A/N: As of Jan 22, 2017, this is my re-re-write! If you're stumbling upon this, thank all the powers that be you're reading this version. Thanks for reading!

As always, I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I'm just borrowing the characters. Sorry, Nomura!

~ You Are My Miracle ~

Sora:

This was not among Sora Stride's ideal summer plans. But if anyone asked, he would have said he was looking forward to it; a lie.

First, the heat. It was nearing the end of May, and yet summer was already tangible, each gust of wind prickling the skin like the scratch of a cat's tongue. Sora, a sixteen-year-old brunet with Caribbean blue eyes and tan skin, hazily stepped out of his dad's silvery-blue suburban, groggy from the long car ride to Daybreak Summer Camp.

Second, the blindingly bright sun. He blinked rapidly, grimacing; what he'd give to dive back into the cool, air-conditioned vehicle.

But the brunet had already agreed to the camp months ago with forced, amicable smiles. His parents made sure it was okay; after all, not only would he stay for the first "session" of camp, but for the second, too. Typically, the camp only lasted around a month from the end of May to the end of June. Then the second round of the camp took over the month of July and early August, with two weeks of recuperation in between. Sora read the pamphlet.

So, essentially, this camp would take the entirety of the summer before his junior year of high school. He may have done more to protest it if he had anything better to do aside from studying and hanging out with Kairi. He was offered to stay with his brother, Leon, in Twilight Town University, but Sora knew he had to be busy. No college student wants to babysit, after all. The brunet didn't want to be in the way.

There was technically the option to stay with his real mother, as well. Sora hadn't asked. They never brought up the idea either. Her existence was a mutually avoided topic since the last time she was arrested.

Besides, Sora justified to himself, camp could be fun. He'd never done it before. Over the course of the summer they would river raft, swim, build campfires, and play sports – again, according to the pamphlet. So what if it wasn't his forte? It sounded occupying enough, even for three months' worth of time.

Despite his internal pep-talk, Sora sighed as he leaned against the car door, waiting for his parents to gather the necessary paperwork for check-in. With no one around to compel him to pretend, his ocean eyes wandered glumly about. The road leading out of the camp was so quickly blurred from the heat waves emanating from the sad, graveled concrete. A dead end; he was here to stay.

There were cabins to his left, separated by rows of boys' and girls' cabins, large, wooden, and shaded by large oak trees. They appeared to lack air-conditioning units, unless they were inside the cabins themselves. That brought a grimace to Sora's stance.

The camp was big. To his right, an administration building and a huge pool with a volley ball court promised a summer full of structured, normal, youthful fun. Behind that he could see the edges of a field, most likely for soccer or football. For those with a passion for the outdoors, it would've been a great getaway. Unfortunately, the appeal was lost on the brunet.

"Alright dear," his foster mother said, sympathy laced in her voice, "We should get your stuff and look for your cabin. Dad's checking you in at the office." A woman of energy, she sifted through the trunk full of suitcases searching for Sora's. She practically threw the thing to her son when she found it, her jade eyes glittering in her eternal positivity.

"What's the number?" Sora replied, willing an enthusiastic smile to his face.

It convinced her. She held up the key cheerily, "7-B!"

Sora shuffled onto the path dragging his blue suitcase behind him, grunting at the offending object for catching onto his basketball shorts and inching them down. He was grateful that they arrived so early; he couldn't embarrass himself – yet.

From a distance, the cabins looked separated, but they weren't. Connected by a long, dark wooden deck, it reminded Sora of the dorm hallway he saw when his family helped Leon move. He struggled up the stairs at the front of the long rows of rooms, scrapping past all the A's and most the B's until he reached the very end. He leaned his suitcase against the wooden railing cutting off the hall, waiting for his mom to unlock his door.

Peering into the forest beyond the railing was almost peaceful. Sora mused somewhat optimistically, at least my room is near a nice view. His mom joined him by the railing, handing him the key.

"You can do the honors," she said, "That way it feels like it's your space."

"I think I'm sharing this with, like, three other people, Mom."

