*London's Burning*
A young woman stood on the outskirts of London, her short blue hair ruffled slightly in the breeze that flew past her face. Her scratchy lawn shirt and trousers were filthy and she couldn't wait to wash them and patch up the holes at the knee that had slowly become bigger. Her boots were caked in mud that needed to be wiped off. She was returning home after her Land Girl duties to visit family and friends before going back to the farm where she stayed.
But she could not enter London.
The city was alight with flames, they licked up the sides of buildings performing a deadly dance, the air was still and the only sound was the loud, obnoxious bangs of dropping bombs.
"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; We shall never surrender" The woman's name was Aqua, she stood looking towards the city glowing with a radiant light.
In any other situation she would call it beautiful.
But it wasn't and it never would be.
"Our finest hour" She sighed. Their Prime Minister had such faith in them.
Aqua felt a tear slide down her cheek as London burned. Her family, her friends, were they safe? Did they get to a shelter? Did they need help? Were they...dead? Alive? Wounded? Dying?
She heard the hum of a plane engine above her as the RAF fighter pilots flew over her head towards the Germans, the Nazis, what could be their death.
It was normal to hear and think these things.
This was life now, only a daily occurence, but what upset Aqua the most was that this had happened so often now that she couldn't even pretend to be even a little bit surprised to hear the bang of bombs or the smell of gunpowder and ash, or to see the sights of the dead.
. . . .
A small redheaded woman was huddled against a wall on a platform of the Underground waiting for the surface to be safe again; for the bombs to stop dropping. She had a small blanket with her that she had wrapped around her little sister to keep the autumn chill off. The two sisters had been out shopping for a gift with what little money and ration coupons they had for their mother when the air raid siren blasted it's warning.
Kairi was holding on tightly to Namine's hand afraid to let go. The young girl had let go of her mother's hand once, they never found their mother again and she never came back home. It was assumed that she had died.
Kairi looked towards the 10-year-old gripping her hand "How you holdin' up Nam?" she asked.
"I'm fine" the blonde girl replied, "What about you? Sora and Riku are part of the RAF are they not?"
"They are" Kairi agreed slowly let the words fall of her tounge, "But I'm sure they'll be fine! They're my friends after all, I trust them to be safe."
"This has nothing to do with trust, Kairi" Namine reasoned in a tone far to serious for her young age, "Anything could happen at any time no matter what measures anyone does to keep themselves safe, you know that, you must..."
Kairi tried to ignore Namine's age as the wise words left her mouth. The child was more wise than any 10-year-old should be, that was what war had done to her. Namine had to grow up quickly and take in vast amounts of information in order to remain calm and know how to survive on her own during a raid.
Failure to remember the rules could result in death.
The redheaded woman could almost see in her mind's eye what was happening, it had happened for many nights already. When the bombs stopped they would leave the safety of the Underground platform and Station to go up to the surface again to take in the sights and damage of the explosives and fires, to see who was alive and who was not, to see if their home was still standing.
Kairi nodded and pulled her coat closer to her small frame trying to protect herself from the worry that she really felt for her friends.
Namine sighed and went back to playing with her cuddly toy and singing nursery rhymes.
"London's Burning, London's burning, Fetch the engines, Fetch the engines."
A chill went up Kairi's spine at the words.
"Fire Fire, Fire Fire, Pour on water, Pour on water."
. . . .
The Fighter Pilot cursed as another bomb fell onto London. He could almost see the house be reduced to nothing, someone's memories turned to dust and bricks. He was tired, grumpy and hungry but he'd be damned before he let the enemy destroy the whole of London!
"Sora!" Riku shouted into his radio, "Bomber plane at 12 O'clock!"
The brunette nodded and swerved his Spitfire out of the way, letting a string of bullets shoot the bloody Dornier 17 down.
"Bloody gits" Sora muttered under his breath, "Who do they think they are bombing London every night for weeks on end?"
"We're the only ones left fighting them" Riku reasoned with the 19-year-old, "France surrendered remember? We're the only ones standing between them and victory."
"Well America could be more useful" Ven's voice floated through Sora's radio.
"They're neutral" Riku shrugged, he flew past Ven's plane and shot at a plane coming closer to St Paul's cathedral.
"They aren't really" Terra told them, "I mean they give us weapons."
"You're complaining?" Sora asked as he shot down another plane. His supply of bullets was slowly dwindling but he didn't care at the moment as it wasn't dangerously low.
"No" Was Terra's simple reply.
Riku tensed as he heard the sound of a bomb exploding on the ground.
"Where do you think it hit?" Ven's solemn voice asked.
But only bangs filled the 'silence' that followed.
. . . .
Kairi gasped as the underground shook slightly covering Namine's head with her arms and own head 'That was right on top of us.' The redhead thought as she brushed dust and ash from her shirt and skirt.
Namine had finished her song awhile ago much to Kairi's pleasure; the lyrics unnerved her in the current situation.
"Why is Roxas crying?" Namine asked pointing towards the darkness of the makeshift shelter.
Kairi looked up, Roxas was Sora's little brother he was the same age as Namine. Her blue eyes followed where her younger sister was pointing and indeed there was a small blonde boy crying.
Knowing that Roxas's brothers would do the same if it were Namine Kairi rushed towards the 10-year-old boy and hugged him tightly. Roxas wrapped his arms around her shoulders crying softly.
"What's wrong Roxas? Tell me."
"Mum, Vanitus."
Kairi felt her pulse quicken and her blood freeze "What about your mother? What happened to your brother?" she asked pulling him closer.
"We were at the shop buying some egg powder when the alarm went off...she was leading me here and we saw Vanitus."
'He saw Van?' Kairi thought, 'That isn't a bad thing he's his 2nd oldest brother.'
