Last Day of Summer
By Himig
Summary: Buried in guilt, Sora let his other identity, Roxas, to spend one day for himself. Sora thought Roxas could have some fun, but really, Roxas just wanted to goof off, like maybe play the match-maker or give Riku a taste of revenge.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.
Author's Note: Random, funny story about Roxas again, because he deserves it! This is just a short story. How long can one day be?
In advance, the last statement is reference to Kingdom Hearts II manga. I'm not sure if the game did the same.
Warning: None
Last Day of Summer
Part 1: Being a teenager
The temperate climate began to decline from heat as the season of summer ends. Vacation spots began to withdraw and the popular beaches in Destiny Islands became isolated. The main island busied in preparation as summer was about to end.
There was still one day of summer left. In the remaining crucial date, every student has their own plans to spend it wisely. For one particular boy, one with a spiky, brown hair and with tedious-looking blue-deep eyes, he was going to spend the last day cramming. For now, before that tomorrow comes, he spends his day with his friends, gathered in the small island, spending extreme quality time with them…picking up litters.
For what was the tenth time, the keyblade hero (unknown to all residents except for his friends) grunted angrily and fell down on the sand.
"Waah! Why are we doing this? Didn't I just save the world? Well, WORLDS!"
Sora presented his case again to the deaf sky. Even Kairi started ignoring him, but the more matured and grown young lady had resigned earlier from cleaning up and settled down starring at the sea. She had her knees pulled up while her arms were tightly hugging them. Her chin lied on her knee lazily.
"Hey, Sora, is that a dolphin?"
Sora did not bother to move and grumbled, "I dunno."
"Oh, it's just a rock. The waves make it look like it was alive." She shared the same monotony as Sora.
Sora sighed heavily through his nose. "You know what, Kairi? Let's ditch Riku and get some ice cream."
"I'm saving my money for things I need in school," she answered.
The boy sat up, one leg raised with his elbow rested on top. "It's on me. I'll treat you!"
Kairi found this funny, giggling. "You're going to treat me?"
"Yea, what's so funny about it?" he asked, sounding a bit insulted at the emphasis in 'you're' and the disbelief in her voice as if he just suggested the most ridiculous thing.
The girl shook her head, looking at Sora with the most amused eyes and smile. She can't help but chuckle. "You still owe me money after you bought that Easter Island tissue case."
"But the tissue comes out of its nose!" Sora defended firmly. "If you want, you can have it."
Kairi laughed. "No, no thanks!"
"Am I the only one doing all the work—AGAIN?"
Both Kairi and Sora flinched, guilty immediately of procrastination. They turned their heads to see the tall and built Riku carrying a bulky trash bag and his trash picker.
Riku's sharp eyes glared at Sora directly. "Sora, at least pick your own trash!" he yelled stridently.
"Yikes…" Sora's hand stumbled as he searched for what could be his and found his empty kit-kat wrapper. He crumpled it and threw it at Riku, who deliberately dodged.
"Pick it up and throw it properly."
Sora and Kairi glanced at each other. Sora sighed, standing up. "Yes, Father…"
Riku pushed the trash bag to Sora's hand and directed his attention to Kairi. "You too, Kairi. Get back to work." Behind Riku, Sora was struggling to lift the trash bag.
Kairi pouted. "But my hands and legs are tired, and I feel so sweaty and stinky…"
Riku smiled sarcastically, shaking his head and handing the trash picker in front of Kairi's face. "Not gonna work."
Kairi pouted her lips even more and glared at Riku. Riku arched an eyebrow, showing no signs of even getting affected.
"Hmph!" She took the trash picker, standing up and wiping her rear. "This is exactly why you haven't found a girlfriend."
Sora snorted, trying to control his snickers.
Riku was unfazed. He crossed his arms and smirked knowingly. "Yea, and since Sora got you, you two have been sitting around like ducks."
"Hey!" Sora objected.
"Geez, still the same jokes as ever, Riku," Kairi said rather subtly, now busying herself with the litters.
Riku can't help but grin, pulling footsteps back to where Sora was.
"Heard that, Sora? She said I was joking…"
Sora glared at Riku. Willing to argue, Sora accidentally dropped the trash bag and the hours of litters they picked up were now on the sand.
"Sora!" Riku yelled while Kairi giggled. "You klutz!"
"All right, I get it!" Sora retorted, kneeling down and picking them by hand.
"Kairi, help us here," Riku said, tossing the litters back at the trash bag.
"Yes, Father," Kairi imitated, crouching between the two and returning the litters to the trash bag.
"We wouldn't be here all day if you didn't scare the volunteers," Sora reminded Riku.
"I didn't scare them. I didn't want their help."
"Why is that?"
"We don't need it."
Sora laughed. "Are you kidding me? And Kairi does smell."
"You're sniffing your own stink, Sora!" Kairi replied playfully.
