Words: 768

Timeline: The Dark Horse, Between Chapter 17 and 19

A/N: This isn't edited, so its probably got a lot of errors and crap. But I wanted to get something up for you guys. My KH muses are currently being uncooperative. Particularly Axel. I think he's still upset over that shooting incident.

Anyway, I'd like to dedicate this oneshot to Insanecat6 who left me awesome reviews on TDH that got me thinking about my own story, and often asked about Sora. So this oneshot was inspired by that. I hope it answers a few questions you had about Sora in TDH.

Also, I now am making use of my Livejournal to store my fics. You can also find a list of other Fics I have in the planning on there. The link is in my profile.


"Yes, thank you for letting me know. Okay. Bye, Tifa. Go take a nap, okay? You won't do anyone good if you're getting sick... Bye."

Aerith set the phone back in it's cradle and turned away, her face was pulled into a frown of concern.

Sora, standing at the base of the stairs with his hand resting on the banister watched his mother carefully, "Mom?"

The brunette woman's head jerked up in surprise. She didn't seem to have noticed him standing there at all. Sora let his hand slide off the railing and moved toward his mom.

"What's wrong?"

Aerith moved away and slowly sat down in one of the comfortable arm chairs. One of her hands rested in her lap while the other reached up to place her fingertips lightly against her lips. For a long time she was silent and Sora was beginning to feel even more worried...

"That was Tifa." Aerith said at last.

Sora sank slowly into one of the other chairs, "Is it about Roxas?"

Hope fluttered in him, for a moment, at the though that maybe it was over.

Aerith shook her head slowly. "No, it's about Axel."

Something inside of him went cold, and it felt like someone was drizzling ice water down his spine. How could something have happened to Axel? He'd only just seen him a few days ago... Sure he hadn't called him lately, but Sora hadn't wanted to get his friends hopes up when none of them had any news...

"He's been shot."

"W-what...?"

The words barely registered as Sora sank back into the embrace of the chair, staring in wide eyed shock at his mother. How was that possible? Why would Axel get shot.

"Why?" Sora's voice came out a croak, just this side of hysterical.

Aerith shook her head and looked up to spear her son with a green eyed gaze. There was a slight tremble to her lips even as they were pressed into a thin line, "They don't know, but... I think I do."

Sora stood slowly and moved to his mother's side. It felt like his entire body was moving through molasses. He didn't want to move, or think. So much was happening lately and it was as if the entire world was being overturned.

"Mom...?"

Aerith clasped her hands in her lap, studying them intently. "He came by here just last night. Bloody and beaten up."

"You mean when you told dad and I we had a guest and not to disturb them?"

Aerith nodded tightly. "I didn't ask. He didn't want to tell me whats going on, but..."

Sora immediately realized what was on his kindly mother's mind and he leaned against her side, "You couldn't have kept him here mom. He'd have gone anyway. I... I think maybe it's got to do with Roxas and..."

Aerith gave a watery chuckle and pulled her son into a loose hug, "And you can't stop those two when either of them is involved."

"I should have realized something was going on." Sora said sadly. "He was acting weird when I saw him at Roxas' place last."

"Maybe." Aerith said. "But all of us were still upset. All we can do now is hope for the best. They said he was in stable condition."

Sora nodded against Aerith's shoulder.

All they could do is wait, and hope for the best news in both cases. Sora still wished he had realized what Axel was doing, and resolved to give the man a piece of his mind the next time he saw him. Maybe he couldn't have stopped him, but at least he could have... done something.

He still couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd tried calling Axel before this had happened that maybe things could have been different. That was just some sort of misplaced guilt talking, he supposed. In the end there was probably nothing he or his mom could have done.

Sora wondered if that was just a way to talk himself out of the slight guilty feeling settled in his stomach. Maybe it was, maybe he was being an idiot. He didn't really know.

This whole thing was just such a mess.

"They'll be fine." He said with a sudden conviction he wasn't sure he felt. "I know they will. And then they'll come home, and things will be fine again. And maybe those two will stop being idiots."

That surprised a laugh from his mother. "Maybe."