continued to walk with both hands in his pockets. His grin was even wider now.

Suspicious, Reno squinted through the rain at Dyne's back. That kid had to have tripped him somehow, but how did he manage to do it with two hands in his pockets and both feet accounted for?

As Reno picked himself the rest of the way off the ground, his eyes never left the mysterious boy. Reeve, who had looked in time to see Reno lying flat on his face, went to his friend's side with a worried expression. He assumed that Reno had slipped on the mud and had a bad fall. "You ok Reno?"

Ignoring the question, the redheaded Turk spoke with calculated malice. "There's something weird about that new kid." Reno shoved at the mud that had gotten on his face. "And I am going to find out what."

Meanwhile, a certain naughty tail tightened itself around Dyne's waist.

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen," Elena said breathlessly. When the rain had cut their cheerleading practice short, she had taken refuge beneath the bleachers with Scarlet. From there, they had watched the mock soccer match with much interest. "Who is that blonde headed kid?"

"That would be Dyne," answered her companion primly. With a disinterested look, Scarlet checked her nails for grime. "He transferred to my class yesterday."

"Why is he hanging around that Sora kid?" There was a touch of disgust in Elena's voice. "He obviously should be keeping better company. Find out his schedule for me. I want to know where he is at any time of the day."

"I wouldn't even bother. He nominated Kairi for homecoming princess."

Speaking of Kairi, she was walking towards the jubilant boys wearing her regular clothes and carrying an umbrella. They could clearly see Dyne leaning towards her with interest, and they interpreted his body language to mean that he liked her. This caused a well of jealousy to swell in Elena. "I can date any boy I want in this school. When he knows I'm interested, he won't even notice that twat anymore."

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

Oblivious to what other people thought, Kairi joined Sora and his new friend. Her presence reminded Dyne that there was a present to be had, and he tried to pounce her in his eagerness to have it � completely forgetting that he wasn't in the right form for it. Kairi dodged what she thought was an attempt to hug her and hid behind Sora for protection. "Dyne! You're all muddy." Not to mention that he really needed to stop intruding her comfort zone.

"He's just excited," ventured Sora with a smile; too ecstatic over their recent match to notice that Kairi was being weirded out. "Did you see the way we creamed Reno and the upperclassmen? We were awesome out there!"

Sora's enthusiasm was contagious, and it didn't take much for Kairi's mood to lighten as well. "Yes! All the cheerleaders were watching. Everyone thought you guys were great."

"Why aren't you wearing that skirt anymore?" Asked Dyne, while smiling in a way that was less than proprietous.

"Because it's cold, it's raining, and the field is muddy." Kairi read into the blonde's interest and gave him a stern, "back off" stare as a warning. However, the expression abated a bit as she continued. "By the way, you didn't really have to nominate me. Thanks all the same though."

Kairi thought that Dyne had nominated her out of pity. The catboy's expression became a little more serious, though he continued to grin at her. "Thanks? Who wouldn't nominate a hot girl? Besides, where I come from, red hair is considered a mark of royalty."

Even though she had misgivings about Dyne, Kairi couldn't help becoming flustered over the compliment. Not too many people told her that she looked nice, in fact, only her parents ever did. Despite her shy embarrassment though, she couldn't help catching the second half of what Dyne said. "There's royalty in California?"

Before Dyne could dig his hole any deeper, Sora interrupted the conversation. "Kairi, I'm going to go straight home today. I need a shower." That was an understatement. Considering how dirty they'd gotten, they were probably going to need a fire hose. "And since you've only got one umbrella, we're going to run the rest of the way. Race you to the house!"

"You're on!" Dyne grinned and prepared to sprint with Sora.

"Wait! Before you go, can you give this to Dyne? The cat I mean." Before the boys could get too far, Kairi rummaged through the things in her bag and retrieved a mouse shaped plushie. The herbal smell of catnip drifted from the present. Dyne's eyes glowed as he watched her stuff it into Sora's book bag. "Tell me if he likes it, ok?"

