Song recommendation for this story: A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay
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Sora was bored.
The six year old brunette kid moodily kicked the pebbles at his feet and picked one up, playing with it in his tiny hands. He studied the textile closely and the way it felt against his skin even though it looked as if shards of sharp glass were encased inside. He clicked his tongue and dropped the pebble at his feet again - suddenly remembering why he was moodily pacing around his garden on such a cold day.
"Sora!" Someone called from the kitchen window. Sora turned his stalk-like neck so fast, it looked as if it was in danger of snapping. His tall brown-haired mother looked sternly at him and prepared to start telling him off. She caught sight of the lack of flare in his eyes and sighed. She disappeared for a few seconds and opened the garden door and made her way over the dewy grass to him.
"What's the matter - honey?" She bent down and ruffled his unruly hair. He stubbornly crossed him arms and pouted cutely, turning his head away until she gently placed a finger under his chin and made him look at her in the eyes.
He sighed and stared down at his sandals. "Kairi's daddy left to go somewhere a few days ago, and now she won't come out and played with me." His voice turned high and wobbly. Jenny Hikari sighed and took the boy into her arms and gave him a bear hug. At first he protested and wriggled fiercely, but then he seemed to have calmed down and she placed him back on the grass.
Jenny bent down on one knee and placed her hands on Sora's bony shoulders. "Kairi just doesn't feel like playing too much now," she smiled. "And when she does, how about I take you kids out to get ice cream? Now how does that sound, honey?"
At the idea - Sora's face split into a huge grin. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and giggled excitedly.
"It sounds great!"
"Well, that's good," Jenny smiled. "But until then - let Kairi have her space. She'll take to you when she's ready," she winked. "Promise."
Sora about this for a few seconds and slowly nodded, his hair bouncing along with him. He followed his mother inside the yellow house and went immediately up to his room. The walls were painted a dark shade of blue and stacked against the far wall - was a huge sheld that contained nothing but games and action figures which was pretty lucky for a six year old boy - although, he wouldn't learn that fact until he was older.
He sat down on his bed and got out his colouring book and began to scribble away with his rainbow crayons. He opted on colouring a paopu fruit and even took extra care in keeping the colourings within the dark lines.
"Me and Kairi are gonna share a paopu fruit one day!" Announced Sora to the grey bunny that was sat on the pillow behind him. "Then we're gonna get married and have a HUGE family with thirty children and a whole zoo of pets!" He finished colouring and studied the picture like an art critic would. When he was satisfied, he tacked the picture above his bed and went downstairs.
Jenny was busy in the kitchen making dinner. She grinned when Sora enetered the room and started to complain that his stomach was making noises. She picked him up and placed him on the side of the mahogany dining table, where he swung his legs happily.
"Dinner won't be ready for a while, I'm afraid," she leaned against the counter and thought for a few seconds. She dug her hand into her apron and brought out a few golden coins and handed them to Sora.
"Why don't you go to the shop down the road and get yourself some candy?" She winked. "But don't tell daddy and especially don't tell your brother! You know how jealous he gets of you."
"Roxas smells," Sora muttered and manged to slide down from the table. He hugged his mother goodbye and marched confidently out of the front door. "Bye mummy!"
"Goodbye." He heard her chuckle from the inside.
Sora placed the munny in the pocket of his red shorts and began walking down the road in the direction of the shop. The weather was still cloudy and it even looked as if it might start raining soon. Sora wished he'd brought a coat along.
He passed a light blue house and began to slow down. He supposed that Kairi would be up in her room - but should he risk it and try and see her? He sighed and remembered his mother's advice. For some reason, Kairi was very upset right now and didn't want to play with him. She needed some time.
He hurried on once again and began filling his mind with daydreams of he, Kairi and his other best friend, Riku down at the beach where they always hung out - even sometimes borrowing Riku's dad's boat and sailing out to the little island where their 'secret hideout' was located. He wondered whether Kairi had seen the picture he'd drawn on the rock yet?
"Are you okay, little one?" Said a voice.
Sora glanced up and his eyes met those that belonged to a beautiful blonde haired woman with blue eyes. She cocked her head and set her shopping bags down on the pavement. He immediately recognised her as Namine's mother - another one of his friends. Sora's mother had always warned him about not talking to strangers - but Namine's mum wasn't exactly a stranger, so he supposed it was alright.
"I'm good, thankyou," he replied politely. "My mum gave me some munny, so I'm going to the candy shop." He pointed up the road and Namine's mother gave him a small smile.
"That's good, I thought you were running away from home or something!" She also had a beautiful laugh to match her looks. She picked up her shopping bags again. "I better get back home before it starts raining," she said. "See you soon, Sora!"
He began on his way again and reached the tiny shop not long after. He entered it and the doorbell made a small jangling noise as he stepped inside.
