Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
Summary: Sora reflects about one of the most important people in his life. His mother. One-shot.
A/N: Early mothers-day gift for my mom.
What binds us together
Dedicated to my mom.
Thanks mom.
For everything.
From my earliest memories, my mother was the one of the only ones there. It was just the two of us to comfort and reassure each other.
My father had died when I was young, leaving my mother with the task of raising a son on her own.
I idolized her, looking up to her with sheer adulation. Of course as I got older I developed a severe case of independence. But it was then I realized just what held our small family together.
We weren't really given much respect. A single mother and her child were an oddity, and only a few were willing to help.
That is how I grew to be so dependent on her. She was everything in my life. Not only was she my caretaker, but she was my guardian, my provider and my comforter. She was both my mother and my father in a sense. She taught me everything she knew, from how to treat others with respect to how to cook Mac and cheese even when you've run out of milk.
I learned so much from her like how to get dressed by myself, how to tie my shoes, how to brush my teeth, and how to comb my hair. Which really was a lost cause, because let's all be honest my hair isn't exactly tamable.
But when I reached thirteen, I discovered that, there were some things even my mom didn't know.
It was the week of my junior high school graduation. My friends and I were looking forward to our futures in high-school. We were no longer kids! We were going to be soon-to-be-adults. So we were to dress like adults also. Our teacher told us the girls had to wear dresses and the boys had to wear suits with ties to the ceremony.
No problem, I thought.
" But it can't be a dork tie."
I blinked as I watched my best friend Riku lean against the school wall and cross his arms across his chest.
"What?"
"You know. A dork tie. One of those ties that just clip to your collar."
I watched him for a moment.
I can't wear those?
"Why not?"
He snorted softly and gave me a disbelieving look. When I started right back with confusion written all over my face, he sighed and stood up straight.
"Because Sora, adults don't wear clip on ties. It's like a law. It's just not done."
I frowned but nodded. Why argue with him? Riku was older. He had graduated junior high already, and was a freshmen in high school!
Like mom he knew everything.
I had never tied a real tie before, but I assumed my mother would know how to do it. After all, she knew everything.
After graduation rehearsal, I went to a local store and bought a grown up tie. It was red and had little blue and yellow stars on it, it stood out a lot, and that's how I liked it.
When my mom came home, I met her at the door with the tie in my hand and a look of expectation on my face.
"What do you have there?" She asked as I thrust the neck tie in front of her.
"I have to wear this for graduation, but I don't know how to tie it. Can you show me?" I never in the world doubted that she knew how and that after some instruction and her laughing about how little my fingers were, I'd know, too.
She held the tie in her hand an slowly her self-assured expression melted.
"I never realized you were growing up so fast," She said and I noticed her eyes start to water slightly. "You're not my baby anymore...You're a grown man."
That was nice and all, but I needed to learn how to tie the tie!
"Mom, I really need you to show me how to tie it." I insisted and looked at her with a pleading look.
She frowned slightly.
"Sora, Hun. I don't know how."
I blinked. Had I not heard her right?
"What?"
"I said I don't know how to tie it."
This wasn't possible.
"But-But! You know how do everything!"
For some reason her smile irritated me. "Well, I'm sorry Sora. But I'm not a guy. There for I don't wear a tie's very often. Why can't you just wear one of those already made ties you have hanging in you closet?"
I looked at her appalled.
"I can't!"
She frowned slightly. "Sora lower your voice. The Johnsons might hear us."
Who cared!
"I can't wear a clip on tie!"
"And why not?"
I knew my face was red, because my whole face felt hot. "Because I'll be a dork!"
She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a disapproving look. "Sora, what you wear does not make you a dork."
"Yes it does!"
"Say's who?"
"Riku!"
At this my mother rolled her head back and groaned. "And if Riku called you a girl would that make it true?"
My mouth shot open to let out a come back, but nothing came out. I couldn't think of anything to say. That made me even more mad.
"Forget it!" I yelled and I snatched the tie from my mom's hand non-too gently. "I'll do it myself!"
"Sora!"
"Leave me alone!"
I could still hear her yell my name as I slammed the door shut and locked it.
I tried fifty-eight times to work the tie.
Each time it came our looking worse and worse than before.
I just knew I was destined to wear a clip on tie to my graduation and forever be called a dork.
I sighed as I rested my head on the table in the kitchen. The ceremony was scheduled to start at seven. It was Four- forty five, and I still had not gotten the tie right. This was terrible. Everyone was going to laugh at me.
I groaned and buried my hands in my hair and shut my eyes tight, just picturing everyone pointing and laughing.
"Maybe I should just skip the ceremony."
"Well, if you do that. Then all my effort will have gone to waste."
I blinked and looked up to see my mom standing in the doorway of our apartment. Hands on her hips and proud grin on her face. But the thing that made my jaw drop to the floor was what was around her neck.
There around her slender neck was my red tie with blue and yellow stars, done in a sharp double Windsor knot.
"Wha-What! How! I thought you said-"
Her grin got even bigger and she shut the door and dropped her keys on the table.
" I didn't. That is until I asked Mr. Mercirio To show me how to do it."
I blinked. She asked Mr.Mercirio! Her big creepy boss that my mom was so scared of she would rather eat her own hand than talk to him!
"W-Why!"
Her smile was so soft and loving it made me feel warm.
"Because I love you."
The expression on her face as she drove me to the middle school with my tie, tied snuggly around my neck was one of happy accomplishment. She had faced another challenge and had done what was needed for her son.
The sight of her wearing that neck-tie over her work dress made me realize that she must have gone through a thousand problems much harder while raising a son on her own. But even though this incident was trivial in comparison to many others, it made me appreciate her so much.
I realized that my mom didn't complain when she reached obstacles. She learned from them. Her determination and perseverance were what bound us together.
And her love for me just makes that bind unbreakable.
A/N: Yes I'm a mama's girl. Review please.