A/N: I'm so sorry about the wait! I said I would go off of reviews and because of that my attention has been diverted to my other projects. And my school schedule this year is really booked so it's difficult to find time to write. For those of you who are still waiting so patiently, thank you so much! And I hope that the wait is paid off with this new chapter.
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It went like that for a while. The easiest thing to do when you don't know what exactly you should do is what you've already been doing. Nobody in the house really knew what their next order of business should be— on one hand they had the new wave of Heartless that potentially posed a threat to not only them and their town, but other worlds as well. They had to either extinguish the Heartless before they could destroy anything else, or they had to find the source of the enemies and extinguish that.
But on the other hand they had Sora, their friend who was still sick and grievously injured. They couldn't do anything drastic for fear of either drawing danger to him, or neglecting him and the care that he required at this point. But if they focused too much on him, then the Heartless could grow and expand to an even greater force than it already was. The dilemma was clear: going too far in either direction would prove fatal in some area of concern. There wasn't a very good or equal balance when it came to the situation they were in.
So they just stayed in the route that they had first decided to take. Every morning and every night there was a party of fighters that went out against whatever Heartless were still invading the town. Nearly everyone would go out to help, Merlin and Aerith staying back to keep watch over Sora and whatever medical needs might come up later on. And of course, Axel would always come back to hold the fort down if the group ran into serious trouble, which, as the days went on, became more and more frequent.
Things just went into a continuous cycle. For days on end, there was no getting out of the cycle. They just went around and around, in a rut that, although unavoidable, was stifling. There was a sense of tension wrought in the air, along with an unspoken need for a better solution. But it was like when you were in a canoe that was sinking— there were two gaping holes and you can only cover them so much. Stretched out awkwardly across the boat, you couldn't do much but just sit and hope that somehow your actions would pay off better if you held on a bit longer.
But it didn't change the fact that the canoe was still sinking.
And sinking it was.
Every day Sora would watch the others leave and embark on a mission that, if he was not in his current condition, he would probably have been leading. He would have been at the head of the pack, keyblade in hand with Donald and Goofy flanking both sides. But now, anchored down with far too many injuries and sick enough to be bedridden, he was just left to watch silently. He had been under the impression that the longer it went on the easier it would be— that the more he saw the others leave without him, the better it would be to swallow. But he was wrong. At dawn and dusk, when they all traipsed out, it knotted his stomach just to see them go. They would always beam at him and call out goodbyes and try to pretend that there wasn't a lingering awkwardness in the back of their eyes. Sora would do the same, but he would remain perfectly aware of the sensation. He was always perfectly aware.
There wasn't anything he could do though. He pretended that it didn't bother him— that nothing bothered him. He was polite to Merlin and let the wizard do whatever he needed to in regards to the boy's health. He stayed sitting on the couch or laying down in bed. He didn't even try to object to staying in one spot. And whenever Aerith offered to watch more of her sappy love show, or break out some ancient board game, Sora would always comply without even the slightest of sighs. On the outside, it was almost like he didn't even care anymore.
Whether or not that was a good thing, he had no idea.
It should have been obvious that the cycle couldn't last forever. Everything has a breaking point eventually, right? About a week had passed since the first episode with the Heartless, and it was getting on to be late at night. Sora was in bed, Merlin having helped to transition him there. While the boy was getting slightly better at walking on his own without the aid of the wheelchair, the teenager was well aware of the fact that the wizard was more than upset with every passing attempt he tried to make. He had pretty much stopped trying altogether; recently, every time he saw the elder grow concerned over his well-being, Sora experienced too much guilt to remain stubborn. Giving up was a new skill that Sora was slowly cultivating. That and being intelligent, as Aerith's continuous running of The Bachelor had been sucking away his brain cells.
Sora was in bed staring off into space; Aerith was tidying up the house, and Merlin was busying himself with organizing the medical supplies, counting up the things that they needed to buy more of. So far they were running out of bandages— being that they needed to constantly change the boy's wrappings to prevent infection, it was normally on the tip of their list. Like everything else, it was just another routine thing. The three were accustomed to mostly silence, save for the occasional crackling of the hearth. Sora didn't take to being very talkative anymore, and Aerith never was a chatterbox. Merlin could talk for hours on end, but once he realized that nobody really listened to him, he took the hint well enough.
So the house was consumed in silence— the kind of silence that smothers someone and makes it almost hard to breathe properly. Sora wasn't really focused on it though; he wasn't really focused on much in general. His head took to throbbing round this time of day, so he was mostly just trying to gauge how long he could last before asking for pain medication of some kind. He didn't like to do it a lot; whenever he made the request, Aerith and Merlin would get worried all over again. He'd rather avoid such a hassle if he could. But going by the way that the pain was only increasing, Sora could only give himself the benefit of lasting for another half hour at the most.
The creak of an opening door led the silence of the home to be broken. It was a rather abrupt noise that shattered the quiet, as small a racket as it was. It garnered the attention of Aerith and Merlin, who immediately straightened. Sora tried to curb his attention in contrast, continuing to just stare aimlessly. Whatever it was, it probably wouldn't help his mood very much. Either it was the whole party returning, chock-full of stories and reports to tell about what had happened to them, or it was Axel, who had been sent back by the others and was armed with about three excuses as to why he had come back early. Never wanting to tell the real reason why, the redhead always had something. They had ranged from "I don't feel well" to "I just got bored" and each one was more pathetic to hear than the last.
