Why give up? Why give in?
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become, desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go on until the end
Surround me, it's easy, to fall apart completely
I feel you creeping up again (In my head)
It's over, no longer, I feel it growing colder
I knew this day would come to end, so let this life beginWhy give up? Why give in?
It's not enough, it never is
So I will go on until the end
We've become, desolate
It's not enough, it never is
But I will go on until the end
I've lost my way
I've lost my way
But I will go on until the end
Sage was in a pretty good mood that Monday. Her and Riku had broken their records that morning with their run, she had gotten loads of sleep over the weekend, work was going great and her new game soundtracks had just come in the mail, and to top it all off, the school had let her switch out the skirt from hell for a pair of simple jeans that were somewhat similar to the boys, just more form fitting. Yeah, everything was looking great.
That was, until she saw Kairi and Namine forcing the guys to sit still for a picture. Sage liked very few things in life, she was more of a person for disliking things that the world offered, and pictures were no exception. Denise had already left her scarred, the woman would take pictures like there was no tomorrow. But unfortunately before she had time to veer away, Kairi had caught sight of her. "Hi Sage!"
Sage paused mid-step and winced before turning around and giving a small smile. "Hey guys."
"Sage! HELP!" Sora yelled, making a move to quickly get up before Namine pushed him back down.
"Wimps." Sage smirked as she watched the torture. "We can't get them to give us a decent picture." Namine was explaining, "So really they're just hurting themselves."
"Why do you want their pictures in the first place?"
"Because! Pictures are great and they help solidify memories." Kairi said with a knowing nod. "We made them sit down for pictures last year and we're going to do it again this year." Namine giggled.
"Why can't we do this another time?" Roxas asked.
"Because the sooner the better." Kairi said. Then realization dawned on her and she looked at Sage. "Hey Sage..."
"No." She said in a dead monotone.
"But you didn't even let me finish!"
"I've been in enough pictures to last me a lifetime, I'm good."
"I never would have thought of you as a picture person Sage." Riku commented.
"My best friend is Denise, the woman who's practically glued to a camera. Trust me, they weren't willingly." Riku smirked at this while Kairi tried to win the girl over.
"Please! Plus they might stop goofing around if you did it with them."
Sage raised an eyebrow at this while Sora and Roxas started to wrestle, obviously focussing on something else other than the camera. After a moment she rolled her eyes and tossed her backpack to the side. "Alright, I do this you have to by me the knew Tiesto CD, deal?"
"Deal." Namine said quickly. Sage walked behind the two and next to Riku, dropping down next to him before taking Sora and Roxas's shirts and pulling them up off the ground. so they were sitting up straight in front of them. However, they seemed determined to have depressed faces. "Do this one good picture and I'll be you Sea-Salt ice cream today." She said, sounding dead serious.
Riku grinned and the two cheered just as the flash went off. Kairi and Namine clapped excitedly, looking at the picture on her digital camera. "Awesome!" Just as they were getting up Kairi watched as Sora stood on one side, while Roxas took the other, both slinging their arms over Sage's shoulders and grinning wide. "The great and all mighty ice cream provider!" Another flash, and Sage's face went from slight surprise to a glare as the girls giggled again.
XXXXXX
Kairi and Sage both paused in their sparing to look up at the runner who currently had their gym teacher's attention. As the person quickly talked the man nodded, glancing their way as he did so. Once they had finished Mr. Carter waved both girls over. "You two are requested by the principal to meet him at the office immediately." He said. "Go ahead and put your weapons away and head over there."
"Yes sir." Sage said, sheathing her daggers while Kairi nodded and both girls headed towards the large double doors and towards their lockers. They went their separate ways, breaking into a run to quickly put their things up before heading over to the office.
Principle Xemnas was known for being strict and requiring nothing but your 100% effort, but as long as you got work done and stayed on his good side, then there was really nothing to fear about him. Sage had met with him a couple of time throughout her two weeks here, mostly because within a new student's beginning time he wanted to know about their progress from their perspective and not just from the teachers.
Sage knocked firmly on the door and waited until she head a, 'come in' and opened it fully before stepping inside, leaving Kairi, Riku, Sora, Xigbar, Namine, Roxas, Demyx, and a few others behind in the waiting room, having been told by the receptionist that he wanted to see them one at a time.
She kept her face carefully composed as she stepped in front of them, standing straight and keeping her gaze steady. "Sir." She dipped her head slightly, her hair falling around her shoulders.
"Hello Sage." He greeted from behind his desk. "Please, take a seat." She did as she was told and he continued, straight to the point. "We are allowing some of the more harder working students to have a chance at extra credit that will involve programs outside the school. Have you ever heard of Adventures for Kids?" Sage shook her head and he nodded. "It's a program for children who need to be watched for a few days while their parent's handle personal matters. More than likely they have been witnesses to their parents using drugs, drinking, or fighting. While the adults handle these matters, the children spend their time at the organization until their parents sort out their problems. They are doing a remodel of their main building and have requested volunteers. We have gone and picked out students to help with the physical labor, and others to watch the children. Everyone in the waiting room has been assigned spots, but after talking with your gym teacher about your physical fitness I am giving you the option to chose to either watch a child for the day or help with the remodel."