"He loves it!" Exclaimed Dyne, unaware that his tail was beginning to sneak out from beneath his shirt.

Thankfully, Sora spotted the yellow appendage flicking with delight before Kairi did, and he wedged himself directly beside the other boy to block it from view. "Anyway, we have to go. We'll see you later Kairi, bye!" Before she could say anything else, Sora shoved Dyne to get him to start running and made sure to stay behind him so no one else could see his tail.

When they were out of earshot, Sora whispered "Your tail is showing!" Dyne uttered an "oops" before retucking the appendage back beneath his shirt. That had been a close call, but they were too excited to really give the incident much thought. Instead, they crowed over their victory and the expression on Reno's face the entire way home.

Upon approaching the house, the glow of lights and aroma of food alerted them to the fact that Sora's mom was around � for once. "Guess its time for me to hide," murmured Dyne, just before shifting into his animal form. Unfortunately, even though he shed his clothing with the transformation, the mud did not come off as easy. He simply changed from a very dirty boy to a very dirty cat.

Sora scooped up the discarded clothing and his pet from the ground before entering the house. His mother, hearing the front door open, left the kitchen to greet her son in the hallway. Unfortunately, her welcoming smile turned into open-mouthed shock upon seeing the muddy mess that Sora had become. "What happened to you! How can you let yourself get this filthy?" Her gaze trailed with disapproval over Sora's clothes, and then stopped at the cat. A scandalized gasp sifted past her lips as soon as she spied the dirty creature. "You are not letting that thing run around the house until it is CLEAN. You march straight to the bathroom and give that cat a bath, capish?"

"Capish," Sora answered; too used to her motherly criticisms to really be affected by them anymore. Instead, he was drawn to the smell of something nice roasting in the oven, as well as curious about her being home. "You're actually making dinner. Is it a special occasion?"

Apparently, he'd hit on something interesting, because his mother was suddenly wringing her hands and smiling like a little schoolgirl. "I haven't done it in a while have I? I thought we could have a nice dinner for once. Hurry up and change, it'll be ready soon."

Intrigued, but confused as ever by his mom's antics, Sora went to the adjoining bathroom of his bedroom. Dyne's muddy clothing was dropped into the sink, and the feline itself was plopped onto the fuzzy seat cover of the toilet. Then, Sora leaned over the bathtub and turned on the tap, unaware that his cat had turned its ears down with the sound of gushing water. When the water level had risen to a sufficient amount, he plucked his pet by its tiny waist and began to lower it into the water.

Or at least, he tried to. He didn't get very far when there was a brilliant flare of light that eventually faded to reveal a more human Dyne � who had his legs spread and propped against the sides of the basin to prevent himself from being lowered any further. "Hell. No."

"What's the problem? You want to do this yourself?" Worried that Dyne might accidentally slip and hurt himself, Sora continued to hold him by the waist. Although the alien's balance was impressive, Sora was untrusting of it.

"N.. no, I'll just be leaving the bathroom now."

"You're covered in mud, and you heard what mom said. She wants to see you clean."

"I'll just lick myself," offered the blonde. His tail flicked nervously behind him.

"Are you crazy! Just get in the tub already, I want to take a bath too."

"No way, I might drown!"

Sora gave the catboy an incredulous look. "There's only two inches of water. How can you drown in that?"

"Water and me don't mix," said his pet with a flighty expression. "So just let me leave the bathroom; I can take care of things my own way."

"No, that's disgusting! Licking all that mud might make you sick." Sora was nearing the end of his patience, especially since the more they stalled, the longer he was denied a preciously rare dinner made by his mother. "Just get in."

"No!"

"Come on, I'll be right here with you."

With his ears flattened dolefully against the sides of his head, Dyne looked less than impressed. "That's easy for you to say, you're out there and I'm in here."

"Fine, then I'll go in with you. Happy now?"

"I'm not taking a bath."

