AUTHOR'SNOTE ;
Wow. So, I've finally summoned up enough courage to put this up. I'd had hesitant thoughts about this one.. it seems to have a touch of seriousness laced into it, and.. I don't know. The overall tone and taste seems different than my other pieces, regardless of the fact that I seriously feel like ripping most of that cheesy stuff down now, since its been forever since I've last been on. x'D I've come to a final decision to put this up though, because after going over it a countless number of times, I've realized that I actually really do like this story for some reason.. and hopefully you will too? :3 Read and review. Thankssss. x3
PS ;
--Hold tight. More chapter(s?) to come. :)
--It all started a little over a year ago when I was constantly having dreams about a boy named Sora. He had spiky brown hair and deep blue eyes like the depths of the ocean. At first, I had my doubts about his existence; perhaps he was just a fictional character created from my slumbering mind. But… he couldn't have been, for the details of his appearance in my dreams seemed far too real to be made up. Destiny must've really wanted me to meet him though, because he kept appearing and reappearing.
Soon, he was doing the same to my drawings. My thoughts had been coiled around him like a snake and its prey for almost a month, and still no sign of his true being. My hopes were quickly fading with the sunset as the days passed, life seeming dull again. And so, I just decided to head out for the beach one day to wash my troubles away with the rolling tide.
I had been sitting there in peace and comfort, admiring the horizon when all of a sudden, it began to rain. Mere sprinkles of water were the first stage, I, merely ignoring them. But soon, those 'mere sprinkles' began to pick up, showering all of Twilight Town in a torrent of endless rain drops. Soaking wet, I headed home, cold and upset. Of all days for rain to come, why did it have to be the day I wanted to relax? Sick and tired of it all, I dropped to the cold cobblestone of Twilight, not wanting to get up. As my tears mixed in with that of the skies, I hid my head behind my knees, waiting for it all to go away.
Though my wishes were rejected, it felt as if there was something above me that was shielding me from the rain. When I looked up to dismiss my hopes, however, I saw that there actually was something sheltering me. Above me stood a boy. But no just any boy; it was Sora. Those dreamy blue eyes were just as I dreamt them to be, and his spiky brown hair still defying gravity. With one hand, he held a large red umbrella, and with the other, he extended it politely towards me with a smile to match.
"Need a hand?" As he looked down at me with those hypnotic blues, I couldn't help but let a smile butter my wet lips as I placed my hand in his and was pulled up. The two of us were under the umbrella now, me being the only one wet. But nonetheless, he held the umbrella for the both of us as he led me down the dreary streets.
He led me to the back alley and beyond a cast iron gate; a place I'd never even think of going. Just past that hung a maroon colored cloth, it blocking off a little room. We walked in, the place feeling even more welcoming than one would expect. The room bore a lived in feeling with its retired furniture and the sweet aroma of the ocean nearby. I seated myself on the couch opposite of the door way as Sora, too, came over. A nervous smile ran across him lips as he turned to face me. Before, his smile looked casual, yet charming. But now, he wore a faded grin; perhaps he was a bit cold from the rain.
"You're Sora, right?" Yes, it was true that there couldn't be any one else that looked just like the boy in my dreams, but I had to double check. Fortunately for me, his pale peach lips parted, making way for words that matched his happy expression.
"Yeah. And you are? "
My right hand rose to my heart. "My name is Naminé."
"Naminé… that's a cool name." My eyes locked into his as he let his lips raise to a smirk, my heart practically skipping a beat.
"As is Sora." -From outside, you could still hear the heavy rain, pounding on the earth where we sat. I could tell that it wasn't going to let up, so staying there seemed like my only choice.
I heard another sigh slip from him as I was pulled back to reality, a comment fumbling through my head. "Funny… I keep having dreams about a boy named Sora that looks exactly like you. "
"Really? That's pretty weird."
I nodded as I peeled my eyes away from his, lying them on the floor. It had been a long day for me, and I was getting a bit tired. I slouched in my seat as my head tilted back, examining the loosely-boarded ceiling. As a yawn escaped my lips, I forced a weak giggle, excusing my rude mannerisms.
