Disclaimer: Disclaims all characters and references to outside materials. The establishments mentioned in this writing will always remain anonymous.
In the future there will be more interactions with Riku, Kairi, and Sora. The story is told mostly through Sora's eyes and will focus more on key events and characters (such as his work interactions).
The day was hot, the afternoon sun burned mercilessly on the pavement. The heat rising off the pavement made it appear to be writhing in the furthest corners of his vision. Sora sat in the open window of his new apartment hoping to catch some relief in the shade of the sun. He had only been in this town for two days and already it had worn him down.
"This heat is unbearable! Why do people willing live here?" Though he himself, knew the answer. The cold dreary winters of the north were hard to face alone. He couldn't be next to a fireplace for comfort without being flooded with memories he'd rather forget. He couldn't find joy in any of the winter festivities since their break up. It's funny how a broken heart can rob you of all rationality.
He swore silently to himself as he got up and prepared to descend the three flights of stairs to reach his car. He still had a lot of unpacking to do. As much as he wished it to be, it wasn't going to unpack itself. He shuffled downstairs dreading to leave the cover of shade the building provided to his car. As he fished around for something light enough to carry alone he heard a car door slam shut. He hadn't even noticed it pull up before then.
"Sora!" a young lady shouted before bounding over to him. Her short auburn hair flying back from her face and her bright eyes radiating the warmth of her smile as she ran to him. There was a faint glow around her, a pale yellow. Happiness. She hadn't lost much momentum when she collided with him, pulling him into a tight embrace.
"Kairi" he smiled back and kissed her cheek, "It has been so long. You've grown a lot! I did not expect to see you so soon. My apartment isn't exactly ready for guests…" he let himself trail off, nodding his head to his still full car.
"Well I had not expected you to be already. It's only been three days. We came to help you unpack and get you settled in." She smiled bright and wide as she turned to face her car and waved her hand in beckon.
I couldn't help but be interested, Kairi had never dated before. "When did you get yourself a boyfriend? Oh my innocent and sweet Kairi!" I teased as I drew her in again. My eyes were watching her car as a figure stepped out of the passenger side, shutting the door behind him. He shot me a confused look as he approached us. I gave him an once-over, noting his shoulder length silver hair, average height, toned but still medium in frame, and his striking blue eyes. He was handsome, I'd give him that. His body language seemed to be exuding calm and collected, only his eyes seemed to betray him. I guess he didn't like that kiss I gave her.
"You must be Sora," he outstretched his hand to me and I took it, giving a firm shake.
"I am. " I tried not to show my annoyance. I didn't like when people made you fish for their name.
He smiled at me finally, eyes softening slightly. "I've heard a lot about you. Kairi talks about you all the time. My name is Riku. It's a pleasure to meet you."
His entire demeanor seemed to shift with his smile. It all seemed genuine suddenly. I shook my head at the thought. If Kairi trusted him with her heart, I would try to as well. I tried to seem happy but the weight of the heat seemed to be stripping me of my energy quickly. Sweat had begun to trickle down my face.
"If it is not too much trouble, would you mind helping me bring this stuff up? It's unbearably hot out here..." I took a mental note of the type of clothing they were both wearing. Light fabrics, breath-easy cottons, and shorts. Ah, how I hated shorts... Comparing about my choice in clothing, I suddenly understood why neither of them seemed bothered about the heat and I felt like I was dying.
Kairi looked to me with a concerned furrow in her brow. "You look flushed.. You should rest and get some water. It'd be a shame if you got heat stroke your first week back."
I shook my head softly. "I would be a terrible host if I were to leave all the work to you two and rest upstairs. If we can get this done quickly enough, there will be plenty of time to rest at dinner. You both can be my date." I waggled my eyebrows at her, and she laughed rich and sweet.
"You can be such an idiot at times," her voice still carried the music of her laughter, "I really missed that. Welcome back, Sora." She hugged me again, and this time when Riku looked to me, I saw nothing but warmth from him.
Between the three of us, we emptied the car completely in less than an hour. Kairi and Riku tended to the kitchen, talking and giggling to themselves while they worked. I managed to set up my bathroom and bedroom. Might have taken a little longer if I actually had furniture.. I laughed quietly realizing how barren my apartment is. Yeah, I definitely needed to furnish.
It was nearing six pm and I was getting hungry. My stomach churned and growled. If there's one thing I didn't like about myself, it is my talkative stomach. Little bastard always had something to say. "Kairi, Riku!" I called to them, waiting politely in my room. I was trying to like him. That would prove difficult if I catch him sucking her face off.
"Yes?" they answered unanimously.
I poked my head out of the room and spoke softly, "I'm going to take a quick shower then we're going to dinner, ok?"
