I have no idea where this one came from, but I oculdn't go to sleep last night and this story just popped into my head fully formed. I just had to write it down.

Also, don't kill me, but I gave Sora and his parents a last name. It just makes it easier when I refer to certain characters. It's not a lame one, anways; it's been used a lot in fan fictions and I think it suits him well.

Disclaimer: I'm not Square-Enix or Disney (I wish...), I make no profit from this, and all that jazz...


"Sora, dinner's ready, c'mon down!"

Thunder suddenly rocked the house. Sora's mother glanced out the kitchen window above the storm. Beyond the kid's Island was a strangely beautiful storm. She didn't think twice about it. Storms were common on the Island's, and every once in a while, a beautiful storm would come along. She turned her attention back to her dinner.

"Sora?" she called out again. Strange, he was usually quicker at the thought of food...

The front door was opened, and Sora's father walked into the kitchen.

"Do you see that storm?" he asked, removing his coat and placing it on his chair in the dining room. "I bet Sora would get a kick out of it. Hey Sora! Want to go to the docks and watch that sorm?"

"No, not now, it's dinnertime. Sora!" she shouted once again. "Where is that boy?"

She placed all the dishes, cutlery, and food on the table. Her son still hadn't shown up. Was he feeling ill?

"Sora? Are you okay?" His mother made her way up the stairs, towards her son's room. She knocked gently on the door."Sweetie, it's time for dinner."

No response.

"Sora?" she turned the knob and opened the door.

His room was empty.

"Sora...?" She walked towards his bed and placed her hand on it. It was still warm. It wasn't long ago that he was sitting here. Her eyes moved to the window beside his bed, and she looked again at the storm that was brewing. That wasn't any ordinary storm...

"Are ya feeling sick, son?" Sora's father walked into the room, but he only found his wife sitting on his son's empty bed. "Where is he...?"

Sora's mother didn't answer. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the storm. Somehow, it seemed to be telling her something...she didn't know what, but she knew that storm was significant...she knew her life would change...her husband placed a hand on her shoulder, as he too became entranced by the dark, purple swirls of the unsual clouds. What was going on?

"Sora!" his father suddenly cried out. He pointed out the window, towards the small dock by the beach, where they could see a small rowboat making it's way towards the children's Island. A clap of lighting shot through the sky, illuminating the figure in the boat. There was no mistaking that spiky hair.

Both parents scrambled out of the room, down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out of the house. Both ran down the road of their neighborhood, as their neighbors stepped out of their homes to watch the strange clouds. Niether noticed any of their surroundings: they knew that storm was deadly, and their son was not safe. The closer they got to the shore, the more the wind picked up.

They weren't too far from the shore when--

"Hikari!"

Sora's father turned at his name being called. He watched as Riku's father hurried towards him. "I saw you leaving your house. Riku wouldn't happen to be with your son, would he?"

"No, is Riku missing too?"

The turquoise-eyed man nodded. Mr. Hikari's heart sank...maybe Sora and Riku had gone off with Kairi? He looked up the road, towards the mayor's manor. Riku's father followed his gaze, and nodded. "We should ask the mayor..."

"Sora's heading to the Island, I have to catch him, that storm is too dangerous."

Riku's father nodded again. "I'll go." And with that, Riku's father hurried up the road towards the mayor's home.

Mr. Hikari turned to face his wife, who was already near the beach. He hurried after her, and found her with her hands cupped over her mouth, shouting towards the boat.

"Sora! Sora, get back here!" Her words were lost in the fierce winds, which were getting fiercer by the minute. Sora's father moved to make his way to the docks, but turned and looked towards his son. He was already at the Island. The waves were too violent. He'd never make it His son was strong...Please Sora, stay safe, son...please make this worth it, whatever you're doing...

Suddenly, he felt his heart tighten at the sight his eyes fell upon. His wife noticed it too, and backed away from the waters. Creatures...strange, black, shadowy creatures, emerged from the water. They suddenly sunk into the sand, scurrying towards Sora's mother. She had the sense to hurry away from them, towards her husband. More were comming. Both knew that they had to make it back home. They ran away from the beach.

Sora's father looked back, and sure enough, they were following them. "Hurry, we have to get back to the house."

"Watch out!"

Mr. Hikari was knocked off his feet as one of the creatures flew at him, it's tiny claws painfully sharp. Mrs. Hikari screamed and kicked it off her husband. She watched as it dispersed into thin air, and a single, pink heart flew up towards the sky. What are these things?