But apparently it wasn't either of those two— not in actuality, anyway.
Aerith's voice rose out into a surprised murmur, and Sora could hear Merlin give out something of the same manner. The brunet, albeit very hesitantly, turned his head in the slightest of shifts, unable to hold back a small spark of curiosity at the pair's seemingly-shocked response to whatever had happened. At first, he had no idea why they had acted out in such a manner. It wasn't like this was the first time that the group had come back from dealing with the Heartless, and it didn't look like any of them was injured or hurt. They just all filed inside like normal, completely unharmed. Maybe a few of them bore scratches or bruises, but it wasn't anything to take a second glance at.
Kairi was the first to shoulder all the way inside. Her blue eyes were clouded and troubled, and Sora perked as he realized her eyes went right for him. She smiled widely at the sight of her friend, looking relieved at the mere sight of him. Against himself, Sora returned the grin, just as cheered by the girl's presence as she was. However, as Kairi shifted to the side, the weapon she held in her hand was brought into view from behind her, back— the keyblade that she had been given from Riku. Sora blinked rapidly, unable to keep his face from falling just a little bit at the blade. Kairi's expression did the same, though hers fell into a more confused stare, as if she wasn't sure what was wrong. Her eyebrows pulled together and she took a step forward, her mouth opening as if to ask what the matter was. Thankfully, Riku spoke up before she could get a single syllable out.
"We came back as soon as we could," he announced, stepping forward so that he was in front of Kairi. Sora blinked, his attention momentarily diverted as he realized that he must have been missing something. At first glance from where he was, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Save for, of course, the new weapon that was now clenched tightly in Kairi's hand. It was hard not to notice that one— the boy felt as if there was some kind of spotlight on the thing. But still, it was only important to him. And it was nothing new— it wasn't anything to have garnered that gasp of shock from Aerith and Merlin. And as his eyes flickered over to the pair presently, he realized that they were standing erect, still looking somewhat caught off-guard.
"What are you doing here?" Aerith asked, her voice almost stunned.
Another voice replied to the inquiry— a voice that Sora could not mistake even if he was three feet underwater. "I needed to speak with you all; I figured that you all would still be together, and it seems like I was right to think so. Frankly, it's a bit of relief on my part." Sora's eyes widened at fraction as the newcomer piped up, and despite the way that his body twitched in sharp pain, he turned and propped himself up on one elbow, craning his neck in the attempt to properly see what was going on. The effort was pretty much wasted in itself, and he was almost grateful for the fact that the new arrival came forward regardless.
They were about three feet shorter than everyone else, at the very most. With such a height difference, it made seeing them around the others impossible from where Sora was on his bed. But thankfully they picked and nudged their way forward, weaving through the others to be at the forefront of everything. Once they did, they perked, immediately turning and locking eyes with Sora. The teenager stiffened a little bit at the sign of abrupt attention, and he recognized the initial sense of pity that flashed through the person's eyes at just the sight of him.
Yet Mickey recovered after the first passing moment. Once he did, the King recovered, looking just as bright as he always did, though Sora's returning grin was a little less bubbly in comparison to his. "Sora!" the mouse cheered, his pity melting quickly into a feeling of relief instead. "I was wondering how you were getting along; I figured that after all this time, I might as well come over and stop by to check on things." Sora blinked slowly, not at all sure whether or not he was being entirely truthful. He hadn't come by yet to look over things, and it had been going on about two and a half weeks by this point. Why now? It didn't seem so innocent.
Are you kidding me? You're so bland now about everything. Whether or not he came for that sole reason, he is wanting to know how you're doing. How about you get your head out of the dumps and try to appreciate that fact for a second, hmm? Mentally, he berated himself. He was being a grade A sourpuss recently. It came in waves of course, but right now was not the moment. He put a smile on over his face, hoping that the expression reached his eyes in a proper manner. "Hey, Your Majesty," he hummed, his voice a quiet mumble. Not sure on what he was supposed to say in a situation like this he asked a little awkwardly: "…Sorry to make you come out all this way…"
"Oh don't you worry," the mouse replied, shooing away the apology at once. He grinned, his hands on his hips. "I would do anything for a friend; it's no trouble!" He tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner. "How are you getting along, then? Are you feeling any better?" At first, Sora considered this to be just another run-of-the-mill question. He got on every morning and every night by Merlin or Aerith— this one would be no different. He'd just have to swallow back the small tide of frustration and answer accordingly: that he felt fine enough, considering the situation. But after pausing a moment and looking over at the mouse, he realized that it wasn't completely like what Aerith or Merlin usually proposed at the start or the end of the day.
Thanks to being propped up in an awkward way, he was nearly eyelevel with Mickey. Usually he had to look down in order to see the King, so his expressions were a little bit harder, or at the very least more awkward, to make out. But now they were at the same height. Sora could see that there was a forceful kind of push in the back of the other's gaze. There was an expectancy to the stare that the King had— a look that told Sora that there was more purpose to the question than just sheer concern for the boy's comfort.
Apparently Sora wasn't the only one to notice such a thing, either. Riku's eyes narrowed just slightly— having spent much more time with the King in comparison to anyone else, the simple sound of something awry in his voice seemed to set the other off. Merlin seemed skeptical too, tilting his head to the side as he surveyed Sora and Mickey a little carefully. But despite the changed looks or expressions, neither Merlin nor Riku spoke out against anything. They remained silent, allowing proper space for Sora to reply. It took a moment, as the teenager had to sort through the awkward looks shared between the two and the odd manner that Mickey held himself to. But he managed to find a reply nonetheless.
