Disclaimer:I don't own anything. Except for this story's idea. Afterall, it did sprout from my brain.
Fascination is a common trait amongst humans.
And every once in a while, fascination develops into something more, let's say, profound. It is not unusual to see people go from mere liking to obsessing. Whether we deny it or accept it, fact is, every one of us has, at some point in our lives, obsessed over a certain item or idea.
Be it ablutomania, nymphomania, egomania or pyromania—obsession is the drive that pushes humans, the motivation behind the edge of extremity.
In the case of Sora, his particular fascination is that of keys. No, he does not have an uncontrollable compulsion that forces him to stash and collect keys like a rabid squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. Nor does he go around fondling and marveling at every key in his sight.
See, Sora's silent "obsession" is more rooted in the idea of a "key."
Ever since he witnessed his friendly neighborhood foul-mouthed mechanic show him the art of lock-picking, Sora became a child entranced with what "keys" represent. Keys are the solutions to unlocking what's been hidden from the world, perhaps secrets that only a few would know. The process of unlocking became entertainment for the boy, and the secret that lies beneath became the reward. Just thinking about the process puts the child into a state of wild excitement. Under his neighbor's numerous demonstrations and explanations, Sora understood that with skills and knowledge, anything can be a key. But as important as keys are to unlocking secrets buried within, knowing just the concept of the key is not enough. Without the lock, there would be no key. And so, our pouty young boy in question began to devote much of his time in studying the science of machinery. His juvenile attempts consisted of locking himself out of his house, spending hours on end picking and observing the keyhole of his front door. Of course, he did not succeed, and often times had to wait impatiently for one of his parents to come home and unlock the door for him. Never one to surrender, little Sora would open the door half-way and examine the pin tumbler lock in the door. He even went as far as trying to remove the lock and knob from the door itself. His parents, in order to prevent further damage but also wanting to indulge in their child, requested their neighboring mechanic to make little Sora a plastic padlock that could be easily disassembled.
Never would they be able to forsee their son's astonishing ability to open any traditionally-made locks afterwards.
May it be the warded lock of an antique desk left by Sora's grandparents, the wafer tumbler locks of his home, or the tubular pin tumbler locks of his parents' file cabinets, Sora could open them. Call it genius or stroke of luck, once Sora got the basic concept, no lock could keep him away from its content. However, that did not mean that Sora went snooping around everywhere messing with people's stuff. To him, just opening the lock is enough—he touched nothing and took nothing. He'd like to keep whatever was in the box, chest, drawer, or room to his imagination; life's more fun this way (much to the relief of his parents, who piled their years-old manporn and porn magazines in their respective closets, hidden in their respective boxes).
And just like how people grow and change, this little interest of Sora's evolved into something else, something of considerable substance.
His childhood "lock and key" escapade is nothing compared to this, for Sora took "unlocking" to the next level.
It's begun to turn into a puzzle game for him.
Can't watch a certain DVD because the player doesn't recognize the regional code? He'll open the player and "unlock" the hardware. Feel like cheating at a video game? He'll "open" the game and debug it. Want to enter the N18 section of a fansite, but don't know the password? He'll crack it and pave a way for you.
In essence, Sora's moved his interest onto a digital medium.
Over the years, Sora would hone his skills, bit by bit, ever so steadily, towards an end that even he himself cannot fathom.
He would gradually come to be the greatest grey hat hacker the world has laid its eyes on.
Hey, have you heard!?
Dude, it was insane! 27 minutes and 16 seconds!? I could hardly believe it!
Wait, what the hell are you guys talking about?
Haven't you heard!? Hollow Bastion's annual Cimmerian System Inc.'s "program test" just finished two days ago! The System always opens its doors to the public at a certain time in the year and provide the public with a "test." Anyone who can crack their security system with the least amount of time can walk away with four hundred thousand munny!
Wasn't that "test" the competition that nobody could beat for three consecutive years? Four hundred thousand munny is a hefty sum too! You're saying there was a winner this year!?
Yeah! And he beat it within half an hour! Half an hour! Broke into the system just like that! And to top it off, I heard he's quite young!
Such was the buzz flying around by the time an impressionable young man stepped onto the company grounds of The Cimmerian System Inc. His vibrant, shoulder-length hair swaying lightly as he quickened his pace down the hall. All this gossip and senseless babble would've normally annoyed the silver-haired young man. But this, this was different. Anticipation raced through him, a confident smirk settling onto his features.
Because all this buzz means one thing, and one thing only.
A challenge has finally decided to grace the monotony of his life.
