Pre-Author's Note: This just might be the best thing I've ever written. It's certainly my favorite out of all my stories at the least.
For those of you who don't know, "salad days" are your "happy days". Y'know, like the good times. Whether you think it's elementary school, high school or whatever.
Pre-Beta (namikun masaki) Note:This is totally the first time I've ever left one of these, orz. Any mistakes left here are mine. (:
Disclaimer: OooOOoh, I wish that I could be! Under the sea! In an octopus's garden! In the shaaade…
Song: Come So Far (Got So Far to Go) from Hairspray
Dedicated to: CraziiJaney
Salad Days
- - -
Because they can happen.
Sora had always thought it was a little weird that most adults considered adolescence and the accompanying high school years to be the "salad days" of one's life. After all, from everything he'd heard growing up, he was pretty sure high school was supposed to be a time of angst and drama. Still, he'd always written it off and assumed it was one of those things you would understand when you got older.
Now however, after having just finished his freshman year, he couldn't help but think that adults were totally full of it.
Sora, like almost every other teenager out there, had come to believe that a person's twenties were their salad days. The days that followed college, when you were finally out on your own without the responsibility of school and the direction of your parents.
Plenty of his friends had these fantasy ideas of the years following their graduation from college. Where they wanted to live, what they wanted to do, who they wanted to be with, even how they wanted to dress…
Every aspect of their future lives was so excitedly dreamed up and they all had such vivid ideal outcomes.
Sitting there, in his basement while reading an email Riku had sent him about the guitar he'd just gotten for his birthday, Sora had to wonder what his own vision was. He had never really given it much thought… But it was something that had most of his friends buzzing, especially after they'd all just survived their first year in high school.
It was one of those rare moments that actually had Sora feeling left out. As unrealistic as Salad Day Fantasies could be they were still nice ideas. And besides, if you really thought about it and reasoned enough, all of them were achievable; it just took a bit of work sometimes.
- - -
It could happen.
- - -
Yuna chewed her lip irritably as she scratched out another line in her idea notebook; the next chapter of her story was refusing point blank to be written. It wasn't just that she was frustrated, it was that she was sincerely disappointed too. For a while now she had gotten it into her head that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. But recently she had found herself so busy with everything else that she just hadn't had time and now it came down to both her own laziness and her ability to write like she used to.
The flow of words that had come to her so easily before was gone. And now here she was, scratching and scratching her pen across the paper while she tried to recapture the magic. The idea of writing full-length novels that sold tons of copies and reached tons of people had always been her biggest dream. At least, it had always been the one that struck her most powerfully.
Sure, she'd always known it was a long shot but still. This stretched out abstinence from writing was virtually killing her, and that futuristic vision of writing for a living seemed to be dying with her.
"Hey, Yunie."
The girl in question blew out a puff of air in annoyance at her sudden lack of creativity and brought a hand up to muss up her already tousled hair. She twisted in her chair to look at her dad curiously.
"What?"
"Well your mom was saying that you were going to need a new bag to carry your books in for summer school so she wanted me to see if you'd like any of mine."
Both Yuna and her father chuckled, that was her mom: covering all the bases in her own "less complicated" way, as always. Although she couldn't deny that this time her mom's idea actually made perfect sense. Her backpack was way too huge to use for just one summer class, and her dad did have an excess of bags; he bought most of them in the hopes of using them for work.
The only flaw Yuna could think of was that her father's bags were for men, not their teenage daughters.
"Okay, well, let's see 'em," she said resignedly.
Yuna's dad, who seemed to know what she was thinking, gave her an apologetic smile before turning around to gather up all his various bags.
The brunette girl sighed and ruffled her hair again as her dad brought out each one separately only to have them all turned down. After inspecting the fourth bag however, Yuna paused and tilted her head to peer at the pile of bags behind her dad.
"What about that one?" she asked, pointing to the object of desire.
"Hm? Oh this one?" her dad asked, picking it up after he'd seen where Yuna's finger had indicated. "You would like it, I guess."
When her dad turned around and the entire bag entered Yuna's sight, her jaw dropped.
It was a black messenger bag. Not very big, decidedly square-shaped and it had one long strap intended to be slung over one's shoulders. Simple. Nothing special.
And yet it was perfect.
A smile broke out over Yuna's face as she reached out a hand for it. "I'll take that one."
While her dad walked away to put the rejects back in their proper places, Yuna smiled down at the messenger bag she was gripping in her hands. There was an almost reverent look in her eyes.
She could see it now. And suddenly all those dreams in her head that centered around what she would do after college were blown sharply into focus. She could see it all happening now.
An older version of herself (fresh out of college) was dashing out of a medium-sized apartment in Chicago. She was wearing very casual, baggy green pants and a white, short-sleeved, zip-up sweater.