"Why's that bad?" Namine asked softly, innocently, holding out her stuffed rabbit for Roxas to take.
"He wasn't moving..." The boy explained, "And the bombs were falling down and mum went over to Van and then she started crying and I told her to move but she didn't and-and-and." Roxas started to cry harder.
An old woman was passing she stopped when she saw Roxas sobbing his heart out. Without hesitation or regret she handed Kairi a handkerchief and a small square of chocolate.
Kairi marveled at the cloth which must have been hard to get and the small brown square. She hadn't seen chocolate since the start of the war. It was very hard to come by and if you did find it, it would cost you an arm and a leg, the square must had set the old woman back a few coupons. Kairi couldn't thank her enough.
"Think nothing of it" the woman smiled before walking away.
Another child walked up to Namine handing her a blanket "For him" he nodded his brown haired head towards Roxas, "My mum wants him to have it."
After he had whipped his cheeks dry and he had sorted himself out Roxas finished his story "Boom, burned, dead" was all he said.
Kairi was confused "Boom?" she asked.
Namine looked at her older sister "Bomb."
"Burned?"
"Bomb exploded, burned alive."
"Dead" Kairi whispered.
"Dead" Namine repeated.
Roxas looked at the two sisters "Ven and Sora are up there fighting" he said.
"They'll come back" Kairi reassured him without missing a beat, "Don't worry, they'll come back."
. . . .
Ventus grit his teeth together as he narrowly avoided a Luftwaffe plane. It was close, too close. He cringed as another bomb exploded on the ground, followed by several other loud bangs. At each sound he couldn't help but feel guilty, that it was his fault that the bombs were allowed to even touch the ground.
"You alright there Ven?" Sora asked as he shot down a Messerschmitt 109.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good! Have you seen Vanitus's plane?" Sora asked as he looked around the sky.
"No I haven't..."
"Maybe he stayed with Roxas" Terra told them, "Or stayed to fire anti-aircraft guns."
"Not with the raid this bad!" Ventus argued, he dodge rolled his plane away from another Messerschmitt 109 before it could shot him down.
"These people are wankers!" Sora shouted, "Buggers! Tossers!"
"Sora do be quiet and concentrate" Riku told him, "We don't want you being hit now do we?"
"Sod off Riku" Sora mumbled, "If I want to shout insults at the Jerrys I will!"
"Do you want to cock up and die?" Terra asked flying away from the Messerschmitt 109 Ven had just dodged, "Bollocks! Ven, shot this twat down will you?"
"With pleasure."
. . . .
Aqua had turned back towards the farm she worked at to find the other Land Girl who stayed at the farm was sitting at the table shaking her leg, unable to sit still.
"Aqua?" the woman asked, "I thought you went home?"
"I was ment to Xion but the bombs..."
Xion seemed to understand "We can go back tomorrow if you want" she said, "So you can find out about what happened to the people you know."
Aqua nodded "I'd like that."
Xion smiled "You should get some sleep."
"I would" Aqua told her quietly, "But even if I wanted to I couldn't. I just feel so...restless, like I can't do anything!"
"You can do something" the small woman told her.
"What?" Aqua asked almost begging to be useful.
"Pray for them. It may not seem that you're doing anything but it's something, right? Now try to get some sleep."
Aqua tried not to look disappointed with Xion's answer as she walked into her room.
The face's of Terra and Ven in her head.
. . . .
Sora had no bullets left. He had used every single one. And there was a plane after him.
"Ven!" he shouted as his wing was hit causing smoke to pour out of it.
"Sora!" Ventus shouted to his brother but it was too late.
Sora's Spitfire plane fell to the ground on fire.
There was nothing anyone could do.
. . . .
After the all clear had sounded Kairi held tightly onto Roxas and Namine and walked up to the surface. There were mumbles of 'Good luck' or 'God's speed' as people said goodbye and wished each other well.
Kairi ran towards the air base. She jumped over bricks and changed corse every time she met a fire. In no time she reached the place where her friends worked and waited outside the gate for them to leave.
Riku came out first he saw her and ran forward wrapping her up in a hug "I'm sorry!"
"Riku?" she asked pushing him to an arm's length away, "What's wrong?"
Riku just shook his head before he slumped on the floor.
Ventus and Terra appeared next walking slowly as if processing something, Ven looked up when he heard someone running "Roxas!" Ven shouted as the small blonde hugged his leg tightly. He leaned down and pried the small fingers away, "Are you alright?"
"Namine saw him in the Underground alone, Ven" Kairi called, "He was crying...Vanitus and your mother...Roxas saw them...pass away."
"They're gone?" Ventus asked slowly.
"Yes but I ran by your house on the way here and there was no letter outside" She told him, "That means your dad is okay!"
Ven couldn't find it in himself to smile.
"Where's Sora?" Kairi asked standing on her toes to look over Ven's shoulder when no brunette walked through the gate.
Ventus looked at her sadly and handed her a small yellow envelope; a telegram.
Every woman's worst nightmare.
And it had her name on it.
Kairi's eyes landed on it and she fell to her knees a shaking hand covering her mouth. She was a widow...at only 19.
The oldest of Roxas's brothers smiled sadly "It's just you and me little buddy" he said to Roxas who looked at the yellow letter in Kairi's shaking hand.
The raids would may stop soon but Sora wasn't coming home.
In the distance behind them London was still burning.
So this is a little one-shot on two of my favourite topics in history WW2 and the Blitz. The pairing is mainly SoKai which isn't really mentioned untill the end, it's more about family than anything.
The slang used is just 'Idiot' in many different ways but a 'Jerry' was the British slang for 'German Solider' and 'Cock up' means to mess something up. I tried to make it as historically accurate as I could.
I don't own the characters. Please review.