"How old is the child?" While Sage loved physical work, especially construction, she also had a caring side for children, she could definitely classify them as a weakness for her.
"The child you would be assigned is six years old and named Samantha. Her father died at a young age and her drunken mother had a habit of remarrying any guy that came her way. While she is currently getting help, Samantha has been staying with Adventures for Kids." Sage was handed a folder and she opened it, scanning the contents and the picture. The girl had long brown hair that fell to her small back, she was pretty thin, but it didn't seem like it was in any unhealthy way. Large green eyes were slightly hidden by bangs as the child stared at her from the picture.
"It says she has slight fear of water, can you elaborate?"
"Once went to the swimming pool with a group of children from the organization. She was pushed in before the adult supervising the visit had a chance to stop her from being submerged. She was fine afterwords, just shaken up."
"Are there limits as to what I can do with her, activities and such." Sage asked, closing the file and handing it back.
"No, I'm trusting after reading your history report that you will be safe with her. Just help her have fun and keep her entertained for a couple of hours, that's all."
Sage nodded. "Alright, I'm in." Xemnas smiled slightly, the movement only lifting the corners of his mouth barely.
"I'm glad to hear it, you can meet her now." He pressed a button and asked the receptionist to send in the child. Sage got up and turned around as the door opened up to reveal a slightly heavier adult in a uniform leading the girl, Samantha, into the room. She kept slightly away from everyone and was hugging herself, looking around nervously with her large green eyes. Sage looked over her shoulder to the Principal, who nodded, before turning back.
"Heya kiddo." Sage dropped her normal monotone voice and sounded relaxed and slightly cheerful. "I'm Sage, what's your name?"
The girl looked up at her and Sage could have sworn she dropped a few shades in color but answered anyways. "Samantha." she said quietly.
Sage nodded and the two adults watched intently, wondering how Samantha was going to take to Sage. Both were surprised when Sage did something completely out of the ordinary. She dropped down and sat on the floor Indian style, now level with Samantha. "So Samantha, have you heard of the phrase, 'icebreaker'?" The older woman looked at Xemnas, who motioned for her to wait.
Samantha shook her head and Sage explained. "You know how right now you're really nervous around me?" This time she timidly nodded, hugging herself tighter. "Well an icebreaker is something that makes it to where you aren't nervous around me. So do you want to hear what my favorite way to do this is?"
After a moment of thinking she slowly nodded. "Yes please." The words were just above a whisper.
Sage leaned in close to her ear like she was telling a secret. "Ice cream."
Samantha's eyes widened as she looked at her. "Really?"
In return the teenager nodded. "Yep, do you have a favorite flavor?"
"Strawberry." This time there was no hesitation at all.
"Then would you like to get some strawberry ice cream with me Samantha?" Sage asked, tilting her head slightly.
Samantha giggle at the action, her arms loosening up around her. "Please." She said, her voice stronger.
"Alright then." Sage pushed herself up and held out her hand. "Shall we?" Samantha once again nodded and took her hand, waving to the person in the uniform before walking out the office door with Sage, who turned her head slightly to see Principal Xemnas nod in approval.
XXXXXX
"Favorite color?"
"Pink, it reminds me of flowers."
"Favorite food?"
"Tacos! Their good, and crunchy, and yummy, and and, just awesome!" Samantha cheered, licking at her ice cream furiously. In the short half hour Sage had been with her, she had gotten the kid to loosen up immensely and was now quizzing her on her favorite things.
"How about favorite animal?" Sage asked, taking a sip from her soda that she had gotten over the frozen desert.
She somewhat expected something along the lines of horses or cats, but instead heard. "Sharks." Sage raised her eyebrows questioningly and the child continued. "Their big and fierce, and they can be mean sometimes but it's just because that's the way they are, if they choose to they aren't always bad."
"You're right, sharks is a good choice." Sage agreed. She had led Samantha around town and they now found themselves in a larger part of the district, where Samantha spotted a photo booth outside one of the shops.
"Miss Sage?" She asked, looking up at the older girl.
"What's up kiddo?" Samantha giggled at the title Sage used.
"Can we go take pictures?" She motioned towards the photo booth. Sage inwardly smirked. Of course, had to be something with photos. "Sure thing, come on."
Samantha threw away her ice cream and climbed in behind the black curtain, with Sage following in after her. The bench was decent in size and could hold the both of them as Sage sat down, but Samantha crawled up to sit in her lap. Sliding the required money in, Sage put up her wallet in her backpack that she had rested at their feet and waited for the first picture. "You're picture will be taken in 5...4...3...2..."
"Cheese!" Samantha said, grinning widely. Sage smiled and the flash went off. Samantha quickly changed positions, standing on the seat and somewhat behind Sage, her arms wrapped around the older girl's neck.