And her plain and simple black messenger bag was colliding wildly with her waist as she rushed to catch the nearest elevator. Maybe it was stuffed with a manuscript and she was hurrying to a meeting with her editor or even (Yuna shuddered to think it) her publisher. Maybe she was going out to meet friends and the bag was filled with journals and pens in case she thought of a good idea for her next novel.
Or maybe she was just running to catch the latest concert at Millennium Park so that she could jot down little ideas while she sat and enjoyed the music…
"Yuna! Pack your bag! Summer school starts tomorrow, remember?!""
The girl jerked, her reverie broken.
But the smile lingered on her face as she stuffed all her materials into her new bag and closed the flap before bringing it up to her family's computer room with her. Her dad had left the computer on, and so she didn't have to wait to open up a Microsoft Word document.
She stretched, bringing her arms up and behind her back as she arched it. Giving her hair one last muss, she nodded to her bag nonchalantly before turning to the screen and placing her fingers on the keyboard the way a musician might with a piano.
She could do this now, she was sure of it. It would be hard, and she'd have to write a lot in the meantime to prepare herself and get even better. But it would happen. She'd work hard and get really, really good and with a little luck she could pull it off.
After all…
- - -
It could happen.
- - -
Axel's grin was beyond catching. It gave new meaning to the concept of "grinning ear-to-ear". His smile was putting lighthouses to shame, and his eyes were sparkling in a way that made strobe lights seem dull by comparison.
"THAT WAS SO FREAKINGAMAZING!!" he crowed, arms swung up into the air in some sort of wild and spastic expression of joy. His cousin Reno just smiled at him and shook his head in would be "Oh well…" way. Reno supposed it was kinda like karma, this was what he got for being nice to Axel for a change. A Broadway Musical, of all things, he scolded himself in his mind, should've known it'd excite him this much.
"C'mon, yo," the elder of the two said as he practically pulled Axel away from the theater they'd just left, "the show started late."
Axel blinked. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Well, now we're late for dinner with the rest of the folks," said Reno, punctuating the sentence by thumping Axel on the head.
The two continued making their way through the streets of Chicago, the city lights reflecting off their already violently bright heads of hair. Reno eyed his cousin nervously. They'd already traveled a good way's from the theater but Axel was still bouncing and friggin' vibrating from his post-show excitement. With a sigh, Reno resigned himself to conversation.
"So, you liked the show?"
The expression on Axel's face left little doubt, but he responded anyways.
"Of course! It was the most fantasmically fantasmic thing I've EVER seen in the history of EVER!" He bounced a little higher and clutched Reno's arm. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!"
"Yeah, yeah, don't go getting emotional on me now, yo," muttered Reno, trying vainly to shake Axel off his arm. "Get the hell off!"
Axel did let go but he also started jumping higher than before; Reno got that awful sinking feeling that his cousin was going to be like this for a while. The redhead was practically skipping down the pavement; he was either unaware of all the people staring or he simply didn't care.
"I LOVE SPRING AWAKENING!" he yelled and he lifted his arms over his head and waved them around too.
Reno hung back and shoved his hands in his pockets. If he was lucky no one would guess they were related. Unfortunately the hair gave them away. Damnit.
"Calm down, yo. You're scaring people," he said.
"I can't calm down," said Axel, giving Reno an incredulous look. "I've just seen my future!"
"…Your future?"
"Yeah! On Broadway!"
Silence, then…
"You're kidding, right?"
"No way! I'm going to be on stage!"
"In musicals?"
"Yeah!"
"Singing?"
"Uh-huh!"
"…Can you sing?"
"Of course I can! Here listen: the hiiiiills are aaliiii—"
Reno slapped both hands over Axel's mouth. "Alright, alright! I get it, yo!"
"Did you like my singing?"
"Yes, yes, it was very nice," muttered Reno while resisting the urge to punch his redheaded cousin.
"Really? Awesome!" Axel cheered, "Just wait—I'll be a star in New York! And I'll be in all the best musicals! And I'll be rich! And I'll live near the theater! And I'll get to travel all over the world on tour! And I'll meet attractive costars! And I'll sleep with attractive costars! We're going to have the BESTDAMNSE—
"Watch your mouth, yo!"
Axel took a few deep breaths, his eyes were still fired up from his "profound vision". He smiled at his elder.
"Just you wait," he said, "it'll happen, you'll see."
"Yeah, yeah, that's great and all, yo, but you're seriously freaking me out. Now shut up and let's go," said Reno.
"Jerk," mumbled Axel as he hung his head.
But as he continued walking his mind was buzzing and running rampant with ideas. He was already in theater at high school, so why not? He could do it. He'd get a small apartment right next to the theater he was performing at, and the size wouldn't matter cause he'd spend most of his time in the building rehearsing anyway.