Riku dusted his hands, standing up. "Even though we weren't the ones who made so many litters during the summer, I felt like the island was our place, so it's our responsibility to clean it."
"I guess Riku's right," Kairi said with a sigh, placing her arms on her knees. She gazed at the setting sun in the sky. "This is kind of our home."
"It will always be," Sora said, copying Kairi, and soon, Riku crossed his arms and did the same.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Kairi blurted out. "Riku, have you copied all my notes?"
"Yea," he answered, nodding. "Thanks, by the way."
Sora's eyes widened. "What notes?"
"School," Kairi answered.
His jaw dropped a fraction. "Wait, how come I didn't get any?"
"I told Riku to give it to you once he's done."
Sora looked at Riku. "I gave it to you three and a half weeks ago."
Sora scratched his hair. "Oh no…I didn't lose it, Kairi! I'm sure it's just around the house."
"He said around the house, not in his room," Riku said, grinning at Kairi.
Sora paled. "No, I meant my room! Really, Kairi. I promise I'll return it to you tomorrow."
"It's all right," Kairi said, smiling. "C'mon, let's go home." She stood up. "Sora has a lot of work to do."
"Sora would have to escort you home," Riku said. "I'm off to play a ball game Wakka and Tidus invented."
"Riku, school's coming and you have time to play?" Sora demanded.
Riku turned, signaling a goodbye with one hand up. "Unlike you, Sora, I'm not a crammer, so I do have time to play."
"Have fun!" Kairi bid.
Riku waved as he departed.
Sora followed Kairi home and the two said goodbye at each other. Kairi tried to cheer Sora up, who grinned hopefully with optimism. Kairi smiled and wished him luck, leaving Sora running to his house afterwards.
As soon as he got home, Sora sniffed the delicious dinner his mom was cooking. He got hungry and really wanted a bath, but he first had to look for Kairi's notes. His room was filthy, he admits it, and now he has to clean his room up to make his search easier. It took him an hour just trying to tidying his room and forty-five minutes later, he found Kairi's notes. His stomach growled and his mother finally dragged him downstairs because he was missing out dinner.
Sora rushed dinner and tried to avoid his mother asking why. He didn't want to let her know he was cramming. However, before he left, his mother caught a sniff of his stink and saw his dirty shoes, demanding that he take a bath right after eating. Another hour later, Sora's wet hair started dripping in his room as he take out his notebook and began copying Kairi's notes. With just one look though, he knew it was impossible.
"I'd have to Xerox this instead…" he thought, pulling out the piece of his notebook that he had written on already. Reflecting on the mess in the room he simply crumpled the paper and threw it away. "I'd have to start with the summer homeworks. Maybe I should start with the difficult one, or at least try…"
The subject was obviously math, which Kairi was very good at. As he can rely on her notes, he thought he could at least have an idea.
Sora stared at the figures for a few minutes before his head ached. "C'mon, focus and think!" he chided himself. It was geometry. He has to find the area of the shaded region. "Okay, I think I know this…there's a square here and…Kairi has a formula of that…oh, wait…"
Late that night, Sora in white collared shirt and shorts, began scribbling. An hour and a half later, he was on his English essays and history. The essays were surprisingly fast and Sora thought he was rather creative with it. He even had used five minutes to reread and edit while admiring his work. His history homework was from stored memory, though he frequently glanced and flipped through Kairi's notes for the spelling and the date. Forty minutes passed, he was also done with his Chemistry and began memorizing the ions on certain elements. He lay on bed while memorizing, feeling his back burning. Slowly, as he became tempted to close his eyes, he fell asleep.
Sora was amazed at how smart he acted during the eleventh hour. His mind was blazing, though he didn't really know why. It turned out for the better though that he panicked for good reasons. He can remember the words he used for his English essays. His favorite was his review essay of the parable A Perfect Heart.
"The self-satisfied man learned he was inferior when he realized he has been alone all along"
Sora found his shoes in his dream all of a sudden. He stood up and whirled in search of the voice in the dark. Destiny Islands suddenly flashed before him he saw himself starring at the sea.
Well, he thought he was starring at himself.
They were at the beach in the main island. The 'him' standing in front of him had his clothes and face, but his eyes and aura were different, yet familiar.
"Uh…" He didn't know how to get the attention of what looks like his mirror-image.
His mirror-image noticed him and was surprised. He can't blame him. Sora was surprised to see him too…er, his self.
"Oh, hey, well, isn't this a first…" His voice sounded just like his own, but lacking Sora's energy. "You don't recognize me?" He read Sora's face.
"Well…you're me?"
His look-alike looked at his reflection on the water. "We may look alike, but we're not carbon copy, you know." He raised an eyebrow at Sora. "I guess you can tell by my hair? Eyes? Clothes?"
Sora blinked. "Not really. You're wearing what I'm wearing. And…you have a spiky hair, like me."
Sora's mirror-image touched his hair. "I think yours is spikier."