Screaming suddenly erupted from everywhere. Sora's parents stood back-to-back against one another as a man hurried out of his home, with the creatures jumping out after him. The man was knocked off his feet, similar to what had just happened to Sora's father, but this man was far less lucky. They watched in horror as the tiny black creature dug it's claws into the man's chest, and watched him pull out the man's heart. Mrs. Hikari screamed, and both watched as the man disolved into the air.

Without hesitation, Sora's parents hurried up the road towards their house. They reached their neighborhood only to find the street swarming with those creatures. They'd never make it to their house without losing their hearts. Sora's mother shook her head. "Let's find the mayor!" she shouted as the winds picked up violently around them. Her husband nodded, and they made their way back down the street, towards the Town Square. More creatures began to appear, but they paid them no attentioned; they just conitnued to run. At the Town Square, they found Riku's father, along with the mayor and his wife.

"Any luck?"

The mayor shook his head. "Kairi's missing as well--" a drop of rain had fallen on the mayor's cheek. He wiped it off, and realized that the raindrop was black. That was unsual...and suddenly, the mayor and his wife felt a tug at their hearts, soemthing they had never felt before...

"Kairi..." the mayor knew, somehow he knew, that Kairi was no longer around...but, no, she couldn't dead! She wasn't...he knew...she was gone but not dead...the mayor was left with a sudden feeling of sadness that he could not explain...

The black raindrops were now falling rapidly. Sora's father turned, and caught sight of more creatures on the far side of the Square.

"Hurry!" he said, pointing towards the shore. The parents ran quickly, as the black rain fell around them, as he dark clouds encirlced their Island, and as the screams of their neighbor's grew loudly and grew in numbers. Halfway towards the shore, Riku's father gasped, and stopped running. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Ri-Riku..." he gasped. He looked up the Island, where he knew his son was, or rather, had been. His heart tightened just as the mayor's had, and he knew Riku, too, was now gone...unlike the mayor, though, he was left with a feeling of unintended disappointment...he knew his son had chosen to leave, and why, he didn't understand...he could only hope for his son to return to him, unharmed, and himself again...

A sudden light came from Island, and the parents looked towards it. Sora's parents quickly looked at it, their hearts now being tugged. It was different for these two, however. They felt a twinge of hope grasp their hearts, and...pride? But why? Sora's father began to hurry towards the shore again, but looked back at the mayor and at Riku's father. They both looked at him, a strange sadness in their eyes.

"Go on, hurry, Sora may still be alright!" Riku's father shouted. Mr. Hikari hesitated, watching the father of son's best friend. The expression on the man's face was trange, as if he had nothing to lose now.

It's funny, really, how much a son picks up from his father...both hesitant but alert at the calls of danger...

Mr. Hikari looked at the mayor, who motioned for him to leave as well.

"They'll come back. We'll have to wait the storm out," he said, although he sounded pained. The winds were fierce now. Mr. Hikari nodded, grabbed his wife's hand, and hurried towards the beach once again.

The creatures were everywhere, but they didn't stop Sora's parents. They kicked and punched them out of their way...it was obvious where Sora had inheirited his stubborness and determination.

They made it to the beach, and hurried to the docks. The sight they saw was nearly enough to make Sora's mother faint, but she did not.

Instead, she watched as trees got sucked out of the ground, and planks of wood from the children's Island flew up into a vortex of darkness. Suddenly, a palm tree from the beach near them was uprooted, and began to get sucked into the vortex as well. Sora's parents backed up off the dock, but things from the main Island were being sucked up as well. They did their best to maintain their feet on the ground, hurrying off the dock and grabbing into each other and a low, stone wall alone the beach.

They watched as boats, trees, roofs, houses, even people themselves, got sucked into the dark swirls of the vortex. It was then that they felt it--the tug on their hearts...both looked at one another, and knew that their son, too, was gone. They knew he was gone, but...no, he was definately not dead...Sora's parents allowed themselves a quick grin...Sora wouldn't give up that easily, anyways...

The black rain fell thicker, the winds reached their highest speed, the waves their highest peak. Sora's parents continued to cling to one another, and continued to gaze towards the sea, where the children's Island was now completely gone. It would be a matter of moments before they, too, would disappear into the darkness...

"Sora, don't give up...find the light...you're are light...there's a reason it's in your name...you will find it, and you will come back..." Sora's mother whispered.

And with that, the world around Sora's parents gave out, and neither could see anything but darkness.


The rough direct-Japanese-to-English translation of Sora's name here is actually really nice.

In Japanese, "sora" means "sky" and "hikari" means "light", so "Sora Hikari" can roughly translate to "Sky Light". How Pretty!

Anyways I hope you enjoyed that, reviews are greatly appreciated!