The walls were lined with every candy that he could ever think of! Gumballs and pear drops and jelly tots - the list went on and on and soon he had trouble picking out what he wanted from the rainbow coloured jars and pots, crammed full of goodies. Pretty soon it was a pretty close race between a big bag of skittles or lots of little bags of jelly tots. His eyebrows furrowed at the choice.
"What are you concentrating on, young man?" And elderly man with huge glasses peered behind the counter the studied the boy. Sora was brought out of his thoughts and he stared at the man for a few seconds. He shrugged and pointed to the jars.
"I can't choose." He said simply.
"Oh, then if that's the case." The old man got off from his stool behind the counter and hobbled over to where Sora stood. He rubbed his moustache thoughtfully and looked at the munny in Sora's small hands.
"The thing is mister," Sora sighed. "I want these skittles and these jelly tots."
"Well you definetly don't have enough for both," the shopkeeper scratched his head. He held up the bag of skittles and picked up a chocolate bar from one of the highest shelves. He gently took Sora's munny and pressed the goodies into his hands. Sora's eyebrows raised at the name of the chocolate bar; Sora's Rainbow.
"But - how did you know?" Sora gasped.
"I know a lot about you, young man," the man chuckled and returned to his seat behind the counter and sorted the munny away into the till. "I'm Yuna's grandfather you see." He said by was of explaination.
"Ohhh." Sora giggled. He waved goodbye to the nice old man and began the short way home. By now, the clouds had become darker and thickened. Sora felt a few stray drops of moisture fall onto his bare arms and legs. He stared upwards and decided that it would be a smart idea to run home before his mother started worrying about him.
He jogged down the streets as the rain started to pelt down hard. His wet flip flops pounded the ground hard and he almost slipped up a couple of times into muddy puddles. He rounded the corner to his streets and slowed down by Kairi's house again. Her bedroom window around the side of the house was on and there was a familiar red head staring through the glass into the rain. Sora jumped and began to wave his arms - Kairi didn't seem to see and retreated back behind her liliac curtains again. Sora sighed - the expression on her face looked so sad. He resolved to try to think of ways to cheer her up.
As he began jogging again - there was a weird smell in the air that reminded him horribly of a bonfire mixed with wet dog. He slowed to a walk about 3 blocks and a turn away from his house and began to shake his hair so it wouldn't stick flat to his face anymore.
Rounding the last corner, Sora stopped and stared.
And stared.
His beautiful house.. His beautiful yellow little house was engulfed in crimson flames. They ripped harshly throughout the rooftop and the bottom floor. The wind began to blow and the tones of red and orange looked as if they mixed into a face. The 'face' smirked at Sora and tore through the rest of the building.
"H.." Sora began... He stared around the silent road and the mist and rain. No one else seemed to be around - no one to be there and save his house.
"He.. H." He tried again. Head turning frantically from the left to the right. What should he do? What should he do? His house was on fire! His bedroom - his teddy bears - his games - his colouring of the paopu fruit for Kairi...
"HELP!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He darted around the quiet road and continued to scream and wail - tears were falling down his face, although no one would be able to tell through the heavy rain.
"MUMMY!" He sobbed and his skinny knees hit the road and sent a shockwave of pain through his body. He looked up at what he used to call his beautiful castle - currently being reduced to ash and soot before his very eyes.
His family... His entire family. Did they get out alive? Did they make it out okay? Where was his mother, father and Roxas? Questions whirled around and around his head, but he had no energry to answer them... The sobbing and the immense pain was taking up all of his concentration.
There was no sound, except for the rain beating down, the flames ripping through his house and his aching heart.
Why hadn't his family come to find him yet? Where were the fire department? Hadn't anyone called them?
He wiped his runny nose and began to scream once again and cry for help. The candy fell out of his pocket - but Sora didn't notice and he trod over them in order to go and find some help - find someone who knew where his family had went.
He disappeared into the mist and rain and left the triumphant flames to finish their deadly work.
He said I'm going to buy this place and see it go
Stand here beside my baby watch the orange glow
Some'll laugh and some just sit and cry
But you just sit down there and you wonder why
So I'm going to buy a gun and start a war
If you can tell me something worth fighting for
And I'm going to buy this place, that's what I said
Blame it upon a rush of blood to the head.
Note:
This is an entirely true story.
A family friend of my boyfriend's family, went to the candy shop when he was a kid and came home to find his house in flames and his entire family dead. Now I'm sure all of you can imagine how horrible that would be to see everything disappear before your eyes. And when I heard of this story, I had to write about it and get it off my mind so that I wouldn't stop feeling so sad. Although what I feel is probably nothing compared to what he feels now. He's around 40 or 50 and lives alone - other than that I don't know too much about his life now, and will never ask more about his past.