Bouncing one last time, he caught up with his cousin and squealed.
"I can't wait!"
- - -
It could happen.
- - -
Olette inhaled deeply as she took out a fresh platter of cookies from the oven. Brown sugar cookies were her favorite and this batch had turned out really well. Breathing in the scent a few more times, she put the tray down and took off her orange and yellow oven mitts.
"They're done!" she called.
"Smells great!" came the response from the living room.
The brunette smiled to herself, obviously pleased by the compliment. With the greatest care, she put the cookies on a platter and then headed in the adjacent room herself. Her boyfriend looked up from a commercial he'd been watching and grinned when he saw her (and the cookies too, of course).
"Are those all for me?" asked Seifer, giving her that puppy-dog look that always made her laugh because he was so darn bad at it. Olette gave him a light slap as she sat down next to him on the couch.
"No, stupid, I made them so they're mine," she said, although she didn't protest when he started eating them off the platter, "what'd I miss?"
"Not much, just commercials," he shrugged, "there was a good Coca-Cola one, though."
Olette smirked at him and the couple probably would've entered another round of their usual banter (which usually ended in Olette verbally pummeling Seifer into the ground) if it weren't for the show they were watching turning back on.
Seifer had to admit, before he met Olette he probably would've never watched The Office; it was usually sports for him. But the brunette loved the show so much that eventually he had to get landed with the addiction too, even though the relationship between Jim and Pam annoyed him to no end.
It was like that for a while, the two teenagers continued to munch on their homemade treat while watching the hopeless antics of the many employees at Dunder Mifflin. They made random comments on the show, the people in it and their own lives every now and then but for the most part the quiet summer afternoon was only punctuated by the TV and Olette and Seifer's laughter.
That was until Olette, during one of those awkward Jim and Pam scenes, sighed heavily and put her half-eaten cookie back on the platter. It was a clear indication of sadness that any gentlemen would pick up on. It was the kind of situation that required tact and subtlety…
Seifer looked up.
"What was that for?"
Two things that, sadly, Seifer was severely lacking in.
Olette bit her lip, "Nothing really, it's just… Have you every thought about…? I don't know… Like what if your plans don't work out?"
Seifer frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means…" Olette flicked her eyes around as she searched for the right words. "You know how everyone's been really excited about their futures and stuff lately? Like Yuna with her writing and Tidus wanting to go pro and Namine wanting to be a psychiatrist and Hayner wanting to… wants to…"
"Okay, yeah, I see what you mean by plans now," cut in Seifer quickly; he knew that his girlfriend didn't like to bring up the subject of Hayner and his recent decisions pertaining to his future, "but what do you mean by 'not working out'?" He used his funny version of her voice to try to illicit a laugh out of her. It didn't work.
"I mean…" The girl looked up and stared at the ceiling. "Well, we all know that it's very possible that all that stuff won't happen but… What I'm really trying to get at, is if you've ever thought about whether or not you'll end up in one of those 'it-didn't-work-out' jobs."
"What do you mean 'it-didn't—'" He stopped short and turned to the television. "Oh… Like working in a paper company?"
"Yeah," said Olette, pleased that her boyfriend had understood her, "I mean, think about all the jobs out there that none of us ever plan on doing. Like paper manufacturing, garbage pick-up, lawn services, working at Target or Sears, or even advertising for straws—"
"Whoa, whoa, wait. Straws?"
"See? That's exactly my point! Think about it, where does Starbucks get their straws? Or what about the straws they sell in stores and stuff? Restaurants? They all have straws you know. And not all of those straws are made by the same company, which means that those companies must have to compete for business! So there are people out their trying to get places to buy their own type of straw! Bendy straws, green ones, blue one—"
"Alright, I get it..." Seifer said. He ran a hand through his hair, "But why are you even thinking about this? That's not gonna happen to any of us."
Olette almost smiled; that was Seifer with his overwhelming confidence. Usually it made her feel like she could take on anything but today she just wanted to roll her eyes at him.
"But think about it," she said, "we use straws everyday. People throw out tons of garbage. And let's not even think about how much paper we use, okay? All that… So somebody's doing those jobs, right? Lots of people do jobs like that. And I bet none of them planned to when they were little." The brunette bit her lip. "So what is there to make sure that doesn't happen to us?"
Seifer's frown deepened and The Office had long been forgotten by both of them. It was clear that the idea of him ending up behind a desk in a paper company disrupted his usual confidence (which was beyond that of mortal men).
He looked at the rug, and his brow creased as he tried to find the right words.
"I… Uh, argh…! I mean," Seifer turned to Olette and asked forcefully, "fine then. What's your little future fantasy?"
