Just my Luck
"Sora, time to get up!" Goofy called to the brunet.
The thought of it being morning offended Sora who proceeded to roll over onto his side with a whine. The pillow his head had been resting mere moments before was plopped on top of his head to block out the offensive rays of sunshine that on that quickly cooling morning brought an intense pounding to his head. Slender limbs curled up toward his chest before the pillow was pulled from his grasp.
"Sora!" Donald shouted into his ear. "We gotta go!"
"Yeah, this is no time to be sleepin' ahyuck!"
It was at this time that Sora sat up in the bed and he immediately regretted it. The room began to spin dangerously. It lurched left and right before settling into a normal setting. Donald and Goofy stared him, the concern apparent on their faces. Sora knew the look all too well and had no strong inclination to put up with it right now. His eyes felt like they were covered in a thick blanket of sand. His body was protesting every single move that he made toward the washroom to clean himself up for the day. Eyes that were usually alert in the early hours were only now beginning to focus clearly on the surroundings about him.
The room wasn't necessarily dark but subdued with the predawn of early morning. Irredescent streams of light poured in through a half curtained window. The fragrant smell of summer blossoms flowed into the room and danced about the senses of the trio. A pale skinned hand rubbed against a nose before sneezing at the dusty smell to the room. The environment itself was pleasant to the eye but in desperate need of thorough cleaning of its linens. A fire burning cheerfully in the fireplace the night before was reduced to ashes. After all, it was the start of another day.
That started with another search for Riku or information on finding a way to get back to home. Sora missed his friends dearly and was hoping to be reunited with them as soon as possible. That was the lone thing on the frigid morning that brought any hope to his face as his head continued to patter disdainfully. Looking into the mirror brought to Sora's attention the reason why his companion's had been gazing at him oddly.
The keyblade master had very little colour in his complexion as a hand snaked up to feel his forehead for a fever. "Just my luck…" Sora muttered to himself, feeling dizzy again seconds later. His hands gripped the counter tightly before falling to one knee. His hands were planted firmly against the cool floor, breathing heavily before shutting his eyes. Something had to be done about this situation. A quick hop into the shower would hopefully bring some of the colour back into Sora's skin as the warm beads of water brought clouds of steam into the small space.
The boy emerged from the washroom about fifteen minutes later ready to take on any and all obstacles that the trio were to face that day. "Let's go guys," he said, the exhausted tone to the keyblade master's voice tipped them off even more.
"You know Sora…" Goofy began cautiously. "You can sleep some more if ya want ta, we can wait."
"No, it's okay." The keyblade master replied, feigning cheerfulness in his voice as he moved closer to the door. "I'm already up and ready so we'd better get going. We gotta find Riku and the King. We don't have any time to rest."
"But Sora…" Donald pleaded. "If you're not feeling well –"
"I'm not sick! I'm just hungry, so let's go get something to eat!"
With Sora in the lead, he lead the way down to the Inn's common room. Here the heat from the larger hearth located in the back corner of the room, sent waves of heat radiating throughout the enclosure. The heat was welcoming to Sora as he didn't feel particularly warm that day. The furniture was old in appearance, weathered to the naked eye. The owner of the inn however kept it in good condition. It brought character to the space as a young girl smiled at the trio.
"Good morning," came the cheerful greeting, "breakfast will be ready shortly. Have a seat."
"Thanks!" Sora replied before sitting heavily in the closest chair to his location.
After the meal, the Magician and Knight were even more worried after noticing Sora's severe lack of appetite. If anything, the usually veracious teen ate a fourth of what he normally did. If that didn't say that something was wrong to Donald, Goofy and now Jiminy, then they obviously hadn't been paying attention to the keyblade master's mannerisms or attitude that day. The swaggering steps as they wandered through the bustling streets intensified their feelings even more as Sora came to a halt. Here the smells of the summer blooms was rather powerful. The commonfolk went about their business not noticing the young man. Sora weaved his way through the rest of the traffic before plopping down on a nearby bench in front of a small shop off to one side of the crowded street. His back pressed against the brick wall. His mind was reeling as a hand was on his forehead.
