Mr Destiny Islands

Chapter Gaiden:  What if?

Author's note:  Alternative ending that you people wanted. It's a bit trashy and stupid but done all in the spirit of fun.  *hands out Chapter Gaiden on a silver platter*. I am also using this to pimp my other ongoing (abide very slowly) fanfic called Silver Lining.  

Disclaimer: I don't own them! I really don't have the rights to KH characters!

…. ….

"The winner will walk away with free meal vouchers to this fancy pansy place. But besides this, he would have to put up with fanatical fan girls that will camp outside his door and will be poached by various modeling agencies that will lure you with money to do they dirty work. If you accept their offer, you will be forced into a life of selling your looks and made to prance around in extremely uncomfortable and sometimes indecent outfits, plus you have no annually leave to visit home. Then, when you looks fade off, they will discard you like used clothing and pick a younger and more gullible bloke to continue their work."

"Thus, without further ado, like me present to you the next Mr Destiny Islands (teen category)….Riku!" Leon exclaimed into his microphone.

The crowd erupted in applause as they waited for Riku to receive his prize.

However, Riku did not go according to protocol.

Riku could not.

Riku was missing.

Leon shrugged uncomfortably as a tensed silence descended upon the lavishly decorated room. He lifted the microphone towards his dry lips and laughed nervously, " Hah ha… erm… Maybe I didn't make myself clear… The winner is RIKU! Will Riku please come on stage and take this disgusting crown and sash from me?"

No reply.

"… where is the little twerp?!" Leon had finally lost his patience. Men who wore black leather should not be forced to hold a cheesy crown and a lavender sash.

 Tidus felt compelled to reply Leon's forceful question and the bloke raised his hand to catch Leon's attention. Leon's eyes narrowed as he pointed to Tidus and said, "Yes Tidus?"

"I... urm… saw Riku and Sora leave their seats while you were talking to that big man behind you. Right Yuna?" Tidus answered Leon and turned to Yuna for clarification. Yuna smiled sweetly and nodded. A red blush appeared under Tidus' honey tan as he flashed a shy smile, secretly delight to see Yuna's smile.

Leon turned away in disgust. Sweet young things were not what he wanted to see right now. His gaze returned to the table that Riku and Sora were at. Apparently, all four occupants of the table had decided to leave. All that was left was the prize statue, which was given to Sora, standing next to a bowl with leftover bits of clam chowder. Riku was really missing and Leon could not get rid of the weight in his hands. He needed to give away the fake gold crown and leave immediately to catch the next boat out of the Islands.

He had to think of something fast. He needed a winner.

Just as Leon's straight locks were about to curl up in frustration, a flash of orange caught his eyes. It was a familiar colour. And an orange spark of inspiration hit Leon, square in the face.

If Riku did not want to be the winner, then, maybe he could give another candidate the title. A sneaky smile found it's way onto Leon's lips. Leon could and would…

*  

Selphie has a habit. It was not really a bad one just that it kind of inconvenienced the whole group when it occurred. It was a silly but adorable habit, one that Kairi, Sora and Riku tolerated, as they all felt a sense of guilt for the habit was developed due to their thoughtlessness. It all started some years ago, when they were still on the verge of adolescence, and Selphie being the youngest, was also the most childish:

The cute toffee haired girl needed to use the little girls room badly but they foursome was on one of those "let's-walk-through-the-deserted-forest" expeditions, and finding a conventional place to relief one's self was virtually impossible. Poor Selphie tried her best to control her needs but it was clear that she would not be able to hold till they reached a certain degree of civilization equipped with toilet facilities. If Selphie had to go, she had to do it in the behind a tree. Not a pleasant prospect for a girl who barely turned nine.

Kairi, being the practical one, told Riku and Sora to turn their backs away to secure Selphie's modesty as well as to keep on a lookout for any wild critters. Kairi stood near to Selphie, enough to ensure that the boys would not be able to see anything unnecessary. Selphie was comforted by the arrangement and went about her business.

Everything would have turned out fine if not for the fact that Sora chose to become an utter coward at that time. Sora was not usual perturbed by anything except for large and hairy spiders. And it just happened that one hairy eight-legged thing thought that it had taken fancy of Sora's big shoes. Sora was rooted to his spot and Riku, sensing his friend's sudden and unnatural stillness, reached out a hand and placed it on Sora's shoulder, an act of concern. Riku's touch activated Sora's stunned consciousness and the brown haired boy emitted a sound that could only be described as disturbing. This was proceed by Sora's mad dash aimlessly into the forest, followed by Riku sprinting after him.