"I'm getting better," he said, speaking slowly as he chose his words with care. He really couldn't brag about his state at the moment— he was laying down in a bed after all, which was what he had been doing for the past…forever. Patience is a virtue, yet it is a virtue that Sora was sorely missing most of the time. Staying cooped up like this was torture for someone like him, who loved to get out and run around. He felt like voicing the complaint, and he knew that he was perfectly capable. If prodded, he could probably rant and rave for about five hours at the minimum. But he had not been asked to complain and wail, he had been asked about his physical state. He could probably complain at another time. Maybe. Shaking himself mentally and trying to change his train of thought, he turned to offer a pinched smile over to Merlin and Aerith, who brightened significantly at the look. "Merlin and Aerith have been great. I don't have much at all to complain about."
Mickey beamed at the shred of good news. Though Sora was acutely aware that, from where he was standing behind him, Riku still looked a little dubious as he stared at the mouse. His eyes were somewhat clouded and drawn in comparison to what they normally looked like. Sora's forehead creased and he opened his mouth, starting to wonder whether or not something else was going on. If so, he had absolutely no idea what it could be. But before he could get a syllable out, Mickey spoke first, effectively cutting him off. "That's great! I knew that I would be leaving you in more than capable hands." He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing somewhat in thought. "So…you're feeling much better? You certainly look like it."
Sora blinked a few times, considering the question. It was a hard one to answer, truthfully. He had made some progress, of course; it would be impossible not to have made at least a touch. He had started walking again, though he had to use his keyblade as some kind of support. But he still felt exhausted— like he was always forced to hold up a weight that weighed a million pounds. His stomach was always clenched in nausea from his injuries, and he still couldn't sleep at all. And if Aerith didn't look so upset whenever he did so, Sora would never fail to turn down the offer of food.
He blanched for a heartbeat, inwardly debating on what his answer should be. Mickey seemed to grow concerned at the lack of a quick reply, perking as he asked: "You are getting along better now, aren't you? Or…is there anything that I can do to help you a bit more? …Do you think you have a guess on how long it'll be before you can be up and about again?"
Once again, Sora tried to speak. He opened his mouth and began to craft a response that, he was hoping, would make him sound less scattered than he really was at the moment. But, once again, he did not get the chance. From where she stood at Riku's right-hand side, Kairi took a small step forward, her eyebrows pulling together in a sense of slight puzzlement. "I assure you, Your Majesty, we're doing all that we can. It just takes time. And— and rest."
Merlin chimed in as well, the elder's voice slightly teasing, though there was a sense of warning underneath his words. "I'm sure that you of all people do not need a lesson in patience," he said gently. Just like Riku, he was looking at the mouse with a sense of wariness almost. "Didn't you see the state he was in when we first found him? The boy has come a long way from then, and he should be proud enough of that already." With the hidden compliment, the old wizard's eyes softened somewhat as he turned and gave Sora a tender smile.
Mickey straightened, seeming faintly surprised. "I— of course I saw what kind of state he was in. I was just wanting to know ow long you thought it would be before—"
Yuffie put her hands on her hips, looking cross. "Before what?" she demanded, her voice barbed.
A certain kind of heavy silence settled over the house. The group seemed tense now, or at the very least confused. Sora considered speaking up and putting himself into the thick of things, but taking in the crowd around him, he was suddenly less inclined to do so. He was just as puzzled as everyone else seemed to be, and he wasn't even really sure on the source of it, either. No sooner had the surprise return of the mouse presented itself did it begin to turn gradually sour.
Riku cleared his throat. When he spoke up, his voice was flat. "So why did you really come, then?" he asked. Mickey turned, just staring blankly at the other, as if he wasn't able to even comprehend the question. Riku paused for a moment to allow the mouse to consider and reply, but when it did not come, he shook his head and elaborated further. "There's something you're not telling us. You're worried about something. And you didn't come all this way just to check in." He paused, then added a little scathingly: "You haven't up until this point."
Mickey shifted his weight from foot to foot, heaving a sigh as he stuck his hands into his pockets. He glanced down at the ground, training his gaze there for a moment or two. When he looked back up, he did so with a heavy expression. "I guess I'm not as good a liar as I hoped I would be, then." He offered a smile after this, though it came across as weaker than he probably intended. Another sigh made itself known, and as the others continued to look expectantly the mouse's way, he eventually reached up to rub at his forehead wearily. Lowly, he mumbled: "Aw, geez…I'm sorry."
Axel let out a huff, shaking his head as he finally interjected. Finally being a very, very key term. Sora was actually wildly surprised that he hadn't spoken up yet with all that was going on. The day that Axel was polite and tight-lipped was the day that Sora would drop dead. Though, considering the situation that the teenager was in now, maybe that wasn't such a good analogy. "What's this about, then? What's going on? If you have something to say, you might as well come out and say it. Right now it looks like you're just beating around some bush."
All eyes were for the mouse. Nobody else keyed into the conversation or tried to ask questions or demand any answers. They just stared. Most of them were more off-set than anything else, looking at the king with a sense of bemusement or indignation at the puzzling visit. In comparison to everyone else, Kairi seemed much more worried. The redhead's eyes were troubled and strained, her hands wringing in front of her in a nervous fashion. Sora was very much aware of the girl's gaze boring a hole through him, yet he tried not to show it. Instead he kept his gaze firmly fixated on Mickey.
