Chapter 2.

Saria remembered how this child's picture and description had appeared just about everywhere after news of the crash got out. Even so, she almost didn't recognize him. His clothes were torn and dirty, and he was so thin. The poor child must have been starving this whole time. Her heart ached for him.

"Poor thing. I wish we'd brought some kind of food or water with us... he doesn't look like he'll last much longer... uhhhh, Tsurukaru, what are you doing?"

Saria looked at her best friend with embarrassed shock that quickly turned to understanding. Under normal circumstances, she would've called this extreme, but this was a desperate situation, and now, it looked heartbreaking. Tsurukaru was a new mother... and she was providing the boy the only sustenance she could offer.

"Shhh. I know it tastes strange, but it's all I have to offer now little one." She spoke soothingly to the child as he began to whimper.

"I'm sorry about this Saria, but the boy was too dehydrated to just do nothing..." Tsurukaru said apologetically. "It'll help him last until we can get him some help..."

"I know. I would've probably done the same thing if I was capable..." Saria answered. "What should we do?"

Tsurukaru looked deep in thought as she continued to coax the boy to drink. "Get him out of the elements, then call for an ambulance. He obviously needs medical care. Come on, the longer we sit here thinking about this, the longer this poor child will have to suffer. Let's get home at the very least."

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Saria's home was the closer of the two, so they went there, where Sora stood waiting for his mother. He had gotten out of daycare early. His curious expression immediately traveled to the unconscious child in Tsurukaru's arms and he opened his mouth, a question ready on his lips.

"Sora, honey, I'm going to need you to go play in your room for a little, ok?"

Sora pouted at those words, but complied as Tsurukaru walked past him and laid the boy on the couch, beginning to strip him of his sodden clothing. Saria went in another room and came out bearing several blankets and a set of soft pajamas that were a size too big for Sora. The boy was soon wrapped in a warm cocoon of blankets, with Tsurukaru trying to warm him with her body as Saria phoned the hospital. He had began to revive a little by the time the medics arrived, and was clearly frightened by the sudden flurry of activity around him.

"It's ok kiddo, we're here to help you..." One of the medics, a young man with a cheery face, tried to soothe the child as they examined him. The boy was beyond soothing though, he was wide-eyed and crying through the whole ordeal, and had let out a blood-curdling shriek when another of the medics drew blood from his arm. The sound had drawn Sora from his room, and he stared wide-eyed at all the people poking and prodding at the strange boy. He began to cry himself, forcing Saria to leave the boy's side and reassure her own child that they were not in fact hurting him. Tsurukaru could hear her through the rest of the noise in the room.

"I know it looks like they're hurting him sweetheart, but they're not. That boy is sick, and they're trying to make him better..."

They wanted to carry him out of the house on a stretcher. The poor child was frightened enough, Tsurukaru could not bring herself to let them, and had nearly gotten into an argument with one of the medics until they allowed her to carry the child out in her arms. He was still crying by the time they had left, but Tsurukaru had managed to get him to calm down and was now asking him simple questions to keep his mind off his fear.

"Do you have any games you like to play?"

"I l-like having races with my f-friends"

"Do you win them a lot?"

"Y-yes, I'm very fast..."

"You must look like a blur on the race track, huh?"

She managed to get a small smile from him. "No, I'm not that fast..."

"Wait, one day, you will be, and that silver hair of yours will earn you a nickname like 'silver streak,' nobody will be able to touch you!"

He chuckled slightly. "I hope I didn't scare that other boy too much, I don't wanna make him run. Can you tell him sorry for me?" The child was beginning to nod off again.

"What's your name? So he'll know where it's coming from?"

The boy barely whispered his name before he settled back into sleep.

"It's Riku..."

End of Chapter 2.