Opening blurred eyes, the boy saw that Goofy was checking him for a fever that he knew had gotten worse since the morning hours despite his best efforts to ignore it. They'd all been wandering about this city, searching for clues to either finding the Princess of Heart or the harbinger of darkness for hours without any success. Donald and Goofy had pleaded with Sora to return to their lodgings and for him to rest. He kept brushing them off as he kept trudging forward even as it began to rain; as he'd begun to shiver with cold. He had to find them, he just had to. He could ignore his body for as long as possible as until he found his friends. He missed them dearly.
"Sora? Are you okay?"
"I'm… I'm fine, Goofy."
"Now enough is enough with these lies Sora!" Jiminy scolded. "If you were Pinocchio and he told this many lies in one day, his nose would be as long as you are tall!
"You're pale as a ghost, you've been shivering for the past hour in this rain and you've got a fever. We're going back to the inn so you can sleep."
"No!" Sora shouted stubbornly, pushing Goofy's hand off his forehead before leaping off the bench. "I'm gonna go find Riku and Kairi. Even if I have to go by myself!"
"Sora now wait just a second… you're not thinking straight." Jiminy began in vain.
"No," Sora snapped out of irritation, "I'm going. If you guys want to go back to the Inn, go ahead. But I'm gonna keep looking for them."
"Sora –"
"I'll see you guys later."
And off the boy went, despite the body's demand for rest, the perseverance of his mind was astounding. The three members of Disney Court were tempted to go after the boy and shake some common sense into him even though they knew that it was pointless. They knew that Sora was getting frustrated with their fruitless efforts as he broke into a fast paced run. Everyone, including the keyblade master knew that he simply wasn't himself that day. This nameless town that none of them knew the name of was simply bringing bad luck to all of them. The rain responded in course to their quickly vinegary moods.
"Guys, shouldn't we go after him?" Jiminy asked the others who had turned to head back to the inn.
"He's stubborn but he'll be okay, I hope." Goofy said to the conscience, walking back the way they'd come that morning.
Sora's dead run didn't last for very long as he felt his energy reserves deplete themselves in the middle of the town. The residents didn't notice him, it was truly like he didn't matter at all. Or maybe it was just the fact that Sora was portraying the attitude of a drunkard. All that was needed was for the brunet to start singing some old bar shanty and the façade would have been completed. His unsteady steps eventually brought Sora to the very middle of the town. The fountain in the center of the square glistened under the rain even as thunder began to peal in the sky. It was at this moment that the keyblade appeared in the master's hands. In his current state, the brunet wasn't certain about how long he'd last in battle. Was it going to be heartless or nobodies today? The boy couldn't tell as shadows began to gather around his feet.
In essence, there was nothing there at all; the boy was so lost in his feverish state and hallucinations that he couldn't distinguish fantasy from reality. He swung at what he thought was a nobody with all his strength as the keyblade dug into the ground. The crowds of people now noticed him because of his odd weapon. It wove intricately in the air of its own free will. If this had been any other time, Sora knew that the keyblade would have never appeared. He grunted his ire as the blade dug itself into the ground and wouldn't remove itself for all that Sora tugged at the hilt. "C'mon… get out!"
"Sora!" a familiar voice called out.
Letting go of the keyblade for just a second, Sora looked around, confused at the voice that had just called out to him from somewhere in this square. He never noticed the wall of shadow and dark magic that had appeared near his body. Whoever the voice belonged to, Sora was far too gone to distinguish who the voice belonged to. Was it Leon? Yuffie? Aerith? Cloud perhaps? Maybe it was the General? It could have been anybody.
As soon as the hand was upon his shoulder, squeezing it gently, did Sora spin around in the midst of thunder and lightning to meet a foe he hadn't dreamt of meeting so soon. He knocked the hand from his shoulder and leapt away. He was too weak to call the keyblade back to him and watched as it disappeared into nothingness. Fists were balled seconds later, dashing forward to strike at the supposed member of Organization XIII.
The punch, weak as it was, was caught in a hand that wrapped around it. A chuckle escaped from underneath the hood as the keyblade master was pulled toward the hooded figure. Fear danced in the glassy appearing blue eyes as the still freed hand of the hooded person pulled it back to reveal eyes of aqua and hair of bluish silver.
"Sora, it's me." Riku replied with a sad smile.