Olette blinked, "You mean, what's my dream for my salad days?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
"Um, well," a blush tinted her cheeks a little, "I was hoping, well… I want to open a pastry shop," the assurance in her voice grew once she'd said it, "Yes, a nice, cozy little shop in the downtown area of a town or city. And I want to wear an apron, and play nice soothing music like Colbie Caillat or stuff like that. And serve coffee and drinks too, to go with the pastry. I could live in a small apartment above the café…
"And," Olette gave Seifer a meaningful look, "I'm kind of wishing I'll have someone to live there with."
There was a pause as Seifer stared Olette in the eyes. That same nervousness that she'd shown before was returning as her dream began crumbling under the prospects that reality held for them.
Seifer was the one to break the eye contact.
With the look of a six year old boy trying to comprehend something just beyond his reach, he fumbled for the cookie his brunette haired girlfriend had abandoned earlier. Lifting it up, he regained their eye contact and spoke with confidence.
"Olette," he began, "these cookies are amazing. All your cooking is. I just— I don't get how someone like you could ever worry about your future," he shoved the rest of the cookie into her mouth and grinned, "and you don't have to. It'll happen. I'll make sure it does too, y'know… if you even need my help that is… And I want to be a police officer so… We could…"
He trailed off and after an awkward silence he and Olette both returned their attention back to the TV. A new show had come on but neither of them bothered to change the channel or turn it off.
As Olette slowly chewed the cookie in her mouth, she thought over her boyfriend's words, unable to hide the blush that grew over her face at the last part. Seifer had always been almost (well, maybe more than almost) egotistical when it came to stuff like this. But in all honesty the brunette had never seen him consider his words and thoughts so much before speaking.
It was so assuring…
She smiled and all the worry disappeared from her mind. Grabbing the blonde's hand lightly; she stood up and gave him an almost grateful look. Seifer returned it with the same befuddled expression he always wore when she got this way.
"Come on," said the brunette, "you can help me flip through some recipe books. There's a bake sale coming up down at the park in a week and I think I'm going to join in."
Seifer grinned, "Good, can I test all the goodies?"
Olette's smile turned more sadistic, "Of course, but be warned… I'm thinking of trying something new…"
- - -
It could happen.
- - -
Riku wasn't usually seen smiling this much. But then again, one could also argue that he usually didn't have reason to smile this much. Either way…
"This," he whispered reverently, "is the best day… of my life."
He drew a shaky breath as he continued to stare at the object in his hand with something akin to worship in his eyes. His parents just smiled and shook their heads, Mrs. Ishida snapped a picture of him (to mail to all the relatives, of course).
"Well, we're glad you like it," she said, ruffling her son's hair and moving to put the camera away. "Happy birthday, dear."
It didn't really seem like Riku had actually heard her; he just kept staring at the newfound love-of-his-life.
His new guitar.
God, he loved his parents.
With the same idolizing care he'd shown before, Riku placed his gift back in its case and promptly grabbed both his parents in the tightest hug they'd ever received from their usually aloof son. He grinned. "Thank you!"
And then he was off, dashing up to his room to change for the day and brush his hair. His parents began the process of cleaning up the rest of the living room for when their relatives would come over later that day.
It seemed like seconds before Riku was back downstairs and slinging the guitar case over his shoulder. Silently, Mrs. Ishida wished she could get her son to wake up and get ready this fast on school days.
"I'm going out," he said. There was no need to specify "where to", his parents knew exactly where he was headed. Mr. Ishida glanced at the clock.
"Alright, but just make sure you're back in two hours," said Riku's father. "Remember, you still have other presents to open from the rest of the family, too."
"And you have to clean your room before they get here," added Riku's mom.
"Alright, alright." Tthe silver haired teen rolled his eyes. "See you later!"
"Say hi to Demyx's mom for us!"
"Okay!"
As he shut the door to his house behind him, Riku whipped out his cell phone to call ahead and make sure Demyx knew he was coming. Knowing his best friend, the blonde was probably still in his pajamas (or asleep).
"Mmf… M'ello?"
Riku sighed as he heard the familiar early morning slur in Demyx's voice, "Hey, Dem, it's me. I'm coming over."
"…N-now?" His voice cracked from exhaustion.
"Yes, now." Riku rolled his eyes. "Pull yourself together and be prepared to be blown away once I get there!"
"…Mm… Okay…"
Riku just put his cell phone away warily. He wasn't entirely assured of Demyx's consciousness, but if the blonde was still asleep when Riku got there he could take care of that. All he'd need was a bucket of ice cold water...
Or he could just sick Demyx's little sister, Selphie, on his poor, unsuspecting friend…
Riku smirked devilishly as he hopped onto his bicycle and started heading over to Demyx's place. Honestly, there were times when it was hard to tell which one of them was a year older than the other.