After a few moments of silence that felt more like five or so hours, he finally began to explain himself, however reluctantly it was forced from his mouth. "I'm sorry," he repeated, the words heavy as they came out in the form of an exhale. As Sora was able to see his expression clearly now, the teenager could see an overcast of worry come over his face— it seemed weighed down and exhausted, and suddenly much too stressed. "I know that I haven't been back here until now— I feel awful for that. It wasn't because I didn't want to, it was because I was too busy."
Kairi took another step forward, edging closer towards Sora. He tried to ignore it. Instead he rose up slightly, fighting a flinch as he propped himself up on his good elbow. Though his arm shook slightly with the effort. "Busy?" he repeated. "You were too busy? Busy doing what?" There wasn't anger in his tone of voice— just confusion. What was happening? What was going on?
Kairi was tense. Her fingers intertwined to clasp her hands together in front of her, and she shuffled her feet awkwardly as he called out: "Maybe we shouldn't do this here." Riku looked over at her with the suggestion; by the look on his face, it was clear that he was inclined to agree with her. The redhead was not at all comforted by the silent support, her expression terse as she pressed: "Let's go talk somewhere else. That way—"
Sora flashed her a glare, the hot-headed glance causing the girl to snap her mouth shut at once. "What do you mean go talk somewhere else?" Sora demanded, his voice uncharacteristically snippy. "Are you trying to hide something from me?" The accusation stung enough to just ask outright. Out of every person here, he would least suspect Kairi of willing to exclude him or shut him out. His thought process must have been clear in his expression; immediately Kairi seemed contrite of her lack of foresight. The girl straightened, her face falling as she bit down hard on her lower lip. But thankfully before either of them could say anything else, Mickey took control of the situation.
"I'm not going to try and hide what's going on. But you guys must have noticed it by now?" The others stagnated, unsure of how to reply. If they didn't know how what he was referring to, how in the world could they have replied? The mouse seemed reluctant to believe that they were in the dark, but at the groups' lack of response, he went on anyway. "Ever since I went back home to visit Minnie I've been preoccupied trying to sort things out. Recently there's been more and more Heartless activity. I've been trying to stop it before it could grow any more than it already has, but that's just the problem. No matter what I do, their numbers keep getting bigger and bigger. And the longer it goes on, the more worlds start to pick up the problem."
Riku, Kairi, and Axel's eyes immediately shot to Sora as the piece of information hung itself in the air of the home. Donald however was not paying that much attention. Rather he was garnered more to the news at hand concerning the Heartless. At the very mention of the things, he stumbled forward, looking shocked and flabbergasted, but mostly enraged. "You mean they're everywhere now!?" he all but screeched. The duck stomped his feet on the ground— an uneven tempo of fury. "They're spreading!?"
Mickey looked at his friend wearily and gave a slow nod. "At first it was just my world. But then I got nervous so I went to check around. The flood hasn't spread everywhere yet, but it's getting dangerously close. Too close for my comfort. And from what I've seen here so far, the problem's already here. So you know what I'm talking about, right?" The others nodded, albeit reluctantly. The mouse mimicked their movement in turn. "I came to try and see whether or not I could get help. Whether or not I could get a…" He trailed off, blinking for a moment. Then he turned, looking at Sora with an expression that hinted at deep sorrow. "…strong number."
Sora's eyes rounded out in surprise. He opened his mouth, beginning to say something.
Once again. He was not permitted.
"No." Riku's objection was coarse and flat and without question. It came nearly half a second after Mickey finished speaking, and there was a sense of anger that vibrated through each syllable, derived from the mere fact that the mouse had overstepped boundaries enough to make this uncalled-for request. "Absolutely not. Are you serious!? You're only giving him a few days before you ask him for help? You've got to be joking!" Sora jerked in shock at the sudden volume, flinching at the lance of pain that went up his side in response. He didn't expect Riku to react in such a manner; usually he held Mickey in very high esteem. He hardly ever dared to question him, much less yell outright like he was.
"Riku, please…" Merlin consoled the boy with a murmur and a gentle warning look. The other still seemed angered, his fists clenched at his sides as he gnashed his teeth together. Yet regardless of whatever he might be feeling, he was able to hold himself back enough to follow the wizard's instructions and keep quiet. Taking initiative after him, the elder took a step closer to the mouse, looking grave. "I'm sorry, but you must realize the severity of the situation. We don't mean to be rude, yet you cannot blame us…"
"I understand it perfectly," the mouse replied. "Otherwise I wouldn't come over here like this. I knew it was a stretch to assume that Sora would be able to help." He turned back to Sora with this, downcast and regretful. "I had just hoped that I could get all the numbers I could to try and make sure that we could end this problem before it got any worse." He paused, seeming to debate inwardly. But after the small lapse, he seemed to take whatever he was thinking back and shook his head instead. "I'm sorry— I should have been thinking more."
"An understatement of the century," Axel drawled.
To Mickey's credit, he ignored that comment. He turned instead to take rank of everyone in front of him, putting his back to Sora in the process. He stiffened, his face falling in severe disappointment. But at this point nobody at all was paying attention to him. "I also came to ask you all for help too. You all might have been trying to stop the spread of Heartless here, but the other worlds are in danger too. They don't have anybody that are as good of fighters as the ones that are here. I know it's a lot to ask you all for, but we can't let the worlds fall into darkness— not now."