"Silly face." She said, and Sage chuckled at the childish command in the words.
"You're picture will be taken in 5...4...3...2..."
Sage and Samantha stuck their tongues out at the camera as the picture was taken. As the countdown started again the smaller child let out a playful screech as she suddenly found larger arms wrapped around her and tickling at her sides furiously as she rested on Sage's lap. The picture went off with her mouth open in a laugh and Sage smirking some.
For the fourth picture Samantha reached up and took off Sage's black shades. "Hey." She said playfully, laughing at the child rested the glasses on her own face and looked at the camera.
The final picture was with Sage behind Samantha, who hand brought up in a rock sign while the smaller girl had on glasses that were to large for her face and waving furiously at the camera with one of the largest smiles she could have ever made.
XXXXXX
"Um, Miss Sage?" Samantha asked nervously, looking around them as they walked along the beach. She was on the other side of the teenager, the side away from the water.
"What's up Samantha?" Sage asked, hearing the tone of the child's voice. It was probably some time around three, and Xemnas had called telling her at five to bring her back to the office.
"Will you help me with something?" She waited until Sage nodded, encouraging her to continue. "Well, I have this slight problem...I don't like water."
"Really?" Sage inquired, acting like she didn't know.
"It's not that I don't like it on purpose, it's just I had a really bad experience with it in the past. But I did a lot of things that I've never done before today, and it was because of you, so I was hoping that maybe this was something you would help me do too." she looked up at Sage with fearful, but also hopeful eyes and Sage immediately agreed.
"Of course Samantha. Come on." Sage motioned to a small store next to the beach. "First things first, you're going to need a bathing suit."
It only took about fifteen minutes for them to find a cute pink one-piece bathing suit with multiple flowers on it while Sage just opted for a pair of swim shorts and a blank tank top she had in her backpack. After they had set their stuff on the beach in a pile Sage walked over to the water. She walked in till it was about to her knees and turned around, her eyes studying Samantha's nervous movements behind her shades.
"It's a little cold." Sage said, saying anything that was casual.
Samantha walked up to the edge and let out a slight, 'eep' as the waves rolled onto the shore, running back slightly. Sage gave a small smile as she walked back up to the beach, holding out her hand to a timid Samantha. "I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."
The girl look at Sage, then the waves, and back to teen before taking her hand nodding determinedly. "Ok, I can do this." she kept a small encouraging chant going under her breath as she slowly made her way to the water.
"You know what my friend's and I used to do in the water?" Sage asked, and Samantha looked up curiously.
"What?"
"We would go surfing." Sage explained, looking out of the corner of her eye to make sure she had Samantha's attention, a grin threatening to play on her face as the child had yet to notice she stepped in the water.
"What's it like?"
"Well, it's really fun and really exciting." Sage explained. Samantha now noticed that she was waist deep while Sage was only just reaching her knees. Samantha paused for a moment in her walk, looking nervous again. "But you know what the best part is? When it's really hot, the water cools you down really fast." Sage went waist deep and turned to Samantha, bending down to where her entire body from the chest down was submerged.
Samantha held out her hands and Sage reached out taking her hands and lifting her up and onto her back. Samantha hooked her hands around Sage's neck as she walked deeper into the water. "Please don't let me fall." She said, tightening her grip.
"I won't." Sage said. "I promised nothing would happen to you, remember?" She could feel the girl's hair against her back as she nodded and Sage just walked along the length of the beach some, making sure both of them were wet. After a while Samantha loosened up and started to enjoy herself, holding on to Sage's back while she let her feet float in the water behind her, giggling as it did so.
"Ah!" She shrieked in delight as Sage suddenly had her off her back and in the air, catching her and letting her body get submerged slightly before lifting the light girl up again, grinning. "Did I scare you?"
Samantha giggled. "No!" Then she started kicking her feet getting Sage wet as she did so. "Haha! You're wet!"
Sage set her down on a part of the beach underwater to where she wouldn't drown then smirked, bringing her arms out to the sides in the water before they were pushed in front of her, a small wall of water covering Samantha. Brief fear strangled the girl as it washed over her, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, and she stood with her hair dripping wet in front of a grinning Sage. "Now you're wet."
XXXXXX
"Come in." Xemnas ordered, looking down at the paperwork in front of his desk, frowning slightly as he studied it. He heard a pair of footsteps come in then close the door behind them. "What is it-" He paused, studying the sight in front of him.
Sage and Samantha's hair was dripping wet, while their clothes were somewhat dry. Sage had changed into a pair of jeans and t-shirt she had grabbed from her house and Samantha was in her original outfit. A shopping back that held their bathing suits was hanging from Sage's left hand as well as her backpack while Samantha was on her back, her legs hooked through Sage's arms while her hands were loosely wrapped around her neck. The child was grinning like crazy while Sage smirked, her small and cheerful voice speaking for the both of them. "We got wet!" She giggled.