It was only a five minute bike from Riku's to Demyx's and so, just a few minutes after he'd called, Riku found himself standing on his best friend's doorstep while he waited for someone to open the door. It turned out to be Demyx's mother, and she greeted Riku as warmly as ever (this included many hugs and kisses despite the fact that they had seen each other just yesterday).
"I already put my bike in the garage," said Riku, once the older woman had pulled away. "I hope you don't mind."
"No, that's alright, sweetie," said the mom, "Demyx is upstairs in his room, I think he's still trying to wake up."
"Oh, I can help with that," Riku smirked and rolled up his sleeves before heading upstairs.
Unfortunately for Riku, who had been in the middle of formulating an (evil) plan to get his friend out of bed, Demyx was fully dressed and wide awake when he opened the door to his bedroom.
"Ha ha, foiled!" the blonde joked, "you're not getting me today!"
"Curses," muttered Riku as he tried to imitate their Math teacher Ansem's voice.
"So what's up?" asked Demyx as he opened the door to his room all the way for his friend, "Why'd you rush over here this early?"
Riku took the case off his shoulder and laid it on the floor before opening it, revealing the guitar inside to Demyx. Said friend's mouth fell open. His jaw probably would've hit the floor, if that kind of stuff was possible…
"Is that…?"
"Yup. It's mine."
"Your parents?"
"Mm-hm."
"For your birthday…?"
"Yeah."
A wave of excitement came over both of them and as one they both went to their respective instruments. Riku, after adjusting his new guitar around his neck took his favorite pick out of his pocket (he always kept it with him) and looked over towards Demyx. The blonde had his ever faithful bass guitar in place. They exchanged grins and then launched into one of their favorite songs, Accolades and Effigies, at the same time, almost as if on cue.
As Riku guided his fingers (armed with a navy blue pick) across his guitar he couldn't help but notice they were both playing the song almost perfectly. The introduction ended and Riku broke into the melody of the song without hesitation.
He leaned back a little on Demyx's bed to get the fingering right; across the room Demyx smiled softly as the steady harmony he was keeping adjusted to its counterpart perfectly. Eventually, Riku struck a chord and right on time Demyx started singing the first lines of the song.
"I won the world today, don't know how…Don't know how… I won a new life today."
It was electric. The song had been something they'd been working on for a while but had never quite managed to master. And yet here they were, playing it the way it had been meant to sound. In Riku's mind it felt almost like someone was guiding his fingers for him, and, in Demyx's overactive imagination, someone was.
"I told of a truth today, But all I ask, all I ask… An effigy… A statue of me in your mind."
As the last lines left Demyx's lips Riku's fingers darted across the strings of his instrument. The last note quivered through the air of the entire household, and the song ended.
Nobody said anything; neither of the boys broke the still silence that had enveloped the bedroom.
Riku bit his lip and inwardly shook his head. What he was thinking was ridiculous and— and foolhardy. And not even worth considering! It would never happen. Sure the boys had dreamt of being famous musicians ever since they were six and had both received matching toy instruments from their parents (Demyx a drum set, Riku a keyboard) but… But that was when they were six!
And sure they still played together, and wrote music, and yeah every now and then they'd entertain the idea of going pro but still. It was ridiculous. And this time Riku outwardly shook his head as his mind continued to think of all the reasons he shouldn't even be thinking it, the idea of officially forming a band and trying to make it big.
He couldn't start thinking or getting it into his head that just because of one amazing session… One amazing session…
He shook his head again. It would never happen.
"Hey."
Riku looked up and was a bit startled to see that Demyx had already packed up his guitar and was sitting in his chair staring at the silver-haired teen. The blonde measured his friend's expression and seemed to purse his lips as he thought something over.
Riku looked away and began putting his own guitar back as well. He knew they were both thinking it, but there was no way in hell he'd be the one to say it. It was too risky, and it probably wouldn't work out… Besides it was Demyx's job to be the idiot and bring up topics like this with his regular dose of optimism.
"Y'know," said the aforementioned idiot, "this could really happen."
Riku stared.
Right. Well, just because it wasn't his job to be the idiot didn't mean he had to disagree with everything the idiot thought.
- - -
It could happen.
- - -
Leon had always thought freshmen were stupid. And now, listening to his younger brother Sora discussing his "Salad Day Fantasy" (What the hell?) with his best friend Kairi in their basement, he couldn't help but be even more sure of that fact.
It was a conversation he'd been overhearing between a lot of his brother's friends lately and everytime it just got on his nerves more and more. As a junior (soon-to-be senior come the next school year) Leon looked at things a bit differently. Or, as he liked to put it, more realistically.
After all most people ended up doing some menial profession when they got older. Hardly anybody ended up with their dream job/life/Salad Days Fantasy or whatever the hell his brother and co. were calling it. Most people ended up behind some desk with some bitchy boss doing some boring-ass desk job or other. And Leon was well aware that that's what would most likely happen to him and the others.