Those blue eyes blinked disbelievingly at the silver haired youth. Was it really Riku? Was he truly there, standing before him, eyes lowered in apology. This had to be some obscure fever dream that Sora was having. An insignificant figment of his imagination that felt very much alive and warm. Any second now, he'd wake up to Donald and Goofy arguing about what they were going to do today now that their keyblade master, buddy, brother in arms, was sick in bed?
"Riku…" Sora mumbled before he fell to his knees.
His body was heavy, knees weak, head spinning before the brunet lurched forward quickly only to be caught by the other he'd finally reunited with. The blue eyes that were burning with the desire for rest were only opened halfway as the stronger of the pair scooped the smaller boy into his arms. Riku was surprised at how snugly Sora nestled into his arms. The younger teen was curling into his friend trying to absorb some of the warmth he'd lost due to his often foolhardy ways.
"What were you thinking Sora?" Riku asked as the brunet's eyes closed completely. "You look terrible."
"I was… looking for…" his eyes peeled slowly open to stare at Riku who couldn't discern whether or not it was the rain staining the brunet's face or if Sora was actually crying. "… for you."
Riku smiled sadly, thinking that he didn't deserve to be found by anybody. By Sora, Kairi or anybody else as he watched Sora relax into a deep sleep in his arms. "That's right buddy, just take it easy." Then the silver haired youth said to the sleeping boy, "I don't deserve to be found, you should know that."
The rain had begun to pour even harder as the trio from the Disney Court made it back to the Inn. They had to explain to the Innkeeper that their young companion was out searching for something that he'd lost and were immediately asked of the boy's health.
"It was strange really…" the Innkeeper recollected. "That boy ate much much more the day before than he did today. Is he feeling okay?"
"He's being stubborn," Donald explained stubbornly before stomping up the stairs muttering to himself about foolish little boys before the door slammed shut.
"I hope he comes back soon then, we're in for a rough night. You all should get warmed up and I'll have some tea and soup sent up for you lot later."
"Thank you ma'am, we appreciate it." Jiminy replied with a tired smile.
"I sure hope that Sora's okay out there… you sure it was okay to leave him out there, Jiminy?"
Before Jiminy could reply however, the door slammed open to see two young boys drenched from the downpour out there. The hood was pulled up so that the other's wouldn't know who was bringing Sora back to them.
"Sora!" Goofy exclaimed before bounding down the stairs, glaring at the cloaked figure. "I don't know what you were doing to Sora but you can leave him with us with our thanks."
The Knight had no idea that it was really Riku underneath the cloak as Sora was placed gently on the couch. His face was flushed with fever as the Innkeeper rushed over to check on the boy. "You!" she pointed at Riku. "I don't know what you've done to these people but you better get out of my shop!"
Of course Riku would oblige. He didn't deserve to be anywhere near Sora after what he'd done in the past. The silver haired teen still needed time to repent. There wasn't enough time left in the universe for the harbinger of darkness to repay his debt to his friend. Turning on the spot, the door was closed quietly behind him even as Sora moaned in pain.
"All of you get dried off; I'll take care of this poor thing." The woman ordered.
"Yes Ma'am." Goofy replied before dashing upstairs to change into dry clothing.
Sora's clothing had been stripped from his body and was drying by the fire. The Innkeeper had left one of her older daughter's in charge of the inn while the second eldest helped her care for the keyblade master. He was tightly tucked into a bed under thick blankets and hot water bottles were tucked around his feet. The boy was motionless as the woman replaced the cloth on Sora's forehead with a cool one.
"This poor child…"
"Mother… go see to his friends. I'll stay with him." The blond replied.
"Thank you." The Old woman replied, bringing a tray of tea, soup and biscuits out to the adventurers. The wooden door creaked open as Donald, Goofy and Jiminy tried to get a glimpse at their friend. She smiled sympathetically at the three as she ushered them back into the common room. The fires were well stocked that evening for the sake of the ill and of preventing any of the other's from falling prey to the elements.
"I hope you all didn't plan on going anywhere. He's very sick, the poor thing."
"We can't thank you enough for doing this for him." Jiminy said sincerely to the old woman who passed them all a steaming mug of tea. None of them had managed a sip before the daughter left with Sora thrust the door open quickly.
"Mother, come quick!"
"Riku… come back… don't go…" the trio could hear Sora calling out painfully.
"Gawrsh, you don't suppose that that could've been Riku who brought Sora back do you?"
"No way!" Donald replied quickly. "That nobody must've done that to Sora!"