"Dyne," said Sora testily, "as your owner I am ordering you to take a bath right now."

Dyne didn't take well to Sora's tone of voice. His arms folded defiantly across his chest and his tail lowered from its usual spot above his head to sway in an agitated dance closer to the ground. If Sora were familiar with Katina's customs, he would have known that the sudden fall of the appendage was congruent with his pet's dip in respect for him. "Ooooo Sora, that was so compelling. I shudder in fear of your authority."

That was the last straw. Even from the kitchen, Sora's mother could hear the crashes and cat screeches coming from the fight that broke out in the bathroom. Luckily for Sora, she didn't investigate since she could tell from the noise that it was only her son trying to give his pet a bath. She supposed that a few scratches would teach Sora to be more responsible and make sure the cat stayed clean at all times.

Inside the bathroom, Dyne's skin squealed wetly against porcelain as he repeatedly tried to jump out of the tub. His efforts were hindered by Sora, who had his tail wrapped around his wrist so that he could keep his pet anchored in place. Eventually Dyne was pulled close enough to be put into a headlock. "Just five minutes, geez! Sit still!"

"Nooo! I'm drowning! I'm gonna die!" Sadly, Dyne was in a panic. If he was in his usual frame of mind, he would have been able to knock Sora out and escape this situation, but instead he could only emit the most heart breaking yowls of distress that were unheard by anyone who cared. It made Sora feel a little sorry for him, but even more annoyed at the fact that he was this worked up over two inches of water.

In time, Dyne's struggles were subdued by his own livid fear, which left him limp and obedient in Sora's arms. Tentatively, the brunette released him and was relieved that his pet merely sat in the middle of the tub without further attempts at escape. Dyne wilted in place; displaying submission with lowered head and all fuzzy appendages drooping. His cries died down to piteous mewls, which gained volume when Sora took the shower head and used it to douse him with water.

After rinsing the worst of the mess off, Sora encountered a dilemma. Does one use regular shampoo on a catboy, or the kind that was made specifically for a cat? The latter was available for use thanks to Kairi and her compulsive buying for their pet. In the end, Sora decided to use the normal shampoo on Dyne's scalp and the cat shampoo on his tail and cat ears. As for the rest of his pet's body, a washcloth made foamy with soap was thrust at him.

"Here. Use that for everything else."

With a sulky demeanor, Dyne took the washcloth and proceeded to scrub himself down with it. At least by obeying, he was shortening the time spent in the god-forsaken pit of death called a bathtub.

While his pet cleaned himself, Sora washed his own hair and eventually convinced himself to remove his clothes since Dyne was clearly too upset to care about anyone being naked. When they were both done with the soap, the showerhead was used for rinsing one last time. Then the water was shut off and allowed to drain away, signaling the end of the entire ordeal.

"See, that wasn't so bad. You can go now." Sora stepped out of the tub and snatched a towel to tie around his waist.

His pet, on the other hand, did not scramble to leave the bathroom. Instead, he continued to sit in silence with shoulders hunched and back facing his owner.

"Aw, don't be that way. Come on, the bath is over."

At Dyne's continued quiet rebellion, Sora let out a sigh. The boy walked back to the bathtub and bent down so that he could tuck his arms beneath his pet's legs. "If you stay in there, you'll turn into a prune," he murmured as he lifted Dyne out of the basin. The catboy's demeanor didn't change the entire time; he remained quiet and brooding as he was resettled on top of the toilet seat.

In the end, Sora figured he deserved the silent treatment, although he still felt justified over forcing a bath instead of allowing his pet to lick the mud away. A towel was fetched from the rack and used to rub down his unresponsive houseguest, who didn't move to help the drying of his hair, ears, torso and legs. Sora didn't go near the more private areas around his middle; that was left for his pet to deal with at his own leisure.

Finally, a bathrobe was tossed over Dyne's shoulders, and the feline boy was picked up and moved to the bed in the adjoining room where he would be able to air dry better. As soon as the Dyne was released, he flopped onto his side so that his back was facing Sora.