"Sorry about all this. I'm… just kinda tired after today. " I could feel my eyes lids growing heavy as the room began to blur with my tired tears. But my ears were still as alert, for the continuous roar of the rain was still audible, as was Sora's voice.
"It's alright. I know just how you feel." Upon closing my muted blues entirely, I heard a feeble yawn that didn't belong to me. With my still tired and now blurry optics, I glanced over, catching the boy in the same sleepy position as I. Another giggle slipped from me as I shut my eyes for good, darkness taking over.
"Goodnight, Sora."
"Goodnight, Naminé."
-- ;;
I'd awoken in back in the white room, the whole experience seeming like a mere dream. My head was laid gently on my drawings, the rest of me seated in a cold chair. I sat up straight, looking through the misty window. Outside, the bright morning sun waved at me as I smiled, Twilight back to its old self again. But if everything was the same… did my meeting with Sora actually occur? Or was it but another dream? I looked about, searching for any sign that the evening prior to that day was real, when my eyes fell on a paper besides my current drawings. A dull, red colored pencil was laid besides the piece of paper with matching colored writing, a curious sight indeed. My cold fingers snatched the paper up, reading the red writing before me. "Shall we meet again? –Sora."
A smile immediately danced across my lips.
-- ;;
That summer, we'd met several other times, most of those meetings consisting of laughter, sunsets, and sea salt ice cream. I'd gotten to know the boy better, and we were really good friends now. You could almost say that I'd grown to… like him a little. We shared food, secrets; we pretty much shared everything friends could share. But the one thing that I hadn't yet shared with Sora was my favorite spot in all of Twilight Town.
It was another sunny afternoon; the perfect weather for going to my favorite spot. I had told Sora to meet me at the mansion door, and so, he did. The clock tower struck noon as I ran down the stairs and out the door. There stood Sora, his effervescent blue optics catching mine as I raced past the threshold.
"You ready? ", he'd said to me.
"But of course.", I replied.
As we neared the spot, my lips rolled into a loosely pursed position. In my hands lay a plain white bandana, the ends folded up and ready for use. Quickly, I paced forward, wrapping the cloth around his eyes. I finished it off with a simple knot at the back, not too loose, yet not too tight.
" N-Naminé… what's going on? " As he flailed his aims around, I could hear the level of curiosity building in his voice, but his keen grin showed that he might've been thinking otherwise.
My lips stayed pursed, they not making way for any words. At his shoulders was where my fingers were wrapped as I pushed him forwards. We continued to walk until the bumpy pavement at our feet was traded in for smooth sand, and the busy talk of Twilight's inhabitants transformed into the relaxing call of the ebb tide. Strange, it was though, for it seemed that the second we touched the sand, Sora's spirits had dropped. But then again, that might've been because there was a stair-step before touching the beach. Finally, my fingers reached up, untying the knot at his head.
"Ta-daa! " I raced in front of him to check the look on his face, but to my surprise, he was not smiling, nor frowning. Instead, his pale face held a worried sort of look.
"Is something the matter, Sora? "
"Oh… I was just thinking, that's all." He returned a smile to me, but his eyes were still cast out at sea.
"You aren't afraid of the water, are you? " A worried expression was now painting my face as I cocked my head to the side.
"No! No, of course not. W-Why would I be afraid of water? That's crazy. "
Though his words held a fragile appearance, I believed him. Maybe he had just been joking. So I walked back behind him, as subtly as one could. His back was facing me now—perfect. Or so I thought.
With a swift push of my hands, Sora had tripped over a lump of sand and had fallen into the water. Sweeping a loose tendril of hair away from my eyes, I dissolved into a fit of giggles. But those giggles soon faded like the perky brown in Sora's hair faded away in the ocean waves. Though the sun was staining my eyes, I could still see that the boy's hair was rinsing off its smooth brown color to reveal bright blonde. He rose back up, his shaky fingers running through his head. His hands slowly came back down to his eye level, seeing that the brown was washing off onto his fingers. Sora pulled his bottom lip into a bite as he looked to me, his eyes filling with regret. Damp blonde locks dripped murky brown water down his cheeks as he stood there, silence hovering between us.
"Y-You're not Sora, are you? "
His sad head shook a simple 'no', water flinging off.