"I'm totally not getting you. You look exactly like me! You are me!"
"That's odd," he said, pondering.
"Who…are you?" Sora asked slowly.
His mirror-image looked at him steadily. "You're right. I am you, but more like your other half. We've met before, and once…"
"Neverland?"
"No!" Sora's look-alike replied cynically. "I'm your Nobody, Roxas."
Just as the name got through Sora, his look-alike's image changed. His clothes' color shattered to white with its design tweaked a bit. His skin complexion became paler, his eyes became lighter, and his hair became less spiky, as proven.
Sora's eyes widened, his finger pointing. "You! You're that ghost…"
"Please," Roxas chuckled. "At least call me your Nobody, or Other."
"Other's good, or Roxas. Isn't that your name?"
"It had stuck on me, so I guess..."
Sora approached Roxas, feeling less weird since he was more or less looking at his twin, brother, or cousin. "I'm dreaming, right?"
"Yea."
"Then, are you real?"
Roxas frowned. "I'll take it that you're asking if I'm just part of your dream or not, not if I'm non-existent as an insult for Nobodies."
Sora ducked his head, grinning sheepishly. "Yea, that's what I meant, sorry."
Roxas looked at the sea. "Yep. I'm part of you, your consciousness. And I've been the one dictating the answers for you."
"Really?" Sora laughed. "I must be lucky to have a smart Other!"
"Haha, thanks. I feel the same, but not because you're smart."
Sora glared at Roxas. "What's that supposed to mean…"
Roxas shrugged, smiling secretly. "As Riku said, you're kind of gullible and dumb."
"I've matured, you know!" Sora declared, crossing his arms.
"In some way…"
"Now, what's THAT supposed to mean?"
Roxas laughed. "Even while you're asleep, you're still too energetic."
Sora looked around the island, expecting Riku and Kairi. "You're all alone here?"
"Yea."
"You're not going crazy or something?"
Roxas placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, looking sympathetic at Sora's denseness. "Sora, I am YOU."
"Oh, right…" After a few seconds, he added, "I still really don't understand that…but for me, you're still a person, Roxas."
Sora felt the hand letting go. "Thank you, but I really don't mind being you. It's even lonelier to exist without a heart."
"But you had that guy, right?"
Roxas turned to Sora. "That guy?"
"Uh…Axel."
Sora saw Roxas smile.
"Yea. We're going to meet each other again, someday." Roxas stared at the violet sky as if he could see the day coming so soon.
The keyblade hero felt something stir in his chest. "Roxas, I really never got the chance to apologize."
"For what?" he asked, quizzical.
"Because I didn't know…you must have left your loved ones behind, like Axel only to be…me. I really wasn't thinking when I made myself into a Heartless. Sometimes…"
"It's okay," Roxas interrupted casually. "I have no regrets."
"Are you sure?"
"Well, a little. I missed a day with my friends. Our last moments were really screwed up." At this, Roxas laughed somehow bitterly.
"Oh." At least Sora had the chance to reunite with his friends, but he doesn't even know just who were his Other's friends were. He always had the chance, but Roxas had run out, because of Sora.
"Roxas…" Roxas looked at Sora, sensing he was about to tell something. "Maybe I can give tomorrow for you?"
"Huh?" he blinked.
"Like, you wake up then you spend the day tomorrow. Since you helped me with homework, I have nothing else to do. You can spend my last summer!"
Roxas raised his hands and shook his head. "Sora, I'm flattered, but there's really no need. Besides, I'm not sure if it's going to work."
"We can try!" he insisted, optimistic about the idea. "This is the first time we see each other in my…our dream, so we might as well try!"
"I don't mind trying, if that's what you want…" Roxas was doubtful because of Sora's smile as if he was really doing Roxas a big favor. He didn't want to break it to him, but he should at least tell nicely. "But I am you, Sora, so there's not much difference. The way of thinking will just be different since I'm a consciousness with a personality. And…"
"C'mon, stop explaining already!"
"But…"
Sora closed his eyes and shut his ears with his hands. "I'm going to sleep! Or continue sleeping now. I better see you waking up now!"
Roxas sighed, shaking his head. "You're responsible for this!" With that, Roxas breathed in and exhaled deeply. He closed his eyes and opened it to see a new light entering his retinas. He felt a new kind of heat in his body and life beating in his chest. He sat up and saw Sora—his messy room.
"Just what am I going to do?" It appeared like it worked. His consciousness was strong enough to will the body to move. Still, he didn't really know what to do. He was part of Sora's consciousness. Roxas would admit to say Sora was the livelier one between them.
"I guess I'd be with Riku and Kairi…" And then what? They might realize something was odd with the Sora they know. It's best if he told them who he was.
Suddenly, Roxas had an idea.
He might as well do Sora more favors to make life easier for both of them.
Roxas then saw an Easter Island tissue case on the desk.
"So that's why I bought them…"