"I don't know," Yuffie murmured after a pause, the girl leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. "We've been going out every day to try and wipe out the Heartless and it seems like it does absolutely nothing. They just keep coming day in and day out. We were planning on maybe trying to leave and find the source of whatever has been sending all of them out, but…" She paused, trailing off for a moment. She shook her head and cleared her throat, starting over. "We've been busy. Between taking care of Sora and keeping him safe and dealing with the Heartless, we're pretty thinly-spread as it is. It's a hard thing to keep up."
Sora attempted to interject. "If I could—"
"We can't just let every other world suffer because we can't 'handle' a few extra chores," Axel objected, putting his hands on his hips. Yuffie pursed her lips and shot him a look that was only half-angry. Axel replied with a roll of his eyes. "I mean, if all we have to do is visit a few places and knock out a few heartless it should be pretty simple. If we split up, it'll take even less time, you know? I think we could do it." The others didn't reply at first; they just looked on in silence. Axel cleared his throat and raised his arms in a signal of surrender. "But that's just me I guess."
"I say we go teach them who's boss!" Donald squawked.
Aerith gnawed on her lower lip, her eyes dark and troubled. She glanced over at Sora, unnerved by the expression that was now plastered over the boy's face. A few moments went by, in which she seemed to be in deep thought. When she spoke up, her voice was softer than usual and more hesitant, as if she wasn't sure whether or not it was her place to come forward and speak. Regardless of whether or not she was completely positive, she spoke anyway. "You all could go." The group turned in surprise at the offer. Aerith paused, leaving a space for someone to object to her if they saw fit. But when nobody did, she slowly continued. "Merlin and I could take care of Sora by ourselves. Maybe…maybe Axel could stay here and help keep Hollow Bastian safe?" She looked anxiously at the redhead with the suggestion; thankfully he didn't seem to mind at all. "The rest of you could divide some worlds among yourself?"
Riku still seemed doubtful. "Aerith, I don't think you realize…"
The brunette perked, obviously not wanting to break out into a fight with her friend whatsoever. Yet at the same time, she was reluctant to back away from her point. "Well I'm just saying that Axel has a point. I know Hollow Bastian is important, and Sora is even more important. But we can't let the other worlds be swallowed by Heartless and darkness. Not if there's something we can do about it. Wouldn't you feel awful if you heard something had happened and you hadn't tried to do a single thing against it?"
Riku seemed frustrated. "Well, yes— but we have to prioritize."
"Prioritize what exactly?" Cid asked.
Yuffie heaved a sigh. "I hate to admit it, but Aerith's got a point. We can't just sit around and do nothing. Before now, we had no idea whether or not the other worlds were in any kind of danger. Now that there's no doubt, we've got to act. And I like what Aerith said. That way Sora's still taken care of, and we've got Axel back here to help keep at least some of the Heartless away. We can dash out, help kill a few Heartless, and then come back. Nobody said it has to be a week-long excursion. Out and back. Check a few places and then be satisfied."
"You make it sound simple," Riku objected. "It's not that simple."
Yuffie met his stare with raised eyebrows. "But is it as hard as you're making it out to be?"
He started to reply but bit it back instead. He sighed heavily through his nose and looked away, a scowl settling over his features quickly. Yuffie shook it off, clearing her throat and moving on. "We should do something at least. We can't let our problems cover up everyone else's. They're just as important too."
Mickey shot her a grateful look. "I need as much help as I can get, and I knew that everyone here would be helpful in the effort to sort things out." He paused and looked around, from one person to the other. It was like he was gauging the kind of fighting force he would be able to unleash with them in his ranks. "So? Who's willing to help? We could leave first thing in the morning tomorrow."
At first nobody stepped forward or offered any sort of volunteer for the enlistment. Axel coughed and made the move to be the first, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "I think you all should do it. Who knows? It might not even take that long." Sora pushed himself up further, ignoring the stitch in his ribs as he opened his mouth to speak. But Axel didn't leave a big enough gap in his speech for Sora to do any such thing. "I don't mind; I can stay here and handle things while you're off wandering around. I'd imagine that since the news of everything has gotten around, I wouldn't be too popular with anyone out there."
Kairi winced. "That probably wouldn't be…" She trailed off as Axel turned and shot her a look. There wasn't much arguing with that point, she figured. But she did speak shortly after, seeming somewhat torn as her eyes flickered over to where Sora was still on the bed. Her expression flashed over with hurt at the look that was on his face, and her voice was softer than normal when she went on. "M-Maybe I should stay here though," she objected. "Axel can go with you guys and I can stay here. I think that might play out a little better."
Surprisingly, Yuffie was the one to reject this statement. "Kairi, you just got your weapon a few days ago. Today you nearly fell right off the ledge of the Bailey because you were trying to reach a Heartless. Not to be rude or anything, but if we're leaving someone to look over the whole of Hollow Bastian, we're going to need someone a little bit more capable." Not inclined to hurt the redhead's feelings, she added quickly: "No offense though. It's just…we need to be realistic. Right?"
Kairi made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. She huffed herself tightly, as if suddenly cold, and she kept her distressed stare trained on Sora. The brunet was tight-lipped once more, giving up the effort to try and keep speaking. Every time he attempted the feat, he was either shut down or not even allowed to try in the first place. He was just looking on now, entirely forgotten as soon as the question of his involvement in the entire situation was answered. His blue eyes were dark and shaded over with disappointment. The look on his face was hard enough to even look at for the girl.