He rolled his eyes as his brother cried out yet another cheesy comment about "dreams coming true" and all that other shit. Cloud, Leon's best friend, snorted from his place on the couch.
"Awfully spirited, aren't they?" asked the blonde cheekily.
Leon grunted in annoyance, but this only earned him another snort from Cloud.
For instance, thought the brunette, once again picking up with his hope and dream crushing tirade, I know that there's no way I'll end up playing the piano for a profession…
He flipped the sheet music he was sight reading and continued to play the classical piece he'd been rehearsing for the last fifteen minutes. He liked piano, sure. And he was good at it, yeah. But that didn't mean anything. Lots of people were good and the fact that he was one of them didn't mean he'd end up playing in concert halls or anything like that.
The classical industry of music was hard to get into and even harder to succeed through. He did have a future to think of, and there were plenty of bills to pay…
The song reached its end as Leon slowly played out the last crescendo that climaxed into a finishing chord. He sighed and sat back a little on the bench.
Yes, there was no way he'd ever go anywhere with piano…
Cloud looked up from the book he'd been reading.
"That sounded nice, Lee."
But then again…
- - -
It could happen.
- - -
Hayner, after deciding he couldn't bear to watch anymore, returned his attention to the TV and away from Pence. His ebony haired friend was currently engulfing enough food to feed an army.
"Hey, Hayner, can you get me some salt?" asked Pence right before another chicken leg found its way into his mouth.
Hayner rolled his eyes and headed towards the kitchen. He grabbed the saltshaker off the marble countertop and returned to the dining room/living room his friend had situated himself in. Said friend had now abandoned his chicken only to move onto the gyros.
"Ugh, man, are you sure you want to add more salt? I mean, can your arteries seriously handle it at this point?" asked Hayner, nonetheless he held the salt out to his friend, silently praying it wouldn't cause him heart failure in the future.
"I have to eat, Hayner," said Pence, as though it was a fact he shouldn't even have to be explaining. "It's completely necessary if I want to prepare for my future career as a food critic."
Yet again Hayner rolled his eyes, though this time there was a distinctly bitter edge to the action. Unfortunately for the blonde, Pence was just a little too perceptive.
"You alright?" he asked before finally deciding to chew and swallow whatever the hell it was in his mouth (Hayner suspected there was more than one food item crammed in there), "What's wrong with me wanting to be a food critic?"
"Nothing Pence, I'm sure you'll make a good food critic," replied the other dully. He began flipping through the channels aimlessly but paused when a commercial for some college popped up.
Pence watched the commercial and studied the look on Hayner's face. As he realized what exactly was troubling his friend he swallowed again (though there was no food in his mouth) and returned the apple tart he'd been devouring to his plate.
"Oh…"
Hayner looked up, "What?"
"Nothing, I just… Sorry I brought it up…" Pence mumbled.
"Brought what up?" demanded Hayner, and an agitated look began to cross his face. Pence seemed to shrink in his chair a bit as he reluctantly gave his answer.
"Futures and stuff…"
"Tch."
Hayner turned back to the TV; he didn't even bother to hide the irritation on his face now. This was not a conversation he needed right now…
"Hayner… Do you… I mean…"
Goddamit.
"What?" he snapped, spinning in his seat to glare at his friend.
Pence sighed and seemed to be unfazed by the blonde's outburst, "Isn't there another option…? I mean do you really want…"
Silence.
Hayner stared ahead while his anger began to quietly fizzle out into numbness.
Finally Pence found his words again.
"Isn't there anything Olette or Roxas or me can say or do to change your mind…?"
Hayner blinked a few times, a strange sort of sadness was filling him up. It was an emotion he hadn't expected to feel. And it only pissed him off more.
"Why do you guys think you have to change my mind?" he asked, annoyed. "What if this is what I want?"
It almost seemed like Pence had been physically stung.
"But… Oh come on, Hayner, you can't possibly want to do this."
"Look," said Hayner, "it's my life. I can do what I want with it, thanks. And if that means throwing it away then I'm sure as hell entitled to that."
After that the boy got up abruptly and proceeded to walk out of the room. It took a minute for his stunned friend to manage any movement or noise.
"Throw it aw— But Hayner, wait! Get back here!"
Hayner ignored his friend as he slammed the door behind him and hopped on his bike. He had not gone over to Pence's house to be interrogated about his future career choice again and he definetly wasn't going to stick around if that was the case.
His legs worked furiously as he sped home as fast he could. The blonde barely even took time to stop and look for cars when he crossed streets. No, all he was focused on was the straining of his muscles as they vented his frustration on the pedals of his bike.
When he reached his house he kicked the gate open and dumped his bike in the backyard before trudging up the back steps to his "home".
"Mom?" he called, kicking off his shoes and tossing his keys onto the counter once he was inside. "You home?"