"Yeah," she wrinkled her nose, "I always hated roommates. But I bet you'll make friends fast."

The brunet smiled, faking agreement, "You're right. I'll impress them with my wit and best face." He crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

She laughed wholeheartedly, ruffling Sora's warm, cinnamon-colored spikes of hair. "That's the spiri–!"

"What are you two standing around for!?" Sora turned to his dad's taunt, holding his silly face as a retort. The man's smile matched his grey, kind eyes.

"We were talking about you behind your back," Sora's mom jabbed back, her rumbling laughter dying down, "I agree, Sora, that Hawaiian shirt does not suit him."

His father looked aghast, pulling the fabric from his stomach and peering down. "I am wounded by your words. This is my favorite shirt."

Sora, playing along, chimed in, "Dad, wrong island. Japan does not equal Hawaii. Unless you guys are complete traitors and are going to Honolulu."

"Oops, he caught us," his father winked at his mom.

"We better run, then!" she said, jokingly. Sora rolled his eyes, though his smile betrayed the gesture. Shaking his head, he turned back to the cabin door. Now that both were present, he finally turned and unlocked his door, slightly apprehensive to see what laid behind.

Well, it could've been worse. It was a simple room, possessing four bunks with very old, creaky mattresses. He was happy to be wrong about the air conditioning – it hung in the bottom half of a window, loudly running at full blast. That, and a second dirty window brought light into the space. Sora stared through them; it had a fairly pretty view of the forest. He wondered the possibility of spotting deer in the morning.

"Hmm, I thought the pamphlet said these cabins were refurbished," his dad commented, judging the room. He sheepishly looked to Sora, "Sorry about this, bud, I thought it would be better."

The brunet shrugged, constructing a brave face, "Eh, don't worry about it guys. It won't be that bad." He turned, looking at his parents lovingly, "I hope you guys have fun. You deserve it!"

Sora's mother rushed in for a big hug, sniffling already. "Aw, Mom, don't cry, it's for like, two months," the brunet complained, wrapping his arms around her. Sora's dad joined the group hug like a big, protective bear.

"What are we even going to do without you around?" his dad half-joked.

"Be completely, utterly devastated and miserable," Sora replied, speaking more for himself.

His dad saw through it. "Ah, it won't be that bad," he dad echoed, "Maybe your Miracle will happen."

Sora had to stop himself from snorting in skepticism. His family had a strong belief in miracles. That movie moment everyone waited for, that chance encounter, opportunity – the moment everything fell into place. Dad said his was the day he met Sora's mom, and the next one when they married, and then Leon's birth, and Sora's adoption. They were full of clichés like that.

But Sora, well, he barely deserved what kindness life had given him so far. He was just doing his best not to ruin it.

"Maybe," he said softly, agreeing just to agree. He'd done that a lot today.

"We love you, Sor," his Mom affirmed, kissing his cheek. "And cheer up, okay? We're only a text away." So they did notice. Sora tried to make his smile brighter.

"I love you, too," Sora replied sincerely.

They released him from their loving grip, and started saying their goodbyes. After some more teasing, they finally left the room and Sora. Silence greeted the teen as their footsteps became too distant to hear. He wasn't sure whether he felt dread or relief.

He decided to put it out of his mind and unpack, setting his music library to shuffle from his phone. Even Fall Out Boy's Sugar, We're Goin Down wasn't enough to quell the loneliness in the room, and he sighed. It was going to be a long summer.

Riku:

"Rent is due on the 28th."

"Mhmm, mhmm."

"The electric bill is different, okay, Mom? That's due the 26th."

"Mhmmmmmm."

"Are you listening to me?" Riku asked in frustration, aquamarine eyes murky in his anxiety and irritation. He passed a hand through his long, silver hair in his bad but uncontrollable habit.

"Ri, I did all this shit before when you were a baby, I can do it for the next three months." Riku shook his head. She continued, "Besides, Sam's got it. He loves us."