She thought of speaking out against everything in some way. It wasn't fair for Sora to watch this unfold right in front of him; she was starting to regret the fact that they hadn't branched out to have this conversation in private. Maybe then they wouldn't be rubbing all of this right into his face. For someone like him, this was pretty much a slap in the face. But she couldn't try and refute anything when she had no case. They had to go out and help others. They had to make sure everywhere else was safe too. And there was no question on the fact that Sora wasn't really well enough yet to help them.
'Are you okay?' she asked silently. The others moved on quickly in conversation, deciding that it would be Axel to stay as they began to discuss instead what they would actually do. Two hours, Yuffie was saying. For the first roundabout, they should only be gone for two hours. Sora didn't reply to her question. The teenager settled back down slowly with a pinched look, laying back down on the bed with a slow exhale. Kairi wilted, her lips pulling down into a frown. 'I'm sorry,' she mouthed.
Sora blinked slowly. After a heartbeat his eyes flickered away dejectedly.
He was sorry too.
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
Sora woke up the next morning with a throbbing head, a sore throat, and a heavy feeling inside of his chest. The others were taking care in trying to be as quiet as they could— they must have been hoping that they could manage to weasel out before he caught sight of them. They were organizing themselves into small groups which would go to certain places and leave others out that would be handled by another party. And though they immediately began to spout goodbyes and regretful phrases the moment they realized Sora was watching them, it was clear by the look in their eyes that they were excited for the prospect to come.
Mickey had come back after leaving for the night. He was standing in the doorway, waiting for the others to file out properly so that they could leave. With the others, he offered his own goodbyes and condolences, wishing Sora to get better soon. But it was blatantly obvious that the mouse was more focused on the task at hand— he wanted to get out and search through the other worlds more than he wished to linger or loiter around Merlin's house.
But to their credit they didn't linger for very long. They all were on a schedule— they all had places to do be and Heartless to wipe away. They were gone in less than twenty minutes. Axel stayed back, as promised. He stood in the center of the room, watching the door for a few more minutes as Aerith and Merlin started to go into their daily routine of sprucing up the house and their remaining supplies before going to ask Sora how he felt or how he slept the night before.
After surveying the door for a while more, Axel turned around to look back at Sora. It was clear he wasn't sure what he could do or say to try and make things easier around here. The air seemed to be thick with disappointment already, and Sora's facial expression wasn't making things much better. Trying to lighten the situation, he offered the boy a smile as he shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Sora," he said, his voice adopting a teasing lilt. "I mean— half of them are probably going to have nothing to do out there. And who would want all that legwork? Too much effort if you ask me. We're better off right here."
Sora didn't react. At first Axel thought he hadn't heard him in the first place— he was too busy staring off into space. But then he blinked, turning just slightly to look over at the redhead. A thin smile spread over his face, the expression barely leaking into his eyes with the grin. "…Mhm," he hummed, closing his eyes and exhaling heavily. "I guess so."
Axel's expression softened. He walked over to the boy's bedside and leaned down, clapping a hand lightly down on his better shoulder. Glancing over towards Merlin, Axel spoke under his breath. "Hey, after I get back, what's say you and I work a bit more on trying out your legs? I'd imagine we could make some killer improvement, right?"
Sora nodded once. His eyes slipped shut, the boy having not slept very much at all last night. "M'kay," he mumbled loosely, ducking his head back down deeper into the pillow. He didn't feel much like moving. But the prospect of getting better – if only by a little – managed to appeal enough to him. Maybe if he could handle walking a bit better, he might be able to tag along with the group. Maybe help a little bit more than what he was doing now. Though, really, doing that was pretty easy, considering he was doing nothing at the moment.
At the thought, he cracked open his eyes to look over at Merlin, who was mumbling under his breath nearer to the corner. He was muttering over impatience or lack of supplies. It was always one of those two. With the sight, Sora felt a sense of hopelessness clog at his chest. It probably wouldn't happen. The sooner Merlin would stop his fretting was probably when the sun would freeze over. He closed his eyes again and turned into a less uncomfortable position.
Axel watched Sora a moment or two longer, his grin fading into a small frown. He cleared his throat, giving the boy one last small pat before drawing back. "Well, I'm off for the morning, then. I should be back soon though— when everyone was leaving it looked pretty boring out there." He waited for a response, but Sora didn't give one. His head was throbbing; really, he just wanted to sleep. Axel gave a nod, pursing his lips before turning for the door. "I won't take long, okay? I'll be right back."
Sora nodded and watched him go silently.
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
He strained, grimacing with the effort it took to keep himself from falling. Axel had returned a little later than the redhead had probably intended. It was around eleven now and the man had left around eight. Taking that into consideration however, the others were only supposed to be gone two hours. They were going an hour over the time limit they had 'sternly' set for themselves, and Sora was inclined not to blame the intergalactic traffic for that one. Aerith had been openly worried, fretting aloud as she had surveyed Sora's bandages to see whether or not they needed cleaning. Merlin had been more thoughtful— he was probably doing all his worrying on the inside rather than put it out on display.
Sora had to listen to Aerith for a whole hour before Axel came back. The redhead had done a few circles over the entire town and fizzled whatever Heartless he had found into oblivion. It was mess to wrangle Sora away from Merlin and his vice-like watch, even more so when Axel had announced that they were going to go out and walk around in front of the cottage. If it wasn't for Aerith pointedly attracting the wizard's attention to something else entirely, they probably wouldn't have gotten away with it. But thanks to the brunette and her complete inability to see Sora even more upset or put-out than he already was, they managed to slip outside.