"But Naminé, I can explain. I—"
"I don't want to hear it. " And with that, I stormed off, anger infusing itself into my tears. Those tears streaked down my face, leaving itchy lines of water to irritate me even more.
He lied to me; pretended to be someone that he clearly wasn't. But why would he do that? If he wanted me to be his friend in the first place, why didn't he just ask me? All my thoughts rushed together as I began to run, run back home.
"Naminé, please! I'm sorry!" His words echoed through the city streets as I dashed away, his voice chasing after me.
I reached the mansion, my tears staining the floor of the foyer, the stairs, and the pathway to my room. The whiteness of the room poured into my eyes as tears poured out, making my vision rather blurry. But even through the watery blur, I could recognize all the papers taped up on the walls; my dream sketches of Sora. Anger and fury rushed through my veins as I ripped off each and every drawing, collecting them in my arms as my tears washed them clean. With a handful of papers, I raced to the window, thrusting it open.
The Twilight Town scene had faded from its bright and crisp noon colors to a now somber and wet mixture of ominous hues; rain falling from the heavens. Rain… it rained when I first met him.
That was it. I was just like the sky now, tears dripping down my face, gray coloring my heart. That boy… I'd fallen for him, yet, he still went out of his way just to lie to my face. My heart was knotted a few times more times as I thought everything through thoroughly. I actually loved him. And now, I couldn't even keep him as my friend. My hands opened up like a door, dropping my artwork of Sora down to the earth below. To my surprise, when I looked down below, the boy on the papers had come to life right before my eyes. How long had he been standing there?
"Go away! I don't ever want to see you again." Harsh words had I spoken, but it was all so true. Quick hands drew the glass panes back in, water from outside dripping off the windows as I closed them. I was panting now, my pulse had quickened, and my eyes had blurred even more. A shivering hand came up, sweeping my bangs away as I lay down, crying myself to sleep that night.
He never did come back after that. I'd stayed inside for a few more days after the incident to just past things over. I honestly thought that he'd be back in the alley waiting for me as usual… but he wasn't there. Come to think, he wasn't anywhere to be found. Perhaps he just wanted to forget about me. I'd understand. After all, I had been a little selfish. I mean, I'm sure he had his reasons to pretend to be someone else… but I hadn't even stopped to ask.
I was selfish, wasn't I?
Another set of days had passed: he had to be back in the alley by now, right? And so I headed back there. I had trained myself, though, trained myself to not be as disappointed when my eyes met nothingness in a room, signifying that nobody was there. In this case, when I brushed the crimson cloth aside, my gaze actually did fall on someone: but it wasn't him.
It was one of his friends he'd introduced to me before—Olette was her name, I believe. The girl's faded jade hues searched me, I, pressing a scared look on my face, only because I really was. A bright orange sling bag was held open with one hand while a framed photo lied in the other.
"Who's life have you come to ruin now?"
I ignored her rude comment; I mean…I'm sure it just… slipped out.
" Em… excuse me, but do you know where he is? "
In response to me, she merely moved her lips into a tight pursed position as a single visible tear slid from her wet eyes.
True, it was, that I'd been vague about who this 'he' was, but Olette still seemed to know exactly whom I spoke of. Her saddened expression had said it all.
"Because of you, he's hanging out in the hospital now instead of here. ", she whimpered, stuffing the photo into the bag.
"Because… of me? "
"Yes, Naminé You. " She turned at her heel, heading out the door when I suddenly stopped her.
"Wait—where're you going?"
"…To visit him after I get the others."
My feet raced out past Olette as I ran down the streets, disbelief painting my cold eyes. Into the train station I ran, boarding the closest train. The tram was empty, however, leaving a chill in the air. But knowing that these kinds of trains were different than most with its 'ghostly conductors', I kept my hopes high as the door slid closed behind me. I didn't have time to wait for Olette and the others—I had to see him now.
After breaking out in a cold sweat of panic at the front desk, the staff kindly granted me his room number. Truthfully speaking… I was nervous. And not just the kinds of nervous where you twirl your hair with a free finger or you bite your nails, but the other kind. The kind where your stomach is knotted and each pull would draw one closer and closer to vomiting.