"That doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that if you all don't get yourselves to bed you're all going to be in the same boat as your friend. Now off with you all!"
The warmth was a welcoming change as Sora had learned what he assumed to be just a few hours ago that being cold wasn't fun. As his eyes peeled open slowly, he felt something cold upon his forehead. He flinched slightly as the cloth was placed back on his forehead. He felt exhausted and didn't want to move from underneath the blankets that were a too tightly wrapped around him. As his blue eyes focused on an unfamiliar face, the door was opened to the sight of familiar faces that were taut with worry.
"Sora, how're ya feelin'?" Goofy asked quietly.
A loud rumble from his stomach answered that question for him. He may have been tired but his belly was ready for some food.
"Sounds like my patient needs some food." The Innkeeper called from the common room. "Jaelyn, help Sora into those pajamas on the stool and make him comfortable in the bed. I'll bring him some food in a few minutes."
"Yes, Mother!" the blond called out. "You three, out! Out, out, out! He needs to get dressed!"
"But I can dress myself." Sora said pushing back the covers to discover a most unpleasant surprise. He blushed before trying to reach for the top piece.
The girl chuckled at his embarrassment and placed both articles of clothing on top of the blankets. "You've been sleeping soundly for the past three days. You must be starving. Mother will bring you some porridge soon."
As Sora pulled the long sleeved shirt over his head, Jaelyn was by his side helping to pull it down the rest of the way. To save them both the trouble, she left Sora to putting on the bottoms before fluffing the pillow behind him and an additional one so that he could sit comfortably without straining himself. "Three days…"
"Yes young man, you were very ill when that poor boy in the black cloak brought you here, shaking like you were."
"Riku… brought me back here…? Did he stay? Where is he?" the bedridden brunet asked as a tray with a lone bowl of porridge was placed in front of him. He pouted at the sight. "This is it?"
"Yes Sora, you haven't eaten anything for almost four days now. You'll only get sick if you eat too much. Now eat up, you need to get your strength back!"
"Uh… right!"
"But no, the cloaked boy didn't stay, your friends told him to go away." The Innkeeper explained. "They all seemed intent on making things very miserable for everyone involved so I asked your friend to leave before things got worse. I had my daughters ask around about a stranger in a black cloak but no one else in town has seen anything. I'm sorry, Sora."
Sora sighed heavily before eating what he could of the porridge before he started feeling sick to his stomach. He pushed the bowl away as the woman ruffled his hair with an affectionate smile. Pulling her daughter out with her, the keyblade master's friends entered in, relieved to see that Sora was awake.
"We're sorry Sora… we didn't know it was Riku under that cloak." Jiminy explained.
"We were so worried about you that –" Goofy had begun before Donald stood on the stool next to the bed and slapped Sora on the back on the head. "We thought he was a member of Organization XIII." He finished in a small voice.
"Hey, what was that for?" Sora demanded, rubbing the back of his head.
"Don't you ever do something like that ever again!" Donald scolded. "You scared us to death! How would we find the King, Riku or Kairi without you?!"
"You're our friend, Sora. You should've listened to us." Jiminy finished.
Head bowed in shame, the brunet's hands kneaded into the blanket before he sunk back into the pillows behind him. "I'm sorry guys. I should've listened."
Donald nodded but said nothing. He patted Sora on the shoulder before clambering down from the top of the stool and leaving the room. Goofy grinned at him before making his leave as well leaving the keyblade master and a Jiminy Cricket.
"Was it really Riku that you saw Sora?"
"I think so, but I don't remember a lot of that day."
"Just don't try to worry us like that again okay Sora?"
The boy smiled lightly as his eyes closed. He was tired again and wanted to sleep some more. The fire crackled cheerfully in the room as Jiminy left the room so Sora could recover.
A few days later, the Innkeeper decided that Sora was strong enough to continue on with their journey. But not before she made him promise that he'd get lots of rest and take it easy. She lectured him at length about it being okay to rely on his friends when he couldn't do it all by himself.
He thanked them all heartily, smiling broadly before the woman wrapped the brunet in a deep hug.
"You take care of yourself, understand me Sora?" she whispered.
"I'll be okay. I've got my friends here with me."
He'd come so close to finding Riku but Sora knew that he'd run into the silver haired youth again soon.
After all, it was just his luck.