A request from Shiranai Atsune. Thank you for the idea and I hope you enjoy.
Sora was daydreaming again.
He was stood atop a fantastical boat watching the imaginary waves gently lapping at the hull. It wasn't until the sink started to gargle that he returned to reality. Feeling angry at himself, Sora plunged his hand into the dirty dishwater and unclogged the drain to stop the pipes loud complaining. That was the third time today he had drifted off. He could tell that his companions noticed his mental absence. They didn't say anything, nor had they ever, but he could tell just by looking in their eyes that they were worried.
He wondered how long he was out of it. Riku and Kairi didn't move far from where they were before he zoned out. Kairi was still putting the rinsed silverware into the dishwasher and Riku was still wiping down the table. The two of them worked with small, mechanical movement. Both keeping silent, but casting glances at the friend.
"What? You three are doing the dishes?" Yuffie asked when she entered the kitchen. She glared at them with suspicious eyes, seemingly not believing they were voluntary doing chores. At least, not unless they had wanted something in return.
"It's the least we could do" Sora replied.
Yuffie's eyebrow raised, curiously watching the teens, waiting for the twist. But there was none, the three of them all believed in Sora's sentiment. They owed Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith a lot. If they hadn't offered their home to the young teens, they would be begging on the streets of Traverse Town.
"Oh don't give me that" Yuffie gushed, her suspicion immediately forgotten "What sane person would ignore a bunch of homeless teens?"
"Like I said it's the lea-"
"But since we are in the helping mood" she interrupted "Who wants to run an errand for me?"
Now it was Yuffie who had ulterior motives. Sora let out a chuckle. Yuffie antics never failed to brighten the home. And brightening up was certainly something this dreary home needed. Kairi and Riku remained silent, still absorbed with their work. At least Kairi flashed a small smile, but Riku kept his usual stoic appearance. Sora wondered if the boy had even heard the conversation.
The two of them had been like this since their hectic escape from Destiny Island. When mysterious creatures called heartless had overtaken the world they called home, the trio changed forever. They watched as the islands were completely shrouded in darkness. Sora and his friends only managed to save themselves by going through a door. That's right a door.
Apparently the door in their secret base, the one they thought only had a cave wall on the other side, held the power to transport people to other worlds. They didn't know that, of course, when the three were just trying to hide from the heartless. Before they knew it, bright light filled their secret place. Casting them off to a little town called Traverse Town.
Sora understood his friends' sadness. In the month that he'd live in Traverse Town, questions had plagued his mind. What happened to the islanders? Were they safe in the realm of darkness? Would they ever be able to get home? Were the islands destroyed forever? These questions played on a endless loop in his mind. The guilt was ever present, slowly chewing on his sanity. If they had only known about the door beforehand, they could have saved everyone.
"I'll do it" he offered.
Despite all guilt and pain, Sora had been strong for his friends. He made sure he was happy and energetic as he'd been on the islands. If he acted any different that would only give Kairi and Riku another thing to worry about. His zoning out was the only thing that broke the façade of mental wellness. Which is why he was trying to keep it under wraps. Besides, his friends had always helped him out in times of trouble. It was his turn to help them.
"Thanks buddy" Yuffie patted the boy on the back "Could you run over to post office and mail these bad boys". She flashed a couple of white envelopes.
Sora glanced out the window, seeing golden ray streak against a darkening sky "And that can't wait until tomorrow because?"
"Because I may have forgotten to do it myself until like two minutes ago and they may or may not need be mailed today" Yuffie explained.
"So you want me to do some midnight jogging because you procrastinated?" Sora asked.
Yuffie bopped him on the nose "It's the least you can do".
"Someone did a complete one eighty" Sora joked " But fine, I'll do it. But only because you asked so nicely".
"Yay!" She cheered then grabbed Sora into a tight embrace "I knew I could count on you".
"Yeah, yeah, I'm the best" Sora pried the girl off himself. He dried his hands off and took the envelopes.
"I'm going to bed" Riku suddenly announced "goodnight"
And with that he was gone. The remaining kitchen dwellers watched the silver-haired leave, expecting him to say more or at least give a proper good night. But that was Riku for you, stoic and quiet as ever. Even before the they lived here Riku had been like this. The excessive sleeping was new though. Every since they came to Traverse Town, Riku had been falling asleep after dinner and waking up at noon. Tonight had only been an exception because Sora had convinced Riku to do the dishes. He had hoped that Riku would stay up later if he was having fun with his friends. Sora nearly went after him to try to get Riku to do another activity.
