Warnings: un-beta'd, mentions of a relationship between an adult man and an underage boy.
A/N: This started off as one of those "50 sentences" Livejournal challenges, but it quickly got out of hand... I had fun writing it (especially because it involves one of my favorite pairings, I admit) and I hope you will enjoy reading it!
The first time they meet it's on Sora's fourth birthday.
The boy notices an old man standing near the paopu tree, he's bald and he's wearing a long black and gray coat. He doesn't look like anybody Sora knows lives on the Islands.
When the man turns around, Sora's breath hitches. Even from where he's standing on the bridge, he can see those piercing yellow eyes and the smirk that appears on his face a few seconds after.
A seagull cries in the sky, distracting Sora. It takes a moment, but when he looks back at the tree, nobody is there.
- . - . -
It's two months after when their first, proper, meeting happens.
Sora and Riku are playing hide-and-seek, and the younger boy is hiding in the secret place when someone appears behind him.
"Hello."
Sora literally jumps with fear before turning around.
"Hey, you're that old man from that time!"
"Ah, yes, I guess that would be me. What is your name, young boy?"
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers..." Those yellow eyes seem to be taunting him. He swallows. "Sora... my name is Sora."
"Nice to meet you, Sora."
Before Sora can ask the stranger's name, Riku calls for him making him turn the other way. When he looks back, there's only stone walls.
- . - . -
Sora is almost five when he wakes up in the middle of the night crying. He doesn't know why, but the sadness is so overwhelming he thinks he won't be able to smile anymore.
- . - . -
Ventus is dead, and Vanitas with him. Aqua couldn't make it either. Terra, barely alive, drowning in sorrow and guilt, went back to the Land of Departure, locking it.
- . - . -
The day after, Sora is walking on the beach of the play island when he notices the man. He's staring out at the sea and he doesn't seem to notice him until he's standing close at his side. His yellow eyes look sad.
"My plan failed, but I am not giving up."
Sora just stares.
"Would you like to help me out?"
He's not sure he's supposed to actually answer.
"I am Master Xehanort."
The man summons his weapon and extends his hand towards the kid. Sora stares in awe for a couple of seconds and then raises his hands to grab the hilt of the Keyblade.
- . - . -
It's been more than a year since then. After that day at the beach, Master Xehanort never went back to Destiny Islands, and Sora is starting to believe it was all just a dream.
It's a quiet night, but Sora is restless in his bed. His sleep is plagued by nightmares populated by creatures of darkness eating up his island.
He wakes up scared. So scared he wants to make sure the play island is still safe.
He tries to be as quiet as possible as he gets dressed and reaches his father's boat. It's difficult, but the sea is calm and he manages to reach his destination.
As he stands near the paopu tree he sighs relieved, even though the fear didn't go away yet. He doesn't want the islands to be destroyed. He wants to be able to protect them.
He doesn't notice the tears that started falling from his eyes.
He doesn't notice the man that appeared behind him.
What he notices is the weapon that he's suddenly holding. It's a Keyblade so big he can barely hold it with both hands. It's gold and black and beautiful. A crown-shaped keychain is attached to it.
"I see you've awakened your potential."
"Master Xehanort!"
Sora is surprised, and just a little less scared. He grabs the man's coat as exhaustion catches up on him.
- . - . -
They spend the night sitting below the paopu tree, Sora snoring quietly in Master Xehanort's arms.
- . - . -
The morning after, Sora accepts to become an official apprentice of Master Xehanort.
He believes it's okay to leave now, if it means learning how to protect the islands. Once he's be strong enough he will be back, and maybe he will be able to even beat Riku in a sparring match.
Master Xehanort holds his hand firmly as he guides him through a corridor made of darkness. The boy is scared, but a look at those yellow eyes gives him the courage to keep walking.
- . - . -
They live in a beautiful place called Radiant Garden, now.
Days go by quickly as Master Xehanort teaches Sora about Light and Darkness, how they coexist and how it's a Keybearer's duty to preserve both of them. He also teaches him how to handle his Keyblade and fight with it.
A one-eyed man called Braig often visits them. He seems to be always amused at something and he and Sora take an immediate liking to each other.
- . - . -
On Sora's eighth birthday, Master Xehanort shows him his Keyblade armor, promising to teach him how to summon his own once he's ready to travel to other words.
Then, as a reward for being such a good apprentice, he gives him the biggest and most delicious looking paopu fruit Sora had ever seen.
Sadness overtakes him for a moment, but then he realizes that if he shares the fruit with his Master, they will be together forever. To Sora, Master Xehanort is the coolest person in all worlds, and he hopes he will be able to learn and fight under him for a long time.
- . - . -
They eat the star shaped fruit that evening, as they watch the sun set from their garden.
