Prologue: Awakening

Darkness; that was all he knew. He'd lost track of space and time. He couldn't remember fire, or light, or sound. He couldn't remember how to feel, because there was no feeling left. There was nothing, and it was slowly eating away at what mind he had left, leaving him in agony. He wanted to die… but he couldn't die. He couldn't do anything.

'If only I could see him again… Just one more time….'

Sora sighed as he walked slowly along the beach. Nothing much had changed with the boy, as appearances went. He was a bit taller, though not much, and he wore simple clothes; a black T-shirt and ragged jeans. He still had a slightly childish face, his big, blue eyes reflecting the innocence that he refused to let go of. His hair was still sticking out in any direction it could manage.

He stopped, looking at a shell at his feet. It was the same kind of shell that Kairi had made that keychain out of. He kicked it aside with a frown and kept walking.

The biggest difference wasn't Sora's appearance. The biggest difference was that he was alone. No friends walked beside him. In fact, no one seemed to be on the island at all. The old island with its shabby forts was deserted, save for the brunette boy that walked idly along its beaches.

It hurt more than anything he'd ever felt before. There was a deep pain burning deep in his chest. This pain… this horrible pain confused him. It wasn't physical. It hurt so badly that it was choking him. Or, it would have, if he could breathe to begin with. What was this pain? He couldn't understand.

'I want to see you… I want to talk to you just once more…. Please…'

"Sora…"

It was getting windy. Sora looked out into the ocean, the warm wind blowing his hair and clothes about, and watched the waves crashing on shore. He shied back when the spray of salt started to burn his eyes. He shielded them as he turned away with another frown. He got frustrated when the sand started to nip at him, biting his skin with the passing gusts. With an aggravated sigh, he looked around. His eyes landed on the 'secret spot'. He frowned again. He didn't want to go there unless he had to. But… the shack didn't look like it'd do much against the sand. The tree top house… well, Tidus had put a hole through that last year. That one was out. He could go to the cave, but that was on the other side of the island.

Sighing in defeat, his eyes traveled back to the Secret Spot. "I might as well," he said as he started to it.

The pain… it was getting worse. It wasn't just in his chest anymore. It was spreading through his whole body, engulfing him slowly. 'Is this what it feels like to be burned?' he wondered. The pain was real now. It wasn't that mysterious choking feeling that had engulfed him where his heart… would have been. No, this one was a true, physical pain. He tried to cry out, but no sound could come from him. He couldn't open his mouth, or even make his finger twitch. At least, he didn't think he could. It was hard to tell. His thoughts were interrupted by another wave of pain. This time, he actually screamed.
Sora was heading for the hidden cave beneath the large tree when he heard it. It was faint, but… A scream? He sped up, darting into the tunnel to where the sound came from. He squinted. It was dark and hard to see, but… was something there? Was something in front of the door with no handle? He stepped closer, but stopped and shielded his eyes as a bright flash filled the cave with intense, white light. He yelped, falling back onto his backside.
It was unbelievable! The pain was unbearable. It was eased slightly by the cold of the stone beneath that slowly seeped through his cloak to reach him. His breath came out in ragged pants, each one taking its toll on his lungs. Then, all at once, it hit him. He was breathing! And there was something cold beneath him; an uneven stone floor! He forced an eye to open. He saw crudely drawn carvings covering the walls of what appeared to be a cave before he snapped his eyes shut. What little light there was in the cave was blinding to the eyes that had only seen darkness for so long. Then he heard something. His already tense body tensed further.

Quiet footsteps drew slowly closer. "Can it... Could it be… you?" he heard a strangely familiar voice breathe.

Whoever it was, they didn't seem to be hostile. He wouldn't have cared if they were, if it meant that the pain would go away. He forced his arms to move so that he could hold his throbbing head. "Make it stop. Make the pain stop, please…" he whispered. "Make the light stop." The small markings under his eyes looked more like tears than ever, because that was exactly what he wanted to do. He couldn't, though. Nobodies weren't able to cry. It wasn't allowed. Despite this, a droplet of water fell from the corner of his tightly shut eye.

Sora didn't know how to deal with this. He didn't know how to react or what to do. Without thinking, he reached out, placing his hand on Axel's forehead, hoping this would help the man.

Axel's eye cracked open a bit, but he closed it again before he could see who had spoken. "Who…?" he croaked, his voice raspy and coarse from disuse.

"S-Sora…"

I know it's kinda short, but this is just the beginning thing. The set up. XD

Deal with it!