This is just something I tossed together, more or less as a warm-up to my upcoming story, "Returning Home." Enjoy.

Summary: One-Shot, post-KH2. "There's something weird about those three kids…"

Those Weird Kids

By FlikFreak

I'm writing this journal today about my first week at Destiny Islands high school. My family moved here not too long ago, and I finally got enrolled in classes. Everyone here is pretty friendly compared to the city, and I'm making new friends quick. What worries me, though, are these three kids: Sora, Kairi, and Riku.

See, there were some weird stories about those three. They all went missing at the same time right when a storm hit. Sora and Riku didn't come back for two years. Kairi came back after one, stayed for several months, and was kidnapped for a week before coming back. I tried asking Sora about it (Riku was kind of aloof and too intimidating for me to talk to), but he just shrugged and told me it wasn't too big a deal. Kairi just smiles whenever I mention it and shakes her head. Apparently she and Riku don't like talking about it, while Sora just laughs it off. I don't know why he does, but I do know he's the weirdest of the three of them.

I've got classes with most of them. Kairi tends to draw a lot – she's really good – and Riku's always zoning out every now and then. Sora just taps his pencil against his desk impatiently and stares out the window. Sometimes I hear him talking to himself. I get worried, but Kairi tells me that he's fine. She probably knows about it better than I do.

One time in the computer lab, I caught Sora talking to his monitor and acting as though it would talk back to him. I told him in a joking manner that computers can't talk, and he looked about ready to protest when he got kinda quiet and went back to typing. He's not very computer savvy, but he knows how to operate machinery, at least. He and Riku are really good in PE, too. Almost too good. Sora and Riku have some insane reflexes.

Earlier today, I was walking down the hall with Sora when his mind apparently started to wander off into la-la-land again. When I spoke to him, he gasped and looked around as though expecting someone. "What'd you say?" He asked me.

I blinked and stared at him. "I was asking if you've got the poem memorized for lit yet."

Sora calmed considerably, but he seemed a bit disappointed. "Oh…yeah, yeah I do."

I wonder what upset him so much?

Later on at lunch time, I passed them up while they were talking. I sat at a nearby table and I couldn't help but overhear what they were talking about. Something about a letter from some king at first (probably the guy's nickname), then they moved on to someone who was apparently one of Sora's old friends.

"Really?" Riku began. "I didn't know Roxas liked reading that much."

Sora shrugged. "He likes plays, apparently. Mostly Shakespeare. He's also pretty good with math, too."

Kairi snickered. "So that's why you were raising your hand so much today," she said. "Naminé's been helping me with my art. She's kind of nervous about drawing again, but she still gives me pointers."

"What about you, Riku?" Sora asked. "Anything new from your side?"

Riku shook his head. "Nah. Nothing different from the usual."

"Now that you mention it," Kairi began, "After what we went through, what do we consider the usual, anyway?"

There was a short pause before I heard Sora chuckle. "You've got a good point, Kairi. I don't have those two following me around anymore. It's kinda strange walking down the street and only hearing one set of footsteps."

"I'd imagine so," Riku said. "Do you still practice what you were taught every now and then?"

Sora hesitated. "Eh, a little. I try not to catch anything on fire, since whenever I do I have to put it out with blizzard and then everything gets wet. Mom found it once and I was grounded for a week."

I found that statement a bit odd. I mean, sure, Sora's pretty strange, but who uses snow to put out a fire? Where would someone even get snow, anyway? These are tropical islands.

"Not as bad as when the keyblade showed up when you were sparring me on the island," Riku pointed out, a hint of a laugh in his voice. "I still remember that."

"It was an accident! Geez…"

"By the way," Kairi began, "I'm not going to be able to meet you guys after class tomorrow. I'm getting my permit in the afternoon."

"That's great!" Riku exclaimed.

"Great job, Kairi!" Sora began. "You'll have to give me some pointers. I still can't figure out a few things."

"Like what?" Kairi asked. "The road signs?"

"No, just switching gears and stuff. And there aren't very many buttons and stuff…or levers…"

"Sora," Riku began, "How are you able to fly a space ship, but you don't even know how to work a car?"

At that point, I couldn't help but say, "I didn't know you were an astronaut, Sora."

Of course, I was joking, but the three of them looked at me like I sprouted an extra pair of arms or something. Sora quickly amended Riku's statement, claiming that he had only used a simulator. Riku and Kairi gave him doubtful looks, and I heard them mention something about a jungle and some crash or something. Maybe he wasn't quite as good as he sounded.

Later on through the week, I saw them in classes and I paid more attention. Sora said some guy named Roxas helped him in math, but I didn't see anyone tutoring him. Kairi mentioned Naminé helping her in art, but I only saw her staring blankly at her paper before suddenly making a beautiful picture. I didn't want to confront them about it, so I asked Riku. He didn't say anything, but he did kind of chuckle when I suggested that they had split personalities. "I guess that's one way of putting it," he said. Judging by that statement, I was wrong. But I knew what I saw, and it didn't make any sense.

Apparently he told Sora and Kairi about it later, and they both told me basically the same thing: that nothing was wrong with them. I dropped the issue and things went back to normal for a while.

On Thursday, I got my first essay assignment. Mind you, I'm not bad at essays, but I still get stuck. Sora offered to help, and he pointed out a few grammar mistakes here and there and helped me word some sentences better. In the end though, something just didn't seem right…

Sora tilted his head oddly. "Can I see your draft for a sec?"

I gave it to him, and he looked at it for a while. There was a seriousness in his face that didn't look like it belonged there. Finally, after a few minutes, he spoke in a voice that almost didn't sound like his at all. "You're doing this on the Island Civil War, right?"

"Yeah," I replied. "What about it?"

"Why don't you elaborate a bit more on the Battle of the Chasers? That was a really pivotal part of the war, so if you explain more about it in between your last two paragraphs it'll make a lot more sense." With that, he handed back the paper with a goofy grin.

I smiled. "Thanks Sora! How'd you come up with that?"

Sora just shrugged and said, "Roxas suggested it."

Man, those guys are weird.