Kairi beamed at me, "Yes, of course!"
Kairi had a contagious smile. Even in the depths of my sorrow I couldn't help but smile back to her. She was someone it was hard to stay mad at. Unfortunately, she knew this well.
I stepped into the bathroom and ran the water. After waiting a minute I tested it with my hand which I pulled away immediately. It was cold. I vaguely remembered the complex manager mentioning it was gas utilities. I had another memory of the conversation with the electric company. The gas wouldn't be on till Monday and it was only Friday. I sighed and heaved off my sweat drenched shirt. I quickly shrugged out of my pants and boxers hesitating before stepping into the shower. I need to get this over with… Needless to say, it was going to be a long weekend.
After dinner we headed back to my place. Some of the tension had eased over the meal. Riku suddenly seemed ok to me. He was a little quiet which was something I hadn't expected. The few times he spoke he always seemed genuinely interested in the response. He seemed like a good enough kid. We sat on the floor and told stories, well memories for me and Kairi.
"I remember when I first met her," I chuckled, "she was so quiet! I thought to myself 'she seems like a nice girl'! Its my best example at being a terrible judge of character."
Kairi simply laughed and pinched my arm. "You were always protecting me Sora. I remember all those fights you'd get into because someone was bullying me." She looked me in the eye and my heart melted from the warmth of it. "I probably wouldn't have made it through public school if not for you. "
I gave her a goofy grin before flexing. "I'm not saying I'm the best Kairi, but I might be!" She pinched me in the side this time and I squealed. "My lady, you're too rough for your knight!"
"Oh shut it you dork!" she ruffled my spikey hair, cinnamon locks shook violently.
"Hey, hey, hey, watch the bed head! You're ruining my boyish charm." I tried to flatten my stray locks and they just sprang back up. My hair was weird like that.
"To say that would imply you ever had any." Kairi giggled. "So Sora, what are you going to be doing for work here?"
It felt good to goof off with her. I had missed this much. Riku was giving me a questioning look. He glowed softly a deep blue, tinged with brown. It looked like murky water, Confusion. I thought. "Did you have a question for me?" He couldn't hide his curiosity if he wanted to from me.
Riku eyed me over, then glanced to Kairi. She seemed to understand and nodded to him. "Kai said you were like a medium or something… That's not true right?" He was overshadowed by black, the blue was on edge and fading. Less curious more doubtful.
I looked at him and smiled. "I'm not exactly empathic but I can see emotions. They shine like colors softly around someone. I like to imagine this is what an aura looks like but I have learned my limits. I could only see their emotion. I can see the darkness overshadowing your curiosity. You don't really believe it. I can't really do much more than that. Its not exactly a party trick." I tried to sound humored.
Riku just looked at me, his face a blank mask. He seemed to be mulling it over. The darkness around him faded into soft glowing white. Trust. He gathered himself before he spoke again. "Kai said you worked two jobs up north, we weren't sure what your conditions were going to be here. Are you going to need financial assistance?"
Suddenly I liked him even more. Hadn't even gotten to know me yet and was already concerned for my well being. He doesn't have to like me but being that devoted to Kairi makes me respect him. I nodded before answering him. "Yeah I worked two jobs. I worked in an electronic store and I worked part time in a body shop. I didn't do any of the painting there. Kairi can attest to my lack of skill with color works."
"Don't be modest, you're a great artist." She said calmly.
"Doesn't change that fact that I color like a blind five year old," I mused. "I did concept work for them. Customers told me what they wanted, I created it. Smaller check that way but it was a good amount of extra income for little work." I sighed, I was going to miss doing commissions like that. "As for what I will be doing here, I have an interview tomorrow for the local branch of the company I worked for. I'm really excited about it actually. Its not that the pay is great but the last store I bonded well with everyone. They were more like my family than I have known before. I hope this new place is just as nice, though that is unrealistic."
They seemed to understand. Riku looked kinda spaced out, I could only assume Kairi had told him the reason I moved away to begin with, eight years ago. I hugged Kairi again, and looked to Riku, I nodded my head to notion for him to join us. We were going to become good friends, I just knew it.
The next morning I woke late and dressed quickly, leaving for work .It was the day of my interview, I really didn't want to be late. I walked up to the building in front of me. There were a lot of cars in the lot though it was still a few hours before opening. I straightened my slacks and shirt, trying to remain looking professional. I looked to see one door with the shutter pulled down and in the open door was a man in uniform. I approached him cautiously, suddenly nervous. "Good morning sir," I chirped. My throat felt so dry, why was I so nervous?
The man grumbled a 'good morning' in response. I took it as he's not a morning person... He had a faint glow about him but it a soft red. He must really hate the morning I thought.