There was no answer. He sighed, so where was she then? Drinking?
Most likely.
He stomped towards the couch, letting out his remaining anger, and flopped onto the worn out cushions all in one fluid motion. Realizing he had nothing better to do now that he'd ditched his friend he turned his own TV on and resumed channel surfing.
"So what if I want to join the army?" he muttered to seemingly no one, "It's not like there's anything else waiting for me."
It was true, he thought bitterly. He wasn't a good student and saw little point in pursuing anything else. Who, other than his friends, would miss him? He was the screw-up of his family so he might as well enlist.
In the end, he knew his existence wouldn't make an impact on the world. It was meaningless, inconsequential…
So just why did thinking about all this make him feel oddly sad?
Another college commercial came on with dreamy, sweeping shots of the campus and lots of happy, smiling students working together in a "cozy" little study group…
A bitter taste rose up in Hayner's mouth.
"Bullcrap," he muttered.
He wouldn't succeed and he certainly wouldn't go to college…
That same bitter taste intensified, and Hayner practically choked on the word as he said it once more. "Bullcrap."
- - -
It could happen.
- - -
Tidus smiled easily as he and Wakka strolled down the quiet little streets of their hometown. The two of them were headed for the beach, Tidus with a blitzball held under his arm and Wakka with a bag of sunscreen and towels.
"Heeeey, Wakka! Tidus! Wait up!"
The two of them smiled as one and turned to see Rikku, Paine and Lulu walking to catch up to them. Well, Paine and Lulu walked. Rikku skipped.
"Hey you guys," said the blonde once they had joined the duo, "headed to the beach as usual?"
"Of course," said Tidus, he flexed his arm to get the girl to giggle (which really wasn't that hard), "we gotta stay in shape for the blitzball season once school starts up."
"Oh, man!" Rikku clapped her hands together and bounced, once, twice. "I can't wait for that! The team's gonna be awesome this year!"
"Sure is shaping up to be that way, ya," said Wakka, he grinned wider, "and Tidus is gonna be MVP of the year, for sure!"
"Aw, no way, don't say that!" said Tidus, he laughed and punched the orange-haired teen, "You'll jinx me!"
"But you know he's right, Tidus!" chirped Rikku, she looked to her fellow girls for confirmation of this; Paine just shrugged and Lulu said nothing. "Party poopers."
"Eh, it's a nice thought, I guess," said Tidus, "but anyways why are you three headed to the park?"
"Oh, we were going to meet Zell and Irvine down there, you guys wanna play a game or two with us and them?" asked Rikku, gesturing at the blitzball under Tidus's arm. "How about you versus the rest of us? Just to make it fair."
"Come on!" he laughed. "You've gotta give me a few more teammates then that!"
"Alright, you can have Irvine and Paine, ya," said Wakka, to Rikku he added, "I'm not half bad ya know."
"Suuuure," said the blonde girl.
The group continued on their way to the beach like this for a while. When they finally felt sand under their toes it didn't take long to locate Irvine and Zell mainly because Irvine refused point blank to not wear a cowboy hat. Weirdo.
"You guys!" Rikku called, cupping both her hands around her mouth, "Lookit who we ran into!"
"Cool!" called Zell. He spotted the ball Tidus was carrying, "We gonna have a match?"
"Yeah!" said Rikku, and she giggled as she stripped down to her bikini and dived into the water. Pain followed her lead while Lulu hung back to set up everyone's things with Wakka.
With the sun hitting his back and the sound of waves crashing against his ear drum, Tidus ran into the spray of water and swam out to where the others already were. "You guys are going down!"
"Bring it on, hotshot!" crowed Irvine while Zell made "intimidating" gestures behind him.
Jumping out of the water, Tidus hurled the ball towards the others. The sound of the water splashing was ringing in his ears and he could already feel himself entering his element, his zone.
This was where he belonged and this was what he wanted to spend his life doing.
"Hey, wait for me, ya?!"
He grinned and waved for Wakka to hurry it up.
One way or another, this was the future he'd make for himself.
"C'mon guys! Let's get this party started!"
- - -
It could happen.
- - -
Sora smiled and opened the door to his house all the way when he saw Kairi standing on his doorstep looking a little confused as to why she was there. Still, when Sora opened the door she smiled and stepped through before toeing off her shoes once inside.
"Sora? So what's up?" she spared a glance at Sora's brother Leon who was playing piano in the corner with his friend (Cloud, was it?) as an audience, "You called me?"
"Yeah, I was bored, so I wanted to talk," he grinned and scratched the back of his head.
Kairi made a weird face. In person? You couldn't just call?"
"Heh heh, well you know," said Sora, like Kairi he was a little too aware of his older brother's presence in the room, "I was bored, so I wanted to hang out."