The hard part came with walking, though. Compared to Sora walking, doing something impossible like persuading stubborn Merlin to do something he didn't want to, was like bending butter— it was child's play. But, to the boy's credit, it was noticeably easier this time around than it was the first. His bad leg was still aching; one misstep or small trip, and the limb immediately screamed in protest. But his other leg was better at giving enough support to compensate, and his head stopped spinning the more baby steps he took. They were small victories, and he was almost questioning whether or not he should even celebrate them. But considering the library of things that he could celebrate right now, he figured he might as well have one.
Axel seemed to agree though. "You're doing a lot better," he declared, watching Sora stagger on with a grin. "You look ready to run all the way to the Bailey and back. We can have a race later. Whoever loses buys the other one ice cream." He leaned back against the wall, his expression becoming thoughtful as he surveyed the boy. Sora didn't reply, and Axel tilted his head to the side, looking concerned. "You alright? You've been quiet ever since last night."
"I'm fine," Sora muttered, grimacing as he tried to lengthen his stride. It pinched, and it didn't feel very good to accomplish. But the feat was managed without too much issue, so he tried to mimic it. "Just peachy."
"Mhm," Axel mused. "Well I'm glad to hear that. You look ready to bend over backwards in happiness."
Sora turned and flashed him a look. "Am I supposed to be happy?" he demanded, his voice coming out a little sharper than he really intended it to be.
Axel met his stare with a level one. "No, not at all," he answered blankly. His green eyes bored into Sora's blue ones and he cocked his head, raising his eyebrows. "You're just not supposed to be this sad." Sora's face fell with the unexpected comment. He blinked a few times, unsure of what to say. He wondered if there was an option to say nothing. He didn't think there would be. His assumption was proved founded as, once he turned back front and tried to keep walking, Axel spoke up again. "You want to talk about it or something? Talk about what's bothering you?"
"There's nothing to talk about," Sora answered hollowly.
"Sure there is," Axel objected fairly. "There's a lot. More than you want to let on all the time."
Sora scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I know you," Axel stressed. Sora stopped with this, not turning back but listening intently to what the Nobody was saying. Realizing he had his attention, Axel continued with a heavy tone of voice. "You're annoyingly optimistic about everything. Someone could walk over to you and push you over and you'd probably just compliment their muscle capability."
"That's not what I would—"
"Shut up, I'm talking," Axel shushed. Sora snapped his jaws shut, rolling his eyes. "Listen, Sora…I was with you, you know?" The boy's face grew blank with this; he still refused to turn around. "I was with you in that castle the entire time. I saw how much you fought to keep yourself optimistic and how much you tried to spin each situation. That's what you do— that's what I meant when I said that. But…now it's different. It's a lot different, and I know that it's not just me that's been noticing that change in you. Everyone's worried about you but they're too scared to say anything; they don't want to make it any worse than it already is."
"What are you talking about?" Sora asked. "They always worry over me— that's all anyone's been doing!" He turned now, shuffling awkwardly so that he could face the other. "And what do you mean I've changed? I haven't changed at all."
"Of course you have," Axel pressed. "You're a lot quieter now. Before this, we had a hard time getting you to shut up. Now…I'm lucky you're talking enough to me right now! You keep to yourself. You just said there was nothing to talk about, but that's just another way that you stay isolated or whatever you want to call it. It's not…it's not like you, Sora. It's worrying everyone." He paused, then shrugged his shoulders in a resigned manner. "It's worrying me too. I thought that things would get better after we got out and after you woke up. But it looks like it's just getting worse, and I didn't even think that was possible."
Sora glared at him. "You're blaming me for the Heartless?"
Axel sighed. "You know that's not what I'm talking about, Sora. Don't try to change the subject."
"I don't want any subject! I just want…I just want—" He broke off, silently fuming.
Axel perked. "What? What do you want?"
Sora let out an angry yell. "I want you not to have distracted Yuffie!" he yelled, unable to stop himself. Axel blinked, more confused than anything as he pushed himself slowly off the wall. His mouth was halfway open, as if he was groping for something to say. But Sora was sick and tired of being cut off. He was sick of being brushed under the rug. He wanted to speak and this time he would say it. "I want to not have gotten caught in the first place! I want none of this to have ever happened! I want to have been able to go on like normal I want to be able to walk by myself! I want to be able to sleep! I want to be able to help! I want to be the way I was!" His voice cracked as it rose in volume— his throat was too raw and sore to let it get as loud as it had the capability to be. His eyes were stinging as he glared at Axel, and in some part of his mind that retained sense, he told himself that he was being unfair. But the majority of himself refused to listen. "I want you not to have distracted Yuffie!" he repeated in a yell. "I want to be normal! I want for none of this to have happened!"
"You think I want anything else!?" Axel demanded, surprised at the sudden turn of emotions. "Sora, I would give anything to have you be—"
"But it's not enough!" Sora objected, reaching up to awkwardly swipe at his face. "It's not enough and it'll never be enough! Nothing can change it!"
"Sora, you're just upset with everything that's going on," Axel said, calming himself and his voice down enough to try and console him. The teenager scowled, looking away. "Look— just a few days ago, when you first woke up, I tried to leave because I had that same mindset, you know? Do you remember? And what did you say to me?" Sora glared, steaming as he refused to even look back at the other. With the silence, Axel went on ahead to answer himself. "You told me that it didn't matter what happened before. That everything turned out okay and you didn't regret anything that happened. You made me realize that it was stupid of me to be thinking like that— to be thinking of things I could have done, or things that I blamed myself for. You changed my mind, Sora. You're just getting too confused— you're too upset to try and think straight, right? You just need to take a break. This is what I'm talking about; you're not you right now. You need to be thinking better thoughts. You need to communicate more, because until you do then all these stupid thoughts are going to pile inside your head like trash."