"I was told to meet with a Mr. Sephiroth Torran, is he ready for me?" The last part of the statement seemed to catch his attention and he smirked.
"You must be the new transfer. What's with that outfit? Its just a meeting. You should have come in uniform. Come on in."
A meeting..? I wondered. As I stepped inside I suddenly understood. They were having a store meeting. All eyes were on me as I entered. They burned holes into my flesh with their stares. I wondered what would have happened if I had just shown up naked. Couldn't be worse than the looks I got now. I sighed and slunk to the back of the crowd, looking down and counting backwards from a hundred to ease my nervousness.
A deep voice penetrated the thick silence, "Mr. Chevarria, would you be so kind as to join us up front please?"
I about shit myself when I heard that. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, nodding in response. I had to fight not to drag my feet to the front. The voice belonged to a tall man with silver hair that fell like a curtain to his back. His icy blue eyes pierced my mind. This was a man I did not want to see angry. "Sir, what may I do for you?" My tone was soft.
He looked me over and gave the faintest hint of a smile. If you blinked you would have never seen it. "If you were going to show up in business attire you should have fixed your hair first."
Ah, so this is how its going to be. I thought to myself. "I will keep that in mind sir. I just thought it a shame to waste a perfectly good bed head." I ran a hand through my hair, spiking it up further and giving a coy smile. I was either going to get sent away or told to sit down but I wouldn't be a mindless victim to his teasing.
A small snicker was heard behind me and I stayed grinning. He had a reddish orange glow, it was a one of power. He seemed ease a bit, giving an amused grin and spoke in what I assume is his 'cut-the-shit' tone. "Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself to us? Strengths and weaknesses."
I turned to face my peers, and smiled brightly. "Good morning to you all. My name is Sora Chevarria. My best strengths would be related to graphics works. I am skilled in the areas of cameras, design, and computers to an extent. I know enough for the field I enjoy, so I will need some reinforcement in other areas. I am a quick learner and I will go where help is needed."
"Hobbies, favorite cereal and movie then go sit with the others." Sephiroth said dryly. I gave him a questioning glance, but he waved if off. Guess he was serious.
"Uh, I like to draw and I enjoy karaoke. Cap'n Crunch, I don't really like movies though..." That last part was kind of a lie. I actually did like movies but picking a favorite is a lot of commitment. I mean, that can change anytime! I walked to the back of the crowd and leaned against a display. I just wanted this to be over already.
I was deep into daydreaming when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I followed the arm to the one it belonged to, a young kid with spikey blond hair, and cerulean eyes that glittered when he spoke. Whoa... this kid is cute. His 'aura' was that of a pale yellow, it made his hair look like it was made of shimmering gold. Optimism?
"Nice to meet you Sora, I'm Roxas." His voice was hushed as to not draw any attention to us. "I work over in the computer section. With any luck they will group you with us!" It was hard not to get excited about this. Someone already wanted to be my friend. "Do you really like to sing?"
That I blushed at, I hadn't expected that to come up. "Y-yeah, I do…"
"That's great! I'd like for you to meet me outside of work sometime. I'm in a band and we would absolutely love to have someone at the mic!"
My face was suddenly hot, I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. "You probably won't like my voice…."
"If its anything like your speaking voice I'm dying to hear it." He gave my shoulder a light squeeze and winked at me. I looked down in embarrassment. I felt his hand lift from my shoulder and rest on my chin instead. He pushed it up gently and looked me over. "You shouldn't be so shy about things like that. Don't hide your face either, you look adorable with your cheeks flushed." He laughed quietly and released my chin.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
When the meeting finally was over I went to talk to Sephiroth. He gave me a schedule and introduced me to the management team. Sephiroth was the general manager, a young lady with a long brown braid of hair and the softest smile I'd ever seen ran customer service. Her name was Aerith. Aerith had one of the most beautiful colors surrounding her. It was one I saw rarely, a bright emerald green. She was a woman with a lot of love in her heart. It was a rare and awe inspiring sight.
A tough looking blond with a foul mouth named Cid ran the warehouse, he was surrounded by a dirty grey. Why was he so guarded? I made a mental note to interact with him more. This man needed help. He didn't seem like a bad person, he just had too many defenses up.
Though I didn't interact with those two much as I'd have liked to, I could still tell I would like them. My award winning judge of character kicking in. Heh.
When I exited the building I was stopped by the call of my name. I looked to see Roxas waiting by the door for me. He had so much energy. We talked for a bit then exchanged numbers. While I made no promise of filling the role of a singer in a band, I still welcomed the idea of another friend. A few of my new coworkers introduced themselves to me and by the time I reached my car I felt good. This might be ok afterall.
Closing A/N: Slow intro is slow, it picks up I promise.