Sora is about to eat the last piece when Braig appears hovering from behind him, stealing it.
"I have no idea what this is, but it tastes great."
Master Xehanort doesn't look amused, but Sora doesn't really mind.
His Master and Braig are his family, now. He doesn't want to let go of either.
- . - . -
Sora can almost hold his Keyblade with just one hand. Master Xehanort looks proud of him, and the boy doubles his efforts.
- . - . -
At some point, Braig comes down with the flu.
His Master tells him to keep away from the sick man, but Sora sneaks away and into the castle anyway.
He meets the rest of the king's apprentices for the first time, that day.
The guards seem cool and the scientist isn't bad, if not a bit creepy. The last one is a guy who doesn't look much older than him, and who offers him sea-salt ice cream.
Braig's room is nothing special. Everything's white. Everything but the black eyepatch that now lies on the bedside table along his red tattered scarf.
Sora stares in fascination at the man's scarred eye for some minutes, then proceeds to mock him for being stuck in bed.
Before going back home he makes a trip to the kitchens and brings him some warm soup and makes sure he takes his medicine.
On his way out he has a run-in with the king of Radian Garden himself. The man is all smiles, and invites him to come back as often as he wants.
Sora is polite with him, but he takes an instant dislike for the man.
- . - . -
It's a spring afternoon, Sora and Braig are walking through one of the numerous gardens of their world when they meet a red-haired girl.
"Hi, I'm Kairi!"
"Uhm... I'm Sora."
Before leaving, she gives Sora the flowers she was picking up.
"Looks like someone found an admirer."
"Shut up, Braig."
- . - . -
Sora doesn't know what to do with flowers a girl he just met gave him, so he throws them back on the ground.
But he does pick up new flowers and gives them to his Master when he returns home.
He runs away with an excuse immediately after. He hopes Master Xehanort won't throw his flowers away.
- . - . -
At dinner, Sora finds the flowers neatly tucked in a vase at the center of the dining table.
He spends the rest of the evening grinning to himself.
- . - . -
Sora is a teenage boy now, and he's rapidly outgrowing the few articles of clothing he owns.
He wakes up one morning to find new clothes on his dresser. Among them there's a black and white jacket that makes him feel like crying, even though he has no idea why.
- . - . -
When Braig sees Sora's new outfit he looks shocked at first, but he starts laughing shortly after.
- . - . -
After almost a decade of daily training, Sora can finally hold his Keyblade properly with one hand.
He knows how to fight, cast spells and he learnt every single lesson about Keyblades, Light and Darkness his Master taught him.
Master Xehanort smiles proudly at him as he teaches him one more thing, how to summon his own Keyblade Armor.
- . - . -
It's a sunny day when Braig teaches Sora how to shoot with his arrowguns.
"You never know, one day you might need to shoot someone."
"I'd rather just stun them with a Thunder spell."
But the man is an unexpectedly good teacher and the boy is a fast learner, so by the time night rolls around, Sora thinks he could probably kill someone with a laser arrow if it ever came down to that.
- . - . -
Sora travels a lot with Master Xehanort. He yearns to learn about all the worlds out there, and his Master guides him.
His Master tells him to take off his Armor once, and Sora complies.
He can feel the darkness around him. He can feel the darkness inside him.
- . - . -
They visit the Keyblade Graveyard, only to find someone already there.
It's a man with brown hair and blue eyes and he looks really surprised when he notices them. The surprise fades away quickly and turns into uncontrollable rage.
Master Xehanort seems surprised, too, but when the other man looks ready to attack them, he summons a corridor of darkness.
"We're leaving."
Neither of them notices the silver haired boy standing a little farther away.
- . - . -
Braig starts spending the night at their house on his free days.
The first time he just passes out on the couch after he and Sora trained together for the whole day.
After that, Sora sets up for him the last free bedroom of their house. He makes sure there's as little white as possible.
- . - . -
"His name is Terra."
His Master didn't want to tell him who the man at the graveyard was, so Sora asks Braig.
"He and the old man go way back."
Sora doesn't like Terra already. Braig laughs at him.
- . - . -
Master Xehanort spends a lot of time away from their home in Radiant Garden. When he's there he assists Sora in his training, but seems always distracted.
Most of their conversations those days seem to end up revolving around Terra.
- . - . -
Braig tries to cheer up Sora with sea-salt ice cream and a walk through the castle's gardens.
"Cheer up, kiddo. You just learnt it the hard way."
"Learnt what?"
"That love sucks."
Sora looks utterly confused for about two seconds. Then his face gains a deep shade of red and the ice cream slips from his hand, falling on the ground as he tries to come up with something to say.