Sora didn't reply, yet his vision blurred even more as he kept turned to the side.
The door to Merlin's cottage opened. Aerith stepped outside, her breath curling out in front of her in a cloud as she shivered at once from the weather. "You guys should come inside; you've been out there for a pretty long time." It had only been maybe fifteen minutes. "Merlin said he wanted to check Sora and make sure the walking doesn't take too much of a toll on him." Lowering her voice into a whisper, she added: "I tried to convince him to let you stay out here longer, but he wouldn't let me." No sooner did she add this last part did she realize Sora's state: the look on the boy's face, and the way that his eyes were tearing up. She started, seeming alarmed. "Sora, are you alright? What happened?"
Sora grimaced, wiping at his face again. He muttered: "It's nothing."
But it had already caught the attention of Merlin. The old wizard hurried forward, opening the door wider and cramming himself into the entryway so that he could see around Aerith. "Sora, my boy, what's the matter?" Looking the child to the Nobody, Merlin seemed to connect some kind of puzzle piece, the older man looking cross now. "Axel, you've upset him!" Axel put his hands on his hips, looking offended at the accusation. "Can't you see that you need to let him be? Come, come inside, Sora, you need to rest more. I say, you'll never get healed at all unless you—"
"He's not upsetting me, you are!" Sora yelled, his forehead creased over as he ducked his head.
Merlin broke off, surprised. He looked from Sora to Axel, the redhead looked pained as he took stock of the boy across from him. The Nobody cleared his throat, beckoning the two outside but only indicating Aerith vocally. "Aerith, could you help Sora inside?" The girl seemed skeptical at the order, and not at all inclined to try and make things worse. But when Sora didn't object to it – at least aloud – she relented. Leaning over gently, she looped Sora's good arm around her neck, letting him lean on her as they shuffled back inside.
"Don't worry about anything at all," she assured him sweetly, a ready smile already back on her face. "I can make you tea and you can sit on the couch with a blanket and I'll give you the remote this time. We can watch anything you'd like. I'd bet there's some good movies on to watch right about now. Are you hungry? I could maybe…"
Sora wasn't listening. Instead, he was reaching his hearing back behind him, trying to pick up on whatever Axel and Merlin were talking about. The Nobody had held the wizard back, currently speaking to him in a hushed whisper. He was hard to hear underneath Aerith's voice— Sora couldn't very well ask Aerith to be quieter so he could snoop better. All he heard were bits and pieces. "…not like himself…just think…let him go…might be better to…and I wouldn't let…"
Merlin's voice was louder. Raised in shock, no doubt. "I wouldn't even think of such a thing!"
Aerith was easing Sora over the threshold. As the girl began to shut the door behind them, Sora took the chance to look back at the two. They both looked furious, glaring at each other like two dogs about to leap at the other's throat. It was impossible to tell who was angrier at the other. "You've got to do something!" Axel snapped, his voice louder now. "You've got to let him go!"
Merlin shook his head quickly. "I'll have no more of it! I've said no and that's final! He wouldn't last a single second out there!"
Axel took a step forward, his hands clenching at his sides. "I said I would protect him!"
"You can't always protect him!" Merlin shouted. "Look at the state he's in now!"
If the Nobody was angry before, there was no comparison to now. He gnashed his teeth together, drawing a hand through his hair before snapping and yelling: "You're killing him! Okay!? Keeping him here— you're killing him!"
"Sending him out there is the only thing that will kill him!" Merlin countered.
"Is that what you think!?" Axel demanded hotly.
"Of course it is!"
"Then you must not even glance at his face these days," Axel all but growled.
Aerith shut the door. Sora blinked slowly, looking down at the ground. The girl blinked, studying the door and listening with a heavy heart as their muffled shouts managed to leak through the door. After snapping herself out of it, she turned, trying to offer Sora a smile. But it was much too sad to be considered anything of the sort. "Hey…" she whispered softly. Her eyebrows pulled together, and she leaned forward, rubbing Sora's good shoulder as gently as she possibly could. "…You okay?"
"I'm fine," Sora rasped, his voice flat as he continued to stare at the floor. From outside, the two could still hear yelling. But making out specific words was near impossible. At this point, Sora was at a loss on whether or not he actually wanted to know what they were discussing anymore. Softly, Axel's words burning a hole in his brain, he mumbled: "Just peachy."
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
A/N: Once again, I'm really sorry for the wait. It was intended to be sooner but recently I've gotten sick and I just can't shake it so I typed this chapter between bouts of consciousness. Hopefully it hasn't suffered in that respect. The plot is going to pick up in the next few chapters or so. Or— well, the main plot anyway, that involves Sora. It just takes a few more intro chapters in order to reach it. I hope that you all like this new chapter! ((Translation: I hope there are still readers for this story XDD))
I'm so sorry to make you wait this long! Juggling school and three stories is hard to do. I hope you all can understand. And for those of you still reading this, I would love to hear your feedback on what's up so far? Or what's to come? I can promise you that after these next few chapters, everything is subject to change! ;) Thank you! I hope you guys like it!