He hasn't felt this animated in so long, he managed to surprise himself with his own excitement.
Riku could very well be described as a very disciplined young man. Some might even say that's an understatement. But if there's one quality that shows itself clearly from the person known as Riku, it's his cool self-control. There is nothing unprofessional about said man—from his mannerisms and his handling of people, everything he does is smooth, precise and to the point. Yet during certain rare moments, an element of Riku which he kept obscured from the public shines through. If you look hard enough, you can see blearily that underneath his calm demeanor lies a rather boyish cockiness, coupled with a desire for mischief. However, this opinion is reserved to those who knew Riku personally, because people not of close acquaintance to the young man wouldn't be able to know what Riku was like.
He was just that elusive.
Riku was not only difficult to find; he's also difficult to know.
The problem is not that Riku is antisocial. No, he mingles easily, and people who meet him almost always find him amicable. The problem lies in the fact that Riku's very personal. His adroitness at changing the subject of the conversation and his evasiveness are something to be commended. It doesn't help that if he's doesn't want to found, there's really no way to find him. Due to this, well, special trait of his, Riku has successfully shut off most people he meets from his own closed life. It soon became common knowledge that Riku can be met in person, but nothing beyond that if he does not wish it (which was pretty much all the time).
Why this elusiveness, you ask?
Because people have become too boring. Socializing has now turned into a chore for our aspiring young programmer. Interacting with people and going out to places might've been fun at one point in life (middle school? high school?), but people have just ceased to be a strong incentive for Riku to dive and immerse himself in. Social interactions came to be. . .superficial to say at the least. Why waste time in useless outing when there's an obsession waiting for you to satisfy?
You heard it correctly.
Our fair-haired man is obsessed.
It all started with a childhood liking of fixing broken objects. But like a wild weed, his childhood interest spawned itself into a mania for complexity. Riku's taste for fixing things soon transfigured itself into a need of bettering the broken objects that came into contact with him. Somehow, just fixing things isn't enough anymore.
Years passed and Riku's childhood interest grew with him. Before long, Riku landed himself into computer science and mechanical engineering to satiate his obsession.
Since his youth, Riku's found an almost soothing effect when he gives his all to his obsession. From matters as inane as a friend's broken watch to helping his mother reprogram the city's power grid when it went out during a quake, his chain of concentration is never brittled by distractions. He liked how he can be comfortable in his own space, eyes locked onto a screen filled with commands and source codes, dexterious fingers moving rapidly in succession.
When narrowed down to the simplest of forms, it all comes down to Riku and his work.
He liked it that way.
Of course, his work yielded results.
The talk of the firm as of now, that security program incorporated by Cimmerian System in that public test? The unbreakable one for three years straight, the one that baffled all who came its way?
That was the result of the combined work of him and his colleagues back in undergraduate school.
The program itself was solid, it's content impeccable. However, he knew that it was far from being perfect.
He had hoped originally that somebody out there would be able to see its imperfections and hack it.
Because then, he would have something to work on, something to perfect and sharpen to an inexplicable level.
Despite his hopes and wishes, the first year rolled along with no news of that capable someone.
The second year passed and again, nothing.
Then the third year arrived. Without much of a bang, the dullness of nothing returned.
Whoever said that third's the charm should suffer excruciating torture, Riku thought. It's been an eternity of three years and still no one!?
And finally, the fourth year waded in.
Eternity is not so long after all.
To be graced by this coup de main just as he was finishing his undergraduate studies. It must be fate.
Never in Riku's wildest dreams could he have guessed what this fate will very readily throw him into.
Author's Note:
Ho, this took some breath from me. Damn, I never thought that I would write for the KH universe. Number one, the fandom's kinda old. Number two, I played it after too long of a time. I mean, would you believe me if I told you that I had Kingdom Hearts II for that past two years, but I never touched it? All because I was too lazy to even play it? That's a nice excuse, isn't it? Well, I finally sat my ass down to play the game, and an idea hit me. I dubbed the idea/theme "Kaitou Sora." Sora's not a thief, and I have no intention of making him a thief. It's just that the Sora in this theme really likes to unlock things, and don't thieves often mess around with locks and such? As always, I think my story will contain a bit of sci-fi elements to it, so don't be surprised if it does pop up.
And again, as always, since I am a fangirl, there's going to be BL here. Maybe not in this fic per se, but the side stories will definitely have some form of BL. Maybe even smut. I don't know.
I never know :tears:
I don't even know if I should continue this fic. Please tell me what you think through the reviews. If the reviews reflect disinterest, I won't be continuing this.