Unable to do anything about it, Sora shook his head before walking to the closet to procure a fresh pair of clothes. When he was done dressing, he turned back to his pet, which was still behaving petulant. "It could not have been that bad."

"I almost drowned," Dyne moaned into the mattress.

"You did not! I wouldn't have let you drown even if you could anyway."

"I've never been so abused." Dyne refused to listen to reason. His damp tail coiled over the front of his body so that he could clutch it like a kid hanging onto his favorite teddy bear.

Exasperated, Sora threw up his hands. Dyne was impossible to deal with. There was only one option left that could assuage his pet. Sora went to his book bag and retrieved the mouse shaped plushie that Kairi had stuffed in there earlier. Returning to the bedside, he leaned over the Dyne and dangled the present before his eyes. "Don't be mad. I won't give you too many baths as long as you stay clean, ok?"

A few moments passed in which it didn't seem that Sora was going to be forgiven, but then the toy was taken from his hands and cradled in a two-handed grasp. Dyne turned onto his back; the new supine position indicating that Sora had been accepted again. "Ok."

Pleased that his pet wasn't mad anymore, a smile stretched Sora's lips. Without a thought, he reached out and rubbed the space between the triangular tufts on Dyne's head. "If you're up to it, come around the kitchen. I'll sneak scraps to you under the table. Or you can wait and I'll just give you a plate later." With that, he ceased his petting and went to join his mother in the kitchen.

Left alone, Dyne's tail flicked with a little more life. After a few moments, he began to roll back and forth on Sora's bed, emitting a pleasured "rewr" as he chewed on the catnip-laden toy. He had just received his first voluntary petting from Sora ever since he showed the boy his true form. Obviously, it made him very happy.

Later on, a slightly damp, fuzzy yellow cat came into the kitchen carrying a plushie mouse.

{{-----------------------------------------------}}

The student council meeting had run very late. They were arranging things for the homecoming dance as well as preparing the voting process for the homecoming queen and princesses. In reality, the upcoming student government elections should have been a priority, but everyone knew that Rufus was going to win again so not much attention was paid to that.

After everything was planned for the next three weeks, Riku was finally free to go home. Since he left his book bag in the boy's locker room, he detoured there to fetch it before leaving school grounds. While he was getting his things, Cid happened to wander by, and Riku called to the man to get his attention. "Hey coach. How did soccer tryouts go?"

Like all of the coaches in the school, Cid greeted the star athlete of Destiny Islands with a grin. Not for the first time, he fervently wished that Riku had stuck to soccer instead of jumping around from sport to sport every year. "Better than I expected. We got some real good kids this year. I think we're looking at another championship match."

"Sora was really good, wasn't he?" A touch of pride was evident in Riku's voice, which was not surprising since he considered himself to be the teacher of his best friend's skills.

"Pshaw, are you kidding me? He was like a minnow in a lake out there. Real good teamwork, passes and catches the ball like he's got a magnet for it, and shoots pretty good."

An indulgent, secretive smile passed over Riku's lips as he closed the locker door. "He's had lots of practice over the summer. We usually play something like soccer on the other island."

"Yeah. There was this one kid though, a real diamond in the rough. He's got a lot of edges to him, but I think with the proper training he can be as good as you."

This certainly peaked Riku's attention. There was actually someone in this school who could compare to him? His ego wanted to say that it was impossible. "Who?"

"That new kid, Dyne I think he's called. Real fancy footwork out there. It's unnecessary, but he's got a good handle on the ball. Hell if I should #$#@% complain, between him and Sora we got the championship beat."

The new kid? Riku found himself frowning at the thought. There was no way that the blondie hanging around Sora was just as good as him. He refused to believe that it was true; Cid had to be exaggerating.

Before he allowed himself to feel threatened, he would have to see this miracle for himself.

To be continued.
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