The Second Night...

"And the next participant in the Evening Gown category: Kairi!" The Princess of Heart couldn't be any more nervous as she began to walk daintily along the runway. Her outfit consisted of a pink satin strapless gown with a white waistband hugging her midsection and magenta high heels. Her eyes scanned the crowd for her friends and sure enough, Sora, Riku and the others were in the front row, cheering her on. Kairi almost giggled at Sora's expression. His jaw was wide open and his eyes were round with shock. Riku had to literally reach over and close his mouth.

As she reached the end of the runway, Kairi placed one hand on her hip and thrust out the other side, flashing her cutest smile. The photographers seemed to think she was photogenic, because their cameras were flashing non-stop. She still felt a bit of shyness in the pit of her stomach, but as long as she was up there, she was determined not to show it. Suddenly, a collective gasp could be heard throughout the crowd.

Everyone started muttering or laughing; many of the guys were making cat calls and wolf whistles. Kairi was completely baffled at their reactions until she felt a slight breeze play across her body. She looked down and was horrified to find that a few seconds ago she had been wearing a beautiful evening gown and now she was completely and totally naked.

She quickly tried to move her hands to cover herself, but they wouldn't move an inch. It was as if everything below her neck was made of skin-colored stone. She might as well have been an uncovered mannequin in a store window. Her eyes darted toward the front seats, but her friends were nowhere to be found. As the crowd was treated to her embarrassing display, Kairi could make out in the very back of the crowd the unwelcome form of Natalia, who had a barely conscious Sora draped over her shoulder. She gave the nude, frozen red-head a wicked grin.

"Ta-ta, Red! I'm gonna take my precious new boy-toy and get married! I'll send you a postcard from our honeymoon!" Kairi struggled with all her might to at least shift out of her pose, but her muscles wouldn't respond to her thoughts. She could only watch helplessly as Natalia strutted out the door, her cackling laughter chilling the air.

"Kairi..." Sora's voice called out weakly. "Good-bye..."

"NOOO!!" Kairi bolted upright in a cold sweat. She had her arms tightly wrapped around her chest. It took her a few seconds before she realized where she really was. "Oh. Right." She loosened her death grip across Sora's body. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at Sora's bedroom clock. It was still too early for sunrise. Kairi's head dropped back onto the slightly damp pillowcase behind her. "Oh gawd, what a nightmare," she thought. "I haven't had a dream like that since the academy's talent show." She could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest. "Stupid Talia. She's even haunting my most private sanctuary."

"Whoa..." The sudden voice startled Kairi causing her to jump. "Wow, I just...wow."

"Roxas?" she called.

"Yeah, Kairi?" Roxas' voice seemed a bit strained and high-pitched.

"What are you doing awake?"

"Um...your dream...kinda..." Roxas stammered, "...broke into mine."

"Oh." She rubbed her face vigorously. "Well, sorry for..." Kairi stopped. Roxas' voice was way too unsettled. "Wait. Exactly how much did you see?" she asked suspiciously.

Roxas was silent for a moment. Kairi's worst fears were confirmed when he said, "Everything."

"Everything?" Kairi whispered.

"Everything," he repeated. "That's the first time I've ever seen a naked girl before," Roxas replied in a dazed tone.

Kairi's face blushed a shade of crimson. "And that's the last time you'll ever see one, you perv!" she snarled.

"Hey, wait a minute! What are you mad at me for?" Roxas huffed defensively. "It's not like I WANTED to see!"

But she wouldn't hear any excuses. "I swear, the minute I get back in my own body, I'm making sure to have Naminé remove that memory," Kairi muttered darkly.

* * *

"Sora?" Naminé yawned as she stirred out of her hibernation. She realized that the Keyblade master was still up. "Why are you still awake?"

"Huh?" Sora had parked Kairi's body at the kitchen table, a glass of water loosely gripped in the right hand. "Oh, sorry Naminé."

"If you don't get some sleep, you're going to cause Kairi to have bags under her eyes."

Sora took a sip of water. "My brain won't shut down," he explained, "and I can't sleep."

"Was your brain ever on?" Naminé teased.

Sora rolled his eyes. "Funny."

"I try." Naminé sighed. "Well, as this is your first (and hopefully only) experience of being inside a girl's body, it's kinda understandable. Want to talk about it?"

Sora leaned back in his chair, letting his left hand swing limply at his side. "Actually, what's bothering me is the whole pageant thing," he said. "I mean, I've heard of contests for showing off strength and speed, but this is the first time I've heard of a contest for looks." He took another gulp, draining the glass dry.

If Naminé had a corporeal form, she'd have been rolling her eyes. "Sheltered. That's what you are. You think Kairi always spent her time at the island with you guys?" Sora shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I bet you didn't even know about all those extracurricular activities she's in."

Sora looked down solemnly at his empty glass of water. "I guess the longer I spend in Kairi's body, the more I realize that I don't know her at all."

Naminé heard the sorrowful tone in his voice and felt a bit of pity toward him. "Well, you were stuck in a pod for about a year and your memories were tampered by yours truly. It's not your fault," Naminé added gently.

Sora nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his eyes. "Maybe. But it doesn't change the fact that there's this whole other side to her that I'm completely in the dark about."

Naminé chuckled slightly. "Look, don't worry about it. Every relationship has its secrets. There are things she doesn't want to tell you about. It's her life, not yours." Sensing that Sora was still worried, she said, "You don't have to feel guilty about what you don't know about her. If you knew everything, then there isn't really any point in becoming closer. Right?"

Sora sat in silence as he absorbed Naminé's words. Instead of immediately answering, he picked up the empty cup, washed, dried and put it away. As he headed back to bed, he glanced at the open diary on the dresser. "All of her memories in one book," he murmured. "A dream of you in a world without you..." He snuggled under the covers and closed his eyes. "You're right, Naminé. Taking away mystery removes the hope and interest in life." Sora let out a sigh of contentment, feeling all his fears melting away. "Good night, Kairi," he whispered with a smile on his face. "I'll see you in the morning."