The elevator doors opened for me, I sprinting out. The loud echo of my shoes against the smooth linoleum was all I could hear. Doctors and nurses walked past—everyone was dressed in white, so I definitely blended in. My shoes ceased further noise when I turned to see my destination right before me; Room 013. My mind readied itself for a reunion as I stepped into the room; we'd apologize, we'd laugh, we'd cry, we'd hug, we'd go home, and we'd live happily ever after, The End. However, as the white of the room poured into my eyes, I saw that there was no one in the bed, or in the room. Only a messy bed sheet lay there. It looked as if someone had just stepped out, too…
Behind me, I heard a door swing open suddenly, muffled words and the sound of quickly rolling wheels pouring down the empty halls. I had decided to walk closer to the sound, my heart pulling me towards the door. It felt almost as if…as if my heart really wanted me to see what was going on outside.
My feet led me out of the room, a group of doctors and nurses blurring my vision as they darted right past me. I glanced down the empty hall, catching sight of a swinging IV bag, a group of hospital staff, and-- a sudden color burst of blonde.
"Sor—" I stopped myself, remembering that that name did not belong to him. But that exact shade of yellow … did.
I raced forward, my fingers clenched tightly into fists. They swung back and forth like racing pendulums, punching the air aimlessly. I was gaining on the rolling cot where he lay, when suddenly, the doctors swung him and his bed around a corner, they disappearing past a white wall. I pushed myself to that same spot, it feeling hard to run in the shoes that I had.
I, too, turned the corner, but I was stopped when I came face to face with a nurse.
I tilted my head to the side to get a better view of where the doctors had gone, but all I saw was a pair of emotionless swinging panel doors, a bright sign above it that read ' Emergency ' in large white capital letters. I couldn't help but gulp.
"May I help you? "
My attention was returned to the nurse, my eyes meeting hers as I came back to a normal standing position.
Her eyes were glass pearls of deep fern green, a polite and feminine face to match. Long russet bangs framed her face, soft curls unfurling over her shoulder. A large, redish-pinkish bow held her hair up, and on the right of her white uniform was a square name tag that read 'Aerith'.
I let a meek smile hold my lips up for me, not bothering to lie.
"Er… yes, actually. If it's alright that I ask, a blonde boy just went into through that room, correct? "
Aerith nodded her head, her facial expression not quite as happy as it looked before.
Regardless, I proceeded to finishing my questioning.
"… Why was he rushed in so quickly?"
I watched as the young woman's face changed from a blank expression to a worried look. I wasn't exactly sure what to think… until she spoke.
"Well, due to the odd weather with all the rain lately, we've received a lot of patients with his case. But his… is by far the worst. We believe that it might be because he could've been standing in the rain for quite a while… but why would he do such a silly thing? "
She turned her head, looking back at the doors for a moment, lost in thought. And all I could do was do the same, until she pulled me back with her words.
"His friends brought him in about a week or so ago, and he was advised to stay several nights here. His condition was rather sturdy for the most of it, and he was supposed to be let go of today, but suddenly, his vital signs dropped out of nowhere. We're really quite worried about him."
My heart had practically stopped beating right at that very moment. From what Aerith had told me, it was obvious that he hadn't forgotten me at all, or even once tried to. Through the days that's I'd been locked inside my room, thinking that he was trying to forget me, he was actually out there, not wanting to drop my existence.
My vision began to blur once more as my dry eyes soon dipped themselves in wet sadness, a small trickle of it sliding down my cheek.
Without another word, I proceeded around the corner, down the hall, and back into Room 013, with nobody to aid me along the way.
I let my feet carry me over to the unmade bed, sorrow sitting heavy on my shoulders.
What was I to do now? Wait for him like he waited for me?
But… what if he never came back?
A saddened sigh slipped from me as I looked around the room, searching for anything to take my mind off of him. But what my eyes landed on was anything but non-nostalgic.
On a small bedside table that sat quietly by itself lied a lengthy, familiar white cloth. My fingers crawled beneath it as I lifted it upwards, bringing it closer into my sight.
It was my white bandana.
With the cloth laid across my palms, I let my face fall into it, my tears staining the bandana.
… It still smelt like the ocean.