The scream caused Kairi to panic and abandon her task and run to see what had happened. Selphie was blissfully unaware due to her concentration on her task at hand, so you could imagine her surprise when she looked up to find Kairi missing and the boys nowhere in sight.

"Hey guys, I am done. Where…are… you?"     

Selphie struggled to arrange her yellow jumper as she walked from behind the tree to find only more trees and none of her friends.

"Kairi…? Sora…? Ri… ku?! Where are you guys?! It's not funny…. Where are you people?"

Needless to say, little Selphie was scared out of her wits and the kink in her hair became more pronounced as a result of such trauma. To be fair to the others, Kairi, Sora and Riku did recognize their folly. Once Kairi managed to pried Sora off Riku and knocked some sense into the spike-headed boy, the threesome realized that they had neglected they youngest friend. They went into a panic frenzy and started to search for their little friend.

It was Sora who found Selphie huddled into a ball of yellow, partially hidden by tree ferns. From then on, Selphie made them swear never to even abandon her ever again. Kairi, Sora and even Riku readily agreed to Selphie's demand. Months after the incident, Selphie refused to go to the ladies without someone to accompany her. Kairi would follow Selphie and the boys would remain on guard outside the washroom.

*

It has been years since then, and Selphie no longer needed her friends to follow her to the washroom. However, the routine had become a habit and thus when Selphie excused herself during the dinner, her three friends stood up together with her and escorted her to the washroom.

This explains the sudden disappearance of Selphie, Kairi, Sora and of course Riku. Thus, Leon's dilemma: No winner present to receive the prize that he needed to get rid of in order to regain his freedom.

*

Knowing the time Selphie took to complete her business (plus the time Kairi took to primp), Sora and Riku took off their confining formal black shoes and socks to sit on the edge of the wood floor, dipping their bare feet into the cool night waters.

"I don't think it's a good idea to leave the restaurant just like that. Leon did not reveal the winner of the contest yet. You should go back first. I am sure you won the competition."

Sora turned to face Riku. The blue ribbon that he had loaned Riku was loose. Sora instinctively reached out to help re-tie the loose knot. Upon his clumsy touch, silver threads escaped the hold of the slender silk of the ribbon. A soft wind caught the light locks and blew them to caress Sora's face. Blue-green eyes meet clear blue ones as Riku's fingers replaced his silver touch upon Sora's heated face. 

*

Leon lifted the handheld microphone to his lips and drawled, "Well, it seems that Riku is not present, in this case, another winner has been picked to receive the title of Mr Destiny Islands (teen category)!"

The big guy in the background scratched his head in confusion. The big boss did not give any instructions of this sort.

Leon eyed the carrot top like a predator eyeing its next meal.

"And the winner is…"

The whole room filled with anticipation as they turned to look at the empty table that Riku was seated at before. If the winner was not Riku, who could it be?!

" WAKKA~~!!!!"

Everybody in the room fell off their chairs.

Leon made a calculated dash towards Wakka who was standing, stunned, near the entrance of the restaurant. Before the big guy could catch Leon, the latter had tossed the crown and sash into Wakka's hand and made his way to the boat that was about to leave its dock.

This was the plan:

Leon needed to leave and he had no way to do so unless he got a boat. To do so, he needed to complete his job of getting rid of the crown and sash. In order for that to happen, he had to announce a winner for the competition and handover the prize. Riku had disappeared and left Leon in a lurch. Leon needed a solution to his dilemma. He sees Wakka step into the restaurant. Logically, the boat the ferried Wakka was probably still at the dock, about the leave. Thus, Leon decides to take the gamble. Present Wakka with the prize, then run for his life hoping that his "guardian" would not be able to catch him.

The plan worked out perfectly. The room was thrown into chaos due to least unlikely winner, who was not even a competitor in the first place. This hampered the big guy's ability to grab Leon before he split his leather pants in order to catch the leaving boat. Leon managed to safely secure a route of escape as but mourned for the large split in his pants. Just as Leon placated the shocked boat driver with a bright smile and some cash, he spotted two lonely figures on the edge of the pier. One with silver hair and the other with dark spikes.

"Ah… ," thought Leon, "that is where the little twerp went to. Flirting yeh?" This was followed by several colourful phrases that coloured the poor boat driver's face.

Leon decided that he would send the receipt for mending his favourite leather pants to Riku's address.

*

Two figures sat close to each other, bathed under the mute light of the moon. Selphie and Kairi had returned to the restaurant but Sora and Riku had decided to stay outside a while longer.

The sounds to the waves had a hypnotic effect on Sora and he felt himself being pulled into the world of dreams.

Riku looked down and smiled at Sora, who had closed his eyes and drifted into a dream.

"This moment is worth more than winning anything, Sora."