"Alrighty then," said Kairi, raising her eyebrows a little at Sora's oddball ways. The brunette boy was leading her towards the basement. The strange thing was that he had his arms held out on either side and seemed to be teetering a little as if he was trekking along a balance beam.
There was a movie playing on the TV but the two teenagers paid it no mind as they sat themselves down on the couch and struck up a conversation.
"So, you know Riku's really excited about his birthday this year," began Sora, "his parents got them this really expensive guitar," he laughed. "And he ran straight over to Demyx's afterward so they could test it out and practice."
"That's cool," said Kairi eagerly. "Those two… Before we know it they're gonna be rock stars! We'll only ever get to see them on TV or something!"
"That's what I was thinking," said Sora. He grinned, "Riku keeps saying not to freak out so much about it and that it's probably not gonna happen, but you know what I think? He's secretly excited. I mean think about it, his dreams are seriously coming true!"
A snort sounded from upstairs followed by some sarcastic comment from Cloud. Sora frowned at the ceiling. Kairi just chuckled and patted her friend on the head.
"Well, he's off to a good start, anyway, where he goes from here we'll just have to see," the redhead said before leaning back on the couch and stretching her arms. "It's funny that everyone seems to be thinking about this stuff lately."
"Yeah, it is," said Sora. "I still can't make up my mind on a future goal."
Kairi eyed her friend. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"
"I guess," said the brunette teen. He shrugged. "What are your plans?"
The smile on Kairi's face stretched. "That's easy. So I want to be a doctor, which obviously means I'm going to be in school for a while but once I get out I want to be living the good life! Kind of like on Grey's Anatomy, only better! I want to be able to afford all the expensive clothes I want now but can't have."
"And of course," she tapped Sora on the head with her forefinger, "I'm going to eat at all the best restaurants."
The brunette thought her words over for a minute. His face split into a huge grin.
Kairi leaned away from him and wrinkled her nose. "What?"
"Well that's it then," said Sora. He sat up. "I know what I'm going to do when I grow up."
"What are you going to do?" asked Kairi, sounding more than slightly nervous.
Sora stood up and put his hands on his hips.
There was a dramatic pause.
"I'M GONNA CHANGE THE WORLD!!"
"Wh-what?" Kairi blinked. The sheer force of Sora's enthusiasm had toppled her backwards.
"That's right!" yelled the other triumphantly. "I don't know how, but I just know I'll do something really, really GREAT! And it's gonna totally surprise everyone!"
The sound of Leon and Cloud laughing their asses off upstairs was promptly ignored by the two in the basement.
"Um… Okay…?" Kairi was looking at Sora worriedly, "But you have no idea how…?"
"Nope! Not at all!" he cried, but he looked all the happier for it. "It's gonna be great though! Wait and see, when I get older I'm going to blow the whole world away! It's going to be the best thing ever!"
Kairi smiled—Sora's enthusiasm was catching. "So you'll be a big hero, huh?"
"Uh-huh, something like that," he said, pumping his fists a few times as he remained standing, "I want to save the world or do something amazing like that… What?"
He looked down at Kairi curiously. The redhead was smiling and chuckling quietly.
"Nothing Sora, just promise me one thing okay?"
"'Kay."
"Never change."
"Um… Alright."
"Good, now c'mon," said Kairi, she stood up and brushed herself off, "let's go on a walk. If you want to save the world by your 'salad days' you're gonna have to start practicing now."
"Practice?" Sora followed her upstairs uncertainly, "How?"
"Well, I don't know," said Kairi, holding the door open for them as they both stepped out into the sunlight, "maybe we'll find a cat that's stuck in a tree or something else for you to rescue."
Sora brightened. "Alright then! Prepare to be blown away, world!"
And with those parting words the duo left Leon and Cloud behind in the house; both older men were at this point in tears from laughing at the kids so much. But neither Sora nor Kairi really cared that much.
It was a nice day, and they were just two teenagers preparing themselves for a world they were determined to achieve their goals in. After all, even if they sounded unrealistic at times it had become clear that day that with luck, reasoning and effort a lot of stuff was more achievable then it seemed at a first glance.
- - -
It could happen.
They could happen.
The possibilities are endless
and that's because
they're
your
Salad Days
- - -
Author's Note:EPIC. Omigosh, so first off major thank yous and hats off to namikun masaki for beta-ing this story for me.
Secondly: FOR MY BESTEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD CRAZIIJANEY!!
Thirdly: This is probably my favorite story I've ever written.
Fourthly: Yes some of the characters were based off of people I know. Characters that represented my friends are: Yuna (guess who that is! ...yeah it's not that hard), Axel, Olette and Kairi. And yes, Hayner was also based off a good friend of mine.
Reviews would be lovely, I feel like I've just run a marathon after writing this-
bliss