- . - . -
Sora doesn't like to travel alone, but his Master is barely around anymore. When they last spoke the day before he had mentioned something about an apprentice of Terra, but the boy didn't really pay attention.
He visits new worlds by himself now.
His newest finding is a world with countless fields of flowers, so beautiful they'd put to shame even the castle's gardens back home. There's also a river with the clearest water Sora had ever seen.
As he walks alongside the stream of water he notices them. Two guys enjoying themselves sitting under a tree by the river. One playing an instrument the boy had never seen before, while the other is making necklaces with flowers.
Sora looks away and leaves.
- . - . -
Master Xehanort taught Sora everything he knew about Kingdom Hearts. About its power.
One day he tells him that an evil witch is trying to gain access to it.
Sora can't stop thinking about what he would do if he had such an immense power in his hands.
- . - . -
It feels forever since they last spent some time all three together like this.
Master Xehanort brought them to a world of endless twilight, proclaiming that that was the best place if you wanted to eat sea-salt ice cream.
The day proceeds without a hitch until something prompts Master Xehanort to start talking about Terra. Sora can't take it anymore and starts throwing a fit.
His Master lets him vent out for a few minutes, but then grabs his wrists to stop him.
Annoyed yellow eyes and hurt blue eyes staring at each other. Sora looks ready to cry.
"You're an idiot!"
He stands on his toes and kisses his Master.
Braig has the decency to not burst out laughing.
- . - . -
Master Xehanort teaches Sora how to use corridors of darkness, because it's a faster traveling method that the lanes between.
Sora's affinity to darkness is incredible. Darkness wraps around him but leaves him unscathed. It doesn't take long for him to learn how to control it.
His Master's eyes shine as he watches his beloved apprentice train.
- . - . -
There are rumors Kairi has been kidnapped by an outsider, and Sora sets out to find her.
But he forgets all about it the instant he arrives at the Keyblade Graveyard and finds Terra there. There's Riku with him.
Riku, who was once his best friend. Riku, who's now holding a Keyblade and talking with Terra.
He should have paid more attention when his Master told him about Terra's apprentice.
- . - . -
That night Sora cries himself to sleep, only to be woken up by the loud roars of an incoming storm around midnight. Then he slowly walks to his Master's bedroom and crawls in his bed.
Master Xehanort doesn't say a word as the boy clings to him like the world is falling from under him.
- . - . -
The morning after, Braig makes breakfast for everybody. Sora doesn't hide his surprise.
"Uh, are we celebrating something?"
"Why, yes. You losing your virginity."
He seems to be wanting to say more, but Master Xehanort is suddenly pointing his Keyblade at the shooter's face.
- . - . -
Kingdom Hearts is being summoned.
Terra and Riku plan on stopping it.
Master Xehanort and Sora plan on taking control of it. Braig tags along, hitching for a good fight.
- . - . -
Kingdom Hearts' blue light shines on them all.
Terra doesn't waste time, charging towards Master Xehanort. Braig tries to stop him.
Sora and Riku stare at each other before summoning their Keyblades. They don't exchange a single word as they start fighting for what they believe is right.
- . - . -
Braig didn't stand a chance against Terra, and it doesn't take long before he falls.
One of his arrowguns ends up near Sora.
- . - . -
After what feels like forever, the fight between Terra and Master Xehanort seems to reach its end as the two Keyblade bearers launch themselves at each other with their strongest attack.
Sora screams when he sees both of them fall on the ground.
- . - . -
Sora and Riku can barely stand anymore.
Sora doesn't want to do it, but he needs to put an end to the fight. As he tries to get up on his feet, he notices the arrowgun.
- . - . -
Keyblade in one hand and arrowgun in the other, tears and sweat making it hard to aim, Sora shoots at Riku. A little part of him hopes he'll miss, but in an instant Riku is down on the ground. He's dead.
- . - . -
Terra and Master Xehanort killed each other. Braig is dead, too. Riku's fate was no different.
- . - . -
Sora is the only one left standing on the battle ground.
Kingdom Hearts' blue light is blinding now.
- . - . -
The wind almost blows away Braig's red scarf, but Sora catches it and wraps it around his neck. He feels like he's going to cry again, but there's no tears left anymore.
- . - . -
Sora looks at the sky.
The only thing he can see is Kingdom Hearts. The only thing he can feel is Kingdom Hearts.
He wonders if its power is enough to fix all this.
- . - . -
He marches towards the giant heart, ready to do anything to make things right again.
He raises his Keyblade towards it.
An immense power envelops him. Maybe this is really enough.
With his blood stained hands he tears off the crown-shaped keychain off his Keyblade, a reminder of his beloved Master. He ties it around his neck.
Maybe Kingdom Hearts is really powerful enough to allow him to rewrite reality. That way he can save everybody he loves.