The mention of Riku's mother's current fling made his mouth taste sour. "No, he really doesn't." The point had been argued into the ground, and the silveret didn't have the energy to renew the discussion.

He wanted to beg her to be okay while he was gone. But then, he was too angry that she was sending him away for three months to this utterly juvenile summer camp, so instead, he clenched his jaw.

Her little red Mazda pulled into to Daybreak Summer Camp, tires gritting on the gravel road and she winced. Riku rolled his eyes, knowing how ridiculously picky she was about her car. He leapt out before the vehicle had even fully stopped, earning a shout of protest from his mother. Still, he popped the trunk aggressively to fetch his things, and a minute later his mom was following him, searching through her name-brand bottomless purse with vigor. Despite the absurdly tall heels adorning her slender feet, she never once faltered walking in the gravel.

"Ugh, I told Sam I would call him when we got here…" she complained, still digging through her purse.

Riku, still agitated, replied, "Who gives a fuck? He's not your babysitter."

"Oh, don't be like that. He just cares about our safety," she snapped back, procuring her cell phone. Her acrylic nails created little ticking sounds on the screen as she texted, only serving to annoy the silveret more.

"Yeah, our safety. Right," Riku retorted sarcastically, knowing the futility of the conversation. It was so familiar that Riku's mom didn't bother to argue. He pulled his hair roughly into a pony-tail with a band he always kept on his wrist; the summer sun made it a necessity.

Suitcase retrieved, they walked over the administration building, Riku already sweating profusely in the heat. His mom's eyes stayed glue to her phone all the way to there, while Riku sulked silently. But when they arrived, his mom took over for the check-in bullshit, sweet-talking the man running the place, describing Riku's allergies and tendency to get sick. All lies of course, but he needed any excuse he could get to escape the "activities" for a day or two – or all of them.

The silveret would've been grateful for the get-out-of-jail-free card setup if it weren't still her fault for their being here in the first place.

After what felt like an eternity of watching his mother flirt, he finally ended up in his cabin. He was unsurprised to be put in the very back cabin. His very existence demanded he be put to the side, and he wouldn't argue. Only one other person seemed to be there yet, as Fall Out Boy played muffled in the air from the room across the hall. If he were in a better mood, Riku might have approved the choice. He unlocked the door with undue aggression.

A quick glance around was all he needed; he hated this place, every square inch. If Riku weren't resolved to keep things civil, he'd renew the heated discussion on his abandonment here for three months. He was fairly certain Sam insisted Riku come here, and his mom, nothing if not obliging to whoever she was dating, agreed wholeheartedly without giving her nearly-of-age son a say. Riku didn't know the game he was playing, but Sam had another thing coming if he thought this would get the silveret out of the way. Riku grit his teeth.

"I think that's everything," Riku commented, not expecting a reply.

"Yep," she said, eyes judgmental of the room. It took all of Riku's willpower to stop himself from lecturing her again about bill payment dates, and to make sure to take out the trash, and to sleep in her own bed and not the couch no matter how drunk she gets and –

"I should go," she interrupted his thoughts.

"Yeah, probably." He was tired, and wished she'd leave so he could marinate in his anger.

"I'm going to miss you, Ri," she finished, walking over to him and kissing his forehead. She had to reach up to accomplish it even in her absurdly high heels, so the silveret appreciated the effort. "Love you."

"I love you, too, Mom," and it wasn't a lie. "If anything happens, just call me."

She swatted his chest playfully. "I'm a big girl, Riku, I'll be fine." He didn't believe her, but didn't say anything.

Another quick hug, and she left. He released a breath of air he didn't know he had been holding. The silence of the cabin, save the tune playing from the other cabin across the hall, was deafening compared to the cars and city bustle he was accustomed to.

He refused to think about it and didn't bother unpacking. Plugging in his Nintendo DS, he plopped himself down on a bed of his choice, and busied himself with ignoring whoever would come into the cabin. Despite himself, he found himself humming to whoever's music played as he loaded his save file. The isolation set in when the song ended, and he frowned, gazing out the window into the lonely forest beyond.

It was going to be a long summer.