Suddenly, Sora felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Kairi giving him a tired smile.
"Just let him go" she said.
"H-how'd you know what I was thinking?"
She giggled a bit "You're not that hard to read, Sora".
Sora stuck his tongue out at her "Are you a mind reader or something?"
She giggled again "No, anyone with a brain and two eyes can tell what you're thinking".
Sora felt his heart lift at her giggling. Even through all this, Kairi had keep her gentle nature. Though her eyes had gone weary and her step had lost it's hop, she was still the up beat Kairi that she'd always been. She fighting Sora reminded himself just like me and Riku are.
"Let Riku rest" Kairi repeated, returning to her serious composure "It's his way of coping with everything. Besides, you have some letters to deliver". She cast a knowing look at Yuffie, who winked in return.
"Yeah Sora, you lazy bone, shouldn't you be going?" Yuffie teased.
Sora rolled his eyes at the two girls. "I'm going" he reassured them. Seeing that he was no longer wanted, Sora threw on a coat and waved a quick goodbye to his two friends. He didn't leave, however, before stopping by Riku's door.
He knocked softly "I'm leaving...I'll see you tomorrow Riku".
"Yeah" A soft reply came from behind the door "Stay safe".
Sora nodded, forgetting that Riku couldn't see him, then trudged out the front door. The natural sunlight was slowly fading, but shopkeepers were turning on their neon signs and light posts started to flicker on, one by one. This was another indication that it was getting late and Sora needed to hurry up with his errand. Yet, despite this, he took a little detour to a back alley.
It wasn't on the way to the post office, but Sora couldn't help himself. Whenever he left the house, he always had to visit this spot. This alley is where he, Riku, and Kairi first woke up in this world. Just being here flooded Sora's mind with memories. The headache. The confusion. The incessant barking of a dog. Those were the first things Sora experienced in the new world.
Sora could still relive that night. Even though he was in a different world, he could still feel the weather-beaten dock below his feet. Sora could still see the main island across the way, shadowed by the night and heavy clouds in the sky. And before he knew it, Sora was no longer in the alley. He was at Destiny Islands. He was trying to save the boat he and his friends had made before a shriek caught his attention. Sora tried to see what was happening, but in the storm he could hardly see his own hands. Then a streak of lightning ripped out of the sky, illuminating a scene that would burn itself into Sora's memories forever.
The destruction of his home.
In the distance, Sora saw millions of black, bug-like creatures swarming the island. It was only for a second and then Sora's light source vanished with a roll of thunder. He could then only rely on the screams of his neighbors to piece together what was happening. Riku and Kairi had managed to escape the main island before the attack as well, but Sora couldn't even tell that they were there. Not even when Riku grabbed Sora's arm and dragged away from the pier didhe notice their presence.
He snapped back into reality in the middle of the trio running in a panic. They were headed to their secret base. According to Kairi, it was the only place to hide from the monsters. Not having any better ideas, Riku lead them to the cavern. They ran, or rather sloshed, through the muddy terrain. Every heartless they ran in to ignored them. All of them mindlessly headed towards the main island. Luck seemed to be on the trio's side. But as soon as feelings of hope arose in their hearts, they were stopped by a horde of heartless covering the path to their destination. These monster were different than the others. As soon as the group approached them, they all turned their heads to stare at teens with empty eyes. Kairi, or perhaps Sora himself, let out a terrified scream. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. The bugs seemed to sense their fear and gathered near them. The teens were petrified, unable to move from their spot and do nothing but wait for their demise.
Then something extraordinary happened. When all hope seemed lost, sparkles of blue light slewed around Riku's hand. In seconds a ginormous key appeared in the silver haired boy's hand. Without hesitation, Riku bashed his new found weapon into the black creatures, slicing their tiny buggy body into nothing but black mist. Maybe it was all the play sword fighting they did when they were young, maybe it was pure instinct but somehow Riku was able to masterfully kill all the heartless in a matter of minutes. Sora was full of many questions but had better sense then to ask them in that moment. When the heartless were all gone, they continued to dash towards their hide out.
Sora smacked his forehead. He had zoned out again! What was worse was it was his fault. He had come to the alley on his own free volition. But he had meet for it to be a small trip, not an entire flashback! Now the moon was out and the whole town was completely lit up. He quickly gathered his bearings and ran towards the post office. If he got home late everyone was going to freak out. Heck, they were probably already freaking out.
Mentally scolding himself, Sora ran through the dark alleys, completely oblivious to the set of golden eyes watching him go.